Chapter Two: In the Fire
Disclaimer: I don't own the Song of the Lioness's but I do own the box set. Parts of this are taken directly from the book, parts aren't and in some places (like here) I was just too lazy to copy it so it will vary. DON'T SUE! Please? (This goes for the last chapter too)
Wearily Maude stared at the twins, they were little more then children and even if they felt this strongly how could they decide their future now at the ripe age of 11? What could she do? She had known that the twins wouldn't take kindly to their fates, but to possibly uproot the kingdom by becoming the first Lady Knight, well Maude was just afraid that Alanna would be sent to her death sentence. Thom, well Thom wasn't exactly breaking any rules, customs, or beliefs that had stood firm for hundreds of years. Only one thing to do, "Gods I hope this works, Mother help me just this once," thought Maude and then to the children "This decision cannot be made by one person, I am going to try to See, in the fire."
Thom was surprised he knew that Maude didn't have the power to see and that terrible things happened to people who used it with out it as a birthright, and Maude was the one who had told him this! "But you can't, you said you could only heal!"
"Never mind what I said, Thom the vervain, Alanna some more wood." That worried Thom if the person that was supposed to take Alanna suddenly died with out due cause, well his father wasn't completely blind, no matter how much he read. When Thom got back with the vervain leaves that grew outside Maude's hovel Alanna was already waiting. Thom saw her give a silent prayer, probably to the Goddess before turning to the fire. She thrust their hands in the fire and it glowed a freaky color that kept switching between green and purple. Suddenly Thom only had eyes for the fire.
The man's dark black hair was matted but you could tell it had once been full of luster. His eyes were a blue that was so bright you almost wanted to cringe. His face was clear of any blemish and his teeth flashed a white that made you think of fresh snow as gray. Suddenly Thom could see the rest of this man. He was in a cold-cobwebbed catacomb and on top of a stone altar. His body burst with magic the color of dried blood.
The fire changed back to a sheet of golden flames. But despite the heat of the fire Thom felt like ice-cold water, the color the man's eyes, had doused his entire body. He was too wrapped up in his own thoughts to notice the look on his twin's face. Not that he would have understood what it meant; Thom wasn't good at that type of things. While Maude explain something to Alanna Thom was thinking "Only one person is supposed to See, the one who cast the spell, in this case Maude. I suppose Alanna will be spooked by this unauthorized outbreak of magic. Magic follows it's own rules."
"...so it's settled." ended Maude.
A/N: Thank you to my ONE reveiwer.
Halaia-I'm working on my own assassins for people who read but don't review (I just hope they exist).