Disclaimer: I am not Tamora Pierce as you can clearly tell from my
writings. I don't own any of the characters so far, the plot is mine but I
suspect that some things that will be written here may appear in some of
TP's future books.
~Haha I keep having to look through the CoM and TCO books remind myself what things are called and stuff, lol.
NOTE! I haven't read Shatterglass, the finale to the Circle Opens quartet. If something I write conflicts with this book please inform me politely.
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Later that night after introductions had been made, (the newest arrival being Kethlun Warder Tris's older student), Sandry went up to the thatched roof of discipline. When the four had lived there together this had been one of their favourite meeting spots. She lay on her back and looked up at the sky. The sky was clear and starry, and there was a quarter moon in the sky, but the wind was strong, and since Sandry had lived with a weather-witch for years she knew the signs of a thunderstorm in the making. She lay staring at the sky for quite a while before She noticed a brown haired head pop up over the roof. "Mind if I..." Briar turned his head back down to look at the ladder. "I mean do you mind if we join you?" He didn't wait for an answer but climbed up to sit beside the chimney. Daja, and Tris followed him.
"You know that this all feels like a really big dream to me." Sandry told her best friends. "I mean yesterday Evvy shows up at the Citadel and invites me for dinner with Briar, then today when I came to prove to myself that he was actually back both of you show up. You watch I'll wake up tomorrow morning back at Uncle's and you'll all have just left."
"Well if your having a dream then I'm having it as well." Tris said.
"We're all back, and for a while too. I don't thin Frostpine is to keen to be leaving again, the cold in Namron really bothered him."
"Rosethorn missed Discipline to much to leave it again soon. Plus we have so much work to do in the garden that we won't be able to leave. If she even tries to go somewhere else, don't worry, I'll talk her out of it." Tris didn't comment, and the others looked at her. "Niko doesn't want to leave again soon, you know he doesn't Tris." She still didn't say anything. " He doesn't right? RIGHT?"
"Uhmm actually he does. He wants to leave for Qalai before the leaves begin to fall so that we can be there before winter." Tris said sadly.
"You're kidding!" Briar cried. "You can't leave. He can go without you can't he? He's done it before! Plus you have to teach Keth!"
"Maybe you're right!" She said feigning happiness. The others saw right through it.
Deciding to change the subject Sandry said, "Look at that storm coming gin from the sea!" Everyone looked to the east of the cottage towards the thick dark gray clouds. Sheets of rain could be seen coming down and a low thunder clap was heard from far off.
"It will be here shortly. Want to go down to the cave to see it?" Tris said excitedly, referring to the cave where the four had been blocked in during the earthquake that Sandry had spun their magics together.
"Lark and Rosethorn will never let us do that!" Sandry said.
"Of course they will. We have cloaks don't we? We'll be fine. Plus we have the best weather mage around to protect us from the dangerous storm." Daja said. Tris beamed at the compliment. They climbed down the ladder quickly and then down the stairs straight into Lark's work room. Rosethorn was there as well restocking some bottles with magical herbs. Before anyone had spoken Lark handed Tris a large glass token with the emblem of Discipline Cottage on one side and Lark and Rosethorn's symbols on the other. There was a red ribbon tied around it in the shape of a cross (the meaning is in Tris's Book!). "You probably won't need this because I'm sure everyone around here knows you by now, plus you have your medallions but take it anyway. Are you going down to the beach?"
"How did you know we were even planing to go anywhere?" Briar asked.
"Oh come now Briar how long have I lived with you four? 4 years plus the last with only Sandry. I've gotten used to your strange behaviors. Plus this is going to be a beautiful storm, and you all just got back. Now run along before the storm passes us. Bring Little bear with you!" She said shoving them out her work room door.
Daja grabbed their cloaks out of a closet and as they donned them Briar grabbed Little Bear's lead and tied it around his neck, then walked out of the cottage. It was completely dark outside now with the clouds blocking any moon, or star light so Sandry took something pale and glowing out of a case around her neck. "You still have that?" Daja asked.
"Of course! You didn't think that I would get rid of it did you?" Sandry replied shocked.
"Well I just thought that it might have gotten lost or something. It's been five years since we made it."
"I would never lose it! I keep it around my neck all the time in the pouch with the string." Everyone knew what string she was talking about. The string of power, the bijili, that Sandry had spun threads of their powers together in.
It took them a while to get down to the battlements surrounding Winding Circle.
"Hello you four. Its good to see your faces again." Said the Fire temple's head-dedicate.
"Hello Skyfire, we're going down to the cave." Briar said.
