A decision made...

[Backabuth]

Once around the corner, Lathem breathed a sigh of relief. A man next to him nudged him a little and set off a bad temper that Lathem never knew he had. If this had happened before he had become a vessel for Galbatorix, he would have just shrugged it off, nothing becoming of it. Now though, being Galbatorix's vessel, a temper rose from the bottom of his heart and he rushed forward, without thinking, stabbing the man in the back with his sword. The crowd around them shrieked and ran from the street, going to tell some guards. A new Lathem rose and overtook the old, stabbing the man over and over, the old Lathem sitting inside watching with horror as this new person committed a murder. Then it was over. The last breath left the man's lips and he was gone. Dead. Murdered. By who? No, not Lathem. Then who was it? Who is this person? Lathem fell to his knees, trying to catch his breath. He looked at all the blood and started crying, a sick look falling upon his face. A look at the man's bloody face made Lathem start wretching, guards running forward, yelling for him to put down his sword and grabbing his arms and shoving him to the ground. Tears streamed down his cheeks as he was squished onto the ground, the world starting to spin around him. Blood started dripping from his mouth and he noticed that he was being hit. But why? What was he doing? He had just killed, that's what. Finally, after a long session of brutal torture, the guards pulled Lathem from the ground and took him to a jail, pushing him into a dark and cold cell in a basement by himself. They shoved him into the cell and slammed the barred door shut, five guards staying to guard him to make sure he wouldn't get out. Lathem wiped blood from his mouth and the cold floor and then started crying, a sound that was never heard from a killer that surprised the guards. They noticed how young the boy was and then turned their faces back into a stony barrier. Lathem shook as he cried, beating his fist against the walls and turning them into a bloody mess. Finally, being exhausted, the young man fell onto the cold floor, letting sleep steal his mind away and leaving his bloody and broken body to recover from the madness it had just encountered.

[Tismri]

Simon gratefully laid River down on a nearby bed. Then he turned back to the woman. He looked her over carefully, not sure about how much he should tell her. Would she believe him if he told her? He sighed and glanced at his sister again. She was still sleeping, but her expression was anything but peaceful. If he had to tell this woman what was going on, well...he would pay a far greater price than that if he wanted to help River.
"She had a spell placed on her almost a week ago that caused her to fall asleep. She hasn't stirred since." He held River's hand wishing he could help her himself.
"I don't know everything about this spell, how it was caused. Do you think you can help her?" He gave the woman an imploring look, desparately hoping that she could awaken his sister.

[Trinn]

Reaching out, Elaine grasped the man's shoulder, trying to comfort him. He was clearly worried about his sister. "I will do everything I can," she told him sincerely. Letting her hand fall off his shoulder, she went to the woman's side and knelt by the bed. Placing her hands above the young girls head, Elaine closed her eyes and probed the others mind. She seemed to be in a normal climate of sleep, only her mind was restless. Perhaps this would be more simple to fix than she had anticipated. I'll start small, then work my way up. she thought. Under her breath, she muttered, "lift the magic that binds her," speaking the words in the ancient language. As her magic flowed from her gedwey ignasia, she hoped this wouldn't drain her energy. Careful, Eridor said, his voice echoing in the back of her mind.

[Tismri]

The instant she was awake, before she even opened her eyes, River let out a piercing scream. Her eyes flew open and she sat up, whipping her head about fearfully. So many voices, all jumbled together in her head. She couldn't keep them out! None of them were familier. What's happening? Are they doing something else to her?
Simon rushed to his sister's side. She stared at him with wide, fearful eyes.
"River, it's me! It's Simon!" the man said desparatly, hoping she would recognize him. The girl calmed down slightly.
"S-Simon?" she asked, then gained more hysteria in her voice. "Simon, they-they talk to me. They're telling me to-"
"They're gone! They're gone now, River. We're safe. We're safe." He held her shuddering form close to him. His poor sister. What did they do to her?

[Trinn]

Elaine reeled back as the woman awoke, releasing a piercing scream. The sound shot through her ears, to her soul. Thankfully, it lasted only a moment, and Elaine got to her feet. She watched as the man embraced his sister, speaking to her soothingly. From their words, she was able to glean their names, Simon and River. She also was extremely curious, and worried, about who 'they' were. Giving the two a minute together, Elaine walked to the corner of the room and removed her cloak, contacting Eridor. We will need to find out who these people are that River speaks of. Some of them must be magic wielders.
Aye. Hopefully, it is not a new threat for Surda. Elaine nodded, then walked back to Simon and his sister. "I'm sorry, I hope I'm not interupting anything, but, please, do you mind informing me who 'they' are? It's quite important that I know."

[Tismri]

Simon continued to hold his quaking sister in his arms, stroking her head. He turned to face the woman.
"'They' are the people-no, the monsters-that did this to her. The experimented on her, trying to make her able to use magic or something. I'm not sure what all they did to her, but those people were doing all sorts of things to children, some even younger than her. They were doing projects on them I don't even want to know about." Resolve crept into his voice. "I don't know what all they did to her, but I promise, the Empire will pay for what they did to my little sister."

