Disclaimer: Only the characters and places yoku don't recognize belong to me.
April 1st,
Storm Head's Peak,
Northwestern Tortall;
in the 22nd year of the reign of
King Jonathan the IV and Thayet, his Queen
461 H.E. (Human Era)
Chapter 4, Secrets, and Tricks
Linnoria had entered the room happy, the mood had lasted for less than a minute. First she had to be officially presented to the visitors. When presented to Roland he had acted as if she was a child, luckily she didn't have to deal with him for long, since he turned his attention back to Rosemary. She had barely been able to say "hello" to Miasma she had been hurried to her seat so quickly. She blanched when she saw the table arrangements. Instead of being seated next to the other girl, like she had hoped, she had been seated next to Rosemary, who was seated next to Roland. Miasma was sitting on his other side; they'd never be able to talk over their older siblings. Linya's parents were sitting on the opposite side of the table along.
But it was the person lounging in the chair across from her own that worried her. It was Haddin, the most powerful mage at Storm Head's Peak, and most likely the whole region. He was also the one person Linnorria truly hated.
It had been he that had declared her to be Giftless. He had reminded Linya too many times that there was something wrong with her. He perdicted that she was possesed with an elemental or a spirit, and seemed to absolutely mirthful every time he reminded her. He had made life miserable for her often enough, conducting his "experiments" as he called them. Linya was certain he was just trying to get her power for his own, not trying to find out what was wrong with her.
Linya growled at the thought as he tried to talk to her. Linya knew there was nothing wrong with her, she was just different. But this man's continuous ranting had made people believe something was wrong.
"So I was wondering if you would come with me today and let me try some more tests," he was saying. He had been saying similar things throughout the meal and Linya hadn't replied. He had also tried to tell her to stay here come August and not go to the palace. She had been trying to ignore his oily voice, and the gooey comments her sister kept making. She was mad at her parents too, since they hadn't even tried to talk to her.
"For the last time Haddin," she said her voice soft and dangerous. "There is nothing wrong with me, and you don't need to conduct any tests, since you won't find anything. I think I've had enough lunch, and will be leaving now."
Then she got up and left the dining hall, not noticing the hate burning in his eyes.
Miasma had sat in frustration ever since lunch had begun. Her brother was being disgustingly polite and charming. Linnorria's parents had tried to talk to her once or twice, but when she answered. They had turned distractedly away. 'That's odd' she thought. They hadn't tried to talk to Linnorria either. They just talked to each other and Rosemary and Roland. She saw Linnorria's face growing red while talking to that oily mage named Haddin she had been introduced to her. When Linnorria had been officially introduced to her, she had held out her hand again. Miasma had been startled to see that all the bruises that had covered her fingers before had all disappeared.
'Something fishy is going on," she had just thought when Linnorria got up and left. No one else seemed to notice her disappearance. Miasma looked at the mage that had been speaking to Linnorria and was frightened to see strong hate gleaming in his eyes. 'Something fishy is definitely going on," she thought again. 'And I'm going to find out what it is.'
Linnorria was standing on the fence looking out at the pastures trying to decide what would be the best trick to play on Haddin, when Miasma found her. Miasma walked right up and got on the fence beside her. "Hi, Linnorria."
"Hello, Miasma," Linnorria said with a lighter voice than Miasma had expected. "Please, call me Linya. The name Linnorria sounds too formal for regular usage. Sorry I left so soon after lunch, but I was upset." She had turned to face Miasma while she had been talking. Miasma had been surprised to see that strange thing glowing in her again. She blinked and looked at Linya again.
"Upset about what? If I may ask." Miasma said.
Linnorria studied Miasma for a second than as if she had made some big discision turned to face her fully once again. Would you mind coming with me somewhere?" she asked. Once again startling Miasma.
"Not at all," she replied. "Where are we going?"
"Just follow me," Linya told her as she climbed over the fence and started walking. Miasma hesitated for a minute, then climbed after Linya, thinking, "This must be bigger than I expected.'
Linnorria wondered what in all the realms she was doing. She had just met this girl but already she trusted her. But Linya had learned to trust her instincts. It was just that it had never told her to trust someone before. But she needed to tell someone. Plus, she had the idea that Miasma had already involved herself. Even if she had only been at Storm Head's Peak for a couple of hours.
Miasma was also deep in thought, though the origins of hers differed greatly. 'Just who is this girl? And who was that mage? I know they said he was the most powerful at Storm Head's Peak, but I have the idea that it something rather different. After all, where did Linya's bruises go? And where is she taking me?' At the last thought Miasma looked around again. They were almost within some trees at the far side of the pasture. The wall was somewhere just behind the trees.
