Disclaimer: We don't own this! We aren't making money!
Factoid about this story of the chapter: Lily originally called The Sahnzi Files but then Ade realized that that is historically inaccurate. Here are some of the names we came up with:
Sahnzi Salmalin and the Stormwing Stone
In the Hands of the Stormwings
Artimis Sahnzi
As you can see they din't work so we spent a whole ten minutes thinking of a title.
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I leaned on Daine's shoulder and I finally stopped crying.
"Sahnzi?" said Daine "since you don't have a place to live would
you be our student? You can live next door and we can try a discover all of
your abilities."
"I guess I will seeing as how I don't have any other choice."
***
"Breathe deep and search yourself." said Numair. He said I had
stormwing magic but if I had it I couldn't find it.
"Now?" asked Numair
"Nothing"
"Now?"
"Nothing"
"Now?"
"Nothing"
"Now?"
"Nothing"
"Now?"
"For crying out loud there is nothing there!"
"Maybe" said Daine "you have to be in stormwing shape to have
stormwing magic."
I gasped
"What!? How do you even know I can be in stormwing shape?"
"Well" said Numair "you said you wake up with wings
sometimes maybe you can finish the job."
"Finish the job! I like myself the way I am thank you very much…so maybe my hair is a bit unruly at times but I have this lovely s..."
"Don't you want to learn about yourself?" said Numair prodding
I have to admit he has a point…
"What do I do first?" I said.
***
I had begun to make friends when I usually ate in the rider's mess hall with
Daine. Sometimes we ate in the main mess hall too. One of the rider trainees
sat with me most of the time; her name was Alaya. That night we were sitting at
Daine's table and Buri stood up and told the trainees that the next day would
be a day off. My ears split at the volume of the cheers. Daine leaned over to
me. "Sahnzi, if you want, you can go with Alaya to the city tomorrow. You need
a break from lessons." My voice was added to the cheers. Numair had been
pushing me to shape shift every waking hour. I could now change to a stormwing
in less than a minute. Changing back was harder though.
***
"Come on!" yelled Alaya, "You are taking forever!" We were walking
down the market place and I was anxious to spend the five crowns Daine and Numair
had given me
"Ooh look at this." She said in reverence as she
picked up a stormwing feather on a chain.
"It's just a stormwing feather," I said not realizing that stormwing
feathers are pretty rare.
"What do you mean its just a stormwing feather. This thing costs seven crowns!
That's more than I have ever had in my life at one time!" She said outraged "I
did a report on stormwings in my classes and their feathers are really hard to
find."
"Oh…well I just don't like them very much…you know the whole rolling in the dead thing" I said covering my tracks and hoping that she wouldn't ask too many questions.
"I think they are trying to tell us something, you know, like not to kill each other anymore"
"You make them sound so noble. Like pirates, all the songs are about them being free and living on their own but all they really are is murderers, thieves and rapists." I scorned
"Yeah I guess your right." She said kind of disappointed.
Suddenly I realized that I had crushed her hopes and dreams of researching and knowing stormwings so after all of the butt covering that I had done I decided to tell her.
"Alaya," I whispered, "can you keep a
secret?"
She nodded enthusiastically
"I'm half stormwing" her eyes opened wide… and I mean W I D E.
"Really?"
I showed her my silver nails, "The mark of an immortal" I
said matter of factly.
"Wow…" she said, "you can trust me I don't want you hurt, or
worse killed. So do you shed feathers?" she asked
"Yeah, do you want one?" I said
"That would be wonderful."
I noticed that on the way back home she seemed really,
really happy.
***
Numair was called to the king later
that day.
"So," said the king "I hear you have taken a girl into you and
Daine's care, am I right?"
"Yes," said Numair. The king asked "why did you take her
in?"
"You see," said Numair "she is a bit different and was cast out
by her adoptive parents."
"How different?" said the king skeptically
"Sahnzi's half stormwing," said Numair
"What! Are you crazy?" said the king his suspicion turning to anger.
"No, you misunderstand, Sahnzi is a wonderful girl and she looks normal
she just can shape shift and has stormwing magic. And she doesn't smell"
replied Numair
"I'd like to meet her," said the king coldly.
"She's in the city. Daine and I have decided to adopt her the same time as
when we are getting married too. That way we won't have to do as much
paperwork"
"Wonderful!" said the king sarcastically.
"Just don't tell Sahnzi, it is going to be a
surprise."
***
Numair walked into his and Daine's
room. "I told the king," he said.
"Good" said Daine "what did he say about
Sahnzi?"
"He was skeptical."
"Oh well he will warm up to her eventually" Daine said.
"I hope"
***
"Sahnzi!" called Daine "The king is going to see you in ten
minutes and you aren't even dressed!" I look at my self in the mirror. I
liked it but what would the king say? I was about to undress again when Daine
ran in said that's fine and dragged me to the throne room.
"Hello Sahnzi." the king said calmly, and almost too coolly.
"Greetings your highness," I said. Everything about me was shaking
from my voice to my curtsy.
"So Sahnzi, are you happy with Daine and Numair?"
"Oh yes! Mr. King sir." Gods, this perky little girl thing is enough
to kill anyone.
"Sahnzi, all but two stormwings I ever met were…how shall I say… less than
friendly."
Sooooo? I felt like saying, instead I just put on my best suck-up-face and
said,
"How unfortunate your highness."
"So I'm warning you If you hurt anyone I will personally make sure you are
locked away. You're dismissed." I ran out and locked myself in my room.
What was his problem!
