A/N: Ha! I told you that I would update more frequently!
Phi and Alex had woken up with the rest of the first year pages at the sound of the first bell. They gathered their things and walked with Tom down to the stables. Tom turned to his friend and pulled him aside, "Alex...I need to ask you a favor..."
Alex looked curiously at him, "Sure...What is it?"
"I need you to keep an eye on Phi for me while you're out there, okay?"
"No problem...but why? She can take care of herself. You of all people should know that..."
"I do know...but..." Alex starred at Tom. He didn't normally act this...weird...
"But what?"
"I don't know. That's the problem. I just have this feeling. A gut feeling, ya know? The one that says something's going to go wrong and I won't be there to help."
Alex grew concerned. Tom the scientist had never paid any attention to "gut feelings" before. "Don't worry...I'll take care of her."
Tom looked slightly unconvinced but nodded thankfully and walked with Alex back to the gathering group of first years.
HaMich was just finishing his head count and when he was sure everyone was there he said, "Now I want to make it clear that all of you know that this venture is purely to allow you to watch real knights in battle. You won't be doing any of the fighting. That is not the only reason you are going. You are also going to learn survival skills, how to trust one and another, and your companion's strong and weak points. Knowing your allies inside and out and trusting them with your life is one of the most important keys to knighthood. Never forget it. We will be leaving in five minutes. Use that time to check your horses and your supplies before we head off...I don't want anyone finding out when we set up camp that they forgot all their rations again..." A murmur of snickers ran through a crowd and Phi and Alex deducted that the training master had just made a joke that had passed right over their foreign heads. HaMich strode off to let the pages check their things and Tom walked over to Phi.
"When you get back I don't want to hear anything about how you mortally wounded anyone okay?"
She grinned, "I'll try to control myself...of course I heard a rumor that Alex and I will have to share a tent...so I can't make any promises..."
Alex groaned, "Isn't that lovely...I'm going to 'mortally wound' whoever set up that seating chart..."
Tom laughed and to his sister's surprise and slight embarrassment, hugged her, "Stay safe alright?"
She looked confused, "Um...all right...once again, I'll try my best..." He let her go as HaMich came back into the room.
"All right everybody! Mount up and let's ride out!" An excited burst of energy ran through the first years and they all followed HaMich's orders and trotted out of the stables, leaving Tom to watch them ride off. He sighed and a shiver ran down his back. He had a huge headache and decided to go to Duke Baird to see if he could do anything about it.
After several minutes, a small figure arose from Peachblossom's stall. The horse whinnied and nuzzled the boy who gently stroked the horse's mane. The boy sat down next to Peachblossom's hooves and pondered over what he had just heard. Tom had said that he had had a feeling that something wasn't right. From tagging along with Kel he had learned that trusting your feelings is very important. In fact, it was the reason that he was even in the palace in the first place...if Kel hadn't trusted her feelings and bought his contract, he would still be in that hellhole.
He stood up and walked quickly walked out of the room, his mind made up. He would tell Kel what had happened...she would know what to do.
***
Kel looked surprised, dropping her usually unemotional demeanor, "Tom said what?"
Toby sighed and repeated what he had just said, "Tom told Alex ta keep a close eye 'n Phi 'cause he had a strange feelin' that seemed ta confuse him that somethin' bad was gonna happen on the trip!"
Kel frowned. From her experiences with Tom, although limited, had lead her to believe that he wasn't a person who believed much in premonitions. Plus, Numair had been absolutely clear when he told herself, King Jonathan, Merric, Esmond, and Owen that none of them had even a spark of any gift...which means that he couldn't have really predicted the future or anything...unless...
She looked at Toby, "Was there anything else wrong with Tom?"
"Well, he looked kinda tired, an' he kept rubbing his head, as if it hurt or somethin', but I couldn't see much, 'cause I was behind Peachblossom's stall at the time...but I heard him talk to himself an' say somethin' 'bout Duke Barid"
Kel nodded, her attention drifting. Suddenly she stood up and walked out of her room to the Infirmary wing. If Tom was visiting Neal's father, maybe she could find out for sure.
She made it into the Examing Room just as Tom was getting up to go. She gently pushed the teen back into the chair and walked over to the Duke, "I need you to do something..."
Toby, who had followed Kel there, looked curiously at her as she continued to whisper some thing to the Duke and watched him nod and look at Tom. Tome said nothing, but in turn, looked curiously at Kel as she finished her instructions to the Duke.
Duke Baird walked over to Tom and said, "I'm going to run one more test that might help ease that headache of yours..." He stretched out his hands next to Tom's chest, and before Tom could say anything, a blue light stretched from the Duke's hands into Tom. Quickly, the older man stepped back, allowing the light to seep back into his hands. He turned to Kel, "Well Keladry, you were right. This young man has somehow developed a very weak, but nonetheless present, Gift."
A/N: I hope that turn of events wasn't too obvious...but what's going to happen now? Was Tom's feeling really just a feeling, or actually a premonition of future events? Ha! Only I know!!! WHAHAHA!!! At least until my next update...
