I thought I did post. Did I not? You can play Mark for more than the battle if you want to do more chit chat. I figured Ridahne would kill the three of them in your next post and then in my next post I would have another one of Mark's flunkies try to kidnap Darin and have the horse save her.
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Yep. If Ridahne does leave him alive he'll just go report to the ultimate bad. That could be fun. But if he does it's not a big deal.
I am no good at combat RPing. You are more than welcome to write the fight between Mark and Ridahne yourself. I don't care about that.
Darin gave what she was a respectful nod, “Thank you for the reminder.” She put the cup back down, “I’ll be going now.”
With that she left the tavern. She didn’t like having her back to Mark and his partners. She couldn’t very well walk out backwards though. If there was alcohol in that drink Darin would be waking up with a headache. She didn’t drink for a reason; that reason being that she was the lightweight champion back home. Even the other girls could drink more than she did. Darin hated the fact that she hadn’t recognized the taste. She imagined it was because it was a different recipe. She would have to be on guard in the future.
Once outside the tavern she looked around for a moment to see if she could spot the stable. That was something she could do. She could spot a stable out of any building as long as it was in her line a sight. Once she saw it, she made her way over there. She may not have been used to riding, but she could take care of a horse. She had to know how to do that. She had been a farmer before that all had started.
She was almost there when she found herself stopping to stare at the horse in a fenced off pasture. This was not a horse meant for riding. This was a plow horse. He was beautiful. It was easy to see that his gender; he was clearly a stallion. HE must be in the pasture for breeding reasons. It was almost the season for that. He would make a fine sire. Darin inveterately got closer to the fence. He wasn’t colored for show. He was a dusky tan with darker brown splotches and only one white sock on his left hind leg. His mane was a tangled mess. He didn’t prance; he was too big for that. Instead he marched around the field; surveying his domain the way Darin looked at her fields at the beginning of planting season. This was his land. He needed to decide how to use it best. He wasn’t traditionally a fine-looking horse, but the young farm girl could see the power in his muscles. As such, he was simply gorgeous.
Darin whispered to the wind, “You’re spectacular.”
The voice near her caused her to jump, “Isn’t he? Too bad he’s got a nasty temper.”
Darin turned to see a regular man. He looked like a farmer, like she had been, like she was supposed to be. His skin was tan and wrinkled from working the field all his life. He had kind eyes and a hunched back. More importantly he gave her a very different feeling than Mark had. Darin felt not urge to run in terror.
So, she asked, “Is that why he’s not stabled?”
The man nodded, “We can work him with a plow, but when’s he’s not working he’s mean to everyone. If he were human, I would just call him anti-social. He’s a hard working. He just doesn’t like people.”
The horse must have smelt the apples the farmer had because he had come over to investigate. However, instead of going to the human he knew, he snuffed at Darin’s hair. She let out a shriek of laughter. This horse could literally crush her, but he was just wondering about the person he had never meet before. It was nice in a way. The farmer held out one of the apples to Darin with a smile on his face.
Darin laughed again, “Thank you.” Then she held out the treat, “There you go.”
The horse snatched the apple from her hand without using teeth. As Darin felt safe enough to reach out and stroke his flank. He allowed it as he pressed his nose against her chest. Darin knew he was looking for more apples. She laughed at his seeking. He wasn’t hurting her at all.
The farmer stared in amazement, “Well I’ll be. He seems to like you lad.”
Darin was sure it had nothing to do with her specifically, “I’m new and apples are good.” She asked, “What’s his name?”
The answer was simple, “Talbot. It doesn’t mean much. I just thought it was a good name for a horse.”
Darin had acquired another apple, “Sometimes those are the best names. Aren’t they Talbot?”
The horse whinnied in response as he ate the second apple. He truly was magnificent.
Meanwhile Mark was answering Ridahne’s question, “We’re just traveling Astra. We’re looking for this new Gardener. Any adventurer with a lick of sense is looking for them. Nothing like this has ever happened in Astra. Everyone once to be the one to go down in history as having help them. We just came over to chit chat with you because it can be lonesome on the road.” He smirked, “I didn’t mean to upset you.”
