"So...this is Ceris?" I asked, surveying the small town through the small, dirty window of the room we had rented at a local inn, ironically named The Dragon's Head. Murtagh looked up from his position on the end of the bed in the centre of the room.

"Aye, this is Ceris..." He grunted, struggling to pull his boots off.

"Hmm...it's a dump." I remarked, honestly. I turned to face him just as he managed to get the second boot off with a small, triumphant sigh. "Don't get too comfortable, Tag. The sooner we can leave this place, the better."

"Very well." He nodded, laying back with his hands behind his head.

"That means put your shoes back on." I strode across the room to the old chest of drawers which now contained all of my possessions and retrieved my travelling belt with my sister's dagger still attached to it. Murtagh did not move, and I turned to him, fastening my belt around my waist.

"What are you waiting for? A written invitation? Let's go."

Sighing, he heaved himself off of the bed and began fighting with his boots again.

Our entrance into the town had went according to plan. The guards at the gates had been very friendly towards me, and only a little hostile towards Murtagh which, he assured me, was to be expected. Obsidian had, reluctantly, taken shelter in the woods further South to lie in wait for us, and for the first time since I had left home, I was starting to feel in control of my own life. This confidence, I am sure, stemmed from the natural dominance I felt in my relationships with both Obsidian and Murtagh. I could feel myself changing, and I was not sure if I liked it, for I could not tell if I was changing for the better. I had felt myself becoming slowly stronger, although as strong as I was growing physically, I knew that I was weakening emotionally. Not by so much that it would have a serious impact on me, but by enough that it was making me determined to stay in control.

I had always been headstrong and independent, and if I let that slip away from me then, I would be nothing, despite the new physical abilities that had slowly begun to manifest themselves.

I also noticed a slight change in my appearance. I had not looked at my reflection since leaving my father's home and that had only been a little over a week, but when I saw myself in the grimy mirror of our room, I froze. When Murtagh asked me what was wrong, I could not say. I didn't even know what it was that I was seeing. I looked like me, but there was just something different. Something undefinable, but definitely something that had not been there before. It bothered me, but only in the back of my mind. I did not fully acknowledge what was happening to me, for it was much too easy just to focus on the task at hand. If I kept myself busy, my concerns simply faded into the background.

"I don't think we should go out looking just yet." Murtagh said, standing up.

"Why not? That's what you came here to do, is it not?" I frowned. He nodded, thoughtfully.

"Yes...but it is still light outside. We have not even been here for an hour. If we start wandering around aimlessly, we will certainly draw attention to ourselves." He pointed out. Part of me saw the truth in what he was saying, but I knew that I could not just sit in that room with my own thoughts, I needed to get out and do something.

"We don't have to wander around aimlessly. We can check out the wanted posters on the front of the guard tower. We passed it on the way here...at least if we know the local vagrants and criminals it will give us somewhere to start."

"Oh, yes, that is a wonderful idea. And when someone notices you standing beside your own poster? Because you know there is a very good chance that your father has sent the word of your disappearance out to every major town in Alagaesia?!"

I silently cursed my stupidity for overlooking the flaw in this plan, desperately trying to think of a new one, all the while not entirely sure why I was so driven to do so.

"Fine." I eventually spat, with annoyance. "What do you suggest?"

He joined me by the window and peered out, thoughtfully.

"Well, this is the last hint of civilisation we will see for weeks. The road between here and the Beor mountains is wild and dangerous...we may as well make the most of the time we have here."

"I would hardly call this civilisation." I snorted. He looked at me, silently scolding my attitude, and I shrugged. "But I suppose you are right. How do you wish to 'make the most of it'?" I asked. A slow, devilish smirk spread across his handsome features and I smiled, uncomfortably. "What?"

"Selena...have you ever tried ale?"

AN: I know this chapter's disgustingly short, but it seemed to end on it's own. Not my plan, it just happened. Good news is, the next chapter follows directly on from this and it will be up verrrrry soon.