Chapter One
[Disclaimer: None of the characters so far belong to me except Sayo, who does. The rest are property of Tamora Pierce. I hope you read and review this, because I have a good feeling about it, and I hope to continue it. Please review. I am seriously trying to improve my writing. Be as harsh as you can]
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
Blows rained down, and were returned, more skillfully, but fewer, as Alanna the Lioness fought. The few coins she was carrying spilled into the dirt, and her horse was limping. That worried her, for her destrier was more valuable to her than any money.
A slash flew across her right shoulder, and it didn't hurt, which was a bad sign. Her arm went coldly numb and she could feel blood seep across her chest. She switched the sword to her left hand, and tucked her right into her jacket. She found a warm, violet glow of magic and set it solely to keeping her alive. Her horse reared, in fury and pain. Three attackers lay dead, but there we 10 or more left, encircling her, knowing that they need not attack; she would exhaust herself or die of blood loss soon.
//You're getting old, Lioness// she told herself fiercely, bringing a pained smile, which burned at her attackers. She forced her right hand to take the sword, useless and cumbersome with the attackers out of reach, and with her left
reached into a tall boot. 3 knives? Ah, there was the fourth. //Take a few out with me// she though and threw.
Alanna was not as good a hand with throwing daggers as the husband who had taught her, particularly not left handed and dizzy from blood loss, but luck was with her as she hit three of her four targets. The attackers went wild; this small, ordinary woman should be dead right now. Two more fell to a skilled left-handed sword attack. //I can go out with honor, at least// she though, her gift faint and dying, her arm barely able to hold her sword. //I wish--//
A crack across the back of her neck cut off her thought and her consciousness. She was only barely aware, as she fell, one of her attackers falling from his horse with an arrow in his back, and the sound of rapid hoof beats.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"Hey, hey, take it easy, darlin'! You're hurt!"
A hazy red fog circled Alanna's vision. Bandits. Dammit. A public road, no less...and now she was bleeding from a nasty cut to the shoulder and her horse had stepped on one of those evil spikes the used to trip horses. She had been losing, there were nearly 10 of the bastards, and someone had hit her on the head...someone had helped her, hadn't they? She tried to get up, and the sudden motion caused an even more sudden lack of consciousness.
"Hey, magic girl!" a woman snapped, not unkindly. "You have to wake up." She did not recognize the voice. A woman, friendly and open, with an odd accent she couldn't place.
She was cold, cold and wet, and if a large bottle of water had recently been poured over her.
And then, a resounding, forceful slap to the cheek, and her mouth was full of brandy.
"No, darlin', that's brandy. Good brandy, too. You drink it, you don't spit it out. Wake up, and take care of your horse. He's a good fellow. Take care of yourself, too, I should think." Another slap, lighter, but followed by a steady rhythm, alternating cheeks. "Wake," slap, "Up!" slap "Wake," slap, "Up!" slap, in a cheerful voice.. She blinked, muzzily, and groaned.
"Atta girl. You aren't hurt too bad, you just got hit on the head, and you aren't bleeding anymore, though you lost a lot more blood than anybody should be able to, hmm?"
"Gift," she tried to say, but could bare croak. Her message seemed to be understood.
"Ah, yes then."
Alanna took control of her limbs, which felt like needles and pins, and opened her eyes. A young, open face looked at her with friendly concern.
"I...yes..." she tried to stir, and was supported carefully, and fed more brandy, which she managed to swallow. "Thank you," she rasped.
"Not at all. But you'd best get up, now. This ent a safe place, you know, and your horse needs to be taken care of."
Buzzing from brandy and head wound, Alanna rose to her feet, and stumbled over to her horse, waking inch by inch as she did.
The other woman lifted up his hoof carefully to check how badly the damage went, and was relieved to see the spike was not in too deep. Together the got it out, and Alanna carefully healed her horse, and then, as an afterthought, her shoulder. Fully awake, if in pain, she turned to get a look at her savior. The girl was small, shorter than herself, thin and willowy. She was quite pretty, with a dazzling grin, and huge, innocent, soft honey-brown eyes. Her light brown hair was in a braid a little past her shoulders and her skin was a soft tan. She saw the glance, smiled, and bowed.
"You'd be a certain Lioness, no? Pleased to make your aquaintance. Sayo Madison, at your service," she said, and rising, added, "Maddy."
Definitely unusual. She was dressed in a tunic and loose trousers, respectable and worn, but her horse was a magnificent creature, a bay stallion far too tall for her. Her full saddlebags gave the impression of a traveler. Not a thief? That would explain the clothes and the horse...
She reached into one of the bags and pulled out a pair of fingerless leather glove/gauntlets. She held her hands up so that Alanna could see the markings on the back of each.
"Sayo Madison, the Shang Mouse."
