A/N There will be another author's note at the bottom of the page as well,
which I hope will be helpful. I'm sorry it took me so long to update but
there was a big snowstorm (ahh the joys of living in New England) and it
made our internet connection die. Then it became very warm and most of the
snow melted, and then we were hit by another snowstorm (don't get me wrong
I love snow, but not in the end of March). Thanks for the review Zurizip
(O.o is a complement I hope (HeHe). ??? You'll see what will happen in this
chap, I hope you enjoy it. Chibi-Chingo I'm glad I straightened out the
subtleties of Old Magic for you. Anonymous, thanks here is the some more.
Golden Goddess, your review is extremely flattering thank you, you are my
most constant reviewer (you reviewed this when it was first posted right).
Ivy Dragon, God bless spell check, I'm glad I'm getting better. Don't worry
I hope I will actually finish this story (and I hope I do it well.
Dysphoria thank you so much, I was hoping that Neal would be realistic, it
is hard but fun to imagine what the characters will be like when they grow
up. Goddess of Darkness, thanks for the review, it made me very happy.
Everyone please read and review, and (I hope) enjoy.
Chapter XI: Amber Light
Zira felt like she was floating, she was over the clouds, over the world. Amber light sparkled around her, surrounding her. She reached out to touch a spark but found that she was insubstantial. Her hair was loose, "That's funny I don't remember taking it down." Her voice was lighter more ethereal.
"Zira," a whispery musical voice came from the centre of the amber light. Zira raised her head, then bowed low, her hair brushing her feet.
"Eimar," she breathed. "Your servant is listening." The voice continued.
"Zira you must listen to me."
"Am I dead?" she asked quietly.
"No, and I can't let you stay here."
"Is Mama here?" she asked a tear fell from her eye, and landed on her feet. Her long waving hair brushed it away. Sparks of amber lifted her head.
"Yes," Eimar said and as Zira looked into the amber light she saw faces, her mother's and Abi's smiled at her. Zira blinked back the tears, which threatened to over flow.
"What did you bring me here for. I have failed. I have failed my people, and my father." Amber fire surrounded and the dulcet voice continued.
"Zira everything that happens is according to my plan for Antitheos, and my plan for Tortall." Zira lifted her head.
"For Tortall?" she asked. She had the distinct impression that Eimar smiled.
"Yes, if you had succeeded in getting It back then, there would be immense fiction between the two countries still. Zira when you get It, and when you reclaim Antitheos, you and Tortall will be Allies."
"When?" Zira asked.
"Yes when. It won't be easy though. You will have to make sacrifices for Antitheos, you will often wish that this, blessing and curse of leadership was not laid on you, but you are my Chosen one, I know that you will sacrifice for Antitheos, you are the ideal ruler. You know that nothing of yours, your comfort, your hate, and even your love, is as important as the safety of you people. Now you must go, but never forget us up here." She smiled a bittersweet smile, and blew a kiss at the light and all the shifting forms in it.
"Amane," she said.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Zira woke. She looked over at Shae who was lying beside her, their black hair had mixed together, and Zira marveled how close the hair color was. She sat up, dizziness slammed down on her. Shae lifted and shook her head to clear it, then looked up at her friend.
"Zira!" she almost sobbed. Zira smiled weakly, Shae saw the faintest traces of crowsfeet at the corners of her eyes. "She's only ten," she thought. Zira raised her head.
"Shae, could you get me a basin of water please." Shae looked at her.
"Zira, you are not going to go to practice today."
"Shae, I have to," Zira held Shae's face in her hands. "If I don't the King will know I tried to take It." Shae began to cry.
"But they don't know you have magic," she said. "I'll tell them that you are sick. Please Zira. You almost died last night."
"Shae, if I don't I might create trouble for Antitheos." She looked into Shae's eyes seriously. "I can't do that. No matter what I must do what is best for my people. I don't matter. If Antitheos was hurt because of me I would never forgive myself." Shae looked at her, her long black hair, her golden skin, and finally her intent amber eyes.
"She is so old. She really loves Antitheos." She thought, then she slowly stood and filled a basin with warm water.
