I do not own the Inheritance Series.
I'll continue to edit this over the next few weeks.
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Please, let me know your thoughts, and as always, enjoy,
Chapter Six
Weaved Soft Rush
At the edge of Palancar Valley stood the ruins of what once was a grand building. A stairway which led to empty air. Beneath it, like a pillar, the dark wood of a spruce tree was twisted, misshaped by the moss-covered stones in its attempt to rise toward the sun.
Legend said that once this place had been an outpost filled with the liveliness of a newly forming township until years later it was abandoned and forgotten as the township moved south. After nearly a century, the desolate place was rediscovered and taken up once more. Its new occupants formed the land with a different significance than its predecessors, and for a time dragons roamed the land freely until the Riders fell away from the valley and were forgotten save for the few who dared to tell their tales. The wilderness in the end, as it did in all matters, swiftly took over the land. Even so, if one looked closely, or perhaps if they were daring, dug deep beneath the layers of leaves and dirt, evidence of the past could be found.
At the top of the stairway, Meri stood beside a column of crumbling stone, overlooking the sweeping valley beyond. From behind her, she could hear her sister and cousin as they worked gathering wild edibles. Their voices, however soft, seemed to drift over the stillness of the dell.
With such a distance from the farmland, in the endless wildlands, it was easy to find holding. To soothe the twisting viper coiled tightly within her. Meri had spent the last handful of days working beside her mother, searching to fill empty places that were not there in rising inner turbulence.
When she found that during her time away the place that had once been hers was now no longer there to claim and there was no longer room for her within its bustling edges, she thought that it was exactly as Morzan had said after she had had visited the farm the year before; that she was no longer needed. That her place within the family had been filled during her long absence. Like the pawn on a game of High King Table, she could be easily substituted.
The memory of his voice drifted around her as if it were within the whispering crackle of a fire, and Meri had stepped away from cooking station, leaving behind the butter she had been shaping, and slipped outside to walk over the foothills. Out there, she spent most of the remaining day watching the wilds, the figures of her family in the distance, and kept an eye towards the sky until the sun began to set, vanishing below the dark sentinel mountains. Only then as darkness gathered, did she gather the smock she had tossed aside in anger and slowly headed back inside.
After that day, she remained troubled and found that no matter how hard she tried she could not slip back into the pattern of her old life. Her mind drifted back to Greynsi throughout the daylight hours, wondering over the happenings there. No word came from the south, and the lack it left her to her imagination. Nothing good came from it.
Meri kept Aconitum with her as much as possible, ignoring the wary glances Garrow sent her way, and never went without her knife. She often found herself walking the hills near the border of the wards, looking off into the distance searching for anything that should not be there. Nothing was ever out of place and she'd return to the house and put away her sword to halfheartedly help where she could. In truth, there was little for her to do; Mam and Elida had an easy pattern of working together to get the house work done, and often she felt as if she were in the way. That she was hindrance instead of a help.
Often at night when sleep refused to come, she would slip out of the bed, and after closing the door softly behind her so not to wake her sister, she'd walk over the farmland until sleep came late into the night. She never slept long, the house filled with life in the early hours of morn, and once awake she returned to the hills to walk the land around the farmland alone, keeping an eye out for stray stones which threatened to twist her ankle.
Beyond the rocks, the foothills that surrounded the farmland were filled with golden brush-tailed grass and long flowering stems that waved in the wind. Murmurations of starlings glided on the trails of the wind, like great black masses of clouds, diving in and out of the sky in search of a meal to fill their bellies, and in the distance the meadowlarks sang their evening songs. Meri spent her days out there, watching the wildlife in the sky and unhurriedly harvesting dandelions, ramps, and nettle to be dried and later used.
Her wanderings did not go unnoticed, and as they became a predictable part of her day Brom would saddle up the horses and they would ride out over the hills together. He didn't force her into conversation and a comfortable silence enveloped them. Despite the camaraderie, she found that she could volunteer little conversation wise. Meri wished to speak of the events over the last years, to seek solace in her papa's comfort as she had as a child yet even so the words bubbled inside her as if they were water behind a beaver's dam. It made her wonder when that dam would break and what would flow from its gushing waters.
It would break no time soon and so instead of speaking of Morzan she asked if she could learn to guard her mind. Brom was quick to agree. He began teaching her to do so right then and there on horseback until they returned home. These lessons continued every day afterwards.
There was nothing she wanted to learn more than protecting her mind, anything that could prevent someone shuffling through her thoughts as Morzan had done. Perhaps this was why she had been quick to learn and refine what he taught her, or perhaps the harsh lessons from her time within Greynsi drove her to seek perfection as quickly as possible. A full week had passed since his lessons had begun and by that time, she could hold herself against Brom's mental probing for the first time without faltering.
He had sent her away after her success, saying that she should join her sister and cousin for the day. It hadn't been a welcome request; it occurred to Meri within her first full day at the farmhouse that though her sister would not admit it she was more eager to spend time with her.
In those first days, Elida began following her as she had done when they were children but instead of allowing it, she sent her away and continued to do so whenever the girl reemerged. Even now, after days of repudiating her presence, Elida still followed behind whenever time permitted it, but this became less and less and at a longer distance with each passing day until she stopped completely.
Meri thought that she could suggest that they throw themselves from a cliffside and Elida would not deny her.
It was as if the younger girl had been lost in the wilderness over the last years, and was now just stumbling on a path homeward. But Meri was no guide, and thought that her sister should instead be in search of a reliable compass.
That morning, Elida had been more than thrilled at their papa's suggestion and jumped up from the table, her meal forgotten, and somehow dragged her to where Roran stood beside the horses in the barn.
