Sa: HIII! I haven't been here in a long time. U wanna no y? –takes a deep breath- cos I lost me disk and couldn't find it and it had this all saved on it so I couldn't update untill I found it cos I had the chapter finished on the disk which I have now found which is good. –thinks a moment- Hi Panda! Sorry I had to keep u waiting, but now u no why I didn't update. Oh, and to everyone else, my computer is broken too so I get less time online because I use my sister's computer.

Helga: you are such an idiot sometimes

Sa: we are ALL idiots! Just like in my parody! Nico is Tina hahahahahahahahahahahahahaaaaaaa! –chokes- sorry…CHEEZITS!

Shawna: DISCLAIMER: Sa doesn't own any of Tamora Pierce's characters. She does, however, own Mian and Vinen Snakethread (who was killed in the first story).

Sa: AND HAYDEN! HAYDEN HAYDEN HAYDEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Shawna: -sighs- I'll never win…

Sa: -growls-

Shawna: ok, ok…Sa owns Hayden

Sa: -grins happily- thank you!

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The room was dark and dirty. Moss grew in the corners of the cold, crude stone floor. The place had a sense of foreboding about it. Something was evil about it, of that Briar was sure. But what? A noise around the corner startled him. Creeping along the wall, he peered into the larger room. There was a small man bustling about, muttering to himself. Briar knew that voice. It was Mian.

Briar probed with his magic, just a little. Something was quite different about Mian. Just then, Briar found exactly what the change in the small man was. He gasped. Mian had magic. Strong, dark, evil magic. A magic that had not been there before. Mian turned. He tilted his head a moment, thinking. Then he muttered a few words and threw a sizzling ball of magic at the spot where Briar hid. It hit him, and fiery pain shot through his body like a hundred red-hot knives.

Briar sat up in bed, drenched with sweat and shaking, even in the warm summer night. Taking a few deep gulps of air, he relaxed a little and tried to go back to sleep. After half an hour had gone by, he figured he wouldn't fall back asleep. Dressing swiftly and silently, he crept outside and sat in the middle of the garden, surrounded by the familiar calm of the plants. It was soothing to him. That dream had been so real, almost as if it really happened. And the burning pain he had felt…was that real too? He couldn't be sure.

Absently, Briar heard the creak of Discipline's front door and the soft rustle of someone walking in the grass. He didn't pay much attention to it, hoping that whoever it was wouldn't see him in his nervous state. He had no such luck. "Briar? Is that you?" a soft whisper penetrated the silence.

"Yeah, its me," he replied.

"You weren't in your room," Sandry said, settling herself beside him. "I figured you'd come out here."

"You guessed right," Briar said, smiling slightly.

"You had another nightmare, didn't you?" she asked

"It was nothing, really."

"What was it about?"

"Mian. He had magic. Really powerful magic."

"But that's impossible. You don't just get magic like that. He didn't have it before, so how could he have it now?"

"I don't know…but it was just a dream. Nothing to get upset about." Briar did his best to sound reassuring.

"Briar," Sandry said gently, "if it's nothing to be upset about, why are you shaking?"

"I'll be fine," Briar said. Sandry obviously didn't believe him. "Really, I will," he insisted. Briar wrapped his arms around Sandry and pulled her tightly against him, more to reassure himself than her. Sandry sensed Briar's discontent and took one of his hands in hers, steadying him. Briar felt a small drop of water hit his face. He looked up into the sky and saw rain clouds crowding the sky. "We should go inside," he said, standing slowly. Once back inside Discipline, Briar retreated to his room. Sandry entered her own room, deciding that time alone was what Briar needed to sort out his thoughts.

Morning came slowly. No one really wanted to be awake, Briar least of all. He was miserably exhausted, having spent nearly the whole night worrying about his dream. Tris was impatient with him, making it all too clear that his lack of attentiveness was getting on her nerves. Daja was indifferent, much more concerned about her promise to help Frostpine in the smithy and the fact that she was already late. Briar made his way back to his room, mumbling something about not feeling well. He closed his door and fell onto his bed. Ignoring his pounding headache, he forced himself to fall asleep.

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Sandry wandered about the house aimlessly. There was nothing to do. Tris was reading, Daja had gone to Frostpine's smithy over an hour ago, and Briar had disappeared into his room. She assumed he was asleep and didn't want to disturb him. Wandering into Lark's workroom, she found her teacher working intently. Finally, Sandry picked up a book and curled up in a chair and tried to read. She found herself pondering Briar's dream instead. Why was it that he was so upset? She would almost go so far as to think he was downright terrified. She was startled out of her thoughts by Little Bear, who was barking frantically at Evvy as she unlatched the door and let him outside while the rain was slow. Sandry smiled slightly, noticing Pasco hovering close behind her. She sighed, remembering when she and her friends had been so oblivious and carefree. It was different now.

Soft footfalls alerted Sandry of someone approaching her from behind. It was Rosethorn. "Sandry, go wake Briar. Then the two of you go get Daja. Niko will be here soon and he'd like to talk to the four of you." Sandry nodded and headed towards Briar's room. She knocked, and slowly crept inside when he didn't answer. Briar was asleep. Sandry sat on the edge of his bed and laid a gentle hand on his arm.

"Briar," she whispered. "Briar, wake up."

"Hmm?" Briar mumbled incoherently and slowly opened his eyes.

"Rosethorn wants us to get Daja from the smithy," she told him.

"I'm getting up," he said, not moving at all.

"Meet me in the kitchen in ten minutes." Sandry leaned down and kissed his cheek and left him to wake up, hoping that he wouldn't just roll over and fall back asleep. Ten minutes later he walked into the kitchen, yawning and rubbing his eyes, but looking better than he had earlier. They walked out into the light drizzle and headed for the smithy in silence. He didn't say so, but Sandry knew by Briar's grave expression that he was thinking or his dream. She couldn't help but wonder if maybe his dream was real, like those they'd had of Snakethread. Briar was the first to get the dreams then as well. She was worried about him. Nothing ever effected Briar so negatively. Sandry could only hope that he would soon forget about the dream and that things would be normal at Discipline once again.