A/N This is my submission to the November challenge on the TPE: Writing Challenges forum. If you're reading this and don't know what TPE is, you should check out the forum. It's a great place to meet new people, get help on your stories, and participate in monthly challenges that prompt original and creative writing. Here's the link:

forum dot fanfiction dot net/forum/The_Tamora_Pierce_Experiment_Writing_Challenges/70302/

This story takes place during Trickster's Queen, before Aly meets up with Tkaa at the Balitang's house.

According to the feel of the air, the sun was setting over the stone of Rajmuat, but nothing in the Grey Palace alluded to the fact that another day was ending. Between the glittering mage-lights hanging down among them, the Copper Isles nobles continued their party into the night. Curling his tail around the pillar against which he stood, Tkaa continued to watch the habits and interactions between the people as they curried favour and jostled for positions of power. Dunevan and his playmates and guards were on the dais, but Tkaa gave the young king only a passing glance as he scanned the crowds for someone of more immediate importance.

Even though he knew the Balitangs were not expected in court until the next day, Tkaa was still disappointed to see that Aly was not among the servants at the edges of the wide hall. For an intelligent young girl raised by two wise parents, Aly had always been able to get herself into the most dangerous of situations and Tkaa doubted the young woman would be any less inclined to discard caution in the Isles than she had always been in Tortall. Granted, she had gotten that particular trait from her parents and extended relatives as well, Tkaa thought, allowing his amusement to show on his face. Humans were incapable of reading his expressions except with some lasting exposure to him; it was what made him a successful agent, according to George.

In one corner, Tkaa watched two nobles George had mentioned to be supportive of the raka's cause discussing something in terse whispers. Just as he was shifting to read their lips, a noble loyal to the monarchy walked towards them and he lost the chance to 'overhear' what they were looking so serious about. King Donavan – the new King Dunevan – was yelling about something a guard had taken from him, and Tkaa watched as another man stepped forward and take care of the situation. Lightly touching the bulge of his pouch, Tkaa turned away from the dais to walk through the room, watching as nobles and servants alike reacted to his presence.

Much of what he had been sent to Rajmuat for had been completed, for both King Jon and George. Now all that remained was passing Veralidaine and George's gifts on to Aly.

Only, she was being difficult to track down.

Passing through the open doors into the darkened gardens, Tkaa enjoyed the night air. Quiet corners were difficult to find when the palace was so packed – understandable, considering it was following the coronation – but there were plenty of them in the garden, and it was the perfect place to stumble over secret conversations people would rather not be overhead. Rather than make his presence known, Tkaa softened his footsteps and listened intently; you never knew what could be overheard and brought back as intelligence. Spies learned this trick early in their careers.

Tkaa wandered through the garden, listening in on plots, scandals, and gossip as his mind circled back to Aly and what she was doing in the Isles. Understanding that it was important didn't make it any less frightening to watch someone he had known since she was a child engage in such dangerous tasks, though Tkaa couldn't help feel... proud, an emotion which caused him to smile as he filed it in his mind along with the other strange human feelings he was encountering outside of the Divine Realms. Veralidaine's gift shifted in his pouch, and he laid a light hand over the darkings he was bringing to Aly. Whatever use she made of them, Tkaa knew that the fiercely capable young woman would change lives before she was done in the Copper Isles.

Xenoliths were rocks that had become embedded in other rocks, and were hidden from view by the outer shell, which could be completely different in make-up from their inner core. You couldn't tell from what you saw what could be found within; Aly embodied this better than almost any other human Tkaa had met so far. Zealous, intelligent, trained, and confident... Tkaa was sure that Aly would do more than change some lives in her time here; she could change everything, given the chance.

A/N If you didn't pick up on the challenge for this month, it was to write a story of 27 sentences, where each sentence began with the next letter in the alphabet. I apologize for any awkwardness; the challenge does make it difficult to make a complete, fluid story.

Thank you for reading!