Howdy all! This is my first Circle of Magic fic, so please go easy on me. :-) I've been wanting to try something new, and my muses struck tonight, and this is what came out. Review, let me know what you think, I'll take all the help I can get. Constructive criticism welcome!
The young man sat straight on his mount, his green eyes scanning the horizon, searching for something. He'd been traveling for three days now, and though he'd enjoyed the solitude, he was ready to reach his destination. So much was riding on the task at hand, and having it hanging over his head… it didn't sit well with him.
He frowned slightly, his gaze falling across the form of a young woman walking by herself, her cloak pulled tightly about her to ward off the early winter chill. He urged his horse forward, riding closer to the girl before reigning in. He dismounted while he was still a few yards away, not wanting to frighten the girl.
"You shouldn't be out alone. Don't you know of the bandits that have been on this road? It's not safe."
The girl looked up, seemingly startled, though he didn't know how she could have missed the sound of his horse's hooves. Her eyes were blue, astonishingly so, and he had a hard time not reacting when they seemed to cut right through him.
"I know of the bandits." She stated simply, still staring at him, "What makes you think you're safe from them?"
He narrowed his eyes, suddenly aware of how foolish he had acted. For all he knew this was a trap, the girl used to lure unsuspecting travelers while her companions waited to ambush. "Who are you?" He asked sharply, mentally kicking himself for being so distracted by his task, allowing himself to miss something so obvious.
"I'm of no consequence," she answered, stepping closer to him, "But they call me Aurora."
He watched her step closer, and reached within himself, drawing from his magic, silently sending it out among the plants, asking them if there were any others waiting within the trees. "And who are 'they'?" He questioned biding his time, his eyes alert as he scanned his surroundings. His magic came back to him; nobody else was within miles of the place. The information should have eased his mind, but something felt wrong. He just couldn't place what.
Aurora studied him with those blue eyes of hers, and he had to fight back an involuntary shudder, "You know my name, but I am still unaware of who you are. It's hardly fair."
"Briar." He answered her, feeling unable to remain silent, "I'm called Briar."
She nodded, still quietly assessing him. It was then that Briar realized what seemed wrong with her. She was stiff. Too stiff, really. Like a puppet on a string, everything about her seemed forced.
"Tell me, Briar. Can you even control the trees with that magic of yours?"
Briar's mouth dropped open for a moment as he stared at her, "How did you—" His question was cut short when he saw her hand reaching for a pouch, pure instinct caused him to react, thrusting his green magic into the ground, he watched as two vines sprouted, growing at an alarming speed as they twisted themselves around her legs, and up her torso, roughly pinning her arms to her sides.
Surprise flickered in her eyes, the first real emotion he's seen there, and he stepped towards her, glaring down as she struggled against the vines. "Don't bother," he said, "They're not normal vines, and they won't break, whatever magic you may possess."
"He underestimated you," was her only response, her words merely a whisper, "Perhaps that will be his greatest mistake."
"What are you talking about?" The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them, but she didn't have the chance to answer. She gasped slightly, and her eyes rolled back into her head, her body pitching forward, still wrapped in its cocoon of vines.
Briar reacted before he'd had time to think about it, catching her before her body hit the ground. She was still alive, her breathing shallow, but steady. Briar scowled down at her, wondering if this was just another trick, something to catch him off her guard. He glanced around, sending his magic out once more, not trusting the fact that she had been alone. It returned to him quickly, still reporting that nobody was around.
Briar made a quick decision, hoisting her body up, still wrapped in his vines, and laying her across his saddle. It would be uncomfortable for her, but Briar didn't care about that. He mentally asked the vines to part, and, using one of his many knives, cut her pouch loose from her belt. He opened it looking at peering in curiously. There was a small knife inside, which didn't surprise him, but laying beside that was a crystal. It glowed a steady blue, and when he reached in to take it out, it burnt him, offering a shock, similar to the ones his foster sister Tris had given him over the years. He cursed, blowing on his fingers before he closed the pouch slipping it into his pocket to deal with later.
He made sure the girl was secure on the horse, however much he didn't care about her discomfort—he was pretty sure she'd been reaching for that knife, or the crystal, but either way probably wouldn't have boded well for him—he didn't want her falling off the horse. A dead girl would complicate matters, and her words were still echoing through his head. "He underestimated you. Perhaps that will be his greatest mistake."
Briar had no idea what she meant by that, but he had every intention of finding out. He mounted his horse, maneuvering behind the girl so he could keep an arm on her as he held the reigns. He kicked his mount into motion, starting once again down the mostly abandoned road. He was still half a day's ride from Winding Circle, and now he had even more reason to get there. He could only hope Niko would be able to offer some sort of explanation about this girl, her strange words, and her strange crystal.