The girls continued to walk in silence until Miasma became rather uncomfortable with it all. Finally, just as they reached the wall, Linya spoke. "We must go outside," she started to clear away ferns as she spoke. Below the ferns was a hole just big enough to crawl through. "This leads to the other side of the wall. Just out of sight of the guards. I built it last September, when I realized someone was watching me," she spoke the words so softly Miasma barely heard. Then before Miasma could ask any of the thousands of questions rushing through her mind, Linya got down and started crawling. Miasma had no choice but to follow.
The hole was rather small and they had to crawl but it wasn't that tight. It was also surprisingly bright. 'Where's that light coming from?' Miasma wondered. But then she saw Linya's hair in front of her. 'It really does glow! It wasn't just a trick of the light!' Miasma's sense of excitement rose. This would really be really big secret, and she was about to become part of it!
They emerged on the other side of the tunnel into the most beautiful grove that Miasma had ever seen. Linya ignored the beauty, instead she was concentraing. Suddenly, Miasma looked up and shivered. She had felt something slide across her skin, it was a warm kind of feeling, but it had come out of nowhere. Linnorria was grinning. In her regular voice she said, "No one can hear us now. Not even a god would be able to."
Miasma turned and stared at her,a look of disbelief on her face. Linnorria laughed whole-heartily at her expression, only instead of fading off into the distance, like it would have been outside, sounded closed in, as I fthey were in a small room. Miasma walked to the edge of the grove, and stubbed her toe on an invisible wall. With an increasing look of amazement in her eyes she walked all the way around, feeling the wall with her fingers. By the time she had completed feeling the circumference she had lost the look of amazement. It had been replaced by the calculating look of someone who had no idea what they were dealing with.
"Don't look so grim," Linnorria told her jokingly. "Just because I'm good, and I do magic differently doesn't mean it's the end of th world."
"Good," Miasma answered back. "For a second there, I seriously thought I had died." She had made her voice mockingly grim, and hurt. "Then with respect in her eyes she asked Linya, "Do you have any idea how many tricks we could play with power like that?" Apparently, she had totally forgotten that they had come all the way out hear just to talk. "I mean just think of all the possibilities. And you could perform them from far away, and no one would that it was you. That is, if you can do magic from far away?"
"Calm down will you? I have absolutly no clue if I can do long-distance magic. You see, when I was younger, I did some things accidentally. I was afaird of myself. I once turned into a horse right after I had wished I could be one. Luckily no one found me that time. But there have been other instantses," Linya explained this with a calm voice, but Miasma could tell that Linya was worried at how she would take the news.
"You turned yourself into a horse! Now that's powerful magic. Do you have wild magic?"
Misama's questions instantly reassured Linya. This girl wouldn't call her names, or be afraid of her, neither would she try to take advantage of her power like Haddin. So Linya gladly explained what she knew.
"No," she said sadly, "I don't have wild magic. Itt would have made everything simpler if I did." As she continued her voice got brighter, "You see, I have something different, no one's sure what it is exactly. People around here," Linya waved a hand in the direction of the castle, "haven't been interested in helping me learn how to control my power, except Haddin, and I don't trust him. So, what little I've learned to do, I done by myself, in secret.
"I'm glad you don't trust Haddin," Miasma told Linya.
"Why do you say that?" Linnorria asked her. "I've never trusted or even liked him, but I haven't really been able to find a reason beyond his liking to say I'm different."
"Well," the words came reluctantly out of her mouth, "When you left early, at lunch, he was watching you walk out. I saw his eyes full of the fiercest hate I've ever seen before."
"Yes, he doesn't like me. I thought he was watching me. That's why I have this place. He hasn't been able to see me correctly for over half a year. I've got the idea that he's jelous. He was the most powerful mage around here for years, now he can't even spy on an untrained girl." Linya grinned as she said the last part, then grew sober again. "I suspect it's that Miasma, but it's something bigger than that too. I just have no clue what it is. Nor do I have any clue what I am."
After several moments of heavy silence Miasma gave the best advice she could, "Linya you're a kid. If you're worried you have a right to be. I sujest you get out of here until you're older. But for now enjoy your youth. It's the Feast of the Trickester, and we mustn't let him down, we must honor my favorite god. We must play tricks. So, will you help me turn this place unsidedown by dinnertime?"
Linya grinned, "If it means we get to do something that will shut Rosy up. And I happen to think Haddin needs payback. I'm in. So where do we start?"
