The last chapter was way too much fun. I want to explain a few details. I
got a few questions along the lines of 'WHERE WAS DAINE?' Well, as in real
life, not everyone can be around for all events. It would be unrealistic
of me to imply that Daine had a hand in every single part of the story.
Besides, this story is not JUST about Daine. (Well, ok. It is about
Daine, but not completely.) Nevertheless, do not fret, my pets; I promise
she is in this chapter. Secondly, I want to make-sure every one pays close
attention to the details of the last chapter before reading this one.
Because I am sure, you will be surprised. Hehehe.
Also, if you would like to see a picture of the 'GREAT ME', send me an email at bebrandes@smcm.edu (that would be my College address) and I'll send you a pic. Cool? Cool!
Hoppuschick182: My evilness is far greater than yours is. *Wicked laugh*
Ok enjoy the chapter. Karigan.
Complications
Chapter 9
'The Interrogation'
By: Karigan
"SIT!" ordered Alanna as she placed the girl in a chair. "And don't even think of trying to pull a stunt like that again!" She was practically seething with irritation. She looked at the four guards in the room. "You four, watch her. Don't take your eyes off her. Don't let her even get out of that chair. I'll be right back." She stomped out the door of the small windowless room, holding a thin container of ice to her shoulder. Outside, stood Numair, Buri, and Raul. "Where is Onua?"
"She went to find Daine. She should be back shortly," answered Numair.
"Alanna, what in the name of Shakith just happened?" Buri questioned.
"That's what I would like to know." They all turned their heads at the new voice. Jonathan walked up to them with Onua, who was holding a cloth of ice similar to Alanna's to her jaw, Daine and Kitten on his heals. "Why don't you fill me in, because you five have turned my palace upside down in a matter of minutes?"
They told their story, each filling in their own story throughout the events of the last hour. Daine looked at them as if they were crazy, trying desperately not to laugh. Jonathan looked thoughtful at first, but then broke out into a chuckle. Soon he was laughing loudly. The five Tortallans, not at all amused by the king's reaction, glared at him. "I would have given my throne to have been able to see that."
"I fail to see the humor in my having almost broken my shoulder when that little brat plowed into me!" Alanna said through clenched teeth.
"She's just a child Alanna." Daine said quietly.
"That CHILD kicked me in the face!" snapped Onua.
"All right, all right. Everyone calm down. Let us talk to her and hear what she has to say." Onua and Alanna decided to leave, because they were to angry to think rationally. Raoul and Buri didn't have much to say either; they had just been part of the duck hunt.
Jonathan, Numair, Daine and Kitten walked into the heavily guarded room. The room completely stripped of furniture, void the one chair the girl was sitting in grumpily glowed steadily by four torches. "Excuse us." The king said to the four guards without taking his eyes off the girl. They quickly exited. "Daine?"
Daine looked at the girl closely. She had the most brilliantly red hair Daine had ever seen. It reached down to her waist in a silky thin waterfall. Pale blue eyes stared at the floor in stubbornness. The girl's skin, the little she could see, was almost white. 'How long has it been since she's seen the color of day?' She wore worn brown leather gloves, white tunic and brown breeches and boots. "It's her," she stated.
The girl's eyes jumped up at the sound of Daine's voice, recognition shone momentarily and then something akin to guilt clouded her eyes for a second before she focused on the little dragon next to Daine. Her eyes grew huge again and she tucked her feet under her as if getting ready to jump at the smallest hint the dragon would step forward.
"Kitten, why don't you go as well? It seems you make the young lady nervous." Kitten grumbled as she sulked out, confused about being made to leave. "What is your name?" Jonathan asked kindly. The girl seemed to shift uncomfortably before looking up at him.
"I cannot tell you." Daine thought her voice had a melodic ring to it. Soft yet clear. Moreover, an accent. Not the typical common accent of the streets; it had a foreign sound to it. Her words almost blended they were spoken so richly.
"Why not?" The king continued not fazed.
A shrug was the only response.