As they rode over the hills and Elida's chattering voice echoed endlessly over the valley, Meri slowly regained her wits. Where they had gone that morning, she wasn't sure, and her memory escaped her, leaving her feeling as if she were grappling beside a riverbed for fish. Even now, hours later, she wasn't quite certain how exactly she had found herself within the ruins.
A sharp laugh pulled her attention away, and after glancing over the landscape once more, she descended the stairs. "You should come with us to the Midsummer Festival," Elida chirped, glancing up at her. "Mam and Papa don't join us but Uncle takes me and Roran. You'd like it, I think, since there's dancing and good food. You could meet the townspeople too!"
"I appreciate the offer but I'm not going." Meri sat on the bottom stair and frowned at Elida as she puckered her lower lip in a pout. Over the last handful of days, her sister had asked her join her, Roran, and Uncle Garrow more times than she could count and each time Meri had buffed the invite. Every time her refusal fell on deaf ears. "Trust me when I say that it's for the best and to stop asking. I'll not change my mind."
Elida tossed her plunder one by one into the basket at her feet. "But, why? You're not little like Conan so Mam and Papa won't stop you from coming. You're not going to spend all day in the hills again, are you? You've been out there all day since you got here. It's like you're searching for something or someone." Elida leaned in and partially covered her mouth but made no attempt to keep her voice down. "Oh! Do you have a secret admirer? Some girls in towns have one but you haven't truly been there so you couldn't have one yet so maybe it's someone from your time away. Roran fancies a girl in town, did you know?"
"That's enough, Ida!" growled out the boy, his cheeks darkening. "I don't fancy anyone. Don't go about spreading lies!"
"There's nothing wrong with fancying Katrina even if you don't want to admit it," she continued cheerfully, completely untroubled by the withering glare their cousin sent her. She turned to Meri and gave her a bright smile. "A lot of the boys in town fancy her so he made me leave some flowers once. Katrina thought they came from another and fancies him now. I'm been trying to convince Roran to fess up before it's too late and they get engaged."
"I told you not to tell anyone about that!" Roran growled in warning, turning on her. He tensed as if to force her to stop talk but Elida remained unbothered, ignoring him completely.
"I'm not just telling anyone, Roran, I'm telling Mimi. She should know you're as stupid as a stick. I'd wager that if she knew she would agree me, if you only told Katrina the truth than you wouldn't have to be worrying if she fancied you back." Elida turned to him, her hands resting on her hips. He groaned and turned away, hiding his reddening face in the leaves. "I think that she's a pretty face and is kind and such but wouldn't last if given a sword. I bet that she would trip and stab herself on it within moments."
There was a beat of silence in which Elida's eyes were pinned optimistically on her sister. Meri cleared her throat wishing once again that she had remained at the farm to roam the land in silence. Finally, hoping to end the conversation, she said, "I'm quite certain that Roran told you to say no more on the matter so don't."
"I only meant- oh, never you mind!" Elida busied herself with the hickory nuts before stomping her foot. "I only wanted you to come but, no, you're acting like this! Why do you have to be a stubborn goat? You were never like this before but now all you do is avoid everyone and break promises!"
Her sister stomped away to wait with the horses, leaving Roran to work alone. After a heartbeat of silence Meri stood to join him. "I apologize for Elida," she told him, stepping around the tree. She eyed their cousin as her fingers ran over a piece twisted iron and dropped it to the ground so she could take up her sister's basket. Whatever it might have been, a blade or a tool or something of greater importance, remained a mystery. "She can't seem to keep her mouth shut more than a breath, and shouldn't have exposed your secrets."
"I no longer have secrets," he sighed, looking up at sky as if he were defeated. "Most of the town knows of my interest. If you have something you wish to keep to yourself, Elida isn't the one to confide in."
"I apologize for her again until she's be wise enough to do so herself."
Roran huffed out a laugh. "It will be a long time until then."
Meri gave him a fleeting smile before covering the basket with a cloth. "Yes, I suppose so. Perhaps when that time comes, we'll celebrate with a week-long feast and dancing."
"And Morn could provide the ale and mead," he added with a chuckle.
Her face slipped into a mask of frozen politeness. "It will be a week to remember," she said in a voice that was not quite her own and then fell silent as she focused on her task.
It wasn't long after that Elida called for them to go home, saying that they would miss supper if they remained a moment longer. "Maybe I shouldn't have said anything, and we could sleep here tonight and forage our own supper instead. I bet that we could even find a rabbit or squirrel to roast," the girl mused wistfully as they mounted the horses. "Oh, wouldn't it such a marvelous adventure to sleep under the stars like real travelers?"
"We have nothing to sleep on," Roran pointed out.
Elida blinked at him. "There's grass and its oh so very soft."
"And wolves too. Great, giant beasts that roam these parts so close to the Spine," Meri intoned not knowing if her words were true or not. She hoped that they weren't but regardless they had her intended effect. Elida stiffened, glancing about uneasily. "I read that some wolves are large enough to take down a dragon. I imagine that if we stayed out here tonight without fire and shelter, we'd be an easy meal."
The girl let out a small whimper and slowed her horse to ride between them. Ahead of them, Roran glanced uneasily at her and then away. "I've lived here my whole life and never seen such creatures," he voiced.
Meri steadily met his gaze before looking over the woodlands in the distance and said, "Just because something hadn't been seen means not that it doesn't exist."
It did not mean that they did either but she kept that to herself. She knew such creatures existed but far to the south within the shrouded peaks of the Beor Mountains. A place, where if she had anything to say about it, she would never go. There were many such places she would like to never visit, and she had made a mental list of each and every one sometime ago.
There was no more talk as they rode to the farm, and the silence gave her time to think. Carvahall was no more her home than Greynsi. And while she forced herself to act as if she did not feel as if she stood outside of every interaction, she was not wholly a part of it. The doubts that Morzan kindled took aflame, fueled by her fears.
