Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters except Kiala. The other characters are property of Tamora Pierce. Unless, of course, I sneak into her house and steal Alex. ^_~
A/N: This story is kinda confusing. It's got flashbacks, those are the text in italics. The bit at the beginning is a dream.
-The swords clashed together. He did not flinch, knowing he should die if he did so. Inside, something was screaming to him to stop, but he could not heed it, pushed on by something else that was stronger than he. He parried, then lunged, slashed, viciously, more viciously than he had ever fought before. He was cut, but not badly, not enough to stop him fighting on. The sword of his opponent flew away, and his lips curled into a smile, although something inside him fought it grimly.
-Then his opponent struck, kicking at him and throwing him against the wall. The breath burst from his body like an explosion and he fell; but was up again in a flash, charging at his opponent, cross-cutting at the woman in front of him. He cut her, but she lunged forward, one fist hitting his face; the other in his throat.
Kiala of Goldenlake woke, sweating in fear at the nightmare she had just had. Her sheets were soaked in sweat, and, she realised, tears: she had been crying.
She had never had a dream so vivid. She had been watching a man fight a woman, a brutal, terrible fight to the death- and yet, she hadn't been watching. Somehow she had also been in the consciousness of the man, knowing what he felt, seeing what he saw; feeling the pain.
The man hadn't been a stranger. He had been a friend of her brother's, the friend who occasionally came to visit, and although was somewhat older than her, had always been nice and paid attention to her, even when she was a tiny scrap of a girl. Now, she knew, he was in his twenties; she herself had just passed her twentieth birthday. He had last visited a year or so ago, she remembered, scrubbing her eyes with her hands, and she could remember every detail.
It was not hard. She had loved him ever since he had talked to her that first time.
"Kiala, is it?" he asked her. The child, ten years old, nodded energetically.
"That's right!" she exclaimed. "I'm Kiala! Most people think I'm my sister," she added ruefully. He smiled and ruffled her hair. "Are you my brother's friend?"
"Yes," he replied, still smiling. "I'm just visiting for a few days."
"Will he be going back to your home?" she asked shyly. He nodded.
"Soon," he told her. "But not yet." Little Kiala clapped her hands together happily.
"I'm glad," she informed him. "Would you like to play with my ball game?"
Behind them, Kiala's older brother began to laugh, and she glared at him. But his friend, whose name she didn't know, had a very serious expression in his dark eyes.
"I'd like that," he informed her, sitting down on the floor opposite her. "How do I play?"
Kiala smiled slightly at the memory. He had been a good player, beating her three out of five times, even with her brother sniggering at the door.
She wiped her forehead and tried to settle down again to sleep- it was late in the afternoon, but she wasn't well, and still felt queasy- but something was nagging at her. She knew something bad had happened that night, and was probably still happening: she could feel it in her Gift. And it was cold. With a sigh she sat up and directed her pale grey Gift at the fireplace, which began to flame, in a grey sort of way. After a second or two it settled into a normal, orange-yellowy colour.
Kiala brushed her chestnut hair back from her face and glanced out of the window. The sun was very bright, shimmering on the surface of the Golden Lake, turning it the colour of its name.
Something inside her shuddered, and pulled, and she gasped in pain. It was her Gift, and something was happening to it. Then it settled, and she sighed deeply in relief. Whatever it was, it was over.
Pain stabbed her in the leg, and she gasped, clutching at it. This time there was no doubt what it was. Her brother was being hurt. She had always had a closeness to him, one that was there even when they fought, a closeness that kept them together even though he went away when she was seven years old, and had very few holidays. She used to travel to Corus, the capital, to visit him every now and again, with her parents and sister, Kaera, two years younger. The pain continued to stab, and she gritted her teeth against it.
Goddess, please protect Raoul. she prayed silently for her brother. Then she added shyly, and please protect Alex too. don't let anything happen to them.