Chapter 20. The rest of the third day and some of the fourth.
Kel didn't recognise her surroundings, she was in a large plot of land with
long grass and pretty bunches of brightly coloured flowers everywhere. The
sky was bright blue and no clouds could be seen. Rabbits, cats, dogs and
loads of other animals were running happily round the grass. When Kel
appeared they all came and started playing around her and sitting on her
lap. Kel waited, nothing happened, she could hear nothing but the animals
around her. "These godsdamned dreams!" she muttered "I feel like snow
white!" after about ten minutes of waiting for something to happen she lost
her temper. "Well c'mon, who's going to come at me this time?! Come out and
talk to me, aren't you supposed to be showing me something or be helping me
somehow?!" she yelled out loud.
"Patience, Keladry of Mindelan. I do not come when I am wanted by someone, I come when I feel like it. Nobody bosses me around." She heard that familiar, stern but kind voice in her head. "Well? Could you tell me what I'm here for?" she asked. "You are getting careless Keladry; you went out riding alone when you know someone is trying to assassinate you. Just think what would have happened if Numair Salmalin hadn't walked in to save your dummy from being shot." The voice said. "Yeah well, what was I supposed to do? How would I know that Joren was trying to kill me? And by the way, where am I???" she asked. "You know that Joren of Stone Mountain has always had a grudge against you, you should not have let him near anyone who is close to you and doesn't know how bad he is. And you are in a different world to the one you were in when I last met you. You are now in my world. You shall go now Keladry of Mindelan, but remember; patience and caution, you need those two things. Goodbye until our next meeting Keladry. The world around her was fading, she was getting dizzy, and.she woke up.
Someone's face swam above her, as she became more focused she recognised it as Duke Baird's, the realm's chief healer and Neal's father. She sat up, "What's going on? Why am I here?" she asked. She saw that she had been asleep on her own bed and that Lalasa was hovering around Duke Baird asking if he needed anything and if Kel would be alright. She looked round her room and saw to her amazement that in the corner sat."Lioness!" she gasped. Alanna looked up and smiled at her. "Nice to see you've come back to us! You've given us quite a shock Kel!" she said. "For a moment we feared the worst, but luckily it's only your arm that's hurt and with my healing and Baird's it will be better in no time." She added. "I don't understand, what happened? All I can remember is an arrow going into my arm and hearing someone shout my name!" Kel said, looking down at her left arm which was bound tight with a bandage, white for healing and spells of healing were written upon it. Also.get well soon was written in runes on it! That was extremely unusual! "My nephew Dom insisted that he would write that on it for you! (Dom has the gift in my story!)" Said the duke smiling when he saw what Kel was staring at. "In fact it was his voice that you heard behind you. Apparently he saw you were riding and decided to go after you so you two could chat but he had to catch up though and was behind you when you were shot. He was able to put a protective shield around you so if whoever tried to shoot you decided to try and do it again, their arrow would rebound off the shield and you would be safe. But whoever it was decided to escape and were long gone before we could get anyone down there" he added.
"Also my son has been hovering around your room waiting for you to get up! He's in an awful state at the moment, he's going on about some fight you two have had or something like that, I can't really get him to make any sense!" Kel's eyes brightened, "Neal! Really, he.he was worried?!" she asked a bit shyly, "Huh that's putting it lightly! I think he was contemplating throwing himself off Balors Needle!" he replied jokingly, naming the highest tower in the palace. Kel shivered, she hated that place! "When can I get up? When will I be healed?!" she asked him, desperate to see Neal. "Duke Baird and Lady Alanna say that you'll be fine by tomorrow for the ball and the feast; don't you worry." Lalasa squealed, she had obviously been very worried about her friend. "Can't I get up now?" Kel pleaded. The duke shook his head with a twinkle in his eye, "It's better to wait until you are fully healed just to not take any chances. Your dinner will be brought to your room but you must stay in bed and relax." "Well.can I see Neal?" Kel asked him hopefully. "Kel, really, you'll see him tomorrow, you can wait!" How could Kel tell him that she couldn't wait, she had to see him and apologise to him.