"I shouldn't even be asking, but, permission? It's going to be a wild storm." Tris held up the token. "Ok go on ahead... Watch out for earthquakes." They walked through the gates and down a small path to the beach.
"Has anyone been to the cave since the cave in?" Tris asked.
"No, I wonder if we can get in." Daja replied. She looked to her right, the direction where the cave lay. "Well we might as well go and look."
By this time it had started to rain, Tris was smiling happily as she walked along with her hood down and her cloak open, letting the cool rain hit he skin and soak her hair. Taking Bear's lead from Briar she started running as quickly as her body would move. Little Bear barked happily wagging his tail as he raced up the beach. Tris reached the cave first, closely followed by Daja. Sandry gasped when she came up next to Briar. There was a man not much older than herself lying just inside the rim of the cave, where the rocks had not fallen. Briar walked up to him readying the knives around his wrists as he went. They fell into his palms and with a soft click he opened the blades. "Daj' check to see if he's alive will ya?" He asked, crouching down near the man, watchful in case he moved.
"He has a pulse. Not a strong one though." Daja told him. Sandry and Tris came up to look at the stranger. Tris took off the cloak that she was barely using and placed it over him. "Briar get Rosethorn or somebody, we can't carry him back." Daja said worrying, something very uncharacteristic of her.
"Why should we bring him back? We don't know who he is or what his business is here."
"We have to take him back, we can't just leave him here to die." Sandry said pleading. Briar stood up and walked over to a patch of grass not far off. Wrapping his hangs in the soft plant he shot his magic self through the roots and back up to discipline.
Rosethorn could feel his magic coming closer and put on a cloak. She went out to the garden and placed her hands on the trunk of a great willow tree. "What is it now boy?" Her mind voice sounded harsh.
"Get somebody, a healer, and come down to the cave quick. There is a guy down here, I think he's passed out." Rosethorn heard this and ran back into the house to tell Lark, who then went for a healer. Rosethorn then went to get Niko.
"She's coming, with a healer. Might as well do something useful while we wait." Briar told them. Sandry took a small bit of string out of the pouch at her neck. She touched each of the four lumps, equally spaced around the string. As she touched them she felt the magic that the bijili held inside of it, power from her foster-siblings and herself. The other three felt her touching their power and moved closer to see what she had. Tris put out her hand, wanting to hold the familiar circular string in her hands again. She brushed her fingers lightly over the four lumps, not being able to look directly at it because of the brightness of the power it contained, then passed it on to Briar who looked at it smiling. "You know this little thing was the cause of a whole pile of mess, but I'm glad it was made." It was passed to Daja last.
She took it and asked, "If Sandry hadn't spun our magics together we wouldn't be this close would we?"
"No, and we wouldn't have accomplished as much as we have." Tris said. Wiping rain from her face so that she could see better.
A splashing sound coming from the wet path alerted Sandry and the four looked to see Niko walking over with Dedicate Moonstream, the Temple's head dedicate. Behind them followed Lark and a dedicate that Sandry recognized as Afya, a healer, wearing the blue habit of the water temple.
"No sooner have you four returned home and you already find a man laying unconscious just outside our walls. I'm starting to think that you're the cause of all this." Moonstream said only half joking.
Afya bent down to examine the man, looking at his pupils, down his throat, and inside his ears, before sending her power into him. "He is indeed unconscious," she said, removing her magic from him. "Poisoned is my guess but I won't be able to tell without further examination. Where are we going to move him?"
"Discipline is closest." Moonstream said. "And I do believe it wise that he go there, there are not so many noises and disturbances there usually. But it seems to me that Discipline is going to be quite full already."
"If it is your wish to put him there then we can manage." Lark said. "Pasco, will be returning to Yazmin's school tomorrow."
"Keth is going to the male novice's dormitories." Niko informed everyone.
"Well then we have plenty of room!" Sandry said. "Pasco and Briar can sleep in Rosethorn's workroom on cots. Jorality, and Niamara can sleep in Tris' room. Evvy can stay with Daja in her room. Tris and I can stay in Lark's workroom. And he can sleep In Briar's room." She said indicating the sleeping man.
Moonstream turned to Lark and Rosethorn who nodded. Briar looked shocked that he had to give up his bed but didn't complain. "Okay then it settled. Niko could you help Afya carry our guest back to the cottage." She looked at the sleeping man one more time before heading back to her quarters. Everyone else moved as quickly as possible to get out of the rain the was now pouring in buckets on them.
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A/N: Thanks to all those who have replied:) What part will the mysterious stranger play? What side is he on? You'll have to read my next chapter to find out! Read and Reply!
