Jennifer Jones
Stories
4
Chapters
1,292
Words
687.3 K
Comments
0
Reading
2 d, 9 h
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As Terry took off, Tala held on tightly, finding that the magical collar was a great thing to grasp. He clearly knew where he was going, crouched low to give power to his driving run. Even so, he was having to move slower than on his chase after her, given that he couldn’t teleport with her atop his back, lest he leave her behind. Tala, for her part, was huddled low, head hunched in close to Terry’s neck in an attempt to get some shelter from the wind caused by their speed. Her blanket was tucked…-
211 •
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Tala slowly got her emotions under control but was left shaking as much from the physical backlash of fading terror as from the cold wind whipping snow about her. “Thank you, Terry.” Her voice was steadier than she’d expected it to be. “Any interest in some jerky?” The terror bird wearily lifted his blood painted beak from the downed arcane bird and regarded her for a long moment. Finally, he shook himself to indicate a negative. He then returned to gorging on his fallen prey. Terry’s…
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211 •
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Tala didn’t know if she’d been asleep for a moment or hours, but when Terry jumped up, she suddenly found herself fully awake, throwing off her coverings. “What’s going on?” She looked around frantically, her vision slightly blurry but clearing fast. Her sleep addled mind, while awake, was not focused yet, even as she tried to take in their surroundings. No one else was awake, but Terry was staring up at the cloudy sky, crouched and wary. Tala looked up as power flickered around the terror…
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211 •
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As Tala and Rane sat atop the front wagon’s roof, Rane finally asked a question that caused Tala to hesitate. “So, are you from Bandfast, then? I don’t think you ever really answered that.” “Where, then?” “Marliweather.” “Will you be heading home after we arrive in Bandfast, then?” “Bandfast is my home, now.” “Ahh…” He looked like he wanted to ask but didn’t press. Instead, he shifted to a different, if related topic. “So, youngest?” “Oldest. You?” “Middle.…
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211 •
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Tala was uncomfortably sweaty when she and Terry picked up their tray of food and bid a good morning to the cooks. Back at the wagon, she again did her best to clean herself, but was quite unhappy with the result. She groaned in irritation. “Kit. Can you alter your interior so I can get clean easier?” The pouch did not respond. In the hopes of a miracle, Tala secured the pouch and climbed down in. As soon as she was in, she looked around hopefully. The inside of the pouch was vastly changed, with…
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211 •
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Dinner in hand, Terry on her left shoulder, Tala walked towards a table near the edge of the larger wagon circle. Rane sat, alone, eating his own meal. “Master Rane?” His head snapped up; the young man seeming startled. “Mistress Tala. I’m sorry, I didn’t see you, there.” “May I join you?” He looked perplexed. “Of course, you may…is there something I can do for you?” Tala hid a wince as she sat down. He smiled a bit at that. “It was a quick fight, but good…
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211 •
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Tala stood, stretching. Terry settled down into a ready crouch, seeming ready to spring away, but did not leave. She moved through her morning routine, progressing her abilities- physical, spiritual, and magical -and not allowing her mind to return to the night before. This morning, she added a new task. After feeding Kit, her clothing, and the hammer their morning dose of power, Tala took out her knife, and held it ready. Terry eyed her, a hint of suspicion in his gaze, but he still didn’t…
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211 •
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Tala’s eyes were pulped. Stone shards had been driven deeply into them, bouncing around within her ocular orbits and rendering the soft organs to little more than bloody jelly. She had not allowed Holly to inscribe her eyes with the same defensive enchantments that covered the rest of her exposed flesh. The very idea had given her shivers. She was paying for that, now. In abject agony, she dropped the hammer, reaching up to feel at her face. Her cheeks were slick to her touch. She could vaguely…
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More than an hour later, Tala felt like she couldn’t lift her head, let alone her arms, and she lay, sprawled on the roof of the wagon once more. This was not her first break. While she recovered, Ashin stretched and drank from a waterskin that he’d brought. “You’re improving, but I think you might be overdoing it.” She groaned. The ending-berries, it seemed, did not prevent her from working the muscles. To her surprise, the ending-berries’ power had been draining away at a steady, if…
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Tala smiled and nodded to Den, before dropping down without another word and walking back down the moving caravan, to the chuckwagon. She knocked on the door and almost immediately Brand ripped it open, eye twitching just slightly. “Yes?” Tala almost jumped back but prevented herself from doing so. She glanced at the oxen, somewhat close behind her. He let out an irritated breath. “Oh, Mistress Tala. Good, you’re here. Please…please step up.” She stepped up, onto the wagon’s back stair,…
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