Author's Note: I would like to thank every one who reviewed, the amount of you is small though but there is an average of 40 visitors on each chapter. I accept anonymous reviews so there is nothing stopping anyone :D pleeeeease, Okay I don't like to beg, I'm done with that. Anyway, this is the last chapter before the plot really takes off :D

Thanks to the great beta, Sweet Sassy Sarah, for all the work she does.

And there is any information note at the bottom so remember to check that out and EXCERPTS are back!! :D

Merry Christmas and happy Holidays to everyone!!!!

I'm Not TAmora PIerce

Ash's mount trotted down the road ahead of Eli and Jax with a rider that continued to fall asleep and jerk awake at the last minute as the three travelers closed in on a town and the edge of the forest they were crossing through.

Wind ripped through the trees, knocking down branches and sent the leaves rustling, while the cloak Jax wore flipped up behind him and Ash's cloak was pulled around her.

Jax smirked and pointed at his sister when she started to slide to the edge of her seat again. Jax took in a breath and let it out in a deep growl. "Ashtyn Marcoy of Larstspur! Front and center! Where is your brother?!"

Ash gasped and stopped herself from sliding off from her mount. She sat up straighter than a convent lady. "Sir! I have no knowledge of his whereabouts Father!" She turned around in her saddle after she realized she had been startled from her sleep, to glare at her brother. "Jaxson, I hate you."

Jax held his sides as he laughed out right at his sister, who was always asked where her brother got to by their father when Jax ran off from training.

"No you don't, my dear sister. You simple hate how I have fun." Jax grinned at her again.

Eli couldn't hold her laughter back anymore. "You shouldn't fall asleep on your horse like that Ash."

"And I hate you as well." Ashtyn glared at the younger girl. "I wouldn't be so tired if I wasn't the one that had to get us all up, packed, and moving before dawn everyday." She looked down her nose at them one last time before trotting off ahead of them.

They traveled easily down the side road that lead them off the trail that the Riders would be taking but it would also take them to the route headed north to Larstspur, where they would meet up with their family before going south to Corus.

Jax waited almost the entire day before he could do anything else to his sister. It was mid afternoon when he saw that his sister was falling again, but he couldn't do anything to wake her up; the horse reared as one of the tree branches fell near the horse's head.

Ash fell backwards off her horse, and because of her sleepless state, she couldn't twist into the proper fall. She hit the ground, hard, on her left arm. Ash rolled out of the way of the falling hooves, and curled around the injured arm. Jax raced forward before the horse could get anywhere, and he grabbed hold of the lead rope before rushing back to his sister's side.

"Ash," he said cautiously while he climbed down off the mount's back. "Are you all right?"

"I'm...fine,"Ash growled.

"She hit her arm all wrong; it looks like it's hurt pretty bad." Eli climbed down to help Jax with his sister.

Jax bent over her and let his blazing blue gift seep into her skin; he saw the relief in her face almost automatically, then her eyes blinked as she adjusted her sight.

"What?" He chuckled. "Don't trust my Gift?"

Ash slapped his arm with her good one and took another deep breath. "I like to watch people's essence while they work their gift," she explained while she let her Sight work.

"What?" Eli asked them.

Ash looked up and winced as her brother healed her. "I have the Sight." She paused, then looked at the girl again. Ash blinked and squinted at the red head. "And you have the Gift."

"Are you sure?" Jax looked up from his work and glanced at the girl. "I never felt anything from her. But you bruised a bone, I thought it was broken at first but you'll just be sore."

Ash nodded, but continued to stare at the girl. "You are odd. Your gift is grey, but there seems to be a concentration of it at your neck; usually it is deeper within you with your essence. Did you know you had the Gift?"

"No," Eli said slowly, looking at the two siblings who stared at her like she was a mage's experiment. "What is it?"

"You look like you had different shades, and your Gift is part of your essence, so it is very rare that it would be different shades." Ash's head cocked to the side slightly, "Interesting."

"Well, we should probably get going and figure this out later," Eli grumbled and climbed back up into her saddle.

"She's right, but will you let us sleep somewhere decent tonight, not under a tree?" Jax helped his sister to her feet.

Ash stretched out her arm and flexed it slowly, grimacing. "Fine, there should be a small inn not far up the road. We can stay there for tonight." Ash let out a yawn and Jaxson chuckled.

"Healings are a great way to slip sleeping spells into you." Jax grinned and helped her up into the saddle.

"Yes, I do truly hate you, brother." Ash yawned again, forcing herself to stay awake. "We should probably hurry."

Jax rode close to his sister in case she needed to be caught again, but they reached the inn shortly after Ash's spill. Jax got two rooms from the inn keeper; one for himself, and one with two beds for the girls.

Jax and Eli left Ash on her bed as she fell asleep and they went down to the main room to order drinks and see who was about. They sat in a corner table that was in the shadowed area because the lamp lights didn't reach that far back. The old barkeeper sat behind the bar with a bald crown that shone under the lamp near him, but his weary eyes didn't leave the three men that looked like troublemakers.

Jax took a large drink of the spiced cider in his tankard and listened with one ear to the three burly men sitting near the stairs.

"Three horses taken right out from tha' cap'n's nose." The man with blond hair burst out laughing.

"No one knows who done it neither," said a second man with a crooked nose.

