Sacrifice: The Lady and the Knight
Chapter 3 Some questions are answered as the hunt for Thom and Liam begins….
Lady Alanna of Trebond twirled in circles, alone in the darkly lit room. Arms wide, skirts billowing, her movements were delicate, ladylike, elegant. To the uninformed observer, she was just ordinary lady, doing what every ordinary lady does: practicing the steps of some unknown dance so she might attract some man for a husband.
Alanna of Trebond, however, had never been an ordinary lady.
Halfway through a twirl, her left writ flicked sideways almost to fast to see. A sinister looking dagger suddenly protruded from a practice dummy hanging at the end of the room. Another twirl, another dagger, this time just above the other. Five more turns, and five more daggers joined the first two, forming formed a tight circle around the heart of the dummy. All the while Alanna smiled elegantly, her steps never faltering. With one last turn, a knife as long as her forearm sped thought the air, striking its target with a dull thud. Halting the imaginary dance, Alanna bowed to her imaginary partner and turned to the dummy. Only a few strands held the practice dummy's body to its head. Frowning, Alanna moved to retrieve her weapons. Before she reached the dummy, however, the dummy fell to the ground with a thud. Alanna grinned wolfishly.
Replacing the weapons in various hiding places, Alanna picked up a broad sword and started another routine. Her muscles, used to such exercise, worked effortlessly. Alanna took joy in her workout, finally able to vent some of her frustrations. In the six months since Thom's disappearance, Alanna's actions had been careful and deliberate, despite her reputation for impatience. She hadn't expected tying things up in Trebond to take so long, but there were always hundreds of little problems popping up and thousands of last minute issues that needed tending to. Such things left Alanna irritable and frustrated. She itched for action. She knew Thom was alive but that he was in serious trouble. All she had been waiting for was Liam's confirmation of Thom's whereabouts. But Liam had not returned from his mission.
Clenching her teeth painfully, Alanna brought her sword up and around, severing yet another practice dummy, this time though the abdomen. Lowering her weapon, Alanna looked over the practice court in dismay. With targets knocked over or severed, different weapons scattered about, and floor pads askew, the room was just short of ruin. Alanna hadn't meant to do so much damage. Alanna knew she could leave the mess for the servants, who would assume one of the lords had come to practice during the night.
Alanna gave an unlady like snort. As if any of these "lords" knew how to fight, that is. She had attended several of the practice duels and training sessions in the palace, only to come away knowing she could take most of these men in a "fair" fight -- all of them if it was an "unfair" fight. The fact that these men engaged in combat with a set of "rules" galled Alanna to no end. Who had time for such sport? There were no rules in real battle. Alanna knew half these "warriors" wouldn't last five minutes in a real fight. What bandit would let you retrieve your sword if you dropped it? Oh, she understood the concept of honor well enough, and acted with honor whenever she was able, as a noble should. She also knew that was no honor among bandits and refused to let a concept get her or her people killed.
Bringing her attention back to the room, Alanna sighed. She couldn't run the risk of someone commenting on the mess and wondering who made it. Eyeing the practice court, Alanna took a deep breath and called her Gift. It wasn't hard to find: it always lurked right underneath the surface pushing to get out, as if there were too much Gift and not enough Alanna to hold it all. Moving her lips silently, Alanna directed her Gift until the room glowed deep amethyst.
"So mote it be!" she commanded, ending the spell. Her gift dissipated, leaving the room as it had been when she arrived: whole and undamaged.
Using spell craft made Alanna think of Thom. For all the time they had spent apart, Alanna loved her twin deeply and his disappearance had effected her profoundly. After Lord Alan's death, the twins had known one of them would have to sacrifice their dream in order to ensure Trebond's survival. Knowing her brother would be useless in Trebond, Alanna let him go to become the sorcerer of his dreams. While she had never been completely comfortable with her Gift, Thom reveled in his and the power that it brought. While he had no skill in managing Trebond, Thom was a legend when it came to magic. The youngest Master in known history, Thom was amazing, if sometimes a little scary. While it had been the right decision to make and the best thing for Trebond, Alanna still felt a bit betrayed.
Alanna began another training routine, again with a broad sword, careful to avoid any serious damage to the room. Her muscles took over, letting a small part of Alanna's mind wonder. On his many trips home, Thom insisted on giving Alanna lessons in managing her Gift. She had flatly refused at first, stating she had no need of magic. When she'd seen how well magic aided her in bandit raids, however, Alanna became a diligent student. After he had lured Alanna in with that, Thom had shown his sister the million different ways that her Gift could benefit Trebond. Still not completely at ease with her Gift, Thom had seen to it that Alanna was more than capable in using it.
