a/n plz enjoy this fic. Also r/r. I made dis chap a semi cliffy cuz I
don't kno if I should cont or not. Plz review wit ur opinions ty
disclaimer: stuff from tamora pierce is hers, any oc are mine. Im just gonna do a disclaimer on dis chap only and it'll carry onto other chaps. I don't see why I gotta repeat myself.
Briar's lean frame swayed as he rode atop his light brown mount. Lazily, his well tattooed hands held the reins ensuring that his horse would remain in control if the need arose. Briar had just gotten his plant mage university class credential at Lightsbridge University and was now heading home to see his foster siblings. Not wanting to be dedicated to a temple like his teacher Dedicate Rosethorn; Briar decided instead, under the urging of both his plant teachers, the other being Dedicate Crane, to continue his education in magic and plant biology at a university. He thought to himself how funny it was that he was sponsored by Dedicate Crane to go to school. Crane was a rich money bag. The kind of person who looked down upon others who contained much lighter purses, whereas Briar was a street rat; the kind of vermin bags shooed away at street venues. But after many lessons with the quick handed ex-thief, Crane grew to understand the boy and see the potential in the young mage. Crane thought that going to Lightsbridge was an option for the young boy. After all it was there where Crane and Rosethorn developed many theories in fighting diseases.
The five years the young man spent at the university, in his opinion was difficult and boring. Being an ambient plant mage, Briar needed to be close to the many plants that he studied, however many of the plants that he studied where dried and brittle. The plants and the many uses of them in spells were ingrained in him. Hours and hours of teaching from Rosethorn and Crane allowed the young mage to be prepared for the university courses. Many of the concepts were easy to comprehend for the well disciplined former street rat causing a lot of other academic mages, who were struggling with the theories, to strongly dislike Briar, often times not inviting him to their study sessions. Briar's abilities allowed him to just do nearly the impossible whereas academic mages must use many circles of protection to accomplish even the little things. At first Briar thought learning additional protection circles and how to channel different amount of energy into certain spells to be a waste of his time. In the end reluctantly agreed that the additional education allowed Briar to increase his abilities as well. In his last year of institutional learning, he was able to explore the vast gardens of the Circle temple where the university was located at; as an apprentice to a mage studying genetics in flowers Briar was given free reign in the gardens. He was even allowed to grow his own plants and trim them into his famous miniature trees that the bags were fond of.
Briar pondered on what to tell his foster sisters of his many studies at the university. Each year he completed his courses at the top of the class. This surprised the young mage as he never saw himself as the studious type. His foster sister, Tris, no doubt, but Briar was the prankster.
Listening to the beat of the hooves, Briar thought back to his first years as a mage. Over the many years, Briar had grown to enjoy his foster sibling's company. Growing up as a street rat under the name of Roach, Briar had no family to speak of. His mother died while he was a child and on a random day the thief lord caught Briar trying to steal bread and took him in to raise him as one of his many thieves. Caught three times Briar was going to be sent to the mines but a mage, Niko, saw potential in the boy and rescued him from what would have been his demise. As a requirement for his freedom, the street rat needed a new name, upon a thoughtful decision, Roach became Briar Moss. Briar soon found himself in a cottage named Discipline where he met his foster sisters: Sandry, a rich noble, niece to the Duke himself, Daja, a rejected trader, and Tris a merchant born as a weather witch. These students grew up under the protection and guidance of their respective teachers, namely Dedicate Rosethorn and Dedicate Lark, both powerful ambient mages themselves.
Briar's thoughts came to an abrupt end when he turned the corner. A poor man sat at the edge of the rode with nothing but a few rags that attempted to cover his skinny body. The rags were unsuccessful for they revealed a pale skin tone where the skin clung to the bones of the old man revealing his small frame and providing a message to Briar that this man had not eaten in many days. On top of the misshaped head stood a crop of grayish brown hair, evidence that the man once had a rich and luxurious mane. Briar caught the hard black eyes of the old man and slowed his horse down.
"Alms for the poor...," croaked the old man, "Alms for the poor."
Needing a rest any way, Briar stopped his borrowed horse and dismounted the mare. Reaching into one of his bags, Briar pulled out a loaf of bread and a wedge of cheese.
"Hey, care to join a traveler for some lunch?" Briar asked the hungry man.
