Out of all the books I've read, and that's a lot, mind you, Tamora Pierce's books hold a special place in my heart. I truly love her work and her way of telling stories, so I figured I would try my hand a an actually good Tortallan tale, my first try wasn't quite up to par...
whelp I guess that's it, Read on and enjoy! Remember to review when you read! Despite common belief, I'm not a mind reader!
"You don't always need a plan. Sometime you just need to breath, trust, let go and see what happens." - Mandy Hale
A figure in rags stood in the pouring rain, her bone white hair pressed flat against her head and her glittering red eyes slitted against the storm. Her arms were pressed to her chest, in an attempt to preserve what little warmth she had left. Her feet were bare and filthy, covered in mud like the rest of her shivering body. She looked forward, debating whether or not she should enter the village. The thought of warmth won out against any possible danger.
The small, if not somewhat stout girl picked her way across the dirt-turned-mud road and walked into the small village. As she looked around, she saw a small inn, light visible through the windows. She rushed forward, opening the door and shoving herself inside as quick as she could. Instantly, the heat of the fires seeped into her skin and she sighed in relief. With the roaring fires washing the whole room in light, it was easy to see the shiny scars on her wrists and ankles, clearly left by tight shackles left to rub on her pale flesh.
The few people in the room turned to look at her in surprise, not expecting this drowned rat of a girl. She stumbled forward, black fuzziness blurring the edges of her vision. No one could move fast enough to catch her as she fell to the floor, unconscious before she even hit the ground.
There were two men and three women in the inn and they all exchanged looks, bewildered. The tallest woman stepped forward, ran a hand through her gray streaked blond hair and looked at the men.
"Help get 'er up. We'll put 'er in a room upstairs and I'll have someone run a message to the Baron, he'll want to know, 'cause from the looks o' it, she's trouble."
The men hastily stepped forward to do as she said, unable to take their eyes off the poor girl. The other two women looked to the blond lady, who in turn stared at them with a ticking jaw,
"Well? What're ye' waiting for, one of ye' go up and help, and the other, fetch someone t' get the Baron!" She snapped at them and they jumped into action. The shorter of the two started up the stairs and the other opened the door, grimaced at the rain, but ran out anyway.
The older blond haired lady cracked her back, then went to the kitchen, starting a pot of stew for the girl.
"Mithros be willin', I'm wrong about the lass."
Baron George of Pirate's Swoop was expecting to have a quiet meal with his two sons who were, for once home at the same time, but alas, it was not to be. Maude came rushing in, a bag clutched in her hand.
"There's a bit of a situation down in the village. Seemingly an escaped slave, but she's unconscious, but they need my help."
George sighed and stood, "I may as well go, seein' as there's no use just sittin' here and wonderin'." He turned to Alan and Thom and grinned at them, "Want to join the fun?" Alan grinned back at him and got up, excitement visible throughout his features.
"An escaped slave? It sounds interesting, and we might even get to fight off slavers!"
Thom rolled his eyes at his brother, but stood to go as well, "If you're both going, then I suppose I'll go as well."
The girl was laid in a small room, blankets draped around her shivering form. George looked down at her in pity, noticing the slight details that the villagers missed, like the way her face, although slightly rounded was gaunt and how, even though she was big boned, she was too thin, her ribs probably visible through her skin. Another thing he noticed, that didn't quite sit right with him, were her delicate features, a button nose and a bow shaped mouth with a full bottom lip and slightly thinner upper lip, delicately arched eyebrows as pale as her hair and a stubborn chin, with a smattering of freckles across her cheeks and nose. She looked too delicate to be a common slave, like the ones that used to be in Carthak or in Scanra.
George turned to the tall blond woman,
"You say that she just wandered in and didn't say a thing?" She nodded and crossed her arms.
"I don' know wha' or who she's runnin' from, but I don't like slave traders or slave holders."Her dim blue eyes turned sharp when she spoke, her dislike obvious in her voice.
Alan leaned against the wall, Thom standing next to him. Both looked down at the girl with mixed expressions of concern and curiosity.
George opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted as the girl jerked up, coughing and tilted to the side. George jumped out of the way, and barely missed getting his boots soaked in vomit. The girl looked up, her vivid blood colored eyes glazed over, staring at them but not seeing them. She groaned and jerked, curling in on herself. The woman moved forward and started to clean the mess on the floor with a simple magic while Maude went to her bag to fetch herbs.
The girl started to writhe on the bed and a high pitched whine slipped from her lips, "Stop! I'll be good! I promise!" She shrieked, scrabbling at the air, trapped in a nightmare. Maude placed her hands on the girl's face and magic started to pour out, but she froze, quickly pulling her hands away as if she had been burned.
She looked up in horror, her eyes wide with fear, "The girl has magic, but it's like it's eating her from the inside out."
Another scream pulled their gazes back to the form on the bed who had now started to glow a faint crimson.
Her father stood in front of her, his arms spread out as if to shield her, but he fell back, a giant hole blasted through him. A sneering mage stood in front of him, and spit on his corpse, before stepping over him and reaching for her. She scrabbled back as quickly as she could, but she hit a wall. The mage cackled and grabbed her by the hair, dragging her with him as he left the once strong fief.
She stood, shackles weighing down her small limbs, and scrapping against her soft skin. "Faster!" A rough voice yelled, a whip cracking about her head and she started to move, following the train of slaves. Her tender feet were cut and dirty and her oft clothes had been taken, replaced with course, chafing rags. Her white hair was plastered to her head, filthy with muck and gods know what else. She was tugged forward by the chains attaching her to the slave right in front of her, and older boy who made it a point to walk as fast as he could, to try and get her to fall.
She was older now, her flesh no longer lily soft but course and striped with whip marks. Her breath came in harsh gasps as she ran, her chains clinking loudly against each other as she raced farther and farther from the evil ones. She stumbled, falling to her knees, but she jumped up immediately, ignoring the harsh stinging.
She must have run for miles, when she finally decided to rest. She hid in the trees making her way towards the nearest village, were smoke was visible above the trees. She stopped for a moment and tried to slip her hands from the shackles, but to no avail. She looked around, making sure she was alone and then looked inside herself, seeing the ever burning crimson flame, flecks of gold and silver glinting within it. She gulped and focused her mind on the shackles. "Melt." she whispered, as quietly as she could and the shackles dripped right off her wrists, leaving slight burns that healed fairly quickly.
Suddenly the girl gasped awake again and she growled at herself, making the glow surrounding herself disappear back into her skin. She sat up weakly and looked around, seeing where she was for the first time.
George peered down at her and her breath caught in her throat,
"Am I... safe?" She asked, her voice raspy and dry.
He nodded, and she tried to smile.
"Thank...you."
He kneeled by the bed and she was able to see Thom, Alan and the tall blond lady behind him. She turned slightly and looked at Maude, before she gave them the sweetest smile. Their breaths hitched and she tilted her head endearingly,
"I am Orianna and... I am very... grateful, for... everything you've done..." She had to pause in between words to catch her breath.
George jerked to a stand,"You can't mean that you're!?" His hand flew to his mouth, and he started to grin.
"Oh, Jon is going to love this."
So? Read and Review! Tell me what you think! Also, coming up in the next chapter is everyone's favorite, if not slightly douchebaggy king and his son Liam! Super excited! Until next time!
Bojoflo12