Note: To all the poor people who have to read my bad imitations of how
people in Tamora Pierce's books talk, I'm really sorry. Really, really
sorry. Please don't let it discourage you from reading it though. Thank
you again to everyone who sent me a review!
Chapter Four
Lessons
"Sorry I'm late!" I said, panting, as I slid to a stop in front of Myles and a hostler. "I got lost."
"It's perfectly fine. I was just discussing which horse to get you with Stephan here," Myles nodded to Stephan, the hostler, who bowed and smiled at her. "Stephan, Kalea. Kalea, Stephan," Myles said.
"I'm pleased to meet ye. I would stay 'round and talk, but I got work to do. G'day to ye, Miss," Stephan said and left.
"I found you a horse that you may like. I talked to Daine, our Wild Mage, and she says that Raven is a wonderful choice," Myles told me.
"May I see her and judge for myself?" I asked.
"I thought you would want to."
Myles led me through a large stable, filled with some of the most beautiful horses I had ever seen. They ranged from gigantic draft horses, to small ponies. We stopped in front of a stall, one of the last ones. A pure black horse poked her head out, looking at me with intelligent eyes. "You're a beauty. Aren't you?" I whispered to the horse.
Myles smiled and said, "This is Raven. We thought you would like her. Why don't you go in and look at her?"
"I think I will," I said and slipped into the stall. She was pure black, as black as a starless night. She was of a desert variety, the smart, fast, delicate, proud horse of the desert.
"She's yours if you want," Myles commented.
"Really?" in all my life, one of the things I wanted most was my very own horse.
"Really. She's been trained as a lady's horse and as a warhorse. She should suit you perfectly," he said and smiled when I looked at him and grinned. My first real smile since I had gotten there.
"Thank you! Thank you oh so much!" I exclaimed.
"About your lessons. Do you do well without much sleep?" he asked.
"I'm a nighthawk. I can go with very little sleep," I replied.
"Good, good. I hate doing this to you, but it's necessary. I have a schedule for your lessons. They go almost none stop from breakfast to two hours before midnight. They include lessons in spying, lessons in fighting, lessons in history, lessons in reading and writing-"
"I already know math, reading and writing," I said and interrupted him.
"That's good. It gives us more time for the other lessons," he said and than continued, "Lessons in etiquette, lessons in – I think that's it."
"Etiquette?" I asked concerned. "Do I have to?" I didn't really think I needed lessons in that but, then again, I didn't know any curtsies.
"Yes. Oh and riding too," he added. I sighed loudly and he smiled at me and said, "you might want to get her saddled up. You have riding lessons in fifteen minutes."
"Where's the tack?" I asked. "Oh. Over there," I said, answering my own question, and walked over to a room that looked distinctly like a tack room and walked in. It seemed as though Raven had been here for a bit because, she had her own tack. I grabbed it and some grooming equipment and went out to go groom Raven.
I was soon trotting Raven around a large arena. My riding teacher, I forgot his name, oops, stood in the middle, watching my every move. The first drill was simple, walk, trot, and canter the horse around in a circle and than stop in front of the teacher. Raven and I went over more drills until it was time to go to history, taught by Myles.
History was fun, I was lucky that it was the summer and none of the pages were here. Otherwise I would have had to take it at night, along with etiquette. I was to learn mostly about the Copper Isles, with some Tortall, Tusaine, Maren, Scanran, Carthaki, and Gallan history mixed in.
After that I went to lunch, with some of the court ladies (help me) and learned lunch etiquette. It also meant changing into a dress and than going to my odds and ends class. That was what I called the class that included magical herbs, wound care (my least favorite one), scouting, and map making. After that I went to etiquette until after dinner when I would start my spying lessons.
***
I was climbing up one of the gigantic palace walls, a now normal exercise. According to Myles, I was becoming the ideal spy, a powerful weapon. People had now learned that I could look very innocent and tell lies without giving second thought. I was good enough to confuse most people who didn't know me. It had been a month since I had appeared in Tortall. Where I came from still confused me, but the odd flashbacks were even more baffling. I had flashbacks, memories of things I could not remember or place. I didn't tell anyone of them. Even though people asked if I had any memories.
I was close to the top when I something obscured my vision. It was a vision of someone lying in a bed, attached to glowing machinery, with five people surrounding her, me. The person lying there, looking almost dead, was, judging by the black hair and the face that looked just like mine, was me.
"We're going to take her off life support now," one of the men wearing white said. The woman, sitting by me sobbed and held my limp, scarred hand. Mother? I asked myself, recognizing the woman, my mother. A man, touched her shoulder, trying to comfort her to no avail, looked like he was close to tears himself. Father? I asked.
The glowing machinery dimmed and was turned off, my mother sobbed harder, my father started crying and something, something deep inside me shattered into millions of pieces. Memories flooded into my mind, clouding my vision, I screamed a long piercing screaming, lost my grip on the wall, and fell.
