***Tortallan Fire***

Disclaimer: The Tortall Concepts belong to Tamora Pierce, and are being used by my lowly self to have a little fun with. All characters (except the ones from the books that you recognise, including the dog Jump and sparrows) in this story are figments of my own twisted imagination. The lyrics are from various different burst of lyrical spontaneity written by me.

Summary: Tiasandra is a waif of a child, abused and used by all, including her parents, then left for starvation. On the brink of madness, she finds Keladry of Mindelan, a light in her gloomy darkness. But will Tiasandra ah Mandran have the courage to tread the path pre-scribed for her, or will she fail? 

Authors Notes: Another story that has sprung up from the depths of my twisted mind. Please tell me what you think so far; is it worth continuing?

Comments are loved, critique slavered over, questions adored and notes ardently, hopefully, passionately seeked! Please send comments, whether good or bad! As last part, I've changed this around a bit, and added something, so please do re-read this.

Many thanks go out to Twilight Flame, who reviewed the last part. Thank you!!
Everyone else, please do the same!!! Give me a reason why I should continue, whether good or bad!!

Part Two: The Questions to Answers

When They gathered, their formless shapes hardly visible in the moonlight, the World blinked, and slowed. The Old Powers had called Them, and they had come for an explanation.
An opaque flash of lightning-and-sunlight gave them that explanation. From the sun into the darkness he stepped, and told them the story of the One.

~*~

The screams shattered the silence of the night.

Kel bolted upright; her feet on the floor and her glaive in her hands even before she'd properly opened her eyes. The shrill shrieks pierced through her sleep-filled mind, making it clearer than winter's air. Yet she was confused. What was going on? It didn't seem like there was an attack, but the screams…horror laced its way up her spine at the sound of them. They had a haunting quality, filled with lost despair. It was something Keladry of Mindelan had never heard.

Great Gods of Mithran Light, Kel thought. What in the world is *that*? She shuddered as she tried to figure out where the sound was coming from. Was she sure the sound was even from this world?

Nimbly Kel stepped out of the semi-circle of the trees. Now the screams were coming from above her. Quickly Kel grabbed a burning branch from the low fire, and lifted it up, tying to see through the darkness of the night. What she saw struck her with shock as surely as lightning would.

"What in the Gods name?" she uttered, her eyes taking in the view of a little girl thrashing in the branches of the trees. Kel was surprised that the girl didn't fall off, but it seemed the branches had…a *hold* on her, preventing her from dropping. The sparrows were up, cheeping around Kel's head as the dogs barked loudly.

"Quiet!" Kel barked, trying to think through the confusion. It was obvious that the child was not harmful…but yet…how was she to be sure that this wasn't a mage's trick, intent on killing her? And then still, she could not leave the little girl in the tree. Grimly Kel made a quick decision, fervently hoping she wasn't wrong, and pushed the burning branch but down into the soft floor, using it as light. Then she dropped her glaive, stepping closer to the tree. She flexed her muscles, grabbing onto a branch, and pulling herself up. A shiver of fear went through her; she'd never had a love for heights, and especially not in the dark. Yet it took her only scant seconds before she reached the girl. Kel braced herself on a branch, reaching out to touch the girl.

Out of nothing, a gust of wind that left her breathless rushed into her. She yelped, grabbing tightly onto the branch to stop herself from falling. "Good Gods," she muttered as she sat up straight. "What was that?"

She didn't have time to think about it, though. The girl had stopped her screaming, but with a heaving thrust of her body, she toppled out of the tree. Kel's arm shot out, grabbing her firm. It was too easy to pull her back up, and Kel had to wonder just how thin this little girl was.

But now she was awake, and upset. In the sparse light thrown by her makeshift torch, Kel saw the girl's eyelids move, then open.

And suddenly Kel fell…into the darkest eyes she'd ever seen. They were as bottomless as an eternal well, filled with infinite shadows.

Except shadows were grey and these…these looked closer to blackness. Time slowed as Kel fell, and for a horrible, timeless moment she thought she'd fall forever. Until the little girl blinked, breaking her spell, opened her mouth and *shrieked*.

Kel flinched back, wincing as the screams cut into her brain. Great Mithros, that *hurts*, she thought. "Hey," she tried to say over the screams. "Hey, listen, I wont hurt you. I just want to make sure you're okay!" But it was no good. The little girl was not listening. Briefly Kel entertained the thought of twisting a cloth into her mouth, if only to stop that sound! But alas, that would not be proper, so instead, Kel gripped the little girl in a hold—with a slight shock, the girl was so tiny!—and descended—albeit shakily—to the ground.

She set the girl down, and gripped her shoulders. "Now listen, be *quiet*!" she snapped.
The girl silenced almost as fast as had Kel slapped her. It was so sudden that Kel forgot what she was going to say. Instead she heaved a breath, then two more.

"Are you okay?" she finally blurted, unable to stand the way the child was looking at her, with the most peculiar of expressions in those dark, dark eyes. Oh Goddess, Kel thought with infinite sadness clogging her heart, what happened to you, child?

The girl looked at her, and then suddenly, like a burst of sunlight, she smiled. She looked positively like an angel. And even though it was night, it was almost as if the sun had come up. And then she spoke.

"Hello Kel," the little girl said, her voice curiously like falling raindrops.

And Kel was thunderstruck. For how did this waif of a child know her name? She opened her mouth to ask…and instead caught the child as she crumpled.

The mysterious little girl, had fainted.

~(since the Old Powers were awake. But need called, and…)~