Linnorria and Miasma looked around at the dinner hall. Linya's parents were talking to the captin of the guard and a hunter, who was standing next to their chair. The regular people who worked in the castle were seated on tables a few steps down from their own. They didn't care what anyone said, tonight they were sitting next to each other.
Both of them were struggling to keep smiles off their faces. They couldn't wait for their siblings to arrive. Rosemary entered first, wearing an old-fashioned wimple and veil. They knew what the veil covered: bright pink hair.
It had turned out that Miasma had all kinds of odd mixes she had wanted to try out. Miasma had stolen her mother's hair dye one day, and added dye used for dying yarn. It had taken her several tries to find the correct proportions to use, but in the end Miasma had a wonderful hair dye.
A minute later, Roland came in, right now he looked fine, but it was only a matter of time. Both of their faces were set seriously, but it was hard to keep them that way. Linya had taken herr own turn at dyes, only she had used magic. Whenever Rosemary touched, or even brushed him tonight his clothes would change into a series of bright colors.
They didn't have to wait long. Rosemary rose to great him, she held out a hand… there, they'd touched. Roland's clothes proceeed to turn into first bright pink, then putressient orange, razy yellow, blood red, and neon green. The thing was, only Rosemary, Roland, and themselves could see any difference at all. Both Rose and Roland looked around, trying to see if anyone else reacted.. Miasma and Linya instantly began having an involbed conversation. The saw that no one had noticed so they didn't say anything, they didn't want people saying they were as crazy as Linya after all.
The girls waited in silence for their biggest trick of all to coe into play. "Three, two one," Linya counted. Right on track there was a muffled scream. Haddin would find himself seeing hungry lions all through dinner. He came in at a faster rate, completely lacking his usual dignity. Occasionally he glanced behind his shoulder and shuddered; they were especially greusome lions.
Linya and Miasma had the hardest time keeping their faces straight all through dinner, but somehow they managed not to laugh.
The feast had been filled with people looking oddly at Rosemary and Roland as they occasionally blocked their eyes, and their being careful not to touch. People had also starred at Haddin as he constantly shuddered, and had a horrified look on his face.
When the dinner was finally over, the girls went back to Linya's room. "Did you see that look on his face?" Linya asked as she made one of her own.
"Or his shudder?" Miasma said as she mock-shuddered herself.
Both girls burst out laughing. They gave each other high-fives while calling, "We are a success!" Then they both collapsed onto the floor, shaken with uncontrollable giggles.
April 1st,
Storm Head's Peak,
Northwestern Tortall;
in the 22nd year of the reign of
King Jonathan the IV and Thayet, his Queen
461 H.E. (Human Era)
Chapter 4, Secrets, and Tricks
Linnoria had entered the room happy, the mood had lasted for less than a minute. First she had to be officially presented to the visitors. When presented to Roland he had acted as if she was a child, luckily she didn't have to deal with him for long, since he turned his attention back to Rosemary. She had barely been able to say "hello" to Miasma she had been hurried to her seat so quickly. She blanched when she saw the table arrangements. Instead of being seated next to the other girl, like she had hoped, she had been seated next to Rosemary, who was seated next to Roland. Miasma was sitting on his other side; they'd never be able to talk over their older siblings. Linya's parents were sitting on the opposite side of the table along.
But it was the person lounging in the chair across from her own that worried her. It was Haddin, the most powerful mage at Storm Head's Peak, and most likely the whole region. He was also the one person Linnorria truly hated.
It had been he that had declared her to be Giftless. He had reminded Linya too many times that there was something wrong with her. He perdicted that she was possesed with an elemental or a spirit, and seemed to absolutely mirthful every time he reminded her. He had made life miserable for her often enough, conducting his "experiments" as he called them. Linya was certain he was just trying to get her power for his own, not trying to find out what was wrong with her.
Linya growled at the thought as he tried to talk to her. Linya knew there was nothing wrong with her, she was just different. But this man's continuous ranting had made people believe something was wrong.
"So I was wondering if you would come with me today and let me try some more tests," he was saying. He had been saying similar things throughout the meal and Linya hadn't replied. He had also tried to tell her to stay here come August and not go to the palace. She had been trying to ignore his oily voice, and the gooey comments her sister kept making. She was mad at her parents too, since they hadn't even tried to talk to her.
"For the last time Haddin," she said her voice soft and dangerous. "There is nothing wrong with me, and you don't need to conduct any tests, since you won't find anything. I think I've had enough lunch, and will be leaving now."
Then she got up and left the dining hall, not noticing the hate burning in his eyes.
