'Ello! ONCE AGAIN! I'M SO SORRY FOR THE DELAY IN THIS CHAPTER! It's all my fault..seriously. Well, and Alex's. She just HAD to get her appendix removed, making me all worried and there goes a weekend to update. Lol….and well. AIMS coming up..lotsa things. Will go insane. I promise….
So anyways..SO SORRY ONCE AGAIN. I know..i'm mean. This chapter's not that long either, but deal with it kk? I think it sucks..but deal with it!
Sorry, I'm typing in a hurry and it's late, so I'm kind of cranky. D
Hope you all have a great spring break! If you have one, that is!
Eunae
Oh my God! Do you knew what Eunae did for me? and it's not a bad thing believe it or not! In Industrial Tech she carved Numair's name out of wood for me! Painted black with glitter and it's perfect! She is sooooo great!
Enjoy the chapter! It's longer than the last one and i have to say i am very sorry about that. extreme writers block was what it was. And now for the review answers.
Alex
starshetland: We always love hearing from new reviewers and we thank you for your reviews. sorry we havn't been updating as often as we usually do. We're having difficulties with the plot. All i can say is...hang on...tight...really, really tight...
LexiLoLo200: yeah we love writing cliffhangers. Sorry but there's another at the end of this chapter. sort of.
sirena lizra: sorry but...he's we already killed him. but you never know what will happen next. (trust me, even we don't know.)
Queen of the Theives: Abhor...what a great word! hehe...yeah cliffies...
AnnaWeb: sorry it hasn't been so quick lately.
beckythorn13: oh god. I am soooooo sorry for dissapointing you like that! How awful! Getting ready like that and then WHAM! dissapointment. so hopefully we'll get back on track. but it's hard you know?
EquestrianBabe: yeah that's Eunae...math wiz...I'm not in Geometry but I'm in Algebra...I'm like one of the only one of our friends who isn't two years ahead...darn...oh well it's not like a particularly like math.
dragon lady: okay. we won't abandon this (hopefully) we really are trying...okay maybe not that hard but still...
jollyrancher-j2k: hehe...yeah...cliche i guess but that's alright...right?
Lady Knight 1512: i'm glad you think that way. I'm surprised everyone wasn't yelling at me for the long wait (and shortness) for the chapter.
Narm's Briton: Why a short chapter you ask? Why? Because I've had the worst writers block in forever. I kept it around for a few weeks hoping for inspiration but finally i just finished it the way it happened. but don't worry...i'm waiting for my special chapter...I've been waiting for months for it but we've still got a while.
Jennyvre Moss: I have to admit...I love writing cliff hangers. i think it's the power.
Roherwen: yeah...cliche...but i love him. but of course you knew that.
Protectress of the Small: yeah you can't complain NON UPDATER! lol
End an: Well there you go. Did you Enjoy Eunae's chapter? My turn next. Uh oh. Well i think it will definetly be longer next time. Have a great day!
Tristan lifted his heavy feet, now with quite an effort. Yet he was glad to be rid of the stuffy camp where he was ordered to stay by King Damien.
Yet who listens to that big vain oaf? Save for maybe his dogs? mocked Tristan.
He kicked some branches that were in the way of his path and accidentally hit his shin on one of the branches that was quite sharp.
"Damn!" he cursed. Because of this, Tristan didn't even stop to admire the magnificent trees that surrounded him that once were his brothers and sisters. They grew tall in their splendor and glory, blocking out much of the sunlight. Yet still, sunlight streamed through in some areas making the floor spotted here and there with bright patches of light.
And then, they seemed to sway and move to Tristan in his vision. He rubbed his eyes as if to clear them of what he was witnessing, but, nothing cleared. The trees seemed to bend at their trunk, until they were almost upon him.
So close to him that he felt their leaves brushing his body.
Tristan felt like he was suffocating, becoming deprived of air. He started to gasp and breathe harder and he started to kick and thrash about, as if it would make a difference.
He aimed for the trees and was almost relieved when he actually felt real bark where his foot hit.
However, this seemed to make the trees angrier. They seemed to bear down on him even more.
The mage knew he didn't want to die right then and there.
He finally knew what he had to do.
Tristan lay prone on the ground, perfectly still.
And then, suddenly, all was clear.
Yet Tristan knew what he had seen was not a hallucination, or maybe it was. But it was all in relation to the time he had spent as one of them. As them, as a tree.
