Thanks for the reviews, everyone!! Don't worry, this story will continue to be written--Sache and I just have to do it in between everything else we have going on in our lives. :-)

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CHAPTER TWO

by Qwi-Xux

Briar closed the door to his room and made sure it was shut tightly. He walked over to his shakkan tree, placed back in its familiar shelf on the window. He remembered nailing the shelf into place shortly after he turned eleven. That had been so long ago...so much had happened since then.

He didn't know what to think about his encounter with Sandry. What had possessed him to flee her room? She was still up there--he could feel her, almost hear her thoughts through their bond--but he quickly blocked that off so he wouldn't invade her mind...and so she wouldn't invade his.

What am I thinking? What happened just now? Was I really going to kiss her? There was something between us, I know it... This is ridiculous. She's my foster sister. Just a foster sister. There can never be anything else.

What do I mean, 'anything else?' I don't want there to be anything else. You're a fool, Briar.

Still... His mind fell back on Sandry's sweet face as she had smiled at him just a few moments ago. What had she been thinking? What had he been thinking? Her words echoed in his mind. "When you were gone, did you miss me?"

He hadn't realized how much he had missed her. Yes, he had missed Tris and Daja, too...but not like this. He had never experienced anything like this before.

Briar was so confused. He sat on the mattress on the floor that served at his bed and stared out the window. "Things can't change," he muttered to his shakkan. "This is Winding Circle. This is home. Things aren't supposed to change."

A soft knock on his door turned his eyes away from the window. He searched his magic to find who was on the other side of the door, expecting it to be Sandry. She would certainly storm into his room and demand to know what he was doing, running off on her like he had.

To his surprise, it was Evvy. Briar sighed. He didn't have the energy to deal with his student right now. He hadn't seen her most of the day. She had been off exploring Discipline and the surrounding area, probably poking at different rocks and talking to other mage teachers. This place fascinated her. When she had been home, she had been in and out of his sight. The only decent length of time he had seen her had been at dinner, and she had been unusually silent during the meal. He thought it might have something to do with Sandry's nobility--he had told her time and again before they ever arrived that Sandry wasn't like other nobles, but she might have needed some time to see this for herself.

"Pahan Briar!" Evvy called impatiently through the door.

Briar stared at the door for a moment, then stood up and walked over to open it. Evvy was his responsibility. He opened the door and looked with raised eyebrows at the small girl. She had her hands tucked behind her back. Three cats were twisting around her legs, and one of them peeled off to rub against Briar. He glanced at the cat, then said, "Yes, Evvy?"

"Look what Pahan Lark gave me!" Evvy pulled her hands out from behind her back and held out a tiny bundle of silvery cloth.

Briar forced himself to be patient. "What is it?"

"It's a pouch for my rocks. Any spells I put in the rocks, anything at all, will be sealed inside this bag. No one will be able to tell there's magic in it, and I don't have to worry about any of it leaking out if I make a mistake in one of my rocks while I'm learning." She hopped back and forth from leg to leg excitedly. "I had told Lark about the accident with the quartz I had--remember how I had tried to put a protection spell into it, and an hour later, it exploded?"

Briar remembered that well--it had been within several feet of him at the time, and he had received several nasty scrapes due to the incident. "That's wonderful, Evvy--but remember, no unauthorized magic until you get better with the control. You've already mastered the smaller spells, but the ones we're working on now are more difficult."

Evvy nodded dutifully. "I won't, Pahan Briar." She gave him a quick grin and slipped off to head for the second floor, her cats in tow, where she was sharing a room with Sandry. Comas and Ivren were occupying the other two bedrooms.

Briar stepped back and closed the door.

It didn't take long before he actually did have Sandry at his door. She, unlike Evvy, knocked once and then pushed the door open and walked in without permission. He stared at her, his expression indiscernable. "What if I had been undressed?" he asked mildly.

Sandry stared at him, unabashed. "That's the last thing I'm worried about."

