The sky was as bright as the tears shining in the eyes of the four youngsters outside the old cottage. Bags in each of their arms, the children sighed wistfully, remembering all that they had cherished in this building. Behind them, temples and storehouses, bunks and greenhouses, blacksmith quarters, shores, woods, and a giant tower at the center of a winding road stood. This place, as large as it seemed, had been home to the children for as long as they could remember. But now, it was time to move on.


"I'm going to miss this place," said one of the girls, her blondish hair picking up teardrops from her cheeks.


"You know," said a darker-skinned girl, tapping her staff against the stone walkway on which she stood. "At first, we didn't really want to stay here. And now, we just don't want to leave. It's sort of funny, don't you think?"


"I don't know. That sort of sad humor is so broad," whispered a girl with curly red hair. She reached a finger behind her thick glasses to rub her eyes. "But you're right, about wanting to go and then changing our minds."


The lone boy in the group shook his head. "You're all a bunch of saps," he muttered, tugging on the edge of his shirt sleeve.

"Knock it off, Briar. Your eyes are as wet as the rest of ours," snapped the blonde. The boy looked away. Maybe the girls are right, he thought, but I won't ever admit that to their faces.


Two women, hankerchiefs in hand, and a tall man came out of the cottage. They approached the children. "It's time," said the dark woman, smiling with tears in her eyes.


"This is it, I suppose," said the man, fighting to keep his composure. He got down on a knee in front of them so that he was closer to their eye level. "Before you leave, I ... I just wanted to tell you how very proud I am of you. The gods have blessed you to be extremely gifted and talented. Use yourselves to the best of your abilities, and work to develop your powers. I'd hate to see such tremendous gifts as yours go to waste, though I trust none of you would let that happen." He smiled faintly. Niklaren Goldeye was not one for speeches! "The best of luck to all of you."


Touched by the rare compliments from their master, the children smiled and sniffled. The man was flooded with hugs. "Don't you dare think we'd forget about you, Niko. You can't lose us that easily," said the girl with the staff.


The red-headed woman behind Niko came right up to the boy, who blinked at her with wide eyes. She looked down at him, touching his cheek gently. "I'll be thinking about you," she whispered, her eyes misting.


The boy, Briar, blinked at her again, shocked at her display of affection. The woman sniffed and shook it off. "You stay out of trouble, understand?" she said harshly, trying to sound tough. She didn't want anyone, especially Briar, thinking that she'd gone soft. He had not missed the cracking in her voice, though. Briar smiled and put an arm around her.


"I wouldn't dare get into any more messes," he said reassuringly.


"'More messes'? Green Man knows if that's possible, to get into more messes than you've already done," Rosethorn said, feeling more like herself.


The other woman, on the other hand, had no problem expressing her true feelings. She immediately began sobbing, hugging and kissing all of the children. "Don't cry so, Lark," cooed the blonde, patting her teacher's back as they embraced. "I'm not going forever."


"I know," sniffed Lark as she wiped her eyes.


The redheaded girl, Tris, said in consolation to Lark, "We'll visit you soon, we promise. Or, at least I do." She paused. "You'll be here, right?"


"Of course," said Lark. "We all will be, unless Niko gets called away by something else. I'm going to be helping with the selling and producing of some temple goods, such as cloth, yarn, ointments, herbs, and the like, along with Rosethorn. You know – nothing so exciting as you."


"Well, we'll drop by, then, sometime," Sandry assured Lark.


She paused, and dug into her pocket, producing a cord, woven into a circle, with four even lumps. "What should we do with this? I don't want to hog it to myself," said Sandry.


"Keep it," said Briar, shoving a hand into his pocket. "You've done a fine job keeping tabs on our circle so far." Little Bear hopped at his feet, demanding attention. Sadly, Briar patted the large white dog.


Sandry smiled and placed it back into her pocket. Sighing, looking at Niko, she asked, "Shall we make our way to the gate?" Niko nodded. The children bade their final farewells to Lark and Rosethorn, who waved from outside the cottage gate with smiling, tearful faces.


The children, escorted by Niko, headed to the gates at the edge of the temple-city, where they would go their separate ways. Daja, the dark-skinned girl, was going to remain with her master, Frostpine. He and his assistant Kirel were traveling to the city of Hajra in Sotat, where they would be constructing a huge new city gate, made entirely of different types of metal. Daja was going
with them. She knew that it was a great challenge; she couldn't wait.


Sandry was returning to her uncle's, Duke Vedris, to help to take care of his lands. She was planning on keeping up her weaving, however, and making some interesting clothes - perhaps a shirt or cloak, made with magic, able to protect the wearer? She wasn't sure if it could be done, but she wanted to try.

Tris was going to a mage-school, called Growing Circle Temple, a-ways from Winding Circle (near Ninver) to develop her talents further. Niko had insisted on it, saying that she had great possibilities awaiting her if she learned more self-control and intricate spells at this center, which specialized in helping to develop strong mages.

Briar was going to a center in the Stepping Stone Islands, where the Earth-dedicates had been breeding different types of plants in order to produce different medicinal properties in them. It sounded like fun to Briar. After working during the plague, he'd found working in such a field interesting.


Now, it was Sandry's turn to sob, as Lark had. She began to bawl, smothering the others in hugs. Her emotional state began to rub off on Daja and Tris, and even Briar, who in turn started to cry and hug one another.