Miasma had sat in frustration ever since lunch had begun. Her brother was being disgustingly polite and charming. Linnorria's parents had tried to talk to her once or twice, but when she answered. They had turned distractedly away. 'That's odd' she thought. They hadn't tried to talk to Linnorria either. They just talked to each other and Rosemary and Roland. She saw Linnorria's face growing red while talking to that oily mage named Haddin she had been introduced to her. When Linnorria had been officially introduced to her, she had held out her hand again. Miasma had been startled to see that all the bruises that had covered her fingers before had all disappeared.
'Something fishy is going on," she had just thought when Linnorria got up and left. No one else seemed to notice her disappearance. Miasma looked at the mage that had been speaking to Linnorria and was frightened to see strong hate gleaming in his eyes. 'Something fishy is definitely going on," she thought again. 'And I'm going to find out what it is.'
Linnorria was standing on the fence looking out at the pastures trying to decide what would be the best trick to play on Haddin, when Miasma found her. Miasma walked right up and got on the fence beside her. "Hi, Linnorria."
"Hello, Miasma," Linnorria said with a lighter voice than Miasma had expected. "Please, call me Linya. The name Linnorria sounds too formal for regular usage. Sorry I left so soon after lunch, but I was upset." She had turned to face Miasma while she had been talking. Miasma had been surprised to see that strange thing glowing in her again. She blinked and looked at Linya again.
"Upset about what? If I may ask." Miasma said.
Linnorria studied Miasma for a second than as if she had made some big discision turned to face her fully once again. Would you mind coming with me somewhere?" she asked. Once again startling Miasma.
"Not at all," she replied. "Where are we going?"
"Just follow me," Linya told her as she climbed over the fence and started walking. Miasma hesitated for a minute, then climbed after Linya, thinking, "This must be bigger than I expected.'
Linnorria wondered what in all the realms she was doing. She had just met this girl but already she trusted her. But Linya had learned to trust her instincts. It was just that it had never told her to trust someone before. But she needed to tell someone. Plus, she had the idea that Miasma had already involved herself. Even if she had only been at Storm Head's Peak for a couple of hours.
Miasma was also deep in thought, though the origins of hers differed greatly. 'Just who is this girl? And who was that mage? I know they said he was the most powerful at Storm Head's Peak, but I have the idea that it something rather different. After all, where did Linya's bruises go? And where is she taking me?' At the last thought Miasma looked around again. They were almost within some trees at the far side of the pasture. The wall was somewhere just behind the trees.
The girls continued to walk in silence until Miasma became rather uncomfortable with it all. Finally, just as they reached the wall, Linya spoke. "We must go outside," she started to clear away ferns as she spoke. Below the ferns was a hole just big enough to crawl through. "This leads to the other side of the wall. Just out of sight of the guards. I built it last September, when I realized someone was watching me," she spoke the words so softly Miasma barely heard. Then before Miasma could ask any of the thousands of questions rushing through her mind, Linya got down and started crawling. Miasma had no choice but to follow.
The hole was rather small and they had to crawl but it wasn't that tight. It was also surprisingly bright. 'Where's that light coming from?' Miasma wondered. But then she saw Linya's hair in front of her. 'It really does glow! It wasn't just a trick of the light!' Miasma's sense of excitement rose. This would really be really big secret, and she was about to become part of it!
They emerged on the other side of the tunnel into the most beautiful grove that Miasma had ever seen. Linya ignored the beauty, instead she was concentraing. Suddenly, Miasma looked up and shivered. She had felt something slide across her skin, it was a warm kind of feeling, but it had come out of nowhere. Linnorria was grinning. In her regular voice she said, "No one can hear us now. Not even a god would be able to."
Miasma turned and stared at her,a look of disbelief on her face. Linnorria laughed whole-heartily at her expression, only instead of fading off into the distance, like it would have been outside, sounded closed in, as I fthey were in a small room. Miasma walked to the edge of the grove, and stubbed her toe on an invisible wall. With an increasing look of amazement in her eyes she walked all the way around, feeling the wall with her fingers. By the time she had completed feeling the circumference she had lost the look of amazement. It had been replaced by the calculating look of someone who had no idea what they were dealing with.
"Don't look so grim," Linnorria told her jokingly. "Just because I'm good, and I do magic differently doesn't mean it's the end of th world."
"Good," Miasma answered back. "For a second there, I seriously thought I had died." She had made her voice mockingly grim, and hurt. "Then with respect in her eyes she asked Linya, "Do you have any idea how many tricks we could play with power like that?" Apparently, she had totally forgotten that they had come all the way out hear just to talk. "I mean just think of all the possibilities. And you could perform them from far away, and no one would that it was you. That is, if you can do magic from far away?"
