I'm still doing the Faeya thing, but this was such a good idea I couldn't let it go. Caution: leave any hopes for Daine's success behind. This will also have quite a bit of Miri- she's a cool character, I think there should've been more of her.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of Tamora Pierce's stuff. Anything you don't recognize belongs to me (like the plot- well kinduf) so don't sue.
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The REAL Immortals Part 1: Wild Magic
Chapter 1: Bandit with a Pony
Onua Chamtong looked around the market, and sighed. She'd never find the helper she needed. Taking one last glance around, she turned to lead her ponies away.
~*~
Veralidaine Sarrasri led her pony, Cloud, down the track. Cloud had the few belongings she'd chosen to keep, as well as some food on her back. Daine was mildly sad at leaving her old post; she'd gotten good traffic.
But Galla was so boring and predictable. Life had been simply dull. So Daine decided to go to Tortall to seek adventure- life as a bandit was harder there. But in Tortall- Tortall had very few bandits now, compared to her home. Those blasted Queen's Riders had caught 'em all. Travelers were less cautious- easy prey.
Yes, Daine had heard all the rumors- that Tortallans carried king's ransoms on their backs- and credited only a small portion of it. But once she was a ways into the Tortallan border, she set up camp and lay in wait.
The rumors were almost true. It was amazing. Half of the travelers weren't even armed! Now Daine lay in wait for the next traveler…
She was in luck. There was only one woman, a dog, and a whole fleepin' herd of ponies! Expensive ponies! The woman looked tough, but one good shot-
Daine put the crossbow up to her shoulder and sighted. Just a little bit to the right- she fired. Suddenly one of the ponies reared up and knocked woman to the side, and Daine's quarrel lodged in the woman's backpack with a ping. Daine cursed and loaded another bolt. Probably hit a cup or something. The woman narrowed her eyes and whipped her head over to Daine's hiding spot, causing the girl to curse again.
The woman tensed, and was surrounded by a faint glow. A moment later, it dissipated, and she unslung a small bow from her back and notched an arrow to it in one smooth motion. Cursing some more, Daine tried to back up and got snarled in the prickly brambles she'd used to cover her back. Galloping and dust in the distance heralded the arrival of others; Daine was royally screwed.
The 'others' turned out to be the famed Queen's Riders that all the local bandits were shivering at. A group of (****help me out here. I'm going to say six, but I really can't remember***) perhaps six people on horseback, with six more ponies following behind was coming her way fast. An arrow swished through the bushes at her shoulder, and Daine knew that was only a warning.
Thrice cursed! This woman must have summoned the Riders in some way- the glowing thing. Cloud stayed with her, not wishing to go out alone or abandon her mistress. Sighing and thinking sardonic thoughts, Daine let herself be extracted from the brambles. It was seven to one: no escape.
Growling to herself, she submitted to being tied at the hands and feet and flung up over one of the Rider's pony. Not Cloud, they didn't trust her. Her pony was led out to the side of the group, where her belongings were unpacked with little more than a few bites (understatement). One of the Riders, a girl a few years older than her, rode up.
"What were you thinking, ambushing Onua Chamtong?" Daine realized the girl was talking to her. "Everyone knows that her ponies fight for her- not to mention her dog. Where have you been for the past decade?"
"Galla," Daine grunted.
The older girl nodded. "You look it." Then she shook her head. "But you sure as hell don't look like a bandit. You look like a girl who stays at home with her ma and cooks."
Daine almost laughed. "It's kind of ironic, isn't it? Bandits burn my home so I become one of them. That is the absolute height of irony. Irony, irony, irony," She mumbled. "If you touch Cloud, I'm gonna rip out your guts and string a harp to play your death song."
The girl seemed surprised, disgusted, confused, then shrugged. "My name's Miri." And she turned her pony away.
Maybe an hour later they stopped, as it was getting dark. A frown was permanently etched into Daine's face, as if she hadn't smiled in years.
She spat out some of her brown curls that had been blown in her face during the long ride. It had been next to impossible to stay astride when her hands were tied behind her back. While Daine was unloaded, she thought morbid thoughts and tried not to kick her captors.
~*~
Miri flipped open the tent flap and plopped down inside. "It's just one thing after another, isn't it?" she mumbled to herself. "First the attack on the village, then some bandit who half the group won't shoot because she's too attractive. Damn men!" she slammed her fist on her sleeping bag, which she was in the process of unrolling. "They should have made me Leader of the Group! Why did Evin get to be the Leader? He was such a stuck-up pig…" No, he isn't, a little voice inside her said. You know he's fair. And kind. And attractive. She stopped that train of thought right there. No, he's not! She thought fiercely. I'm not going to moon over boys like that Selda did. And anyway, the chances of dying as a Rider are to high for any relationships. She got even more angry with herself for thinking that. Blast it! Keep you attention on the problem at hand! Focus!
Muttering some more, she exited the tent and blinked in the bright sunlight. Rubbing her face, she went over to talk to her Leader.
~*~
Tap, tap, tap. Impatiently Miri listened to Evin's mile-long monologue. Oh, no, we can't kill her, not in cold blood. After all, she has been co-operating so far. And we must give her a chance, mustn't we? The penalty for bandits was incarceration, not death.
Ooh, I'd like to give him a good punch in the face…
Miri was fuming. She could easily see the real reason for him not shooting her on the spot. The girl was pretty now, but all decked up in a ballgown, with lip rouge and face paint- she'd be enough to melt any boy's heart. So you like younger girls, eh? Miri grated to herself. Someone with a chest flatter than a cutting-board. No matter what she tried to tell herself, Miri kept going through replays of a gruesome murder for the girl. Goddess! Could I be- jealous?________________________________________________________________________
So- waddaya think? Please please please review!