"Shae," Zira said. "In the fourth drawer you will find a vial of my tears. Would you mix in a couple drops as well." Shae reached into the drawer and found a small vial, which seemed to contain liquid amber. The droplets dissolved in the water quickly, she brought the basin over to Zira. Zira smiled, and splashed her face with the water and tears. Shae saw her face relax, and the pain leave her features. Zira smiled as her head cleared, she felt her tears, which were both hard and soft, liquid and crystal, hot and cold. She stood up, and started to dress.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I didn't feel any magic, in that spell." Numair said puzzled. "It seemed like it was just compelled to go, and it would have gone," he paused, "well somewhere, if Jasson hadn't come. Yet I do not know any calling spells that powerful. I mean damn it all it almost passed through the Gifts of three trained mages." King Jonathan looked at his most powerful mage, his face was haggard and worn.
"Could it have been a specialty kind of magic. Like wild magic, only different." Numair furrowed his brow.
"I believe I would have felt that, but I felt nothing." Numair studied his hands. The king shook his head.
"There is only one person who I think would have done it, but then again she doesn't have the Gift."
"It definitely wasn't the Gift," Numair said hurriedly. "No I would have certainly felt the Gift. It is something else. Something very powerful."
"Where does that get us," Jonathan said irritated. "Next to nowhere, the attempt was made with a kind of magic we can't trace and don't know anything about. It could have been anyone." Numair rubbed his temples with his fingertips.
"And another thing, I found that my gift did not want to work against it. I felt like I was forcing it to go against its will. It didn't want to resist it, it wanted to go with it." Numair sighed.
"I felt that too," Jonathan said. "What kind of magic can turn your own magic against you?"
"Just tell Alanna to guard it with her life. I will research into this. It is the most interesting problem I have run into in a long time."
"She's waiting in the next room, and that was exactly what I was going to tell her." He opened the door and the Lioness entered. She also looked worn. She bowed then took a seat. King Jonathan reached into his desk and removed a small velvet bag.
"Alanna, I do not need to impress on you the importance that this does not leave your side. Alanna shook her head.
"Don't worry Jon, George and I will guard it carefully. It will not leave Pirate's Swoop." She reached out and the Dominion Jewel was placed into her callused hands.
End of Part I
A/N Ok this is the end of Part I. I am doing this story in Parts because I can't have everything happen to her in her first couple days of her training, also It (yes
It is the Dominion Jewel, I hope it wasn't too obvious) is at Pirate's Swoop for the next couple of years. Also, I want Zira to get a bit older, so Part II will be
six years from Part I. There are two reasons for this, one because she needs to be older to actually become Queen of Antitheos. The other reason is, come on I
need some romance in this story (I know it isn't that good of an excuse, but I have the romance completely plotted out, and it should be good). So the next
chapter will be an interim chapter which will tell you the important things that happen between Part I and Part II, I just don't want all of you to get confused.
P.S. Puddles yes you were right. Sorry I couldn't tell you earlier.
Chapter XI: Amber Light
Zira felt like she was floating, she was over the clouds, over the world. Amber light sparkled around her, surrounding her. She reached out to touch a spark but found that she was insubstantial. Her hair was loose, "That's funny I don't remember taking it down." Her voice was lighter more ethereal.
"Zira," a whispery musical voice came from the centre of the amber light. Zira raised her head, then bowed low, her hair brushing her feet.
"Eimar," she breathed. "Your servant is listening." The voice continued.
"Zira you must listen to me."
"Am I dead?" she asked quietly.
"No, and I can't let you stay here."
"Is Mama here?" she asked a tear fell from her eye, and landed on her feet. Her long waving hair brushed it away. Sparks of amber lifted her head.
"Yes," Eimar said and as Zira looked into the amber light she saw faces, her mother's and Abi's smiled at her. Zira blinked back the tears, which threatened to over flow.
"What did you bring me here for. I have failed. I have failed my people, and my father." Amber fire surrounded and the dulcet voice continued.
"Zira everything that happens is according to my plan for Antitheos, and my plan for Tortall." Zira lifted her head.
"For Tortall?" she asked. She had the distinct impression that Eimar smiled.
"Yes, if you had succeeded in getting It back then, there would be immense fiction between the two countries still. Zira when you get It, and when you reclaim Antitheos, you and Tortall will be Allies."
"When?" Zira asked.
"Yes when. It won't be easy though. You will have to make sacrifices for Antitheos, you will often wish that this, blessing and curse of leadership was not laid on you, but you are my Chosen one, I know that you will sacrifice for Antitheos, you are the ideal ruler. You know that nothing of yours, your comfort, your hate, and even your love, is as important as the safety of you people. Now you must go, but never forget us up here." She smiled a bittersweet smile, and blew a kiss at the light and all the shifting forms in it.
