~ Chapter Sixteen ~
Orange Glow
Alanna rode up to beside Jacob on her mount, Silver-streak. He grinned at her as she rode up to his side.
"Pretty, isn't it?" he asked her. They were on top of the hill just before they entered Corus. It was dusk, and the sun gave off little light, giving the city a luminescent look where it was setting. The lights that shone in the houses added to that glow, and children with torches danced about like fireflies.
"What are they celebrating about?" she asked him.
"Who, the children? It's the Night of the Fireflies."
"What?"
"The Night of the Fireflies. It's the night where children dance with torches and thank the Gods for the beauty of the earth. No one really knows when it started," he added.
"Oh," Alanna replied.
"Men, men!" Sir Raoul raised his voice. "Now, we can either stop at an inn outside Corus, sleep in and get to the palace late tomorrow morning, or we can continue until late and get some sleep in our own beds."
"Sleep! Sleep!" cried the men tiredly. Everyone was exhausted after the day's dawn-to-dusk ride.
Sir Raoul led them to the closest inn, The Withering Willow. They left their mounts to be cared for and entered. They got to their rooms, men sharing with a buddy, Alanna alone. As she lay down on her bed there was a knock on her door. Alanna got up, aching, to answer it. It was Jacob.
"Um, Alanna, I just wanted to say, um, goodnight," he said.
Alanna smiled. "Goodnight to you too," she said, closing the door as he, hesitantly it seemed, walked away to his own rooms.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Alanna woke up suddenly in the middle of the night. Her whole body ached, as if her old soldier-teacher had beaten her as he did when she was young. She tried to sit up and soon regretted trying. Her head spun greatly as her ears roared. She lay back down, and rolled onto her side. Cautiously she lifted herself up from the bed with her hands, and slipped on her dressing gown and slippers.
Wobbling, she made her way over to the door and opened it. She stepped carefully towards the stairs and descended, still feeling extremely sick. She found her friend Terry there in the common room along with a few others of the group that had come with them.
"You too?" asked Terry meekly.
Alanna nodded, unable to speak.
"We only felt it tonight," one of them piped up. "Maybe your Gift is sensitive."
Alanna simply nodded again. She sat down on a lounge where Terry indicated and rested her head in her hands.
"Alanna?" asked a voice quietly. Alanna sat up and turned toward the voice. She knew that voice…
"Jacob!" she exclaimed hoarsely, as her throat had begun to ache too. She rushed over, forgetting her sickness, to him.
"You're Gifted?" she asked. "I didn't know! How come you didn't tell me?"
Jacob bowed his head. "I'm afraid of my Gift," he admitted to her.
Alanna hugged him. "So was I," she said. "But I learned if I'm afraid of it, the Gods will test me, making me use it to help others."
Jacob looked at her queerly. "I suppose you're right. But I just can't help it."
"I know," Alanna hugged him. She then realised the men were watching them with interest. She pulled away from Jacob and put her hands in her lap, going red. She hung her head as some of the men muffled laughs.
"So what do you think it is?" she asked Terry, feeling sick again.
"I have no idea," he said.
Just then Raoul came in. "What's the matter?" he cried.
"We don't know," said one of the men. "We feel sick."
"Is it just those that are Gifted?" Alanna asked suddenly.
"Yes," confirmed Terrin.
Alanna stood up and gasped. Her ears roared and her bones and muscles screamed in protest. Her stomach rolled and she began to sweat.
She shakily moved towards the window. Raoul ran to keep her from falling as she stumbled. When she got to the sill, she tried to lift up the glass, with little success. Raoul lifted it for her.
Alanna stuck her head out of the window. "Great Mother Goddess!" she cried. "Help me!"
Lightning cracked against the navy sky. The palace shone a luminous orange colour. Wind broke against Alanna's face, blowing her now long copper hair back from her face. Everyone watched in awe. Orange – what did it mean? Alanna looked at the sky "Please, Great Lady, what does this mean?" she asked in barely more than a whisper. Alanna's own hands shone purple. She felt her strength return. As Alanna, wide eyed, looked at the palace again, she realised the orange glow was magic. Who's? She asked herself.
Then she remembered. A thing Jonathan had told her – "My Uncle Roger taught us magic. My Gift's blue. His is orange – bright orange."
Roger.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Ok I know, short chapter, gimme a break! R&R peoples.
