13 years ago, the Great Mother Goddess and a human man fell in love. They
met secretly, because, though mortal woman had had children of god's, there
had never been a goddess having a human's child. They decided that it would
be best for the child's sake to make her be born as a human, through a
human women. The women was the man's new wife, who had only married nine
months before the child was born. The child did not resemble either her
mother or her father; she had black hair, while her parents were redheads
and blondes. She was born with a powerful Gift, Wild Magic and a powerful
goddess-type magic, which was not very obvious. For thirteen years her two
other kinds of magic waited for the time when she could REALLY use them,
not just passively. They might never have gotten that chance, but they did.
Dana Tarsi crept through the bushes and grass. A bow was strapped onto her back, and there were knives in her belt, but she had no intention of using them on anyone. They were just for protection. What she was REALLY planning on doing, was talking to the horses. The Queen's Riders and the King's Own were stopping there on a trip north. The border was not yet secure, and Darkwood Hollow was the largest town in the area.
Her hawk friend, Quick Wings, glided back.
I don't understand why you want to do this, but the horses are tied up in a field nearby. There are a few guards, but they are on the opposite side of the field.
"Good. Let's move." she replied.
She crept up slowly, watching carefully. Seeing that Quick Wings was right, she nestled herself in a gap surrounded by bushes. Unusually, the plants moved aside as she walked through them, but jumped back as soon as she was through.
Slowly she brought herself to a calm state of mind and let her thoughts go. She raced over the field as a horse, always remembering to keep a firm grip on who she was as a human. One time she had let go of that and she had almost become an animal in mind and gone mad. Since then, she had kept a firm grip on her humanity, her difference from her animal friends.
The horses were happy to see her. One, a large strawberry roan, showed the mind-picture of scars and abuse. He said his name was Peachblossom, and his last master had abused him, before his current mistress had adopted him.
Mistress? she asked in her mind.
She's a knight. he said. She saved me from being made into horse meat, through one like you, who's human outside and People inside.
People inside? I'm no animal. she thought to herself.
Suddenly, she felt movement at the edge of her thoughts. Someone was coming! It was too late though. A short, redheaded woman, a slightly taller brown haired woman and a far taller pale haired woman were walking by. The older two seemed to feel her presence, and the two in armour were immediately plunging through the bushes.
Alanna was on a walk through the horse field with her friends Daine and Keladry when she felt a mind at work in that area. A person, who's thoughts felt like Daine's, but weren't. A quick look at her friend revealed that she felt it too. She pointed to the bushes and she and Keladry drew their swords and plunged through, Daine following.
To Alanna, the girl was normal looking. She touched her ember stone and saw that the girl had the Gift, but it hadn't been recently used. A closer look revealed that her Gift was golden coloured, with a look that indicated she was not completely trained.
Daine saw something similar to Alanna's vision, but a different colour. The girl was surrounded by vines of copper, spreading in all directions, tangled up with each other and merging with others.
When the three women plunged through the bushes, Dana knew she was in trouble. The short one in armour wore a crest of a gold lioness rearing on a red background. That would be Lady Alanna, the King's Champion. The tall one wore a crest too, indicating that she was also a knight. The middle one was harder to tell, but the other two were enough trouble already.
"Who are you?" Keladry demanded. The girl didn't look dangerous, but looks could be deceiving, as her experience with Joren of Stone Mountain had revealed.
"Dana T-Tarsi, sir." she replied, trying to sound as scared and unthreatening as possible.
"How do we know if she's telling us the truth?" Alanna asked Daine.
"There's a griffin nearby. I'll call her and see if she'll help." Daine replied.
A minute later, a large bird with the head of an eagle and the body of a cat with feathers flew over and sat. It's feathers were bright gold, and it's claws were silver.
"Good. Continue, Keladry."
"Okay. Why were you hiding in the bushes near the horse field?" she asked.
"I didn't mean anything bad, your Ladyship. I just wanted to talk to the horses." she answered.
"Talk to the horses?" Alanna wondered out loud.
"Then why are you hidden in this bush, and why do you have a bow, arrows and knives with you?"
"These?" Dana pointed. "These is just for protection, your Ladyship, in case I is meeting any Immortals."
"Well, I don't care. I'm taking you to Commander Raoul for the moment. He might know a few things about this area, and who you are."
"Okay. Wait a minute. Raoul? Lord Raoul the giant killer?"
"Yes, one and the same. Now let's get going." Keladry told her.
"Wait a minute! What are you doing?" Daine asked. The girl was walking towards the griffin. That's fair crazy she thought. That girl'l get herself cut to bits.
"I just wanna get a good look at her. I've never seen a griffin up close before."
"She'll scratch you and cut you." Keladry said. "I should know. I took care of a baby one for almost a year. I still have the scars."
"Oh, she won't. The bears don't."
Amazingly, the girl was right. The griffin allowed the girl to comb her feathers and remove all of the dead ones.
"Let's get going. I can call her back later if she wants you to clean her." Daine said, grabbing the girl by the shirt collar and pulling her forward.