…
That night, after they returned, her sister did not join her but slept by the hearth in a cocooning of blankets and she was forced to sleep alone. Meri thought having the bed to herself might allow her sleep easier. It did not, and she spent most of the night rereading Eragon's letters, debating if she should write him back before discarding the idea. There was nothing she could tell that he wouldn't already know. With this thought, she eventually fell asleep.
When she woke, her boots weren't where she left them. She searched entire the cabin, roaming from room to room and even checking the loft behind hearth. There was nothing up there beyond dust and shadows, hiding the spiders crawling on their webs and wooden crates piled high, filled with forgotten belongings.
"If you misplaced something I highly doubt you'll find it up there," Mam called when she reemerged into light.
Meri looked down and pushed the railing with her hand, testing to see if it was stable. It was not. The wood creaked in complaint and would have toppled over if she hadn't pulled away. "I've gathered as much," she said stepping onto the ladder. She began to climb down. "You haven't seen my boots, have you? They aren't where I've left them nor are they where I did not."
Mam hummed and helped Iain onto the bench at the table. "I haven't. They're a chance that they're in the barn. Items mysteriously get moved there from time to time," she said and gave Conan a pointed look before handing Iain a slice of toasted bread, which he took and immediately began licking off the butter.
The older boy giggled and stuffed his mouth as if to keep himself from speaking.
"Are you telling me that there's kobolds in Carvahall? I thought that they avoided traveling through these parts," she said with mock disbelief, stepping onto the over the table and eying him.
The young boy looked up at her, his interest peaked. Conan hadn't spoken much to her in the last week and kept his distance, running off whenever she said anything to him or played silently by himself when she was near, ignoring her completely. He had been too young to properly remember her before she had been taken. And though she told herself that it did not hurt, the gripping pain whenever he ran from the room still formed within her.
"What's that?"
Meri plucked a slice of bread and cheese. "A house sprite. Normally, they're quite helpful but I seemed to have made one angry if it took off with my boots."
Conan shook his head, his eyes settling on Elida for a moment too long. Throughout the whole exchange Elida remained silent, focusing instead on eating. Now she pinned him with her eyes and he flinched away.
"I don't think it was a ka-kol- that," muttered the boy finally before stuffing him mouth full once again.
"That's a shame. Kobolds are quite useful creatures. We've never had one, rare as they are, but I've heard that they bring great fortune to the homes they dwell within," Meri said. She stepped around the table towards the door, and opened it. "I'll check the barn. Mam, do you know where these items seem to reappear?" She doubted that her boots would be there if the interaction between her siblings were anything to go by. In the very least it as good of a place as any to begin her search.
"The hayloft," was Mam's answer. Her voice was clipped.
Meri glanced back her, and saw her shake her head disapprovingly. They both knew that kobolds were as real as the Platnak. That such creatures only existed in the plains of one's imagination or the runes of a storybook. Tales that were meant to frighten or endear a child's heart.
There was a good chance that would be words between her and Mam later when they were alone. It wasn't something that she was looking forward to.
With a sigh, she walked to the barn. She was also certain that for now the next words from her mother's mouth would be to dispute the kobolds existence. To explain that there was a difference between a healthy imagination, something that would create wonders, and the truth, and that line no matter how fine could never truly blurred. Doing so only led to fear instead of understanding.
She peeked inside the barn and saw her papa and Garrow working on opposite corners. Neither of the men were talking to each other, each busy in their own work, and when she stepped inside, they only glanced up. Garrow wordlessly turned back to his work.
"You look like you've only just been roused from bed," Brom grumbled, glancing at her from over his horse's back. "How did you sleep?"
Meri stepped beside him, and leaned against the wall. "Briefly but well enough. You haven't happened to see either Elida or Conan come in here this morning, have you?"
"Nay." There was a long pause as he continued to wipe down the horse's coat, and then he sighed. "What's on your mind, my flower? You look troubled."
She let out a yawn. "I'm merely tired," she said after a moment, glancing uncertainly at her uncle. "To be honest with you, I've been thinking a lot about why you want us to stay here. You're not going to give Morzan the chance to come after us, are you? You'll be leaving very soon." As Garrow visibly stiffened, her papa shot her a warning glance but she ignored it, continuing, "When you leave here to hunt him down and end him, I'd like to join you. You've been training me since I was young as you used to with unsung heroes. Now is no different, and I'm not weak. Let me come and you can teach me whatever you need so that I can be of some use."
"Your mother will not be eager to see you leave so soon after getting you back." Brom set aside the rag he had been using and dusted off his hands before glancing at her, nodding his head toward the doorway in a wordless invitation. As they stepped outside and walked toward the road, he told her, "Nor am I convinced that allowing you to come with me will do either of us any good. While it's true that I could teach you certain skills that would help you later in life should you decide to walk that path, I do not believe that you are ready to face down Morzan."
Meri rubbed her face to hide her yawn. "I'm more than capable of learning," she said in quiet yet steely voice. It was the same tone she took ever time Morzan pointed out her flaws, showing her that in his mind, she was no stronger than a sapling. Despite the hardness of her voice, she couldn't bring herself to look at him and instead studied her bare toes.
"I wasn't talking about your competence."
"I'm not weak," she repeated, more to herself than him.
His hand fell onto her shoulder and she started but felt herself lean into his touch before catching herself and pulled away. "No, you are not," her papa agreed after a short silence. "While I can't say that I know that you've gone through, seeking vengeance for what's been done to you will do you no favors. I've learned after I lost my dragon that some things cannot be fixed or forgotten, they're meant to be carried. Whether they are carried for good or ill is up to you to decide."