"Thank you, stranger, I haven't eaten in three days," the old man confirming Briar's assumption from earlier. "Not many stop on this road. Lots of bandits."
"No worries old man, I have ways of protecting myself." Briar responded in kind. Breaking half of his loaf and cutting a slice of cheese with one of his many knives, Briar told the well trained mare to not wander off. Taking the larger half of loaf from Briar's outreach hand, the old man thanked Briar once again.
"It's not really a problem old man, I have enough to share and get to Winding Circle." Briar told the man. As Briar found a comfortable place on the grass, leaning against one of the many trees that lead into a thick forest, he noticed a slight glint out of the corner of his eye. Upon further inspection, Briar began to grin.
"What brings you out this far old man? There isn't a settlement in either direction for miles," Briar politely asked as he bit into his bread. A branch leaned down brushing Briar's shoulders.
Looking up the old man noticed that the plants around Briar tilted towards the strange young man. Thinking nothing of it, the old man started munching on his bread, he replied "I am a travela and I found I couldn't go any farther so I sat down here." The old man finished his bread and cheese. "I had no where to go after the pirates attacked Summersea many years ago, so I decided to take up my stuff and travel the world. I've come to rest here."
Briar finished his cheese and wiped his hands on the grass. Releasing some magic, Briar relaxed the hemp ties around his sheathes sliding the blades out a little loosening them, his wrist knives where ready if anything happened to jump out of the trees. Pretending to stretch after his meal, Briar systematically started loosening hidden knives throughout his body just in case his wrist knives weren't enough. He smiled as he fondly remembered that these knives where a going away present from his foster sister, Daja. Bringing his thoughts to the present, the grass told him of men coming this way. Briar didn't worry.
"I've bet you learned a lot on your travels, huh, old man."
"Yeah quite a bit I think," the old man replied. "I thought the world was bigger when I traveled it the first time around, but than you start to realize that although each region had its own customs, well all love, hate, have enemies as well as friends. It made my view of the world shrink."
A well traveled person himself, Briar agreed to the old man's comment. "Yea, I guess when you look at it that way, it's true.'
Suddenly a group of thieves jumped out of the bush. Their leader, a stout man with what appeared to be clothes that had been patched and stitched many times over the years, stained with an unknown substance and reeking of moonshine looked directly at Briar. Briar had to stop himself from laughing when he gazed at the hat made out of bird feathers resembling some sort of nest resting on the top of the bandit's head, wobbling as the man spoke.
"Hand me all ya money, boy."
Getting up, the hilts of Briar's wrist knives fell into his palm. A well practiced flick of his wrist brought both knives into full view. "Get going. I'm not one of those easy targets ya want. I was trained at the fire temple in Winding Circle. I don't want to hafta hurt you." Though he was taught better language, whenever Briar got excited he would revert back to street talk.
The group of five bandits laughed at the young man. "Ya may haf been trained at fire temple but dere are fife of us," a tall lean thief replied to Briar's warning.
"Look you barrel bumpers, go home. This is your last chance, go home, and stop bothering people on this Imperial Highway." Briar said noticing that the speaker had many missing teeth.
"Ain't no chance we leaving this bag to go home, yous got plenty of money to share wit us," another replied brandishing his rusty knife.
Briar smiled. He hadn't been in a tussle in a long while. "If that's what you want, den yous gotta get it from me."
The bandits advanced towards Briar. Rusty knifes, clubs, and a stick threatened Briar's purse. Briar let a vine of his magic touch all the thieves clothing. He noticed that their rope belts were made of hemp and some of the patches on their shirts instead of wool were made of cotton. Suddenly their patches made of cotton, unwove themselves and wrapped around their owners. Finishing up, the hemp belts tied their legs together.
"Come on you're supposed to be fearsome bandits?" Briar teased. "Three of yous are already down and I haven't done anything yet."
The other two bandits looked at their partners in crime and fear crept up their faces, paling their sun beat cheeks.
"Jaame, I don't think this bag is worth dying for."
"Yous thinking what I'm thinking Jon?"
"Yeah...Mr. Bag sir, we're sorry for spoilin your lunch and all....BYE!!!" The attempted robbers turned around, almost tripping over each other in order to avoid the mage's wrath.
"Wait for me Jon!" The last of the bandits tried to follow his partner back into the forest.