"Amane," she said.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Zira woke. She looked over at Shae who was lying beside her, their black hair had mixed together, and Zira marveled how close the hair color was. She sat up, dizziness slammed down on her. Shae lifted and shook her head to clear it, then looked up at her friend.
"Zira!" she almost sobbed. Zira smiled weakly, Shae saw the faintest traces of crowsfeet at the corners of her eyes. "She's only ten," she thought. Zira raised her head.
"Shae, could you get me a basin of water please." Shae looked at her.
"Zira, you are not going to go to practice today."
"Shae, I have to," Zira held Shae's face in her hands. "If I don't the King will know I tried to take It." Shae began to cry.
"But they don't know you have magic," she said. "I'll tell them that you are sick. Please Zira. You almost died last night."
"Shae, if I don't I might create trouble for Antitheos." She looked into Shae's eyes seriously. "I can't do that. No matter what I must do what is best for my people. I don't matter. If Antitheos was hurt because of me I would never forgive myself." Shae looked at her, her long black hair, her golden skin, and finally her intent amber eyes.
"She is so old. She really loves Antitheos." She thought, then she slowly stood and filled a basin with warm water.
"Shae," Zira said. "In the fourth drawer you will find a vial of my tears. Would you mix in a couple drops as well." Shae reached into the drawer and found a small vial, which seemed to contain liquid amber. The droplets dissolved in the water quickly, she brought the basin over to Zira. Zira smiled, and splashed her face with the water and tears. Shae saw her face relax, and the pain leave her features. Zira smiled as her head cleared, she felt her tears, which were both hard and soft, liquid and crystal, hot and cold. She stood up, and started to dress.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I didn't feel any magic, in that spell." Numair said puzzled. "It seemed like it was just compelled to go, and it would have gone," he paused, "well somewhere, if Jasson hadn't come. Yet I do not know any calling spells that powerful. I mean damn it all it almost passed through the Gifts of three trained mages." King Jonathan looked at his most powerful mage, his face was haggard and worn.
"Could it have been a specialty kind of magic. Like wild magic, only different." Numair furrowed his brow.
"I believe I would have felt that, but I felt nothing." Numair studied his hands. The king shook his head.
"There is only one person who I think would have done it, but then again she doesn't have the Gift."
"It definitely wasn't the Gift," Numair said hurriedly. "No I would have certainly felt the Gift. It is something else. Something very powerful."
"Where does that get us," Jonathan said irritated. "Next to nowhere, the attempt was made with a kind of magic we can't trace and don't know anything about. It could have been anyone." Numair rubbed his temples with his fingertips.
"And another thing, I found that my gift did not want to work against it. I felt like I was forcing it to go against its will. It didn't want to resist it, it wanted to go with it." Numair sighed.
"I felt that too," Jonathan said. "What kind of magic can turn your own magic against you?"
"Just tell Alanna to guard it with her life. I will research into this. It is the most interesting problem I have run into in a long time."
"She's waiting in the next room, and that was exactly what I was going to tell her." He opened the door and the Lioness entered. She also looked worn. She bowed then took a seat. King Jonathan reached into his desk and removed a small velvet bag.
"Alanna, I do not need to impress on you the importance that this does not leave your side. Alanna shook her head.
"Don't worry Jon, George and I will guard it carefully. It will not leave Pirate's Swoop." She reached out and the Dominion Jewel was placed into her callused hands.
End of Part I
A/N Ok this is the end of Part I. I am doing this story in Parts because I can't have everything happen to her in her first couple days of her training, also It (yes
It is the Dominion Jewel, I hope it wasn't too obvious) is at Pirate's Swoop for the next couple of years. Also, I want Zira to get a bit older, so Part II will be
six years from Part I. There are two reasons for this, one because she needs to be older to actually become Queen of Antitheos. The other reason is, come on I
need some romance in this story (I know it isn't that good of an excuse, but I have the romance completely plotted out, and it should be good). So the next
chapter will be an interim chapter which will tell you the important things that happen between Part I and Part II, I just don't want all of you to get confused.
P.S. Puddles yes you were right. Sorry I couldn't tell you earlier.