He wiped the sweat on his brow with his sleeve and then immediately got up and whispered apologies to the trees.
Even he was wise enough to know not to anger the multitude of trees that he was surrounded by, for only the gods knew what would happen to him then.
Then the thoughts of him turned to that demon that he had called. What was it exactly? And what were these powers of his that exactly allowed him to do so? So powerful in fact, to kill Numair Salmalin?
And then he heard soldiers' voices.
He quickly hid behind the trees, and asked them to shelter him.
Tristan didn't know what happened after that, except that the soldiers soon evacuated the area. And he knew that they were looking for him and they were under the service of Damien.
For Tristan did defy his orders of staying in that deserted and uncivilized town of Barad and decided that he would go to Tusaine, and no one would stop him.
So then he had left the camp, without any notice at all for most of the soldiers were drunk after celebrating after Damien had left.
Another blessing from the gods, supposedly.
Tusaine…. Tristan pondered on what the kingdom would resemble. Surely nothing quite as grand or regal as Carthak, but nonetheless a proper palace would be there.
And as he daydreamed about the place that he himself would own one day, Tristan continued on his path toward Tusaine.
AT the same time, King Damien was still shuddering a big from what he had seen at the camp in Barad.
What kind of mage had he enlisted into his company?
But of course, in the end, he himself would be the one who benefited from this arrangement.
At least so he believed.
He anticipated his arrival to his own palace where he could have a warm bed with silken sheets and hot dinners, no more moldy bread well hid by scanty butter.
Damien was looking forward to it so much that, temporarily, he forgot about his plans for the conquest of Tortall and just focused on getting home as fast as he could.
Daine gaped at her mother. Time seemed to stand still as she digested what Sarra had told her.
She finally managed to sputter, "What did you say, Ma?"
"I said," repeated Sarra patiently, "that there may be a way for you to save Numair."
"But he's dead, Ma! Can't you see? Look at him!" cried Daine in a strangled voice.
Internally, Daine regretted what she had said.
But she couldn't stop the words coming out of her mouth.
"Ma, you're not blind! I know it, and you know it that Numair. Is. Dead. Dead."
Again, Daine mentally chided herself and closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
The tears spilled out of her eyes and trickled down her cheeks, her throat felt raw, and her vision blurred.
"Daine," started Sarra.
But her daughter interrupted her again. "Why can't the gods just leave my life alone? I'm born of a god, the Graveyard Hag messed with me in Carthak, and then I was swept into the realms of the gods!"
The wild mage opened her mouth to talk again, but Sarra just drew Daine to her and comforted Daine with low murmurs.
Weiryn stood a little uncomfortably to the side, as if he didn't quite know what to do, which was the case. Alanna and the others with her also stood to the side, trusting Sarra to soothe Daine and bring her back from her state of being crazed with anguish.
A few minutes later, Jon cleared his throat and Daine lifted her head from the shoulder of her mother.
"I'm sorry, I was wrong to despair."
"I quite agree, my daughter. As hard as this burden may be, we bring you a message from the greater gods. Numair was killed through a demon, conjured by a former rival of his."
"Who?" demanded Alanna urgently.
Weiryn replied calmly, "Tristan Staghorn, formerly in the service of Ozorne of Carthak."
Daine nodded numbly and the others stared blankly back.
Sarra continued where Weiryn had left off.
"As you may all recall, Tristan was morphed into a tree, by our dear Master Salmalin. However, when Numair turned Aeejah into a tree, for gods knows why, the reverse occurred to, interestingly, Tristan. This made him human, again."
The horror and shock on the faces of those in the room were clearly evident.
"And then?" asked Daine fearfully.
"He returned to the human realm, of course, burning with a fire that consumed him. Revenge."
DUN DUN DUN! evil guy bows sorry, inside joke.
ANYWAY
Ooooooooooooooo…so what's with our infatuation of revenge? Very good question. Find out in the next chapter. Maybe. And can Numair really be saved? Not explained in this chapter..so we need reviews. Cuz then we can be encouraged and then write and then, of course, UPDATE!
MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAA! I absolutely love typing that.
REVIEW PLEASE! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE! BY THE WAY, you guys are really getting good at reviewing!
Oh..by the way. There's a quote from a movie in the chapter..guess which one and get a cookie!