Redepmtion

The reason this is under fan-fiction is because it is set in the world of Deltora, a very good fantasy series mind you. Most of the characters and situations will be mine with some passing references to the book series. I'm doing it this way because this is how it all started, my very first original characters and the story I built around them was all because of Deltora Quest.


Redemption.
Chapter 1. Snow

“You must earn redemption.” The voices hissed, together yet apart. The creature sat in shadows, surrounded by swirling gray and glowing eyes. “Why! I have done nothing wrong!” She cried. “And neither have you done any right, you have grown indifferent Ruxta.” They said “It goes against our ways to grow indifferent, where would they be without our guidance?” They questioned. “In caves, still searching for fire.” She answered. “These creatures are under our protection, and yet you let them die.” The voices chided. “My own kind needed me! We were dying!” She snapped baring her long silver fangs. “But they didn’t, your kind are made of steel, these creatures of dust. Our minds are made, you will earn redemption.” The statement was final. Ruxta could not open her mouth to argue, or to scream as she fell into an endless black void. Falling forever with a whisper in her ear was not her punishment, though she would have preferred it to what was next, blinding silver light and then white hot pain around her neck and forelegs. She felt as though she was being crushed, then the cold, burning her lungs and stopping her hearts. Then there was nothing.

~*~

The night was cold, a frozen wind blowing in from the south. A young girl sat looking out her window as heavy clouds made their way across the sky. She was wrapped thickly in furs and her wavy brown hair was left to fall down her back. “Will it snow mother? I’ve never seen snow.” She said.
“I doubt it Sanala. As I have told you every year snow is rare here.” Her mother was a small woman with mousy hair and hazel eyes; even at 13 Sanala was already taller than her.
“I know, but look at those clouds, they don’t look like rain clouds.” The girl said, hopping off the window sill to warm her hands by the fire.
“They are just clouds Sanala” Her mother mumbled as she worked at her needlepoint.
The girl sighed and pulled her furs closer around her. She closed her eyes and imagined snow; she had always wanted to see snow, the traders and travellers told stories about the north and its great mountains tipped in white. She was likely never to see any; her home was located just outside the city Del, and Del in turn was located at the southernmost tip of the land, sun and sand, no snow. But she had heard that sometimes, if the temperature was just right and the wind blew from the south, that maybe it would snow on Del. Sanala’s head snapped up at the sound of heavy knocking on the door, maybe it was her brother returned from the hunt, she thought dully.
“Answer the door Sanala.” Her mother ordered from where she sat, close to the fire. The girl rubbed her temples but did as she was told. She moved from the fire to the door, she lifted the heavy iron latch, marvelling that her mother had been able to afford it, and pulled the door open. “Let me guess it got away from you....” She trailed off; her brother was not standing at the door an excuse for a hunt gone wrong on his tongue. In fact there was no-one standing at the door. Sanala stepped out trying to see who would have though it funny to knock and run when her foot brushed against something. She looked down; she was defiantly not expecting to find a coal black cat at her feet, especially not one who wore a collar made of silver with bracelets to match, not just silver either, studded with sapphires as well. She bent down to pick it up; those bits of jewellery would feed her family for a year, and buy them a better home. When she touched the poor creature she realised it was cold, she thought it dead before she noticed the steady rise and fall of its chest.
“Well who is it?” Her mother’s voice snapped in the background.
“No one mother, just an abandoned pet.” She replied.
“Well either pick it up or kick it off the step, your letting the heat out.” Her mother growled
Sanala picked the option she knew her mother would like the least, she picked it up. As she cradled the creature in her arms she felt something wet slide down her face, she looked up expecting rain, snow, thousands of tiny snowflakes falling to the ground, the ones that landed on her melted from the heat of her body. Sanala laughed, and hugged the cat to her chest. “You’ve jinxed the weather. I can almost hear the farmers swearing from here.” The young girl pranced back inside, the door swinging shut heavily, the latch jarred from its place and fell back down, locking the door once again.

~*~

Nothing wasn’t as bad as she thought it would be, nothing was warm and gentle and was, carrying her? What giant could possibly be lifting her? Ruxta opened her eyes, though she was no longer Ruxta, she did not feel like the fearsome leader of the Shadowwalkers, no she felt small, insignificant.
Damn the council to an early grave. She thought angrily.
The creature that was Ruxta but not Ruxta tried to see who was carrying her, hard to say when her face was pressed into soft furs, when had her snout ever been so short? The furs tickled her nose and she sneezed, the grip on her loosened somewhat and with that and she was able to see a face. Not a giant then, the face was too delicate to be a giant’s. A plain child with pale blue eyes and generic brown hair with just a tiny tinge of copper, she could be any other human girl.
“Odd eyes you have puss, never seen a cat with such brilliant blues.” The girl remarked. A cat? Those old cotes had turned her into a cat, it was terribly cliché. She was going to reply with some brilliant sarcasm but thought it better not to give the girl a heart attack; there would be time for that later. No all she had to do was figure out how she was to earn her power back; she could feel it missing, as though someone had numbed one of her limbs, what had that whispering been about? Something to do with a time limit and her redemption. One thing was for certain though; she had not ended up being carried by this girl for no reason. She closed her eyes and breathed in the scent of witch.
What is a witchling like you doing living among these... normals? It’s probably something sad, like you’re an orphan, it always is. She sighed mentally. Time enough for that later, I smell fish stew.