She slept well that night and woke up the next morning feeling refreshed and in great spirits. Lalasa came in with the water for a bath and Kel spent half an hour in the tub planning what she would say to Neal when she saw him. When Kel was reaching for her bath robe she saw a glimpse of whiteness coming from the window. She ran over to it and gasped out loud. Everything was covered with a thick blanket of snow; there was frost on the window panes and ice glittering all around her. It looked like.oh she didn't know what it looked like except that it was wonderful and she had never seen a sight like it before in her whole life. She dressed quickly and pestered Lalasa for a while about what she was supposed to be wearing to the ball. When she finally gave up she wandered outside and into the gardens where hundreds of gardeners and servants were preparing the place for tonight's ball. The ball was to be the grandest ball in the history of Tortall and Kel had no doubts that it would be.
She was walking around one of the small courtyards when she bumped into someone. She looked up and found to her great pleasure that it was Dom. "Forgive me m'lady!" Dom said with a bow and made to walk on. "Dom!" Kel called after him with a puzzled expression on her face. Neal's older cousin froze and turned around slowly. When he saw Kel his look was one of great astonishment. "Kel???" he exclaimed, "Kel! I thought you were a Yamani lady! Did.did you put colours in your hair?" he asked. Kel frowned at him; she knew that the colours he was talking about were what her sisters and sister in-laws called hair-dye. She was wondering what on earth Dom meant by it when her friend added, "It's all gone black!" Kel was starting to worry that Dom had gone crazy when a strand of her hair fell in front of her face. She gave a strangled gasp, he was right! The hair was jet black! "Mighty Mithros!" she muttered. A quick jog back to her bedroom with Dom right behind her and she was standing in front of her floor-length mirror with an astounded Lalasa and a thoroughly amused Dom behind her. Her hair was jet black all over and she could have bumped into her own mother who would have thought she was a Yamani. She could easily have been mistaken for one of the ladies who came over to Tortall with Chis and the rest of the Yamani royal family. Kel sat down heavily on the bed, stunned into silence. "I need to talk to Numair." She said finally.
Numair Salmalin, Tortall's most powerful mage, was in his workroom when Kel knocked on the door. Numair was very tall with long black hair tied back and was very absentminded. He was also Daine, Tortall's only wildmage's husband. Daine was only six years older than Kel but Numair was in his mid thirties. He knew Kel because she was a great friend of Daine's and he welcomed her warmly, with only a glance at her different coloured hair. He brought Kel into his sitting room where Daine was tending a palace cat's broken foot. She hugged Kel in welcome then all three people sat down. Kel explained what had happened and asked Numair if he could check if magic had been put upon her. The great mage looked deep inside of her and after a while looked up at her and shook his head gravely. "Kel.this may come as a shock to you but-" "I know I know.I have the gift." Kel interrupted tiredly. Numair nodded, "And it's stopping me from being able to tell if magic has been placed upon you. I'm sorry. By the way, how did you find out you have the gift?" he asked. Kel explained all about Catile and how she had no idea that she had the gift until the night when he told her to look inside herself.
When she had finished Numair said, "What are you going to do about it? If nobody can teach you and your gift is so powerful then people will say when you become a knight that you used magic to help you get your shield." Kel started, she hadn't thought of that before. She thought for a while, then said firmly, "I won't tell anyone until I've become a knight-if I pass my ordeal-that I've got the gift, and I can say that I only just realised it." Numair and Daine agreed that it was the only thing she would be able to do without arousing suspicions. Kel went back to her bedroom after that and sat for a while, thinking about the coming ball. In just four hours, she would be serving dinner at the feast in her Yamani dress and shortly after that she would be at the ball in the dress that Lalasa wouldn't show her until she was ready to get dressed. All her thoughts were buzzing around in her head and making her dizzy. Soon she was drifting off to sleep.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Okay I haven't updated this story since sometime last year but I've started writing it again and I hope you all enjoyed that chapter. Please REVIEW! I'll try and put up the next chapter soon. Oh and also I've started a circle of magic fanfic if anyone who likes the circle of magic wants to read it. It's called The Flames of Time. Well anyway, Bye!
