((sigh POV changes are so confusing to write....anyway....here's another chapter and look! Lyssie gots a cat! Betcha can't guess who : D Well, I still only own Lyssie, Dan, Adarian and anyone else you don't recognize, all the rest belong to Tamora Pierce. It may be a while before the next chapter appears....I'm having minor problems in english (and blaming them on writing as Lyssie too much...) Without further ado....))
"Dan? Dan? Is you 'waked?"
"I wa'nt…but I's now…What's'it, Lyssie?"
"Summat's out there…I can hear summat…"
"I don't hear nothin' and I don't see nothin', forget 'bout it."
"You sure?"
"I's sure, Lyssie, go back to sleepin'."
"A'right."
Lys rolled over onto her back and stared up through the trees. A lot had happened since they had fled their village those two years before. Lys looked at her fingers and counted off carefully.
"One…two…three…four…five…six…se'en…eight…I is eight now…"
It seemed like it had been twice as long. Slowly, the twinkling of the stars and the swaying of the trees put Lys to sleep. Colors swirled in her vision and then a woman stood before her.
"Hello, my daughter."
"Daugh'er? Is you my ma?"
"No, young one."Her voice wrung with soft laughter. "I am the Mother Goddess. You need to return home."
"I can't go home…I ain't got no home."
"You do have a home, child. And you must return there as quickly as you can."
"But I don't know where it be."
"In Tortall, the fief of Pirate's Swoop."
"But….Tortall….Pirate's Swoop…I's Scanran."
"No child, you are Tortallan…"
"Lyssie, Lyssie, wake up."
"Dan?"
Slowly Lys opened her eyes. That had been an odd dream. The trees filled her line of vision again and she turned to Dan.
"I…I gots to go to…to Tortall…"
"TORTALL???? Why do you need to go to Tortall?"
"The goddess….I think….she say I's apposed to go to Tortall and go to someplace what's called Pirate's Swoop. She say that my family be there."
"Your family…? Pirate's Swoop…? But Pirate's Swoop be the fief of the Lioness."
"The Lioness…"
"Ei'er way, iffen you're goin' to Tortall, I ain't comin' with you."
"But…Dan!"
"I ain't! And that's it!"
Lys turned away from him and sat staring up at the sky again. How would she possibly get there by herself? Had that really been the Goddess? Either way, it was her best shot at finding out once and for all. A quick glance confirmed her thought, Dan was asleep, and she left the small clearing and headed off into the woods hoping to find someone or something that could take her to Tortall.
Alanna scowled across the mess table at her far too cheery young companion.
"Kel, no one should be that awake in the morning…"
The young woman laughed merrily.
"Come on, Alanna, its not that bad. We just have patrol this morning. I was talking to Neal last night, and he says he has latrine duty."
"Well…all things considered it could be worse…he could be coming with us," Alanna smiled wryly and stood from the table, "I'll be ready in a few minutes, meet me by the healers' tents, alright?"
"Alright, I shouldn't be too long."
Alanna walked out of the tent and started down the brown, dirt paths back to her own tent. She opened the flap and stepped in; everything was in its usual disarray. She pulled a light mail shirt on over her pale blue tunic and sheathed her sword on her belt. She quickly checked the blades on her sword and dagger. Once she was assured all was in proper working order, she went out to the healers' tent to help out until Kel came.
"Morning, Duke Baird,"
"Good morning, Lady Alanna."
"Need any help today?"
"No, I don't believe so. Not too many have been injured since Kel handled those machines for us."
Alanna shuddered and made the sign against evil on her chest.
"Those…things…were horrible. Who would…? How could anyone think to use children as a weapon?"
"I don't think any of us will ever know."
"Alanna? You ready?"
"Let's go, Kel."
Alanna and Kel walked out of the small camp side by side, both prepared for a long and boring day of patrolling the local woodland. They had been over these paths at least once a week and had seen nothing. Did someone actually expect the Scanrans to just pop up a village or camp over night?
Lyssie sighed, she hated being by herself and yet there she was, all alone in the middle of the woods. The dawn had barely broken and she could smell food cooking. Bre'fast…she thought, I need to find summat to eat. Checking the bushes along her course, she saw something small moving, a cat.
"Hello li'l kitty." She picked the cat up and scratched it behind its ears. "I betcha you're as hungered as I is."
The cat meowed softly and then Lys nearly dropped it when it spoke.
"Of course I am, silly girl, its breakfast time and I haven't even managed to find a mouse."
"You…you can talk?"
"Of course."
"Have you got a name?"
"I'm called Faithful."
"A'right, Fai'ful."
"Close enough…I'm here to help you out. First, let's get breakfast."
"A'right, but where?"
"Try the camp…Are you always this silly?"
"I ain't silly…"
"Says you…"
Lys rolled her eyes at the little cat, but allowed it to perch on her shoulder anyway. Slowly, she walked along the path leading up to the camp.
Alanna heard a soft voice coming up the path, a girl's voice talking to someone. She turned to Kel and tapped her on the shoulder. With a nod of her head to the side, she gestured to where the voices were coming from. Kel walked through the trees to where the path was and saw the little girl with the cat. She was speaking Scanran to it and acting as though the cat responded. She turned and waved to Alanna who crept forward and watched the girl walk along the path. Alanna eyes widened as she watched the child and cat. Something seemed so familiar.
Dan rolled over slowly and stuck out his hand to wake Lys up. Nothing. Lys was gone. Where could she have gone? He sat up and looked around. There was nothing in sight.
"Tortall…" he growled, "She went to Tortall…" He stood up slowly, grumbling to himself. "I suppose I'm gonna hafta go save her now…"