The fact that someone out there was powerful enough to take both Thom and Liam terrified Alanna as nothing else. Thom had more raw power than anyone Alanna had ever known, honed to a razor sharp point. And Liam, well Liam, for all that he was a man, was a weapon unto himself. Alanna had seen him come out victorious facing twenty to one odds.
A sudden pang of fear made Alanna reach out to the men with her Gift. Focusing her thoughts to Liam, Alanna got the same results she'd always gotten: nothing. Not a blank wall, or a shield. Just nothingness. No matter how hard she tried, Alanna could find no trace of Liam. The logical conclusion to that bit of trouble made her shiver.
She concentrated next on Thom, their bond making it easier to sense him. For the first time, a vision formed in front of her eyes. She saw leagues and leagues of sand, felt the sweltering heat of a mid-day sun beating down on her. In the distance she could see a strange city, all over black, its towers seeming to absorb the suns rays rather than reflect them. This was not where she had fist "seen" him after his disappearance. He'd been moved sometime in the last week. Alanna could still feel him, though, but his presence was weaker than it had ever been. He was weakening and Alanna knew she had to get to him soon.
A voice startled Alanna from her thoughts. "I see the rumors are true, then."
Swinging toward the voice, Alanna brought her sword up into a defensive stance. The man who had spoken stood in the entrance to the practice court. Alanna had seen him her first night in Corus. His name was Sir Myles of Olau though, by looking at him, one would ever know he was a knight. Shaggy and all over wrinkled, he was known as the court drunk. None of that fooled Alanna, however. Thom had spoken highly of this man many times though the years and Alanna knew he was more than he pretended to be. He had observed her at the ball, eyes sharp as a hawk, when others had dismissed him as stone drunk. For all that, Alanna couldn't help but like him. That was very discomforting for Alanna, who'd been taught all her life that courtiers were snakes, never to be like or trusted.
"I didn't mean to startle you." Sir Myles stated.
"Close the door, if you please." Alanna replied, continuing her exercises.
The knight did as she asked, observing her for some time with out comment. "Your brother said you were original."
Finishing her routine, Alanna began her cool down. "Thom talks to much." She replied flatly.
The man chuckled. "Not at all like I'd imagined you. Never mind," he said, holding his hands up when Alanna glared at him. "I have it that you are looking for the Dragon."
That got her attention. "Really?" she hissed, stalking towards him.
"Really. We have a thief in common."
Suddenly, Alanna felt like she was in over her head. Two many people, to many ears. Stopping, she pulled sweaty hair out of her eyes. "The Thief, you mean."
"I do. You keep interesting company, what with him, the Shang Dragon and the youngest Master living."
"I could say the same for you." Alanna replied. He laughed, eyes crinkling with laughter. Alanna finished her cool down stretches. "You know where he is?"
"I'll know by morning," he confirmed. "Liam is a good friend of mine, as well. I want no harm to come to him. How is it that you came to know him?"
Alanna eyed him carefully, wondering just how much she could tell this man. "He's helped us manage Trebond for a few years." It was a partial truth, anyway. Liam had taken over the military training all of Trebond's inhabitants - including Alanna - until everyone able to use a weapon could defend themselves and their homes. In truth, Liam taught Alanna almost everything she knew. There was no weapon she couldn't handle and very few that weren't deadly in her hands.
"A few years?" Myles said doubtfully. "Beg pardon, but I find that hard to believe. The Shang roam all of their lives. I can't see him staying in one place for so long."
"He owed me." Alanna replied, beginning the cleaning and storing her weapons.
His eyebrows shot upward in disbelief.
Alanna sighed. "When I was ten, just after my father died, I came upon a man cornered by raiders. He was holding his own, but badly wounded from a previous battle. I…assisted him."
Myles looked at her, incredulous. "You saved his life? The Shang Dragon?" he demanded. "When you were ten?"
Alanna, never one to boast, shrugged. "Believe what you want."
They were silent for a long while, Alanna finishing her cleaning, Myles watching her intently.
"Why do you practice in skirts?" he asked.
Alanna made a face. "Liam made me learn in both. I wear pants at home but polite society deems that I wear skirts. I won't be helpless just because I'm in a skirt. Besides," Alanna grinned wolfishly, "they never see it coming from a women in skirts."
Myles watched her, something close to admiration filling his eyes. "Very well," he said suddenly, turning to go. "Come to the small library in the morning. I'll have some answers and we'll discuss your options."
"Sir Myles?"
He turned back to her. "Yes?"
"You are a scholar of some repute, are you not?"
His eyes crinkled up with laughter. "Yes, Lady, I am."
Alanna regarded him, eyes flat violet. "What can you tell me about a dessert city made of black stone?" she asked.
The humor in his eyes dies instantly. The silence stretched out between them for some time. "I think you had better come with me."
Collecting her weapons, Alanna nodded. "Show me the way."
To be continued…..