The location and some of the character belong to Tamora Pierce. This
chapter is slightly different than the others but I think it makes some
progress for the plot.
Like a mage breaking off his concentration at the end of working some great smell the innkeeper murmured, "Bedtime, girls." And slowly, sleepily the girls stumbled off to their room. As though this were an unspoken signal to the rest of the room all the remaining patrons, mostly world-weary-looking middle-aged men, cleared out of the tavern-they stumbled too, but more from drink than fatigue. Stella carefully set down her already cold cider and scooped up Lord Lucas; he'd fallen asleep in her lap. She carried him up to their room and awkwardly opened the door with on hand. She set him down at one end of the bed; he was frowning slightly in his sleep, and he whimpered softly when she put him down.
Stella tucked the blankets over her adopted charge, blew out the light, and paced over to the window so she could think. Her thoughts seemed to have gotten out of control and were wreaking havoc in her mind. The Night Wizards. Old Heather. Destiny. The Stars. Mouse. Lord Lucas. Demons with fangs. People who aged too quickly. Evil Magic.
Stella sighed and looked out at the night sky. She shivered as a memory surfaced in her mind. Star, her mother had called her Star when she was very young. "My little Star," she would say, "you will shine brightly some day. Stella felt goose bumps all over her arms.
"Ma," she whispered to the darkness, "I wish you were here to take me home." Then she was suddenly immeasurably weary; she barely stumbled back to the bed before she fell asleep. Her sleep was deep, but uneasy and filled with dreams.
She crouched in the darkness her whole body tense, waiting. Gamel held her small cold hand in his large warm one. His body too was tense and sweat glistened on his brow in the moonlight. They had been still for hours, waiting. She was stiff and cramped and exhausted but it would all be worth it if they could defeat the Night Wizards.
She could feel her heart beating faster and faster in her fear. Why was she so afraid? Yes, the Night Wizards were to be feared, but she had never trembled this way before. She had always been so independent spirited, why now did she want to burrow into Gamel's embrace? As if sensing her fear he squeezed her hand for reassurance.
After a while Gamel cleared his throat and whispered to her. "Dear heart, I'm not sure we're going to live through this." She met his eyes, she had. She tried to fill her face with courage. Then he spoke again, so softly she could barely hear, "I want you to know that I love you." He spoke these words as though they were unrelated to his previous sentence but both he and she knew that they were connected.
"I know," she answered. And they were silent again, preparing themselves for the moment when they would fling themselves into the battle. The moment when for the sake of life and living, they would join with a hundred other powers, placing their strength of will against the Night Wizards. The moment when good would fight evil and their lives would fight their deaths.
Her body was gone. She was floating in a cloud, listening to people argue. Despite their angry tones the voices were strangely melodious. Everything was peaceful around her; here, she was too light for worries.
"They were your stupid mistake in the first place," someone was saying, his voice sounded both ancient and young.
"They were beautiful in the beginning," replied an old, creaky voice.
"She was right to break the rules; we should have changed things long ago." This voice was a woman's beautiful and terrifying at once.
"Its too late now," the first voice spoke again, "we can only watch now." His words were filled with the regret of eternities.
"There may yet be hope," the young woman spoke again. "She is stronger willed than you realize."
"She has no choice," the young man replied, "none of us do."
"Mouse!"
Lord Lucas's scream woke Stella instantly, pulling her swiftly away from her dreams. She was instantly alert, and yet her mind was stilled filled with dream-images. Her dreams had seemed so real, as though they had been actual events that she had only witnessed.
He was still asleep, he had called out in a nightmare. "I'm sorry," she whispered in his ear. "I miss her too, but I promise I won't let it happen to you." A voice in her head whispered that she would fight the night wizards but she pushed it back and tried to ignore. She was quite ready yet.
Quote: "sooner or later you've heard all your best friends have to say. Then comes the tolerance of real love." --Ned Rorem
Thank you for reading and please review.
Like a mage breaking off his concentration at the end of working some great smell the innkeeper murmured, "Bedtime, girls." And slowly, sleepily the girls stumbled off to their room. As though this were an unspoken signal to the rest of the room all the remaining patrons, mostly world-weary-looking middle-aged men, cleared out of the tavern-they stumbled too, but more from drink than fatigue. Stella carefully set down her already cold cider and scooped up Lord Lucas; he'd fallen asleep in her lap. She carried him up to their room and awkwardly opened the door with on hand. She set him down at one end of the bed; he was frowning slightly in his sleep, and he whimpered softly when she put him down.
Stella tucked the blankets over her adopted charge, blew out the light, and paced over to the window so she could think. Her thoughts seemed to have gotten out of control and were wreaking havoc in her mind. The Night Wizards. Old Heather. Destiny. The Stars. Mouse. Lord Lucas. Demons with fangs. People who aged too quickly. Evil Magic.
Stella sighed and looked out at the night sky. She shivered as a memory surfaced in her mind. Star, her mother had called her Star when she was very young. "My little Star," she would say, "you will shine brightly some day. Stella felt goose bumps all over her arms.
"Ma," she whispered to the darkness, "I wish you were here to take me home." Then she was suddenly immeasurably weary; she barely stumbled back to the bed before she fell asleep. Her sleep was deep, but uneasy and filled with dreams.
She crouched in the darkness her whole body tense, waiting. Gamel held her small cold hand in his large warm one. His body too was tense and sweat glistened on his brow in the moonlight. They had been still for hours, waiting. She was stiff and cramped and exhausted but it would all be worth it if they could defeat the Night Wizards.
She could feel her heart beating faster and faster in her fear. Why was she so afraid? Yes, the Night Wizards were to be feared, but she had never trembled this way before. She had always been so independent spirited, why now did she want to burrow into Gamel's embrace? As if sensing her fear he squeezed her hand for reassurance.
After a while Gamel cleared his throat and whispered to her. "Dear heart, I'm not sure we're going to live through this." She met his eyes, she had. She tried to fill her face with courage. Then he spoke again, so softly she could barely hear, "I want you to know that I love you." He spoke these words as though they were unrelated to his previous sentence but both he and she knew that they were connected.
"I know," she answered. And they were silent again, preparing themselves for the moment when they would fling themselves into the battle. The moment when for the sake of life and living, they would join with a hundred other powers, placing their strength of will against the Night Wizards. The moment when good would fight evil and their lives would fight their deaths.
Her body was gone. She was floating in a cloud, listening to people argue. Despite their angry tones the voices were strangely melodious. Everything was peaceful around her; here, she was too light for worries.
"They were your stupid mistake in the first place," someone was saying, his voice sounded both ancient and young.
"They were beautiful in the beginning," replied an old, creaky voice.
"She was right to break the rules; we should have changed things long ago." This voice was a woman's beautiful and terrifying at once.
"Its too late now," the first voice spoke again, "we can only watch now." His words were filled with the regret of eternities.
"There may yet be hope," the young woman spoke again. "She is stronger willed than you realize."
"She has no choice," the young man replied, "none of us do."
"Mouse!"
Lord Lucas's scream woke Stella instantly, pulling her swiftly away from her dreams. She was instantly alert, and yet her mind was stilled filled with dream-images. Her dreams had seemed so real, as though they had been actual events that she had only witnessed.
He was still asleep, he had called out in a nightmare. "I'm sorry," she whispered in his ear. "I miss her too, but I promise I won't let it happen to you." A voice in her head whispered that she would fight the night wizards but she pushed it back and tried to ignore. She was quite ready yet.
Quote: "sooner or later you've heard all your best friends have to say. Then comes the tolerance of real love." --Ned Rorem
Thank you for reading and please review.