Magic Threads
By TheRhythmOfLife
Summary: Sandry of Emelan knew she had a chance of becoming a great mage. But she didn't know that when she discovered magic strings to weave with, they'd take her to another world…where she'd meet a charming and powerful mage, a handsome healer-knight, and a hot warrior. But now, she has to choose between them and Tortall, or her friends and her home. It's the biggest decision Sandry will ever make, and it will decide the fate of both worlds.
Chapter One: Farewell to Emelan
Sandry of Emelan sat in Discipline in Winding Circle, spinning thread. The magic circlet of string that held her friends' powers in it was safely in a small leather pouch around her neck. Beside it was the small light globe that Tris and Daja had made for her. Having those things with her constantly made her feel safer.
Suddenly, something brushed Sandry's arm. Looking up and around, she furrowed her brow in confusion. Nothing was there. And then she felt it again. Closing her eyes, she focused. When she opened them again, her magic vision was stronger. She could suddenly see something she'd never noticed before: threads of magic, surrounding her.
Gently, Sandry reached out and tweaked one that was glowing a soft purple color. A tingling feeling ran up her arm. The young noble yanked her hand back, massaging it. "That was weird," she muttered.
Hesitantly, she reached out and touched another one. This one was simply glowing silver, which just meant it was magic. There wasn't anything special about it…except…Sandry gasped as her arm went see through. She tried to yank it back, but couldn't. It spread. Now she couldn't see her shoulder. And then it went down, dipping around her neck and then turning her other arm transparent. And her body went invisible. And then her legs. She couldn't see herself at all! The tingling spread up to her head…and Sandry dissolved into nothing.
Just moments later, Sandry opened her eyes and gasped. A huge monster with a human's head was baring down over her.
"Look out!"
Sandry ducked as she saw the flash of steel above her head. She focused, searching for anything she could use to her advantage. Unfortunately, there didn't appear to be much cloth around for her to work with.
There was the sickening sound of steel cutting through flesh. "Are you okay?"
Sandry looked up and gasped. The guy speaking to her was possibly the hottest one she'd ever seen. He had gorgeous blue eyes that would (and probably had) stun every young lady they looked at. Standing on his left was a tall guy with black hair and dark eyes, and on his right was a guy with black hair and green eyes.
"Who…who ARE you?" Sandry asked, looking around. The body of the spider monster was nearby. She was in the middle of a ring of trees, and she could see the inside of a city or a palace of some sort through their lightly-laced branches. "And where AM I?"
"I'm Nealan of Queenscove," the guy with the black hair and green eyes said. "This is Numair Salmalin, and this is Domitan of Masbolle."
"No, you're Meathead," Domitan corrected.
"That's SIR Meathead to you. And shouldn't we get this young lady back to the Palace? She's obviously a noble. What's your name?" Nealan asked.
"Oh…I'm Lady Sandry of Emelan. You still haven't told me where I am."
"You're in Corus, in the realm of Tortall, of course! Emelan…I haven't heard of that place before. Is it a barony or fiefdom?" Numair asked.
"It's a realm," Sandry said, wrinkling her brow in confusion. "Wait. You mean to tell me I'm not in Summersea?"
"Summersea? Where is that? You're not making much sense." It was Dom again.
"Let's just get her back. Let me help you up, Lady Sandry." Neal pulled her to her feet. "You're really not from around here," he said with a grin. "I mean, look at the way you're dressed!"
Sandry's dress suddenly started to sway as her power infused every thread in it. It spread outward twisting around the cloth in Neal and Dom's clothes, but it seemed to slide off a glass wall around Numair. Sandry was so surprised, she stopped radiating. "What the-"
"Were you casting a spell? If you were, I don't recognize the brand of magic…are you some type of Wild Mage?" Numair asked.
"Um, no. I'm a Thread Mage. I have ambient magic." Sandry tucked her hair behind her ear and realized she was practically drooling. All three of these guys were hot.
"Numair?" A young woman came into the clearing. She had brunette hair and dreamy brownish-green eyes that might have had a tint of blue in them, too. She was dressed in breeches and a tunic over a shirt. A small flock of animals followed her.