The two knights had firm grips on Dana's wrists, and she guessed that the usual trick of sliding her wrists out quickly after tapping the inside of their arms wouldn't work. They were most likely used to people trying to escape that way. She tried, anyway, and it didn't work.
"Hello, Commander Raoul?" called Keladry once they had reached the tents.
"Yes, Keladry?"
"We found a girl lurking around the horse field. Daine brought a griffin in while we asked her what she was up to, but we thought you might want to find out a little more, and there are probably a few of the locals around here."
"Bring her in." he replied.
The Commander was discussing fort defenses with the mage Numair when Daine, Keladry and Alanna came in with a girl of about thirteen. Though she was already five foot eight, her unbalanced proportions of arms, legs and feet said that she had more growing left to do. She had pale skin, which was unusual for a commoner of this area, and long, black hair, which was even more unusual for this area. This was the first local female the Commander had seen with black hair. Most women were blondes or redheads.
The girl sat down in a chair. The knights had taken her knives, bow and arrows and were in the process of searching for more weapons. Satisfied that she only carried the obvious, Daine released the girl's hands.
When the girl had come in, Numair had nearly been blinded by the combined effect of the girl's Gift and Wild Magic. He knew immediately that, above all things, this girl should get a teacher for her Wild Magic immediately. Daine would just have to live with it.
"Now, girl, I'm going to ask you a few simple questions. Alanna, Keladry and Daine told me that your intentions weren't hostile and you weren't planning on stealing anything, but we'd like to know a few things about you. It's not every day that we find a girl in the bushes near our fields."
"Okay." she replied, thinking, the nobility must surely be mad.
"Who are your parents, and what is their employment?"
"My father is Owen Tarsi, and my mother's Elaine Tarsi. My mother's the local healer. She's pretty good at it, university educated, but she couldn't bear to live in the city. My father runs our farm. He's really good with animals." she answered.
"So you are Dana Tarsi. Do you have the Gift?" he asked.
"Yes, my lord. I have it stronger than mother. She's been training me, and she's been saving money to send me to the Royal University. She says there's still a lot I can learn."
"Do you have Wild Magic?" he asked.
"No! Not that I know of, that is." she answered.
"But you do." Numair interrupted. "And strong enough to need training in it. Have you ever noticed that animals that won't obey other people obey you? Or that animals that have been around you a long time are smarter in a human way than other animals? Or even that animals that you know well, you can talk directly to?"
"I guess." she answered.
"You do, and you need training. I think that Daine can train you in Wild Magic, and you'll probably be able to learn some things with the Gift on the way. I'll talk to your parents about it. Where do you live?"
"We live on the farm just out of town. The one with the big stable."
"Okay. I'll see if I can talk to your parents about training."
this is the first chapter. More coming later.
Dana Tarsi crept through the bushes and grass. A bow was strapped onto her back, and there were knives in her belt, but she had no intention of using them on anyone. They were just for protection. What she was REALLY planning on doing, was talking to the horses. The Queen's Riders and the King's Own were stopping there on a trip north. The border was not yet secure, and Darkwood Hollow was the largest town in the area.
Her hawk friend, Quick Wings, glided back.
I don't understand why you want to do this, but the horses are tied up in a field nearby. There are a few guards, but they are on the opposite side of the field.
"Good. Let's move." she replied.
She crept up slowly, watching carefully. Seeing that Quick Wings was right, she nestled herself in a gap surrounded by bushes. Unusually, the plants moved aside as she walked through them, but jumped back as soon as she was through.
Slowly she brought herself to a calm state of mind and let her thoughts go. She raced over the field as a horse, always remembering to keep a firm grip on who she was as a human. One time she had let go of that and she had almost become an animal in mind and gone mad. Since then, she had kept a firm grip on her humanity, her difference from her animal friends.
The horses were happy to see her. One, a large strawberry roan, showed the mind-picture of scars and abuse. He said his name was Peachblossom, and his last master had abused him, before his current mistress had adopted him.
Mistress? she asked in her mind.
She's a knight. he said. She saved me from being made into horse meat, through one like you, who's human outside and People inside.
People inside? I'm no animal. she thought to herself.
Suddenly, she felt movement at the edge of her thoughts. Someone was coming! It was too late though. A short, redheaded woman, a slightly taller brown haired woman and a far taller pale haired woman were walking by. The older two seemed to feel her presence, and the two in armour were immediately plunging through the bushes.
Alanna was on a walk through the horse field with her friends Daine and Keladry when she felt a mind at work in that area. A person, who's thoughts felt like Daine's, but weren't. A quick look at her friend revealed that she felt it too. She pointed to the bushes and she and Keladry drew their swords and plunged through, Daine following.
To Alanna, the girl was normal looking. She touched her ember stone and saw that the girl had the Gift, but it hadn't been recently used. A closer look revealed that her Gift was golden coloured, with a look that indicated she was not completely trained.