He clearly thought he had the upper hand. It was three against one after all, and to an outside party it might look like the Elf was the aggressor. After all she had drawn her weapon first. Sometimes it didn’t matter who won the fight. All that mattered was who the locals had wanted to win the fight. He was hoping that it would be him. He was human after all and had been nothing but charming. This Elf didn’t seem to know that meaning of the word.
He continued, “Your boy seems a little jumpy. You don’t think he’s hiding something, do you?”
That was the other question. Did this elf know that her apprentice had some connection to The Gardener? Mark didn’t think the lad had The Seed. The Seed had to be in the care of someone who knew how to take care of it. That boy didn’t seem to know his left from his right and seemed much to soft. Mark was half tempted to say he was actually a girl, but that seemed unlikely. Girls didn’t leave home unless they were warriors.
In the end though it didn’t matter. He had more friends waiting to take the boy captive as soon as he was alone. He would be made to talk about what he knew. Mark had ways of making everyone talk, and this boy would be easy to break.
With that she left the tavern. She didn’t like having her back to Mark and his partners. She couldn’t very well walk out backwards though. If there was alcohol in that drink Darin would be waking up with a headache. She didn’t drink for a reason; that reason being that she was the lightweight champion back home. Even the other girls could drink more than she did. Darin hated the fact that she hadn’t recognized the taste. She imagined it was because it was a different recipe. She would have to be on guard in the future.
Once outside the tavern she looked around for a moment to see if she could spot the stable. That was something she could do. She could spot a stable out of any building as long as it was in her line a sight. Once she saw it, she made her way over there. She may not have been used to riding, but she could take care of a horse. She had to know how to do that. She had been a farmer before that all had started.
She was almost there when she found herself stopping to stare at the horse in a fenced off pasture. This was not a horse meant for riding. This was a plow horse. He was beautiful. It was easy to see that his gender; he was clearly a stallion. HE must be in the pasture for breeding reasons. It was almost the season for that. He would make a fine sire. Darin inveterately got closer to the fence. He wasn’t colored for show. He was a dusky tan with darker brown splotches and only one white sock on his left hind leg. His mane was a tangled mess. He didn’t prance; he was too big for that. Instead he marched around the field; surveying his domain the way Darin looked at her fields at the beginning of planting season. This was his land. He needed to decide how to use it best. He wasn’t traditionally a fine-looking horse, but the young farm girl could see the power in his muscles. As such, he was simply gorgeous.
Darin whispered to the wind, “You’re spectacular.”
The voice near her caused her to jump, “Isn’t he? Too bad he’s got a nasty temper.”
Darin turned to see a regular man. He looked like a farmer, like she had been, like she was supposed to be. His skin was tan and wrinkled from working the field all his life. He had kind eyes and a hunched back. More importantly he gave her a very different feeling than Mark had. Darin felt not urge to run in terror.
So, she asked, “Is that why he’s not stabled?”
The man nodded, “We can work him with a plow, but when’s he’s not working he’s mean to everyone. If he were human, I would just call him anti-social. He’s a hard working. He just doesn’t like people.”
The horse must have smelt the apples the farmer had because he had come over to investigate. However, instead of going to the human he knew, he snuffed at Darin’s hair. She let out a shriek of laughter. This horse could literally crush her, but he was just wondering about the person he had never meet before. It was nice in a way. The farmer held out one of the apples to Darin with a smile on his face.
Darin laughed again, “Thank you.” Then she held out the treat, “There you go.”
The horse snatched the apple from her hand without using teeth. As Darin felt safe enough to reach out and stroke his flank. He allowed it as he pressed his nose against her chest. Darin knew he was looking for more apples. She laughed at his seeking. He wasn’t hurting her at all.
The farmer stared in amazement, “Well I’ll be. He seems to like you lad.”
Darin was sure it had nothing to do with her specifically, “I’m new and apples are good.” She asked, “What’s his name?”
The answer was simple, “Talbot. It doesn’t mean much. I just thought it was a good name for a horse.”
Darin had acquired another apple, “Sometimes those are the best names. Aren’t they Talbot?”
The horse whinnied in response as he ate the second apple. He truly was magnificent.
