Hello everybody. Here's another chapter. I got a review! Yay!
LoniGirl: Why, thanks. *blushes* I'm so touched. I'll make it a top priority just for you. Don't you feel special?
Disclaimer: No one reads these. They're completely pointless. Isn't it stupid?
Chapter 2: Speak?
The next two weeks went by like a dream. Nenyethilen had never been so happy. Even with her unusual silences, Briar, Sandry, Daja, and Tris were always nice to her.
It was harder for Tris than for the others. Her patience was very short, and she didn't respond well to being ignored. Of course, Nenyethilen wasn't ignoring her, but it seemed that way.
Sandry simply chatted away whether anyone was listening or not. She got along with everyone.
Daja wasn't as patient as Sandry. She was kind and understanding, and always invited Nenyethilen to do things with them, but she got irritable at times.
Briar didn't talk to Nenyethilen much. Sometimes he showed her the plants he was taking care of. She seemed to like that.
At the meal table, Nenyethilen listened. She learned much about the different mages, as well as about meditating. She practised in her room every night before she went to bed.
It was during one of these secret sessions that she had her first real vision since the incident in the forge. She still had dreams, but nothing like this.
One minute, she was in her room at Discipline, the next she was in a small, dark place that smelled like dust and crushed rocks. There were three other people and a dog with her. She could hear them breathing. Ther earth heaved, and more rock splinters rained down on her.
With the blink of an eye and a sharp breath, she was on top of a wall, overlooking a large harbor. This wouldn't be so unusual, except that there were battle ships everywhere and the smell of smoke and charred flesh choked the air. She watched as a huge waterspout ripped apart ships and people, leaving death and destruction in its wake.
The wind whipped around her, and once again, the scene changed. It was hot, and everything glowed orange. She had to blink a few times before her vision cleared enough for her to see what it was. She was in the middle of a very large and very much alive forest fire. When she realized that the fire didn't burn her, she looked down at her hands. They were dark like Daja's. Not like her own small, pale hands.
The scene changed yet again, and she was in a large, dimly lit room filled with beds. The people lying on the beds were obviously very sick: their sweaty hands clung to soiled bed sheets, glazed-over eyes searched the ceiling for invisible enemies, and they whispered feverishly to themselves.
The claustrophobia was starting to suffocate her when, finally, she was released, and she fell, gasping, onto the hard-wood floor of her room at Discipline.
For a while, she just lay there, thinking. She wasn't sure what all that had meant, but she had the distinct impression that it had already happened. How she knew, she had no idea. She just did.
When she had organized her thoughts, seh got up off the floor and slipped into her bed, where she fell immediately to sleep.
And for the first time in years, Nenyethilen didn't dream.
***
For days after her vision, Nenyethilen longed to ask Lark what it meant. She was afraid of Rosethorn; the hanging-by-the-heels-in-the-well speech had already been administered to her.
She kept saying to herself that she would do it that night, but it was always put off by her excuses.
So when she had her next big vision, she was completely unprepared. It was at the dinner table one night. Rosethorn was complaining that the Water Temple dedicates had once again run out of burn ointment, and Lark was sympathizing with her, saying that they had also run out of bandages.
Briar kept making snide remarks to the girls when Lark and Rosethorn weren't listening, and she had to sit with her face in her hand so they wouldn't see the laugh she was restraining desperately.
She was also staring into her milk cup. The light was making little rainbows in the liquid, and she watched them absently. Suddenly, light blazed in her vision, and she jerked backwards, trying to tear her eyes away from the vision. But it kept going.
When she was finally released, it was into silence. She realized that she had the sleeve of Daja's tunic in a white-knuckled grip, and she let go of it hastily. She looked slowly at the confused gazes that were fixed on her, and ran out of the room.
***
An excerpt from the diary of Nenyethilen Andrylica:
I'm leaving. They saw me having a vision. I can't stay anymore. This might be the last time I get to write. I borrowed this book from Lark, and I'll have to give it back.
Why did it have to happen at that moment? Why couldn't it have waited?
This one was stronger than the rest. Usually, they're vague, like shadows. But this one was definite. I don't know why it was different, but it was. Maybe--
***
For a long time after Nenyethilen left, everyone just sat there, stunned. Then Tris got up unexpectedly, and ran up the stairs to Nenyethilen's room.
She burst through the door without knocking, and looked into the room expectantly.
When she saw Tris come through the door, Nenyethilen stopped writing and stood up quickly, knocking her chair over backwards. She followed Tris's gaze to the hastily packed bag laying on her bed, and looked down in embarrassment. Tris probably thought she was a wimp now, too cowardly to take on a problem.
Instead of yelling at her like she thought she would, Tris simply looked back at Nenyethilen and said, "Where are you going?"
Nenyethilen shrugged.
"Well, no one's making you leave."
She looked up sharply, silver eyes filled with suspicion, fear, and a little hope.
"What happened down there?"
No answer.
"Are you going to make me just stand here, or are you going to give me an answer?"
The corners of Nenyethilen's mouth lifted in a cynical smile. She cleared her throat, hesitated, and made the biggest decision she had ever had to make. She spoke.
***
Muahahahaha! Evil cliffhanger! Tune in next time folks!
