A/N: If everyone who had this story on alert, or even favourite, would review, I would be a very happy camper. But I actually have over hundred reviews now. /squeels. Ehem. So, yeah. Thanks so much guys. You're awesome. And, see, poof that the amount of reviews do affect the rate at which I update; chapter 10 is up within less than a month... I think. Anyway. Here it is. Please don't hate Nummy to much, kay? And please, please, please review

Chapter 10: Jester

I shifted around for a long time, trying to find a comfortable position, or rather, a position that wouldn't bring tears of pain to my eyes as my sore muscles scraped against the hard ground. The hunger gnawing at my stomach made it hard to keep my eyes closed, and body relaxed, and I knew we would have to find something to eat soon. But for now… well, for now we would have to just have to sleep and hope that when we woke our powers would be restored enough to actually do something.

I closed my eyes, breathing meditatively. We would get through this, I assured myself. We had to.

Slowly, I started drifting off to sleep.

And then the birds started singing.

I groaned, rolling over, only to wince and roll right back when my sore muscles protested violently.

"Daine can you please make them shut up?" I demanded through my teeth. When she didn't answer, I opened my eyes. Her long lashed lids were closed, and she lay, curled up on her side, her smoky brown curls fanning out in a halo around her head, her breathing deep and even. I sighed softly as I watched her. She looked so peaceful—a rare thing to see on her pretty face. At least one of us would get rested, I thought, rising gingerly to my feet. Might as well go exploring then.

The forest surrounding the small clearing where Daine and I had landed was all coniferous. The small needles pricked my bare feet as I wove among the trees, not really sure what I was looking for. Here among the thicket the bird song was barely audible, and only a few rays of the early morning light shone through the canopy.

I wandered aimlessly for a while, my pace slowed drastically by my hunger and exhaustion. Perhaps if I had not been half asleep on my feet I would have noticed the scent of smoke that hung in the air, or even have seen the soft glow of embers and the bodies that littered the clearing ahead. As it was, I stumbled right into the midst of a camp.

I froze, glancing around to see if anyone had noticed me. They were all steadily asleep, an even rumble of snoring reaching my ears. But there were more than just sleeping forms on the ground, I realized. Scattered around them were richly woven blankets, half-empty bottles of grape wine, bits of meat and rice, and leather bags that that clinked suspiciously when I accidentally stepped on one.

And, in the far corner of the camp, gagged and bound to a tree, sat a young woman. This wasn't just any camp I had wandered into, I realized. It was a bandit camp.

I had already started across the ground to her, when I realized that there was nothing I could do. I stopped, looking at her more closely. She was dressed in a stained and tattered dress that was vaguely recognizable as green, and only barely managed to cover her chest. Her head was hanging low, obscuring her face, making it a bit harder for me to judge, though it didn't look like she was wounded, other than a few shallow bruises and cuts. She was essentially better off than I was. Besides, if the bandits woke, we would most likely be dead. Without my gift—not to mention food, clothing and weapons—I was helpless. There was no way I would be able to take down four armed bandits.

But I was not going to let them get away with kidnapping a woman, certainly not when I considered the things they could do to her; thing that wouldn't necessarily leave visible wounds.

I snuck my way silently out of the camp, managing not to step on anything this time. Once I was back in the forest I heaved a sigh of relief. Now, where had I come from? I glance around. Everything seemed to look the same. I stifled a groan. I had been half-asleep when I had stumbled into the camp; there was no way I was ever going to be able to find my way back before the bandits woke up. Unless…

A small bird—one of the ones that had disrupted my sleep, I was sure—hopped along the ground, pecking at seeds and worms.

"Hello there winged friend," I called. Wasn't that what Daine called them? The little bird didn't even look up until I stepped closer. Then it's small head popped up, and it hopped away, looking at me suspiciously.

"I won't hurt you, little friend. It's alright." I took a step closer, but the bird leaped into the air. "No! Wait! Little birdie, I just need you to show me where Daine is!"

The bird was already gone, it's little wings flapping furiously as it rose toward the sky.

