The Truth About Lies (An Inheritance Cycle Fanfiction)

Flight To Safety

I stared up at him pleadingly from my place on the chaise as he paced back and forth. "Please," I whispered, "don't be angry, Evander."

"I don't trust him, Tabby!" he barked. "You know that! This could all be some elaborate ruse set up by the king. How can we know that he's telling the truth?"

"Evander," I said evenly, trying to calm him, "Galbatorix will be away on Imperial business at the time. It's the perfect opportunity. And I know that it may sound crazy to you, but I trust him. He's risking his neck by telling me this anyways. What reason would he have to lie?"

"If what you say is true, then the king has a hold on him and could be controlling what he says. We can't trust anything that comes out of his mouth!"

"I know when I'm being lied to," I quipped sharply. "And he wasn't lying to me. What have you learned of Master Tobias?"

He sighed heavily and put a hand to his temple, rubbing it in a circle. "The man is definitely on the side of the Varden, and he thinks he knows of a way for you to get out."

"That's perfect then!" I cried, jumping off the chaise and coming over to him. "Evander, this is all working in our favor. Now we just have one more person on our side."

"But is he really on our side, Tabby?" He growled a bit from deep in his chest.

"I know him... He has changed... But there is still a bit of his old self deep down," I explained slowly, putting my hands on either side of his face and forcing him to look me in the eye. "This is my only chance, and I'm going to seize it with or without your blessing."

"I don't blame you for wanting to get away, Tabby. I'm just afraid you won't make it out... But if you're set on doing this, I guess nothing I say is going to stop you, is it?" He smirked at me slightly as I shook my head.

"The times I've spent with you have been wonderful, Evander; some of the best of my life. But this place is no more than a gilded cage. Now I see that the door has been left open and I have to take flight. It may be my only chance to."

"I know," he admitted reluctantly.

"This isn't goodbye forever, Evander. I will return and settle things with my father and brother once and for all. But I need to rejoin the Varden first, to gather allies. Once I do that, I will come back for you. Alright?"

The only thing I got in response was a passionate kiss and embrace. When he kissed me, I could feel there was something different in the way I felt. Before, I imagined that there was nothing else I could ask for in the world. But now, I felt as though something was missing; something lacking in the way he touched me. I couldn't put a finger on just what that thing was, but before I could contemplate any further, he pulled away.

"I've got a few more things to shore up with Master Tobias, but I'll come back later. Everything is falling into place," he said, smiling down at me sadly. I kissed him quickly once more before he left. I walked over to the high-backed chair by the window as the door closed.

Outside, it was a beautiful summer evening. The birds were chirping merrily and flitting back and forth between the trees, and the sounds of children playing in the street down below drifted up through the open window. To the untrained eye, it would seem a happy place, but I could feel the darkness weighing down on me. I feared if I stayed here much longer, it would eventually overwhelm me. Suddenly, I heard a scraping against the floor coming from the doorway. When I turned to look over my shoulder, I saw a piece of parchment sealed with red wax on the floor. I hurried over to pick it up and then broke the seal. It read:

Tabatha,

Meet me in the dragon hold when you can get away.