"Calm down will you? I have absolutly no clue if I can do long-distance magic. You see, when I was younger, I did some things accidentally. I was afaird of myself. I once turned into a horse right after I had wished I could be one. Luckily no one found me that time. But there have been other instantses," Linya explained this with a calm voice, but Miasma could tell that Linya was worried at how she would take the news.
"You turned yourself into a horse! Now that's powerful magic. Do you have wild magic?"
Misama's questions instantly reassured Linya. This girl wouldn't call her names, or be afraid of her, neither would she try to take advantage of her power like Haddin. So Linya gladly explained what she knew.
"No," she said sadly, "I don't have wild magic. Itt would have made everything simpler if I did." As she continued her voice got brighter, "You see, I have something different, no one's sure what it is exactly. People around here," Linya waved a hand in the direction of the castle, "haven't been interested in helping me learn how to control my power, except Haddin, and I don't trust him. So, what little I've learned to do, I done by myself, in secret.
"I'm glad you don't trust Haddin," Miasma told Linya.
"Why do you say that?" Linnorria asked her. "I've never trusted or even liked him, but I haven't really been able to find a reason beyond his liking to say I'm different."
"Well," the words came reluctantly out of her mouth, "When you left early, at lunch, he was watching you walk out. I saw his eyes full of the fiercest hate I've ever seen before."
"Yes, he doesn't like me. I thought he was watching me. That's why I have this place. He hasn't been able to see me correctly for over half a year. I've got the idea that he's jelous. He was the most powerful mage around here for years, now he can't even spy on an untrained girl." Linya grinned as she said the last part, then grew sober again. "I suspect it's that Miasma, but it's something bigger than that too. I just have no clue what it is. Nor do I have any clue what I am."
After several moments of heavy silence Miasma gave the best advice she could, "Linya you're a kid. If you're worried you have a right to be. I sujest you get out of here until you're older. But for now enjoy your youth. It's the Feast of the Trickester, and we mustn't let him down, we must honor my favorite god. We must play tricks. So, will you help me turn this place unsidedown by dinnertime?"
Linya grinned, "If it means we get to do something that will shut Rosy up. And I happen to think Haddin needs payback. I'm in. So where do we start?"
Linnorria and Miasma looked around at the dinner hall. Linya's parents were talking to the captin of the guard and a hunter, who was standing next to their chair. The regular people who worked in the castle were seated on tables a few steps down from their own. They didn't care what anyone said, tonight they were sitting next to each other.
Both of them were struggling to keep smiles off their faces. They couldn't wait for their siblings to arrive. Rosemary entered first, wearing an old-fashioned wimple and veil. They knew what the veil covered: bright pink hair.
It had turned out that Miasma had all kinds of odd mixes she had wanted to try out. Miasma had stolen her mother's hair dye one day, and added dye used for dying yarn. It had taken her several tries to find the correct proportions to use, but in the end Miasma had a wonderful hair dye.
A minute later, Roland came in, right now he looked fine, but it was only a matter of time. Both of their faces were set seriously, but it was hard to keep them that way. Linya had taken herr own turn at dyes, only she had used magic. Whenever Rosemary touched, or even brushed him tonight his clothes would change into a series of bright colors.
They didn't have to wait long. Rosemary rose to great him, she held out a hand… there, they'd touched. Roland's clothes proceeed to turn into first bright pink, then putressient orange, razy yellow, blood red, and neon green. The thing was, only Rosemary, Roland, and themselves could see any difference at all. Both Rose and Roland looked around, trying to see if anyone else reacted.. Miasma and Linya instantly began having an involbed conversation. The saw that no one had noticed so they didn't say anything, they didn't want people saying they were as crazy as Linya after all.
The girls waited in silence for their biggest trick of all to coe into play. "Three, two one," Linya counted. Right on track there was a muffled scream. Haddin would find himself seeing hungry lions all through dinner. He came in at a faster rate, completely lacking his usual dignity. Occasionally he glanced behind his shoulder and shuddered; they were especially greusome lions.
Linya and Miasma had the hardest time keeping their faces straight all through dinner, but somehow they managed not to laugh.
The feast had been filled with people looking oddly at Rosemary and Roland as they occasionally blocked their eyes, and their being careful not to touch. People had also starred at Haddin as he constantly shuddered, and had a horrified look on his face.
When the dinner was finally over, the girls went back to Linya's room. "Did you see that look on his face?" Linya asked as she made one of her own.
"Or his shudder?" Miasma said as she mock-shuddered herself.
Both girls burst out laughing. They gave each other high-fives while calling, "We are a success!" Then they both collapsed onto the floor, shaken with uncontrollable giggles.