AYLAHS GIFT
CHAPTER 1
Briar drew his horse up at an inn "This will have to do for tonight" he said looking dismayed at the shabby looking inn.The landlord came bustling out practically running, eager for guests, which made Briar even more apprehensive about staying here.
He looked at Rosethorn who smiled weakly at him. It was the only inn for miles and it was getting dark.
"Err yes" said Briar "we would like two rooms for the night"
"Yes, yes. You can put the horses in the stable. Don't mind the stable girl,she's mad!" The landlord cried, sounding rather mad himself.
Evvy giggled, Briar smiled at his student as they followed the landlord into the stable.
Briar had to blink a couple of times when they entered, then remembered his magic.
He shielded it over him so he could see properly, the light which had been very bright before was now enough to handle without going blind
"Great Gods" Briar and Rosethorn whisperd as they looked around.
Magic was winding through everything and in the middle of it sat a girl who was talking to a horse.
As soon as she saw the landlord, she jumped up and ran to Briar's horse.
Briar jumped off and looked curiously at the girl.
She was very dirty and had a metal ring around her neck, which indicated that she was a slave.
"I'll take your bags to your room" she whispered and left carrying the bags and taking the light with her.
Briar went into the bar with his teacher Rosethorn and his student Evvy. There were a few drunks, but that was all.
Probably why he was so eager with us thought Briar.
Suddenly the room was filled with the magic light. Briar motioned to the landlord "Who is your slave?"
"Well her name's Aylah. Some stinking guy came here with her one night. He was going on about what a great slave she was.
Well I was stupid enough to believe him, so I bought her. Next day the man was long gone and Aylah's true skills came through. I tried to sell her to other suckers who came through but..." The landlord sighed
"Once I even got a magic sniffer on her. Well that cost a lot and was useless. Just like the damn girl!"
Briar smiled at him "I'll buy her".
The room went quiet. One man started to laugh hysterically.
"Shut up!" yelled the landlord. "How much?"
"Not much"said Briar. When he named his price the landlord went white. "I paid much, much more than that!" he said.
"Yes, but you were cheated. It's only fair"
"Fine" the landlord grumbled. "AYLAH!".
She came running. "Yes" she said.
"You've finally been sold to this gentleman here" he said, grinning quite evily.
Aylah went white,why? no one had ever paid any interest in her before. They all new she was useless and spoke quite openly about it.
"You can take the slave collar off her too" said Briar.
"Will you be getting her a new one?" asked the landlord.
"No, she is not going to be a slave any more"
"Oh than what..."
"I have to go to my room" said Briar cutting him off. "Send up one tub of hot bathing water to my room and three to Rosethorns"
"Yes Sir"
"Thank you"
"Can we go now?" whined Evvy.
"You didn't have to stay" smiled Briar as they walked up the stairs to the rooms, which to Briar's suprise were in quite good condition.
Briar picked up his mages kit and pulled out some bottles.
He noticed that Aylah shied away.
"Its just soap and stuff for your hair so you will look and smell clean" said Evvy. "I have to use it all the time".
Briar paused, then pulled out towels and a brush.Then sat and waited for the water to arrive.
Aylah was itching with questions, but didn't know what her new master was like, so she decided to wait.
Maybe they would tell her later, all her last masters had been quite mean, so she was quite cautious.
When the water arrived Rosethorn took some of Briar's bottles and towels to her room, with Evvy and Aylah.
Briar was reading a book next to a lamp after his bath, feeling refreshed with the loose of the road grime which had collected up while travelling.
He heard a knock on the door. "Come in" he said turning a page.
Rosethorn came in with Evvy."Where's Aylah?"
"Aylah!" Rosethorn called and a pretty girl walked in. She had bright brown eyes,tan skin, wavy brown hair with light streaks running through it, a beautiful figure,soft full lips and an entirely stubborn chin.
"Wow!" said Briar softly. Rosethorn had taken out some of Evvys spare clothes and had made them fit Aylah, who was now wearing briefs and a tunic.
Aylah new she had never worn anything so nice in her life.
"Now Aylah" said Briar "Do you remember any thing about your childhood? Your mother? Father?"
Aylah shook her head. They were looking at her.
"I grew up in a gang" she began tentatively. They didn't seem to want to hit her so she carried on
"We were the Black Blood Gang. Everything was fine at first, but then we got a new leader. He sold all the girls off to a slave holder. Some of the other boys objected. They either got killed or were sent with us. I was sold again and again. I tried to be a bad slave so they would set me free, but nothing happened. Finally I got sold to some guy in a bar who was drunk at the time. He was a rich man who had no use for slaves like me. So a few months ago, he sold me to this man. Now you have bought me and set me free."
