Disclaimer: I dun own any of Tamora's stuff. DUN SUE MEEEEE!
KEY (I forgot this last time) ". . ." = people talking '. . ." = people thinking ~. . .~ mind speech
~*~Chapter Two- Nightmares~*~
"Briar! If you don't get down here we won't save you any!" Sandry yelled teasingly. This was the fourth time she had called for Briar. Several loud thuds from upstairs assured her that this time, Briar was awake. He appeared at the bottom of the stairs, his hair sticking up in all directions. Sandry stifled a giggle at his disheveled appearance.
"What're you laughin' at?" Briar asked, his voice horse and a little shaky. Sandry was immediately alarmed. Briar was the last one out of all four mages to be afraid, and that was exactly how he sounded now.
"Briar, are you all right?" She asked, not bothering to hide the concern in her voice. Briar shook his head slightly.
"Yeah . . . sure . . .I just had a bit of a nightmare that's all . . ." his voice trailed off and he looked at Sandry reassuringly. She knew he was lying, but decided to put it off until later when she, Tris, and Daja could all talk to him together. They would go up on the roof . . . just like old times. She led him into the kitchen. During the meal, Sandry shot Briar many pleading glances while Daja and Tris looked between to two, confused. ~Sandry, stop it~ Briar told her in mind-speech.
~Briar, what's wrong?~ She pleaded.
~Do you guys mind sharing?~ Tris's mental voice cut in.
~Yeah, what is with you two?~ Daja added.
~Nothing's wrong!~ Briar's told them all, frustrated. He was glad that Rosethorn and Lark could not hear them when they spoke mind to mind. He didn't want to tell anyone what he had felt. Not yet.
~Ok, everyone meet me on the roof after Lark and Rosethorn retire for the night.~ Sandry ordered. After a round of agreements they stopped their 'silent' chattering.
A few hours later the four gathered on the roof. Sandry began speaking, her voice commanding. "Ok, Briar, something's wrong. Do you want to talk about it?"
"It was just a silly nightmare, really," Briar protested. After receiving a round of dissatisfied stares he began telling them of his dream. "Ok, I was right here in my room tending to my shakkan when all of a sudden I felt weak. Like all of my magic was drained out of me. This blackness swirled around me; I was scared . . . truly scared . . ." his voice trailed off.
"Was it un-magic?" Sandry wanted to know.
"No, it was nothing like the un-magic," he said, "It was more like a magical leech. And in the background I heard a terrible laughter, like a murderer in a play . . . except worse."
"Well, let's think about this rationally," Daja said. They were all glad that their friend was so level headed. "It had to be caused by something, right? Well I think that if we find out what that something is, we can stop it."
"But how do we know what's causing it?" Tris asked.
"Easy, we just have to look at the components of the dream more carefully. Briar, tell us every last detail," Daja ordered. As Briar spoke the three girls listened closely. It was nearly midnight when the four retired, with a promise to meet back on the roof again the next night.
Briar tossed and turned in a fitful sleep. ITwo men were sitting at a table, leaning over a piece of paper. One of them slapped the table angrily. "Damnit they are in Emelan! With Niklaren Goldeye! With him around, we have no chance to eliminate to four mages!"
"Eliminate them?" the other man, smaller and obviously less powerful, asked. "Master, why?"
"They are in the way of my plans. With that thread-mage related to Emelan's precious duke we have no way to get at him, Mian!" the larger man replied.
"But master, you are stronger than the thread-mage," Mian said timidly.
"The thread-mage would be an easy kill if it were not for her friends! But with that plant-mage, the smith-mage and the weather-mage behind her she could be nearly unstoppable!" his 'master' snapped impatiently, "If I am to conquer Emelan the mages must be gotten rid of!" /I
CRASH! Briar fell to the floor, knocking over his unlit lantern. Glass flew everywhere. Briar lie in silent shock as Sandry, followed by Tris, Daja, and Lark. He heard Rosethorn grumbling as she made her way to his room. "Briar! What happened are you ok?" Sandry asked, rushing to him and beginning to clean the blood from a cut on his forehead. Thickly he realized that the cut was searing with pain. He must have been cut by a shard of glass from the lantern. He sat up, careful not to cut himself on the glass surrounding him.
"What happened boy?" Rosethorn demanded.
"I fell out of bed," Briar replied slowly, getting gingerly to his feet.
~Another nightmare?~ Sandry asked. Briar nodded at her. ~I had one too.~ she told him. Then she looked into his eyes. Instead of fear, like he felt, he saw reassurance. Tris brought over a small bowl of water and gave it to Sandry. She made him sit on the bed while she gently cleaned the cut. ~I'll tell you about it later~
~Hey, why can't you two just speak like normal people. Rosethorn and Lark aren't around anymore; it's just us.~ Tris inquired.
~Because! They're right downstairs. They could hear!~ Briar protested.
~Gods, Briar, don't get so upset.~ Daja warned. ~Niko will be here today, we should talk to him about our nightmares.~ She suggested.
~You mean you had them too?~ Briar questioned. Daja and Tris nodded in unison. ~What did you guys see?~
~Two men were talking about us. They want to kill us!~ Tris explained.
~That was what I saw, too.~ Daja said calmly.
~And me. We should really talk to Niko about this Briar.~ Sandry said.
~All right, all right, we can talk to Niko.~ Briar agreed reluctantly. The four young mages agreed not to worry about the strange nightmares until Niko was present and went downstairs.