"Patience, Keladry of Mindelan. I do not come when I am wanted by someone, I come when I feel like it. Nobody bosses me around." She heard that familiar, stern but kind voice in her head. "Well? Could you tell me what I'm here for?" she asked. "You are getting careless Keladry; you went out riding alone when you know someone is trying to assassinate you. Just think what would have happened if Numair Salmalin hadn't walked in to save your dummy from being shot." The voice said. "Yeah well, what was I supposed to do? How would I know that Joren was trying to kill me? And by the way, where am I???" she asked. "You know that Joren of Stone Mountain has always had a grudge against you, you should not have let him near anyone who is close to you and doesn't know how bad he is. And you are in a different world to the one you were in when I last met you. You are now in my world. You shall go now Keladry of Mindelan, but remember; patience and caution, you need those two things. Goodbye until our next meeting Keladry. The world around her was fading, she was getting dizzy, and.she woke up.
Someone's face swam above her, as she became more focused she recognised it as Duke Baird's, the realm's chief healer and Neal's father. She sat up, "What's going on? Why am I here?" she asked. She saw that she had been asleep on her own bed and that Lalasa was hovering around Duke Baird asking if he needed anything and if Kel would be alright. She looked round her room and saw to her amazement that in the corner sat."Lioness!" she gasped. Alanna looked up and smiled at her. "Nice to see you've come back to us! You've given us quite a shock Kel!" she said. "For a moment we feared the worst, but luckily it's only your arm that's hurt and with my healing and Baird's it will be better in no time." She added. "I don't understand, what happened? All I can remember is an arrow going into my arm and hearing someone shout my name!" Kel said, looking down at her left arm which was bound tight with a bandage, white for healing and spells of healing were written upon it. Also.get well soon was written in runes on it! That was extremely unusual! "My nephew Dom insisted that he would write that on it for you! (Dom has the gift in my story!)" Said the duke smiling when he saw what Kel was staring at. "In fact it was his voice that you heard behind you. Apparently he saw you were riding and decided to go after you so you two could chat but he had to catch up though and was behind you when you were shot. He was able to put a protective shield around you so if whoever tried to shoot you decided to try and do it again, their arrow would rebound off the shield and you would be safe. But whoever it was decided to escape and were long gone before we could get anyone down there" he added.
"Also my son has been hovering around your room waiting for you to get up! He's in an awful state at the moment, he's going on about some fight you two have had or something like that, I can't really get him to make any sense!" Kel's eyes brightened, "Neal! Really, he.he was worried?!" she asked a bit shyly, "Huh that's putting it lightly! I think he was contemplating throwing himself off Balors Needle!" he replied jokingly, naming the highest tower in the palace. Kel shivered, she hated that place! "When can I get up? When will I be healed?!" she asked him, desperate to see Neal. "Duke Baird and Lady Alanna say that you'll be fine by tomorrow for the ball and the feast; don't you worry." Lalasa squealed, she had obviously been very worried about her friend. "Can't I get up now?" Kel pleaded. The duke shook his head with a twinkle in his eye, "It's better to wait until you are fully healed just to not take any chances. Your dinner will be brought to your room but you must stay in bed and relax." "Well.can I see Neal?" Kel asked him hopefully. "Kel, really, you'll see him tomorrow, you can wait!" How could Kel tell him that she couldn't wait, she had to see him and apologise to him.
