My beta got grounded form her computer and hasn't been able to beta this chapter yet! D: So this will probably change a bit within the next few days, because I got impatient and posted prematurely.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything by Tamora Pierce.

In the meantime, here's chapter one, in all of its original glory. Have fun. Enjoy.

Sandrilene fa Toren sat quietly in the room that was her study in her uncle's citadel, poring over some reports of a merchant's complaint that Sandry had deemed too frivolous for the Duke's attention. After carefully signing the document, she placed it in a pile at her side, where other such documents waited for her seal. The young woman rose, stretching and working out the kinks in her spine that came from long hours of paperwork.

At nineteen years old, Sandry practically radiated beauty. Sun-streaked, light brown hair was set over cornflower blue eyes, a button nose, and full lips. Her pale skin was still accented with a golden tan of summer. A simple sky blue dress draped elegantly over her near-impeccable figure. The dress would never show wear or stain; Sandry was a stitch witch, and her clothing knew that she was not to be trifled with.

Sandry walked over to the large study window, looking out at the view of one of the smaller palace courtyards. Contemplating whether to go on a late afternoon ride, she didn't hear the door open or see her esteemed uncle walk into the room. She turned around only when the man cleared his throat.

"Uncle! Please, have a seat!" She gestured to the only other chair in the room besides her own. Making sure he was seated comfortably, she settled into her own place.

Duke Vedris smiled lightly at his niece's brisk antics. Leaning forward in his chair slightly, he took a good look at her, noting the brightness in her eyes and the healthy tint of her skin. Pretending not to notice the young woman's blush after he was satisfied that Sandry looked to be of perfect health, he felt his smile broaden.

"I presume that you know about the report I received this morning?" He waved a hand over Sandry's desk; no report made it to his own desk before being inspected here first. His niece had taken the blow to his health a few years ago quite seriously, and had since not allowed a single document pass through her care if she thought it might overwork him in the slightest. With Sandry's nod in answer to his question, he continued. "Then I will get straight to the point." He paused again, as if looking for the words to carry on. "I have decided that with this delegation, I would like to have some of my own blood on board as a political act of good faith." Sandry nodded. The move was logical and expected. "As it is, if you are agreeable…I would like you to go."

Sandry froze and looked at her uncle, really looked at him. She had not even imagined that he would let her go – though she had wistfully thought about going while reading the report, her own logical mind had made it clear that she would not be trekking around the world – so she guessed it was natural for her to be staring at him as though he had suddenly grown six heads. Realizing that Duke Vedris was gazing at her worriedly, she struggled to get her thoughts into place.

"Y-you want me…to go?" The words came out in a sort of nervous flutter, and she was afraid that she might have heard him wrong. When he nodded, she could barely contain her excitement. Light shone in her eyes, her next question came out in a breathless squeak. "When?"

Sweat trickled caressingly down the side of Daja's face as she swung her hammer rhythmically against the cherry red metal. Swiping a hand against the offending drop of salt water, she placed her hammer down and picked up a pair of tongs, using them to gently place the newly shaped object in a large barrel of water used to cool metal. Waving the resulting steam out of her face, she removed the piece from the water and examined her work. The piece was of an ornate design; the inn a few blocks away had asked for a centerpiece to hang behind their tavern counter. Nodding to herself, Daja placed the project on a small table by the forge door, where it could easily be found.

She could faintly smell the delicious aroma of her foster-brother cooking dinner – it was the housekeeper's day off – and deciding the day's work was done, she prepared to close shop. Using the washbasin beside the forge's back door, Daja washed off the day's grime and walked into the house her foster family shared.

Briar nodded to her as she walked through the kitchen on her way to the dining room. As always since Tris had gone off to Lightsbridge, the glass dragon Chime was draped around his neck, watching intently as he cooked supper. Tris had had to leave Chime behind because, as she had explained to the dragon, a creature made of living glass was not a normal pet for a normal student. Forlorn, the tiny dragon had stuck to Briar, especially after an unfortunate incident with one of Daja's forge hammers and her tail. Fortunately, living glass was apparently stronger than regular glass, and no damage was done. Chime, however, refused to enter her forge again.

About to sit down at the dining room table, Daja paused when she heard a knock on the front door. Frowning in confusion – Daja had not expected any guests – the young woman went to see who the caller was.

I suppose that's Sandry. Daja jumped slightly, startled by Briar's sudden mind-call. About to ask him to explain, Daja opened the front door, only be thrown back by a fierce hug that had the force of a tackle. Gathering her wits – and her footing – she detached herself from the embrace and got a good look of the girl who had thrown her so off balance. It was indeed Sandry.

They walked to the dining room together, the both of them setting the table and watching as Briar brought their dinner in from the kitchen. "You could have warned me." Daja glared accusingly at the man as he grinned.

"But I did." When Daja's glare didn't dissipate, he elaborated. "Sandry told me earlier that she would be coming over for dinner. I tried to tell you, but you were so engrossed in your work that you obviously didn't hear me." Sandry rolled her eyes, and the two shared a look that just screamed 'typical Daja'. Daja glared again.

