Hi. It's going to overlap a bit here. It's now changing to first person
with Laona narrating. She's going to begin narrating at about the point
where Daine tells her what she learned at Laona's parent's house. Sorry if
this is confusing.
Finding
Daine was brave. She didn't fear animals and she didn't fear blood and she didn't even fear my parents. Now I don't even know where she is, and I'm always wondering what happened to her. Well, I know a little bit about that. Earlier that day, she was going to tell my parents not to give me too much work. She said they were doing it because I didn't have the Gift. They never told me that. But it's true that all my siblings-Nanley, who was four at the time, Teyka, who was ten, Eff, thirteen, Layla fifteen, and Tonnen, eighteen, they were all gifted, and Ma never treated them the same as me. She always said I wasn't useful, or lazy, or something, and she was always finding more chores for me so I would be useful. I guess once she even said 'so you can be useful like your siblings,' but I never really thought what that meant till now. Anyway, I had a lot of jobs, but I didn't really think it was because I wasn't Gifted.
Daine was going to tell them to give me less work. I was staying at her house because it was her opinion and my opinion that if my parents didn't like what I said, they would take it out on me. I think they were right because Ma told Daine she would beat me when I got home. She said she would never let me see Daine again. I wanted to run away when Daine told me. Then Daine said I could stay with her for a while. I was so glad Daine agreed with me. If she was more obeying of her elders she would have made me go back home. It wasn't only that, but her ma agreed with me too. Most anyone else in the village, child or adult, would have made me go home. I was so happy! I can't believe I was so happy right before the bandits came.
Anyway, that night, Daine was going to go be a healer. She was as good at it as her ma, even if she didn't have the Gift. She was going to heal one of her ma's friends, Lory, of a nasty cough. I wanted to come with her, but she said I might as well not, with my parents looking for me as they were. They might not even be looking for me; I thought, perhaps they'd forgotten Daine had even come. They were very forgetful, especially Pa. Ma was often scolding him for drinking too much, when he forgot something. But Daine said I should stay at her house with Sarra, her ma. Sarra strangely disagreed. One of Lory's children was my age, she said, Tamick, wasn't his name? Wouldn't it be better if I had other children to play with rather than a scrap of embroidery?
So I was allowed to go, and Daine had Sarra promise to tell no one of my being here, and when we arrived, she made Lory promise the same thing. Lorry does have children my age. Lanna, her oldest, is a year older than I am, and Tamick is my age to the month. Daine was everywhere, tending to Lorry's cough, seeing to the birth of a lamb, helping with the babies around the house. She and I stayed up late that night helping. Lory allowed us to sleep in late and I was glad of it. When I woke it was almost evening and Daine was gone.
"Said she had t'go check on her ma," Lory told me. I spent most of that evening playing with Lanna and Tamick, but as it grew later, I began to wonder what had happened to Daine. Lory had said she'd left at noon, and it was late now. Surely she'd checked on her ma, and her grandda too, by now. I was getting scared when Teyka burst in. Teyka is my older sister. She's four years older then me and was ten then.
"Bandits," she was panting "Killed the men, took the women.my whole family's dead.I don't know where to go.if you give me shelter.I'll ward you." she cut off when she saw me. "Laona?! I thought you were dead! Your not supposed to be here because Ma 'n Pa are look-" her face fell. "Ma 'n Pa are dead."
"Bandits?" Lory said. "How could we not have known? Of course we'll shelter you.get inside immediately, child."
"Where's Daine?" I asked. "Has anybody seen Daine?" No one had. When the bandits had gone for sure, I went looking for her. Her house was burned. I wouldn't go inside it. I didn't want to see dead people. So that's what happened to Daine.
But two days later, we went back to the house, me and Teyka and Lory, to try to find Daine's body and that of her mother and grandda. We went into her from garden and she was there. At first I though she was a ghost and I screamed. Then she picked up a rock and threw it at Lory.
