I disclaim any characters and places that you recognize as Tamora Pierce's. Thank you! :)

Chapter One

The Wedding Postponed

"Daine, it's time," a voice called in the distance.

It was her wedding day, a time she and Numair had so patiently awaited. Ever since she had returned from the realms of the gods, he had been trying to persuade her to marry him. She was eager; she just wanted to wait until after they had cleaned up Ozorne's war. Now that he was gone, they hoped the kingdom would be peaceful for a while. After all the dead had been buried and honored, and the king had given them time to recover from the toll their magic had taken, she was ready to make the preparations for the wedding. Now Daine stood in a simple beautiful white silk dress that clung to her skin. Her chestnut brown hair elegantly cascaded down her back in ringlets.

She carefully walked out of the room and stood outside the double doors into the palace cathedral. King Jonathan and Queen Thayet would be there watching. So would the King's champion, Allana. Her friend, Onua, was there. She had been very surprised when Daine had told her that she was marring Numair. Numair had been Onua's friend for a while before Daine had come into the picture. Daine was somewhat nervous about the whole thing. She was afraid that their marriage wouldn't work being that she had seen others' fall apart. But, she was sure that Numair would never do anything to hurt her.

The doors opened and she walked slowly down the aisle. She thought to herself, He looks wonderful. She smiled at him, and he smiled back, his dark eyes dancing. He was dressed in a black mage's robe with a silver trim, his black hair pulled back. When she reached him he held out his hand and she took it. Numair, although very, very tall, moved with the ease of a giant cat. Daine thought back to the day she met him. He was trapped in hawk form and injured greatly from a Stormwing attack. She hadn't known he was a human then. One day the Lioness (Alanna) had told her to call into his mind his name. They told her to call him Arram, which was his birth name. She called to him "Arram Draper Come out!" And to her great surprise there stood a man wrapped in a robe. Even then she had assumed it had taken years to acquire the ease and grace with which he moved.

Balls of crystals shone with light magic above their heads. She looked at all of the people assembled there to be with them on their wedding day. Animals of all types were in the cathedral. She saw her mother, the goddess the Green Lady, and her father Weiryn, god of the hunt. She waved to the badger god and Broadfoot, the duckmole. The priest spoke, but she couldn't hear him. All the animals and birds were chiming greetings and congratulations to her.

Then she sensed trouble. She didn't know what it was, but she knew something bad was about to happen. She looked at Numair and he looked back at her. He knew from her facial expression something was wrong.

What's wrong? he asked using mind speech.

I don't know, she replied. I just have a feeling something bad's about to happen. I don't know what it is, but it isn't an immortal.

I wonder, he said.

The priest said to her, "Veralidaine Sarrasri, do you take this man to be your husband?"

"I do," she said looking at Numair and smiling nervously at him.

"And do you Numair Salmalin take this woman to be your wife?"

"I do," he said eyes shining with happiness.

"You may n-"

Suddenly several horrible creatures came in. They were large and they smelled of blood and death. Fur covered everything but their faces, and Daine was horrified to see that they didn't have eyes or a nose, only one terrible mouth with rows of pointed teeth. When it sucked in air it seemed as if it was trying to consume the world.

"Daine, get behind me!" Numair yelled.

"What about my friends? I need to protect them!"

"Get behind me, please. I'll make sure everyone is okay." She knew he was telling the truth.

The horrible creatures inched closer and closer to them. One of them grabbed up a squirrel and killed it.

" Nooooo!"Daine yelled. When the creature had killed the poor squirrel, she had felt as if part of her had died too. That was the trouble with wild magic.

The mage summoned his Gift, and the air around him started to shimmer with the intensity of his furious rage as he released his magic onto the evil creatures. Large balls of sparkling black magic came from his hands and flew at the beasts. Though he hit them it did no good. He threw up a shield to surround the humans and animals and to protect them. The largest of the beasts touched it with a disgusting claw and the shield crashed around them.

Numair grabbed Daine and threw her behind him. She didn't like him treating her like she was so fragile. He of all people should know that I am strong enough to protect myself, she thought. My friends are dying and he won't let me do anything!

