AN: special thanks to hehe and especially Rissa for a nice long review. I can take the criticism (after only a moments ego-trip, I promise), and I never catch all my mistakes so at some point I'll have to find a beta. Hopefully my dialogue isn't as stilted/overused this time, I tried to take more time to make it flow.

Standard disclaimer: Discworld is not mine, and I promise not to break it. The story and most of the characters are mine however. mineminemine. There.

Circle Time by shrinni

Chapter 3

She passed through the mountains like the echo of a whisper. No one noticed her presence; no one felt the briefest of touches on their mind.

She wasn't distracted by the thousands of thoughts that flitted through a human mind every minute, she was searching with predatory intent for something specific. She needed a powerful mind, but one that could be easily swayed. She needed someone young, someone rebellious, someone pliable.

She continued to search, pausing only for a moment to survey each mind she found before moving on. All it would take was one person...

Nearly a week had passed since Sadie had gone up the mountain to ask Dorrel about iron. For several days she had spent idle moments speculating about the wonderfully magical things that might be done with thunderbolt iron, but she had realized after awhile that the dwarves would never giver her any of the stuff to experiment with, which was a pity.

She had spent the past five days running errands, cleaning house, and cooking meals for Mistress Ogg. The lessons on magic were still not forthcoming, and Sadie was now seriously worried about being stuck as Mistress Ogg's maid for the rest of her life, clinging to the hope that one day she would be taught again.

It was Sadie's one free day of the week, the day when Mistress Ogg's granddaughters liked to go walking in the fields with a young man (or two, in Deirdre's case, but no one talked about that). Sadie sometimes wondered what it would be like to lie with a man, but she didn't have time to be fooling around. Besides, she had alienated most of the boys her age some time ago.

Sadie decided that she would hike up the mountain and quiz Dorrel about thunderbolt iron some more. Maybe she could convince him to part with a small pebble of the stuff. Before she left, she thoughtfully grabbed one of the leftover nails from Thomas' cabinet project, tucking it securely into a pocket before leaving the Ogg's house.

Still she was searching for a suitable mind... searching... searching...

Found.

Sadie toiled her way steadily up the mountain, humming tunelessly to herself. She wondered when Dorrel would get tired of Sadie's comings and goings, and would simply refuse to answer when she kicked his rock. It was really of no consequence, she knew of several rocks hiding entrances to the dwarf tunnels, she would simply search until she found another dwarf that could be bribed for information. But she liked to wonder how much longer she could antagonize Dorrel before he hid from her; it was something of a study.

Lost in her musings, Sadie didn't realize at first when she wandered off the nearly non-existent trail she usually followed up the mountain. It took some minutes before she noticed that she was in a part of the forest where she had never been before, and heading strait uphill instead of somewhat slanted.

Sadie stopped, looking around to get her bearings. At some point she had turned Rimwards, going strait up the mountain instead of curving around it.

Sadie turned to retrace her steps, but something made her turn back to face uphill. She felt a longing to walk in this unknown part of the forest, to explore. She couldn't get lost, all she had to do was turn around and go downhill to find her way back to the village.

Sadie hesitated, wondering for a moment why she suddenly wanted to explore now.

You want to know everything, don't you? The thought almost seemed like it came from outside of her, but it made sense. Sadie did want to know everything, she might as well know her own forest.

Sadie walked for some time, noting landmarks as she went. Occasionally she saw an interesting stream or a deer trail, but she never stopped to examine anything, something was pulling her onwards. She started to walk faster, feeling the excitement build in her mind. At the end of this walk she would find something amazing, Sadie knew it.

Finally Sadie arrived, breathing heavily, at a small nondescript clearing. She had the distinct feeling she had arrived, and she looked around at the clearing, wondering why she had felt drawn there.

It wasn't a clearing so much as a good sized, roughly circular space where no trees happened to be growing. Bushes and things grew around the edge of the clearing but not in it, which was puzzling. The only thing growing in the clearing were some short grasses. It didn't look special at all.

Sadie felt suddenly a cold breeze, despite the warm spring sun shining through the trees. She sniffed the air experimentally, it smelled faintly like frost. Sadie felt like she was being watched.

Unnatural coldness and the feeling she was being watched unnerved Sadie, but she kept a firm grip on her fear. "Who's there?" she called in a normal tone. Her voice was snatched away by the forest, which suddenly seemed to be very close and oppressive. Her grip loosened slightly, and she looked over her shoulder nervously.

"Hello Sadie." called a soft melodious voice from the clearing.

Sadie's head whipped back around and she stared at the person who had seemed to just appear out of thin air.

Sadie didn't normally notice beauty, but this woman was the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. There seemed to be stars trapped within her long black hair, and starlight reflected in her eyes, even though it was the middle of the day. Her scarlet dress was plain, but worn with such a regal bearing that Sadie instinctively knew she was before a great lady.

"Who... who are you?" Sadie stammered, totally bereft of her normal composure. She felt so young, so small standing before this amazing creature.

"I am your friend, child."

