Chapter 1: Home Is Where the Gods Send You

Aly watched her oldest child and only daughter form a window. She couldn't believe that the girl was hers. She was ten and she had more talents then most people gain in a life time. She was beautiful too. She had hair the color of sand, her skin resembled the color of warm cream, but it was her eyes that got most peoples attention. They looked like as if the gods had freshly cut and polished emeralds and stock them in for eyes. Her birth name didn't do her justice either, it just couldn't come close to describing whom she was or what she could become. Aly knew that her daughter didn't belong here but she belonged in Tortall where she could do something greater then what she could do in the Islands. She did process the sight, but she also had the power of healing and she could talk to animals. Just the other day her father had found her talking to a rock, which may seem odd to most people but it was an every day acrunce for the girl.

"Your daughter's something; isn't she?" The trickers appeared at her said. "She doesn't belong here and you know it. My brother and sister have set her fate in stone. So, even if you try to keep her here, it won't work. They have big plans for that little one, even though she's not really little, is she? She looks closer to the age of sixteen then ten."

"I know, I've known since the first time that I held her that she didn't belong here. But I didn't believe it. Do you know what they want to do with her?" She looked up at the god hoping that he would answer her; she needed to know if she would be safe in anything that she did.

"No. I don't know but I do know that you should send her to your parents, she'd be better off. People would appreciate her more and she could express herself better. I'd change her name, something that as a sweet and gentle sound. I think that she may have an idea for something that will suit her just fine." He left her before she could reply; she thought that it was just as well. She didn't want to send her only daughter away but it was the only thing that made any since to her.

Before she knew it word had been sent to her family in Tortall and her daughter was on her way to meet her grandparents for the fist time. Aly knew that Kathleen, she had picked out the name just has Tricker said she would, would have both her parents jumping though hoops before a day was out. But Aly and Nawat watched as their daughter left them, both of them knew that this was goodbye until they meet again in after life. Aly turned and cried into Nawat's chest. As the ship sailed away Mithros and The Great Mother Goddess below a soft wind into the sails of the ship.

The tickers whispered in Aly's ear, "My siblings will ensure that she arrives safely and quickly to her destination. You hadn't need to worry."

Kathleen sat on the deck most days reading the books that she had brought with her, she had read many books on her mother's home land and always thought that she belonged there instead of on an Island. When she was four years of age, she was visited by a beautiful women and a very attractive man who appeared to be in their early thirties. She wasn't sure who there were, but the women would come to her at night and tell her stories of her grandmother and of other knights of the realm that she was headed her for. On her tenth birthday the man had visited her and told her that her time was coming, one day she would be the greatest female knight and the most remembered. She had found this very hard to believe at first but when her mother had asked her if she would like to go live with her grandparents she could hardly resite saying yes.

"Young girl, come get your first look at Tortall." The captain called to her.

She put her book down and looked to see what she could see. What she saw amazed her, by just looking she could feel that she was never going back to her parents, that this was where she truly belonged. "How long before we dock?" Kathleen asked looking up at the man.

"Less then fithteen minutes, child." He left her standing on the deck by herself. She looked and she saw a number of people standing on the dock, 'they must be my family, I can't wait to see what they're like. I hope that they like me. I think that I'm going to like it here quite a bit.' When they were closer to the dock she couldn't wait anymore, she saw them smiling at her and she wanted to meet them so badly that jumped and flipped herself onto the dock right in front of George and Alanna. "Child! No, just wait until...never mind." The captain stood there shacking his head.

"Hello, I believe you to be my grandparents, correct?" She said flashing them a dimpled smile. They just looked at her, they couldn't believe their eyes, here stood before them a girl of ten but she seemed to them to be closer to the age of sixteen not only that she was beautiful.

"Now lass, who taught you to talk like that, surely not your mother?" George said raising one brow.

"I've always spoken with a certain refinement Grandpa; mother said that I have talked in that way since I was three or four." She smiled at them again.

"I don't care what she talks like, I'm just glad you're here." Alanna said pulling her into a hug. "Now, where did you learn to jump like that, they don't even teach the shang that type of movement."

"Practice, and lots of it too. It's fun to teach yourself new things." She smiled at them again, she looked over their shoulders' and saw a few other people standing behind them. She pulled from Alanna's arms. She bowed in the fanishion that a noble would bow to their king and queen. "You must be King Jonathan and Queen Thayet, it's a pleasure to meet you both. And you must be Lord Roual. Lady Kel, the Knight Neal, Mother told me about you and your scarcatict comments." They laughed at her. "You must be the wild mage, and her husband the best mage in this realm. I'm afraid I don't know the rest of you." She said almost sadly.

Before anyone could say anything else a large group of griffins flue over head and landed in front of the girl. "Oh my!" She said, but she showed little fear of the creatures, Diane stepped forward, thinking that they wanted to talk to her but they told her to stop. They turned their heads to Kathleen and spoke to her.

'You are the chosen one, all the immortal creatures will heed your words, and we give you a gift from the generation that you will sever.' Before she could reply, a young griffin stepped forward and ripped out a few of its feathers. The audience stood in aw, no one had ever seen a griffin act in such a manner. 'They will send you a graedin in due time. Be watchful and mindful of the things you see. If you ever need any help at all just blow this, the nearest griffin nest will come to your aid.' With that the immortal left without another word.

"Now, that was rather odd. I've never seen a griffin do that before. I couldn't hear them what, what did they say?" Diane said looking at the girl.

"You couldn't hear them, well then maybe I shouldn't tell you. Maybe they had their reasons." She looked at the feathers in her hand and then up at the people around her. "Well, will you take me home to see where my mother grew up or is this all I'll see of my new home." She said this with a smile and they all smiled back.

"No my dear Kathleen. Let's go home." Alanna put her arms around her and George did the same. They walked towards her new home. She thought about what the griffins had said to her, little did she know that she would have more encenters that were almost the same.