Wow, I'm writing these really fast. Don't expect me to keep up the pace cuz for the rest of March I have about three tests a week and a bunch of projects. Hope you like the story so far. Oh, to explain, Rimst and Hirim are the Duke's other 2 sons (I made them up). Chapter 4, enjoy.
Disclaimer: Okay, Tamora Pierce owns everything, not me; so don't sue me.
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In the Lemon Tree Inn on the southern border of Janaal:
"Tris, wake up…Tris!" Kethlun Warder shook his young teacher's shoulder in an attempt to wake her up.
"Huh…Wha…Morning already?" Tris uncurled from her position on the window seat and stood up unsteadily. Her legs hurt from being bent the whole night, and her fingers were sore from griping her legs to her chest. She sent Kethlun downstairs and went to change her clothes and wash her face. Looking in the mirror, she saw bags under her eyes and the imprint of the corner of the window seat on her cheek.
When she arrived downstairs in the dining room, she saw Kethlun sitting at a table in the corner. She walked over and sat down with him, yawning as she sank onto the bench.
"You look like you didn't sleep a wink last night," he commented.
"Be quiet," she snapped. "You don't look all that rested either." She began to undo one of her tide braids, but thought better of it when she remembered how long it had been since she last used up all of the magic in her braids. 'Better let my body recover first,' she thought. 'I don't want to slow us down.' "Where are Chime and Little Bear?" she asked.
The owner kicked Bear out when the guests started to complain about him. They were uncomfortable with a dog over five feet tall staring at them as they ate their breakfast. Glaki's playing with him in the back"
"And Chime?"
"She tried to sample other guests' breakfasts so Niko took her with him. He said he was going to walk around the village for a while. He said he'd be back around midmorning. You have a couple of hours before he comes back. Anyway, we're going to leave after lunch, so make sure you have everything ready.
"Yeah, yeah. What are you going to do after you're done eating?" Tris asked.
"I'll play with Glaki for awhile. Why, are you planning to go somewhere?"
"Maybe. I don't know what else to do." After finishing her breakfast, Tris went back to her and Glaki's room and began to pack everything up. Tris carried little when she traveled, but Glaki had toys and Tris had books for teaching Glaki. Most of their possessions had been sent to Winding Circle already. After packing, Tris went back downstairs.
"--say it's a killer."
"Are you sure Elun? It's hard to believe that a storm that fierce is going to hit us."
"It's not going to hit us directly. It'll hit the coast first, then travel inland towards us. By the time it reaches us, it'll pretty much have spent itself but they say that ports in Sotat are already overflowing with ships seeking harbor."
"Excuse me sir," Tris interrupted the conversation of the two men, "but did you say that the storm was in Sotat?"
"In southern Sotat, missy. Why, are you heading north?"
"Yes, we were planning to sail on a ship from southern Sotat. We we're heading north today."
"You're gonna have a hard time. They said the roads are completely washed out. Even if you make it there, the boats won't be able to leave for a good while."
Tris thanked them and left. Wandering down the street, she saw children running underfoot and people bustling up and down the street. Most, however, were heading up the street and people were whispering excitedly to one another.
'I wonder what's going on,' Tris thought. She joined the flow of the crowd and soon saw a large building up ahead. 'Everyone seems to be heading there. I wonder why,' she thought curiously. The mass of people entered through the doors and Tris saw each hand the guard a ticket.
Seeing a group of youths her age at the side of the door, she walked towards them. "Hi, can you tell me what's going on?"
"It's the annual fair," one explained. They got all kinds of events and stuff and people sell stuff that they made or collect. But it costs a silver a ticket, and that only lets you see the acts. If you want to explore the whole fair, it's two silvers."
"Oh, thank you," Tris said. Curious to see what the fair was like, she bought a ticket for two silvers and went in. Inside, the crowds were large and it was extremely noisy. 'I better take care not to get lost,' Tris thought. Looking at the stalls, she could see numbers inked in a corner near the top. Wandering around, she took care to note how the numbers were arranged so that she would be able to find her way back to stall 354.
She looked at a few of the magic stalls, but saw little to interest her. The books that Tris looked at were dull and boring. Seeing a queue of people outside one of the stalls, Tris tried to find out what was so interesting in the stall. A sign outside the stall proclaimed: The Lady of Fate. Have your fortune told! Completely accurate! Only 2 coppers! Looking inside the stall, she could see a woman about thirty or forty holding a man's hand. She said something and Tris saw the man look excited. Curious, Tris asked the breezes to bring their conversation to her.
"--ask her now and she will surely accept," the woman was finishing.
"Thank you lady, a thousand times. I need to find Karina now." So saying, the man rose from the table and rushed out into the lanes between the stalls.
'What a joke,' Tris thought. 'I can see magic in her, but not very much.' Tris turned to leave.
"You, girl!" The hubbub in the line died when the Lady called out sharply. Turning to see who the woman was shouting at, Tris saw the woman's piercing eyes looking at her. "Red, come here," the woman called.
"No thank you," Tris said vehemently. "I'd rather not waste two coppers on bibble-babble."
Rather than look offended, the Lady of Fate only smiled. It was rather deformed and twisted, but it was a smile. "Free for you. Sit down." Tris wanted to leave, but somehow she couldn't make her legs move towards the lane; instead, they brought her towards the table where the woman sat. "Okay everyone, my stall is closed for a little while. Clear out."
The people left, shooting Tris poisonous glances. "What do you want?" Tris asked bluntly. "I really don't think that anything you tell me will be the least bit true. I know that few mages can see the complete future, and I doubt the small magic that you have could help you."
"Actually, I do see most of the close future accurately. Give me your hand."
"Why? I'm just a girl passing through."