She slept well that night and woke up the next morning feeling refreshed and in great spirits. Lalasa came in with the water for a bath and Kel spent half an hour in the tub planning what she would say to Neal when she saw him. When Kel was reaching for her bath robe she saw a glimpse of whiteness coming from the window. She ran over to it and gasped out loud. Everything was covered with a thick blanket of snow; there was frost on the window panes and ice glittering all around her. It looked like.oh she didn't know what it looked like except that it was wonderful and she had never seen a sight like it before in her whole life. She dressed quickly and pestered Lalasa for a while about what she was supposed to be wearing to the ball. When she finally gave up she wandered outside and into the gardens where hundreds of gardeners and servants were preparing the place for tonight's ball. The ball was to be the grandest ball in the history of Tortall and Kel had no doubts that it would be.
She was walking around one of the small courtyards when she bumped into someone. She looked up and found to her great pleasure that it was Dom. "Forgive me m'lady!" Dom said with a bow and made to walk on. "Dom!" Kel called after him with a puzzled expression on her face. Neal's older cousin froze and turned around slowly. When he saw Kel his look was one of great astonishment. "Kel???" he exclaimed, "Kel! I thought you were a Yamani lady! Did.did you put colours in your hair?" he asked. Kel frowned at him; she knew that the colours he was talking about were what her sisters and sister in-laws called hair-dye. She was wondering what on earth Dom meant by it when her friend added, "It's all gone black!" Kel was starting to worry that Dom had gone crazy when a strand of her hair fell in front of her face. She gave a strangled gasp, he was right! The hair was jet black! "Mighty Mithros!" she muttered. A quick jog back to her bedroom with Dom right behind her and she was standing in front of her floor-length mirror with an astounded Lalasa and a thoroughly amused Dom behind her. Her hair was jet black all over and she could have bumped into her own mother who would have thought she was a Yamani. She could easily have been mistaken for one of the ladies who came over to Tortall with Chis and the rest of the Yamani royal family. Kel sat down heavily on the bed, stunned into silence. "I need to talk to Numair." She said finally.
Numair Salmalin, Tortall's most powerful mage, was in his workroom when Kel knocked on the door. Numair was very tall with long black hair tied back and was very absentminded. He was also Daine, Tortall's only wildmage's husband. Daine was only six years older than Kel but Numair was in his mid thirties. He knew Kel because she was a great friend of Daine's and he welcomed her warmly, with only a glance at her different coloured hair. He brought Kel into his sitting room where Daine was tending a palace cat's broken foot. She hugged Kel in welcome then all three people sat down. Kel explained what had happened and asked Numair if he could check if magic had been put upon her. The great mage looked deep inside of her and after a while looked up at her and shook his head gravely. "Kel.this may come as a shock to you but-" "I know I know.I have the gift." Kel interrupted tiredly. Numair nodded, "And it's stopping me from being able to tell if magic has been placed upon you. I'm sorry. By the way, how did you find out you have the gift?" he asked. Kel explained all about Catile and how she had no idea that she had the gift until the night when he told her to look inside herself.
When she had finished Numair said, "What are you going to do about it? If nobody can teach you and your gift is so powerful then people will say when you become a knight that you used magic to help you get your shield." Kel started, she hadn't thought of that before. She thought for a while, then said firmly, "I won't tell anyone until I've become a knight-if I pass my ordeal-that I've got the gift, and I can say that I only just realised it." Numair and Daine agreed that it was the only thing she would be able to do without arousing suspicions. Kel went back to her bedroom after that and sat for a while, thinking about the coming ball. In just four hours, she would be serving dinner at the feast in her Yamani dress and shortly after that she would be at the ball in the dress that Lalasa wouldn't show her until she was ready to get dressed. All her thoughts were buzzing around in her head and making her dizzy. Soon she was drifting off to sleep.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Okay I haven't updated this story since sometime last year but I've started writing it again and I hope you all enjoyed that chapter. Please REVIEW! I'll try and put up the next chapter soon. Oh and also I've started a circle of magic fanfic if anyone who likes the circle of magic wants to read it. It's called The Flames of Time. Well anyway, Bye!