Alanna

Chapter 19

Author's note: This story is drawing to an end- the climax is coming pretty soon. Please REVIEW! Reviews are dropping… sigh. :( You know you can make my day just by clicking on that button right? Okay, without further ado, I shall plunge straight into action!

there will be a summary of whatever has happened so far at the bottom of this page, just in case you don't understand something. :)

(Alanna and Leo)

Alanna and Leo trudged on, their sacks swung over their shoulders and constantly beating against their backs. However, they were oblivious to it- the pain had subsided hours ago, slipping into numbness instead. No doubt, there would be a bruise there the next day, but the duo could do nothing about it- time and their rather unfortunate location did not allow for such trivialities

"This is a good spot," Leo said suddenly, as he pushed the unkempt weeds aside and struggled his way through a forest of thorns that were knee high. Alanna followed him closely, the bite of the plants failing to get anything more out of her than irritation. Alanna lifted a soiled and dirt-covered boot and made her way forward, her strides wide and her gait like that of a man's.

Leo came to a little empty space. It was shielded by tall ominous trees that loomed, its silhouettes covering them and the canopy blocking out sunlight. It was dark and gloomy, with barely enough light, such that anybody foolish enough to pass by was more likely to walk past them. Alanna stared and a chill ran down her spine but- the place was perfect.

Leo looked grimly satisfied, and seeing Alanna's nod, he pushed off the sack on his shoulder and rummaged through the rumpled remains of a once fresh tent. Alanna followed him and grabbed some pins and sticks, which she had thrust into her sack earlier that day. Day was falling- the sky was slowly darkening, and despite the faint rustle of the wind and the twittering of the birds, they both knew that there was only an hour of day left.

Carefully, Leo took one end of the cloth and swung it over the branch of a short tree. He tied secure knots while Alanna, using sticks, managed to stick the contraption to the ground steadily. They stood up to examine their work- it was crude, ugly and unfashionable, but it was still shelter. Heaving a sigh of weariness, they plopped onto the soil.

"I wonder what Tad would say if he saw us now?" Leo said suddenly, a smile quirked on his face.

It had been a few months after Alanna had joined the Shang, and most of the Shang had already accepted her as one of their own. Alanna took a deep gulp of her mug of icy cold water, shaking her head as someone offered her something stronger. Knowing her body, she would wake up with a bad headache the next day, which would no doubt earn her the chastise of her instructor, Leo.

"Still not drinking eh?" The Shang wolf, Pieter, said, his lined face crinkling into a raucous laugh.

Alanna gave a groan. The Shang loved their drinks and alcohol- and they could not understand why Alanna was so adverse to it. Truthfully speaking, Alanna did not hate alcohol, her body just reacted badly to it, and while others could wake up the very next day at their peak and with a clear head, Alanna would be the antithesis of them, struggling to even pull herself out of bed.

Alanna laughed as she listened to Pieter crack joke after joke, feeling as though she truly belonged to the crowd, something she did not feel back in Corus. At that thought, Alanna felt bitter, but she had grown used to covering up her emotions.

"Well, there was this once…" Alanna said, her eyes twinkling, willing to spill some of the rather nasty adventures she had had previously.

From the corner of her ear, however, she heard someone mutter under his breath furiously, "What a liar."

The cause of that remark had unfortunately, not covered his tracks well enough and was startled to find all eyes swung onto him. Alanna gave a short bark as the man sneered. It was Tad, the Shang Stag. Ever since the day where Alanna had been admitted, Tad had held bitter feelings against Alanna, feeling that she should not have been allowed into the Shang village. For what reason, Alanna had not found out.

Alanna walked up calmly, all eyes fixed on her, most of them shiny with amusement and apprehension. Slowly, she strode forward, till she was just an arm's length away from Tad.

Suddenly, with extreme speed and immense power, she clenched her fist and slammed it straight into his startled face.

Tad was knocked onto the floor by the force of the shot, his face contorted into pain.