Other people with the Gift were fighting them to. Onua magiced an arrow and shot it at one, all to no avail. Numair opened a crack in the ground and sealed several of the monsters in the ground. Badger was hurling balls of white hot fire at them. King Jonathan used his Dominion Jewel to call the roots from the ground to suffocate the vile monsters. None of the creatures could be directly destroyed by the Gift. Daine broke out of Numair's grip and sent the animals a message to get out of the cathedral and to escape. All of the animals protested. She pressed her wild magic on them and they were forced to obey. The animals fled to the door and escaped into the nearby woods. She normally wouldn't have forced the animals to do anything they didn't want to, but she didn't want any more of her friends to get hurt! Even though her animal friends were safe, her human friends were still in great danger. She turned around to see one of the monsters racing to a distracted Numair. Her magic burst out of her by her fury and killed not only the one, but all of the remaining creatures. As the last monster died, Daine felt her legs start to feel weak and she collapsed. Numair ran and caught her and supported her weight. She tried forced herself to calm down. Panicking wouldn't do her any good at a time like this. Daine hugged Numair tightly and started to cry. It was just too much in one day! Numair hugged her in return and whispered words of comfort and slowly she calmed.

Alanna was the first to speak. "What were those things?"

"I don't know what they were, but they weren't Immortals," King Jonathan said.

Daine looked over the creatures. She knew they weren't Immortals. The closest thing to these creatures she could remember was the skinners she and Numair had fought a year ago. Skinners were creatures that kill everything they touched. They had nearly died. She looked up into his eyes and said, "Numair, remember those skinners we fought? Didn't we decide they were one of Usoae's minions?"

"Yes, but when she was discovered in the mortal realms, Father Universe and Mother Flame locked her in the realm of Chaos until the next star was born."

"But what if the star has been born? The closest thing I can think of to these things is the skinners, and we all know they aren't Immortals," she said. Then she turned to Badger. "You would know if a star was born, wouldn't you?" she asked him.

-Yes, kit- he said. –Indeed another star has been born. The Great Ones have had no trouble from her, though.-

"What if she is plotting something they don't know about?" Alanna inquired.

-We would know.-was his retort.

"I think we have an enemy somewhere, either in the divine or mortal realms," Queen Thayet said.

"Hopefully we will soon know who we are up against," Numair added.

-We should probably warn the other gods- Broadfoot said to Badger and to Daine's parents.

"He's right," said Weiryn. "Sarra, we must be on our way."

"Good bye sweetling, I'll see you soon," Sarra said. She and Weiryn disappeared in shimmering white light.

Daine watched sadly. She thought to herself, They didn't even see me be married. If those creatures hadn't interfered! Daine looked to Numair and said quietly, "I think I can walk now." He set her down carefully and put his arm around her shoulders.

He held her hand and together they walked out of the cathedral into the bright sun. Once outside, Daine's shaggy mountain pony, Cloud, rushed to meet them. Why do you look so miserable? You're supposed to be happy, she said eyeing the two worriedly.

We were interrupted, Daine said. Some strange creatures came in on us right before the moment. Numair was particularly upset. I don't mind waiting a little while, she told the pony. I am so weak and tired right now. All I want to do is sleep.

Cloud nuzzled Daine. As to the wedding, things will fall into place. Just give things time, she said.

Cloud, we've waited months! It's as if the Gods are trying to give us a message. I'm afraid that if we don't get married soon, we won't.

Quit talking such nonsense! If he loves you, it won't matter how long it takes, he will wait for you. Trust me. Go and rest. You are as shaky as a newborn filly.

Fine, Daine said. A figure in the distance was growing closer. Once it was close enough, Daine and Numair could tell it was the dragon Kitten, originally named Skysong, which Daine was raising. Kit's mother had died defending Tortall from Carthaki raiders. When Kit was a week old, her mother died, and she had been left in Daine's care. Just last year Daine had met Kitten's grandparents Diamondflame and Wingstar, in the Dragonlands while she and Numair were trying to find a way out of the Divine Realms. Not only had the dragons flown them back to Tortall, they had also helped the Tortallans win the war with Ozorne.

Kitten whistled her welcome and she looked up at Daine. Her scales were a bright blue. Kitten could do many things. Being a dragon she was very intelligent. She could whistle off locks, and had even learned a sound to clean up clothes. Kitten could also see through spells, such as invisibility and listening spells. Diamondflame had said himself that Kitten was far more advanced than the young in the Dragonlands. Incapable of mind speech, Kitten communicated using various sounds.

"Were have you been?" Daine asked her.