But it wasn't a matter of revenge, not to her, it was more than that; it was a fire that burned within her chest, begging for release, for exposure to the wild airs of the world before her. While within Greynsi she hadn't been afforded the opportunity to allow herself to feel that fire, that rage, having to keep it snuffed for fear what might happen if it showed itself. Now, it seemed to burn alongside the viper, forcing the creature from its nest more and more often, reminding her of its existence.
It reminded Meri that she knew it to be true, she wanted to put an end to him; to be the one who drove the blade into his chest and watch as he drew in his last breath. However, what she wanted more was to stand beside the man who raised her, cared for her, and taught her all of who she was, to show Morzan who was weaker. To show that he no longer had hold over her life or perhaps, the viper within her seemed to voice, that it was her that needed to be shown.
"I hate him. Nothing will ever change that, and I do wish I could forget what happened," she whispered softly, glancing up from her feet, "but I cannot carry what I'm hiding from. I need to know with certainty that he will never come over these hills. I need to see him die." Meri blinked at her papa and finding his graze too intense she looked down the road. "I'll be obedient, I promise that I won't slow you down or get in your way but just this once, please, don't leave me behind."
Brom sighed and was silent for a long moment. "This is not a trip that you can join," he told her gently, running a hand over his face. "It's best that you stay with your mother and when I get back, we can see about you joining me elsewhere. Promise me that you'll stay here with your mother until I return." She held his gaze, not willing to back down. "Meri, you cannot come."
"I understand you," she said, glancing away. "When you go after him, how will you kill him? He has wards upon wards covering him from harm, I'm not even certain that a blade can get past them."
"There are ways to get past such wards but I'm hoping that he will be disoriented enough when we next meet that when I take a stab at his pride, he will falter and shed them."
"If you're planning to trick him, it shan't work in your favor."
"It might not but there's a good chance that it will."
"You have plans for the worst, I hope."
Brom nodded and when he said no more she walked away, returning to her search for her boots. She had been right, they weren't in the hayloft, nor where they anywhere sensible. Sometime that afternoon, she found them the half buried in the mud inside the pig's pen. A part of her considered leaving them there but they were the only boots she owned and the thought of going without them now was incomprehensible. They were needed.
Dismayed, she spent the next hour dodging the pigs and digging them out. One of the pigs had chewed on them, and there were bite marks along the edges. For a long moment she looked them over and deciding that they weren't completely ruined, she made her way out of the mud and began to clean them in a bucket of water.
She was as filthy as the creatures in the pen, and knew that after the worse of the mud was cleaned from the boots, that she would have to bathe in the river before heading inside. Getting clean clothes to wear was another matter.
Meri had little to wear, each piece that she wore belonged to her mother and all were ill fitting, both too short and too big, as if the fabric would sallow her and drag her down, deep into their depths. The dresses she had before were now too small, and most of them were now her sister's or were left behind in the forest, leaving her with no other option. The dress she wore now was the only one her mam had finished tailoring to fit her.
The thought of having to ask for a different dress set her in foul mood, and she took her anger out on the sticky mud. Garrow's whistling echoed over the farmland, creating an easy rhythm for her to scrub to. It made it easy to allow herself not to think.
His tune stopped as he rounded the corner. She looked up to him eyeing her with open-faced surprise. "Elida's mad at me," Meri told him, holding up a boot.
Garrow shook his head. "That girl is exactly your mother," he said. "I don't know whether or not to pity her and Brom but I must confess that it serves her right after all the trouble she caused as a girl. I could tell you quite a few hair-raising stories about her at your sister's age."
"I highly doubt that I haven't already heard the worse of them-" She glowered and gestured to the mud on her and the boots "-but this here is my own fault. I'm the one who taught her how be such a spiteful little…" she trailed off, gritting her teeth as her hand slipped and the boot fell onto the water with a splash, soaking her.
"Makes me grateful that I have only Roran to contend with," he told her sullenly. "I'm warning you, that smell won't be coming out of those boots anytime soon. Keep them out the house until it does."
Meri frowned at the idea of leaving her boots in easy access of spiders and other small crawlers that could make their home in the depths but saw no other choice. She could not bring something that reeked into the house, no one would thank her for it if she did.
Whatever she had done to cause her sister to take her boots and wreck them so thoroughly, she did not know. A part of her wanted to seek revenge but she knew she would not, that it would change nothing. And she honestly did not want to speak to Elida any time soon, if she did something would be said that she'd regret.
Her uncle walked away after she agreed to his request to keep them outside. It had been the long interaction she had with him since her arrival. And it occurred to her, right then, that her uncle rather than being standoffish as she thought him to be, was a man of few words, preferring to his thoughts to himself unless he deemed them important. He was kind in his own way and far more intelligent than he let on, holding more knowledge than a simple farmer should.
It made her curious; just what were Morzan's theories about her mother's side of the family? Meri would never know unless she asked, and she wouldn't be asking him any time soon.
…
Garrow was right, no matter how many times she cleaned them, the smell of filth langered becoming overwhelming in the summer's heat.
The following day she was forced to give up wearing them all together, the smell becoming too much for her. Elida never looked so smug as she did then but it did not last for long before Brom beckoned her outside, and they didn't return until long after supper. When she came inside, she handed Meri her boots glumly. They were now thoroughly cleaned and polished and strongly smelled of lavender. After apologizing, the girl went straight to bed, seemingly too exhausted to do anything else.
As Meri watched her sister stumble to the room, and slowly stood thinking that she ought to follow after her but instead stepped outside and into the barn.
That evening she rode Copperglow down the road towards town and watched the emptying streets from a distance. That next day they would be filled with merriment and great food and dance, and no matter how much she desired to she couldn't be part of it.
