Here's the third chapter! Enjoy! And GlaiveGirl-OF COURSE I WILL!!! Thanks!
Disclaimer: You know it-I don't own no nothin' 'cept Aphneal. The rest is Tamora Pierce's.
The girl was sitting up in bed, fiddling with the bandages on her hands from where the healers had taken out the many splinters. As soon as she had awoken this morning, a temple novice had bustled in with a tray of food. After she had satisfied her hunger-it was not very often she got such rich food; the pirate's had made sure of that-she had slept a little more, then a dedicate came in to examine her. Her bandages were replaced with fresh ones, and she was forced to drink a putrid-smelling tea that while it smelled bad, it made her head feel clearer. Aphneal learned that her head had cracked open, she had a deep gash reaching from under her arm to her waist on her right side, and she wouldn't be able to walk for at least another day while the healers salves worked on her injured feet. Now she was waiting for Niko to come; she had been told that he would be there before midday.
A knock came on her door. "Come in," she called. Her voice was still rough, but it was almost healed.
The door opened and Niko walked in, followed by a plump girl about Aphneal's age with wild copper hair, pale skin, and wire-rimmed glasses. The girl, who wore a simple housedress, boots, and a kerchief over her fiery hair, was looking down at the floor, and her cheeks were slightly flushed. Niko was dressed with his same regalness; only this time the color scheme was sable and a light yellow.
"Good morning," he greeted her, and bowed slightly.
Aphneal laughed. He treated her like a noble, or a temple member at least, not a slave. "Hey, Yu Goldeye."
"Yoo?" he asked, puzzled.
"Oh-it means 'sir', or 'mister' in Laenpa," she explained.
"Ah, yes. Anyways, you can just call me Niko-it's easier. I hope you are feeling better today-I heard you were given Dedicate Rosethorn's willowbark tea. I'm sorry I couldn't stop them." His eyes twinkled.
The patient laughed again. "That's okay. It did make me feel better, even if it tasted like something that came fresh out of a sewer."
Niko smiled. "Well, that's good. The sooner you get well, the better." He stepped aside, and took the red-haired girl by the shoulder. "I should introduce you two. Aphneal, this is Trisana Chandler. Tris, Aphneal Harashmir." He gestured to them in turn.
Tris curtsied, and Aphneal noticed that the girl had gray eyes, just like a thick fog or a storm.
Aphneal nodded at her, then gave the traditional Laenpa greeting: a touch of the forehead with the thumb, touch the mouth, and bow-only she nodded deeply, because she was in bed. "Pleased to meet you."
A strange look came over Niko's face, as if he was confused yet amazed at the same time. He shook it off, then continued. "Tris is weather-mage at Discipline Cottage," he told Aphneal. "That's a cottage on the temple grounds."
"Weather-mage in training, actually," spoke up Tris, going slightly redder.
"Yes. Well, she's helping out in the infirmaries since"-Niko paused awkwardly-"since we have so many more patients in from the attack," He pushed a wisp of hair behind his ear. "Uh, I-I just wanted you two to meet- thought maybe you could talk sometime."
Tris stared down at the floor, biting her lip. "Maybe," she said.
Aphneal stared at her. If she didn't know better, she'd think the girl was embarrassed about something-was it because she was-had been-a slave? She felt her cheeks start to heat, but reminded herself that Tris was probably just shy. "That'd be nice," she told Niko half-heartedly.
"Good. Then Tris, you'd better be going-Dedicate Henna will be wanting those food trays soon; it's close to midday."
"'Course," Tris said brightly, curtsied to Aphneal once more, then hurried out of the room.
As soon as she was gone, Aphneal commented, "I don't think she liked me much."
"Nonsense," Niko replied, fumbling through the purse that hung from his belt. "It just takes her a little while to warm up to people. And you only just met."
Aphneal shrugged. She decided not to think too much of it.
The man took out a small object from his purse. "Now." He strode across the room, then sat at the chair that was beside the girl's bed. "This is what you call a magic-analyzer." He held up the object to Aphneal.
It was a tightly rolled cylinder, maybe six inches long, made out of pure gold. On one end was a magnifying lens, on the other was several small dials and knobs. For a moment, Aphneal thought she saw letters written on- no, in-the gold, but when she blinked, they were gone.
"It's beautiful," she breathed.
"And also very expensive."
"Then why do you have it?" Just as the words came from her mouth, Aphneal instantly bowed down as best she could sitting up. "Oh! Forgive me, Yu Goldeye! I didn't mean any disrespect! It just came out before I could-"
Niko laughed. "There's nothing to be forgiven for, my dear. How were you to know?" He chuckled some more, as the girl raised herself up, wincing with pain.