Sandry and Daja pressed their bodies against each other as they embraced, Sandry wailing uncontrollably. "What will I do without you, Daja?" she cried.


"Sandry, you act like this is the end of the world. Remember, we're always going to be friends, and we're going to keep in contact, so don't cry so." Daja's words would have been more reassuring had her facial expressions not given away her true sadness - her cheeks were wet, her eyes red, and her lips in a sad frown.


Sandry reached over to hug Tris close to her, who sniffled and rubbed her nose. "And Tris! I'm going to miss you so, Tris!" lamented Sandry, burying her face in Tris' shirt.


"I've still got that embroidered cloth you gave me, Sandry. You know…with the birds on it," Tris began, but she stopped to compose herself. It's not like me to get emotional, thought Tris as she rubbed her eyes again, but this is too much. Whether I like it or not, these people are my friends.


Meanwhile, Daja approached Briar. "Well, 'kid,'" she joked, using the thief-cant that Briar had taught her, "I guess this is it. Briar smiled and held out a hand to shake with her. Daja pushed his hand aside and hugged him, to Briar's shock. He put an arm around her back. "Good luck, Daja," he murmured, trying to blink back wetness in his eyes.


It was Briar's turn to be attacked by Sandry. She threw two arms around his shoulders and began to wail into his shirt, too. "It's going to be so different without you," she cried.


Briar rolled his eyes. "Girls," he muttered.

 
Sandry gripped his shoulders and looked into his face. "Don't tell me that the thought of leaving doesn't make you sad," she asked.


"Of course it does. I just hide it better than you do," he said, grinning and squeezing her around the shoulders.


Daja simultaneously came to Tris and put an arm around her shoulders. "Write to me, merchant girl," she said with a smile, her teeth flashing in her face. Tris grinned back and hugged her. "And you had best keep up your end of the deal and write me back at Growing Circle, hear me?" They released each other.


Finally, Briar and Tris had to bid their farewells. "Time to go, Coppercurls," he said, reaching out to tug on a loose curl popping out from Tris' headband. Tris caught his hand by her face an squeezed it, saying, "Not forever, though." She grinned at him and tickled his palm, feeling the scars that briars had left there. Briar laughed, and tears came to his eyes.


The gate loomed in front of them. Suddenly, they heard a click-clicking noise of a cart. "Tris," said Niko, "that's your means of transportation to Growing Circle."


Tris sighed, letting go of Briar's hand, and picked up her bag. "So long, everyone," she said, waving to them.


"Good luck, Tris!" cried Sandry, waving her hankerchief dramatically.


"We'll miss you!" said Daja, waving, twirling her staff in the other hand.


Briar added on, "Bye, Tris!"


"Have fun!" Niko said.


Tris wiped her streaming eyes. Winding Circle was the one place that she'd ever been really accepted. Now, it was her time to go, and she was scared witless.  Without these people, where would I be? she thought.


"Thanks, everyone," she said. "Bye!" Looking at them backwards as she climbed into the card, she disappeared behind the partition and was gone.


"Lady Sandrilene?" asked the guard at the gate. He pointed to a pack of horses and a tall, lean man on a black mare. "Your uncle, the duke, has come to escort you back to your home," the guard explained.


Sandry picked up her bags and dabbed her eyes with a hankerchief while sobbing uncontrollably. "Goodbye, Niko, Briar, Daja," she cried, sniffling. "I'll miss you! But... I'll come back! I promise!"


"Bye, Sandry!" said Briar.


"Have fun, Sandry!" cried Daja.


Niko waved and called to her, "Good luck!"


Sandry sniffled. My best friends... I wish I didn't have to leave them, but we've each got something we've been called to do, something we have to each do that, of course, requires us to each go to opposite sides of the world. It isn't fair! Sandry thought passionately.

She lugged her large bag over to the packhorses, waving with a spare hand, staring back with teary eyes. "I wish I didn't have to see everyone go with a frown on their faces," said Daja. I wanted to have my final memory of them be a happy one."


Briar gulped as another cart, this one with three other people in the back, pulled up. "Looks like your cart, Briar," said Niko.


"Aye," said the man driving the cart. "I'm heading off to the shore, to the docks." From the docks, Briar was going to take a boat to the Stepping Stone Islands, where he would begin his work. "Is that Briar Moss there?" the driver asked, pointing.


"That he is," said Niko. "Farewell, Briar."


"Good luck, Briar Moss," said Daja, leaning on her staff.


Briar nodded and rubbed his eyes. I'm not sure 'bout this anymore. What if something goes wrong, and I end up hating it? What if it's not all it's cracked up to be? he thought nervously. Those girls! They sure turned me into a sap.


He waved goodbye and made his way into the back of the cart, where the other people nodded a hello. The cart wheeled away.


"That's all," said Daja softly. "And I'm heading off tomorrow." She sighed. "I better head off to Frostpine's place, Niko. And I'm going to bed early. I've got a long day ahead of me tomorrow." Niko nodded his agreement, and they went to the smith-mage's home.

---

Hello, hello. I hope that everyone has enjoyed the prologue of "A Stronger Circle." I would like to comment that this is the reviewed version. And I hate it. It sounds so terribly childish…well. Anyway.


DISCLAIMER: None of the used characters, places, and related titles belong to me. Duh. They are all property of Tamora Pierce and Scholastic Inc., 1997.

Please e-mail me at bluwyndfaerie@hotmail.com or review. Your comments are greatly appreciated.