She wondered what it would be like to slip into the crowd, to be a nameless face amongst many, but knew that in a town this remote there was no such thing. Each new person was a curiosity, and word could spread quickly from one town to the next. It didn't seem unlikely that Morzan hadn't already sent out his network to the valley and, at the very least, knew her location.
It wasn't until the streets emptied completely that she returned.
…
…
It was some hours after her uncle, cousin, and sister left for town, when Meri stood against the archway watching as her papa and packed his belongings into his saddlebag. He meant to leave her there, she knew, just as he had done when she was child. Just as Morzan had done to her again and again during her stay in Greynsi leaving her alone without any real company for weeks on end.
"When will you be leaving?" she asked when he noticed her.
"In three days' time." Brom stood up slowly, his hands on his lower back. "I'm glad you came by when you did, your mother and I are hoping to speaking with you."
"If it was anything I've done I promise to do better," said Meri now standing straight.
He considered her for a time, his jaw clenched. "Nay, flower, it is not about you," he told her gently, running a hand over his face. When his hand pulled away his expression had relaxed, calm once more. "I wanted to tell you that I've received word of Morzan whereabouts the other day. He has returned to Greynsi and knows that you've been taken but has yet to act. I was hoping that you might know the reason."
"Oh, is that all, then? He expects me to return to him and is waiting. That's why he's made no move," Meri said, relaxing against the door frame. She studied the etches in the wood beside the door. They looked old, as if someone had carved them long ago; predating the house. "It was part of our agreement, and whether I'm avowed or not, he'll except me to keep my word. I do not know how much time we have until realizes that I won't be returning, and decides to act. All we can do is wait." It felt like torture to wait around the farmhouse and not know when he was planning to come. To think that every shifting shadow or branch weaving in the wind might be him.
"What was your agreement with him?" came Mam's voice from behind her, startling her. Her mam silently stepped around Meri and walked to Brom, handing him a small pile of clothing. "I hope that you don't mind telling us. We've given you distance hoping that you would come around on your own but we can afford to wait no longer. It's important to know as much as possible."
Meri frowned, and despite the rising unease within her, she told them all that she could of their agreement, having memorized it. She had done so to starve the monotony whenever she was locked inside her rooms within Greynsi. When she was done, Mam did not react at all, looking into the distance as if she were made of stone.
"Should he come looking for you here, it would be good for you to be elsewhere," said Brom, his face darkening. "If everything goes as planned, the world will be rid of the last Forsworn and he'll not get the chance to find you but it'd be best to avoid going to town for the time being."
"I wasn't planning on going to town so long as it could be avoided."
"Which is why you're here today instead enjoying yourself with everyone else," Mam concluded and then glanced at Brom, understanding dawning on her face before changing the subject. "Even after you kill Morzan and his dragon, there's a good chance that Galbatorix will know of our location. He could send the Ra'zac or his other minions this way. We should have considered the possibility before now."
Meri frowned, looking questioningly between them.
"The Ra'zac are Galbatorix's creatures," Brom explained seeing her confusion. "Unpleasant ones at that."
"If that's the case, I hope they keep their distance." Meri pressed her palms together. In all honesty, she wanted to know no more, there was enough on her mind to keep her awake at night. The Ra'zac, whatever they were, would have to be a worry for another time. "But I don't believe that Morzan had told the King where that you're occupying Carvahall. Before I left, he told me that Galbatorix summoned me to the capital but he seemed rather dismayed. I'm uncertain if he truly believed that I was unfit for the meeting or if, perhaps, it something more," she said, looking at her fingers as she intertwined them. "Whenever he's summoned Morzan is relucent to go and delays the meetings as long as possible and when he returns, his moods are terribly foul. It's become worse with each visit."
"A fine time for Morzan to become discontent with Galbatorix's ways," muttered Mam sourly before turning to Brom. "I wonder how far it goes, and if perhaps you could use it to your advantage. A fracture no matter how small is still a fracture that can lead to breakage."
For a long moment silence fell over them, and Brom shifted. "That's valuable information, Meri. If there's anything you think to add before I go, your words would be most welcome. Every advantage gotten over Morzan is a great gain." Meri shrugged uncertain what to add, and when silence took over the room once again, Brom continued, "Should I be unsuccessful, all of you will be leaving Carvahall and heading south without me. When I can, I'll send word to you and meet you on the road."
"It won't come to that. I have faith that you'll succeed and we'll be able lay down true roots here, for the children's sake," Mam said in a steely voice and gave him a hard look before turning to Meri. "You and I should work on sewing, and while we do your father can spend time with his sons. They'll both miss him while he's away, and time is precious."
Brom glanced at her before throwing his hands up as if in surrender. "Devious woman," he muttered lowly. "You seem to have a way of getting exactly what you want. I suppose I have little choice but find them now, do I?"
Mam smile innocently at him and straightened the collar of his shirt. "You wouldn't have it any other way," she replied, patting his shoulder and stepping away. "Conan is in the barn playing on the loft, and Iain is sleeping. He'll wake soon however, and I know the boys wouldn't be against splashing in the river. They both need to bathe regardless of what you plan with them."
He grumbled and, after looking over the supplies and clothing on the bed, stood. "I'll stop by Therinsford on my way out then. I'll be needing some supplies that aren't available here," he said, opening a small sack and looking the contents over. He pulled out a few crowns and handed them to Mam. "It should be enough to get what's needed until harvest."
Meri glanced at her mother's hand, watching as she slipped the money into her pocket. The gold he gave Mam was enough to buy what they might need until next year's harvest if they were frugal. And Mam always was, saving as many crowns as possible and storing them in a stone decanter in the kitchen. There must be a small fortune there now.