"Know what?"
"Didn't I say before that I was a mage?"
Aphneal's eyes widened. "No!" she squeaked. "I knew that you were important, from your clothes, but a sanir, a mage-" She fell into an impressed silence.
"Don't you have mages where you come from? Or are they that rare nowadays?"
"Well, the pirates had them of course, but they all worked for-for"-she faltered-"Enahar." She swallowed. "At home there was only a few, and those were the obvious: the village healer, the grainmaster, that sort."
"Grainmaster?" asked Niko.
"The man in charge of Chordia's food supply. He needed magic so he could keep out wild animals and bakas--thieves." She got a sort of dreamy look on her face, as if she could almost see her old home, then sort of snapped out of it and said, "But there weren't any regular people that had magic."
"Hmm," Niko thought. "Well then, this experiment today will prove even more interesting."
"Wha-"
"Just be still and watch," the mage directed. He flicked a switch on the side of the magic-analyzer and it began to hum. Aphneal watched in awe. He put his eye up to the end with the dials and switched a few things around. Then he aimed the instrument at the girl's forehead.
Through the glass, Niko could see nothing. That's unusual, he thought. I'm never wrong about my predictions. He turned a knob a little more, and saw the faintest speckle of yellow. Switching a dial from two to four, he saw a pale trace of yellow spots. There we have it. He again raised the number on the dial, the light growing brighter and brighter the entire time. He got to the number "14", then-
The light flashed before his eyes, blinding him. He yelled in surprise, and dropped the instrument, his hands over his eyes. A sharp pain in his head suddenly made him wince, and he drew back from the girl, as if burned.
Aphneal sat up straighter and drew a breath. "Niko?" she asked worriedly. "Niko? Are you all right?"
When his only response was a moan of pain, she leaned towards him. "Niko? What's wrong? What's-"
The door swung open and a dedicate dressed in a green Earth Temple habit nearly ran into the room. With a frightened glance at Aphneal, she helped Niko stand up, him still rubbing his eyes. "Come on," she murmured to him. "Let's go."
She led him out the door and down the whitewashed hall, leaving Aphneal to only watch them leave in astonishment.
There ya have it. I hope that everybody likes it so far.and if you do, ya know what would be sweet? To review! (Hey, that rhymes.)
Disclaimer: You know it-I don't own no nothin' 'cept Aphneal. The rest is Tamora Pierce's.
The girl was sitting up in bed, fiddling with the bandages on her hands from where the healers had taken out the many splinters. As soon as she had awoken this morning, a temple novice had bustled in with a tray of food. After she had satisfied her hunger-it was not very often she got such rich food; the pirate's had made sure of that-she had slept a little more, then a dedicate came in to examine her. Her bandages were replaced with fresh ones, and she was forced to drink a putrid-smelling tea that while it smelled bad, it made her head feel clearer. Aphneal learned that her head had cracked open, she had a deep gash reaching from under her arm to her waist on her right side, and she wouldn't be able to walk for at least another day while the healers salves worked on her injured feet. Now she was waiting for Niko to come; she had been told that he would be there before midday.
A knock came on her door. "Come in," she called. Her voice was still rough, but it was almost healed.
The door opened and Niko walked in, followed by a plump girl about Aphneal's age with wild copper hair, pale skin, and wire-rimmed glasses. The girl, who wore a simple housedress, boots, and a kerchief over her fiery hair, was looking down at the floor, and her cheeks were slightly flushed. Niko was dressed with his same regalness; only this time the color scheme was sable and a light yellow.
"Good morning," he greeted her, and bowed slightly.
Aphneal laughed. He treated her like a noble, or a temple member at least, not a slave. "Hey, Yu Goldeye."
"Yoo?" he asked, puzzled.
"Oh-it means 'sir', or 'mister' in Laenpa," she explained.
"Ah, yes. Anyways, you can just call me Niko-it's easier. I hope you are feeling better today-I heard you were given Dedicate Rosethorn's willowbark tea. I'm sorry I couldn't stop them." His eyes twinkled.
The patient laughed again. "That's okay. It did make me feel better, even if it tasted like something that came fresh out of a sewer."
Niko smiled. "Well, that's good. The sooner you get well, the better." He stepped aside, and took the red-haired girl by the shoulder. "I should introduce you two. Aphneal, this is Trisana Chandler. Tris, Aphneal Harashmir." He gestured to them in turn.
Tris curtsied, and Aphneal noticed that the girl had gray eyes, just like a thick fog or a storm.
