Hello, hello! Aie! I can't believe it, this is my very first Tamora Pierce fanfic! Hehe, I've been reading others' work for ages, but now I've finally gotten an idea for a fic of my own! I'm so excited!
Disclaimer: I don't own Tortall, Tyra, Carthak or any of the other places from Tammy's world. Also, all her characters like Daine, Numair, Kel, Neal, Faleron, the Bazhir and all the rest of 'em are, of course, hers. (Though, I wish I owned Neal... *sigh*...) I created Sauda, Danil, Ilsa and the rude sailor dude. The plot belongs to me. Uh, any other original characters are mine. And then there's my main character... I'm not sure whether to classify her as mine, you see. Since she's technically... not, I think. On Tamora Pierce's webpage, there's a deleted scene from EM (to read it, go here: ), and in it there is the character of an unnamed slave-girl. I took that character and made her Chaeli. So, therefore, I have no idea whether she'd be considered my character or not... hmm... ah well.
Just so you know, this fic takes place a little after The Immortals Series. It begins when Kel is almost complete her second year as a page, and I've no clear idea yet how long I'll go with it. This story is kind of a prequel to another story I've been thinking about... so, yea.
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The Power Within
By Hollie Black
The rain was cold. Chaeli gripped the railing with white-knuckled hands as the sea spray mingled with ice cold rain, matting her long, jet black hair to her head, neck and shoulders. Warm, honey brown eyes stood out against her darker hued skin. She was soaked to her bones, freezing, exhausted and as sick of sailing as she had been the last two days, but today there were new emotions; the beginnings of excitement and along with that, apprehension. The journey from Carthak to Tyra City across the Great Inland Sea had not been an exceptionally long one, but the travel had quickly worn her out and lowered her spirits.
"Oi, girl," a rough voice from behind her made Chaeli start, and she turned to see one of the crewmembers standing behind her with a bucket and mop. "Move out o' me way, lest yer wantin' to be doin' me job for me," he told her, then shoved her aside like one would a ragdoll without even waiting for her reply.
But she was no stranger to harsh treatment. That man is nice compared to the princess, she thought as she stumbled her way across the deck and down into the hold, where it was, if not warm, at least dry. She followed the now all too familiar route down to the lowest, dingiest part of the hold, where the passengers with the cheapest fares slept, all crammed together. It could be worse here, she thought for what must have been the millionth time. This could be a slaver's ship off to the Copper Isles, or some such. It would be more crowded then, and the food worse, I would think. She closed her eyes, leaning back against the small corner of room she had long since claimed as her own. I just wish the rats would go away... and that Ilsa was here.
Even as she thought the name she felt her eyes water, and, furious at herself, she blinked back the tears. This wont do, she told herself firmly. No good crying over it, she told me herself. I'm off to better things, she'd be proud, I know it. I've just got to find the Wildmage.
Somewhere along her thoughts began to blur, and soon she was overcome with sleep, curled up against the wall, rocked gently by the water.
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Calloused hands roused her from slumber several hours later. "Up, child, up!" Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Chaeli blinked several times. When her world finally came into focus, she recognized Sauda, a large, middle-aged black woman, a former slave like herself. Sauda acted the mother to the parentless children in the lower-hold, making sure they were fed and bathed, and always checking that they were minding their behaviors. She reminded Chaeli strongly of a mother hen, always overseeing her brood. She peered down at the scrawny girl, yellow-brown eyes critical. "You up?"
"Yes, ma'am," Chaeli replied promptly, stifling a yawn.
"Good," Sauda said, patting the girl's cheek lightly. "There's a big a-do up top. Reckon we almost to Tyra."
Now Chaeli was up and alert. "Really?" she asked excitedly. "Do you know how much longer till we dock?"
Sauda shook her head, some of her short black locks falling loose from the tight bun she kept her hair in. "Danil's been flittin' back 'n forth from 'ere an th' deck, but none o' them sailors been givin' 'im any answers." Danil was a boy three years younger than Chaeli's fourteen, known for his sharp wit and quick hands. He had told her once that he had been in a band of street-thieves, but she knew no more of his past. He was very closemouthed about it.
Deciding to go see how things up top were for herself, she thanked Sauda for waking her and set off up to the deck. The night's storm had passed while she slept, leaving only a dim cover of dove-gray clouds and wet surfaces in its wake. The sea, clear and blue-gray, lapped gently along the sides of the boat, calm as the clouds that reflected in its slightly rippled surface. Avoiding the crew and upper-class passengers, Chaeli weaved her way along the dock, careful not to slip in the numerous puddles. When she was not too far off from the bow, she found herself a nice stretch of railing and leaned out against it as far as she dared. For a moment, she saw nothing. Then she gave a small squeal and came closer than she liked to toppling over the side of the ship in her excitement. For in the distance, she had spotted land! It was too far off for her to see any details unaided by a view-scope or some such, but she could make out a line of darkness on the horizon that could not be anything other than the southern banks of Tyra.
Land, land! she thought eagerly. She felt a tug on the sleeve of her homemade dress, and turned to see Danil staring up at her, his pale blue eyes standing out against his skin. His wide mouth was curled in a lopsided grin, and he pointed a scarred hand out across the railing to the land beyond.
"You see it?" he asked, eyes dancing.
"Yes," she replied, trying to retain a calm demeanor. "I expect we'll be there by nightfall." She stared out at the water as Danil gave her one of his odd, assessing stares.
"You talk funny," he finally declared, then scampered off, no doubt looking for things to nick. Chaeli simply sighed. It was not the first time she had been told that, that was for certain. She had been one of the few slaves in service to Princess Pazia Iliniat that had the ability to read and write, skills taught to her in secret by the red-robed mage Ilsa of Vance, who, after leaving the Imperial University, had offered her services to the princess. What the formidable Pazia hadn't known was that Ilsa's sole intention was to aid the slaves, by teaching them, giving them money and even sneaking some out of the country. When she'd been discovered, Ilsa had fled, and Chaeli, who had not only been a recipient of Ilsa's aid but also had been assisting the older woman to smuggle slaves out, had been left to receive the nobility's wrath. New Imperial laws disallowed Pazia from sentencing Chaeli to death, so she was thrown out to the streets in the most shameful way Pazia could endeavor.
But thanks to Ilsa's monetary aid, Chaeli had been able to afford passage north. What she wanted more than anything was to go to Tyra, for she was sure that if Ilsa hadn't been apprehended by the army, then she would have returned to her home country. But Chaeli knew where she had to go. She had to find the Wildmage, the only person in the whole world who could help her. Only the Wildmage could stop her madness.
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So, what do you think? Hehe, I can tell you, I immensely enjoyed writing this, and I like the little plot I've been developing... ^-^ I hope that you liked this though, because the readers' opinions do matter to me, very much so! Hmm.. so, I'd greatly appreciate if you'd eave me a little review, and let me hear what you think! I know this beginning might not have been the most interesting thing in the world... but don't worry, things do get better and more interesting!
Always,
~Hollie