Caring for the household expenses was a skill she had started teaching Meri. Once she even had a crown or two of her own, hidden inside her mattress. It was meant to be saved for something nice, later when she grew older and had the ability to haggle with some form of confidence. Not that she had the opportunity to either use that knowledge or refine it over the years, she thought sourly.
The bag jingled as Brom placed it within his deep within his saddlebags, hidden from prying eyes and pulling her attention to it. While traveling to Carvahall he had kept a small purse on him, enough that he could buy what was needed from town and no more.
Meri wondered where he kept it now, and if it lay within the inner pockets of his vest. It was not something she necessarily needed to know now but thought about it all the same. As she did, she followed her mother from the bedroom to the hearth where a wooden chest sat beside the table.
"It's high time that you have clothing of your own," said Mam, opening the chest and digging through it. "While we work, I wish to speak with you about a matter that your father and I have noticed. You're not in trouble, Meri, we're only going to talk."
With a deep breath, Meri pushed away a strand of hair from her eyes. "Very well. What do you want to talk about?"
"Nothing of great consequence. We've been questioning when you begin wandering alone until dawn, and if there's anything we can do to help. You've always been restless at night but it's more obvious now than ever before, and I know that you have yet to sleep through a full night. Would you reconsider trying my tea? It's been some time since you've last had it."
"I'm not drinking that tea again."
"Do you still have night terrors?"
To this, she said nothing until her mother finished pulling out her sewing supplies one at time and set them on the table. When she was done, Mam looked at her questioningly. "Is this truly about me not sleeping, or about something more?" she asked at last.
Mam sighed. "It's not but I'd like to talk about all the same. Consider the tea, I believe that will help," Mam reasoned, pulling out folded fabric from within a trunk and handed them to her. "Take your pick of what you like."
"And the other subject?"
"Your father told me about your request to leave with him and hunt down Morzan. I wish to speak to you about that if nothing else."
"I apologize, I shouldn't have asked," said she watching as her mother's expression shifted. It occurred to her that she had been hasty and should have known what Brom's answer would have been. That despite the time between when she had been a child and now, little had truly changed his perception of her.
"Neither of us hold your request against you, Meri. I would have done the very same, were I you." Mam tapped the fabric with her fingers, silently reminding her to look through them. Wordlessly, she did so, looking at the colors and feel of the fabric, as her mam continued, "When I was freed from Morzan all I wanted to do was to flee to the furthest reaches of the Empire where I knew he dare not go. When I was not thinking about running, I dreamt about the day where I might meet him again and would gather up the strength to kill him."
Meri looked them over and pulled out a dark green cloth. "Why didn't you?"
"I had you to tend to and later Eragon," she said, taking the cloth and unraveling it on the table. "It wasn't easy. I was more impatient than ever before, and wished to change much but knew that I could not. It took me years to realized that I could no longer allow the past to live in my mind. Caring for you and your siblings gave me new propose."
"Don't you hate it?" Meri asked softly. "The woman that you've become, I mean. Morzan had said that the life you're leaving because of us wasn't a life you ever wanted. That the woman he knew would have rather of died than lived as you are now. That you're living a life of regret because of your children, and resented us."
Mam blinked back her surprise. "The woman Morzan knew was little more than a girl with misguided dreams and the desire to prove herself. I would never willingly give up the life I have now for the life I left behind in Greynsi. I thought that you knew that I loved all of you more than any adventure lived," her mam said in a rather serious tone. "What else did Morzan tell you?"
She shrugged. "He had me read your scrolls."
"I see. That explains much," Mam murmured as she took out a knotted rope to measure with. Not needing to be told Meri held up her arms as she had done as child. She watched her mam measure her, and Mam continued; "I was little more than a child at that time left with him, and a hurt one at that. Morzan took advantage of my inner wounds. Had my father been wise, he would have protected me and been able to guide me but he did not. Your grandfather was a good man with a caring heart but his bearing was not always the best. You're lucky to have the father that you do in Brom."
Meri turned away as sorrow gripped her. "I'm not his, though. I don't understand how Brom can care for me. I know he doesn't love me as he does his own children."
"I hope he never hears those words, they would insult him greatly. If you knew what Brom had sacrificed for not just me but you as well, you'd never have spoken them." Her mother's eyes pierced her.
"I meant no insult. I know that he didn't go through so much to free me only for your sake," she said quickly. "What I don't understand is how he can look past who my real father is."
"Ah, I believe I understand now," Mam stated after a moment, pausing only to write down the measurements on a scrap of paper. When she was finished, she set the twine aside and laid out the fabric. "Morzan has done much to hurt him yet despite the hurt in his heart, Brom chose to rise up and raise you when it would have been easier to step away. He was given plenty of opportunities to do so, and yet over and again, he chose to accept you as his own. Who fathered you matters not to him." Her mother looked up from her work, and patted Meri's knee. "If there was ever a child who should have better shielded, it would be you, yet, that chance couldn't be given until you were older with opinions of your own. It took years to reverse much of the harm done to you as a babe, whereas your siblings faced little adversity until they were much older. They've never had to fight to live as you have, and I hope that they never will. None of that changes that Brom cares for you no less than them."
Meri said nothing to this, uncertain what words she had to offer. "Yet, I was taught to fight long before anyone else. Brom was never as demanding to Eragon or Elida," she pointed out, bringing up an old question curious to see if her mam would give the answer as before.
"It was needed. Brom wasn't willing to beat the fight out of you, as many others would have, and even if he was partial to the idea, I'd never allow it." Mam pinned her with a sharp look before pulling out a stick sharpened charcoal from a rag. "You needed to learn to control yourself and hone your emotions before anyone got hurt. That you learned defend yourself against whatever might come would have happened regardless."
There was a beat of silence and then, "I hadn't realized."
