"Wrong place to...

He had eaten by himself after she had gone and with his brain deeply enveloped around the things Daine's friend had said – it slowly struck him, hearing her exact words resounding in his ears as if she yet again stood beside him. 'Someone saw you taking her under dress of her last night in her room'. Mithros! He almost overturned the bench he had been sitting on in his hurry to stand. Gripping the empty bowl, he quickly trudged over to where the a page stood. Placing the empty bowl on top of the tall stack of empty dishes – Numair cursed low when he saw long, braided hair dancing along the rhythm of a woman's movement.

"Numair?" someone called and the page, that held the stack of empty bowls in front of him glanced both startled and frightened over the identification of the infamous mage. "Numair?" the woman called again and he ducked behind Sarge, who had come over to where he stood.

The large man crooked an eyebrow in question as the page squeaked with horror.

"Numair – I know that you are in here – I just want to talk to you" the woman called again as Sarge turned front against the blond haired lady wearing a scarlet red dress. He only ducked again behind the frame of Sarge.

Luckily the sergeant chose the next moment to roar an order to the riders-to-be or new recruits that had dined in the eating area. Everywhere both young men and women tumbled to their feet to obey and in their hasten to be out Sarge mumbled back to where Numair was standing behind the large man. "You -" he said low with his head turned slightly back towards Numair "owe me" and with that the large black man, who had been a former slave from Carthak pushed himself front and 'accidentally' stumbled into the woman with braided hair. "Oh – pardon me my lady. I didn't see you at all".

That gave Numair the chance to get away. He hurried out through a side-door almost pushing the page from before into the door. "So sorry" he said as he helped the boy to regain his balance. Looking down into the eyes of the boy, green-brownish ones that stared at him – he said "I'm not here" using the only thing he had sworn never to use. "You have never seen me" and with his manipulation of the boy's mind done Numair turned to run.

He cursed low over his lack of courage and his own choices of life. If he hadn't regretted his solvable acquaintances before – he certainly did now. Taking another route from the eating hall he entered the open area and took a step into what was the inner courtyard of the palace. Scanning his surroundings, finding them without the presence of his stalker.

Taking the fifteenth step over the cobblestone of the inner courtyard he flinched over the one voice he didn't wanted to hear. Turning his head – he sighed loudly. How did she know where he was? Increasing his pace he walked with hurry over to where Onua stood along Alanna. The two of them seemed to be chattering loudly until they saw his pleading face.

"Why in the name of Mithros do you look like that?" Alanna asked looking up at him as he turned to see how far away the woman, which name was like a flower.

"I'm trying to flee" he told them and once again tried to hide behind a bush. "I'm hiding from her" with a head threw he turned their concerned expression over to where Lily stood scouting around her. "Please – don't tell her where I am".

Ouna only smiled and leaned over the bush. Looking down on his small frame "Why didn't you just use an invisible spell?" she asked as Alanna was laughing hard on the other side.

Stupidity – he thought – shaking his head over his own stupidity. Lily was that kind of woman that didn't take a no for an answer and he had after two attempts tried to explain to her that the only thing he had wanted was mere sex or as Daine would put it – he had only canoodled with her for fun and what had it gained him? A stalker. Hiding himself under the spell he whispered to Onua. "Try to distract her for as long as possible" he said and rose. Standing under his cloak of invisibility he could clearly that she had spotted the two women – his friends.

Coming towards them Numair spook "Just tell her anything – something that could send her somewhere she hadn't been". He turned and was gone.

After some time he let himself become visible yet again as he thought himself safe from Lily and underneath the crowns of the trees – he felt free and safe. A feeling he had come to relay on and appreciate inside the other world – a world that was one with his student and it was a feeling he associated only with her.

Walking inside his own thoughts in seek of the forest lake – he didn't hear at somewhere behind him a female voice was calling him. Not the voice he had expected. When he finally picked up the pitch of it he recognized it as belonging to – Lily. Picking up his pace, he almost ran through the royal forest pushing himself through thorn bushes getting scratches and small wounds all over his arms that wasn't covered by his sleeves. As the month of may, it was warmer then usual and he has only clothed himself in light fabric; a soft cotton white shirt and brown trousers.

The call came again and his name was used. Numair rushed through the last bush that stood between him and the lake – and bumped into someone who was standing – or someone who had stood. Without thinking he managed to place his hand against naked skin on the back of the falling person. Drawing whoever it was towards him during the fall he shifted his body that it wouldn't crush it underneath him. Not able to see anything, his vision taken away by some fabric he landed not as planned – even though he had tried to prevent himself from landing on the person – which clearly was female, he hadn't succeeded. When their two bodies hit the hard ground he could heard that his pursuer hadn't giving up finding him, but she was luckily going in the wrong direction.

In the process of lifting himself up with his strong arms someone grabbed the fabric that covered his face, removing it so he could look down in to – Daine's startled expression. She was about to open her mouth to say something to him when his stalker had returned – calling his name.

"Numair?" Lily called before she continued "They told me that you went this way".

He cursed low – 'they' could only mean Alanna and Onua – below him he found that Daine was frowning, but her expression had softened only to be transformed into a low growl. She had recognized the woman's voice and he knew that she didn't approve of his sporadic relationships.

The woman was approaching faster.

"So -" his student asked underneath him "aren't you going to greet her?"