The King decided to get right to the point. "Did you steal the Rubian scrolls?" They girl's eyes shifted to the side nervously. She swallowed uneasily and shifted yet again. "I see. Correct me if I am wrong my dear, but I am going to assume that is a 'yes'. Therefore, my next question is going to stem from that assumption. Are you the person that has been breaking into the mages wing for the last year and a half?" She took a deep breath in contemplation; and with the tiniest amount of movement, nodded.
The confession made, Jonathan lowered himself so he was at eye level with the girl. "Why?" Daine remembered the first time she had seen the King; she had practically fallen over her feet to please him. It was a reaction ALL women and girls had to his amazing blue eyes. This girl however, didn't seem to have that reaction. She stared strait at him for a few moments. She seemed to be weighing her options. She opened her mouth to answer and then with some sudden realization snapped it shut. The king furrowed his brow quizzically. Her eyes looked around the room and then landed back on the King. She opened her mouth again, but no words came out. She exhaled roughly and then tears of frustration began to rim around her eyes.
It dawned upon Daine that this girl was afraid. "There's nothing to be afraid of." "What is frightening you?" she asked soothingly.
"Do you listen well?" she asked the king directly.
"I beg your pardon?"
"Do you listen well?"
"Yes - I have learned to pay very close attention to everything people say. It is a good quality I believe."
"Yes." She looked away casually, as if having a casual conversation. "I know lots of people who listen well." The king looked a bit lost. Numair and Daine had a similar look crossing their faces. The red head lifted her eyes to the king; she gave a stare meant to send a message loud and clear. "I know people who listen VERY well."
The Kings eyes widened the tinniest bit in realization. "NUMAIR!" Numair had gotten the message loud and clear, too. Black power sprung from his hands and flew to the corners of the room. It spread and covered the walls and door. Daine felt rather silly. She hadn't understood what the girl was getting at; but when Numair sealed the room so no one could listen in, she realized the girl had been afraid of someone listening to her talk.
The King was furious. A listening spell in HIS castle! He did not like feeling as if he could not have a private discussion in his own castle. He took a deep breath, controlling himself. He looked at the girl. "No one can hear what we say now."
The girl looked thoughtful for a moment; and then she let it all loose. "You're not supposed to put us in cages!" she suddenly bellowed, startling them all. "You're supposed to be nice to us. And we are nice back. And we need sun, too! 'I' need sun! We're not slaves you know! If I had just stayed close to my mama like I was supposed to, none of this would have happened! I wouldn't be away from home! I wouldn't have been dragged across the dessert! I wouldn't be hurting people! I wouldn't be taking things that weren't mine to take! And most of all I wouldn't be HERE!" Her last words had come out in a screech of anger.
All three of them recoiled. After recovering from the verbal blow, Jonathan thought, with amusement, that this spit fire of a girl sounded and acted a lot like a certain Lioness of his; with a temper to match.
Numair simply stared at the now red-faced girl. He was confused, to say the least. They had never even seen her before today and she was blaming them. His interest peaked however, with the sound that came out of her mouth at the end of her rant. Had he heard a hawk-like shriek come out of that girl's mouth?
The girl exhaled and sat back in the chair in resignation. "I just want to go home," she said with a quivering voice.
Sympathy filled Daine's heart. She opened her mouth to ask the girl a question when her eyes caught sight of something. The breeches around the girl's left ankle had been soaked through with blood. "Your HURT!" she blurted out. Jonathan and Numair looked at the girl with wide eyes, searching her body for evidence of harm. Daine kneeled down in front of the girl and picked her foot up carefully. "What happened?"
"Oh that? Don't worry. It will stop bleeding eventually. It always dose."
"No reason letting it keep bleeding," retorted Daine.
"Does it not hurt?" asked the king with furrowed brows.
Daine was unlacing her boots to see the wound better. "I don't feel it anymore. I don't know if it's just because my ankles are numb or because it's just a familiar feeling now. I would rather think that it's just a familiar feeling; I don't like the idea of loosing feeling in my legs. When he first put them on, I couldn't walk for a month, it hurt so badly."
