They stayed up all night, talking in the light of the fire long after all
the other patrons and the inn keeper had gone to bed. Netanya explained her
reason for being there and how she had reached Erendell Forest only two
days after they had left.
"I saw you once before this," Netanya said softly. "At an inn, in Ekwyn."
"The mystery figure at the Sword and Dagger!" Arden said. Netanya nodded.
"That was me, I had been watching you all evening...your friend here caught sight of me and swept you away before I could speak with you," she said. "By then, however, I had figured out for sure that Nalaqua was who I sought." Netanya continued with her story.
Her ride had been swift and she had taken a shorter route to get there, not fearful of traveling the roads. Having taken these roads, she had made it to the river before them. She had feared, at first, that she had missed Nalaqua here as well, but then she had seen them walk in and she knew they had been the ones from the other tavern.
"I was going to speak with you after you had settled but then she went into the trance and I knew I had to do something," Netanya finished.
"But...why?" Nalaqua asked. "I still don't understand why you felt you had to help me." Netanya smiled for the first time. It changed her features drastically. No long did she seem so emotionless as though she hid her feelings in the shadows.
"Because it is what I was born to do," she said at last.
"Born to do?" Nalaqua questioned.
"We are all born into this world for a reason, Nalaqua," Netanya explained. "Everyone has a purpose. Whether it's to get up each morning, and work until the sun sets once more, or if it is to save a world so those lesser people may do what they were meant to do."
"And what were you born to do?" Nalaqua said softly.
Netanya locked eyes with Nalaqua as she spoke, "I was born to protect, to the death, the Light pitted against the Shadow. Nalaqua, I will follow you to the ends of the earth if I must, to ensure that you reach your destination and stop this darkness from swallowing us whole." Nalaqua's face hardened slightly in determination.
"I accept your offer, Netanya...and I make another now," she said, turning towards Arden and Celriedon. "Arden...if you so wish it,you are free to return to your little house by the river. Celriedon, you traveled with us only because our paths were the same, I fear now that we walk a different road. A road that leads to uncertainty and possibly death...you too have the right to choose which road you wish to tread. Join Arden, returned to the Ryne...or follow me."
"I told you, Nalaqua, I would take you to the Seers...and further than that if I must..." Arden replied, watching her intensely. "I will not back down now." Nalaqua swallowed thickly; a strange feeling burned in her stomach. Celriedon broke the strange silence.
He smiled. "I promised you the service of my bow, Milady," he said. "Wild Scarsies could not drive me from the path we certainly all walk." Nalaqua smiled, relief washing over her. She had not realized how scared she had been that they would leave. Her knuckles were white from where her hands had clutched her skirt. Her heart was still racing but Nalaqua did not believe it was from panic that they would leave. It was something else.
"Thank you," she managed at last. "I need all the help I can get to do this."
"Come then, let us rest so that we might be refreshed in the morning. The hour grows late and we do not want to get a late start," Netanya said after a few moments of silence. Netanya retired to her room. Celriedon gave a quick backward glance towards Arden and Nalaqua before slowly closing the door, the hint of a smile playing across his lips.
Nalaqua turned to go into her own room and her hand slipped from the knob. Her palms were sweaty. Why was she nervous? It was only Arden that watched her in silent contemplation. Maybe it had been the way he had looked at her earlier, with such intensity. A passion had kindled in those brown eyes that Nalaqua had never seen before.
She finally managed to get the door open, and was about to step into the room, when Arden called her name. She turned around slowly to face him. Meeting his smoldering eyes.
"Yes?" She whispered. He took a step closer.
"I...wanted to say... goodnight," he whispered back, taking another step. They were so close she could feel the heat of his skin.
"G-good-" she began. He cut her off mid-sentence with a gentle but firm kiss. His arms slid around her and she melded against him. After a moment they slowly drew away and Nalaqua slipped into her room, neither said another word, there was no need.
Nalaqua tossed and turned all night, horrible images entering slipping into her conscious and subconscious mind. The Scaries killing her family, destroying her town. All of her friends dying. The whole world falling under shadow. Large, glinting black eyes staring at her from the shadows near the window. Wait, that was not a dream. Nalaqua sat up, staring hard at the darkness that seemed to grow darker with each passing second. Had she truly seen something? She swallowed thickly and did not fall asleep again until the first rays of dawn crept stealthily through the window.
Nalaqua awoke again to shuffling and expected to see Arden, or one of the others, come to wake her. The room was now full of light, the shadows all chased away by the coming of morning. Yet, something felt out of place. Nalaqua sat up and looked around the small room. It had changed drastically with the sunlight but still seemed artificial, as if something was out of place.
Then she saw it; a small, brown, three-two foot protruded from behind the long drapes. The window was open and the drapes were swaying slightly in the breeze. Nalaqua sat up and swung her feet over the edge of the bed. Shivers ran up her spine as they made contact with the cold wooden floors. The floor creaked as she stood up and the foot suddenly disappeared.
Nalaqua did not know someone else was in the room until she saw a shadow fall across the floor before her. She did not have time to react. A large hand wielding a cloth of a strange smelling substance covered her mouth and nose. She was conscious long enough to detect the smell: Argonet Sleeping Death. The world tilted around her as she was forced to inhale the toxin. She tried to scream but the sound was muffled by the cloth. Then everything, went black.