Tossing a couple of his knives, Briar herded the two men between two large trees. Smiling Briar once again reached out with a tendril of his magic and some oak trees that stood there peacefully guarding the forest suddenly sprouted more roots, splitting the ground, growing out of the soil at an unprecedented pace, entangling the bandit's feet. Finally wrapped till they couldn't move Briar walked towards them removing their weapons. A knock on each of their heads, and tossing a few seeds at their faces, the would-be thieves fell asleep.
Smiling and brushing his hands, Briar looked up at the old man. "Seems like you took care of yourself pretty well," the old man said gesturing at the bandits.
"I'm a plant mage in a forest, what do you expect?" Briar responded.
"Den how'd you get their clothes to go against them?" the old man asked curiously, his nose twitching slightly.
"Something I learned from a stitch witch," Briar said as he sheathed his knives. "Sandry and Lark taught me how to sew and mend clothing the summer before I went to Lightsbridge. You can drop the illusion Niko."
Smiling, Niko released his hold on the illusion. "How'd you guess; Thought I could fool the ex-con."
"Niko, have you forgotten that, my sisters and I permanently see magic cause of your tampering with Tris' spectacles."
"And Briar have you forgotten the spell wore off a few days after Tris' glasses where enchanted."
Nodding, Briar continued. "What are you doing out here alone?"
"I was coming from Lightsbridge, just like you," Niko said while straightening his shirt. "However the council wanted me to go to Zhan to see if I can stop some murders. This was a few weeks ago. The murderer was caught, I already sent a messenger. The night before I left town, I had a vision of you on this road. Being your first teacher I thought I'd check in on you and join you on your trip back to Winding Circle to visit my other students as well. Tris went ahead of me and should already be in Winding."
Briar took the reigns of his mare, calming the horse down from all of the excitement of the one sided encounter. "Where's your horse?" Briar politely asked.
"I still got it if you couldn't see it." The tree Briar was leaning on turned into a white stallion with a black mark on its hind quarters. Niko smiled as he took the reigns of his horse leading it onto the road where he mounted his ride.
"I should have seen that," Briar muttered surprised that his magic did not pick up the fake tree. His frisky horse shuddered, jolting him out of his thoughts, causing Briar hang onto the reigns. A sudden joyful thought occurred to Briar. Still gripping the reigns, Briar laughed and squeezed his horse's sides with his legs. "Race ya!"
disclaimer: stuff from tamora pierce is hers, any oc are mine. Im just gonna do a disclaimer on dis chap only and it'll carry onto other chaps. I don't see why I gotta repeat myself.
Briar's lean frame swayed as he rode atop his light brown mount. Lazily, his well tattooed hands held the reins ensuring that his horse would remain in control if the need arose. Briar had just gotten his plant mage university class credential at Lightsbridge University and was now heading home to see his foster siblings. Not wanting to be dedicated to a temple like his teacher Dedicate Rosethorn; Briar decided instead, under the urging of both his plant teachers, the other being Dedicate Crane, to continue his education in magic and plant biology at a university. He thought to himself how funny it was that he was sponsored by Dedicate Crane to go to school. Crane was a rich money bag. The kind of person who looked down upon others who contained much lighter purses, whereas Briar was a street rat; the kind of vermin bags shooed away at street venues. But after many lessons with the quick handed ex-thief, Crane grew to understand the boy and see the potential in the young mage. Crane thought that going to Lightsbridge was an option for the young boy. After all it was there where Crane and Rosethorn developed many theories in fighting diseases.
The five years the young man spent at the university, in his opinion was difficult and boring. Being an ambient plant mage, Briar needed to be close to the many plants that he studied, however many of the plants that he studied where dried and brittle. The plants and the many uses of them in spells were ingrained in him. Hours and hours of teaching from Rosethorn and Crane allowed the young mage to be prepared for the university courses. Many of the concepts were easy to comprehend for the well disciplined former street rat causing a lot of other academic mages, who were struggling with the theories, to strongly dislike Briar, often times not inviting him to their study sessions. Briar's abilities allowed him to just do nearly the impossible whereas academic mages must use many circles of protection to accomplish even the little things. At first Briar thought learning additional protection circles and how to channel different amount of energy into certain spells to be a waste of his time. In the end reluctantly agreed that the additional education allowed Briar to increase his abilities as well. In his last year of institutional learning, he was able to explore the vast gardens of the Circle temple where the university was located at; as an apprentice to a mage studying genetics in flowers Briar was given free reign in the gardens. He was even allowed to grow his own plants and trim them into his famous miniature trees that the bags were fond of.