The room was silent for a moment, before falling into laughter.

From that day onwards, Tad, Leo and Alanna had become friends. Tad had conceded that Alanna was a worthy member of the Shang, and after they got over their grudges, began to treat each other like friends.

Alanna gave a small smile. She missed Tad and his weird jokes- she missed the feel of the crackling fire and snuggling in a blanket- mostly, she missed her home.

(Roger)

Roger gave a smile.

It was a strange one- a small smile, that barely formed and looked as though it were forced. However, to the perceptive eye, one could see that the smile, despite looking small and rather insincere, was truly genuine and came from the heart.

And that was scary.

Roger tapped his fingers impatiently on the table top, gracefully reaching out for a flask on the wooden table and uncorking it. He swallowed the contents with a single gulp- he was going to need his energy. There was a loud rap on the door, followed by an odd grunting noise. Roger sneered for a moment in contempt before replying, "Come in."

It was a troll, clad in typical battle wear and an enormous cub with a painful metal edge entered, his weapon showing his status in the Troll army- Commander.

"Commander, dispatch your troops. We shall start the siege now."

Roger said those words calmly, yet his eyes were singing with sheer evil. The troll let out an ear-shattering roar, the sound reverberating throughout the enclosed room. Revenge was so sweet- the troll could taste it lingering in the air. Hungrily, he lumbered out of the room, lust evident on its face. Vengeance.

Roger rolled up his sleeve. There was only one thing left to be done before the siege was officially complete- the final defense. Carefully, he walked towards a model of the city, emblazoned with opals and strange mysterious black stones and runes. Roger fingered it somewhat lovingly. It was his masterpiece- his best work- and it had taken him more than a year to complete…

Closing his eyes, he stroked his gift, feeling the magic tingle in his fingertips.

Then, he began to chant.

(Corus)

The people of Corus were wide awake as the sun carefully made its way up the brightening sky. It was yet another day- and a busy one it was going to be. It was Market day and many were about to leave their houses, bustling, ready to set up their stalls and awaiting the challenge of a new day.

However, the challenge was going to be far greater than what they expected.

The first sign of anything unusual came from a startled sentry, who was standing at the top of the wall that surrounded Corus. He had had his eyes fixed lazily on the horizon, enjoying the morning breeze when it happened.

Trickles of power swarmed out of nowhere, starting as mere pricks. However, they slowly grew, coming in waves and torrents, getting heavier and heavier, until the air became saturated with the magic. The sentry took an involuntary step backwards, but it was too late, the power descended on him and he gave a loud, painful shriek that resounded through the air- a shriek that was carried throughout the city by the wind.

It was the first shriek of war.

The second sign came a few seconds later. It was distant, at first, coming from the back crevasses of a person's mind, pushed aside. However, it grew louder and louder, until it could no longer be ignored. The sound of thunder seemed to rock the city, the sound of boots stomping against the soil- the sound of the trolls.

The trolls had come.

Within a few minutes, they had surrounded the city, and already, seemed to be making themselves feel at home. Their faces were covered was a thirst for blood, and their actions were hurried and practiced. Before anyone could react, the trolls had made their mark.

Tents were set up, far away from the wall, and lines of trolls stood surrounding the city gates, which were wide open but were slowly being closed by stunned sentry guards, who were doing so with extreme caution and fear. The gate slammed with a loud thud, as the sound of a blowing horn resounded, by the trolls did not move.

They were here to stay.

Author's Note: Sorry for the long delay! My exams are finally over, so PHEW! I will be updating weekly from now onwards, maybe even faster, because this story is drawing to an end. Sigh. :(

Please READ AND REVIEW!

For all who did not know, I actually write Tamora Pierce and Harry Potter fanfiction. I will be starting some new fanfics, mainly Hp, so if you're an avid fan of hp, do check it out!

If not, I may be starting a fic about Kel with my sister, and if I do, I'll place a note here! Thanks!

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