Ok, so it's gonna be in present tense now. Sorry, sorry, SORRY for all the
confusion:
Finding
Teyka and I ride down the trail, going south. I'm still a little nervous at riding a big horse, but I know I need to get used to it. If I don't, I'll never get to Tortall or anywhere. This morning we said goodbye to Lory while Tamick begged to come with us. He almost got to, but then Rand, Lory's husband came out and told him Absolutely Not. We told them maybe we'd come back sometime, and they could meet Dayven. Or if they want, they can come to Corus. Will I be at Corus when they arrive? I think that I'm going to ride to Corus with Teyka and when I get there, I'm going to come back to Snowsdale and look for Daine. I thought about this for a long time, and decided that perhaps if I explain it right, Teyka and Dayven might help.
Teyka isn't as forgiving of Daine as I am. She says Daine had gone mad, which was actually another rumor, but Teyka agrees with it. She thinks that Daine had gone crazy, and when she disappeared, it was because she'd killed herself. Of course, she has reason to be angry with Daine; she'd been hit in the lip with a rock when we went looking for her.
And I myself don't think Daine is crazy or any of it. I only half believe that she made the wolves help her and the animals turn on the men. Teyka's much more into rumor than I am anyway.
We ride until dark, me thinking my thoughts and Teyka hers, until we find a place to camp. Teyka wards us, of course, I watch sleepily; half-wishing I had the skill. If I go riding off by myself, there won't be anyone to ward me. Bandits could easily kill me in the night. I worry about that, but only slightly. I'm sure I can get Dayven to accompany me, and if I can't, I'm sure I can find someone. I'm happy as a finally drift off to sleep.
We'll reach Cria by tomorrow, I think groggily as I wake up. The sooner the better, I guess. I notice that Teyka is already awake. Not only awake, but also cooking breakfast. I can smell bacon and bread and cheese, semi-fresh from Lory's farm. I'm not very hungry, but I will definitely eat. It will be a waste of food if I don't. I slide out of my bedroll, slowly stand up, and stretch. Goddess, but I'm tired. And it's not as if I went to sleep very late last night either. I shuffle over to Teyka and breakfast.
"Are you all right?" she asks me.
"Yes," I reply, "Just a little tired, that's all."
"Breakfast's ready," she says. I sit down and take some food.
"Ow," I complain, "It's hot."
"I got up early because you wanted to get to Corus soon. I don't know what all the hurry's over, though. There was just a war in Tortall, you know."
"There was?" She laughs, seemingly surprised at my ignorance.
"Yes, the Immortals War. You were in the same places I was. I can't believe you haven't heard about it. Tortall and the rest of the Eastern Lands fought with Carthak, Scanra, and the Copper Isles. (A/N-?????) I'm sure you know about the immortals." I do. We had a spidren raid on our village a couple years back, and, much more pleasant, a wood-sprite had been sighted in the forest. I myself hadn't seen her, but Lory's daughter Lanna was one of the lucky ones. The spidrens-
"Did they fight immortals?" I ask, my voice squeaking slightly.
"Yes of course," Teyka says in her bossy, knowledgeable tone.
"And were there-spidrens?"
"Yes, and many others. Stormwings were involved, and Dragons, though the dragons were on the side of Tortall, not against it. They-we won, of course. It was over land, mostly. Carthak had been having a drought and, actually I'm not sure about much else."
"Ha!" I say, under my breath. But spidrens. Ugh. When those spidrens had come to our village-I can't help thinking of the awful crunch they made as they chewed on the heads of the animals. Every time I see a spider, now, I call on Teyka or someone to squish it. I didn't like them before, but now I can't stand them. Fighting spidrens-when they came to our village, they just took and left. Nobody thought to fight them. And then another thought crosses me mind. "Did you say there were-dragons?"
"Yes but that's all I know, so please don't ask anymore." I know she doesn't want me to see her at lack if information. Dragons. That's almost scarier than spidrens, not more disgusting, but scarier. It's hard to believe I didn't know about the war, especially if Galla was involved. Now I say,
"Isn't it time we leave?"
"You are in a hurry," Teyka reprimands me. "That's how this conversation was started, remember?"
"I just want to get to Tortall before-before winter is all." It is early autumn now.
"Oh, we will, unless it snows or something. It doesn't take that long. But all right, we can go now." Teyka mounts her horse and helps me to mount mine. What if it bucks me off? I wonder desperately. Why is no one else afraid of horses?