~Wow I've updated 4 times in 5 day! Pretty good eh?
~Haha I keep having to look through the CoM and TCO books remind myself what things are called and stuff, lol.
NOTE! I haven't read Shatterglass, the finale to the Circle Opens quartet. If something I write conflicts with this book please inform me politely.
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~
Later that night after introductions had been made, (the newest arrival being Kethlun Warder Tris's older student), Sandry went up to the thatched roof of discipline. When the four had lived there together this had been one of their favourite meeting spots. She lay on her back and looked up at the sky. The sky was clear and starry, and there was a quarter moon in the sky, but the wind was strong, and since Sandry had lived with a weather-witch for years she knew the signs of a thunderstorm in the making. She lay staring at the sky for quite a while before She noticed a brown haired head pop up over the roof. "Mind if I..." Briar turned his head back down to look at the ladder. "I mean do you mind if we join you?" He didn't wait for an answer but climbed up to sit beside the chimney. Daja, and Tris followed him.
"You know that this all feels like a really big dream to me." Sandry told her best friends. "I mean yesterday Evvy shows up at the Citadel and invites me for dinner with Briar, then today when I came to prove to myself that he was actually back both of you show up. You watch I'll wake up tomorrow morning back at Uncle's and you'll all have just left."
"Well if your having a dream then I'm having it as well." Tris said.
"We're all back, and for a while too. I don't thin Frostpine is to keen to be leaving again, the cold in Namron really bothered him."
"Rosethorn missed Discipline to much to leave it again soon. Plus we have so much work to do in the garden that we won't be able to leave. If she even tries to go somewhere else, don't worry, I'll talk her out of it." Tris didn't comment, and the others looked at her. "Niko doesn't want to leave again soon, you know he doesn't Tris." She still didn't say anything. " He doesn't right? RIGHT?"
"Uhmm actually he does. He wants to leave for Qalai before the leaves begin to fall so that we can be there before winter." Tris said sadly.
"You're kidding!" Briar cried. "You can't leave. He can go without you can't he? He's done it before! Plus you have to teach Keth!"
"Maybe you're right!" She said feigning happiness. The others saw right through it.
Deciding to change the subject Sandry said, "Look at that storm coming gin from the sea!" Everyone looked to the east of the cottage towards the thick dark gray clouds. Sheets of rain could be seen coming down and a low thunder clap was heard from far off.
"It will be here shortly. Want to go down to the cave to see it?" Tris said excitedly, referring to the cave where the four had been blocked in during the earthquake that Sandry had spun their magics together.
"Lark and Rosethorn will never let us do that!" Sandry said.
"Of course they will. We have cloaks don't we? We'll be fine. Plus we have the best weather mage around to protect us from the dangerous storm." Daja said. Tris beamed at the compliment. They climbed down the ladder quickly and then down the stairs straight into Lark's work room. Rosethorn was there as well restocking some bottles with magical herbs. Before anyone had spoken Lark handed Tris a large glass token with the emblem of Discipline Cottage on one side and Lark and Rosethorn's symbols on the other. There was a red ribbon tied around it in the shape of a cross (the meaning is in Tris's Book!). "You probably won't need this because I'm sure everyone around here knows you by now, plus you have your medallions but take it anyway. Are you going down to the beach?"
"How did you know we were even planing to go anywhere?" Briar asked.
"Oh come now Briar how long have I lived with you four? 4 years plus the last with only Sandry. I've gotten used to your strange behaviors. Plus this is going to be a beautiful storm, and you all just got back. Now run along before the storm passes us. Bring Little bear with you!" She said shoving them out her work room door.
Daja grabbed their cloaks out of a closet and as they donned them Briar grabbed Little Bear's lead and tied it around his neck, then walked out of the cottage. It was completely dark outside now with the clouds blocking any moon, or star light so Sandry took something pale and glowing out of a case around her neck. "You still have that?" Daja asked.
"Of course! You didn't think that I would get rid of it did you?" Sandry replied shocked.
"Well I just thought that it might have gotten lost or something. It's been five years since we made it."
"I would never lose it! I keep it around my neck all the time in the pouch with the string." Everyone knew what string she was talking about. The string of power, the bijili, that Sandry had spun threads of their powers together in.
It took them a while to get down to the battlements surrounding Winding Circle.
"Hello you four. Its good to see your faces again." Said the Fire temple's head-dedicate.
"Hello Skyfire, we're going down to the cave." Briar said.
"I shouldn't even be asking, but, permission? It's going to be a wild storm." Tris held up the token. "Ok go on ahead... Watch out for earthquakes." They walked through the gates and down a small path to the beach.
