Thanks for the nice reviews!

And I forgot it again….like in my first ff.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. All belongs to Tamora Pierce.

And now, on with the story...

Chapter 3: The book

As the second month at the convent began, Alanna decided she didn't just want to sit around and wait until she could leave. She didn't want to waste her time. She wanted to learn how to fight now. But how? She doubtet that any woman at the convent knew how to handle a sword. Alanna laughed at the imagination of a girl like Lady Delia of Eldorn with a weapon in her hand. She had to learn it otherwise….

The convent was far away from any town so it was hopeless to find a teacher. How do you learn things if you haven't got a teacher, Alanna wondered, From books! That's it! (A/N: I know that's a silly idea, but I didn't have any better. Maybe she finds a magic book or something…) The City of the Gods had a library for the priests and sorcerers but girls were not allowed to go there, so she couldn't go there when she could be seen. The library was closed at ten and then a servant came to clean it up. It was big so Alanna had a chance not to be seen if she was careful.

On Saturday there was a party at the convent in honor of the First Daughter's birthday. The party started at eight and ended at quarter past ten. No one would expect Alanna to attend the party, because it was without obligation. But she had to be quick. If Sandria, her room mate, returned from the party and if she saw that Alanna was not in her room she would get suspicious. It was a five-minutes-walk from the convent to the library so she had ten minutes to find the right book.

As the day came, Alanna became nervous. If they would catch her she would probably never have the chance to get a book again…. At quarter to ten Alanna sat on her bed and waited, chewing her fingernails. She went over the plan again and hoped it would work. Then she stood up and climbed out of her window. She had luck. There was a tree, exactly in front of her window so she could easily reach the ground. She wrapped her cloak thight around her body and put the hood of it over her hair. She couldn't risk that somebody saw something red.

Alanna looked around. Nothing. She walked through the wide streets of the city until she reached the back of the library. She sneaked to the front and looked around the corner. She almost gasped at the sight. Lady Delia of Eldorne was kissing a priest. That was forbidden. The girls at the convent weren't allowed to kiss anyone until they went to court to find a husband. And priests….priests weren't allowed to kiss anyone for their whole life. Alanna's mouth went open and shut several times. Then she realized that she couldn't get into the library until the two were standing in front of it. She had to scare them off somehow. She picked up a large stone and threw it as far away as she could. It made a loud bump and the two 'lovers' jumped apart immediately. They looked around and went separate ways. As they were out of sight Alanna entered the library.

By the sound of the footsteps the servant had to be on the second floor. Fortunately the books about knights, wars and fighting were on the first floor, like most of the other books. (A/N: Please don't ask me how Alanna knows all those things, okay? She just knows them) Alanna tiptoed around the room until she found the bookshelf she was looking for. A book caught her eye. It was an old, bulky book, bound in leather. It was very dusty and some pages were torn but still it looked precious. 'The magic in the fighting arts' was written on it. Alanna grabbed it and quickly left the library.

She hadn't had time to read the book when she returned to her room. Sandria had opened the door just as Alanna had closed the window behind her. The next day was the girl's free day. Sunday. They could go to the little market of the city, take a walk, go swimming in summer or just relax. It was a warm spring day and most of the girls were outside and so was Sandria. Alanna took the book and blew the dust away. She sat on the ground and opened it. Alanna frowned. The pages were blank. She just wanted to slam the book against a wall she heard a sound. It came from the book. Alanna's eyes widened. It was a weird voice and it seemed to laugh at her. So you want to learn the art of fighting?, it asked her with it's deep, echoing voice, Then show me of which stuff you're made of.

Two brooms, which were leaning in one corner of the room, came flying towards Alanna. The brooms threw of their brush-wood and looked like staffs now. One of them flew in Alanna's hands and the other one levitated about two metres away from her. Alanna took the staff in two hands and suddenly the other staff attacked her. Alanna blocked it and stumbled backwards.

Make sure you stand safe!

And don't always block. Attack!

Faster!

Alanna did how she was told and it went on like that for hours. When the sunset came Alanna's muscles hurt like they never did before.

Stop it!, the voice told her. I don't want you to collapse. And with that the book closed and levitated under Alanna's bed. She sighed. She felt as if all of her bones were broken, but still it had been her best day at the convent. From now on she practiced everytime she could.

And? How did you like it? Next chapter: The sweating sickness

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