I forgot to do the review acknowledgments last chapter: many apologies!
Chapter 7
Yazmari: how could you be so cruel to threaten me with vogon poetry? grin i promise i'll get the chapters out quicker, to keep my life
Estranged: thanks, i'm glad you think the plot's okay and that's it well written. i won't say that i was too impressed with my writing for the last few chapters. but i'll try and bring it back up to scratch.
on top of cloud 9: i do have a problem, don't i? always making the chapters too short, lol.
Chapter 8
Yazmari: i have abolsutely no problem with people slipping requests for the reading of their own stories, into the reviews they give.
Zerrin of the wind: Ooh, I'm not telling who 'he' is! hee hee
On top of cloud 9: glad u enjoyed it :-D
Pineapples: (interesting name, btw) lol, i'm glad you find this a page turner...well, it is a web page, so i suppose theoretically, web pages can still be page turners... :-D)
Chapter 9
"The leaves," Kyra spoke up suddenly as the horses trudged down a solid mud path. "It's the leaves."
"The leaves are making you feel like it's the end?" Serrina asked sardonically, not impressed. "Sorry, but seeing blood and guts coming out of my own body makes me think when it's the end."
Alanna nodded agreement to that, a quick smile curving at her lips.
"But the leaves are dying," Kyra explained.
"Because it's nearly winter," Serrina said patiently.
"But the leaves dying...it's so..." Kyra burst out laughing, annoyed with herself. "It's like the world's going dead!" she blurted. "Every time the leaves fall..." she was unable to finish her sentence, as her mare almost impaled her on an overhanging branch. Hastily she knocked the branch aside with her hand. Riding Amara behind her, Serrina yelped, as the branch swung at her now and ducked. Alanna laughed again, amused. "Slow wits, thief," she taunted wickedly, as her own gelding skirted around the branch easily.
Serrina grinned back, cheerful.
Kyra smiled, her eyes thoughtful. As a leaf drifted lazily from one of the trees that towered over them, she caught the leaf in her gloved hand, mourning how crisp it was with its imminent death and savouring the beautiful colours it had been gifted with to ease its passing: sunny orange and a rusty red.
"Someone once told me," Alanna told Kyra kindly, "that when the plants die, they return to the goddess. And then they become new."
"Who?" Kyra was smiling at that, relieved.
"Daine," Alanna said, good humouredly. "Veralidaine Sarrasri—"
"The Wild Mage!" Kyra's face lit up with excitement. "Oh! You know her, don't you! What's she like? Is she really always covered with animals!"
"And their excrement," Alanna said gravely, smiling. "Yes."
Kyra giggled. "What else is there in the Tortallan Capital? What will it be like? What are the people like?"
"Didn't anyone ever tell you anything?" Serrina turned, demanding to know. "Anything about the Tortallan capital?"
"My mother was insane," Kyra said mildly. "I decided not to believe her when she ranted of flying tapestries, falling doors and moving windows, nor of suits of armour walking through the corridors."
Serrina laughed, shaken by that. "No. Very true. Well, then...Tortall. How to describe it? The streets are alive, Kyra." She loosened her grip on her reins, trusting her mare, Amara, as she tried to think of what to say. "From the rooftops, you can see all the people... ...pickpockets sliding their hands into the nobles' pockets, thieves smiling at you, greeting you before going to their jobs. Games of dirt in the gutter with the other street children until you go home filthy..." her voice was dreamy.
"...Buying dumplings at the street vendors," she said in that dreamy voice,"taking them home to father and Lasha, because you know Lasha loves them far too much...!" she broke off talking, distressed.
Kyra patted her hand gently. "It's okay," she said simply.
Serrina looked at her wearily. "Yeah," she lied and made Amara trot up the road faster. "We'll reach Tortall within minutes," she said, no longer excited. "It's over that last hill."
"I'm sorry," Alanna said quietly, but Serrina barely heard her. "There's nothing," she said softly, as the truth hit her. "Lasha ... Father ... dead. Mother's dead. I never thought it'd be me who would be left." Rubbing her eye and forgetting to pretend that it was just dust making a tear form, she nudged Amara's sides, cajoling the mare into a tired trot faster up the road to the place that held nothing for her.
"Serrina!" Kyra called fiercely, getting her own mare up alongside Amara. "Serrina! Stop this idiocy! It's not your fault that Lasha and your father died. They knew what they were getting into, heck you should feel mad at them because they ordered you to get close to me. I'm just glad that you are okay."
Serrina stared at her, horrified. "That's not a way to speak of the dead."
"What do you think they say of my da?" Kyra retorted. "It's fine to speak ill of the dead. You don't have to sing their bloomin' praises!"
"But they loved me," Serrina said quietly, forcefully. "Lasha was lovely to me. Whenever I got into trouble, she'd never hesitate: she'd even ride out to drag me from the gutter whenever I was injured and hiding."
"And now you're on your own," Kyra said cruelly. "Just like me. It's not so bad. You get to do what you like. When you like."
Serrina gave her a long, frowning look then raised her head. "I'll be busy, Kyra. I can't be your companion, I can't show you around Tortall. You're a noble lady of descent, even if your father did prove disloyal to the crown. You have noble obligations. I have my own obligations."
Coming to a rapid decision, she kicked Amara into a gallop, leaving the party of soldiers, Alanna and Kyra behind.
Kyra looked in bewilderment at Alanna, hurt in her light eyes.
"She's grieving," Alanna said quietly. "Grieving makes people do strange things, lass. She'll come back to us eventually."
With that, the party trudged only a little faster through the mud, exhausted, and Kyra watched Serrina's receding figure hopefully. Then she lowered her head. Serrina was gone.