A Circle Divided

By Elaina

Lady Sandrilene Fa Toren looked up from her notebook, and grinned when she saw her student Pasco actually concentrating on his meditating. She put down her brush and ink and settled back to watch the monumental occasion, but was disappointed when Pasco and Yazmin, his dance teacher stood up a moment later and started to stretch.

"I'm very impressed," Sandry said loudly, "you don't even need to be warded anymore."

Pasco blushed at the unexpected praise and started to trace circle on the floor with his toe. "Oh, stop it," he muttered gruffly "s'not anything to be proud of"

"But of course!" Sandry cried "this means you've got control more control of your power now, which is a very important step, indeed. Anyway, it's time we got on with our lesson. I have been working on a new spell that I need your and Yasmin's help with."

Sandry handed the book over to them, flipping to the page that she had last been writing on. She sat down on a bench and waited as they looked over the explanation of the spell and ideas for the corresponding dance, deciding after a few seconds that she would try and contact Briar to tell him of Paso's progress. That winter's frost had been extremely harsh, and Rosethorn and Briar had been forced to return to Summersea while Rosethron helped care for Winding Circle's many gardens. In that period of time, Briar and Pasco had become good friends, and, though Briar had left again once the spring came, he and Rosethron had decided to stay closer to home.

"Are you going to need me?" Sandry asked.

"Not for a couple of minutes," Yazmin called back, her nose still buried in the notebook.

Sandry closed her eyes, and called for Briar. When he didn't answer, she yelled louder and louder, until she had an incredible migraine and her ears were ringing. With a sigh, she slipped from her body and flung herself out into the wind, throwing her whole self into the search for Briar. Sandry soared over the countryside on the breezes, spinning herself into a long, cream-colored thread as she went, and groping in her mind for the green silken thread of Briar's magic that would make him easier to find. She suddenly saw it shining in the distance and grabbed it, then spun it into her thread and once more began to search the landscape around her, putting more energy into it this time.

She saw him! He was strolling through a lovely maze of overflowing gardens with Rosethorn, identifying different plants as they moved along, and naming off their various uses. She vaguely wondered if it would be rude to draw Briar away from his lesson, then, upon reminding herself that Briar wouldn't really care, called his name. Once more, Briar didn't answer, in fact, he gave no indication that he had even heard her.

"Briar!" Sandry shouted, "you can't see me, but I'm right above you. Briar! It's me, Sandry. Answer, please!"

Once more, all was silent. Did he honestly not hear her? Was he mad at her (though his normal reaction was to attack anyone he was mad at, not give them the cold shoulder)? Or was he just being rude?

"Please Briar! If you're in a lesson and want to be left alone, just tell me, and I'll go."

Suddenly, Sandry was being sucked down into a black void, the terrible sensation of cold, damp darkness, swirling all around her. She started to scream; a part of her thought Briar would surely hear her blood-curdling cries for help. She saw flashes of her friends and the people she loved fly by: perhaps this would be the last time she would see them, as she was surely going to die. This last thought jarred her to her senses, and she threw out thick cords, hoping something would catch hold of one, and lift her spirit to safety. Deciding not to risk her life on the slip chance that that idea would work, Sandry began to weave some threads below her to make a safety net to catch her. She never got to try it out.

Falling off the bench was probably the luckiest thing that ever happened to her. Her spirit came jumping back to her body, saved from the inner perils that were lurking in her own mind. One foggy thought flitted across her brain, as she stared at the scratched and dented floor of Yazmin's dance studio: Where had the darkness come from? Then she passed out.

A/N: Yikes! Anyway, I'd just like to thank Ninamazing for suggesting this page to Xing. Now all we need is a Diane Duane page and an Original Avengers page, and ff.net will be complete (in my opinion, anyway) Well, we more authors, so let's get recruiting!!! I KNOW Alanna will write for this page (she's out of town, but she gets back tonight, so I'll tell her) as will Sandry and Tris (guess where the three of them got their names) Okies, I'll just stop now. Anyway, thanx again to Ninamazing; we love you!!!! You are sooo cool!