Aphneal nodded at her, then gave the traditional Laenpa greeting: a touch of the forehead with the thumb, touch the mouth, and bow-only she nodded deeply, because she was in bed. "Pleased to meet you."
A strange look came over Niko's face, as if he was confused yet amazed at the same time. He shook it off, then continued. "Tris is weather-mage at Discipline Cottage," he told Aphneal. "That's a cottage on the temple grounds."
"Weather-mage in training, actually," spoke up Tris, going slightly redder.
"Yes. Well, she's helping out in the infirmaries since"-Niko paused awkwardly-"since we have so many more patients in from the attack," He pushed a wisp of hair behind his ear. "Uh, I-I just wanted you two to meet- thought maybe you could talk sometime."
Tris stared down at the floor, biting her lip. "Maybe," she said.
Aphneal stared at her. If she didn't know better, she'd think the girl was embarrassed about something-was it because she was-had been-a slave? She felt her cheeks start to heat, but reminded herself that Tris was probably just shy. "That'd be nice," she told Niko half-heartedly.
"Good. Then Tris, you'd better be going-Dedicate Henna will be wanting those food trays soon; it's close to midday."
"'Course," Tris said brightly, curtsied to Aphneal once more, then hurried out of the room.
As soon as she was gone, Aphneal commented, "I don't think she liked me much."
"Nonsense," Niko replied, fumbling through the purse that hung from his belt. "It just takes her a little while to warm up to people. And you only just met."
Aphneal shrugged. She decided not to think too much of it.
The man took out a small object from his purse. "Now." He strode across the room, then sat at the chair that was beside the girl's bed. "This is what you call a magic-analyzer." He held up the object to Aphneal.
It was a tightly rolled cylinder, maybe six inches long, made out of pure gold. On one end was a magnifying lens, on the other was several small dials and knobs. For a moment, Aphneal thought she saw letters written on- no, in-the gold, but when she blinked, they were gone.
"It's beautiful," she breathed.
"And also very expensive."
"Then why do you have it?" Just as the words came from her mouth, Aphneal instantly bowed down as best she could sitting up. "Oh! Forgive me, Yu Goldeye! I didn't mean any disrespect! It just came out before I could-"
Niko laughed. "There's nothing to be forgiven for, my dear. How were you to know?" He chuckled some more, as the girl raised herself up, wincing with pain.
"Know what?"
"Didn't I say before that I was a mage?"
Aphneal's eyes widened. "No!" she squeaked. "I knew that you were important, from your clothes, but a sanir, a mage-" She fell into an impressed silence.
"Don't you have mages where you come from? Or are they that rare nowadays?"
"Well, the pirates had them of course, but they all worked for-for"-she faltered-"Enahar." She swallowed. "At home there was only a few, and those were the obvious: the village healer, the grainmaster, that sort."
"Grainmaster?" asked Niko.
"The man in charge of Chordia's food supply. He needed magic so he could keep out wild animals and bakas--thieves." She got a sort of dreamy look on her face, as if she could almost see her old home, then sort of snapped out of it and said, "But there weren't any regular people that had magic."
"Hmm," Niko thought. "Well then, this experiment today will prove even more interesting."
"Wha-"
"Just be still and watch," the mage directed. He flicked a switch on the side of the magic-analyzer and it began to hum. Aphneal watched in awe. He put his eye up to the end with the dials and switched a few things around. Then he aimed the instrument at the girl's forehead.
Through the glass, Niko could see nothing. That's unusual, he thought. I'm never wrong about my predictions. He turned a knob a little more, and saw the faintest speckle of yellow. Switching a dial from two to four, he saw a pale trace of yellow spots. There we have it. He again raised the number on the dial, the light growing brighter and brighter the entire time. He got to the number "14", then-
The light flashed before his eyes, blinding him. He yelled in surprise, and dropped the instrument, his hands over his eyes. A sharp pain in his head suddenly made him wince, and he drew back from the girl, as if burned.
Aphneal sat up straighter and drew a breath. "Niko?" she asked worriedly. "Niko? Are you all right?"
When his only response was a moan of pain, she leaned towards him. "Niko? What's wrong? What's-"
The door swung open and a dedicate dressed in a green Earth Temple habit nearly ran into the room. With a frightened glance at Aphneal, she helped Niko stand up, him still rubbing his eyes. "Come on," she murmured to him. "Let's go."
She led him out the door and down the whitewashed hall, leaving Aphneal to only watch them leave in astonishment.
There ya have it. I hope that everybody likes it so far.and if you do, ya know what would be sweet? To review! (Hey, that rhymes.)