Disclaimer: nothing in the story is mine. I wish Briar was mine but he's
not so.hmmm.I wish that my icky bloody finger wasn't mine. Knives are bad
when you are tired and lockers are bad when you slam a nasty cut from a
bread knife in them before getting on the bus and realizing that you are
bleeding. K.anyway.none of Tamora's stuff is mine. I DO, however, own Vinen
Snakethread, Mian, the plot, Hayden Christensen, and my loverly chapter
six. I am amazed that I, the "guy repellant" herself, can write stuff like
that. Ok.on to chapter seven.
~*~*~Chapter Seven: News~*~*~
After that fateful day in Briar's room, he and Sandry would periodically meet each other's eyes, blush, look away, and busy themselves with whatever happened to be in their hands at the time. Everyone noticed, and by the end of the week had a fairly good idea of what was going on and pretended not to. Meanwhile, Briar and Sandry took much of their free time to be together in secret, without everyone knowing. They weren't sure what their friends, teachers, and apprentices would think and were somehow not interested in finding out. On that particular day, Briar found Sandry lying on the roof watching the clouds. He closed the trap door that opened onto the roof and sat next to her. Neither one said anything. They had not been so perfectly alone since their first kiss. Briar stretched and lay back, shifting so that he was on the trapdoor. 'That'll keep anyone from disturbing us,' he thought. Sandry slowly moved closer to him until she was no more than half a foot away.
Briar sighed and closed his eyes, beginning to fall asleep. The warm sun smiled down at them, increasing Briar's drowsiness. He opened his eyes a moment looked over at Sandry. He smiled gently at her and she again moved towards him, closing the gap between them. He wrapped his arm around her and she snuggled against him, laying her head on his chest. As she drifted into an easy sleep, Sandry turned onto her side and placed a delicate hand on his chest. Briar sighed and looked down at her, smiling at the innocence and serenity radiating from her face. As he slipped into a light slumber, the last thing he felt was the comfort of Sandry sleeping against him.
The two were woken by Tris's impatient mind voice. ~Briar, Sandry! Are you two up there?~ she asked. Searching the roof with her magic, Tris found the two directly above her. From the peacefulness of their magic, she figured they were sleeping . . .in a tangled heap. She tried again. ~BRIAR!~
Briar was startled awake by Tris's mind yell. He gently woke Sandry and they moved off the trap door and apart from each other, hoping Tris did not suspect anything. She emerged from below and glared at them. "Briar, WHY were you sitting on the trap door?" she demanded.
"Because it's the closest place to where I was standing when I came up here," he responded in an ornery fashion. What he didn't know was that Tris had a pretty good idea of what he and Sandry had been doing.
"Oh, really," Tris said suspiciously.
"Yes, really," Briar said irritably. Tris was about to argue when she was interrupted by Daja emerging through the trap door.
"Niko is here," she informed them, "He's coming now." Sure enough, a moment later Niko was sitting on the rooftop with them. After he had said his hellos, he began to fill the four mages in on recent events.
"I have news that is both good and bad in itself," Niko told them. "Snakethread is, as Tris saw last week, able to send illusions to the Winding Circle without exact knowledge of where you are. He knows you will not stray outside the protection spells, but we have reason to believe he is making his way here. If he crosses into the range of the protection spells he will be able to find you. That, in itself, is bad news, but some good may come of it. Once he is within the spells, we will be able to track him with magic."
"But how will we know when he does?" Tris asked.
"That we have yet to find out," Niko answered. "But you four must constantly be on the alert. Try to go about your lives as normally as possible, but be careful. Now, as you know, the Duke's Midsummer ball will be next week. In Snakethread's eyes, it is the perfect time to sneak into the Winding Circle unnoticed. This event is in highest expectancy because all of the people in Emelan will be enjoying themselves. No one will think twice about him arriving."
"So you think he is going to come during the Midsummer Ball?" Sandry inquired.