"Thanks ever so for your help," I grumbled, leaning up against a nearby tree, and rubbing a hand across my face. It was unbelievable. I had managed to get lost in a forest, and I couldn't find Daine. I would have to make a focus over her so we wouldn't get separated for real. I was bound to find her sooner or later. I couldn't have wandered too far off. I hoped.

Sinking to the ground, I rested my head against my knees, at loss for what to do next. On one hand, I knew I had to find Daine, preferably before she woke up, but I was afraid I would just get us even more separated. On the other hand, I didn't want to walk too far away from the bandit camp in case we couldn't find it again.

If only I wasn't drained, things would be so much easier. Did I ever truly appreciate how much I relied on my gift when I wasn't drained? Probably not. I had grown up all my life around mages. Even my father had had a very small gift. Then, after the Salmalíns adopted me, I had got used to everyone in my family having extremely powerful gifts.

Just thinking about them again brought me back to the situation at hand. Daine and I had it bad, but what about the Salmalíns? Were they still alive, or had Ozorne really arrested them all? It was hard to imagine. The Salmalíns were one of the most powerful noble families in Carthak. Arresting them would likely upset the other nobles, for if a family of powerful mages was not safe, who was? It could possibly result in a rebellion, but since when had something like that ever stopped Ozorne? He got what he wanted, whether by force or not. And I knew Fabian would never have given the scrolls up without a fight. He knew what damage they could cause in the wrong hands.

I suddenly felt like a coward of leaving him to deal with the Emperor on his own. I, being a black robe and the most powerful mage in the family, might actually had been able to defeat the Royal Guard if I had stayed to fight. But I had run away to hide like the coward I was.

I rested my head in my hands, dejected. If Ozorne did get a hold of the scrolls and managed to destroy the barrier, not only would Carthak, but likely the whole word would be thrown into chaos.

And it would all be my fault. Because I was a cheating scoundrel. Because I was a coward.

A single tear managed to squeeze between my eyelids and roll down my cheek before I could catch it.

"Err, Numair? Are you alright?"

My head snapped up to see Daine, still completely naked, staring down at me with a worried expression. I fumbled in my haste to scrambled to my feet and avert my eyes, though she hardly seemed bothered by her lack of clothing.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just, um, got lost," I mumbled, feeling heat rise to my cheeks. Daine tilted her head in curiosity.

"I see."

"How did you find me?" I finally asked. It hadn't seemed to take her long, I thought, as though she had known where to look. She patted her shoulder where a tiny bird was perched.

"This little one said that you were looking for me," she said, smiling fondly at it.

"Ah. Well, thank you, winged friend," I said, somewhat awkwardly. The bird chirped then rose into the air.

"So, any particular reason why you went wandering in the woods on your own?" she asked, hands resting on her hips as she gave me a rather reprimanding look.

"I couldn't sleep," I said sheepishly, glancing at her from under my lashes.

"Ah."

"And I did find something rather… interesting," I recalled.

"Really?"

"Yes. A bandit camp. They have food and clothing. And they've kidnapped a woman. So I was thinking maybe you could, you know…" I trailed off, not really sure what I wanted her to do. We were both drained, but she at least still seemed to be able to talk with the animals.

"You thought what? That I could just get some of the animals to go in and kill the off bandits?"

The coldness in her voice surprised me. Had I offended her by suggesting that her animal friends should do her bidding? Or was it that the situation reminded her of the experience with the bandits who had killed her family?

"Well, I was thinking that you could just asked them to maybe take some things for us, and free the woman."

"Oh. Well that might work." The chill was mostly gone from her voice now. "We could certainly use the supplies."

I nodded. "Are there any squirrels in this forest? Or mice?"

She nodded, a speculative look on her face. "Yes. I'll ask them," she said, walking across to the tree I had been sitting under earlier, and slid to the base, sitting tailor style and closing her eyes.

For a long time nothing happened. I sat down across from her, waiting. It was all that I could do not to fall asleep. Here, in the thicket the birds weren't quite as loud, and even if they had been I doubted it would have made a difference. My eyelids drooped, and my breathing came low and even as I slowly faded to unconsciousness.

Then the screaming began.

I sat bolt upright, looking around disoriented. Daine was upright now, too, cursing violently.

"What's going on?" I demanded.