Meanwhile Mark was answering Ridahne’s question, “We’re just traveling Astra. We’re looking for this new Gardener. Any adventurer with a lick of sense is looking for them. Nothing like this has ever happened in Astra. Everyone once to be the one to go down in history as having help them. We just came over to chit chat with you because it can be lonesome on the road.” He smirked, “I didn’t mean to upset you.”
He clearly thought he had the upper hand. It was three against one after all, and to an outside party it might look like the Elf was the aggressor. After all she had drawn her weapon first. Sometimes it didn’t matter who won the fight. All that mattered was who the locals had wanted to win the fight. He was hoping that it would be him. He was human after all and had been nothing but charming. This Elf didn’t seem to know that meaning of the word.
He continued, “Your boy seems a little jumpy. You don’t think he’s hiding something, do you?”
That was the other question. Did this elf know that her apprentice had some connection to The Gardener? Mark didn’t think the lad had The Seed. The Seed had to be in the care of someone who knew how to take care of it. That boy didn’t seem to know his left from his right and seemed much to soft. Mark was half tempted to say he was actually a girl, but that seemed unlikely. Girls didn’t leave home unless they were warriors.
In the end though it didn’t matter. He had more friends waiting to take the boy captive as soon as he was alone. He would be made to talk about what he knew. Mark had ways of making everyone talk, and this boy would be easy to break.
Apprentice? That was almost worse than the truth. Darin had already told this man she wasn’t used to riding, and it was obvious what kind of apprentice Ridahne would take. Darin looked to be the furthest thing from a warrior. If it did come to a fight Darin’s two biggest hopes were to not get in the way and not die. How was she supposed to make it seem like she could be Ridahne’s apprentice?
Mark dropped his hand, “I wasn’t aware that the Azurei took human apprentices; much less ones that don’t seem accustom to riding.” Without asking Mark sat down across from them, “May I ask how that happened?”
Darin wanted to scream at him. She wanted to shout at him to leave them alone. However, she didn’t want to draw attention that didn’t need to be drawn. So, she simply brought her cup up to her lips to hide her face. She was prepared this time, so she didn’t sputter. That was one good thing. She didn’t want to let Mark think she was even more incompetent than she already let him know. Her mind jumped from point to point in order to find a way to answer the question. She didn’t know enough about Ridahne’s culture to answer that question. She might have to leave it to her.
She was in danger and she knew it. Mentally she was kicking herself. Darin had known that this day was coming. People were going to want her dead. Naïvely she had assumed that it wouldn’t happen until her mission became public knowledge. It was possible that Mark had guessed that she had The Seed, but how had he done that. It was just as possible that he marked her as an easy target. Darin didn’t think Ridahne’s presence affected Mark’s plans, whatever they were. He had sat right down without even asking for permission. It was slightly alarming how comfortable he was making himself.
Darin looked up at Luke and Sara. They had not sat down. In fact, it looked like Luke was trying to circle around them. He wasn’t doing it quickly, but even Darin’s untrained eye could tell that he wanted to behind them. This was not looking good at all. Sara looked extremely uninterested in the events. Darin couldn’t tell if that was a ruse or not, but she had most of her attention focused on the entrance. Darin hoped that they weren’t expecting more friends. Darin didn’t like the odds now. Ridahne might count as two, but the human was sure she counted as a detriment. So, it was one against three. Granted Darin wasn’t sure what use a bow would be inside, but Sara might have hidden weapons. So, could Mark.
They were surrounding them, and Darin knew that couldn’t be allowed. She quickly finished her drink. She didn’t like it at all. She stood as smoothly as she could. Maybe getting some more would at least keep her out of the way should Ridahne decide she needed to fight them.
She held out her free hand towards the Elf, “I’m getting some more. Would you like some?”
Mark dropped his hand, “I wasn’t aware that the Azurei took human apprentices; much less ones that don’t seem accustom to riding.” Without asking Mark sat down across from them, “May I ask how that happened?”
Darin wanted to scream at him. She wanted to shout at him to leave them alone. However, she didn’t want to draw attention that didn’t need to be drawn. So, she simply brought her cup up to her lips to hide her face. She was prepared this time, so she didn’t sputter. That was one good thing. She didn’t want to let Mark think she was even more incompetent than she already let him know. Her mind jumped from point to point in order to find a way to answer the question. She didn’t know enough about Ridahne’s culture to answer that question. She might have to leave it to her.