"Yes, Sandry." Niko told her, "But we will be keeping an eye out for him so try not to worry." Sandry nodded, though she did not look comforted. Briar resisted the urge to hold her, knowing that he would at the very least get a lecture from Niko. He sank deep into thought before realizing that Niko was about to leave. After everyone else had left to roof, he figured he would finish his nap and stretched out in the sun, enjoying its warmth. Within moments he was asleep.
Briar awoke several hours later to cold drops of rain falling on his face. Sandry popped her head through the trap door and laughed softly at Briar, who looked bewildered. "You're not going to stay dry out here on the roof," she commented, plopping down next to him. He sat up and shivered. The rain had soaked him to the bone before he woke up. Sandry stood again. "Come on, Briar, you had better get inside before you catch a cold." Briar stood stiffly and followed Sandry inside.
After changing his soaking wet clothes he headed down to the main room to find his friends relaxing in separate corners. He chose the space nearest Sandry and decided he would actually crack open a book. He found it hard to concentrate with Sandry sitting right beside him so he left, heading for his room. Around an hour later there was a knock at his door and Sandry emerged. "Thought you could use a friend," she explained.
"Hmm?" he said, somewhat startled by her silent arrival.
"I said I thought you could use a friend," she repeated patiently.
"Why do you say that?" Briar commented?
"Because you have kept yourself cooped up in here for over an hour. It's not like you to be so reserved," Sandry reasoned, sitting on the bed next to him.
"I've got a lot on my mind," he said.
"Like what?" she asked. After a moment she looked up at him. "Briar . . .you aren't still thinking about him are you? You know you can't go after him, you'll get yourself killed."
"Shh, I'm not going after him," he told her, his voice warm and soothing. It was obvious Sandry was getting herself worked up over him and Briar didn't like that at all. He would rather be upset over her than have her upset because of him. He moved closer to her, so close that their shoulders were touching. He wrapped an arm around her and kissed her softly before gently assuring her that he would not be going after Snakethread alone. She seemed convinced, resting her head against his shoulder, but he didn't want to spoil the moment by making sure. Instead, Rosethorn's voice pierced the silence.
"Briar! Sandry! Get out here now!" she demanded.
"Another lecture," Briar joked before leading Sandry out of his room.
~*~*~Chapter Seven: News~*~*~
After that fateful day in Briar's room, he and Sandry would periodically meet each other's eyes, blush, look away, and busy themselves with whatever happened to be in their hands at the time. Everyone noticed, and by the end of the week had a fairly good idea of what was going on and pretended not to. Meanwhile, Briar and Sandry took much of their free time to be together in secret, without everyone knowing. They weren't sure what their friends, teachers, and apprentices would think and were somehow not interested in finding out. On that particular day, Briar found Sandry lying on the roof watching the clouds. He closed the trap door that opened onto the roof and sat next to her. Neither one said anything. They had not been so perfectly alone since their first kiss. Briar stretched and lay back, shifting so that he was on the trapdoor. 'That'll keep anyone from disturbing us,' he thought. Sandry slowly moved closer to him until she was no more than half a foot away.
Briar sighed and closed his eyes, beginning to fall asleep. The warm sun smiled down at them, increasing Briar's drowsiness. He opened his eyes a moment looked over at Sandry. He smiled gently at her and she again moved towards him, closing the gap between them. He wrapped his arm around her and she snuggled against him, laying her head on his chest. As she drifted into an easy sleep, Sandry turned onto her side and placed a delicate hand on his chest. Briar sighed and looked down at her, smiling at the innocence and serenity radiating from her face. As he slipped into a light slumber, the last thing he felt was the comfort of Sandry sleeping against him.