Daine saw something similar to Alanna's vision, but a different colour. The girl was surrounded by vines of copper, spreading in all directions, tangled up with each other and merging with others.
When the three women plunged through the bushes, Dana knew she was in trouble. The short one in armour wore a crest of a gold lioness rearing on a red background. That would be Lady Alanna, the King's Champion. The tall one wore a crest too, indicating that she was also a knight. The middle one was harder to tell, but the other two were enough trouble already.
"Who are you?" Keladry demanded. The girl didn't look dangerous, but looks could be deceiving, as her experience with Joren of Stone Mountain had revealed.
"Dana T-Tarsi, sir." she replied, trying to sound as scared and unthreatening as possible.
"How do we know if she's telling us the truth?" Alanna asked Daine.
"There's a griffin nearby. I'll call her and see if she'll help." Daine replied.
A minute later, a large bird with the head of an eagle and the body of a cat with feathers flew over and sat. It's feathers were bright gold, and it's claws were silver.
"Good. Continue, Keladry."
"Okay. Why were you hiding in the bushes near the horse field?" she asked.
"I didn't mean anything bad, your Ladyship. I just wanted to talk to the horses." she answered.
"Talk to the horses?" Alanna wondered out loud.
"Then why are you hidden in this bush, and why do you have a bow, arrows and knives with you?"
"These?" Dana pointed. "These is just for protection, your Ladyship, in case I is meeting any Immortals."
"Well, I don't care. I'm taking you to Commander Raoul for the moment. He might know a few things about this area, and who you are."
"Okay. Wait a minute. Raoul? Lord Raoul the giant killer?"
"Yes, one and the same. Now let's get going." Keladry told her.
"Wait a minute! What are you doing?" Daine asked. The girl was walking towards the griffin. That's fair crazy she thought. That girl'l get herself cut to bits.
"I just wanna get a good look at her. I've never seen a griffin up close before."
"She'll scratch you and cut you." Keladry said. "I should know. I took care of a baby one for almost a year. I still have the scars."
"Oh, she won't. The bears don't."
Amazingly, the girl was right. The griffin allowed the girl to comb her feathers and remove all of the dead ones.
"Let's get going. I can call her back later if she wants you to clean her." Daine said, grabbing the girl by the shirt collar and pulling her forward.
The two knights had firm grips on Dana's wrists, and she guessed that the usual trick of sliding her wrists out quickly after tapping the inside of their arms wouldn't work. They were most likely used to people trying to escape that way. She tried, anyway, and it didn't work.
"Hello, Commander Raoul?" called Keladry once they had reached the tents.
"Yes, Keladry?"
"We found a girl lurking around the horse field. Daine brought a griffin in while we asked her what she was up to, but we thought you might want to find out a little more, and there are probably a few of the locals around here."
"Bring her in." he replied.
The Commander was discussing fort defenses with the mage Numair when Daine, Keladry and Alanna came in with a girl of about thirteen. Though she was already five foot eight, her unbalanced proportions of arms, legs and feet said that she had more growing left to do. She had pale skin, which was unusual for a commoner of this area, and long, black hair, which was even more unusual for this area. This was the first local female the Commander had seen with black hair. Most women were blondes or redheads.
The girl sat down in a chair. The knights had taken her knives, bow and arrows and were in the process of searching for more weapons. Satisfied that she only carried the obvious, Daine released the girl's hands.
When the girl had come in, Numair had nearly been blinded by the combined effect of the girl's Gift and Wild Magic. He knew immediately that, above all things, this girl should get a teacher for her Wild Magic immediately. Daine would just have to live with it.
"Now, girl, I'm going to ask you a few simple questions. Alanna, Keladry and Daine told me that your intentions weren't hostile and you weren't planning on stealing anything, but we'd like to know a few things about you. It's not every day that we find a girl in the bushes near our fields."
"Okay." she replied, thinking, the nobility must surely be mad.
"Who are your parents, and what is their employment?"
"My father is Owen Tarsi, and my mother's Elaine Tarsi. My mother's the local healer. She's pretty good at it, university educated, but she couldn't bear to live in the city. My father runs our farm. He's really good with animals." she answered.
"So you are Dana Tarsi. Do you have the Gift?" he asked.
"Yes, my lord. I have it stronger than mother. She's been training me, and she's been saving money to send me to the Royal University. She says there's still a lot I can learn."
"Do you have Wild Magic?" he asked.
"No! Not that I know of, that is." she answered.
"But you do." Numair interrupted. "And strong enough to need training in it. Have you ever noticed that animals that won't obey other people obey you? Or that animals that have been around you a long time are smarter in a human way than other animals? Or even that animals that you know well, you can talk directly to?"
"I guess." she answered.
"You do, and you need training. I think that Daine can train you in Wild Magic, and you'll probably be able to learn some things with the Gift on the way. I'll talk to your parents about it. Where do you live?"
"We live on the farm just out of town. The one with the big stable."
"Okay. I'll see if I can talk to your parents about training."
this is the first chapter. More coming later.