Phi and Alex had woken up with the rest of the first year pages at the sound of the first bell. They gathered their things and walked with Tom down to the stables. Tom turned to his friend and pulled him aside, "Alex...I need to ask you a favor..."
Alex looked curiously at him, "Sure...What is it?"
"I need you to keep an eye on Phi for me while you're out there, okay?"
"No problem...but why? She can take care of herself. You of all people should know that..."
"I do know...but..." Alex starred at Tom. He didn't normally act this...weird...
"But what?"
"I don't know. That's the problem. I just have this feeling. A gut feeling, ya know? The one that says something's going to go wrong and I won't be there to help."
Alex grew concerned. Tom the scientist had never paid any attention to "gut feelings" before. "Don't worry...I'll take care of her."
Tom looked slightly unconvinced but nodded thankfully and walked with Alex back to the gathering group of first years.
HaMich was just finishing his head count and when he was sure everyone was there he said, "Now I want to make it clear that all of you know that this venture is purely to allow you to watch real knights in battle. You won't be doing any of the fighting. That is not the only reason you are going. You are also going to learn survival skills, how to trust one and another, and your companion's strong and weak points. Knowing your allies inside and out and trusting them with your life is one of the most important keys to knighthood. Never forget it. We will be leaving in five minutes. Use that time to check your horses and your supplies before we head off...I don't want anyone finding out when we set up camp that they forgot all their rations again..." A murmur of snickers ran through a crowd and Phi and Alex deducted that the training master had just made a joke that had passed right over their foreign heads. HaMich strode off to let the pages check their things and Tom walked over to Phi.
"When you get back I don't want to hear anything about how you mortally wounded anyone okay?"
She grinned, "I'll try to control myself...of course I heard a rumor that Alex and I will have to share a tent...so I can't make any promises..."
Alex groaned, "Isn't that lovely...I'm going to 'mortally wound' whoever set up that seating chart..."
Tom laughed and to his sister's surprise and slight embarrassment, hugged her, "Stay safe alright?"
She looked confused, "Um...all right...once again, I'll try my best..." He let her go as HaMich came back into the room.
"All right everybody! Mount up and let's ride out!" An excited burst of energy ran through the first years and they all followed HaMich's orders and trotted out of the stables, leaving Tom to watch them ride off. He sighed and a shiver ran down his back. He had a huge headache and decided to go to Duke Baird to see if he could do anything about it.
After several minutes, a small figure arose from Peachblossom's stall. The horse whinnied and nuzzled the boy who gently stroked the horse's mane. The boy sat down next to Peachblossom's hooves and pondered over what he had just heard. Tom had said that he had had a feeling that something wasn't right. From tagging along with Kel he had learned that trusting your feelings is very important. In fact, it was the reason that he was even in the palace in the first place...if Kel hadn't trusted her feelings and bought his contract, he would still be in that hellhole.
He stood up and walked quickly walked out of the room, his mind made up. He would tell Kel what had happened...she would know what to do.
***
Kel looked surprised, dropping her usually unemotional demeanor, "Tom said what?"
Toby sighed and repeated what he had just said, "Tom told Alex ta keep a close eye 'n Phi 'cause he had a strange feelin' that seemed ta confuse him that somethin' bad was gonna happen on the trip!"
Kel frowned. From her experiences with Tom, although limited, had lead her to believe that he wasn't a person who believed much in premonitions. Plus, Numair had been absolutely clear when he told herself, King Jonathan, Merric, Esmond, and Owen that none of them had even a spark of any gift...which means that he couldn't have really predicted the future or anything...unless...
She looked at Toby, "Was there anything else wrong with Tom?"
"Well, he looked kinda tired, an' he kept rubbing his head, as if it hurt or somethin', but I couldn't see much, 'cause I was behind Peachblossom's stall at the time...but I heard him talk to himself an' say somethin' 'bout Duke Barid"
Kel nodded, her attention drifting. Suddenly she stood up and walked out of her room to the Infirmary wing. If Tom was visiting Neal's father, maybe she could find out for sure.
She made it into the Examing Room just as Tom was getting up to go. She gently pushed the teen back into the chair and walked over to the Duke, "I need you to do something..."
Toby, who had followed Kel there, looked curiously at her as she continued to whisper some thing to the Duke and watched him nod and look at Tom. Tome said nothing, but in turn, looked curiously at Kel as she finished her instructions to the Duke.
Duke Baird walked over to Tom and said, "I'm going to run one more test that might help ease that headache of yours..." He stretched out his hands next to Tom's chest, and before Tom could say anything, a blue light stretched from the Duke's hands into Tom. Quickly, the older man stepped back, allowing the light to seep back into his hands. He turned to Kel, "Well Keladry, you were right. This young man has somehow developed a very weak, but nonetheless present, Gift."
A/N: I hope that turn of events wasn't too obvious...but what's going to happen now? Was Tom's feeling really just a feeling, or actually a premonition of future events? Ha! Only I know!!! WHAHAHA!!! At least until my next update...