"What in the Goddess' name are you talking about?" Jonathan questioned. He didn't have time to get an answer. He looked down at Daine's gasp. Daine had pushed the boot down slightly and then rolled up the girls breeches. Numair and Jonathan blanched noticeably at what they saw. Around the girl's ankle was a thick metal band. The edges curved so that it dug into her flesh. By the looks of it, it had been there for a while. Her skin seemed to have grown around the offending metal in attempts to adapt. The scaring around the band indicated that it had been attached quickly and forcefully. Jon didn't want to think about how much it had had to hurt when first attached. It had probably bled for days. It was currently oozing blood on the inside of her ankle. Onua had said she grabbed on to her foot. 'It probably caught wrong and ripped the skin again' he thought. Then he thought of something else. Had she said 'Ankles?' He reached for her other foot and pushed up her breeches. There around the other ankle was an identical metal band. This one however, seemed slightly less irritated and was not bleeding; but that was the only good thing about the sight. It made him want to throw up.
"Who put those on you?" Numair asked.
"I don't know his name. It's how he makes me do things I don't want to do. Regular magic doesn't work on me; not unless it touches my blood. And I can't get to far away from him or they get real tight." The small girl was close to tears again. Every so often she gave a small sniffle.
"I'm confused," stated Daine. "You kept saying 'us'. We didn't do this to you.
"I meant 'you' as in all of you. Your kind." Her lip started to tremble as she prepared herself for saying something else. "He promised if I did the things he asked he would take these bands off. He said I could go back home and be me again. He said I wouldn't have to look like this anymore." She gestured at herself.
Daine and Jonathan were desperately trying to put the pieces together. What did she mean by their kind? And look like what? A girl? She WAS a girl. And why would anyone imprison a child? It didn't make sense.
"What do you mean by our 'kind'?" asked the king.
Numair was looking at the young girl intensely. It couldn't possibly be what he was thinking, could it? He hadn't connected all the dots yet, so he could form a complete picture. But what he was thinking was completely baffling him. If he guessed correctly, the petty little thefts this girl had been committing were the very tip of the iceberg. It would mean that this situation went far deeper than they had imagined. He didn't know how or why, but suddenly he was depressingly sure of what she had meant.
"Human." He said quietly.
"What?" Daine's nose scrunched up in confusion.
"She means humans. He turned her into a human." He knelt in front of her and took a gloved hand. He pulled gently but firmly. When it fell away to reveal her slender hand, he closed his eyes; he had been right.
Silver nails.
To be continued
Duhn duhn DUHHHHHNNN!
Hope you like it. Let me know what you think. Thanks, Karigan
Also, if you would like to see a picture of the 'GREAT ME', send me an email at bebrandes@smcm.edu (that would be my College address) and I'll send you a pic. Cool? Cool!
Hoppuschick182: My evilness is far greater than yours is. *Wicked laugh*
Ok enjoy the chapter. Karigan.
Complications
Chapter 9
'The Interrogation'
By: Karigan
"SIT!" ordered Alanna as she placed the girl in a chair. "And don't even think of trying to pull a stunt like that again!" She was practically seething with irritation. She looked at the four guards in the room. "You four, watch her. Don't take your eyes off her. Don't let her even get out of that chair. I'll be right back." She stomped out the door of the small windowless room, holding a thin container of ice to her shoulder. Outside, stood Numair, Buri, and Raul. "Where is Onua?"
"She went to find Daine. She should be back shortly," answered Numair.
"Alanna, what in the name of Shakith just happened?" Buri questioned.
"That's what I would like to know." They all turned their heads at the new voice. Jonathan walked up to them with Onua, who was holding a cloth of ice similar to Alanna's to her jaw, Daine and Kitten on his heals. "Why don't you fill me in, because you five have turned my palace upside down in a matter of minutes?"
They told their story, each filling in their own story throughout the events of the last hour. Daine looked at them as if they were crazy, trying desperately not to laugh. Jonathan looked thoughtful at first, but then broke out into a chuckle. Soon he was laughing loudly. The five Tortallans, not at all amused by the king's reaction, glared at him. "I would have given my throne to have been able to see that."
"I fail to see the humor in my having almost broken my shoulder when that little brat plowed into me!" Alanna said through clenched teeth.
"She's just a child Alanna." Daine said quietly.
"That CHILD kicked me in the face!" snapped Onua.