"Bah! Them horse thieves foller the Riders every'er," the last man said and grinned, showing off bright white teeth. "I'll tell you what though, I'd like to catch 'em at it meself."

"Or join 'em!" The blond whooped.

Eli raised a fine copper eyebrow. "Horse thieves," she said quietly.

"'Tis shameful fer King Roald to have horse thieves stealin' his mounts." Jax let an arrogant look cross his face.

Jax looked up as he heard someone coming down the stairs, and sure enough his sister appeared, taking a step at a time. She looked like she just woke up, but her clothes were neat and only slightly rumpled from being packed in a bag. Her scowl was firmly in place though as she examined the main room. Ash began walking by the table of men when the man with flashing white teeth grabbed her wrist and pulled her toward them.

"Why don't ye stick wit' us sweet." The man pulled her closer and didn't see her free fist clench. "Me an' my boys could always use some fun."

Ash's jaw locked in place; she hated talking to people, particularly people like this, "Leave me alone,"she told them, but it wasn't the commanding tone she used with her brother and Eli; it was barely audible.

"What's that sweet?" He flashed her another grin. "We should go somemer alone you say?"

Ash didn't have to say a word; her brother appeared at her side and looked at the evil grin the man had on and returned it with a dangerous one of his own. "I believe she said leave. Her. Alone," he growled.

"Listen laddy, why don't you run 'long with red over there, and I'll see this chit gets a good nights work." His smile turned into a smirk as he pulled Ash even closer.

"I said let her go." Jax glared at the man and went to throw a punch at him but the large man was quicker than he suspected and blocked the blow.

"Now ye've done it laddy." The man twisted Jax's wrist and then yelped as Ash's free arm hit him in the cheek and made him release her and her brother.

"So ye've got the bark but the bitch has the bite," the man snarled at Jax.

"Shut it," Jax commanded.

"Outside if ye gonna argue!" The barkeeper yelled at them and pointed out the door, while reaching for something under the bar; most likely a weapon.

"Sounds like a good idea to me." The man jumped to his feet and shoved Jax toward the door. "'Mon boys, lets show this little son of a mongrel what r'spect he gives me."

Jax grinned, but his sister just scowled at him.

The three men stood in front of Jax with Ash at her brother's elbow, the men looked like they wanted a brawl and would pick a fight over anything, and they got their wish. Eli had wandered out, but stood close to the door, examining the people standing there.

"When we win this, that chit stays in my bed tonight." The man with white teeth, who seemed to be the leader, told Jax.

Ash leaned in so she could talk to her brother. "Mage," she whispered and nodded towards the man with a crooked nose.

Jax didn't let any sign that he heard her show on his face while he let out a laugh. "When we win you can sleep in pig pen."

The man's face turned red and he lunged for Jax. Jax, laughing at him, stepped aside and let his sister's knee crack into his stomach and her fist break his nose. Ash then drove her fist into the large muscle on his thigh, dropping him to the ground.

"Next." Jax laughed at the other men.

The blond man pulled a knife out while the other stayed in place, green fire pooling in his hand.

"You fetch the blade, would you?" Jax asked his sister sweetly.

The blond slashed at Ash but she was quick and clever, she grabbed his wrist and twisted it around the blond's back, swept his legs out from under him with a swift kick, and then pushed his arm up so he dropped the blade. Ash grabbed it and slammed it's hilt into his jaw, knocking him out.

Jax had simply snapped a small spell and let his Gift swamp the other green Gift.

The man glared at Jax and went to attack, but Ash stepped in and hit the hilt of her captured dagger to his jaw as well, knocking him unconscious too.

"He was mine,"Jax whined.

"You were too slow." Ash stuck the dagger in the ground near the blond man's hand. "Shall we retreat to the indoors so we can eat supper?"

She and Jax brought Eli in, and asked the barkeeper to bring them some of the venison that he told them about earlier before sitting at their table.

"That was quite the sight." Eli's eyes shifted between the two. "You were outnumbered and the most Jax did was put out the mage."

Jax shrugged. "She's a better fighter and handles things so smoothly that I don't need to fret much."

"But she didn't bark at them at the beginning." Eli's eyes narrowed as she tried to decide where their fearless leader had become a fearful mouse.

"I don't like talking to people that I don't know, or don't have responsibility of commanding them." Ash told the red head while looking at the table. "It's a horrid curse."

Jax rolled his eyes. "And they say I'm dramatic. She just doesn't like people. You get used to her."

"So it is true," Eli mused. " You bark, and she bites." Eli laughed at the twins' scowls.


A/N : What did you all think, dod you like it enough to leave it a review? If not be sure to tell me why :D haha

Don't forget...IMPORTANT INFO! Acompetition has begun. There is a forum, 'The Ficship Competitons', that is looking for the absolute best fanfics out there for the Tortall'verse(The Knighthood of Ficship)and for the Emelan'verse(The Circle of Ficship). The fics are nominated by any of the readers(aka YOU ;D) and all you have to do is PM the information of the fic to one of the moderators, I am one of them, and we'll get back to you as soon as possible. For more information check out the forum at this linkhttp://www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/forum/The_Ficship_Competitions/54838/, There is also a link on my profile if you want :D

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"What would an army be doing heading for us?!"