"Has anyone been to the cave since the cave in?" Tris asked.
"No, I wonder if we can get in." Daja replied. She looked to her right, the direction where the cave lay. "Well we might as well go and look."
By this time it had started to rain, Tris was smiling happily as she walked along with her hood down and her cloak open, letting the cool rain hit he skin and soak her hair. Taking Bear's lead from Briar she started running as quickly as her body would move. Little Bear barked happily wagging his tail as he raced up the beach. Tris reached the cave first, closely followed by Daja. Sandry gasped when she came up next to Briar. There was a man not much older than herself lying just inside the rim of the cave, where the rocks had not fallen. Briar walked up to him readying the knives around his wrists as he went. They fell into his palms and with a soft click he opened the blades. "Daj' check to see if he's alive will ya?" He asked, crouching down near the man, watchful in case he moved.
"He has a pulse. Not a strong one though." Daja told him. Sandry and Tris came up to look at the stranger. Tris took off the cloak that she was barely using and placed it over him. "Briar get Rosethorn or somebody, we can't carry him back." Daja said worrying, something very uncharacteristic of her.
"Why should we bring him back? We don't know who he is or what his business is here."
"We have to take him back, we can't just leave him here to die." Sandry said pleading. Briar stood up and walked over to a patch of grass not far off. Wrapping his hangs in the soft plant he shot his magic self through the roots and back up to discipline.
Rosethorn could feel his magic coming closer and put on a cloak. She went out to the garden and placed her hands on the trunk of a great willow tree. "What is it now boy?" Her mind voice sounded harsh.
"Get somebody, a healer, and come down to the cave quick. There is a guy down here, I think he's passed out." Rosethorn heard this and ran back into the house to tell Lark, who then went for a healer. Rosethorn then went to get Niko.
"She's coming, with a healer. Might as well do something useful while we wait." Briar told them. Sandry took a small bit of string out of the pouch at her neck. She touched each of the four lumps, equally spaced around the string. As she touched them she felt the magic that the bijili held inside of it, power from her foster-siblings and herself. The other three felt her touching their power and moved closer to see what she had. Tris put out her hand, wanting to hold the familiar circular string in her hands again. She brushed her fingers lightly over the four lumps, not being able to look directly at it because of the brightness of the power it contained, then passed it on to Briar who looked at it smiling. "You know this little thing was the cause of a whole pile of mess, but I'm glad it was made." It was passed to Daja last.
She took it and asked, "If Sandry hadn't spun our magics together we wouldn't be this close would we?"
"No, and we wouldn't have accomplished as much as we have." Tris said. Wiping rain from her face so that she could see better.
A splashing sound coming from the wet path alerted Sandry and the four looked to see Niko walking over with Dedicate Moonstream, the Temple's head dedicate. Behind them followed Lark and a dedicate that Sandry recognized as Afya, a healer, wearing the blue habit of the water temple.
"No sooner have you four returned home and you already find a man laying unconscious just outside our walls. I'm starting to think that you're the cause of all this." Moonstream said only half joking.
Afya bent down to examine the man, looking at his pupils, down his throat, and inside his ears, before sending her power into him. "He is indeed unconscious," she said, removing her magic from him. "Poisoned is my guess but I won't be able to tell without further examination. Where are we going to move him?"
"Discipline is closest." Moonstream said. "And I do believe it wise that he go there, there are not so many noises and disturbances there usually. But it seems to me that Discipline is going to be quite full already."
"If it is your wish to put him there then we can manage." Lark said. "Pasco, will be returning to Yazmin's school tomorrow."
"Keth is going to the male novice's dormitories." Niko informed everyone.
"Well then we have plenty of room!" Sandry said. "Pasco and Briar can sleep in Rosethorn's workroom on cots. Jorality, and Niamara can sleep in Tris' room. Evvy can stay with Daja in her room. Tris and I can stay in Lark's workroom. And he can sleep In Briar's room." She said indicating the sleeping man.
Moonstream turned to Lark and Rosethorn who nodded. Briar looked shocked that he had to give up his bed but didn't complain. "Okay then it settled. Niko could you help Afya carry our guest back to the cottage." She looked at the sleeping man one more time before heading back to her quarters. Everyone else moved as quickly as possible to get out of the rain the was now pouring in buckets on them.
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~
A/N: Thanks to all those who have replied:) What part will the mysterious stranger play? What side is he on? You'll have to read my next chapter to find out! Read and Reply!
~Wow I've updated 4 times in 5 day! Pretty good eh?