"All right, all right. Everyone calm down. Let us talk to her and hear what she has to say." Onua and Alanna decided to leave, because they were to angry to think rationally. Raoul and Buri didn't have much to say either; they had just been part of the duck hunt.
Jonathan, Numair, Daine and Kitten walked into the heavily guarded room. The room completely stripped of furniture, void the one chair the girl was sitting in grumpily glowed steadily by four torches. "Excuse us." The king said to the four guards without taking his eyes off the girl. They quickly exited. "Daine?"
Daine looked at the girl closely. She had the most brilliantly red hair Daine had ever seen. It reached down to her waist in a silky thin waterfall. Pale blue eyes stared at the floor in stubbornness. The girl's skin, the little she could see, was almost white. 'How long has it been since she's seen the color of day?' She wore worn brown leather gloves, white tunic and brown breeches and boots. "It's her," she stated.
The girl's eyes jumped up at the sound of Daine's voice, recognition shone momentarily and then something akin to guilt clouded her eyes for a second before she focused on the little dragon next to Daine. Her eyes grew huge again and she tucked her feet under her as if getting ready to jump at the smallest hint the dragon would step forward.
"Kitten, why don't you go as well? It seems you make the young lady nervous." Kitten grumbled as she sulked out, confused about being made to leave. "What is your name?" Jonathan asked kindly. The girl seemed to shift uncomfortably before looking up at him.
"I cannot tell you." Daine thought her voice had a melodic ring to it. Soft yet clear. Moreover, an accent. Not the typical common accent of the streets; it had a foreign sound to it. Her words almost blended they were spoken so richly.
"Why not?" The king continued not fazed.
A shrug was the only response.
The King decided to get right to the point. "Did you steal the Rubian scrolls?" They girl's eyes shifted to the side nervously. She swallowed uneasily and shifted yet again. "I see. Correct me if I am wrong my dear, but I am going to assume that is a 'yes'. Therefore, my next question is going to stem from that assumption. Are you the person that has been breaking into the mages wing for the last year and a half?" She took a deep breath in contemplation; and with the tiniest amount of movement, nodded.
The confession made, Jonathan lowered himself so he was at eye level with the girl. "Why?" Daine remembered the first time she had seen the King; she had practically fallen over her feet to please him. It was a reaction ALL women and girls had to his amazing blue eyes. This girl however, didn't seem to have that reaction. She stared strait at him for a few moments. She seemed to be weighing her options. She opened her mouth to answer and then with some sudden realization snapped it shut. The king furrowed his brow quizzically. Her eyes looked around the room and then landed back on the King. She opened her mouth again, but no words came out. She exhaled roughly and then tears of frustration began to rim around her eyes.
It dawned upon Daine that this girl was afraid. "There's nothing to be afraid of." "What is frightening you?" she asked soothingly.
"Do you listen well?" she asked the king directly.
"I beg your pardon?"
"Do you listen well?"
"Yes - I have learned to pay very close attention to everything people say. It is a good quality I believe."
"Yes." She looked away casually, as if having a casual conversation. "I know lots of people who listen well." The king looked a bit lost. Numair and Daine had a similar look crossing their faces. The red head lifted her eyes to the king; she gave a stare meant to send a message loud and clear. "I know people who listen VERY well."
The Kings eyes widened the tinniest bit in realization. "NUMAIR!" Numair had gotten the message loud and clear, too. Black power sprung from his hands and flew to the corners of the room. It spread and covered the walls and door. Daine felt rather silly. She hadn't understood what the girl was getting at; but when Numair sealed the room so no one could listen in, she realized the girl had been afraid of someone listening to her talk.
The King was furious. A listening spell in HIS castle! He did not like feeling as if he could not have a private discussion in his own castle. He took a deep breath, controlling himself. He looked at the girl. "No one can hear what we say now."
The girl looked thoughtful for a moment; and then she let it all loose. "You're not supposed to put us in cages!" she suddenly bellowed, startling them all. "You're supposed to be nice to us. And we are nice back. And we need sun, too! 'I' need sun! We're not slaves you know! If I had just stayed close to my mama like I was supposed to, none of this would have happened! I wouldn't be away from home! I wouldn't have been dragged across the dessert! I wouldn't be hurting people! I wouldn't be taking things that weren't mine to take! And most of all I wouldn't be HERE!" Her last words had come out in a screech of anger.