It's still early, and the air is crisp and cool. The horse I ride is trotting, and I daren't tell it to stop, lest it decides that if I don't want it to trot then I might as well ride the ground instead of its self
Teyka's horse is trotting too, and it's in front of mine. I think of telling her to slow it, but my mind is too concentrated on the riding. I tighten my grip on the reigns. Cria tomorrow, I think. Cria tomorrow. It's really all I can concentrate on.
We stop for lunch in a shady clearing. I happily chew bread, dried meat, and cheese left over from breakfast while Teyka checks the horses for anything they might have picked up so far. I'm very happy not to be riding anymore.
"I think we'll be in Cria tonight," Teyka says. "Since we're rushing so much." She gives me a glance. I pretend to be only mildly annoyed, but really my heart leaps. We're that much closer to finding Daine, I think. I hear some rustling in the bushes by where the horses are tied. Even if it's only a bird, I'm a little nervous. And what if it's not a bird, but a wolf, or a bear, or a -gulp- spidren.
"Teyka, can you see what that is in the bushes?" I ask.
"Oh, Laona!" she says, and goes to look. In a minute I hear her screaming wordlessly. She doesn't sound scared, just a little bit shocked. Then I hear words. "Tamick! Go back home right now! No, I will not tell her you're here, get home, go, you got here you can get back! And I thought you would know better, Lanna. Mithros! Go back, now!" I'm rather shocked myself. Lanna, and Tamick, here! I rush over to the bushes where Teyka is and there they are! Tamick grins sheepishly.
"I ran away. Lanna went after me. She was going to bring me back but then she got lost. After that we found your trail, and.we followed you. And we're not going home, either," he says, with a glare at Teyka. "Or at least I'm not. Lanna's welcome to, although I rather enjoy her company."
"I would like to see Cria," Lanna says matter-of-factly. "As I've never been out of Snowsdale. And since I'm responsible for Tamick, he's coming with me. That wasn't my goal before, but since we're this far now, that's what we're going to do. You aren't responsible for me, Teyka. I left with Ma's permission, even if she didn't know I was going as far as I am. Therefor even if we aren't part of your group, we will travel with you, as far as Cria, at least."
"Very well," Lanna says primly, "But when I see your mother again, I certainly tell her that you insisted on coming with us."
"Stop talking like a city girl and let's move," Tamick says. I agree with him. We are going to get to Cria by tonight, aren't we? I make myself mount the horse again, and the four of us start off. I'm pretty happy to having two new members in our group. I can't wait to get to Cria.
I HOPE YOU LIKE IT. PLEASE REVIEW.
Finding
Teyka and I ride down the trail, going south. I'm still a little nervous at riding a big horse, but I know I need to get used to it. If I don't, I'll never get to Tortall or anywhere. This morning we said goodbye to Lory while Tamick begged to come with us. He almost got to, but then Rand, Lory's husband came out and told him Absolutely Not. We told them maybe we'd come back sometime, and they could meet Dayven. Or if they want, they can come to Corus. Will I be at Corus when they arrive? I think that I'm going to ride to Corus with Teyka and when I get there, I'm going to come back to Snowsdale and look for Daine. I thought about this for a long time, and decided that perhaps if I explain it right, Teyka and Dayven might help.
Teyka isn't as forgiving of Daine as I am. She says Daine had gone mad, which was actually another rumor, but Teyka agrees with it. She thinks that Daine had gone crazy, and when she disappeared, it was because she'd killed herself. Of course, she has reason to be angry with Daine; she'd been hit in the lip with a rock when we went looking for her.
And I myself don't think Daine is crazy or any of it. I only half believe that she made the wolves help her and the animals turn on the men. Teyka's much more into rumor than I am anyway.
We ride until dark, me thinking my thoughts and Teyka hers, until we find a place to camp. Teyka wards us, of course, I watch sleepily; half-wishing I had the skill. If I go riding off by myself, there won't be anyone to ward me. Bandits could easily kill me in the night. I worry about that, but only slightly. I'm sure I can get Dayven to accompany me, and if I can't, I'm sure I can find someone. I'm happy as a finally drift off to sleep.
We'll reach Cria by tomorrow, I think groggily as I wake up. The sooner the better, I guess. I notice that Teyka is already awake. Not only awake, but also cooking breakfast. I can smell bacon and bread and cheese, semi-fresh from Lory's farm. I'm not very hungry, but I will definitely eat. It will be a waste of food if I don't. I slide out of my bedroll, slowly stand up, and stretch. Goddess, but I'm tired. And it's not as if I went to sleep very late last night either. I shuffle over to Teyka and breakfast.
"Are you all right?" she asks me.
"Yes," I reply, "Just a little tired, that's all."
"Breakfast's ready," she says. I sit down and take some food.
"Ow," I complain, "It's hot."