~*~kaz~*~
Orange Glow
Alanna rode up to beside Jacob on her mount, Silver-streak. He grinned at her as she rode up to his side.
"Pretty, isn't it?" he asked her. They were on top of the hill just before they entered Corus. It was dusk, and the sun gave off little light, giving the city a luminescent look where it was setting. The lights that shone in the houses added to that glow, and children with torches danced about like fireflies.
"What are they celebrating about?" she asked him.
"Who, the children? It's the Night of the Fireflies."
"What?"
"The Night of the Fireflies. It's the night where children dance with torches and thank the Gods for the beauty of the earth. No one really knows when it started," he added.
"Oh," Alanna replied.
"Men, men!" Sir Raoul raised his voice. "Now, we can either stop at an inn outside Corus, sleep in and get to the palace late tomorrow morning, or we can continue until late and get some sleep in our own beds."
"Sleep! Sleep!" cried the men tiredly. Everyone was exhausted after the day's dawn-to-dusk ride.
Sir Raoul led them to the closest inn, The Withering Willow. They left their mounts to be cared for and entered. They got to their rooms, men sharing with a buddy, Alanna alone. As she lay down on her bed there was a knock on her door. Alanna got up, aching, to answer it. It was Jacob.
"Um, Alanna, I just wanted to say, um, goodnight," he said.
Alanna smiled. "Goodnight to you too," she said, closing the door as he, hesitantly it seemed, walked away to his own rooms.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Alanna woke up suddenly in the middle of the night. Her whole body ached, as if her old soldier-teacher had beaten her as he did when she was young. She tried to sit up and soon regretted trying. Her head spun greatly as her ears roared. She lay back down, and rolled onto her side. Cautiously she lifted herself up from the bed with her hands, and slipped on her dressing gown and slippers.
Wobbling, she made her way over to the door and opened it. She stepped carefully towards the stairs and descended, still feeling extremely sick. She found her friend Terry there in the common room along with a few others of the group that had come with them.
"You too?" asked Terry meekly.
Alanna nodded, unable to speak.
"We only felt it tonight," one of them piped up. "Maybe your Gift is sensitive."
Alanna simply nodded again. She sat down on a lounge where Terry indicated and rested her head in her hands.
"Alanna?" asked a voice quietly. Alanna sat up and turned toward the voice. She knew that voice…
"Jacob!" she exclaimed hoarsely, as her throat had begun to ache too. She rushed over, forgetting her sickness, to him.
"You're Gifted?" she asked. "I didn't know! How come you didn't tell me?"
Jacob bowed his head. "I'm afraid of my Gift," he admitted to her.
Alanna hugged him. "So was I," she said. "But I learned if I'm afraid of it, the Gods will test me, making me use it to help others."
Jacob looked at her queerly. "I suppose you're right. But I just can't help it."
"I know," Alanna hugged him. She then realised the men were watching them with interest. She pulled away from Jacob and put her hands in her lap, going red. She hung her head as some of the men muffled laughs.
"So what do you think it is?" she asked Terry, feeling sick again.
"I have no idea," he said.
Just then Raoul came in. "What's the matter?" he cried.
"We don't know," said one of the men. "We feel sick."
"Is it just those that are Gifted?" Alanna asked suddenly.
"Yes," confirmed Terrin.
Alanna stood up and gasped. Her ears roared and her bones and muscles screamed in protest. Her stomach rolled and she began to sweat.
She shakily moved towards the window. Raoul ran to keep her from falling as she stumbled. When she got to the sill, she tried to lift up the glass, with little success. Raoul lifted it for her.
Alanna stuck her head out of the window. "Great Mother Goddess!" she cried. "Help me!"
Lightning cracked against the navy sky. The palace shone a luminous orange colour. Wind broke against Alanna's face, blowing her now long copper hair back from her face. Everyone watched in awe. Orange – what did it mean? Alanna looked at the sky "Please, Great Lady, what does this mean?" she asked in barely more than a whisper. Alanna's own hands shone purple. She felt her strength return. As Alanna, wide eyed, looked at the palace again, she realised the orange glow was magic. Who's? She asked herself.
Then she remembered. A thing Jonathan had told her – "My Uncle Roger taught us magic. My Gift's blue. His is orange – bright orange."
Roger.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Ok I know, short chapter, gimme a break! R&R peoples.
~*~kaz~*~