She was in danger and she knew it. Mentally she was kicking herself. Darin had known that this day was coming. People were going to want her dead. Naïvely she had assumed that it wouldn’t happen until her mission became public knowledge. It was possible that Mark had guessed that she had The Seed, but how had he done that. It was just as possible that he marked her as an easy target. Darin didn’t think Ridahne’s presence affected Mark’s plans, whatever they were. He had sat right down without even asking for permission. It was slightly alarming how comfortable he was making himself.
Darin looked up at Luke and Sara. They had not sat down. In fact, it looked like Luke was trying to circle around them. He wasn’t doing it quickly, but even Darin’s untrained eye could tell that he wanted to behind them. This was not looking good at all. Sara looked extremely uninterested in the events. Darin couldn’t tell if that was a ruse or not, but she had most of her attention focused on the entrance. Darin hoped that they weren’t expecting more friends. Darin didn’t like the odds now. Ridahne might count as two, but the human was sure she counted as a detriment. So, it was one against three. Granted Darin wasn’t sure what use a bow would be inside, but Sara might have hidden weapons. So, could Mark.
They were surrounding them, and Darin knew that couldn’t be allowed. She quickly finished her drink. She didn’t like it at all. She stood as smoothly as she could. Maybe getting some more would at least keep her out of the way should Ridahne decide she needed to fight them.
She held out her free hand towards the Elf, “I’m getting some more. Would you like some?”
Nothing? There weren’t doing anything? Darin didn’t like that at all. She didn’t know who the man was, but she knew that whatever was planning could not be good. It needed to be stopped. Then again, she didn’t know much about fighting or tactics. She was a farmer and the most strategy she ever had was deciding what crops to put where. Darin might not like it, bur Ridahne had a better idea of what strategies would be best. Besides, the human wasn’t quite sure what to make of the look on the Elf’s face. She decided not to push any more than she already had. So, instead she grabbed the mug and plate handed to her and followed Ridahne to sit down.
As she sat down, she told the Elf, “I don’t think it was either.”
Darin couldn’t imagine the person she met was actually a man. Being a man implied some wort of decency. She didn’t think he had any. Being a beast meant he should be more concerned for basic things like food, water, and other things for survival. He seemed to calculating for that. Darin almost wanted to call him a monster. Something that did evil for evil’s sake and evil’s sake only. That didn’t seem right either. He wanted something. What that something was the girl could only guess at.
Darin told her companion that, “I think he’s a monster. I’m not sure.”
With that sure turned her attention to her meal. When she took a swallow of her drink, she almost coughed it back up. Only sheer force of will made her swallow it. That had not been water. Darin was not sure what it was, but it didn’t taste very good. Luckily her mother had taught her good manners. Ridahne was buying her supper. It would be rude to complain about it. She was not looking forward to it. Oh well. She could be falling off another cliff.
Darin started on the plate of stew. That was the best thing Darin had ever tasted. That was probably a little bit of exaggeration. She had been surviving on increasing stale crackers and dried beef. The vegetables were over cooked, and the beef was a little tough. It could have used less salt. It still fabulous. Most likely she ate it too fast. She didn’t care. She didn’t want to waste time and let it get cold. She then choked on the last bite of it. The feeling that had come from the man with the teal eyes was back.
Darin looked up from her food. She did her best to make look like she had just finished her meal and was reevaluating her situation. As causally as possible she grabbed the mug to bring it to her lips. Her eyes went wide as she saw who had just walked in. The extreme desire to scream had returned.
Instead she softly nudged Ridahne with her toe. (It may have been more of a kick. She wasn’t sure.) Her whisper sounded hoarse, “Ridahne!” She jerked her head towards the door, “There.”
It was the man with the teal eyes. This time he was joined by two other people. Both were human. One was male. The other was female. The male was armed with two thin knifes strapped to each side of his waist. They were almost as long as Ridahne’s sword. He was bald and his head sported a number of blood red tattoos. The female was about Darin’s height but looked denser. Her bow was unstrung, but the quiver on her back was full of arrows. The teal eyed man did not appear to be armed.
