[Everdawn]

Arridan folded his arms. “Warrior? If that’s what you will call it yes, I was a captain and a very successful one at that. After the three houses were abolished by Guriel I was fortunate enough to be called into service by the Steward.”

“Whey are you not a soldier now?” Idruil asked.

“Because, your gallant leader left me heart broken. Yes little, fair, Maén Il Galoth left the day before our wedding. Ill tell you, good luck to the lad who happens to tame that one, she was lucky to get me.” He coughed. “I simply came home and served my father, I head his guard now.”

“Do you see? Do you see! lucky to get him! you couldn’t handle me Arridan, everything you ever did was for yourself, and what’s more is you proved me right when you ran back home.” Maén said annoyed. “Its in the past now anyway, you have irritated me for long enough.”

Maén nodded at Idruil who was seated beside her as a sign that she was going to take his advice. “Lord Arriten, I am growing anxious of what may be hidden below, you must understand that it is in my interest that I know as soon as possible.”

Lord Arriten smiled a little. “As you wish my child, as impatient as ever I see.” He said with a slight chuckle as he rose and offered his arm to the young woman who took it, her hazel eyes glancing sharply at her companions.

“I shan’t be long.” She said as the young woman accompanied by the old man left the room. It seemed that they had been walking for an age around narrow stone catacombs until she was sure that they were underground. Arriten stopped to light a torch and lead the way which was only wide enough for one person. Finally he opened a narrow ebony door and went inside.

What Maén saw there when she entered was amazing, rows and rows of shelves filled with parchment and old documents. Immediately Arriten began looking through rolls of parchment and spread what he did have over another table.

“Are you sure you want to do this Maén?” the old man asked to which the young woman nodded. “very well” Maén rolled out the first roll of parchment, which was a list of all the townspeople and where they lived on a map. Eagerly scanning it was not long before she came across a name which she had been looking for. Here eyes widened in amazement.

“Guriel Il Galoth!” she cried, her finger hovering over a space on the map which was not far south of Jacobe’s Run. She turned to the old man who was still. It was then that she felt the pit of her stomach drop and a cold sweat overtake her. “You… You knew.” Arriten nodded. “How could you!” she yelled but before she could yell some more Arriten had her by the neck.

“Its easy my dear, You ruined my plans to get your family form the inside, I was his wish, you refused my son. Arriten may have been an old man but Maén was a small woman, his hands tightened around her throat. “Ive tried for so long to destroy the last of your family but have never succeeded, and now, perhaps now I will have a chance to live up to Guriel… He took great joy in killing your family, and great joy in torturing your father until he was a blubbering mess able only enough to tell the steward of what happened.”

Maén could feel that she was loosing strength, the world around her was going black, the torch which Arriten had put behind on the wall was glowing steadily dimmer, but the gleam in his eyes was still in her mind. With her last strength Maén pulled, concealed in her skirts the dagger given to her by Lysia, unsheathed it and drove it into the side of the old man’s neck. Almost instantly she felt his grasp loosen and she began to breathe. “Go and succeed in dying, it will give me more satisfaction.” She said raspy, still catching her breath. There was a steady flow of crimson on her gown, but it did not worry Maén, her priority now was to get back to the others, perhaps in time to save them from Arridan.

She dragged herself back through the winding passages and into the main part of the house. Her hear was pounding, she tripped and fell onto the carpet of the hallway. With a cry she got up and continued on her way to the dining hall where she threw open the doors breathing heavily, covered in blood. “We’ve been tricked”.