"I saw you once before this," Netanya said softly. "At an inn, in Ekwyn."
"The mystery figure at the Sword and Dagger!" Arden said. Netanya nodded.
"That was me, I had been watching you all evening...your friend here caught sight of me and swept you away before I could speak with you," she said. "By then, however, I had figured out for sure that Nalaqua was who I sought." Netanya continued with her story.
Her ride had been swift and she had taken a shorter route to get there, not fearful of traveling the roads. Having taken these roads, she had made it to the river before them. She had feared, at first, that she had missed Nalaqua here as well, but then she had seen them walk in and she knew they had been the ones from the other tavern.
"I was going to speak with you after you had settled but then she went into the trance and I knew I had to do something," Netanya finished.
"But...why?" Nalaqua asked. "I still don't understand why you felt you had to help me." Netanya smiled for the first time. It changed her features drastically. No long did she seem so emotionless as though she hid her feelings in the shadows.
"Because it is what I was born to do," she said at last.
"Born to do?" Nalaqua questioned.
"We are all born into this world for a reason, Nalaqua," Netanya explained. "Everyone has a purpose. Whether it's to get up each morning, and work until the sun sets once more, or if it is to save a world so those lesser people may do what they were meant to do."
"And what were you born to do?" Nalaqua said softly.
Netanya locked eyes with Nalaqua as she spoke, "I was born to protect, to the death, the Light pitted against the Shadow. Nalaqua, I will follow you to the ends of the earth if I must, to ensure that you reach your destination and stop this darkness from swallowing us whole." Nalaqua's face hardened slightly in determination.
"I accept your offer, Netanya...and I make another now," she said, turning towards Arden and Celriedon. "Arden...if you so wish it,you are free to return to your little house by the river. Celriedon, you traveled with us only because our paths were the same, I fear now that we walk a different road. A road that leads to uncertainty and possibly death...you too have the right to choose which road you wish to tread. Join Arden, returned to the Ryne...or follow me."
"I told you, Nalaqua, I would take you to the Seers...and further than that if I must..." Arden replied, watching her intensely. "I will not back down now." Nalaqua swallowed thickly; a strange feeling burned in her stomach. Celriedon broke the strange silence.
He smiled. "I promised you the service of my bow, Milady," he said. "Wild Scarsies could not drive me from the path we certainly all walk." Nalaqua smiled, relief washing over her. She had not realized how scared she had been that they would leave. Her knuckles were white from where her hands had clutched her skirt. Her heart was still racing but Nalaqua did not believe it was from panic that they would leave. It was something else.
"Thank you," she managed at last. "I need all the help I can get to do this."
"Come then, let us rest so that we might be refreshed in the morning. The hour grows late and we do not want to get a late start," Netanya said after a few moments of silence. Netanya retired to her room. Celriedon gave a quick backward glance towards Arden and Nalaqua before slowly closing the door, the hint of a smile playing across his lips.
Nalaqua turned to go into her own room and her hand slipped from the knob. Her palms were sweaty. Why was she nervous? It was only Arden that watched her in silent contemplation. Maybe it had been the way he had looked at her earlier, with such intensity. A passion had kindled in those brown eyes that Nalaqua had never seen before.
She finally managed to get the door open, and was about to step into the room, when Arden called her name. She turned around slowly to face him. Meeting his smoldering eyes.
"Yes?" She whispered. He took a step closer.
"I...wanted to say... goodnight," he whispered back, taking another step. They were so close she could feel the heat of his skin.
"G-good-" she began. He cut her off mid-sentence with a gentle but firm kiss. His arms slid around her and she melded against him. After a moment they slowly drew away and Nalaqua slipped into her room, neither said another word, there was no need.
Nalaqua tossed and turned all night, horrible images entering slipping into her conscious and subconscious mind. The Scaries killing her family, destroying her town. All of her friends dying. The whole world falling under shadow. Large, glinting black eyes staring at her from the shadows near the window. Wait, that was not a dream. Nalaqua sat up, staring hard at the darkness that seemed to grow darker with each passing second. Had she truly seen something? She swallowed thickly and did not fall asleep again until the first rays of dawn crept stealthily through the window.
Nalaqua awoke again to shuffling and expected to see Arden, or one of the others, come to wake her. The room was now full of light, the shadows all chased away by the coming of morning. Yet, something felt out of place. Nalaqua sat up and looked around the small room. It had changed drastically with the sunlight but still seemed artificial, as if something was out of place.
Then she saw it; a small, brown, three-two foot protruded from behind the long drapes. The window was open and the drapes were swaying slightly in the breeze. Nalaqua sat up and swung her feet over the edge of the bed. Shivers ran up her spine as they made contact with the cold wooden floors. The floor creaked as she stood up and the foot suddenly disappeared.
Nalaqua did not know someone else was in the room until she saw a shadow fall across the floor before her. She did not have time to react. A large hand wielding a cloth of a strange smelling substance covered her mouth and nose. She was conscious long enough to detect the smell: Argonet Sleeping Death. The world tilted around her as she was forced to inhale the toxin. She tried to scream but the sound was muffled by the cloth. Then everything, went black.