When her glare left her two siblings unfazed, she relented. Dishing out the roasted chicken, Daja settled on staring at Sandry. When the girl in question looked at her quizzically, Daja raised an eyebrow. "So when are you going to tell us what's had you more excited than a kitten with catnip? You've been bouncing around in our heads for the past week. It's been driving me mad." Briar, his interest in food only slightly subsided with the conversation, nodded in agreement.

Smiling broadly, Sandry explained in between delicate bites of food. Briar and Daja listened intently, fascinated despite themselves. When she was finished, the two simply stared at her.

"And you're going? Across the Endless?" Sandry nodded in answer to Briar's questions. Daja and Briar shared a look that did not go unnoticed.

"Well…you're coming too, of course," Sandry said, her comment having just a hint of a question to it, as if she weren't sure if they would want to come. It was their choice, after all, and they had the right to turn down the offer if they so chose.

Daja and Briar looked at each other, and then at Sandry. Briar raised an eyebrow at her, as if questioning her sanity. Daja felt it necessary to voice her opinion. "Of course we're going, you wool-head. You think we'd miss this?" Sandry smiled at them.

"We leave in three weeks."

There was a gentle knock on Moonstream's door. As the Dedicate Superior muttered an affirmation to enter, Lark came into the room. Smiling warmly at the stitch witch, Moonstream motioned for the Dedicate to sit down. She said nothing, knowing that the motherly woman would voice why she was there on her own time. Instead, she busied herself with paperwork, allowing Lark the time to get her thoughts together. She didn't have to wait long.

Lark closed her eyes and sighed, then opened her mouth to speak. "I'd like…permission to bring Comas, Glaki, and Evvy with us on our…trip." There was the barest hesitance over the word 'trip'; they both knew that the journey across the Endless would be much more than that.

This was precisely why Moonstream was currently staring at Lark as if she were mad. Just as she was about to open her mouth and tell Lark that under no circumstances was that acceptable, the woman held up her hand to quiet any protest.

"Please, let me explain." The woman smiled sadly. "They are young, especially Glaki. Particularly Glaki. She is only nine years old, and already she has lost all of the family she had. And just as she is finally seeing Discipline as home, just as she is seeing Rosethorn and me as her new family, we must leave? We must uproot her from the home she knows and loves and place her with strangers? I do not think I could do that. I have already been informed that Tris will be coming, and Glaki sees her as a mother. Surely she, of all people, should be able to come."

Moonstream nodded thoughtfully. There was no doubt that leaving Glaki behind would be unfair to the little girl; it could even be seen as cruel. "And the other two?"

"Comas is my own student. I understand that there are other stitch witches who could take over his teaching, but the boy is shy. I do not believe he would adjust well to another teacher. After all, there is a reason why he was sent to Discipline."

Again, Moonstream nodded. She knew of the infamously shy boy who Lark had taken charge of; most did, even if the boy rarely left Discipline's attic where he resided. She smiled thinly. Already she felt convinced to let the two magelets go, and she had a feeling she would end up letting Evvy go as well. Few could say no to Lark at her most reasonable. However, she was curious as to why Lark would want Evvy. Comas and Glaki were wanted for obvious reasons; the request to let them go was almost expected. As for the stone girl, Moonstream could think of no viable explanation.

As if reading Moonstream's mind, Lark continued explaining. "Evvy…well, Evvy is a special case, I guess. According to her teacher, she is much more advanced than most stone mages of her age and teaching. And much more disciplined." At this, they both shared a quiet smile. Apparently, Briar had done extraordinarily well in teaching Evvy. Most of the teachers Evvy had had verbally wondered why the girl hadn't stayed with her former teacher – that is, until they found out he was a plant mage. "As it is, however, it appears that Evvy will have to find a new stone mage teacher, as you so kindly added the woman to our party. Perhaps it would be better for her to come along, and have Breakstone continue to teach her. There's also the matter of Briar…"

Moonstream sighed. Evumeimei Dingzai was becoming infamous for her ability to avoid Breakstone, her formal teacher, and get into Summersea quickly. The rumors of why the girl found it necessary to visit her former teacher so often had sprung up like wildfire; they had been stopped almost just as quickly – Rosethorn would hear none of it, and few wished to cross her. It had only been recently that they discovered the truth: Evvy still stubbornly thought of Briar as her teacher. No one had yet deigned it necessary to inform the plant mage that he still had a student, though Evvy admitted that she thought he had suspicions.

She let out a small noise of disgust. Moonstream knew she would let those children go. She knew they would be well protected and that they'd have the best teachers anyone was capable of having with them. Firmly crushing the childish desire to refuse Lark's request simply because she knew the woman was being reasonable – a charm she had yet fully understand; she blamed it on the woman's motherliness – Honored Moonstream nodded her head in consent.

