Post by wordy on Dec 12, 2013 13:40:48 GMT 10
Title: Flux
Rating: PG
For: Rachy
Prompt: #5 Circle as time travellers
Summary: The first rule of time travel.
Notes and Warnings: This is a tiny bit dark, I suppose, but the idea came to me and I ran with it. I hope the meaning of the ending
is clear enough.
Sandry paced. It had seemed wise to arrange their meeting outside of Summersea, away from prying eyes and listening ears, but considering what she was planning on discussing with her brother and sisters, some measure of comfort would have been welcome; this bare, run-down house in the Mire was putting her even more on edge, its creaking floorboards and peeling wallpaper an uncomfortable reminder of the problem that she had discovered.
“It sounded like you had your skirts in a twist over something,” came a voice from behind her, and Sandry spun, trying to smooth the worry from her face. Briar looked amused, and pushed away from the door frame to wander into the centre of the room, glancing around with disinterest. She could not tell if it was feigned or not.
“It’s best that we wait for the others to arrive, before I explain anything,” Sandry said.
He shrugged. Again, she felt a shiver of amusement—her magic rippled with a familiar sensation, and she saw Briar’s head shoot up even as she called out, “Tris?”
I’m not able to be there in person, I’m afraid, Tris said, sounding slightly distracted; working on something important, Sandry had not doubt. Will this do?
“It will have to,” she replied, putting her magic behind the words so that both Briar and Tris could hear what she said. “Now we just need to wait for Daja.”
“Daja is quite on time,” said the mage herself, walking in. She looked over the two of them, then folded her arms and directed her gaze at Sandry. “Well?”
Being with her siblings had never felt so difficult before. What had changed? But there was an obvious answer to that.
Everything.
The four of them had almost been whole again after leaving Namorn, and only now could Sandry admit that attempting to join their powers once more had been a mistake. The result was beyond anything they could have imagined…and it had taken her this long to realise that their new-found ability to travel through time was a power that should have stayed beyond their control.
Well? asked Tris, echoing Daja.
Sandry took a deep breath. “What we’ve been doing, this…travelling. It has to stop.”
“If you say so,” said Briar, not bothering to hide the scepticism in his voice.
“I’m serious. It will be a difficult thing to give up, and I would never ask something of you that I wouldn’t do myself.” She met Briar’s eyes, then Daja’s. “Lately my magic has been bahving oddly. I’ve had…visions. Of things that have already happened, but different.”
Daja frowned. “You’ve had them too?”
“I don’t see why this means we need to give up travelling,” said Briar, though he, too, looked unsettled.
Humourless laughter echoed in their ears. Isn’t it obvious? Something’s gone wrong. Sandry’s accussing us of meddling with our own timeline, aren’t you?
Sandry steeled herself. “I know we didn’t exactly discuss rules when this first started—”
“But you think one of us is stupid enough to do something like that?” demanded Briar.
“That’s not what I said.”
Oh, but it’s implied.
Even Daja was looking at her with disappointment. Sandry’s temper flared. “Fine. But what was I supposed to think? If each of you can say truthfully, here and now, that you haven’t interfered in even the smallest way, then I’ll believe you.” She glared at Briar and Daja, felt the link between her and Tris hum like lightning. None of them spoke.
As Briar, then Daja, turned and left the room in silence, Sandry felt something inside of her crack. This wasn’t supposed to happen again. But then even Tris cut herself off, and Sandry was standing in an empty building, completely alone.
Had it been foolish of her, not to expect this? Her own past was not a happy one—could she blame any of them for wanting to change something, wanting to fix what had been broken?
She didn’t know what to think anymore.
The impulse was there, inside her, as it always was now. She had come here today hoping that the four of them could make everything right again, before anything more was ruined. Things seemed so much easier, in the past.
She closed her eyes and reached for her magic, wondering idly which of her siblings would still continue to do the same.
Rating: PG
For: Rachy
Prompt: #5 Circle as time travellers
Summary: The first rule of time travel.
Notes and Warnings: This is a tiny bit dark, I suppose, but the idea came to me and I ran with it. I hope the meaning of the ending
Spoiler
(that it could be any and/or all of them)
(that it could be any and/or all of them)
is clear enough.
Sandry paced. It had seemed wise to arrange their meeting outside of Summersea, away from prying eyes and listening ears, but considering what she was planning on discussing with her brother and sisters, some measure of comfort would have been welcome; this bare, run-down house in the Mire was putting her even more on edge, its creaking floorboards and peeling wallpaper an uncomfortable reminder of the problem that she had discovered.
“It sounded like you had your skirts in a twist over something,” came a voice from behind her, and Sandry spun, trying to smooth the worry from her face. Briar looked amused, and pushed away from the door frame to wander into the centre of the room, glancing around with disinterest. She could not tell if it was feigned or not.
“It’s best that we wait for the others to arrive, before I explain anything,” Sandry said.
He shrugged. Again, she felt a shiver of amusement—her magic rippled with a familiar sensation, and she saw Briar’s head shoot up even as she called out, “Tris?”
I’m not able to be there in person, I’m afraid, Tris said, sounding slightly distracted; working on something important, Sandry had not doubt. Will this do?
“It will have to,” she replied, putting her magic behind the words so that both Briar and Tris could hear what she said. “Now we just need to wait for Daja.”
“Daja is quite on time,” said the mage herself, walking in. She looked over the two of them, then folded her arms and directed her gaze at Sandry. “Well?”
Being with her siblings had never felt so difficult before. What had changed? But there was an obvious answer to that.
Everything.
The four of them had almost been whole again after leaving Namorn, and only now could Sandry admit that attempting to join their powers once more had been a mistake. The result was beyond anything they could have imagined…and it had taken her this long to realise that their new-found ability to travel through time was a power that should have stayed beyond their control.
Well? asked Tris, echoing Daja.
Sandry took a deep breath. “What we’ve been doing, this…travelling. It has to stop.”
“If you say so,” said Briar, not bothering to hide the scepticism in his voice.
“I’m serious. It will be a difficult thing to give up, and I would never ask something of you that I wouldn’t do myself.” She met Briar’s eyes, then Daja’s. “Lately my magic has been bahving oddly. I’ve had…visions. Of things that have already happened, but different.”
Daja frowned. “You’ve had them too?”
“I don’t see why this means we need to give up travelling,” said Briar, though he, too, looked unsettled.
Humourless laughter echoed in their ears. Isn’t it obvious? Something’s gone wrong. Sandry’s accussing us of meddling with our own timeline, aren’t you?
Sandry steeled herself. “I know we didn’t exactly discuss rules when this first started—”
“But you think one of us is stupid enough to do something like that?” demanded Briar.
“That’s not what I said.”
Oh, but it’s implied.
Even Daja was looking at her with disappointment. Sandry’s temper flared. “Fine. But what was I supposed to think? If each of you can say truthfully, here and now, that you haven’t interfered in even the smallest way, then I’ll believe you.” She glared at Briar and Daja, felt the link between her and Tris hum like lightning. None of them spoke.
As Briar, then Daja, turned and left the room in silence, Sandry felt something inside of her crack. This wasn’t supposed to happen again. But then even Tris cut herself off, and Sandry was standing in an empty building, completely alone.
Had it been foolish of her, not to expect this? Her own past was not a happy one—could she blame any of them for wanting to change something, wanting to fix what had been broken?
She didn’t know what to think anymore.
The impulse was there, inside her, as it always was now. She had come here today hoping that the four of them could make everything right again, before anything more was ruined. Things seemed so much easier, in the past.
She closed her eyes and reached for her magic, wondering idly which of her siblings would still continue to do the same.