The Windcaster [Fantasy/Adventure | Featured | Complete ]

Chapter 2: The Master

Her vision was fading.

The boy who had come out of the bushes peered at her over his shoulder. His face was beaten and bruised and was weathered to a light brown, although at that moment it had drained of blood. Despite his thick dark hair that covered half of his face, his eyes were pale and the pupils dilated in fright. He reminded Tia of Mommu when she had gotten him in trouble.

For a brief moment, their eyes met.

"Rabisu, wait–" the boy said in a low voice as her vision went. There were words being exchanged over her head, but she couldn't comprehend them. She went limp, her mind struggling to stay conscious, and to her massive relief, the pressure around her throat suddenly disappeared and she fell onto the ground.

A big gasp – delicious, invigorating, sweet air! Another breath, and she could feel the energy returning to her body. Her hearing returned first. She could hear pattering footsteps, yells of alarm, and guards barking orders. There were thumps, followed by shouts of pain, and sounds of struggling. Her vision returned somewhat. For a while it was like she was squinting through a fog.

She touched her forehead. A headache was growing, pulsing on both sides of her head and radiating all around. Each throb felt like her brain was banging against her skull. Her cheek was swelling, where the slave had hit her. She touched it gingerly and winced. That would leave a mark.

"Are you all right, sir?"

She jumped. The guards were so quiet it was easy to forget their presence. Her heart raced as she caught sight of the soldier standing stiffly in front of her: a blurred figure and patches of colour on his chest. She couldn't talk – her voice would give her away, and it would be obvious that she was far too young to be wearing that cloak. She cleared her throat with as deep a sound as she could muster and got up on wobbly legs. She dusted herself down, careful to keep the hood over her face.

With a deep breath, she faced the guard who had addressed her. He bowed with respect. She nodded, not speaking, hoping that it would be enough of a response and he wouldn't probe any further. Her eyes began to adjust again, and she could see all the shiny badges on his lapel.

Her heart thumped as he nodded back and said, "Very well, sir." And then he marched away.

People were congregating, alerted by the noises and scuffles. Not wanting to attract any more attention than she already had, she hurried away.

****

"You gave me a fright, Tia! What took you so long?" said Mommu in a beseeching tone, sweeping the floor after her to get rid of the tell-tale dust. He stopped and did a double-take. "What happened to your face?"

Tia said nothing, and hung up her Master's cloak, being careful to smooth out the folds, brush all the dust and marks off, leaving it as though it were never touched in the first place. The pale blue material shimmered. She then got out her apprentice's staff, spinning the wooden stick in one hand absently, and made to go out the back to practise.