"What are you worried about, then?" Briar couldn't stay still. He stood up and walked over to his shakkan, turning his back on Sandry.

"I want to know why you came and hid in your room," Sandry stated.

Briar spun on her. "I'm not hiding!"

"What are you doing, then?" Sandry took a step closer to him. "Briar, something happened with us--or almost happened." Her face looked troubled and confused. "I don't know what it was, but maybe we could talk about it."

Girls! Always wanting to talk about things! Briar thought in disbelief. "I don't want to talk about it." He didn't admit that he felt extremely uncomfortable with the situation--and now Sandry was standing so close...

She took another step nearer. "Briar, you're my best friend. We can talk about anything,"

Briar found himself pressed against the window, the shakkan at his back. "Not this," he said abruptly. He felt her starting to prod at their bond, and he quickly slammed a wall down on the connection.

Sandry stepped back, looking hurt. "All right, Briar." She gave him a sad smile and started to turn. "I'm upstairs, if you change your mind." She completed her turn and walked out the door, closing it quietly behind her.

Briar ran his hands through his cropped black hair. "What am I doing?" he asked himself in exasperation. "What is wrong with me?"

The truth was poking at him, but he was trying to ignore it. He didn't want to face it. He didn't want things to change. His whole life, the only stable thing he had was his family here at Discipline. This...this change that was happening in him was something unexpected, something new--something that could lead to a lot of pain...but maybe a lot of happiness.

But Briar Moss wasn't used to having to deal with this. He had never dealt with a situation like this before, and honestly, he didn't know what to do about it.

Briar had never been in love before. Loved, yes--he loved Lark and the girls, and especially Rosethorn. He had never actually been in love with anyone, and he was so confused about the whole thing.

Why? Why did this have to happen? Especially...especially with Sandry?

There it was. That was the root of his problem. Sandry...beautiful, sweet, teasing Sandry. The noble who had stood up for everything she believed in. The mage who had faced earthquakes, fires, pirates, diseases, murderers...the Sandry who had worked so hard to conquer her fear of the dark. Brave, honest, loyal...that was his Sandry.

His Sandry...who was also Sandriline fa Toren. A noble. Heiress to Emelan. Future duchess.

And he was just Briar Moss. He had come a long way, but deep down, he would always be a street rat. The thief Roach would always be a part of his past. He was nobody, not as far as bloodlines went. He didn't know who his parents were--he barely remembered his mother. Compared to Sandry, he was nothing. You're a kaq, Briar told himself, using a Trader insult. It literally meant 'dirt under foot.' Maybe not in the mage world, but in Sandry's world...

He didn't bother to think that Sandry's world was the mage world--she had so many responsibilities as far as her heritage went. She had the birthright of a duchess...he had the birthright of a pickpocket.

No, Briar! he told himself fiercely. You've come beyond that. You're past that. He had honestly thought he was. He thought he had established himself enough in his new life that his old one could be just that--a thing of the past. Something forgotten. So why was it coming up now? Because things are changing. Because you feel guilty.

He felt guilty because he had fallen in love with Sandriline fa Toren...and he didn't deserve her.

I can't stay here. I have to leave. I need to get away from Winding Circle and clear my head, Briar thought.

He didn't bother leaving a note. He planned to be back by morning.

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Sandry sighed to herself as she stared out the window of the second floor room. Even after spending nights here on occasion since moving to the city, she wasn't used to sleeping upstairs--she had given Comas her bedroom on the first floor when she moved into the Citadel with her great-uncle. This room had been Tris's. Daja's bedroom was occupied by Ivren. Daja usually slept at the forge when she was home, but whenever Tris got home, she might be a little touchier about having a bedroom to come back to.

Briar's student was sleeping on a mat on the floor, while Sandry used Tris's bed. Sandry was reminded of Briar in that--when she had asked Evvy if she wanted the bed, the girl had told her that she preferred the mat on the floor. She was now sitting on her makeshift bed, with what seemed like a dozen cats lying or sitting around her. Moss, the kitten Evvy had offered her, was creeping around the room, pouncing on a ball of catnip. Some of Evvy's cats, Sandry knew, were outside. The child seemed to have a never-ending supply of the animals. Sandry wondered with some amusement how Rosethorn had managed to put up with all of them on the long journey she, Briar, and Evvy had made.

