Disclaimer: I don't own and never will own circle of magic etc. etc. (Though it's really good)
Hi here's the second chapter I hope you all like it please read and review thanks-Aeo
Ps- thanks for reviewing! I like the name and I might use it for a different character it sounds good!
As he rode through the city, a cold sneer hardened his cruel face and the poor down trodden people of the once glorious city of Summersea dodged from the pounding hooves of the horses. The dedicate Firestream was not one to upset and with an arsenal of mages on his hands, you definitely stayed out of his way. A small child dashed to the middle of the road followed by the mother that swiftly snatched out of harms way as the captain didn't slow down at all ready to smash the young child under his horses hooves.
A thirteen year old boy rode on a small horse outside the high mage guard or fire guard as their called, looking thoughtful as he watched the reactions of the people to his father's approach. Of course he wasn't a legitimate son, no who could think such nonsense he thought to himself as a particularly scared man backed into an alley, not a smart thing to do these days. The boy winced as he heard the beat of clubs against flesh and saw a brief flash of the shadows of the monarch of Summersea, the shadow guard.
There were five areas of troops the water, the air, the earth, the fire, and the shadow, though there were rumours of an incredible secret light troop.
Lord Firestream and the other heads of department had spread across the country, conquering, burning, and killing as they went. Chammur had fallen easily to the earth troop setting heavy handed dedicate Earthflare on the throne there. The death cleansed city of Tharios became home to the water troop, who's dedicate took the name of her former teacher to spite her, dedicate Waterspinner was not to be trifled with. Kugisko was taken by the rowdy air troop that fought, drank, and caused mischief where ever they went. The dedicate Windmixer caused the first battle to be the last, freezing almost half of the northland in ice. That left Summersea for the dedicate Firestream, the leader, planner and executor of the plans. He was the one to kill the last duke of Summersea.
His black hair glistened in the bright shining sun, cut roughly in a crew cut as defiance to his father's orders. There was no deifying the resemblance between the king and the supposed servant boy. From their winged eyebrows, wide eyes and sharp chin it was easy to see the Firestream in the boys blood. Firestream glanced back at the boy though their faces looked similar their form and thought were as different as night and day. Firestream had a mage form, a lanky lithe figure as pale as the moon itself, but though the boy was also lanky, a deep tan sank into every pore of his skin to deepen it, turning him a deep bronze from the sun. His eyes however amazed the people who glanced at the servant boy at the back of the group. They gleamed a light blue that seemed to be as open as the sky itself, and his father feared those eyes. Open spaces meant enemies and that's all that mattered for the sickly old mage.
The gates of the citadel slowly creaked open revealing what was once the dukes citadel behind the high stone walls. The boy glanced at these high walls to see the new victims that were posted daily. They all had varying sighs around there necks but were each scorched from the inside out leaving only the sign recognisable. Thief one read while on another it read revolutionary. The boy's eyebrow rose as he saw many of these signs. They had finally caught the group; he had wondered when they would. He sighed and averted his eyes from the corpses above to the living below.
They were servants like him, and that was servant in the loosest of terms. The price was life, they all knew and none dared disobey an order from any mage. The boy stabled his horse before stabling the guards and dedicates horse. After grooming them carefully an air mage slid past filling the fur of the animals with the dirt he had just brushed off them.
Sighing he picked up the brush and started again grateful he didn't have to brush out the mane and tail again. A slim hand picked up a brush to help him and the boy gave a one sided smile as he glanced at his friend, Lero. She usually helped him groom the horses since the work in the kitchen was so boring as she put it and it was nice to get the extra help. "I almost didn't get here in time." She murmured carefully brushing every speck of dirt from the tack as the boy went over the horses. "yes." he murmured back, aware where every speck of dirt went.
Silence followed, but he knew that she was comforted by the fact that he looked out for her though his own life was a long way from being nice. "There all done." She said triumphantly gazing at the shining leatherwork as the boy carefully checked the horse's coat. "Come, let's go get something to eat." Lero said heading towards the door of the stable. The boy smiled and nodded following his short friend out the hall. She was fairly plain from one perspective with her brown hair easily tied under a red handkerchief and her diamond shaped face. She only came up to his chin but she was well respected around the citadel for her high temper. As her thin lips pursed and her thinner eyebrows shot up, the boy followed her gaze to see what had startled her.
A segment of the fire guard was dragging a small girl, barely seven summers old, towards the citadel. Suddenly a bright light flashed and he found he couldn't move. The girl now a summer older, in a servant's dress ran by. Her eyes were puffy and she cradled the side of her face where he could see a black eye and a spreading bruise. The cook came out of the kitchen and started to talk in a low voice to the girl. All the boy could hear was random snippets of the conversation. The word sleep came up many times and from the head cook's motions the girl had fallen asleep at the fire, burning something. With a quick, darting motion the cook grabbed a leather strap from her belt and began mercilessly whipping the young child. She cried out from the pain and the boy felt someone shaking his shoulder as the world changed to the face of Lero.
"Hey Ser, come on, snap to it." Lero was shaking him and sighed with relief as he blinked trying to figure out where he was. "The girl." He turned toward the front gate and saw the small girl being dragged toward the kitchen. Lero turned and saw what he was staring at. "It's terrible." Her eyes gleamed in anger as she clenched her hands and jaw. "When they need a new servant it's not lets see if anyone's for hire, it's let's grab some helpless kid off the street and scare the living soul out of her." She growled before continuing towards the servants' mess hall. Ser quickly fell in step with her and nodded agreement before they entered the silent room around fifteen minutes later.
The only noise was made by the clinking of cutlery and the sobs of a small girl who had just had her life ripped away from her. "Come on." Lero whispered gathering some food and heading towards the small girl. Ser followed closely wondering how he could help the kid. He had learned to trust these things like when it had warned him about Lero's broken arm and a lost amulet that he had been blamed for. They had saved him and his friend from death by starvation on that incident.
The girl now dressed in the plain white blouse and brown skirt that all the kitchen staff wore looked like a startled deer as she stared at Ser and Lero as they politely asked to sit with her. She nodded, quickly reverting her eyes back to her own food. Ser stared at her with a sad look in his eyes as she almost inhaled the food. Terrified though she was it didn't stop her from eating the plain stew like it was fresh meat for the Dedicate. Lero ate her meal at a more moderate rate, ripping a small loaf into small pieces to dip in her stew while Ser merely sipped his stew, barely eating any. After her stew and bread was gone as well as well as Ser's bread and a good portion of his stew, the girl sighed contently, not happily but content that she was in a house with food. Ser twitched, knowing what that meant and his shoulders sagged. Lero also noticed and her head dropped over her dish as she and Ser both got up and left.
"He got another one." They were back in the courtyard enjoying the only free time period they had. Ser nodded in reply to Lero's statement and looked back at the sky that was radiant in the warm summer air. He had been there when Firestream had worked the compulsion magic but for some reason it didn't affect him or Lero in affiliation with him. As he pondered this he heard a cheery whistling tune split the air and as he closed his eyes he saw a tall lanky girl whistling in a cell. With a slight smile he turned to look at the stone prison that the whistling was coming from just outside the gates wondering how his life could be affected by a single whistler.
Ta da! My second chapter finished though I like the first better please Review and tell me what you think of it.
Ser is pronounced seer and Lero is pronounced le-row. Thanks – Aeo
