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 Posted: Sun Jul 08, 2007 9:34 pm
Yeah, its me again, that (currently) purple haired person who believes she can write. That would be me, with yet another story... well you guys know the drill, read, tell me what sucked and if anything doesn't then let me know will you? Many thanks and as I currently have only the prologue written for this so here it is. Enjoy ^^
Prologue
“Admit it Thetis, there is nothing you can do. Surrender and they may spare your life!”
Relin’s voice carried over the sounds of fighting. Thetis was a green robed whirlwind, her glaive parrying, thrusting and striking, seemingly all at once. But there were many of the soldiers and only one of her, and she was beginning to tire.
“Let me live? You must be joking my old apprentice! They’ll hang my head either in the palace where the Emperor can look upon it or on the city gates where he won’t have to, depending on what his mistresses ask of him. And to think that I’ve never used my magic for anything that wouldn’t help the Empire!”
She kicked yet another soldier back and he nearly sprawled into Relin who stepped to the side just in time to avoid being fallen on.
“Perhaps you should have thought of that before you-”
“Refused to become the Emperor’s pet battle mage and help him conquer our neighbors? Refuse to aid a tyrant and his desires to spread waste and destruction so as to add to his already vast empire while he plays with his toy whores?”
Her face twisted and she began fighting harder as she was spurned on by this new thought.
“You’ll pay for that!”
Snapped Relin
“Oh I will? I’ll just lay down my glaive and come quietly shall I? I. Think. NOT!”
Thetis raised her voice and began to chant in a strange tongue that made all the trees rustle their leaves despite the fact there was no wind. The words sounded ancient and had the force of a tolling bell, the air beginning to pulse with magic.
Relin began to chant too, but his old teacher was stronger than he. There was a green flash and all the soldiers that had been fighting her were thrown to the ground. The few still standing tried to find the earth sorcerers but Relin turned his back on them, knowing Thetis had left.
She was gone from the Almsare Empire, probably for good. The Emperor would not be too happy but he needed him too much so his punishment would not be too severe.
Besides, Relin had his own plans, plans that needed Thetis alive…for the moment anyways. She would help him find a certain child.
Unwitting help was always the most amusing to use, the look upon your enemies’ face was always worth the careful planning. He called the soldiers off and mounted the white stallion that waited patently by the trees.
Meanwhile, in the neighboring empire of Balin, the child of whom he was thinking of was born…
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Posted: Sun Jul 08, 2007 9:48 pm
slow down, towards the end you were jumping forward, left me confused. otherwise, cool. whats a glaive? Is it the weapon used in Tamora Peirce's books or did you find that elswhere?
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Posted: Mon Jul 09, 2007 3:06 pm
Yeah, its a stick with metal in the center and at one end, Kel used it if I remember right. I was thinking of her and Tamora pierce as I was righting this...and sorceresses with staffs seem a bit over used so I used a glaive. Its a kick a** weapon in its own right too.
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Posted: Wed Jul 11, 2007 3:24 pm
Whee, an update. My muse desided to work with me today ^^
7 years later…
A shadow stole into the village, bare feet making little noise on the hard packed earth. Carefully, it made its way to the well, which lay in the center of the village square. A small clay jar was removed from the interior of the rags hiding the figure’s body and face and placed it upon the very edge of the well as they began to lower the bucket into the shadowy depths.
The figure had just filled the jar and was beginning to creep away again when the tavern door opened and light poured out of it, catching the figure off guard.
“You! How dare you come back to our village after what you did!”
More people emerged from the smoky interior and desperately the figure turned to flee but its hood was grabbed and pulled back to reveal a girl child’s face. She appeared to be about eight or so, explaining why she had seemed so small. Short, untamed silvery hair fell around her porcelain face, creating an interesting mix, but her most striking features were her eyes. Pale blue, they were almost white and were far older than any child’s eyes should have been.
“What are you doing back here?”
Merciless words and stares began to circulate through the small crowd that was beginning to from.
“She has gone too far this time, I caught her attempting to poison the well!”
Shouted the man who held her in his grasp, shaking her and causing spots to dance across the child’s eyes.
“No I wasn’t I was-”
A hand struck her across the face, a red mark appearing on her cheek.
“Liar”
He hissed, holding her up by the scruff of her neck. Her jar of water was wrenched from her fingers and smashed on the ground, its contents slowly sinking into the earth.
“What was that?”
“Water I drew from the well.”
She whimpered,
“And what were you going to do with that water?”
“Drink it…”
“Ha!”
“I wouldn’t poison the well, I swear by all the gods!”
She pleaded desperately tears forming in her eyes. She was struck again and she cried out in pain,
“How dare you sully the name of the gods with your filthy mouth!”
The man raised his voice again.
“We must cleanse the village and kill the demon by sending her back through the fire from where she came!”
Yells of assent followed this statement.
“No!”
The child screamed.
“Please! I’ve never done anything wrong! Please!”
No one paid any attention to her until
“Enough!”
Shouted a strange voice. Before most of the villagers had registered this, a figure cloaked in white with green bands at the hem of the robe and sleeves had gone halfway through their midst.
“Who are you?”
The hood was removed and a woman with long ebony hair and green eyes stared her questioner down
“I am a priestess of Ildia and this child is no demon.”
Silence met her words, as Ildia was the goddess of all things living and her priestess were respected by all those who did not wish the wrath of the goddess of life and fertility.