"I got up early because you wanted to get to Corus soon. I don't know what all the hurry's over, though. There was just a war in Tortall, you know."
"There was?" She laughs, seemingly surprised at my ignorance.
"Yes, the Immortals War. You were in the same places I was. I can't believe you haven't heard about it. Tortall and the rest of the Eastern Lands fought with Carthak, Scanra, and the Copper Isles. (A/N-?????) I'm sure you know about the immortals." I do. We had a spidren raid on our village a couple years back, and, much more pleasant, a wood-sprite had been sighted in the forest. I myself hadn't seen her, but Lory's daughter Lanna was one of the lucky ones. The spidrens-
"Did they fight immortals?" I ask, my voice squeaking slightly.
"Yes of course," Teyka says in her bossy, knowledgeable tone.
"And were there-spidrens?"
"Yes, and many others. Stormwings were involved, and Dragons, though the dragons were on the side of Tortall, not against it. They-we won, of course. It was over land, mostly. Carthak had been having a drought and, actually I'm not sure about much else."
"Ha!" I say, under my breath. But spidrens. Ugh. When those spidrens had come to our village-I can't help thinking of the awful crunch they made as they chewed on the heads of the animals. Every time I see a spider, now, I call on Teyka or someone to squish it. I didn't like them before, but now I can't stand them. Fighting spidrens-when they came to our village, they just took and left. Nobody thought to fight them. And then another thought crosses me mind. "Did you say there were-dragons?"
"Yes but that's all I know, so please don't ask anymore." I know she doesn't want me to see her at lack if information. Dragons. That's almost scarier than spidrens, not more disgusting, but scarier. It's hard to believe I didn't know about the war, especially if Galla was involved. Now I say,
"Isn't it time we leave?"
"You are in a hurry," Teyka reprimands me. "That's how this conversation was started, remember?"
"I just want to get to Tortall before-before winter is all." It is early autumn now.
"Oh, we will, unless it snows or something. It doesn't take that long. But all right, we can go now." Teyka mounts her horse and helps me to mount mine. What if it bucks me off? I wonder desperately. Why is no one else afraid of horses?
It's still early, and the air is crisp and cool. The horse I ride is trotting, and I daren't tell it to stop, lest it decides that if I don't want it to trot then I might as well ride the ground instead of its self
Teyka's horse is trotting too, and it's in front of mine. I think of telling her to slow it, but my mind is too concentrated on the riding. I tighten my grip on the reigns. Cria tomorrow, I think. Cria tomorrow. It's really all I can concentrate on.
We stop for lunch in a shady clearing. I happily chew bread, dried meat, and cheese left over from breakfast while Teyka checks the horses for anything they might have picked up so far. I'm very happy not to be riding anymore.
"I think we'll be in Cria tonight," Teyka says. "Since we're rushing so much." She gives me a glance. I pretend to be only mildly annoyed, but really my heart leaps. We're that much closer to finding Daine, I think. I hear some rustling in the bushes by where the horses are tied. Even if it's only a bird, I'm a little nervous. And what if it's not a bird, but a wolf, or a bear, or a -gulp- spidren.
"Teyka, can you see what that is in the bushes?" I ask.
"Oh, Laona!" she says, and goes to look. In a minute I hear her screaming wordlessly. She doesn't sound scared, just a little bit shocked. Then I hear words. "Tamick! Go back home right now! No, I will not tell her you're here, get home, go, you got here you can get back! And I thought you would know better, Lanna. Mithros! Go back, now!" I'm rather shocked myself. Lanna, and Tamick, here! I rush over to the bushes where Teyka is and there they are! Tamick grins sheepishly.
"I ran away. Lanna went after me. She was going to bring me back but then she got lost. After that we found your trail, and.we followed you. And we're not going home, either," he says, with a glare at Teyka. "Or at least I'm not. Lanna's welcome to, although I rather enjoy her company."
"I would like to see Cria," Lanna says matter-of-factly. "As I've never been out of Snowsdale. And since I'm responsible for Tamick, he's coming with me. That wasn't my goal before, but since we're this far now, that's what we're going to do. You aren't responsible for me, Teyka. I left with Ma's permission, even if she didn't know I was going as far as I am. Therefor even if we aren't part of your group, we will travel with you, as far as Cria, at least."
"Very well," Lanna says primly, "But when I see your mother again, I certainly tell her that you insisted on coming with us."
"Stop talking like a city girl and let's move," Tamick says. I agree with him. We are going to get to Cria by tonight, aren't we? I make myself mount the horse again, and the four of us start off. I'm pretty happy to having two new members in our group. I can't wait to get to Cria.
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