Briar pondered on what to tell his foster sisters of his many studies at the university. Each year he completed his courses at the top of the class. This surprised the young mage as he never saw himself as the studious type. His foster sister, Tris, no doubt, but Briar was the prankster.
Listening to the beat of the hooves, Briar thought back to his first years as a mage. Over the many years, Briar had grown to enjoy his foster sibling's company. Growing up as a street rat under the name of Roach, Briar had no family to speak of. His mother died while he was a child and on a random day the thief lord caught Briar trying to steal bread and took him in to raise him as one of his many thieves. Caught three times Briar was going to be sent to the mines but a mage, Niko, saw potential in the boy and rescued him from what would have been his demise. As a requirement for his freedom, the street rat needed a new name, upon a thoughtful decision, Roach became Briar Moss. Briar soon found himself in a cottage named Discipline where he met his foster sisters: Sandry, a rich noble, niece to the Duke himself, Daja, a rejected trader, and Tris a merchant born as a weather witch. These students grew up under the protection and guidance of their respective teachers, namely Dedicate Rosethorn and Dedicate Lark, both powerful ambient mages themselves.
Briar's thoughts came to an abrupt end when he turned the corner. A poor man sat at the edge of the rode with nothing but a few rags that attempted to cover his skinny body. The rags were unsuccessful for they revealed a pale skin tone where the skin clung to the bones of the old man revealing his small frame and providing a message to Briar that this man had not eaten in many days. On top of the misshaped head stood a crop of grayish brown hair, evidence that the man once had a rich and luxurious mane. Briar caught the hard black eyes of the old man and slowed his horse down.
"Alms for the poor...," croaked the old man, "Alms for the poor."
Needing a rest any way, Briar stopped his borrowed horse and dismounted the mare. Reaching into one of his bags, Briar pulled out a loaf of bread and a wedge of cheese.
"Hey, care to join a traveler for some lunch?" Briar asked the hungry man.
"Thank you, stranger, I haven't eaten in three days," the old man confirming Briar's assumption from earlier. "Not many stop on this road. Lots of bandits."
"No worries old man, I have ways of protecting myself." Briar responded in kind. Breaking half of his loaf and cutting a slice of cheese with one of his many knives, Briar told the well trained mare to not wander off. Taking the larger half of loaf from Briar's outreach hand, the old man thanked Briar once again.
"It's not really a problem old man, I have enough to share and get to Winding Circle." Briar told the man. As Briar found a comfortable place on the grass, leaning against one of the many trees that lead into a thick forest, he noticed a slight glint out of the corner of his eye. Upon further inspection, Briar began to grin.
"What brings you out this far old man? There isn't a settlement in either direction for miles," Briar politely asked as he bit into his bread. A branch leaned down brushing Briar's shoulders.
Looking up the old man noticed that the plants around Briar tilted towards the strange young man. Thinking nothing of it, the old man started munching on his bread, he replied "I am a travela and I found I couldn't go any farther so I sat down here." The old man finished his bread and cheese. "I had no where to go after the pirates attacked Summersea many years ago, so I decided to take up my stuff and travel the world. I've come to rest here."
Briar finished his cheese and wiped his hands on the grass. Releasing some magic, Briar relaxed the hemp ties around his sheathes sliding the blades out a little loosening them, his wrist knives where ready if anything happened to jump out of the trees. Pretending to stretch after his meal, Briar systematically started loosening hidden knives throughout his body just in case his wrist knives weren't enough. He smiled as he fondly remembered that these knives where a going away present from his foster sister, Daja. Bringing his thoughts to the present, the grass told him of men coming this way. Briar didn't worry.
"I've bet you learned a lot on your travels, huh, old man."
"Yeah quite a bit I think," the old man replied. "I thought the world was bigger when I traveled it the first time around, but than you start to realize that although each region had its own customs, well all love, hate, have enemies as well as friends. It made my view of the world shrink."
A well traveled person himself, Briar agreed to the old man's comment. "Yea, I guess when you look at it that way, it's true.'
Suddenly a group of thieves jumped out of the bush. Their leader, a stout man with what appeared to be clothes that had been patched and stitched many times over the years, stained with an unknown substance and reeking of moonshine looked directly at Briar. Briar had to stop himself from laughing when he gazed at the hat made out of bird feathers resembling some sort of nest resting on the top of the bandit's head, wobbling as the man spoke.