"Two days," she half cried, half grunted. "She could-have-lived! And you didn't come for two-gods-cursed-days! She threw another rock, and this one hit Teyka on the lip and she began to bleed. "It's burned, and she's dead! I've helped you. I've-helped-you-all. Why can't you-help me?!" she was screaming now, and her next rock hit Lory in the shoulder.
"Let's go," Lory whispered. We did, running from there.
"Was it a ghost?" I asked.
"Don't be silly." Teyka said. "How could a ghost throw rocks?"
"It was Daine, " Lory said, "And she's right. No one went to see if she was alive for two days. Someone who could have lived during that time would have died if no one had come."
I lived with Lory for a long while. During that time I heard rumors, and I began to develop a picture with those rumors.
Daine had come home to find her family dead and her farm burned. She was very angry when she saw us, because we might have been able to save someone who was still living if we'd come sooner. This next part is the part I heard rumors of, and I have no idea if it actually happened. Daine turned wild. She took her revenge on the bandits. There was one rumor that said the wolves helped her. Then she went off into the forest. Any human that she saw she tried to kill. And then, after a few months, she disappeared. Some of the men went to hunt her, saying she was a danger to any in the forest. They say their horses and dogs turned on them. No one believes it. But I always thought Daine could tame any animal. She was always getting them to do things for her. I saw her talking to a wolf once. I was really scary. I screamed, and I never saw any more wolves after that.
I wonder what happened to Daine. Some say she died. Even though she threw the rocks and killed people, I think she had every right. The people she killed were bandits who had killed her ma and grandda. She was brave. If any of that happened to me, I would just run away and hide.
Now I'm nine years old. Teyka is thirteen. She wants to take me to Tortall, where I have a brother. My brother Dayven lives in Tortall. He's two years older than I am and I don't remember him at all. He left when he was three and I was one. He was so powerfully gifted they took him to train as a mage. He'll be eleven now. Anyway, Teyka wants to find us. She says he could probably give us a home. But I don't want to find my brother. I want to find Daine, if she's still alive. I don't really think she'll be in Tortall, but Ill go with Teyka anyway. Like her, I want to thank Lory and her family for taking care of us all these years and get out of her hair.
So tomorrow I'll leave. I told all I know about what happened to Daine. Now I suppose I can tell more.
Finding
Daine was brave. She didn't fear animals and she didn't fear blood and she didn't even fear my parents. Now I don't even know where she is, and I'm always wondering what happened to her. Well, I know a little bit about that. Earlier that day, she was going to tell my parents not to give me too much work. She said they were doing it because I didn't have the Gift. They never told me that. But it's true that all my siblings-Nanley, who was four at the time, Teyka, who was ten, Eff, thirteen, Layla fifteen, and Tonnen, eighteen, they were all gifted, and Ma never treated them the same as me. She always said I wasn't useful, or lazy, or something, and she was always finding more chores for me so I would be useful. I guess once she even said 'so you can be useful like your siblings,' but I never really thought what that meant till now. Anyway, I had a lot of jobs, but I didn't really think it was because I wasn't Gifted.
Daine was going to tell them to give me less work. I was staying at her house because it was her opinion and my opinion that if my parents didn't like what I said, they would take it out on me. I think they were right because Ma told Daine she would beat me when I got home. She said she would never let me see Daine again. I wanted to run away when Daine told me. Then Daine said I could stay with her for a while. I was so glad Daine agreed with me. If she was more obeying of her elders she would have made me go back home. It wasn't only that, but her ma agreed with me too. Most anyone else in the village, child or adult, would have made me go home. I was so happy! I can't believe I was so happy right before the bandits came.
Anyway, that night, Daine was going to go be a healer. She was as good at it as her ma, even if she didn't have the Gift. She was going to heal one of her ma's friends, Lory, of a nasty cough. I wanted to come with her, but she said I might as well not, with my parents looking for me as they were. They might not even be looking for me; I thought, perhaps they'd forgotten Daine had even come. They were very forgetful, especially Pa. Ma was often scolding him for drinking too much, when he forgot something. But Daine said I should stay at her house with Sarra, her ma. Sarra strangely disagreed. One of Lory's children was my age, she said, Tamick, wasn't his name? Wouldn't it be better if I had other children to play with rather than a scrap of embroidery?