The man looked around. When he saw Darin he smiled what she supposed was supposed to be a charming smile. He came over and with a laugh said, “I told you I would be seeing you again. I’m Mark.” He pointed at the man, “This is Luke.” He moved to the woman, “And Sara.” He held out his hand to Darin, “I didn’t get your name?”
The lie came out so easily it shocked Darin, “Martin Lively.”
Darin was not accustomed to flat out lying. Hopefully Ridahne wouldn’t call her on it. For a brief moment she needed it to be true. She knew how she had picked that name even if she had picked it as she was saying it. Martin was her father; the one that had left without given any reason why. She had her mother hadn’t used that name since. He was always “that man.” It was still a name Darin thought of everyday. Lively was the name of town closest to her village. Hopefully it made an acceptable surname, Darin had never bothered with one of those before.
She took his hand for the briefest of moments before he turned his attention to Ridahne, “Now what is a beauty like you traveling with a scamp like him for?”
Darin didn’t know what Ridahne was planning to tell him but knew that they needed to tell this man anything, but the truth. She wished she had a way to tell Ridahne that. She hoped the Elf got that. The Seed had burned while she was touching him again. She needed to look to see how the band was holding up. She didn’t think she could lose The Seed; she felt it in the back of her mind at all times. That didn’t mean she wanted to misplace it either. She couldn’t do it now though. Not while Mark was here. She almost hoped that Ridahne just ran him threw. That would at least get rid of the nasty feeling. The problem was that Mark hadn’t done anything yet. Darin only had her instincts to go on. Unfortunately, that was not a good enough reason to skewer someone.
As she sat down, she told the Elf, “I don’t think it was either.”
Darin couldn’t imagine the person she met was actually a man. Being a man implied some wort of decency. She didn’t think he had any. Being a beast meant he should be more concerned for basic things like food, water, and other things for survival. He seemed to calculating for that. Darin almost wanted to call him a monster. Something that did evil for evil’s sake and evil’s sake only. That didn’t seem right either. He wanted something. What that something was the girl could only guess at.
Darin told her companion that, “I think he’s a monster. I’m not sure.”
With that sure turned her attention to her meal. When she took a swallow of her drink, she almost coughed it back up. Only sheer force of will made her swallow it. That had not been water. Darin was not sure what it was, but it didn’t taste very good. Luckily her mother had taught her good manners. Ridahne was buying her supper. It would be rude to complain about it. She was not looking forward to it. Oh well. She could be falling off another cliff.
Darin started on the plate of stew. That was the best thing Darin had ever tasted. That was probably a little bit of exaggeration. She had been surviving on increasing stale crackers and dried beef. The vegetables were over cooked, and the beef was a little tough. It could have used less salt. It still fabulous. Most likely she ate it too fast. She didn’t care. She didn’t want to waste time and let it get cold. She then choked on the last bite of it. The feeling that had come from the man with the teal eyes was back.
Darin looked up from her food. She did her best to make look like she had just finished her meal and was reevaluating her situation. As causally as possible she grabbed the mug to bring it to her lips. Her eyes went wide as she saw who had just walked in. The extreme desire to scream had returned.
Instead she softly nudged Ridahne with her toe. (It may have been more of a kick. She wasn’t sure.) Her whisper sounded hoarse, “Ridahne!” She jerked her head towards the door, “There.”
It was the man with the teal eyes. This time he was joined by two other people. Both were human. One was male. The other was female. The male was armed with two thin knifes strapped to each side of his waist. They were almost as long as Ridahne’s sword. He was bald and his head sported a number of blood red tattoos. The female was about Darin’s height but looked denser. Her bow was unstrung, but the quiver on her back was full of arrows. The teal eyed man did not appear to be armed.
The man looked around. When he saw Darin he smiled what she supposed was supposed to be a charming smile. He came over and with a laugh said, “I told you I would be seeing you again. I’m Mark.” He pointed at the man, “This is Luke.” He moved to the woman, “And Sara.” He held out his hand to Darin, “I didn’t get your name?”