"I can feel your magic, girl. I was about to read someone's fortune when I felt the buzz of my magic. When that happens, it means that I need to do something. When I looked at you, my head almost split in half. Either you have a lot of magic or your future is very important."
"I have some magic, but it's not that strong" compared to Niko's and my foster-siblings', Tris added silently.
"Cut the lies child. I can feel your medallion." Tris snapped her head up to stare at the woman.
'But these medallions were spelled to be invisible,' Tris thought. 'How…'
"Your hand." the woman reached for her hand but Tris jerked her arm away.
"Who are you? What do you want?" Tris demanded. "If you don't tell me I'll--" Breezes whipped through the crowd and buffeted Tris and the Lady of Fate.
"I told you child, I am doing this because my magic demands it," the woman snapped. "And keep a reign on your temper. You'll hurt someone with your winds. I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to read your future."
She grabbed Tris's hand and froze. Her eyes rolled back in her head and all the blood drained from her face. She gave a blood-curdling shriek and gripped Tris's hand tightly.
On her end, Tris felt a cool, odd sensation spread throughout her body. It was cold, yet it seemed to burn her. She saw a burst of magic flare from the woman, which blinded her. She was aware of wind whipping around her as she lost consciousness.
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Tris woke up and saw three blobs above her. As her vision sharpened, she saw Niko, Keth, and Glaki looking at her with worried faced. Looking down, she saw Chime resting on her chest and Little Bear curled up at the foot of her bed at the end.
"What happened," she asked. Her throat felt dry and she felt weak and limp. 'This is like when I tried to stop the tides' she thought. "Well," she demanded.
"I was hoping you could tell me," Niko retorted. "I was wandering around the flare when I saw a flare of magic that nearly blinded me. I raced towards the source and saw a whole lane with wind whipping through everything. I found you and the fortuneteller passed out on the ground. She is already up by the way."
"She refused to tell us anything," Keth interrupted. "Said she'd only tell you what she saw."
"Niko, she said that her magic made her tell me my fortune. Is that possible?"
"Well, there are records of events in history in which someone was saved when they said their magic forced them to do something."
"So she could have been telling the truth."
"She was," Niko said grimly. "I tested her and not only was everything she said true, she told me that my truth spells were extremely strong. She can sense magic as well."
"I know, she told me she could…so what now?"
"Well, we can summon her and ask her what she saw. She is downstairs right now." Niko sent Glaki to fetch the fortuneteller, and they soon returned. "You may now tell us what happened Berlina."
"Not you. Just the girl." Berlina said.
"But I want them here," Tris protested. "Besides, I'd just tell them later."
"Fine," Berlina consented. "Well, when I grabbed you your magic overwhelmed me. I was electrocuted, burned, tied with thread, and stabbed by thorns simultaneously. It was rather painful. I don't suppose you'll happen to know how I felt so many magicks?"
"Erm, long story. Please continue," Niko answered.
The woman closed her eyes and continued. "Well, after your magic attacked me, I saw some things from your past and your future." At the words 'your past' Tris paled. "I don't think I need to recount your past. I saw your life flash by in seconds and it ended at Broken Circle Temple when your parents--"
"Just skip to the future," Tris said curtly. Glaki looked at Tris, wondering what had made her foster mother so angry.
"Well girl, I saw a rather convoluted future. It seemed like multiple futures to me. I remember a person calling you Daja as well as Sandry and Briar." Tris nodded for her to continue. "Apparently, I only saw the crossings of your life. Soon you will meet someone from your past, as well as make a great decision that will affect many. When I probed further to see what the decision would be, I was attacked again, and this time I was crushed by rocks, stepped on, broiled, and stabbed by splinters and glass shards as well as the original four magics. I believe that is when I passed out."
"Is that all?" Tris asked.
"Yes."
"So what do I do?"
"You continue traveling down your path in life until you reach the crossing. What I have done does not change anything. You merely have an advanced warning." So saying, Berlina, Lady of Fate swung around and left, closing the door behind her with a snap.
"Well, that was most interesting," Niko commented as he stroked his mustache. "If she felt all of those magics running through your body, then most likely many people will make the decision. But the person from your past-"
"Niko, that's enough. I can figure things out myself. Can I go to sleep now?" she demanded waspishly.
Niko looked at her almost apologetically as he herded everyone from the room.
'Please don't come back,' she pleaded silently. 'I don't want you to come back. Just leave me alone. I want my life as it is.' It seemed what she had feared most had finally come. But why had she feared it so much. Thinking about her dreams and life, she realized why she was scared to see her family again. 'If my family comes back, I will be hurt and I will hurt those I care about…because I think I still want to be accepted by my family.' Ever since Tris had been a child, her one true wish had been to be accepted by them, welcomed with opened arms. She knew it was a foolish thing to still want after 5 years, but having grown up with that as her solemn wish, it appeared that part of her still held onto the wish. 'I shouldn't still want to be with them,' Tris thought desperately. 'I'm happy now, but I still want to be with them. Why, why!!' she felt tears plop on her clenched hands but made no move to wipe them off her cheeks. 'It isn't important why though. It's important because I still want them. If they ask me to come back, to join them, I might go back to them and leave my new family.'
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Okay, I know Tris seemed kind of out of character here. I know what I wanted and it made sense to me, but I know it's kind of portrayed badly here. So, to better explain: Tris knows that some one from her past (someone in her family) is going to come back. Even after everything that they did, Tris always wanted to be accepted. She is happy now, but she grew up with that wish so a part of her still wants her wish. If they welcome her and love her, which was her wish, she might go with them. I think it's possible, but if you don't, oh well. Feel free to flame. Next is Daja. This is going to take awhile because I have a vague idea but I still need to straighten it out. Don't know when the next chapter is going to go up.
*Star Lily*