All three of them recoiled. After recovering from the verbal blow, Jonathan thought, with amusement, that this spit fire of a girl sounded and acted a lot like a certain Lioness of his; with a temper to match.
Numair simply stared at the now red-faced girl. He was confused, to say the least. They had never even seen her before today and she was blaming them. His interest peaked however, with the sound that came out of her mouth at the end of her rant. Had he heard a hawk-like shriek come out of that girl's mouth?
The girl exhaled and sat back in the chair in resignation. "I just want to go home," she said with a quivering voice.
Sympathy filled Daine's heart. She opened her mouth to ask the girl a question when her eyes caught sight of something. The breeches around the girl's left ankle had been soaked through with blood. "Your HURT!" she blurted out. Jonathan and Numair looked at the girl with wide eyes, searching her body for evidence of harm. Daine kneeled down in front of the girl and picked her foot up carefully. "What happened?"
"Oh that? Don't worry. It will stop bleeding eventually. It always dose."
"No reason letting it keep bleeding," retorted Daine.
"Does it not hurt?" asked the king with furrowed brows.
Daine was unlacing her boots to see the wound better. "I don't feel it anymore. I don't know if it's just because my ankles are numb or because it's just a familiar feeling now. I would rather think that it's just a familiar feeling; I don't like the idea of loosing feeling in my legs. When he first put them on, I couldn't walk for a month, it hurt so badly."
"What in the Goddess' name are you talking about?" Jonathan questioned. He didn't have time to get an answer. He looked down at Daine's gasp. Daine had pushed the boot down slightly and then rolled up the girls breeches. Numair and Jonathan blanched noticeably at what they saw. Around the girl's ankle was a thick metal band. The edges curved so that it dug into her flesh. By the looks of it, it had been there for a while. Her skin seemed to have grown around the offending metal in attempts to adapt. The scaring around the band indicated that it had been attached quickly and forcefully. Jon didn't want to think about how much it had had to hurt when first attached. It had probably bled for days. It was currently oozing blood on the inside of her ankle. Onua had said she grabbed on to her foot. 'It probably caught wrong and ripped the skin again' he thought. Then he thought of something else. Had she said 'Ankles?' He reached for her other foot and pushed up her breeches. There around the other ankle was an identical metal band. This one however, seemed slightly less irritated and was not bleeding; but that was the only good thing about the sight. It made him want to throw up.
"Who put those on you?" Numair asked.
"I don't know his name. It's how he makes me do things I don't want to do. Regular magic doesn't work on me; not unless it touches my blood. And I can't get to far away from him or they get real tight." The small girl was close to tears again. Every so often she gave a small sniffle.
"I'm confused," stated Daine. "You kept saying 'us'. We didn't do this to you.
"I meant 'you' as in all of you. Your kind." Her lip started to tremble as she prepared herself for saying something else. "He promised if I did the things he asked he would take these bands off. He said I could go back home and be me again. He said I wouldn't have to look like this anymore." She gestured at herself.
Daine and Jonathan were desperately trying to put the pieces together. What did she mean by their kind? And look like what? A girl? She WAS a girl. And why would anyone imprison a child? It didn't make sense.
"What do you mean by our 'kind'?" asked the king.
Numair was looking at the young girl intensely. It couldn't possibly be what he was thinking, could it? He hadn't connected all the dots yet, so he could form a complete picture. But what he was thinking was completely baffling him. If he guessed correctly, the petty little thefts this girl had been committing were the very tip of the iceberg. It would mean that this situation went far deeper than they had imagined. He didn't know how or why, but suddenly he was depressingly sure of what she had meant.
"Human." He said quietly.
"What?" Daine's nose scrunched up in confusion.
"She means humans. He turned her into a human." He knelt in front of her and took a gloved hand. He pulled gently but firmly. When it fell away to reveal her slender hand, he closed his eyes; he had been right.
Silver nails.
To be continued
Duhn duhn DUHHHHHNNN!
Hope you like it. Let me know what you think. Thanks, Karigan