Liriel dismounted, leaving her horse by a nearby juniper tree, and made her way over, suddenly feeling her throat dry up. A couple of Forsworn looked her way and sat up, reaching for weapons, until the woman next to them motioned for them to sit down. Liriel recognised Kaie and her nerves eased a little... then she realised the Forsworn man standing up, staring intently at the sky, was Madanach himself.
He hadn't seemed to notice her yet. Too busy watching something. Or maybe just getting reacquainted with the sky after too long inside. He had his right hand raised, clearly focused on something. Liriel approached and then stopped a few feet away, wondering what on earth he was doing. She had her answer when seconds later, a shadow flickered over the ground and Madanach launched a lightning bolt into the sky. Something crashed to the ground, and Madanach punched the air, laughing.
“Still got it!” he announced, sounding extremely cheerful. One of the Forsworn ran off to collect whatever poor creature Madanach had just shot down, presumably a hawk or something.
“Well done, Da!” Kaie called from where she was sitting cross-legged on the ground. “Knew you could do it.”
“I try,” Madanach shrugged. Only three weeks since they'd broken out of prison together, and already he was looking healthier, less haggard. Cleaner, certainly – he looked like he'd bathed only that morning – and he didn't look nearly as pale. Back in Cidhna Mine, he'd had a certain charisma about him. Here in daylight, dressed in Forsworn gear with a sword at his side, he practically resonated power. The pent-up anger and frustration had dissipated – no, found an outlet and transmuted into an aura of calm menace. Liriel swallowed nervously, remembering an afternoon she'd spent at Solitude Docks trying to shoot down hawks for the feathers and failing, and there was Madanach managing it without even breaking a sweat. Madanach of Druadach was a very dangerous man, and now said dangerous man had noticed she was here.
“I wondered when you'd come back,” he said, grinning as his eyes roamed all over her. Did the man have no shame? Of course not, she belatedly began to recall.
“And you're wearing my armour. Even better. It suits you.”
It barely covered her and she'd had to use Stoneflesh before she could feel remotely secure in it. No doubt that was part of the appeal as far as Madanach was concerned.
“Madanach,” she said, trying to keep her voice level. Damned if she was giving him the satisfaction of letting him know just how much he was getting to her. “I thought I should see how you were doing. I know after so long underground adjusting to surface life must be difficult.”
Madanach laughed once, still with that infuriating grin in place and turned to Kaie. “Did you hear that, m'inyeen? The Dragon-Queen was worried about me. She couldn't focus on her slaying of dragons and studies of the arcane and murdering the innocent because she was too busy fearing for my wellbeing. Liriel, I'm touched.”
Ah yes. This was why she'd not come back before. He might have looked gentle and vulnerable while he'd been asleep, but awake he was all snide remarks and arrogantly lording it over everyone. Why she'd ever thought to be concerned was beyond her.
“Yes, well, you're clearly fine, so I shall be on my way. Good luck with your, er, claiming back the Reach.” Liriel turned, preparing to leave. She'd get that pommel stone another way. Maybe Erandur could be persuaded to help...
Madanach's hand clamped down on her arm, and as she turned round, icy glare in place to challenge him, she saw, for the briefest of seconds, genuine fear in his eyes. Only for a second, but it was there.
“Don't... you don't have to go,” he said, sounding a little awkward. “I mean, you've come all the way out here, it's going to be dark soon, why don't you stay and have dinner with us? We've got beds to spare, it's no bother.”
“Let go of me,” said Liriel calmly, and to her surprise, he actually did. That was unexpected. She'd thought he'd tighten his grip just to annoy her. She'd not expected him to actually honour her wishes.
“You didn't come here just to see how we were doing, did you?” he asked quietly. “You had a reason.”
Re: Nightshade and Juniper 2.4
He hadn't seemed to notice her yet. Too busy watching something. Or maybe just getting reacquainted with the sky after too long inside. He had his right hand raised, clearly focused on something. Liriel approached and then stopped a few feet away, wondering what on earth he was doing. She had her answer when seconds later, a shadow flickered over the ground and Madanach launched a lightning bolt into the sky. Something crashed to the ground, and Madanach punched the air, laughing.
“Still got it!” he announced, sounding extremely cheerful. One of the Forsworn ran off to collect whatever poor creature Madanach had just shot down, presumably a hawk or something.
“Well done, Da!” Kaie called from where she was sitting cross-legged on the ground. “Knew you could do it.”
“I try,” Madanach shrugged. Only three weeks since they'd broken out of prison together, and already he was looking healthier, less haggard. Cleaner, certainly – he looked like he'd bathed only that morning – and he didn't look nearly as pale. Back in Cidhna Mine, he'd had a certain charisma about him. Here in daylight, dressed in Forsworn gear with a sword at his side, he practically resonated power. The pent-up anger and frustration had dissipated – no, found an outlet and transmuted into an aura of calm menace. Liriel swallowed nervously, remembering an afternoon she'd spent at Solitude Docks trying to shoot down hawks for the feathers and failing, and there was Madanach managing it without even breaking a sweat. Madanach of Druadach was a very dangerous man, and now said dangerous man had noticed she was here.
“I wondered when you'd come back,” he said, grinning as his eyes roamed all over her. Did the man have no shame? Of course not, she belatedly began to recall.
“And you're wearing my armour. Even better. It suits you.”
It barely covered her and she'd had to use Stoneflesh before she could feel remotely secure in it. No doubt that was part of the appeal as far as Madanach was concerned.
“Madanach,” she said, trying to keep her voice level. Damned if she was giving him the satisfaction of letting him know just how much he was getting to her. “I thought I should see how you were doing. I know after so long underground adjusting to surface life must be difficult.”
Madanach laughed once, still with that infuriating grin in place and turned to Kaie. “Did you hear that, m'inyeen? The Dragon-Queen was worried about me. She couldn't focus on her slaying of dragons and studies of the arcane and murdering the innocent because she was too busy fearing for my wellbeing. Liriel, I'm touched.”
Ah yes. This was why she'd not come back before. He might have looked gentle and vulnerable while he'd been asleep, but awake he was all snide remarks and arrogantly lording it over everyone. Why she'd ever thought to be concerned was beyond her.
“Yes, well, you're clearly fine, so I shall be on my way. Good luck with your, er, claiming back the Reach.” Liriel turned, preparing to leave. She'd get that pommel stone another way. Maybe Erandur could be persuaded to help...
Madanach's hand clamped down on her arm, and as she turned round, icy glare in place to challenge him, she saw, for the briefest of seconds, genuine fear in his eyes. Only for a second, but it was there.
“Don't... you don't have to go,” he said, sounding a little awkward. “I mean, you've come all the way out here, it's going to be dark soon, why don't you stay and have dinner with us? We've got beds to spare, it's no bother.”
“Let go of me,” said Liriel calmly, and to her surprise, he actually did. That was unexpected. She'd thought he'd tighten his grip just to annoy her. She'd not expected him to actually honour her wishes.
“You didn't come here just to see how we were doing, did you?” he asked quietly. “You had a reason.”