"Youth often wraps one's preceptive." Her mother hummed a short tone and began to measure points of the fabric, drawing lines with each point. "Would you like a dress or a tunic?"
Meri blinked back her surprise. "Isn't a dress more appropriate as I'm not a man?"
"You'll need both but you needn't wear dresses at all times. They make riding difficult and you're capable to keeping you distance from any that might see you and think you a woman." She considered the fabric, before adding, "or I could make a skirt to wear over the tunic if needed. Wear a thick belt and should you ever decide to ride into town, none would ever be the wiser that you wear trousers beneath. Having such options makes life easier."
She agreed, liking the thought of not having to sacrifice one for the other, and more than that to have clothing that was completely her own once more. Even a single set that was not her mother's old dresses would be a great relief. It had been a grace that while within Greynsi she had clothing that fit her well, even if she disliked most of the pieces.
As talk ceased, Meri looked at the rest of the fabric and carefully picked out another thicker cloth, before asking if she could make cloak from it, claiming that the chill of winter would set over the land soon enough and she needed to be prepared. With her mother's permission to do as she pleased, she took the fabric to her room and set to work.
She hadn't been able to sew in Greynsi, at first because it hadn't been permitted and later because it didn't occur to her to ask. Any request she had, she thought would be denied and instead she forgot about it all together. Even so the passage of time hadn't taken from her knowledge, and before long she looked over the leftover fabric and decided on a whim that there was something else she wanted to make. Something more than a simple cloak.
Slipping from the room, she grabbed the knotted string and slipped outside to the barn. There she measured Copperglow's saddle as well as the horse himself before returning inside and drawing out her plans.
…
That night when she got up in the middle of night to walk over the farmland, Elida found her. Meri hadn't noticed at first, too busy with her own thoughts and worries to see her sister slipped out the door and soundlessly shut it behind her.
When she spoke, Meri nearly jumped out of her skin, "Are there really giant wolves in the Spine?"
She whipped out her sword and pointed in the direction of the voice but Elida was far from the blade's reach though growing closer. Her footsteps were as silent as a cat's. Ever so slowly, as she thoughts caught up with her, Meri lowered Aconitum.
"You shouldn't be out here."
"Neither should you." Her sister came up to stand beside her, and cast an uneasy look about the valley, her eyes stilling on waters of the river in the distance. "Did you only tell me that there were wolves to get me to shut my mouth? I can be quiet, even if it's hard and I don't like to, I can."
Meri tucked a stray stand of hair behind her ear. "I'm not so certain," she said answering both the question and her giving her doubts a voice. "It's late. You should go to sleep."
Elida made a grumbling noise that made her think of their papa. "I will when you do," she said, her voice taking on an edge. "I still wish that you came today. It's not like Ceunon where we couldn't be a part of the revels. You've never been to festival before, have you? Or did Morzan host anything at his castle?"
"No, he preferred the quiet." Meri closed her eyes fighting back the anger that washed over her. It felt cold, as if anger were made of ice and not fire. As if it would not burn her alive but rather freeze her until her heart slowed and eventually ceased beating all together.
"It must have been awfully dull." Elida slipped her hand over her Meri's, the one that held the sword. "What did you do there then? Did you write stories or paint? I noticed that you don't really do either of them anymore so I don't think that you did."
She pulled her hand away to sheath her sword before glancing at her sister. They couldn't see each other properly in the darkness but the moon was full and gave off just enough light to see by. "What do you think that I did there?"
Elida pressed her lips together and let out a long hum. "I think that you spent too much time with Morzan. That maybe he taught you how to laugh evilly and plan to destroy the world or something. And at night when, no one was watching, you'd sneak off into the gardens to dance amongst the flowers and held moonlight rites," she said in a serious tone.
"I did nothing so interesting," said Meri with a smile, "but I wish I had."
For a long moment Elida was silent as she peered through the dark at her. "What did you do then?"
Meri looked away towards the starlight sky. "Nothing of great interest. I spent less time outside than you might think. Much of my time was spent on my own, reading and sometimes writing or painting but less and less as time went by," she said not wanting to go into details. "You were correct when you said that it was awfully dull."
"Is that why you're outside so much? Because you missed it?"
It wasn't quite the truth but she nodded all the same. "What about you, Elida, what did you do over the last years?"
Meri expected her to rush about telling her everything that happened over their time apart but when she did not, she felt a pang in her chest. Simply, her sister said, "Mam and Papa think that it's important that I'm better educated so there hasn't been a lot of time do as I please between that and chores. I know that they're right but it's tiring. I miss sparing. And I miss Eri and Tessie but they're not coming back." She paused. "I miss you too, even though you're right here it's almost like you aren't. You don't call me 'Lark' anymore or do anything that you used to."
"Do you want me to call you that?" Meri asked frowning. "You used to hate it whenever I did."
"Well, I guess that I don't mind so much anymore," said Elida absently. "I also don't mind that you don't want to come today even if I really wish you would, and I'm really sorry for ruining your boots because I was angry."
Meri sighed. "You've already said as much. Let's go inside, I'm sure that you're tired."
"Alright," she agreed. "Can we spar in the morning? I never got to show you the field because you were sleeping."
"We can do that."
As Meri lay down beside her sister, she found that sleep would not come and lay waking until she was certain her sister was fast asleep to get up once again. But the chance never came; Elida turned over, muttering her sleep as she often did. She felt a sudden wave of exhaustion fall over her. That night she dreamed no dreams and woke far later than was normal. Despite waking up feeling refreshed for the first time in recent memory, she was remained troubled more so now than before though she couldn't quite understand why.
She wasn't able to think over it long before Elida reminded her of her promise the night before. They agreed to find each other after their morning chores were done. There wasn't much to do that morning (Mam had gotten the majority of cooking the night before to avoid firing up the hearth during the hot day), and she went to find Elida.