KEY (I forgot this last time) ". . ." = people talking '. . ." = people thinking ~. . .~ mind speech
~*~Chapter Two- Nightmares~*~
"Briar! If you don't get down here we won't save you any!" Sandry yelled teasingly. This was the fourth time she had called for Briar. Several loud thuds from upstairs assured her that this time, Briar was awake. He appeared at the bottom of the stairs, his hair sticking up in all directions. Sandry stifled a giggle at his disheveled appearance.
"What're you laughin' at?" Briar asked, his voice horse and a little shaky. Sandry was immediately alarmed. Briar was the last one out of all four mages to be afraid, and that was exactly how he sounded now.
"Briar, are you all right?" She asked, not bothering to hide the concern in her voice. Briar shook his head slightly.
"Yeah . . . sure . . .I just had a bit of a nightmare that's all . . ." his voice trailed off and he looked at Sandry reassuringly. She knew he was lying, but decided to put it off until later when she, Tris, and Daja could all talk to him together. They would go up on the roof . . . just like old times. She led him into the kitchen. During the meal, Sandry shot Briar many pleading glances while Daja and Tris looked between to two, confused. ~Sandry, stop it~ Briar told her in mind-speech.
~Briar, what's wrong?~ She pleaded.
~Do you guys mind sharing?~ Tris's mental voice cut in.
~Yeah, what is with you two?~ Daja added.
~Nothing's wrong!~ Briar's told them all, frustrated. He was glad that Rosethorn and Lark could not hear them when they spoke mind to mind. He didn't want to tell anyone what he had felt. Not yet.
~Ok, everyone meet me on the roof after Lark and Rosethorn retire for the night.~ Sandry ordered. After a round of agreements they stopped their 'silent' chattering.
A few hours later the four gathered on the roof. Sandry began speaking, her voice commanding. "Ok, Briar, something's wrong. Do you want to talk about it?"
"It was just a silly nightmare, really," Briar protested. After receiving a round of dissatisfied stares he began telling them of his dream. "Ok, I was right here in my room tending to my shakkan when all of a sudden I felt weak. Like all of my magic was drained out of me. This blackness swirled around me; I was scared . . . truly scared . . ." his voice trailed off.
"Was it un-magic?" Sandry wanted to know.
"No, it was nothing like the un-magic," he said, "It was more like a magical leech. And in the background I heard a terrible laughter, like a murderer in a play . . . except worse."
"Well, let's think about this rationally," Daja said. They were all glad that their friend was so level headed. "It had to be caused by something, right? Well I think that if we find out what that something is, we can stop it."
"But how do we know what's causing it?" Tris asked.
"Easy, we just have to look at the components of the dream more carefully. Briar, tell us every last detail," Daja ordered. As Briar spoke the three girls listened closely. It was nearly midnight when the four retired, with a promise to meet back on the roof again the next night.
Briar tossed and turned in a fitful sleep. ITwo men were sitting at a table, leaning over a piece of paper. One of them slapped the table angrily. "Damnit they are in Emelan! With Niklaren Goldeye! With him around, we have no chance to eliminate to four mages!"
"Eliminate them?" the other man, smaller and obviously less powerful, asked. "Master, why?"
"They are in the way of my plans. With that thread-mage related to Emelan's precious duke we have no way to get at him, Mian!" the larger man replied.
"But master, you are stronger than the thread-mage," Mian said timidly.
"The thread-mage would be an easy kill if it were not for her friends! But with that plant-mage, the smith-mage and the weather-mage behind her she could be nearly unstoppable!" his 'master' snapped impatiently, "If I am to conquer Emelan the mages must be gotten rid of!" /I
CRASH! Briar fell to the floor, knocking over his unlit lantern. Glass flew everywhere. Briar lie in silent shock as Sandry, followed by Tris, Daja, and Lark. He heard Rosethorn grumbling as she made her way to his room. "Briar! What happened are you ok?" Sandry asked, rushing to him and beginning to clean the blood from a cut on his forehead. Thickly he realized that the cut was searing with pain. He must have been cut by a shard of glass from the lantern. He sat up, careful not to cut himself on the glass surrounding him.
"What happened boy?" Rosethorn demanded.
"I fell out of bed," Briar replied slowly, getting gingerly to his feet.
~Another nightmare?~ Sandry asked. Briar nodded at her. ~I had one too.~ she told him. Then she looked into his eyes. Instead of fear, like he felt, he saw reassurance. Tris brought over a small bowl of water and gave it to Sandry. She made him sit on the bed while she gently cleaned the cut. ~I'll tell you about it later~
~Hey, why can't you two just speak like normal people. Rosethorn and Lark aren't around anymore; it's just us.~ Tris inquired.
~Because! They're right downstairs. They could hear!~ Briar protested.
~Gods, Briar, don't get so upset.~ Daja warned. ~Niko will be here today, we should talk to him about our nightmares.~ She suggested.
~You mean you had them too?~ Briar questioned. Daja and Tris nodded in unison. ~What did you guys see?~
~Two men were talking about us. They want to kill us!~ Tris explained.
~That was what I saw, too.~ Daja said calmly.
~And me. We should really talk to Niko about this Briar.~ Sandry said.
~All right, all right, we can talk to Niko.~ Briar agreed reluctantly. The four young mages agreed not to worry about the strange nightmares until Niko was present and went downstairs.