"Hand me all ya money, boy."
Getting up, the hilts of Briar's wrist knives fell into his palm. A well practiced flick of his wrist brought both knives into full view. "Get going. I'm not one of those easy targets ya want. I was trained at the fire temple in Winding Circle. I don't want to hafta hurt you." Though he was taught better language, whenever Briar got excited he would revert back to street talk.
The group of five bandits laughed at the young man. "Ya may haf been trained at fire temple but dere are fife of us," a tall lean thief replied to Briar's warning.
"Look you barrel bumpers, go home. This is your last chance, go home, and stop bothering people on this Imperial Highway." Briar said noticing that the speaker had many missing teeth.
"Ain't no chance we leaving this bag to go home, yous got plenty of money to share wit us," another replied brandishing his rusty knife.
Briar smiled. He hadn't been in a tussle in a long while. "If that's what you want, den yous gotta get it from me."
The bandits advanced towards Briar. Rusty knifes, clubs, and a stick threatened Briar's purse. Briar let a vine of his magic touch all the thieves clothing. He noticed that their rope belts were made of hemp and some of the patches on their shirts instead of wool were made of cotton. Suddenly their patches made of cotton, unwove themselves and wrapped around their owners. Finishing up, the hemp belts tied their legs together.
"Come on you're supposed to be fearsome bandits?" Briar teased. "Three of yous are already down and I haven't done anything yet."
The other two bandits looked at their partners in crime and fear crept up their faces, paling their sun beat cheeks.
"Jaame, I don't think this bag is worth dying for."
"Yous thinking what I'm thinking Jon?"
"Yeah...Mr. Bag sir, we're sorry for spoilin your lunch and all....BYE!!!" The attempted robbers turned around, almost tripping over each other in order to avoid the mage's wrath.
"Wait for me Jon!" The last of the bandits tried to follow his partner back into the forest.
Tossing a couple of his knives, Briar herded the two men between two large trees. Smiling Briar once again reached out with a tendril of his magic and some oak trees that stood there peacefully guarding the forest suddenly sprouted more roots, splitting the ground, growing out of the soil at an unprecedented pace, entangling the bandit's feet. Finally wrapped till they couldn't move Briar walked towards them removing their weapons. A knock on each of their heads, and tossing a few seeds at their faces, the would-be thieves fell asleep.
Smiling and brushing his hands, Briar looked up at the old man. "Seems like you took care of yourself pretty well," the old man said gesturing at the bandits.
"I'm a plant mage in a forest, what do you expect?" Briar responded.
"Den how'd you get their clothes to go against them?" the old man asked curiously, his nose twitching slightly.
"Something I learned from a stitch witch," Briar said as he sheathed his knives. "Sandry and Lark taught me how to sew and mend clothing the summer before I went to Lightsbridge. You can drop the illusion Niko."
Smiling, Niko released his hold on the illusion. "How'd you guess; Thought I could fool the ex-con."
"Niko, have you forgotten that, my sisters and I permanently see magic cause of your tampering with Tris' spectacles."
"And Briar have you forgotten the spell wore off a few days after Tris' glasses where enchanted."
Nodding, Briar continued. "What are you doing out here alone?"
"I was coming from Lightsbridge, just like you," Niko said while straightening his shirt. "However the council wanted me to go to Zhan to see if I can stop some murders. This was a few weeks ago. The murderer was caught, I already sent a messenger. The night before I left town, I had a vision of you on this road. Being your first teacher I thought I'd check in on you and join you on your trip back to Winding Circle to visit my other students as well. Tris went ahead of me and should already be in Winding."
Briar took the reigns of his mare, calming the horse down from all of the excitement of the one sided encounter. "Where's your horse?" Briar politely asked.
"I still got it if you couldn't see it." The tree Briar was leaning on turned into a white stallion with a black mark on its hind quarters. Niko smiled as he took the reigns of his horse leading it onto the road where he mounted his ride.
"I should have seen that," Briar muttered surprised that his magic did not pick up the fake tree. His frisky horse shuddered, jolting him out of his thoughts, causing Briar hang onto the reigns. A sudden joyful thought occurred to Briar. Still gripping the reigns, Briar laughed and squeezed his horse's sides with his legs. "Race ya!"