"They woke up. The stupid girl started screaming when the mice tried to free her." She swore vigourously. "The wolves are going in."

"What?

"The wolves," she said, pacing back and forth in frustration. "I'm drained. I can't use my will to hold them back. They want to fight the bandits."

"What's wrong with that?" I asked, baffled.

Daine glared at me. "They could get hurt, killed even."

I decided to keep my mouth shut.

"I have to do something… I'll go in and fight with them." She started off in the direction of the bandit camp, but I lunged and grabbed her hand.

"No! Daine, you can't do anything. You're drained."

"You think I don't know that?" the frost was back in her voice. "I will not leave them to die."

"Daine, please. Just wait. They'll get out on their own."

She wrenched her arm out of my grip and marched off. I was running just behind her, ready to keep her from doing anything stupid, and I nearly ran right into her when she stopped suddenly.

"They're running," she said, shock written all over her face.

"What?"

"The bandits. They're running instead of fighting."

I heaved a sigh of relief. "And the girl?"

Daine closed her eyes in concentration for a moment. When she opened them again, she said, "She ran, too. Fool girl."

I sagged back against a nearby tree, closing my eyes and sending a silent thanks to the Goddess.

"You coming?" Daine called, still headed for the camp.

"Coming where? What are you doing?"

She rolled her eyes at me. "Getting supplies. We've a whole camp at our disposal now."

I straightened with a groan. What I wouldn't do just to have a good nights sleep. "Alright. Let's make it quick. Never know if the bandits decide to come back."

She nodded, and started off again.

The bandit camp looked the exact same as the first time I had seen it. Except for, of course, it was empty. Daine was already scurrying about, thanking her small animal friends and gathering bags with food and whatever else she could find. I forced my tired legs to move, collecting the beautiful blankets, and draping them across my shoulder.

"Let's go," I said, heading away as quickly as possible. My heart was still hammering from our near-encounter earlier, and I was quite eager to get away from, well, the whole forest in general.

"One sec."

I glance back to see Daine pulling on a pair of leather breaches and a tunic, then sighed and decided I might as well do the same.

Finally, we were ready to move again, and I had to admit, it was nice to be fully clothed again.

We travelled quickly through the forest, Daine leading the way this time, which was probably better. I was asleep on my feet. We wandered for a good couple of hours, I guessed, though it could have been longer. I couldn't quite be bothered to care where we were headed, as long it was somewhere I could finally sleep. For some reason, Daine didn't seem nearly as bothered by our lack of sleep as I was. Perhaps the few hours she had got while I was lost in the forest was keeping her going now. Whatever it was, I could only follow her as she walked.

"Daine. Can we please stop? Just for a few minutes?" I finally asked, when I felt my legs starting to give out.

"But we're almost there," she protested, turning back to look at me.

"Almost where?" I asked groggily. Had I missed some part of our conversation?

"There's a village a little farther ahead. If we can reach it I'm sure they'll be an inn or something where we can stay."

"A village? How do you know?"

She sent me a smug grin. "This little guy," she said, bending down and picking something up. She raised her hands to my face, and nestled in the palm of her hand sat a little field mouse.

"Ah," I said. I couldn't quite be bothered to be surprised. "How much longer will it take?"

"Not long," she said. We kept walking.

Finally, the trees ended, and a small gravel path appeared, winding it's way around a field of corn, and ending at the entrance of what definitely looked like a village. I heaved a sigh of relief. If there was a bed waiting for me somewhere in there, I could keep walking.

As we followed the path the sounds and smell of a market reached us; the yelling of vendors, braying of animals, screaming children, sweat, dung, filth; all a part of the daily life in a village. And as we neared the houses and crowds of people, I suddenly realized something. Just because we had made it to Tortall didn't mean we were safe.

"Daine, we need a story."

"A story?" she repeated.

I nodded. "We can't go in there as Numair Salmalín and Varalidaine Sarrasri. Word would eventually reach Ozorne."

She frowned, biting her lower lip. "Alright. I'm now Sarra… Cooper," she said.

"And I'll be Arram Cooper. We are newly weds."