The lie came out so easily it shocked Darin, “Martin Lively.”
Darin was not accustomed to flat out lying. Hopefully Ridahne wouldn’t call her on it. For a brief moment she needed it to be true. She knew how she had picked that name even if she had picked it as she was saying it. Martin was her father; the one that had left without given any reason why. She had her mother hadn’t used that name since. He was always “that man.” It was still a name Darin thought of everyday. Lively was the name of town closest to her village. Hopefully it made an acceptable surname, Darin had never bothered with one of those before.
She took his hand for the briefest of moments before he turned his attention to Ridahne, “Now what is a beauty like you traveling with a scamp like him for?”
Darin didn’t know what Ridahne was planning to tell him but knew that they needed to tell this man anything, but the truth. She wished she had a way to tell Ridahne that. She hoped the Elf got that. The Seed had burned while she was touching him again. She needed to look to see how the band was holding up. She didn’t think she could lose The Seed; she felt it in the back of her mind at all times. That didn’t mean she wanted to misplace it either. She couldn’t do it now though. Not while Mark was here. She almost hoped that Ridahne just ran him threw. That would at least get rid of the nasty feeling. The problem was that Mark hadn’t done anything yet. Darin only had her instincts to go on. Unfortunately, that was not a good enough reason to skewer someone.
Thank you.
What are they drinking? What about eating? Do you have a preference or can I choose.
Darin wasn’t sure where she was supposed to be holding on to, so she held on to Ridahne’s waist. At first, she kept her grip loose. Then, when the galloping started, she let out a shriek and gripped so tight she couldn’t feel her fingers. When they stopped Darin had to force herself to let go. Even with Ridahne helping her down she still fell more than she dismounted.
She nodded as the Elf told her the plan, “Sounds like a plan.”
Darin was still shaky, so she didn’t make it to the inn right away. Instead she found a place out of the way to sit down for a moment. She put her head between her knees and tried to focus on breathing. She had not liked riding the horse one little bit. She liked horses just fine. Heath, who was Rolland’s plow horse, was a complete sweetheart. Darin had never ridden a horse before. Heath would let riders on his back, but that wasn’t what he was meant for. She was willing to bet that Ridahne’s horse was nice, but Darin preferred walking beside her horse rather than being on top of it.
She muttered to herself, “I can’t walk all of Astra though.”
“No, you can’t. Few people could.”
Darin’s head snapped up to see a man she didn’t reconigize. His clothes were neat, his smile was warm, and he seemed to be a pleasant sort of character. That didn’t change the fact that Darin looked in to his teal blue eyes and want to scream. She didn’t know if she wanted to scream in terror, scream for help, or scream in warning. Something inside of her didn’t like this man. That didn’t make any sense. It was true that she wasn’t trusting anyone, but there was a difference between not trusting someone, and deciding that they were evil just because of some vague reason. She thought he was evil and not evil like the bandits had been. They had just been trying surviving in a less than moral way. Darin thought that the man in front of her of evil for the sake of being evil. She tried not to let it show on her face.
His voice was full of concern, “Are you alright boy? You look kind of shaky.”
She struggled to come up with an answer that wouldn’t raise any alarms, “I’m just not use to riding.”
The man nodded as he smiled at her, “That makes sense.” He held out a hand to her, “You need to keep moving. If you stay still too long you’ll get stiff and riding will be even harder.”
She didn’t want to touch his hand. Especially after what Ridahne said about her hands. She couldn’t see a way out of it. She forced her hand into his so he could help her up. She let go of it as soon as she could. She hoped that her face hadn’t shown the fact that as soon as she touched him her thigh, right under The Seed, had started to burn. What was that? The Seed had never done that. It stopped as soon as she let go. Where was she getting these thoughts from? It wasn’t like she could read the hearts of men. Could she? She needed to get away, quickly.
She forced a smile to her face, “Thank you. I best go find my traveling partner.”
The man nodded, “I’m sure I’ll see you around. Safe travels.”
