Daughter of Darkness

Chapter 12

Salinda's first year started to wind down. With summer fast approaching, Sal's lesson's were becoming much more vigorous. Her studies were getting harder. Her combat training was putting a real strain on her, and her lessons with Master Damin were awaking magic in her that she had no idea she had. With everything going on, Sal barely enough free time to think about anything else.

However, when Sal had free time she would go down to the lower city to visit Peter and Rachel with Jed and the familiars. The first time Sal brought Gardenia down to to see them, she took an instant love to Peter, who spoiled the griffin.

While down in the lower city, Sal was being taught different things that she wouldn't have learned at the palace, such as how to gamble without losing too much of her money, how to pick a pocket so that no one noticed, and how to argue and insult others so that they cry.

She knew that when she roamed The Hollow Dragon to practice her new skills, her friends eyes were stuck to her. Whenever, she tried to ask why they were so protective of her, they would give her different reason's every time. Soon she stopped asking, and decided to snoop around when the three of them would talk when they thought she wasn't around.

One day, in mid spring, she was in The Hollow Dragon playing dice with some of Peter's bandit pals, and when she looked up she saw Jed, Rachel, and Peter with their heads together. "Sally, it's your turn." Tayler, Peter's third, asked. He and most of the other's took to calling Sal, Sally because they saw how much it irked her.

"Sorry." Sal replied picking up the dice, and giving it a few shakes before throwing them down. She got the exact numbers she was looking for.

"You are lucky tonigh', aren' ye lil one." Hatter sighed pushing her the coins that were in the middle of the table, but Sal wasn't really paying attention to any of it. "Whacha lookin' at?"

"What do you think they're talking about?" Sal muttered, straining her neck to watch them.

Taylor, Hatter and Lacee (Taylor's lover), all followed her gaze. "I don't ask." Taylor shrugged. "Whenever his Majesty has that face, it's just best to leave him be."

Sal pinched her lips together. "I'm going over there to find out." She snatched her coins and stuffed them in her purse, and then she used her new found stealth to sneak slowly towards the suspicious trio. Once she was close enough, she leaned against the wall casually so that she was close to hear them, but not so close that they would pick her out easily.

"We need to tell her." That was Jed, and he sounded angry.

"Not yet," Rachel seemed pretty stern. "The Goddess warned us that if she knew to soon, it would cause terrible consequences." Sal wondered if they were talking about her. "She's powerful now, just image how powerful she would be if she knew." There was no way they were talking about her now, she wasn't powerful.

"Isn't that a good thing?" Jed replied.

"No," Peter said sharply. "If she gains too much power before learning control, then it will all be for nothing. With someone with power like her's you can't rush her."

The curiosity was killing Sal, she just wanted who they were talking about, and why wouldn't they talk to her about it? "She's getting suspicious." Jed said, and his voice got so low that Sal couldn't hear what else he said.

She was going to try to get a bit closer, but was interrupted by the feeling of complete and utter dread. Her blood went cold, and before she knew what she was doing, Sal was running out of the bar, ignoring the calls of her name.

Her legs pumped as she ran towards the wall that surrounded the city. Copperwind soon caught up with her, and tried to cut her off, but she swiped her magic to push him out of the way. Soon she reached the wall, and she climbed up the stairs and then stopped when she reached the top so that she could look out.