"The children may go, but only if you keep an eye on them." The last part was unnecessary as it was known that they would be in the best care. Lark seemed to agree with the thought: she had pursed her lips in mock offense, as if Moonstream had insinuated that she would be unable to take care of her children.

Lark allowed her lips to drop into a warm smile and took her leave. She was off to inform the current residents of Discipline of their good fortune.

Trisana Chandler – known as Belinda Cromite to her peers – sat in the Lightsbridge library, holding a rather large book about the migration habits of large cats. It had intrigued her almost immediately; she had never known that cats migrated. The book had held her attention for almost the entire day, which was a welcome distraction from her current mind-set. But alas, she had finished the book, and her treacherous mind had swept in all of the doubts that plagued her thought.

She fingered the vine necklace that had been Briar's parting gift for her when she left for Lightsbridge last spring. The vines sprouted tiny azalea flowers, each overflowing with her brother's magic. When she had confronted the man about the aforementioned magic, he had asked quite mockingly about whether he was allowed to worry about his sisters. She smiled slightly as she remembered him riding beside her, explaining each tiny flower's purpose. This one here was spelled to protect her, and that one there was spelled to keep the vine and flowers alive. This white one would hold a bit of storm if she needed it, and that pink one would keep a bit of wind. And she knew that if she rubbed the speckled one in a certain way and whispered a certain word, Briar would be there as soon as humanly possible, without question.

She frowned slightly as her foster-brother came to mind. It had been not two days after Sandry's birthday when exclamations of news came over their strained mind-link. She remembered Sandry and Daja exclaiming excitedly about their upcoming trip across the Endless before she had blocked them off. Only Briar had seemed to understand that Tris might be just a little jealous that she would not be going on any adventures any time soon. He had contacted her only once since the news came in, explaining to her everything that had happened, from the report to the invitation to go. In the end, she had cut him out too. Briar knew her too well, knew her more than she seemed to know herself. That sort of understanding got too much to bear after awhile.

Growling to herself, Tris stood up, intent on putting her book away. No more self pity. Placing the book on the shelf where she had had found it, with perhaps a tad more force than was necessary, Tris walked out of the library and headed for her room. When she had come to Lightsbridge, she had been surprised to find that the school didn't hold traditional dormitories, but rather something they called dorm rooms. The rooms housed four students each, and had a small common room that connected to three similar dorm rooms. Each student had a small, closet-like study, where they were able to work in privacy. It was to her own study that she was headed.

--

Tris looked up when a soft knock sounded on her door. Telling the person to come in, her eyes widened in surprise as Niklaren Goldeye entered the cramped space. Starting to stand up, she stopped as Niko motioned her to sit. Merchant manners kicking in, she blushed as she realized there was no place for him to sit. Niko smiled.

"Ah…I remember my student days. We didn't have anything so fancy as this. Straight up dorms for us. I believe these rooms are very recent additions to the school." Niko's eyes searched her own, making it difficult not to fidget. Niko tended to make a person feel like he had just caught them doing something wrong when he looked at you like that. Sighing softly, he continued. "But…I do not believe I am here to discuss the ever improving conditions of student living…"

"So what are you here for?" The question came out snappish. Tris had quickly gotten over her shock at seeing her former teacher, and now she wished to know why he was singling her, a supposedly normal student, out.

Niko raised a delicate eyebrow. "I am not allowed to see my favorite student, Trisana?"

Tris fought to keep her infamous temper in check. "No! Not when I'm Belinda Cromite, the completely normal Lightsbridge student, who has never met the famous Niklaren Goldeye and most certainly was not his student, as you well know!"

Niko gave no indication that he had heard the woman's outburst. Leaning back against the closed door, he spoke softly. "I presume that you have heard about the delegation that is destined to cross the Endless Ocean in a few weeks." At Tris's nod, he continued. "Winding Circle in Emelan sent Lightsbridge an offer to join the delegation just a few days ago. It arrived this morning. Council just got out."

Tris glared at the man. "And what does that have to do with you visiting me?"

Niko ignored her. "It was decided that Lightsbridge would send two representatives, myself and a teacher – Iliana Brookgreen, I believe her name was. It was also decided to send four students to study abroad."

Tris took a calming breath and looked at Niko. Gritting her teeth, she ground out, "I still don't know what this has to do with me." She said the words slowly, as if speaking to a toddler.

"Four students were chosen, Trisana." Niko smiled again. "One of them was you."

Tris knew that Niko was expecting a reaction. She just couldn't seem to be able to give him one, what with the buzzing suddenly filling her ears and the vague awareness that her jaw had dropped. Niko seemed to accept this as a suitable reaction, because if anyone had looked in at that moment, they would have seen the surprised shock on his face as Tris suddenly leaped up and pulled him into a backbreaking hug.

Reaching through the strained link to her siblings, Tris said only two words before breaking off. After all, the representatives of Lightsbridge were leaving at dawn and she needed to be packed.

I'm coming.

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