He looked into her blue-gray eyes and for the first time in his life, he saw real jealousy lingering in them. About to tell her that she had noting to be jealous about she shifted under him and with his head lifted further up he looked down to where their bodies was pressed together. His breath was caught in his throat as two small delicate breasts showing bulging nipples rose and fall as she filled her lungs and emptied them. "You are naked" he whispered low still looking down, not wanting to draw attention to them as Lily still searched for him.

A hand touched his cheek. "Of cause I am – I took a swim with all my clothes on after that talk with Miri..." her voice drowned in the voice from Lily "I was in the middle of taking it of when you came attacking me".

"I didn't attack you" he hissed suddenly loud – only to quickly spell himself and her so they became invisible.

"Numair?" Lily called again and was coming towards them through the bushes.

He felt how Daine lifted her face and with a low voice she asked. "I thought you two was..."

Numair shook his head as he quickly placed a hand over her mouth – to silence her as Lily now was standing a few feet from them, looking over where to bodies was suppose to be, but wasn't. He lowered his head so his lips lay beside her ear. "I actually told you yesterday that I'm in love with someone else" he whispered. His lips touched the warm skin of her ears as she turned her head towards him – smiling.

"You never told me that" she whispered equally back. "Why haven't you told her that?" she asked him giving a little head roll towards Lily who was moving away.

He narrowed his eyes over the question. "I did" he told her – now noticing that the body underneath him was soaking his clothes. She had indeed been in the water that was not far away – even her hair was wet.

"Then why is she still on your trail?" Daine asked with a strained voice moving herself underneath him. In one swift movement she pulled up her legs to settle them around the hips of his. "Ahh – that was better" she sighed with a smiling relief playing upon her lips.

Shocked over her movements and the way she lay – he gasped over the feeling of her abdomen being pressed up against his. "Daine – what on earth are you doing?" he was choking – he couldn't be unaffected by this closeness between them, as the male he was and her state of nakedness – he felt himself harden against his trousers.

A while away from them Lily called after Numair. She was beginning to circle around the shore of the lake. "You are quite heavy" Daine told him as he lifted himself up on his elbows and looked down at her. "And as it is – the whole palace already thinks that you are canoodling with me".

She wore a stubborn glimpse in her eyes and Numair sighed – half in anointment over the fact and half over the pleasure he was feeling from the pelvic that was pressed up to him. If the situation was different he could – he suddenly shook his head – no he couldn't! "So that was what your friend Miri talked about" it came from him instead "but we haven't". That seemed to shock her and he was equally shocked over the fact that Daine was surprised. "Why do you look at me like that?" he whispered as uncertainty spread in her face. 'Gosh she's beautiful' he thought and suppressed the urge to lean down and kiss her right here and now.

"You didn't?" she muttered low.

"Did what?" he said shifting his body a little as Lily came back. He thanked the gods that he had used a spell where the ones voices involved couldn't be heard. What that sadness he detected in her eyes and a tear lingering at the edge of her right cheek.

"Canoodle?"

'Oh no' he thought as he realized the consequences of Miri words. Underneath him lay a – what seemed to be – a disappointed young woman. He hesitated before he asked in a low, but uncontrolled husky voice. "You thought that we..." he found that he couldn't speak the words, as if they were hurting him, which by the way was exactly what they did. He wanted her – yes, but not as any other women he had lain with. She was more valuable, more precious then any other he had ever met. She turned her head away as the silence almost filled the air around them – the sounds of a flower-woman could still be heard. Suddenly all self-control left him and he spoke hoarsely.

"Magelet – look at me" he said and she did because of his deepness of his voice.

With her head turned she looked up into his dark eyes and with that he couldn't restrain himself anymore. She lay underneath him and if he wanted he could have complete access to her body in her state of nakedness. "This is something that I wouldn't normally do – but I'm going to do it anyway" and with his words leaving him – he caught her lips in one swift movement with his own and kissed her passionately. Luscious hotness filled him and as the kiss became deeper he could feel the effect the roll of her hips had on him. With hasten hands his belt was unbuckled and his trousers was pushed down over his hips as he maneuvered himself into place.

Someone pocked at his shoulder, taking his concentration from him - Numair frowned – who dared to disturb at this moment. He hadn't uncloaked himself or her for the matter so nobody couldn't see them, but still he could hear someone other then Daine near him.


"Have you ever seen a black robe mage asleep in the eating area?" a female voice asked and he was pocked again.

"Absolutely not" replied another female. "It must have been some night last night – whoever the woman was she could consider herself lucky" she said with amusement in her voice.

"Should we wake him?" the question was muffled.

"No – let him sleep – but maybe we should remove the porridge before his head hits it, though I think that he are going to be bloody annoyed that his hair is filled with it already".

A laugh "Maybe he will use it to find a new way to make those luxurious cremes he uses in his hair?" The sound of Onua's voice filled his mind.

"Maybe"

Silence.

There was a low sound. "There. Now he can crash down onto the table whenever he needs – any idea where Daine is? I need her to check a gelding".

It sounded like someone shook her head. "I thought that I saw her running into the forest. Check her room later Onua, she'll be there".

"You are right" There was some silence again as the horse mistress leaned over Numair to look down at him. "What do you think he's dreaming about?" she asked studying the smiling face on the man sleeping soundly.

Alanna shrugged "My best guess – some tall blond woman with big -" she shaped her hands and lifted them up in front of herself at the level of her on breasts.

"I think that you are right" the K'miri said laughing. "Let's find Sarge".

...be dreaming!"