Briar...

A tingle ran down Sandry's back as she thought about him. It had been such a surprise, seeing him appear in the garden. The emotions that came with seeing him again weren't at all what she had expected. She had expected to feel thrilled, yes, and excited, but there was something else that she couldn't quite identify.

Watching him throughout the evening as he chatted with Lark and dealt with Evvy, she realized how much he had grown in the time he had been gone. He was patient with Evvy, and took her excited comments and questions in stride, although she did notice that in some things, he quipped at her, and sounded very much like Rosethorn. It made her want to laugh. Briar as a teacher was a strange thing...just as strange as she being a teacher, she supposed. Except Evvy seemed a lot more patient and eager to learn than Pasco ever did. Pasco was easily distracted by things, and impatient to move onto more interesting things half the time.

Briar had changed, even if he didn't see it...or maybe he didn't want to see it.

And as the evening had gone by, she began to realize just how deep her feelings for Briar Moss went. She wondered if they had always been there, and she just hadn't noticed them until now. Maybe it had taken Briar going away for so long before she had been able to realize the truth...the truth that she loved Briar. /Love...more than as a foster-brother/ Sandry admitted to herself.

Just a little bit ago, there had been sparks between them...something could have happened, might have happened, if Briar hadn't run from the room. It hurt her to think that he didn't want to talk to her. She couldn't understand what she had done to upset him.

As she gazed out the window, she suddenly saw a dark figure slip around the side of the cottage and out through the front gate. By the posture and the way the person walked, she immediately realized it was Briar. Where was he going? Maybe he just needed to take a walk or something...

"Pahan Sandry?" Evvy piped up from her bed.

Sandry turned her attention on the rock-mage. "Yes, Evvy?" At least Evvy was talking to her now--it had taken her a while to warm up to Sandry.

"You're not like any noble I've ever met. You're actually nice to people."

That was the last thing Sandry had expected her to say. "Well, thank you. I think nobles should be treated like everybody else--they shouldn't be all high and mighty. It's a noble's duty to put his or her people above her, no matter what." She almost laughed at her own words, realizing how 'teacherly' they sounded. She had been around Pasco too long.

Evvy smiled. "I don't know much about duchesses, but I think you'll be a good one." She paused. "As long as you don't change. Some nobles change when they get more power." Her lips tightened, and then she yawned. Pushing her cats gently aside, she slid down on her bed. "I hope you don't get like all the other nobles. I think Briar's kinda worried about that, too."

That was a revelation. Briar, worried about her changing because she was going to be a duchess? How silly! Could that be what he was scared of? Sandry studied Evvy for a moment. For an eleven-year-old, the girl had quite a bit of insight. Of course, Briar was her teacher, so she might see things about him others missed. I'll just have to reassure Briar when he comes back. Maybe I'll talk to him in the morning. I'm a bit tired, too.

Sandry's dreams were filled with dark shadows and menacing figures. Nothing was quite clear, but when she woke up, she found herself stifling a scream. Sweat poured down her forehead. She couldn't figure out what she had been dreaming, but she knew that something horrible was wrong.

She glanced over at the pallet next to her bed, and saw Evvy sleeping peacefully, her cats tucked in about her. She grabbed hold of her link to Briar, thinking she would find him asleep in his room. To her surprise, he wasn't at Discipline. He wasn't even at Winding Circle. Briar? she called mentally, suddenly fearing that something had happened to him.

It took him a moment to answer. What, Sandry? His telepathic voice had sort of a sigh in it. She got the feeling he just wanted to be left alone. A moment later, he wondered, What are you doing up so late?

Something happened, Sandry explained. I don't know what, or to whom. Where are you?

Out. Thinking.