It wasn't hard to find her sister, she and Conan were outside by the fields. The boy held onto Elida's hand, as she explained how to use a sling. When she saw Meri, the young girl stood on her tippytoes and excitedly waved her over. "Mimi and Eri taught me how to use it," she heard Elida say as she neared, "but I've never been the best at it. Eri's best with it but he's not around, so you should ask her to show you, I bet that she could teach you better."
"No," the boy cried, clinging to her skirts as he tried to hide behind them. "Not her! I want you!"
Elida looked up with wide, pleading eyes and then, not getting the help she was seeking, she said, "Later. I'll show you later after I get back from the fields." The boy nodded and hurried around them back into the house. "I told him that I'd teach until you found us. He's been pestering me to teach him for weeks. He didn't mean anything by it."
"I'm worse with the sling than you are," she said fighting down the hurt that rose within her. "I'm ready to go whenever you are, and you now have obligation to keep."
"I don't want to!" Elida groaned theatrically and threw back her head before suddenly grinning as she grabbed her sister's hand pulling her into the foothills, chattering happily the events of the Midsummer festival the whole way.
Eventually, as they drew over the crest of the largest hill, and sweat began beading on her neck, they came to a small paddock surrounded loosely by trees, Elida fell quiet and waved around the opening and Meri pulled her hand out of her grip to walk over the field, keeping an eye out of holes in the ground or a knot of roots.
"Uncle knows that we come out here and why but he doesn't care so long he doesn't see it," Elida said after Meri returned to its edges. "I don't get to practice with my blade often because Mam's been teaching me other stuff. I wish that we had come out here sooner, I've really missed sparring with you."
"It's been a long while since I've actually sparred as well," she admitted. "I wouldn't mind us coming out here again, if you would like to."
"Oh, yes," the girl chirped, "and maybe we go to the swimming hole afterwards to cool down. Mam showed me one that's not far here. You'll like it." Meri wasn't so sure about that so she said nothing, and after some time, Elida spoke up, "Did Morzan teach you how to fight?"
"He taught me how to fall to the ground," Meri said dully, running her finger over the ward on Aconitum. It would be shed later that afternoon, she knew, but the knowledge brought her no comfort. Her knife, which she had returned to its home in her boot the moment Brom returned it to her, was free of magic. That at least would be of some use should the worse come. "I was given the opportunity to work with a renowned swordmaster and he was much more insightful. A lot that I learned from him was formal however it works well with how we were taught. It's been a while but I don't mind showing you some of what I remember."
Meri saw the gleam within her blue eyes and knew she'd agreed. Instead of saying anything more, she asked for her sister's blade and when she took it from her hand, it felt as if she had stepped through time. As if she could close her eyes and open them to the forest; to the singing birds hopping from branch to branch. Sympathy had been a blade crafted for a young girl, and her hands were now too large to hold the hilt properly. It had been her first blade, and she held a special fondness for it still.
"You'll want to pass on this to Conan in a few years and get yourself a proper blade. He should learn to fight, just in case," Meri told her after testing its balance, and gave it half-hearted swing into the air. "Let's go over the basics together, and afterwards I'm going for a ride. I don't feel like swimming much today."
Despite her obvious disappointment over not swimming, Elida happily agreed and they spent a good hour in that field, working through some of the basics of swordcraft. It was something Meri had done occasionally on her own within Greynsi during early morning hours when the world had yet to wake or in the evening when her garden wanderings were not enough to calm her mind. She found it challenging now that used to being alone to have company.
…
Brom didn't join her on his horse that afternoon and she rode over the hills with only her thoughts to keep her company. At first, she had been disappointed and then later, glad because it gave her time to be alone. To think over all the racing thoughts in her mind. And as she trotted Copperglow down the hidden road toward the old farmland, she formed a plan in her head.
She didn't remain within the ruins for long but merely looked over them for any signs of disturbance and seeing none, turned away. For the first time, she was eager to return to the farmhouse and rode now with a sense of purpose.
When she returned, she knew three things as a fact: that while Morzan had been wrong about many things, within his falsehoods lay a truth; and that while she had been within Greynsi it had forced Brom into a stalemate, he could not work to end Morzan without risking her safety and so he had set his plans aside until now; and lastly, she could not remain within Carvahall. If anything were to happen to Brom, were he to fail than Morzan would likely begin his search for her, and should that happen, she needed to far from here.
…
The next morning when Brom left Meri rode out with him for a time and, as she had as child, watched him ride out of sight. His horse was laid down with the supplies he needed and as he rode away, she knew that there was less than he would have liked. He didn't quite know it yet but likely would by the end of the day.
She had snuck into his room before he left and gone through his bags taking stock of everything he carried, taking small items he could easily replace in the next town. It hadn't been hard to do, he hadn't guarded his supplies but even so, it didn't quite sit well with her. It was a guilt she would likely never live with.
What she took was packed away in the makeshift bags she had made and hidden away in the foothills. It would be enough, she thought, to hold her over for some time yet. Food was another matter but now, unlike within Greynsi, she had access to a bow and arrows, and other weapons Morzan had denied her. This trip wouldn't be a repeat of her failed escape years ago.
After Brom had vanished down a ridge in the distance, it was time for her to return to the farm. Meri only returned long enough to look over the apex of the hill at the farmhouse as she had with Morzan the year before. Meri thought that the biggest difference was between now and when Morzan took her was that when she stepped away from the people she loved, it was with the promise to return.
Then, quite suddenly, commanded the horse forward, her mind made up. She held no desire to ride out towards Greynsi where she would once again be under Morzan's command. Nor did she have any desire to remain where she was, in a place she belonged, no more than a fish did on dry land.