Hi here's chapter three please read and enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Circle of Magic besides the girl, the wall, Ser, Lero, and this new character.
Note: thanks for the reviews! Your question is answered at the bottom so you should read as you go down- thanks Aeo
A thin girl hung in the arms of two soldiers, panting as she tried to draw enough breath to fill her lungs. Her dark brown hair hung over her face masking her thin, gaunt looking face from her captors. She gave a weak struggle, trying to fight the stomach pains at the same time but she soon gave up, panting like a dog as she hung as a dead weight in the firm grip of the soldiers, who twitched every once in a while.
"Hey Rost, how do ya think the beggar's doing?" The thunderous voice of one guard cut through her ears and drove into her brain as she tried to wince around her black eye. The guard called Rost stopped and roughly grabbed her chin forcing her brown flecked grey eyes to meet his own dark brown eyes. "I think she needs to be whipped into shape like some of the other prisoners." One hand strayed to the cats-tails hanging from his belt and the girl violently shook her head as she tried to speak. "N-n-no d-o-on't h-h-hit me." Her voice sounded like a rake over gravel and the words seemed to stop half way from her mouth, unfinished.
"What did'jer say?" Rost leaned in closer and a feral grin swept over his face as he watched the thirteen summer old beggar try to speak around a dry tongue. She tried to speak but yelped instead to find the other guard had grabbed her throat and had started to lift her off the ground. She placed both her hands on the hand on her neck and watched in interest as the man started to sweat and dropped her with a gasp.
"Demon!" he spat on her as she tried to stand up weak from hunger and she jolted as the man kicked her hard in the ribs causing a bolt of pain through her body. "I'm not a demon." She said hoarsely, but the guards were to busy arguing about what to do with her to notice. "We should kill the Demon for what she is!" The guard she had touched yelled glaring at Rost, who shook his head. "No the whistler needs some company to shut her up that's the best solution." They both nodded and started walking again, this time with the girl walking between them, brushing off her worn grey tunic. It had lasted her all her days of scrounging and could surely last a couple more weeks, although she thought as she frowned at a sleeve, the sem was ripping. The whistler was a prisoner no doubt and so was she. The girl frowned and shakily rubbed each of her ribs. She could feel them all in great detail and quickly shifted her hands as she came to a fresh bump on one.
"Here we are." They came to a stone wall that didn't look any different from the rest, but as they approached the girl could hear the faint sound of someone whistling behind it. Whoever it was they didn't seem to be unhappy about the cell though she did hear a wistful note in the sound. One of the guards rapped on the wall and the whistling abruptly stopped and the girl could hear a faint rustling noise as the door slid open. Dust billowed out of the chamber as the guards threw her in and quickly pulled the door shut creating a second billow that sparked off a set of racking coughs that shook her thin frame. A hand lightly hit her back to stop the cough as a rough voice slid through the silence. "No need to cough up a lung, there that's better." When her coughing had stopped she glanced up to see this mysterious whistler. Instead she saw a lanky girl her own age grinning at her. "are you wearing a fire or something because you burn friend." The girl avoided the question with another "Who are you?" The girl's face if possible grew even brighter and she held out a hand. "I'm Frye." The other girl took the hand and looked at the girl before a wary smile crossed her face. "I'm Ailan."
Frye quickly let go, and stared at her hand. A dark shadowy patch had begun to grow on her hand. She let out a low whistle of amazement and the dark patch faded into nothing. Ailan flinched and backed into the corner ready for the blows she'd receive for the pain but the tall girl looked at her kindly and inched beside her, carefully sitting down.
"Are you hungry?" She asked suddenly, starting to go through her many pockets. "Because if you are then I have something here." Frye rummaged around inside the various pockets in her shirt and soon a couple of weird items scattered across the floor from the objects that were pouring from her pockets. A couple of strange coins, a bar of soap, some poppy seeds, there were so many things in her pockets it was like a pawn shop.
Ailan picked up a small spiked ball which had been carefully placed down instead of tossed and brought it close to her face. It wasn't sharp by any means and was actually quite soft and flexible as she ran it through her fingers, finding a small button on the edge of one of the spines. She carefully pressed it and quickly pulled back with a yelp as a hideous face appeared on the side of the ball. Frye looked up from her diligent search to see the face being sucked back into the ball and she quickly moved over beside the terrified girl.
Ailan looked up in surprise as she heard a chuckle from the girl beside her and watched as Frye picked up the ball, carefully pressing the button. As the face popped out again she stuck two fingers in its mouth and yanked out two small pieces of wire coiled around a large hunk of cheese. "There!" She said triumphantly as she unwound the wire and tossed the piece of cheese to Ailan who wolfed it down faster then either of them could blink. "Thanks for finding it I couldn't find anything in these pockets if my soul depended on it." Frye started to stuff the various objects back into her pouch before taking the spiky ball from Ailan. She gazed at it proudly before stuffing into the breast pocket. "My invention you know." She said proudly as she gazed at Ailan's shocked face. "A secret face to keep secrets in."
She had moved to the door and stuck one of the wires underneath. Ailan crouched beside her and watched her friend's tongue stick out and her forehead crease as she searched for the panel. "Always have emergency panel." She mumbled more to herself then to Ailan beside her. "In case a guard gets trapped or something, there we go." There was a resounding click as the door slid slightly forward and a gap with just enough room for a gloved hand appeared.
Frye looked exceedingly pleased with herself and motioned for Ailan to keep her ear on the wall nearest the door. "Tell me if anyone's coming." She whispered as she slid her hands into the crack. She gritted her teeth and tensed herself. "Here goes nothing." With a mighty heave she yanked the door open and stumbled out into the dim light of the hallway.
Ailan stuck her head out of the cell and a wide smile broke her face for the first time as she jumped quickly out, and drew in a deep breath to whoop in joy. A hand quickly clasped over her mouth and she saw Frye on the other end, sporting a wide grin though pain shone in her eyes and an upheld finger. "Look." Ailan did look and what she saw made her grin widen and Frye had to quickly clamp a hand over her mouth again wincing as she did.
The two guards were tossing dice in the corner of the barracks as a pair of thin hands grabbed the water canteen from the hook on the wall as well as two cloaks, while a pair of larger hands grabbed the pack of food supplies that hung next to the canteen before it hesitated and grabbed the thin dagger that lay on the table as well.
End of the third chap, review and tell me what you think please also should the fourth character be a guy or girl, PLEASE REVIEW! Thanks- Aeo
Ps there was some confusion about the guards.
(1st) Fire guard: Firestream's personal guard trained in fire and lightning magic
(2nd) Water guard: Waterspinner's personal guard trained in water and healing torture magic.
(3rd) air guard: Windmixer's rowdy troop that causes a lot of trouble with their air magic.
4th) earth guard: under Earthflare's command these are the grunts of the army and have two earth mages per squad.
Assassins: the shadow troop use a diluted form of unmagic that makes them invisible to spells and sight but causes great pain when used so there aren't many people in this troop.
Special: the Light enforcing troop, this troop circles around collecting young child with the talent for magic and is never seen by anyone.