The two were woken by Tris's impatient mind voice. ~Briar, Sandry! Are you two up there?~ she asked. Searching the roof with her magic, Tris found the two directly above her. From the peacefulness of their magic, she figured they were sleeping . . .in a tangled heap. She tried again. ~BRIAR!~
Briar was startled awake by Tris's mind yell. He gently woke Sandry and they moved off the trap door and apart from each other, hoping Tris did not suspect anything. She emerged from below and glared at them. "Briar, WHY were you sitting on the trap door?" she demanded.
"Because it's the closest place to where I was standing when I came up here," he responded in an ornery fashion. What he didn't know was that Tris had a pretty good idea of what he and Sandry had been doing.
"Oh, really," Tris said suspiciously.
"Yes, really," Briar said irritably. Tris was about to argue when she was interrupted by Daja emerging through the trap door.
"Niko is here," she informed them, "He's coming now." Sure enough, a moment later Niko was sitting on the rooftop with them. After he had said his hellos, he began to fill the four mages in on recent events.
"I have news that is both good and bad in itself," Niko told them. "Snakethread is, as Tris saw last week, able to send illusions to the Winding Circle without exact knowledge of where you are. He knows you will not stray outside the protection spells, but we have reason to believe he is making his way here. If he crosses into the range of the protection spells he will be able to find you. That, in itself, is bad news, but some good may come of it. Once he is within the spells, we will be able to track him with magic."
"But how will we know when he does?" Tris asked.
"That we have yet to find out," Niko answered. "But you four must constantly be on the alert. Try to go about your lives as normally as possible, but be careful. Now, as you know, the Duke's Midsummer ball will be next week. In Snakethread's eyes, it is the perfect time to sneak into the Winding Circle unnoticed. This event is in highest expectancy because all of the people in Emelan will be enjoying themselves. No one will think twice about him arriving."
"So you think he is going to come during the Midsummer Ball?" Sandry inquired.
"Yes, Sandry." Niko told her, "But we will be keeping an eye out for him so try not to worry." Sandry nodded, though she did not look comforted. Briar resisted the urge to hold her, knowing that he would at the very least get a lecture from Niko. He sank deep into thought before realizing that Niko was about to leave. After everyone else had left to roof, he figured he would finish his nap and stretched out in the sun, enjoying its warmth. Within moments he was asleep.
Briar awoke several hours later to cold drops of rain falling on his face. Sandry popped her head through the trap door and laughed softly at Briar, who looked bewildered. "You're not going to stay dry out here on the roof," she commented, plopping down next to him. He sat up and shivered. The rain had soaked him to the bone before he woke up. Sandry stood again. "Come on, Briar, you had better get inside before you catch a cold." Briar stood stiffly and followed Sandry inside.
After changing his soaking wet clothes he headed down to the main room to find his friends relaxing in separate corners. He chose the space nearest Sandry and decided he would actually crack open a book. He found it hard to concentrate with Sandry sitting right beside him so he left, heading for his room. Around an hour later there was a knock at his door and Sandry emerged. "Thought you could use a friend," she explained.
"Hmm?" he said, somewhat startled by her silent arrival.
"I said I thought you could use a friend," she repeated patiently.
"Why do you say that?" Briar commented?
"Because you have kept yourself cooped up in here for over an hour. It's not like you to be so reserved," Sandry reasoned, sitting on the bed next to him.
"I've got a lot on my mind," he said.
"Like what?" she asked. After a moment she looked up at him. "Briar . . .you aren't still thinking about him are you? You know you can't go after him, you'll get yourself killed."
"Shh, I'm not going after him," he told her, his voice warm and soothing. It was obvious Sandry was getting herself worked up over him and Briar didn't like that at all. He would rather be upset over her than have her upset because of him. He moved closer to her, so close that their shoulders were touching. He wrapped an arm around her and kissed her softly before gently assuring her that he would not be going after Snakethread alone. She seemed convinced, resting her head against his shoulder, but he didn't want to spoil the moment by making sure. Instead, Rosethorn's voice pierced the silence.
"Briar! Sandry! Get out here now!" she demanded.
"Another lecture," Briar joked before leading Sandry out of his room.