Her scales turned pink with irritation as she used her many sounds that sounded impolite and frustrated.

"I think she is telling you that she had no clue where we were and that she has she has been searching all morning," Numair suggested.

"I'm sorry, Kit, but I was preparing for a wedding that didn't happen and in the middle of everything, strange creatures attacked us," Daine said.

Kitten tilted her head to one side as if asking what she meant by 'strange creatures'. She immediately forgot her irritation with the two and her scales returned to their normal color, sky blue.

"If you want to see what they looked like you can just walk into the cathedral, they probably haven't been moved yet," Daine said.

The dragon nodded and turned in the direction of the cathedral. Slowly she walked inside to investigate.

With nothing to occupy her thoughts, she started to think over memories she had in the past. The first memory she had was the one that she was first told she had wild magic. She had thought she had no Gift. She had been right but she did have wild magic to bind her with her friends!

The next memory that occurred to her was when she and her wolf friends tracked down a woman named Yolane who was plotting to overthrow King Jonathan and Queen Thayet to crown herself Queen. She was caught and put to justice. She had actually witnessed Numair turn Yolane's companion and helper, Tristan Staghorn, into a tree.

"Daine?"

She was jerked back to reality. "Yes?" It was her friend Onua who spoke.

"Are you all right? You seem kind of out of it," she said.

"Excuse me interrupting, but I must go, King Jonathan summons me to speak with him. Daine, I'll not be long."

Daine sighed. "Okay," she said. She shivered to think what King Jonathan was summoning Numair for. "I'm sorry, Onua, what did you say?"

"I asked are you all right? You didn't seem yourself. You usually aren't this quiet."

"Oh, I'm fine. I was just thinking about the past. When I met you, and other memories," she said. Onua had hired her when she was thirteen. She hadn't known her well then, but over the last few years, they had become good friends. Onua had shown her a family when she had none.

"You know, thinking about things in the past might not be good for you. Things in the past should be left in the past. You can't change it, only remember," Onua said.

"I can't help but look back now and then," she said. "When I look at who I was, and see who I am now, I amaze myself. I went from being a country nobody to being one of Tortall's best known heroes. I wouldn't be who I am if I hadn't met you Onua."

"Is that good or bad," Onua said teasing.

"I suppose good."

Onua laughed. "You were on your own. I didn't like the thought of what would happen if I left you. You were just so young."

"Well, thank you for looking out for me."

"You're welcome. Are you upset about the wedding?" Onua asked.

Daine hesitated. "I am some-what. I don't mind waiting if he doesn't."

"I wouldn't worry about it," Onua said, patting Daine's shoulder.

A speaking spell appeared beside Daine's ear. "King Jonathan has asked me to summon you. It is very important and we both think you should try to be here as soon as you can manage," a familiar voice spoke out of the spell.

"Onua, I guess that means I'm supposed to go," Daine said. "If things don't slow down sooner or later, we'll all be reduced to puddles."

"Hopefully, it'll be later," Onua commented.

Daine sighed once again and started making her way towards the palace. On the way several birds flew to her and landed on her shoulders. How are you? they said.

I'm fine. Are the skies calm today?

Yes, the sky is very peaceful, said one little starling. Won't you come fly with us today?

I wish I could, my friends, but today I have many duties that hold me to the ground, she replied.

Next time you'll have to come with us, added another starling.

Maybe next time, she said.

The little birds bid her fair well, and took to the skies, leaving Daine alone once again. Once Daine reached the palace, the nervous sense of why she had been summoned hit her once more. Why in the name of Mithros did Numair sound so urgent? Usually he was so calm. For Numair to sound so unsure, it meant something really bad had happened.

She knocked on the great doors that led into King Jonathan's study. "Come in," he said calmly.

There was something wrong with Jonathan's eyes. Those eyes that were always so confident and strong were now weak and unsure. Numair sat across from him, looking in the distance, as if he was looking to the end of the earth. Both men were unusually silent and forlorn, and that was something, considering that both men were usually talking about anything and everything.

Daine curtsied and took a seat beside Numair. She was about to ask why he had summoned them, but Numair lifted a slender finger to his lips and she held her question. Then Jonathan said in a hushed voice, "I assume that you both are wondering why you are here."

"Yes, You're Majesty, please tell us what's wrong. I know that it's something serious," Daine said.

King Jonathan looked up at the ceiling and said quietly, "Kalasin is gone."