Sadie, who would normally have bristled at being called a child, couldn't tear her gaze away from the woman's eyes, which for some reason kept traveling down to glance at Sadie's side. "My friend? But how do you even know me?"

The woman smiled indulgently. "I have watched you, my child. I know that you yearn for knowledge. That is why I called you here."

"But..." Sadie paused nervously. "Why me?"

"You are the only one in that tiny village whom I think is worthy."

Sadie's mind seemed to be working in slow motion, dulled by the magnificence of the lady, but she couldn't argue with the lady's assessment. The entire village was full of fools and old women. "So you picked me..." she said wonderingly.

"Yes, child. I drew you here because you can learn what I could teach you..." The woman's voice dropped to almost a sultry whisper. "I can give you power, if you desire it."

"Power?" Sadie's eyes narrowed, her mind seeming to come sharply back into focus. "What kind of power?"

"The power to become the greatest... witch... in this land. You do want that, don't you?"

It was as if the woman were reading Sadie's mind, which she supposed was entirely possible. "I do," she said cautiously. "but what's the price?" There was always a price, with magic.

The lady smiled again, but her eyes were still occasionally flickering towards Sadie's side. "Ah, I see you are no fool. There is no price... at first. But if in a week's time, if you still want what I am offering, I will ask you to do one favor for me. That is all."

Aha, there is was, the price. "And what is this favor you want from me?" No, not her side, the lady was staring at her pocket.

"Your help. I am trapped here in this place, and all I need is for you to use a fraction of the power I will give you to set me free."

Sadie raised an eyebrow. "If you're so powerful, why can't you get out by yourself?" She noticed for the first time that the lady seemed slightly transparent, and the persistently chilly wind that was still raising goose bumps on Sadie's arms didn't cause the lady's hair or dress to stir.

The lady's eyes flashed angrily, so fast that Sadie thought she might have imagined it, but her tone remained even and pleasant. "This clearing is like a door, and like any good door, it only opens when pushed from one side. Your side."

The lady's eyes filled with sorrow, and Sadie was suddenly overwhelmed with pity for her. "I have wished for so long to come to your world and teach worthy people my small talents, but alas, I am stuck, and until now no one has come close enough to the clearing for me to talk with them."

Sadie's feelings of pity increased, and she felt ashamed that she had questioned such a noble being. She would do anything to help this woman, the promised power was a gift she would gladly accept if the lady chose to give it. "Please Lady, I want to help you." Somewhere from within the fog that seemed to be clouding her thoughts, Sadie dredged up one last question. "Lady, why do you keep looking at my pocket."

The lady's smile seemed to become a bit forced. "Show me what is in there child." He voice hardened when Sadie just stared at her. "Now, child."

Sadie slowly drew the nail out of her pocket. "What is so special about this? It's only a nail."

The lady had regained her composure, and now sounded only mildly curious. "What is it made of?"

"Just iron."

The lady nodded, looking knowing. "That explains it then. Child, you must never have iron. It kills magic."

"Kills? What do you mean?"

"Iron has no magic, magic does not work on it, it is useless. You must never carry it Sadie."

Sadie agreed without thinking about it. The lady had just confirmed her own suspicions anyway.

The lady's smile broadened, and some corner of Sadie's mind noted how reminiscent it was of a cat. "Now come closer Sadie, I will give you some of my power." She held out a translucent hand, palm up, slender fingers reaching towards Sadie.

Sadie stepped forward immediately to the edge of the clearing, and extended her hand towards the lady's. After a few seconds that seemed to stretch to eternity, Sadie's fingers passed through the lady's, and a jolt of electricity shot up her spine.

Sadie jumped backwards from the clearing, shaking with sudden magical energy that crackled at her fingertips and was still running up and down her back.

"Oh, wow." was all Sadie managed to say.

The lady's smile was so wide, in a less regal person it might have been called a grin. "Come back tomorrow Sadie, and I can give you more."

Some remnant sense of duty made Sadie protest weakly. "But, Lady... today was my only free day, Mistress Ogg will be very upset with me if I don't do my chores..." she trailed off into silence.

"Mistress Ogg." The lady's voice became mocking. 'She promised to teach you, but what have you learned from her recently?"

"...nothing." Sadie whispered.

The lady's voice held the unmistakable tinge of command "Come back tomorrow." Her voice softened. "You will see that I keep my promises."

Sadie nodded, and then feeling something else was required, dropped into as deep a curtsey as she could manage without falling over. "I will, lady."

The lady nodded, "I will wait for you." and her image slowly faded, leaving behind only the impression of her smile, and the cold wind shivering in the trees.

Sadie stared at the spot where the lady had been for a long time before she managed to banish the fog from her mind. She looked at her hands, where little octrine sparks were jumping from finger to finger. A smile slowly spread across her face.

"We'll see whose the most powerful witch now, won't we Mistress Ogg?" Sadie whispered to herself. She turned around, almost running back down the mountain. As she went, Sadie briefly wondered if she was running to the village or from the clearing, but she dismissed that thought as nonsense.

Why would she run away from the lady? The lady was going to make all her dreams come true.