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Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2007 8:40 pm
((Oh! that poor child! and you shouldnt call it a glaive, thats the name of tamora's weapon. when i read tamora's books, i knew that the island is actualy japan. The lucky cat is a lucky symbol in japan, and the glaive is actually called a Naginata. hoshi does mean star and japanesse too))
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Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2007 2:03 pm
(( I call it a glaive because Tamora Pierce used an actual weapon from the Middle Ages which was called a galive. I liked the glaive even before I read Protector of the Small, silly ^^ The one Thetis was using is the second one on the left http://medieval.ucdavis.edu/20C/glaive.gif ))
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Posted: Tue Jul 17, 2007 4:36 pm
“She is a demon, she killed the couple who took her in!”
The priestess raised an eyebrow,
“Oh? How? She seems to be but a child to me.”
“She sent a sickness to our village and-”
The priestess shook her head,
“You blame an abandoned child for a sickness? If she truly had this power, I think she would have killed all of you by now.”
“Our faith in the gods is strong.”
The man said as if this was an obvious answer,
“So strong that you would kill an innocent little girl?”
The priestess’s voice was sad,
“As it seems there is no place for here I shall take her back to the temple where she will be cared for.”
“But-”
“Do you wish to challenge my authority?”
The man hesitated then
“…No priestess.”
Sullenly, he let go of the girl who bit her lip and looked up at the priestess. Gently, the priestess took the child’s hand and knelt down next to her.
“Don’t be afraid.”
She whispered and the girl swore a green eye winked at her. Rising once more, the priestess guided the child out of the crowd of villagers who parted before them.
Once they were among the trees, the priestess sighed and faced the child.
“You got yourself into quite a mess didn’t you?”
She continued before a response could be given,
“So, what’s your name little one?”
“Demon.”
“No, that’s what the idiots in the village called you, what’s your name?”
“I don’t have one, they just called me ‘girl’ or ‘you’…and Demon.”
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Posted: Thu Aug 09, 2007 8:34 pm
“Is there anything you WANT to be called?”
The girl shook her head, hiding behind her bangs. The priestess sighed,
“Well, I’m called Th- I mean Malene.”
She studied the girl thoughtfully then said,
“What about Riven? Riven…Loore. Do you like that name?”
The child nodded slowly, “I like that name.” she said and Malene smiled,
“I’m glad…Riven.”
She looked up and whistled. A bush rustled nearby and the girl, Riven, turned expecting to see the villagers but a gray mare appeared in the foliage and made its way over to Malene.
“This is probably a dumb question but, can you ride?”
Riven shook her head, a worried look on her face.
“I’m sorry.”
She started but Malene shook her head,
“Don’t apologize, when have you had the opportunity to learn?”
Riven looked doubtful, and Malene sighed.
“Do you honestly think I’m going to punish you for something you’ve never learned to do?”
“They did back in the village.”
Riven said quietly and Malene looked at her sharply,
“What?”
“They…they beat me for it sometimes before I started living in the forest, then it was limited to the times they managed to catch me when I was getting water.”
Riven said, voice still quiet but she was sending wary glances Malene’s way.
“Will you?”
Malene frowned at the question,
“Will I what?”
“Beat me?”
“Oh honey…”
She knelt down and drew Riven into a hug. Riven flinched before simply standing still,
“I will never, ever beat you.”
She said, running her fingers through Riven’s silver hair,
“I promise in the name of She-who-rules-life, Ildia”
Tentatively, Riven hugged Malene back and a small smile lit the solemn child’s face
“Ok”
She said softly.
“But you should know something.”
The smile disappeared and she pulled away from Malene’s embrace.
“They were right, I am a demon. I can see and do…impossible things.”
She shook her head and Malene frowned,
“What do you mean?”
“I …I can see people who aren’t really here. I tried to tell Moran, the man holding me back there, that I didn’t kill anyone, they just walked away but they were still there.”
She shook her head again,
“I hear things, voices of people I don’t know. They’re in my head and they won’t leave, they talk to me and I don’t want to answer but they grow so loud.”
Tears filled Riven’s eyes but she kept talking.
“Shadows, they press in on me, like dogs that always want to be petted, they like me and when its dark and everyone complains they can’t see, I’m just fine. They shape themselves for me and they talk to me too, but its different, their voices are different…what’s wrong with me?”
Her last statement was a plea. Riven looked up, tears streaming down her cheeks, looking eerily like a crying, ragged angel. Malene smiled despite the strange since of foreboding that was growing inside of her,
“You’re not evil, you have magic, and a strong gift at that. Necromancy and shadow manipulation is what it sounds like.”
A text floated to the front of her mind about a child that would control these powers and her eyes widened suddenly. No, it was impossible. Could this little girl be…?
“Let me see your wrist.”
Malene said suddenly and Riven offered her bandaged right arm. The bandages were unwound and her wrist was very bruised, with what seemed to be a black handprint that must be very painful as well as some scratches. There was nothing there. Nothing was on the other wrist either apart from more scratches and bruises. Malene sighed, although weather it was relief or disappointment she was unsure.
“What are you looking for?”
“A mark, a birthmark of sorts but it appears you don’t have one…”
Riven looked troubled for a moment then asked,
“Do you mean this?”
She sat on the ground and unwound the bandaging on her left foot. Around her ankle twined a black dragon with the five-pointed star in its mouth.
“Yes, I meant that.”
Malene said and she sat down at well, smiling distractedly as her horse nuzzled the side of her face.
“What does it mean?”
“It means…”
Malene began slowly,
“…That those villagers were stupider than I thought…”
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