That sent so many shivers down Darin’s spine that she couldn’t say anything. She just ducked her head in a bob before scurrying away. She wanted to see if he was watching her but didn’t dare look over her shoulder. She needed to find Ridahne. She knew the Elf about as well as she knew the man. Logic dictated she trust the man more. Outwardly he had nothing but charming and his hunting cat hadn’t pin her on his command. That didn’t change the fact, that for some reason that had to be connected to The Seed, she was terrified of him. At least Ridahne hadn’t made The Seed react anymore than it already did.
Since Darin didn’t look back, she didn’t see the dark-haired man stare at her as she hurried towards the inn. The look on his face was calculating; like he was figuring something out. When he did a cruel smirk of triumph graced his features. It didn’t destroy his good looks, but it didn’t enhance them either. He quickly replaced the look with one of bland of indifference.
As soon as Darin found Ridahne she would rush over to her, “Ridahne!” Her eyes were blown wide with terror, “It followed us! It’s not good!” It was clear the human was close to freaking out, “What do we do?”
She nodded as the Elf told her the plan, “Sounds like a plan.”
Darin was still shaky, so she didn’t make it to the inn right away. Instead she found a place out of the way to sit down for a moment. She put her head between her knees and tried to focus on breathing. She had not liked riding the horse one little bit. She liked horses just fine. Heath, who was Rolland’s plow horse, was a complete sweetheart. Darin had never ridden a horse before. Heath would let riders on his back, but that wasn’t what he was meant for. She was willing to bet that Ridahne’s horse was nice, but Darin preferred walking beside her horse rather than being on top of it.
She muttered to herself, “I can’t walk all of Astra though.”
“No, you can’t. Few people could.”
Darin’s head snapped up to see a man she didn’t reconigize. His clothes were neat, his smile was warm, and he seemed to be a pleasant sort of character. That didn’t change the fact that Darin looked in to his teal blue eyes and want to scream. She didn’t know if she wanted to scream in terror, scream for help, or scream in warning. Something inside of her didn’t like this man. That didn’t make any sense. It was true that she wasn’t trusting anyone, but there was a difference between not trusting someone, and deciding that they were evil just because of some vague reason. She thought he was evil and not evil like the bandits had been. They had just been trying surviving in a less than moral way. Darin thought that the man in front of her of evil for the sake of being evil. She tried not to let it show on her face.
His voice was full of concern, “Are you alright boy? You look kind of shaky.”
She struggled to come up with an answer that wouldn’t raise any alarms, “I’m just not use to riding.”
The man nodded as he smiled at her, “That makes sense.” He held out a hand to her, “You need to keep moving. If you stay still too long you’ll get stiff and riding will be even harder.”
She didn’t want to touch his hand. Especially after what Ridahne said about her hands. She couldn’t see a way out of it. She forced her hand into his so he could help her up. She let go of it as soon as she could. She hoped that her face hadn’t shown the fact that as soon as she touched him her thigh, right under The Seed, had started to burn. What was that? The Seed had never done that. It stopped as soon as she let go. Where was she getting these thoughts from? It wasn’t like she could read the hearts of men. Could she? She needed to get away, quickly.
She forced a smile to her face, “Thank you. I best go find my traveling partner.”
The man nodded, “I’m sure I’ll see you around. Safe travels.”
That sent so many shivers down Darin’s spine that she couldn’t say anything. She just ducked her head in a bob before scurrying away. She wanted to see if he was watching her but didn’t dare look over her shoulder. She needed to find Ridahne. She knew the Elf about as well as she knew the man. Logic dictated she trust the man more. Outwardly he had nothing but charming and his hunting cat hadn’t pin her on his command. That didn’t change the fact, that for some reason that had to be connected to The Seed, she was terrified of him. At least Ridahne hadn’t made The Seed react anymore than it already did.
Since Darin didn’t look back, she didn’t see the dark-haired man stare at her as she hurried towards the inn. The look on his face was calculating; like he was figuring something out. When he did a cruel smirk of triumph graced his features. It didn’t destroy his good looks, but it didn’t enhance them either. He quickly replaced the look with one of bland of indifference.
As soon as Darin found Ridahne she would rush over to her, “Ridahne!” Her eyes were blown wide with terror, “It followed us! It’s not good!” It was clear the human was close to freaking out, “What do we do?”
Awesome. Thank you for hearing me out.
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