"Well" started Briar "We all seem to come from the slums dont we?" he said grinning at Evvy.
Aylah could not amagine that this young man used to live in the slums.
"Yes" said Briar " I used to be in a gang too, but then I was going to be sent to the docks to do a life's work. Probably die young. I had been caught doing three crimes. He held out hishand where black crosses would have stood out between his thumb and index finger.
Aylah gasped. Instead of crosses he had vines and flowers and many plants tattooed into his arm but these moved like they were alive and they looked very realistic.
"One day I decided that I was sick of people looking down at me because I had committed these crimes, so I raided Rosethorns dyes. Well, we think because it was vegetable dye it mixed with my magc".
"Magic!"
"Yes, Rosethorn and I are mages" he said, indicating to his teacher. "Evvy is my student. We are currently going to Yanjing. There we hope to find a proper teacher for Evvy"
"I want to stay with you!" Evvy complained. "Can't you take me to Winding Circle instead?"
"Evvy we have been over this, Briar and I will choose who we think is appropriate for you" Rosethorn said.
"Anyways" Briar cut in "Niko, Niklarean Goldeye, found me at my scentancing and took me to Winding Circle there I met my foster sisters. he smiled fondly for awhile. "Niko took me because he discoverd I had magic, in our law when you become a mage you can have students If you find a person with magic than you have to look after them until they get a proper teacher. That is what I done for Evvy now it is what I am doing for you.
Aylah stared blankly at him then she managed to stammer "Ma...ma... magic!"
"Yes" said Rosethorn "Me and Briar are plant mages and Evvy is a rock mage in training yours is just a matter of finding, Briar you may have to find some way to do this, but now I am going to go to bed Evvy, Aylah are you coming? good night Briar"
"Good night everyone" Briar said stiffling a yawn.
Aylah went to bed that night going over everything that had happend she couldn't beleive that she had magic everyone had always treated her like a useless slave.Aylah fell asleep hoping this was not a dream.
Briar stayed awake that night thinking about how he could expose Aylahs magic, he knew that Daja had used her invention the living metal, her skill being a black smith to find out what her students gifts were but Briar was no smith, nope he had to do this his own way. Briar fell asleep an idea forming in his mind.
CHAPTER 2
Briar woke in the morning with a full plan in his head to find what Aylahs gift was, when Briar was fully awake and dressed he opened his mages kit and drew out a large bottle filled with a strong smelling potent. He drew a circle with it steped in then clossed it Briar took deep breath and started to meditate.
He awoke from the meditation to find Evvy staring at him "I wanted to meditate too why didn't you call me?'' she asked
"sorry I didn't know, I'm just trying to do this quickly we have to leave today, where's Aylah and Rosethorn" he asked sweping up the circle around him.
"Aylahs brushing the horses in the stable, I tried to stop her but she somehow thinks shes in dept for you helping her,Rosethorns watering her plants grumbling about not getting any sleep last night.Briar looked at her"I didn't either to tell you the truth" Evvy said "I swear she's like a human lightbulb!"Evvy said exasperated "You really need to teach her meditation".
"Yes don't worry I will, I just wanna get this out of the way first!"
Evvy knew that tone of voice so she jumped up and left.
"Now" said Briar "To work"
Briar tested experiments writting them down and changing them until he looked into the flat based dish he was working in and found a response, It was his face and surronding it were many plants of different variations. Briar smiled, now he just had to fine tune it.
Briar was just adding a few more additions when Rosethorn knocked and came in without an answer "It's dinner time, you've been at this since early morning, have something to eat than you can get back to it"
"No need, I'm done" Briar said yawning and getting up.
"Well lets see it then" asked Rosethorn allready looking into the dish not waiting for an answer "This is good"said Rosethorn
Briar beemed with pride, Rosethorn did not give compliments easily.
After a quiet dinner Briar showed Aylah to his room Rosethorn and Evvy following "I guess where staying here another night" asked Briar
"Your fault" said Evvy "You took so long"
Briar just grinned " now Aylah" he said "Just look into this dish and tell me what you see"
Aylah hesitated for only a second she knew this would change her life for ever.
Aylah saw herself clearly and behind her were many animals some of witch she had never seen,"Aylah?"
"Yes" she said trying to study every animal in the picture.
"What do you see?"
"Animals" she replied finaly realizing what this ment, she loved animals! she had allways had a special bond with them.
"Mmm" said Rosethorn thinking "Rare very rare there have onley ever been a few who have had a gift with animals, well I guess you have just got to teach her ourselves Briar" said Rosethorn "Than she can continue her studys more at Winding Circle if we are no good, for now you will travel with us Aylah and at the next town we will buy you supplies for your studdies