Chapter Four
Lessons
"Sorry I'm late!" I said, panting, as I slid to a stop in front of Myles and a hostler. "I got lost."
"It's perfectly fine. I was just discussing which horse to get you with Stephan here," Myles nodded to Stephan, the hostler, who bowed and smiled at her. "Stephan, Kalea. Kalea, Stephan," Myles said.
"I'm pleased to meet ye. I would stay 'round and talk, but I got work to do. G'day to ye, Miss," Stephan said and left.
"I found you a horse that you may like. I talked to Daine, our Wild Mage, and she says that Raven is a wonderful choice," Myles told me.
"May I see her and judge for myself?" I asked.
"I thought you would want to."
Myles led me through a large stable, filled with some of the most beautiful horses I had ever seen. They ranged from gigantic draft horses, to small ponies. We stopped in front of a stall, one of the last ones. A pure black horse poked her head out, looking at me with intelligent eyes. "You're a beauty. Aren't you?" I whispered to the horse.
Myles smiled and said, "This is Raven. We thought you would like her. Why don't you go in and look at her?"
"I think I will," I said and slipped into the stall. She was pure black, as black as a starless night. She was of a desert variety, the smart, fast, delicate, proud horse of the desert.
"She's yours if you want," Myles commented.
"Really?" in all my life, one of the things I wanted most was my very own horse.
"Really. She's been trained as a lady's horse and as a warhorse. She should suit you perfectly," he said and smiled when I looked at him and grinned. My first real smile since I had gotten there.
"Thank you! Thank you oh so much!" I exclaimed.
"About your lessons. Do you do well without much sleep?" he asked.
"I'm a nighthawk. I can go with very little sleep," I replied.
"Good, good. I hate doing this to you, but it's necessary. I have a schedule for your lessons. They go almost none stop from breakfast to two hours before midnight. They include lessons in spying, lessons in fighting, lessons in history, lessons in reading and writing-"
"I already know math, reading and writing," I said and interrupted him.
"That's good. It gives us more time for the other lessons," he said and than continued, "Lessons in etiquette, lessons in – I think that's it."
"Etiquette?" I asked concerned. "Do I have to?" I didn't really think I needed lessons in that but, then again, I didn't know any curtsies.
"Yes. Oh and riding too," he added. I sighed loudly and he smiled at me and said, "you might want to get her saddled up. You have riding lessons in fifteen minutes."
"Where's the tack?" I asked. "Oh. Over there," I said, answering my own question, and walked over to a room that looked distinctly like a tack room and walked in. It seemed as though Raven had been here for a bit because, she had her own tack. I grabbed it and some grooming equipment and went out to go groom Raven.
I was soon trotting Raven around a large arena. My riding teacher, I forgot his name, oops, stood in the middle, watching my every move. The first drill was simple, walk, trot, and canter the horse around in a circle and than stop in front of the teacher. Raven and I went over more drills until it was time to go to history, taught by Myles.
History was fun, I was lucky that it was the summer and none of the pages were here. Otherwise I would have had to take it at night, along with etiquette. I was to learn mostly about the Copper Isles, with some Tortall, Tusaine, Maren, Scanran, Carthaki, and Gallan history mixed in.
After that I went to lunch, with some of the court ladies (help me) and learned lunch etiquette. It also meant changing into a dress and than going to my odds and ends class. That was what I called the class that included magical herbs, wound care (my least favorite one), scouting, and map making. After that I went to etiquette until after dinner when I would start my spying lessons.
***
I was climbing up one of the gigantic palace walls, a now normal exercise. According to Myles, I was becoming the ideal spy, a powerful weapon. People had now learned that I could look very innocent and tell lies without giving second thought. I was good enough to confuse most people who didn't know me. It had been a month since I had appeared in Tortall. Where I came from still confused me, but the odd flashbacks were even more baffling. I had flashbacks, memories of things I could not remember or place. I didn't tell anyone of them. Even though people asked if I had any memories.
I was close to the top when I something obscured my vision. It was a vision of someone lying in a bed, attached to glowing machinery, with five people surrounding her, me. The person lying there, looking almost dead, was, judging by the black hair and the face that looked just like mine, was me.
"We're going to take her off life support now," one of the men wearing white said. The woman, sitting by me sobbed and held my limp, scarred hand. Mother? I asked myself, recognizing the woman, my mother. A man, touched her shoulder, trying to comfort her to no avail, looked like he was close to tears himself. Father? I asked.
The glowing machinery dimmed and was turned off, my mother sobbed harder, my father started crying and something, something deep inside me shattered into millions of pieces. Memories flooded into my mind, clouding my vision, I screamed a long piercing screaming, lost my grip on the wall, and fell.