-littlehorse :)
LoniGirl: Why, thanks. *blushes* I'm so touched. I'll make it a top priority just for you. Don't you feel special?
Disclaimer: No one reads these. They're completely pointless. Isn't it stupid?
Chapter 2: Speak?
The next two weeks went by like a dream. Nenyethilen had never been so happy. Even with her unusual silences, Briar, Sandry, Daja, and Tris were always nice to her.
It was harder for Tris than for the others. Her patience was very short, and she didn't respond well to being ignored. Of course, Nenyethilen wasn't ignoring her, but it seemed that way.
Sandry simply chatted away whether anyone was listening or not. She got along with everyone.
Daja wasn't as patient as Sandry. She was kind and understanding, and always invited Nenyethilen to do things with them, but she got irritable at times.
Briar didn't talk to Nenyethilen much. Sometimes he showed her the plants he was taking care of. She seemed to like that.
At the meal table, Nenyethilen listened. She learned much about the different mages, as well as about meditating. She practised in her room every night before she went to bed.
It was during one of these secret sessions that she had her first real vision since the incident in the forge. She still had dreams, but nothing like this.
One minute, she was in her room at Discipline, the next she was in a small, dark place that smelled like dust and crushed rocks. There were three other people and a dog with her. She could hear them breathing. Ther earth heaved, and more rock splinters rained down on her.
With the blink of an eye and a sharp breath, she was on top of a wall, overlooking a large harbor. This wouldn't be so unusual, except that there were battle ships everywhere and the smell of smoke and charred flesh choked the air. She watched as a huge waterspout ripped apart ships and people, leaving death and destruction in its wake.
The wind whipped around her, and once again, the scene changed. It was hot, and everything glowed orange. She had to blink a few times before her vision cleared enough for her to see what it was. She was in the middle of a very large and very much alive forest fire. When she realized that the fire didn't burn her, she looked down at her hands. They were dark like Daja's. Not like her own small, pale hands.
The scene changed yet again, and she was in a large, dimly lit room filled with beds. The people lying on the beds were obviously very sick: their sweaty hands clung to soiled bed sheets, glazed-over eyes searched the ceiling for invisible enemies, and they whispered feverishly to themselves.
The claustrophobia was starting to suffocate her when, finally, she was released, and she fell, gasping, onto the hard-wood floor of her room at Discipline.
For a while, she just lay there, thinking. She wasn't sure what all that had meant, but she had the distinct impression that it had already happened. How she knew, she had no idea. She just did.
When she had organized her thoughts, seh got up off the floor and slipped into her bed, where she fell immediately to sleep.
And for the first time in years, Nenyethilen didn't dream.
***
For days after her vision, Nenyethilen longed to ask Lark what it meant. She was afraid of Rosethorn; the hanging-by-the-heels-in-the-well speech had already been administered to her.
She kept saying to herself that she would do it that night, but it was always put off by her excuses.
So when she had her next big vision, she was completely unprepared. It was at the dinner table one night. Rosethorn was complaining that the Water Temple dedicates had once again run out of burn ointment, and Lark was sympathizing with her, saying that they had also run out of bandages.
Briar kept making snide remarks to the girls when Lark and Rosethorn weren't listening, and she had to sit with her face in her hand so they wouldn't see the laugh she was restraining desperately.
She was also staring into her milk cup. The light was making little rainbows in the liquid, and she watched them absently. Suddenly, light blazed in her vision, and she jerked backwards, trying to tear her eyes away from the vision. But it kept going.
When she was finally released, it was into silence. She realized that she had the sleeve of Daja's tunic in a white-knuckled grip, and she let go of it hastily. She looked slowly at the confused gazes that were fixed on her, and ran out of the room.
***
An excerpt from the diary of Nenyethilen Andrylica:
I'm leaving. They saw me having a vision. I can't stay anymore. This might be the last time I get to write. I borrowed this book from Lark, and I'll have to give it back.
Why did it have to happen at that moment? Why couldn't it have waited?
This one was stronger than the rest. Usually, they're vague, like shadows. But this one was definite. I don't know why it was different, but it was. Maybe--
***
For a long time after Nenyethilen left, everyone just sat there, stunned. Then Tris got up unexpectedly, and ran up the stairs to Nenyethilen's room.
She burst through the door without knocking, and looked into the room expectantly.
When she saw Tris come through the door, Nenyethilen stopped writing and stood up quickly, knocking her chair over backwards. She followed Tris's gaze to the hastily packed bag laying on her bed, and looked down in embarrassment. Tris probably thought she was a wimp now, too cowardly to take on a problem.
Instead of yelling at her like she thought she would, Tris simply looked back at Nenyethilen and said, "Where are you going?"
Nenyethilen shrugged.
"Well, no one's making you leave."
She looked up sharply, silver eyes filled with suspicion, fear, and a little hope.
"What happened down there?"
No answer.
"Are you going to make me just stand here, or are you going to give me an answer?"
The corners of Nenyethilen's mouth lifted in a cynical smile. She cleared her throat, hesitated, and made the biggest decision she had ever had to make. She spoke.
***
Muahahahaha! Evil cliffhanger! Tune in next time folks!
-littlehorse :)
