Daughter of Darkness

Chapter 1

The pounding of hooves on the hard dirt road made adrenaline course through Sal's blood as she raced on her pony, Tottle, through the horse yard. She expertly maneuvered Tottle through the poles she had set up earlier. She steered her pony with her legs as she held a staff in her arms so that she could hit the metal balls that she had put atop the poles. 

So far she had only missed two of the nine balls, and she was heading to the last one and was about to hit it when a horn sounded making her lose her concentration making her drop her staff. She silently cursed as she slowed Tottle to a stop, and she slide off him dropping to the ground so that she could retrieve her staff. 

"You must always keep your concentration." She spun on her spot to see her older brother Lucien standing there in his squire's outfit. 

"You're home!" Sal ran towards her brother and jumped into his arms. His big strong arms wrapped around his favorite sister. 

After a while, he placed her back down and got a good look at her. Her big brown eyes shone with admiration. Her medium length hair blew in the wind and shone in the sun making it look red, but in really it was a deep brown. "I see you still haven't grown at all." Lucien said smiling at his sister's glare. "You're the size of a tree elf." 

 "Am not!" Sal protested lifting her staff so that she could give Luc a whack on the head, but he caught her staff easily. 

"I see your riding as improved." He walked over and pet the pony's head. "Tottle seems to listen to you well enough." Tottle was his old pony before he got his new black gelding, Bitesteel. 

"He's a good pony." Sal said pulling a sugar cube from her pocket and feeding it to patient animal. "Fauna says he like sugar cubes." 

"Where is Fauna?" Luc asked peering around. His shaggy dirty blonde hair was sweat covered letting Sal know that he had just arrived from a long days ride, and his brown eyes scanned around. "She's usually outside on a day like this." Sal hid a smile. Even though she was turning 10 in a few days, she knew the signs of when a person fancied another, and her brother fancied Fauna. 

"She's with Master Fae." Sal said leading Tottle back to the stables with Luc in tole. 

"Why is she with a Magi?" He asked. 

Magi were magic users. There were different kinds; healers, elementals, empaths, ritualists, and the chaotics. The healers were those who were had magic over the bodies. The elementals were seen as some of the most powerful of the Magi, they had power over the nature around them. The empaths, however, were the most dangerous, they could get into a person's mind and emotions and manipulate them to their will. The ritualists were those who weren't born with magical ability and gained it through magical chants and powerful objects. Lastly were the chaotics, they were dark magic users who got their magically abilities from the dark world and were easily corruptible to the Darkness. And there were those who had combined magical abilities, they were the ones who usually became the chief Magi.

"I didn't ask." She retorted. "But it's probably about her gifts." Fauna was a handmaidan to the Princess Britta, Sal's cousin. Fauna was also one of Salinda's best friends even though she was four years older than Sal. 

"I thought they already tested her?" Luc asked. "She's already 14, they can't very well send her off to the academy at this age." 

"Magi Fae said she would teach Fauna herself if she had too, she says she see's the potential in her." Sal started to take off Tottle's saddle and then started to rub him down with a nearby brush. Her brother joined her and they worked in silence until Sal asked the question that was on her mind ever since she saw her brother. "Why are you back in Havenel? I thought you were stationed down south with Sir Ricard."