So I was allowed to go, and Daine had Sarra promise to tell no one of my being here, and when we arrived, she made Lory promise the same thing. Lorry does have children my age. Lanna, her oldest, is a year older than I am, and Tamick is my age to the month. Daine was everywhere, tending to Lorry's cough, seeing to the birth of a lamb, helping with the babies around the house. She and I stayed up late that night helping. Lory allowed us to sleep in late and I was glad of it. When I woke it was almost evening and Daine was gone.
"Said she had t'go check on her ma," Lory told me. I spent most of that evening playing with Lanna and Tamick, but as it grew later, I began to wonder what had happened to Daine. Lory had said she'd left at noon, and it was late now. Surely she'd checked on her ma, and her grandda too, by now. I was getting scared when Teyka burst in. Teyka is my older sister. She's four years older then me and was ten then.
"Bandits," she was panting "Killed the men, took the women.my whole family's dead.I don't know where to go.if you give me shelter.I'll ward you." she cut off when she saw me. "Laona?! I thought you were dead! Your not supposed to be here because Ma 'n Pa are look-" her face fell. "Ma 'n Pa are dead."
"Bandits?" Lory said. "How could we not have known? Of course we'll shelter you.get inside immediately, child."
"Where's Daine?" I asked. "Has anybody seen Daine?" No one had. When the bandits had gone for sure, I went looking for her. Her house was burned. I wouldn't go inside it. I didn't want to see dead people. So that's what happened to Daine.
But two days later, we went back to the house, me and Teyka and Lory, to try to find Daine's body and that of her mother and grandda. We went into her from garden and she was there. At first I though she was a ghost and I screamed. Then she picked up a rock and threw it at Lory.
"Two days," she half cried, half grunted. "She could-have-lived! And you didn't come for two-gods-cursed-days! She threw another rock, and this one hit Teyka on the lip and she began to bleed. "It's burned, and she's dead! I've helped you. I've-helped-you-all. Why can't you-help me?!" she was screaming now, and her next rock hit Lory in the shoulder.
"Let's go," Lory whispered. We did, running from there.
"Was it a ghost?" I asked.
"Don't be silly." Teyka said. "How could a ghost throw rocks?"
"It was Daine, " Lory said, "And she's right. No one went to see if she was alive for two days. Someone who could have lived during that time would have died if no one had come."
I lived with Lory for a long while. During that time I heard rumors, and I began to develop a picture with those rumors.
Daine had come home to find her family dead and her farm burned. She was very angry when she saw us, because we might have been able to save someone who was still living if we'd come sooner. This next part is the part I heard rumors of, and I have no idea if it actually happened. Daine turned wild. She took her revenge on the bandits. There was one rumor that said the wolves helped her. Then she went off into the forest. Any human that she saw she tried to kill. And then, after a few months, she disappeared. Some of the men went to hunt her, saying she was a danger to any in the forest. They say their horses and dogs turned on them. No one believes it. But I always thought Daine could tame any animal. She was always getting them to do things for her. I saw her talking to a wolf once. I was really scary. I screamed, and I never saw any more wolves after that.
I wonder what happened to Daine. Some say she died. Even though she threw the rocks and killed people, I think she had every right. The people she killed were bandits who had killed her ma and grandda. She was brave. If any of that happened to me, I would just run away and hide.
Now I'm nine years old. Teyka is thirteen. She wants to take me to Tortall, where I have a brother. My brother Dayven lives in Tortall. He's two years older than I am and I don't remember him at all. He left when he was three and I was one. He was so powerfully gifted they took him to train as a mage. He'll be eleven now. Anyway, Teyka wants to find us. She says he could probably give us a home. But I don't want to find my brother. I want to find Daine, if she's still alive. I don't really think she'll be in Tortall, but Ill go with Teyka anyway. Like her, I want to thank Lory and her family for taking care of us all these years and get out of her hair.
So tomorrow I'll leave. I told all I know about what happened to Daine. Now I suppose I can tell more.