Will you...will you come back now? She had an overwhelming fear of being alone right now. Briar, Tris, and Daja had always been able to help her figure out what was wrong before. Yes, Lark and Rosethorn were here, but it would never be the same thing.

It's almost dawn. I was heading back anyway. Briar told her. His mental voice softened as he sensed her trepidation. It will be fine, Sandry. We'll figure out what's wrong.

Sandry cut off the conversation, and she immediately felt her links to Lark and Rosethorn. Her link to Lark was a lot stronger than her link to Rosethorn, but she was able to tell they were fine. They were both sleeping. Her next thought was of Pasco, and her Uncle Vedris, Duke of Emelan. A quick look at Pasco's link told her he was also asleep, in his own home in Summersea. It was when she reached for her connection to her uncle that she ran into a problem.

It wasn't there. While Vedris didn't have any magic of his own, and the bond Sandry had to him went one way, she was usually able to tell where he was. It was weaker the farther away from Summersea she got--nowhere near as strong as her connections to her magical companions--but when she was in Winding Circle, she was normally able to get a weak sparkle showing that he was in Summersea.

And now there was nothing.

What did it mean? Had something happened to him? Was he hurt? Or worse...was he dead?

No. That wasn't a possibility. He had survived so much. He couldn't be dead.

Still, something deep in her heart told her otherwise.

Sandry jumped out of bed and hurriedly threw on a simple, light cotton dress. She couldn't bother to deal with her hair, so she grabbed one of the kerchief that Tris had left behind and threw it over her head. Her appearances weren't what was important now.

Without waking Evvy, Sandry hurried down the stairs and knocked on Lark's door. Fortunately, Lark was a light sleeper and woke immediately. Sandry quickly explained that something was wrong with the Duke, and she was taking a horse and riding to Summersea.

It was then that she remembered to contact Briar. Briar? Change of plans. I think something happened to my uncle--I'm headed for Summersea. Will you meet me at the Citadel?

Sure thing, Briar said. Sandry could feel the worry in his mind, and his determination to be there for her.

Within ten minutes, Sandry was on her steed, racing out of Winding Circle.

She was halfway to the Citadel when she was met by a company of guards. The sun was just starting to peek over the horizon. Sandry's heart sped up when she recognized them as the Citadel's guard. She halted her horse. "What happened?" she demanded.

The lead guard, a man she had seen around the Citadel but whose name she did not know, didn't seem surprised to see her. With all of the things the occupants of the Citadel had seen of Sandry in the last year, they were hard-pressed to be surprised by the things she did or knew. He put his chin up and said, "I'm sorry, milady. The Duke has been murdered."

The words echoed in Sandry's head. Murdered...the Duke has been murdered... She found herself unable to move, unable to speak, unable to do anything except stare at the guards in utter disbelief.

When she finally found her voice again, she managed to choke out, "By whom?" She was surprised she wasn't feeling very much right now. Shouldn't she be panicking, hurting, sobbing, anything? Why did she feel so numb?

"We don't know, milady. We were sent to fetch you, and also also fetch plant mages at Winding Circle," the guard answered.

"Plant mages?" Sandry heard herself talking, but she felt strangely detached from her own body. "Why?"

"They've sent for harriers, and harrier-mages, but we didn't need a harrier-mage to tell us this murder involved magic," the guard replied. "He was killed with plants, milady. That is no normal occurrence...it was obvious from looking at him that he was killed with magic."

"Plants?" Sandry repeated dumbly. How could he be killed by plants? Most of the known plant mages in Emelan lived at Winding Circle.

"Not a pretty sight at all."

That comment seemed to snap something in Sandry. Utter grief washed over her, waves of it slamming into her very soul all at once. She had lost her uncle, the only blood family she had here, the only blood family that cared for her. No! How could this have happened? How, how, how?

Sandry struggled not to double over from the onslaught of anguish raging through her. Fighting back tears, she tried to speak, but choked on her voice. As best she could, she drew up her composure. "Continue on. I will go to the Citadel."