"Daine! There you are! Look who we found out here! This is Lady Sandry of Emelan. She just sorta…turned up and was attacked by a Spidren." Numain took the few steps over to Daine. "Lady Sandry, this is Daine Sarrasri, my student."
Was it just Sandry, or was there a hint of jealousy and suspicion in Daine's eyes? Sandry shook her head slightly and curtsied. "It's my pleasure to meet you, Daine. Sarrasri…I've never heard that name before. What does it mean?"
This was the worst thing Sandry could have done to start her time in Tortall. Daine's eyes hardened beyond belief and she hissed through clenched jaws, "Sarra's daughter. It means Sarra's daughter."
Not sure what she'd done to spark such hate from Daine, Sandry looked over at Dom and Neal, who were watching the scene with a great deal of interest. "Um…alright. That's great! You were saying something about a palace, Sir Neal?"
"Um, yes. It's right through the trees here." Neal crossed the small clearing and pushed a few branches out of the way. "See? Those are the training grounds there." He pointed to where some pages and squires were doing staff work.
Sandy eyed the entire place in confusion. "Oh…alright. That's nice, I suppose. Oh, Daine! You have magic!" she suddenly exclaimed. She'd just noticed the glow surrounding Daine. She'd been conscious of the one around Numair, but the glow around Daine was much softer, and had an odd shimmer. "But it's not the normal sort, either, just like mine! What kind of magic do you have?"
Daine's eyes softened a bit. "I have wild magic. I'm a wild mage. It means I work with animals and stuff. Numair's teaching me about it. What kind of magic do you have?"
"I'm a stitch witch, I guess you could say. But I have other magics sort of interwoven with mine. They come from my friends Daja, Tris, and Briar. How long have you been in Tortall?"
"For a few years now. You?"
"I um…just arrived. I'm not quite sure how. One minute I was at Winding Circle in Summersea, and the next…I'm being saved from a giant spider monster. It's a bit confusing."
"You arrived by magic? But I didn't sense a spell…" Numair seemed a bit confused, and Daine shocked.
"You came here and NUMAIR DIDN'T NOTICE?" she gasped. She whirled to look at the mage. "Does that mean…?"
Numair nodded slowly. "Yes…yes it does. It means she's very powerful, possibly more powerful than me."
Silence fell over the clearing. And then someone laughed. Sandry, laughing with all her might. "No, I doubt that. I'm just a student mage. You probably didn't sense my magic because it's not a type you're used to. It's nothing more than that, I'm sure."
Numair shrugged uneasily. "Possibly…"
Dom suddenly grabbed Sandry's arm. "Well, let's go. You're a visiting noble, eh? You'll have to get one of the ladies to help you…you'll need a dress and other clothes for tonight. You can come down the Queen's Stair so everyone knows who you are."
"Oh, okay…" Sandry said dimly.
(the next morning)
The previous night had gone by in a flash. Sandry barely remembered a minute of it. There was a whirl of silks and cottons and satins and cashmere dresses and kohl for her eyes and stains for her lips and cheeks and pins and ribbons and beads for her hair and waiting and descending the staircase with everyone staring at her and wondering where
Emelan was and dancing and talking and, finally, being escorted to a spare room to sleep.
Now, Sandry was up. And she had broken free of the shock that had formed around her the first day. She finally realized everything that happened. She'd walked strings of magic and time and ended up in another world, another realm. And another thing…she'd been met by three hot guys immediately. "Oh, no…Goddess…help…I can't stay here!" she gasped. "Or I'll fall for one of them!"
Suddenly, her door blew open. It revealed Dom. "Lady Sandry, come on! You're missing breakfast! King Jon is pretty insuted…"
Sandry blinked and broke away from the mirror. She'd just finished fixing herself. "Dom, I can't do this," she said through pale lips. "I'm not from this world entirely!"
Dom laughed. "Yeah, right. Come one. I'll introduce you to Raoul and Kel and everyone after breakfast. They just came in from Haven."
Sandry blinked. "Oh, okay…I guess…" And then Dom had grabbed her arm and towed her out of the room.
A/N: Please vote on who you want Sandry to fall for! The choices are (in case you didn't get them) Numair, Dom, and Neal!