Her frowned deepened, and for a moment I thought she was going to protest, but then she nodded, and started forward again. People stared at us as we walked through the crowds. We were bloody and bruised, and the fact that Daine was dressed in breeches and tunic instead of skirts probably didn't help matters much.

Daine's little mouse friend seemed to know the village well. He wove easily through the streets, finally stopping in front of an inn.

"Thank you," I heard Daine tell him, before he scurried off.

I walked in first, ordering a room with two meals and a hot bath from the woman at the front desk. A steady guilt started gnawing at my conscience as I handed her some of the coins we had taken from the bandit camp, but I really had no other choice. It was my conscience or my health; if I didn't get food and rest soon I was sure to go insane.

We got the key to the room, and made our way upstairs. Ours was the second to last from the end. I open the door, and walked in, taking in the surroundings; white washed walls, a dresser with a mirror, a table with two chairs, a tiny washroom with a tub of steaming water, a night stand… ah, and there was what I had been searching for; the bed. I collapsed onto the violet sheets with a sigh. Before I could even be bothered to think about bathing or eating I was fast asleep.

It wasn't till the next morning I woke again. Daine lay curled up on the floor with a blanket at her feet, I noted guiltily. Her dark hair looked a fair bit cleaner than it had the day before, so I assumed that the hot water I had ordered hadn't gone to waste. She was, however, still dressed in the dirty breeches and tunic. We would have to buy something else for her at the market today, I decided.

Groaning, I stretched my arms above my head. My arms were still sore, but no longer to the point where movement was nearly impossible. A long, hot soak would do me a world of good. So, I ordered another bath, and breakfast for myself, and Daine, when she woke.

We were going to have to find a way to earn some money, I thought as I guiltily handed some of the stolen coins to the clerk at the front desk. Not only did I feel horrible about using money that I hadn't earned, but we were running out. But for now, we were just going to have to make do with what we had.

My bath came, and I got into the tub, washing and soaking in the water until it cooled. When I got up, Daine was awake and picking at the tray of yoghurt and fruit.

"Morning," I said, towel drying my hair, and trying it in it's usual horse tail behind my head.

"Good morning," she replied. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, thank you."

"Good," she said, peeling a grapefruit.

"I was thinking we could head into the market today; get some clothes and food and such."

She nodded. "Sounds good."

"We need to get some more money, somehow. We're almost out," I informed her, grabbing and apple and tossing it lightly from one hand to the other. "We have enough for one more night here, then we're going to have to figure something else out." I took a pear in my other hand, juggling the two easily while I thought.

"Hey, you're pretty good," Daine commented.

"Hmm?"

She gestured toward my hands. "You juggle."

"Oh," I said, smiling. "Yeah. When I was younger, my friends and I would play with hack sacks. Juggling kind of became a part of it. I used to be quite good, but I'm out of practice. Pace me another apple will you?"

She tossed me the requested fruit. I juggled them a few rounds before I dropped the pear.

Daine giggled. "Can I try?"

"Sure." I passed her the two apples. "Just start with two."

She tossed first apple, then the other, catching them clumsily before trying over again.

"Not bad."

She laughed a full-bodied sound filled of happiness. "You're better," she said, tossing all three of the fruits back to me. I started juggling again, managing to keep them all in the air this time.

"Catch!" She tossed me her half peeled grapefruit.

"Eww, it's sticky," I said, the juice covering my fingers.

She laughed again. "If we could just get you on stilts and light fire to those fruits I'm sure people would pay to watch you perform."

I snorted. "Yeah right."

"No really! You keep practising and I'm sure you'd be good enough to pass for a street performer."

I snatched the four fruits out the air, sending her a speculative look. "You know, that's not a bad idea."

"Of course it isn't."

"I mean, Ozorne would never guess that the black robe mage he's chasing would become a juggler."

She nodded. "Alright. It's settled then."

And so it was.

"Daine, this is ridiculous," I said, four hours later. We had gone to the market and spent the most of our money on a new dress for Daine, and a red and yellow jester costume for me. I wore a pointed hat and shoes with little bells attached. And in my hands rested five cloth balls. "No ones going to pay money to watch me juggle. Especially when I drop them."