[Trinn]

Elaine was horrified by the news. How could people do that to anyone! "Yes, Galbatorix will have a lot to answer for when the time comes." Her eyes swept to River, who was shaking badly. "My name is Elaine. I'm a rider for the varden. You guys look like you could use some food, and a rest. Well, a peaceful rest," she corrected herself. "If you like, I can bring something back for you. I don't think River is up to moving quite yet."

[Tismri]

Simon nodded gratefully, but River gave Elaine a glance, looking at her carefully. There was something different about her. She couldn't hear her the way she heard the others. River could feel surprise and anger, but she couldn't hear what she was thinking. Not that she wanted to. It actually gave her a nice reprieve from the endless babbling going on in her head. She finally settled down a bit and leaned against the wall, trying to keep all the voices out of her head.
OOC: lol, she does sound crazy. lol.

[Trinn]

OOC: haha. Just a little bit.

Uncomfortable under River's gaze, Elaine nodded and quickly left the room. She walked briskly down the halls, which she new now like the back of her hand. After a few short minutes, having taking side corridors and secret passages, Elaine arrived in the kitchen, which was bustling with preperation for the evening meals. The head cook spotted Elaine and bowed to her quickly. In a brisk, business like voice, the plump woman asked, "What can I do for you, rider?" Smiling, Elaine inclined her head to the woman.
"I would like two plates of food. I have some guests in the castle who have had a long andj... tiresome journey."
"Allright, then. Just a moment." Rushing off, the large woman dissapeared within the large kitchen. Elaine could hear pots and pans banging around in the back. What do you think, Eridor?
I think we should protect those two, especially the girl. At least until she's back in her right mind. Elaine nodded, her attention returning to the head cook, who was returning with two large plates of food. "Thank you, ma'am. I am most grateful." Elaine took the two plates carefully, getting a good grip so she wouldn't drop them.
"Not a problem Argetlam, you just hurry back to your friend!" Nodding, Elaine turned and made her way back.

Another few minutes later, Elaine nudged the spare room door open and set the plates of food onto the wood table. "There you go. It looks like the head cook put a whole assortment of food there." She smiled up at Simon and river. "Enjoy."

[Tismri]

River still sat on the bed, staring at the wall. The voices were quieter now, but they were still there, all messed and jumbled in her head. Hundreds of emotions swept through her.
When the woman came back in with two plates of food, River turned to face her. She looked at her for a long time, not speaking. Then, she quietly said, "Elaine..." River didn't know where the name came from, but she felt sure that was this woman's name. She turned to the plate of food and picked at it for a while.
Simon gave the woman a grateful look. He heard what River said and was surprised. Was this woman's name Elaine? How did River know that? He gave the woman a weary smile.
"Thank you," he said.

[caleb]

Caleb made his way into the training fields. He noticed a girl standing in the field firing arrow after arrow into a target. She didn't seem to be a good shot at first, but upon closer inspection, she kept hitting the same spot, spilting the arrow that she shot before it. Caleb was amazed at the skill of this young, beautiful woman. "Hello I'm Caleb. I'm new here, what's you name?" he asked the girl.

[Tismri]

Jeriah turned quickly at the new voice. She inspected the man who had come up to her. He was tall, had unkept dark hair and a goatee. He seemed nice enough, but she was wairy (sp) about meeting new guys. Still, she tried to offer him a smile. She failed. Talking with any guy anywhere near her age made her feel almost guilty. Her heart belonged to Lathem, even though he had broken it. A few tears gathered in her eyes.
"I'm Jeriah," she managed to get out, trying to be courteous at the very least.

[caleb]

Caleb noticed that she was very uncomfortable around him, he wondered what was wrong. He decided that it wasn't important. "It's nice to meet you Jeriah, I know we just met, but may I ask what's bothering you?" he asked, hoping he wasn't to abrupt about this

[Tismri]

Jeriah looked around a little, then looked down and bit her lip. She was about to cry again. Haven't I cried enough today? she thought to herself. Still, a tear escaped her eye, followed by another and another. She looked up at Caleb.
"It's..." she let out a sigh. What's one more person knowing what tore at her so? "It's my boyfriend. I don't know what's happened, really. We were going to both stay neutral, not join either the Empire or the Varden. Just kinda hide out in the Spine, you know? Well, several weeks ago, he just up and left, not telling anyone where he went. Then a few days ago, I found out..." she choked and more tears fell. "He...he...he joined the Empire. He seemed to go crazy. Why would Lathem do such a thing? Why?" This was the question he heart had been asking for days. She buried her face in her hands and let out a torrent of sobs, wishing Lathem were there. Wishing everything was back to normal.

[caleb]

Caleb couldn't help himself, he rushed over and grabbed Jeriah to keep her from falling. "I'm so sorry about that Jeriah. I don't like the Empire myself, they......they.......killed my parents and my brothers." Caleb choked out. It wasn't fair for her to tell him her secret and kep his. "Jeriah, I'm sorry that your boyfriend did that. I wish I had the answer for you Jeriah, but I've never heard of him." Caleb said. Caleb felt tears coming to his eyes thinking about his family. He bent down and wiped the tears from Jeriah's eyes, "It'll be ok Jeriah, I promise."