"Some of our men will accompany you, milady," the lead guard told her.

"That's not necessary," Sandry argued.

"Necessary or not, we will accompany you." He waved several of his men to go with Sandry.

Sandry's emotions were in too much turmoil to argue with him. She gave a nod, then took off for the Palace. As soon as she started out, Briar's anxious voice echoed in her head. Sandry? Sandry, what happened?

He must have felt her pain. My uncle...my uncle... How could she say the words, even think them? She didn't want it to be true.

Oh, stop it Sandry. You've dealt with death. Your parents, hundreds of people...you've killed before. Death is nothing new, she told herself fiercely. She had to hold up this resolve. She had to keep her head. There would be an investigation. She would have to deal with that...and...and...

It abruptly hit her that she was now the Duchess of Emelan. Briar had teased her about it only yesterday...

The weight of the situation settled on her shoulders. There was so much more to deal with than she was sure she could handle.

Sandry? Sandry?

She only then realized that Briar was trying to get her attention. Briar, Uncle Vedris...please, just come to the Citadel... She wanted to tell him in person, not mind-to-mind. She didn't even know if she could say it right now without breaking down, and she did not want to do that in front of the guards.

I'm coming, Briar said immediately. He sent a wave of comfort and protection through their connection, but Sandry felt immune to it.

Several moments after he ended their conversation, she sensed someone she hadn't expected at all. The voice was faint, fainter than Briar's, but it came through very strongly. It was a voice she hadn't heard for a long time. Sandry? The mental voice was full of concern.

Daja? What...where are you? Sandry was utterly shocked to hear from her, and it gave her mind a temporary distraction.

A couple of days outside of Winding Circle. I was going to wait and surprise you, but something's happened. That was Daja, calm and sturdy, stating the facts.

My... Sandry still didn't know if she could say it, but Daja...Daja had the feel of the strength of iron. She couldn't tell Daja in person, not for several more days. You can do it, Sandry. You can say it, one part of her mind said. If you say it, it will make it real, another part whispered. She pressed her lips tightly together and got it out in a rush. My uncle was murdered by a plant mage, and I'm on my way to the Citadel. There. She had done it. She had admitted it...and now, it was as if a sword and shoved its way through her heart. Tears stung her eyes, but she forced them back fiercely. She could not break right now.

Daja didn't question why she wasn't already at the Citadel. She just said, Oh, saati, I'm so sorry.

Sandry was slightly comforted by hearing Daja's voice, and being called saati again. She squeezed her eyes shut. I will not cry, I will not cry, I will not cry. Sandry swallowed a lump in her throat. At least she would have Briar and Daja to get her through this.

Frostpine and I will be there as soon as we can, Sandry.

When Sandry reached the Citadel, she found one of the Acalons already outside. Pasco Acalon, her student, was nowhere to be found. Of course, he wasn't a harrier, like his family--he was a dance mage. Even so, he had been instrumental in helping Sandry defeat several murderers the summer before.

She had begun to find it suspicious that six months earlier, the Duke's son and daughter-in-law had died in what had been labeled an accident, and now the Duke had been murdered. Was it coincidence?

Sandry made her way into the Citadel, past the guards and harriers, winding her way to the place of the murder--the Duke's bedroom. When she got there, she found Baron Erdogun fer Baigh, who was a dear friend of her uncle, standing outside. He stopped her before she could reach the open door. "Lady Sandrilene, I know that I cannot stop you from going in there, but I will warn you that it is a very unpleasant sight."

Sandry drew herself up. "I know. But I must see it."

Erdogun nodded. "Be careful, milady."

Fear and trepidation chased each other through Sandry as she stepped toward the door. Her throat closed up, and she knew if she tried to speak right now, nothing would come out. She heard voices inside--harriers and harrier-mages, no doubt. Pain raced through her very veins, and she couldn't still her shaking legs. She stepped through the doorway and stared at the room in utter horror.

Nothing could have prepared her for the scene in front of her.