[Disclaimer: None of the characters so far belong to me except Sayo, who does. The rest are property of Tamora Pierce. I hope you read and review this, because I have a good feeling about it, and I hope to continue it. Please review. I am seriously trying to improve my writing. Be as harsh as you can]
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
Blows rained down, and were returned, more skillfully, but fewer, as Alanna the Lioness fought. The few coins she was carrying spilled into the dirt, and her horse was limping. That worried her, for her destrier was more valuable to her than any money.
A slash flew across her right shoulder, and it didn't hurt, which was a bad sign. Her arm went coldly numb and she could feel blood seep across her chest. She switched the sword to her left hand, and tucked her right into her jacket. She found a warm, violet glow of magic and set it solely to keeping her alive. Her horse reared, in fury and pain. Three attackers lay dead, but there we 10 or more left, encircling her, knowing that they need not attack; she would exhaust herself or die of blood loss soon.
//You're getting old, Lioness// she told herself fiercely, bringing a pained smile, which burned at her attackers. She forced her right hand to take the sword, useless and cumbersome with the attackers out of reach, and with her left
reached into a tall boot. 3 knives? Ah, there was the fourth. //Take a few out with me// she though and threw.
Alanna was not as good a hand with throwing daggers as the husband who had taught her, particularly not left handed and dizzy from blood loss, but luck was with her as she hit three of her four targets. The attackers went wild; this small, ordinary woman should be dead right now. Two more fell to a skilled left-handed sword attack. //I can go out with honor, at least// she though, her gift faint and dying, her arm barely able to hold her sword. //I wish--//
A crack across the back of her neck cut off her thought and her consciousness. She was only barely aware, as she fell, one of her attackers falling from his horse with an arrow in his back, and the sound of rapid hoof beats.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"Hey, hey, take it easy, darlin'! You're hurt!"
A hazy red fog circled Alanna's vision. Bandits. Dammit. A public road, no less...and now she was bleeding from a nasty cut to the shoulder and her horse had stepped on one of those evil spikes the used to trip horses. She had been losing, there were nearly 10 of the bastards, and someone had hit her on the head...someone had helped her, hadn't they? She tried to get up, and the sudden motion caused an even more sudden lack of consciousness.
"Hey, magic girl!" a woman snapped, not unkindly. "You have to wake up." She did not recognize the voice. A woman, friendly and open, with an odd accent she couldn't place.
She was cold, cold and wet, and if a large bottle of water had recently been poured over her.
And then, a resounding, forceful slap to the cheek, and her mouth was full of brandy.
"No, darlin', that's brandy. Good brandy, too. You drink it, you don't spit it out. Wake up, and take care of your horse. He's a good fellow. Take care of yourself, too, I should think." Another slap, lighter, but followed by a steady rhythm, alternating cheeks. "Wake," slap, "Up!" slap "Wake," slap, "Up!" slap, in a cheerful voice.. She blinked, muzzily, and groaned.
"Atta girl. You aren't hurt too bad, you just got hit on the head, and you aren't bleeding anymore, though you lost a lot more blood than anybody should be able to, hmm?"
"Gift," she tried to say, but could bare croak. Her message seemed to be understood.
"Ah, yes then."
Alanna took control of her limbs, which felt like needles and pins, and opened her eyes. A young, open face looked at her with friendly concern.
"I...yes..." she tried to stir, and was supported carefully, and fed more brandy, which she managed to swallow. "Thank you," she rasped.
"Not at all. But you'd best get up, now. This ent a safe place, you know, and your horse needs to be taken care of."
Buzzing from brandy and head wound, Alanna rose to her feet, and stumbled over to her horse, waking inch by inch as she did.
The other woman lifted up his hoof carefully to check how badly the damage went, and was relieved to see the spike was not in too deep. Together the got it out, and Alanna carefully healed her horse, and then, as an afterthought, her shoulder. Fully awake, if in pain, she turned to get a look at her savior. The girl was small, shorter than herself, thin and willowy. She was quite pretty, with a dazzling grin, and huge, innocent, soft honey-brown eyes. Her light brown hair was in a braid a little past her shoulders and her skin was a soft tan. She saw the glance, smiled, and bowed.
"You'd be a certain Lioness, no? Pleased to make your aquaintance. Sayo Madison, at your service," she said, and rising, added, "Maddy."
Definitely unusual. She was dressed in a tunic and loose trousers, respectable and worn, but her horse was a magnificent creature, a bay stallion far too tall for her. Her full saddlebags gave the impression of a traveler. Not a thief? That would explain the clothes and the horse...
She reached into one of the bags and pulled out a pair of fingerless leather glove/gauntlets. She held her hands up so that Alanna could see the markings on the back of each.
"Sayo Madison, the Shang Mouse."