"You're not going to drop them," Daine said, a patronizing look on her face. "And when you light those balls on fire, people are most definitely going to pay money to watch you."

Yes, there was the part about the fire, too. Not real fire, of course. We weren't that desperate—yet. My gift was somewhat restored now, though, and when I surrounded the balls with it, they would appear to be going up in flames. Black flames, none the less, but that would just add to the whole show… or that was the idea, anyway.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Daine demanded.

I heaved a sigh. Gods, this was going to be humiliating.

"Here goes nothing." I tossed the balls into the air and one by one they spontaneously combusted as I juggled them.

At first, people just watched and pointed at me while they walked by, and I was sure we were never going to get any money. But to my surprise, a very small crowd started to gather. They oohed and awed as they watched, and I felt my confidence grow just a tad.

"Just drop a coin in the hat if you want Num—er, Arram, to keep juggling," Daine said, reaching up to pluck the red and yellow striped hat off my head, and passed it around the tiny group of spectators. Some seemed a bit hesitant to give up their money, but to my surprise, there were a few who offered their change.

"Do somefin' great!" a little boy called. Then another voice called, "Yeah, somfin' real great!

I swallowed nervously, and jumped on one foot, and the crowd laughed and cheered. Out the corner of my eyes I saw Daine give me a nod of approval.

"Whoopee," I called trying to keep my smile from looking too false as I jumped onto the other foot. I was so focused on keeping the balls in air that I didn't even notice the man shoving his way through the crowd, until he was right in my face.

"Ye call that great?" he yelled mockingly.

I was so shocked that I lost my concentration for a second. But it was a second long enough for me to drop one of the balls. I swallowed hard, and tried to keep the others in the air. But the man wasn't done yet.

"Black fire—" he spat on the ground by my feet. "That's a magic trick I tell you." He shoved me hard and I stumbled back ward, dropping all the balls. The fire immediately went out. "See? He's a fake!"

"Hey! Get out of here!" Daine yelled, marching up to him.

"Who are you suppose to be? His little whore?"

Daine actually growled, but she didn't move. "Get out of here."

The man spat again, but walked away. As soon as did, the crowd left too. They seemed disappointed that a we hadn't started a fight.

I sat down on the dirty ground, resting my head against my knees, frustrated and angry. A small hand landed on my shoulder, and I looked up into Daine's soft blue-grey eyes.

"Hey. Don't mind him. You were great."

I looked away, but Daine's fingertips found my chin and tilted it up until I was forced to meet her eyes again. She looked at me for a while, then smiled sadly.

"Come on. Let's go back to the inn." She picked up the five balls, and then we started back to our room.

The sun had started to set by the time we got back. Daine seemed exhausted, and, after we had eaten a meal of beef stew, she headed to bed. I was still too riled for sleep, so I headed down stairs.

The inn was busy that night. The many tables scattered throughout the room were all filled up, and on the stage a man was playing some string instrument and singing a cheery song. A few people were even dancing about the room. But I was not in the mood for dancing tonight. Instead, I headed for the bar, and found myself a stool between two drunken men.

I groaned, leaning my head against the table. How had things gone so wrong? How had I ended up a cheap street performer in a tiny Tortallan village? What were we going to do now? I groaned again, banging my head against the wooden surface.

"Can I get you somefin' lad?" I looked up into the fat bar tender's face. "Wine? Ale?"

I shook my head, about to tell him no, but then I changed my mind. Why not have a drink? Just one to keep my mind off, well, life.

"Something stronger," I told him instead.

He nodded, and poured me a shot of brandy. I downed it in one gulp, gasping as it burned its way down my throat. Before I could protest, he had poured me another shot. Ah well, what's one more? I downed it, my eyes watering madly, and waited for him to pour me another.

A/N: Yep, that's it. Once again, thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter: xXBeetle Of DestinyXx, sapph89, Cygnet Shearwater, miss quirky bookworm, SkyeVerya, The Wineglass, LawisJustice, sapphiiregal, Victoria Taylor, confuzzled lil phoenix, emma4903, Flyer without Wings, Ozymandyas, Panda Slippers, ImmortalLover, purple smurfs r real, totaltheTERRIER, Navigator101. You guys are amazing beyond words.