Disclaimer: Es not mine. All the characters belong to Tamora Pierce, who I am not.

Weirynsra

The Passing of Veralidaine Sarrasri - Daine the Wildmage

Dusk set upon the forest, but it was hardly noticed by any of the inhabitants.

The animals of the forest clustered around a woman who had smoky brown curls flowing down her back, and ever-changing blue-gray eyes. Veralidaine Sarrasri was the Wildmage – the most gifted of those who possessed Wild Magic.

She was also a demi-goddess in her own right. Her father was Weiryn, the hunt god of the Gallans; and her mother had become the Green Lady after her death.

Now she waited; Numair would join her soon. He had gone to investigate an attack that had involved powerful magic. Neither of them thought it would take too long, so they had agreed to meet in a nearby forest where Daine was taking care of a few extremely ill animals.

Daine laughed as a rabbit nuzzled her gratefully.

Suddenly arrows hit two of the deer standing near to her. They collapsed instantly, poison running through their systems in a matter of seconds.

Daine whirled. There was no one in sight. Reaching out with her magic, she knew it wasn't any of the immortals that had once plagued Tortall, and there weren't any other humans nearby for all she could tell.

Just as suddenly as the arrows had struck the deer, a dagger flashed almost an inch to the left of her head. It struck a tree a few feet behind her.

She scanned the forest, searching for her attackers, but there was still no one in sight, magical or unaided.

Daine shooed the remainder of the animals away and knelt by the deer, a doe and a buck. They were both dead.

What could kill them so fast? She mentally ran through all of the kinds of poison she knew of. None of them could kill that quickly, even with an animal as small as a mouse.

Glad that she had sent her friends away, she did the only thing she could - she ran. Daine didn't like running from an enemy, but it was the only thing she could do. She couldn't sense or see this enemy, and she didn't have a clue to what it was.

As she ran, things flew past her: arrows, daggers, even a few throwing stars. She ducked them as best she could, and she nearly got out of the forest unscathed.

Except for one dagger. It flew past her right arm as she ran, and sliced through her shirtsleeve and scored her lightly, causing a small, shallow cut that stung severely.

She kept running, though she was aware of a fire spreading from the cut. Without noticing where she was going, she barreled right into Numair. They both went flying, and tumbled down the slight rise that Numair had just walked up.

A grin spread over his face when he saw her, "Magelet!" He greeted her with a quick embrace and a kiss. His smile faded as his expression went from jubilant to worried.

Daine was having trouble breathing, and her heart was pounding. The blackness was already enfolding her in its cold embrace. The cool blackness crept up faster than she could even fight.

Numair's worried face faded before she could even tell him that she loved him just one more time. There was an agonized scream, full of pain and loss.

Then everything was gone.

Daine woke to warm sun beating down on her. She opened her eyes; there was blue sky above her. She frowned, and sat up. She sat on a grassy hill, near a small house.

Two people stood beside it. One was a tall man, his olive skin streaked here and there with green. His hair was curly, and a smoky brown shade. Rooted in the brown hair were antlers.

Standing beside him was a woman attired all in green. She had long, silky blond hair, neatly braided, and partially covered by a thrown back veil of emerald gossamer.

Daine recognized them instantly. They were her parents. She was in the Divine Realms.

A silent tear slid down Daine's cheek. Finally she stood, and walked down the hill. She stopped in front of Sarra and Weiryn.

"Send me back. Please," she said tearfully. Sarra slowly shook her head, a sad look in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, dear, but you cannot go back. Not this time." Daine stared at her, then glanced at her father. He shook his head silently.

Daine stood there in front of them, her mouth agape, for a moment, her expression full of disbelief.

They wouldn't let her go back to Numair, or Sarralyn and Rikash. She backed up a few paces and plopped down, tears running down her face.

Weiryn stepped forward and dropped to one knee in front of his daughter, "You may stay here, or go on to Mynoss's realm. If you stay here, you can become a goddess, and you will have the power to bring your Numair here when he passes from the mortal world. If you go on, you will still be with him, it's your choice, my dear," he said. His eyes met hers.

Daine sniffed once more, and wiped away the last of the tears. "I'll stay," she said quietly. He offered her his hand to help her up.

As she stood, she suddenly felt more invigorated then she had in her entire life. There was an energy coursing through her; power like she'd never experienced flooded her senses.

For a moment she lost Daine, the feeling was so strong. It faded after a few moments, but the boundless energy remained.

Glancing down, she saw that instead of the comfortable shirt and breeches that she had worn moments before, she now wore a long smooth skirt of some sort of deep russet-colored hide.

Besides the skirt, her boots had remained, and they felt the same. But they were no longer made of soft black leather. They were of the same russet hide; Daine still couldn't tell what it was.

Her shirt was of the same unidentifiable material. It was long-sleeved and snug fitting around the arms, and it was adorned by a delicate pattern stitched above the hem, and up around one side and around to her shoulder on the opposite side.

She looked different, and she felt different. She glanced at her parents; Sarra was smiling proudly.

Weiryn nodded to her, "Now, you may pick your name – what you shall be known as by the mortals," he said. Daine looked up at him for a moment. "Weirynsra," she stated. "My name will be Weirynsra – the daughter of Weiryn."

Her father smiled, and nodded his approval "Then Weirynsra you are. The goddess of animals and wild magic."

There was only one thing weighing her heart down. Numair, Sarralyn and Rikash. She could still watch over them, but she wouldn't be a part of their lives anymore. Maybe being Weirynsra wouldn't be so bad…she would see her family again, and maybe they would join her in the Divine Realms…

A/N: Review, please!