A/N: A long chapter for my dear readers! If you havn't noticed it yet, the first ten chapters has been edited and are now containing more details. So if you haven't read them yet, please do so! And as always, when you have read this chapter I'm hoping you will review it as always :-) Happy Easter!

Chapter 44Something taken,something returned

With simply dirty wrinkled toes an old shabby crone walked across the carpeted floor, towards the young woman who was deeply sleeping covered in winter blankets on a bed that wasn't hers. Standing guard over the sleeping figure, a bony hand reached out and was gently placed, very tenderly against the woman's lower abdomen. A quite contentedly sigh escaped the Goddess confirming that her efforts had borne fruit. That the sleeping woman didn't yet knew that her life forever was changed didn't matter. The future was sealed.

The goddess heard how the men in the room next door had finished their conversation and she hurried to move the bony hand from the stomach and up to Daine's slightly furrowed brow. "Something taken, my dear, is necessary for something returned". A soft gleam of copper-colored flames jumped from the Goddess fingertips and was quickly absorbed into the Daine's skin. Copper spread like spider web shining over Daine's bare skin, to cover her entire body. "Only the necessary remains" The Graveyard Hag whispered. A door was closed in Numair's study. "You can heal and communicate, but transform ... that part I keep a little longer." The crone caressingly stroked a bony hand over Daine's cheek.

The door to the bedchamber was opened.

Numair stepped over the threshold just as the Goddess tinted away. In the room only soft sound of a sleeping person were heard coming from a woman who moved underneath the heavy blankets. He walked slowly over to the bed and stood like a statue, staring reflective down on the young woman. His former student. He weighed the light black stone in his open palm hesitant for several minutes before he leaned towards her and with a small discharge of magic produced a drop of silver that established itself on the black opal.

Numair left hand search down to the chain already containing a badger claw and a jewelry spelled against pregnancy. With fingers only a few millimeters from the previous mentioned, Numair linked the black opal in the chain and murmured a few words in old Thak.

The necessary protective spell and only a small drop of his gift was slowly swallowed by the black stone. During the work Numair considered heavily if he should use those last three hours to creep down to Daine and enjoy the little time they had together or he should just prepare for his departure. The decision was easy. He knew that if he lay down to her now, he would never let go of her again.

Struggling with the thoughts that he was going to leave her when he finally had got her his spells became finished. Daine would now be protected from most known poisons and with the little drop of his gift she had now unlimited access to his chambers.

Standing over her he remembered the other two gifts he had still lying in his desk. Numair turned abruptly and with the decision taken, rushed to his desk, forcing the drawer up and taking the gift. He tore the wrapping paper away. In the small box was the ring that formed pair with the earrings he had given her to midwinter. The emerald blue stone was surrounded by white small diamonds. He turned it a few times to be sure of his decision, but he found that it was easy.

Back at the bed he lifted slowly her left ringfinger and sliding the ring on it looked like she had been engaged. He wouldn't wake her, she would discover it sooner or later and he hoped fervently that it would alleviate her sorrow over his departure.

With a light and gently kiss on her pale lips he said goodby to her. "I can't be with you" he whispered very low. "I only hope you will forgive me for leaving you," he hesitated a bit "Veralidaine Sarrasri ... I love you". With these last words said, he started to pack. He threw fleeting glances towards the bed every time, passed on in his search for certain things and every time he was happy to find that she didn't wake up. He would have an extraordinarily explaining to do if she woke up, but he was lucky and after three hours he was ready. With a last affectionate glance at the sleeping woman he left his bedroom and his work room, knowing that he probably wouldn't return anytime soon.


It rattled in the hay. Small mice in search of grain was darting back and forth across the wooden floor. One were brave and curious enough to approach the sleeping big man who was sleeping on top of a huge pile of hay. This mouse, which was always the one to check things were warned several times by its family as it slowly and with pivoting nose crept toward the light snoring figure. Horse manure, hay and straw struck against its little nose and made it even more curious about what kind of creature had taken up residence on the floor. When it finally came to the long blond light hair with incipient gray, there was a sort of welcome whinny from a black and white horse down below. The sound traveled up to the man from the hole where the ladder was.

The closed eyelids covering the pale blue eyes opened with a start. The face, which in his youth had been ruddy was still and although the body had assumed a more well fed condition he lay calm with a round belly that stuck up from the floor like a mountain. Stefan Groomsman a lightning fast man when he had to move. Back then when Alanna had been a page he had kept carrier pigeons to get messages quickly to Gerorge Cooper, Alanna's husband, who had been the Rogue in that time. George had been the man who had trained Stefan in the art of being almost noiseless. It was because of the association that Stefan always responded as he did when the horses in the royal stables woke up from their sleep. The person, the horse downstairs had welcomed wasn't necessarily a sign that there no enemies were. He took the wooden stick up slowly. He had found it useful in recent years and had used it several times. Stefan crawled to the hatch in the floor. The mouse that had been so close to reaching its goal scurried away across the floor with the other mouse voices that told that it was a silly mouse to try something so foolhardy, only to be chased by a red and white cat.

Stefan reached the hatch in the floor just when a stormy foul language spread in the stables. Stefan could hear that the arrived was a man and that this was in close contact with one of the horses, Daine's pony. He had countless times frightened people with evil intentions away, who had tried to get near her pony and although he knew perfectly well that Cloud could defend herself, he as the head hostler had to enforce against those who tried to hurt any horse and teach them that their actions wasn't acceptable. Therefore, he was this night once again ready to defend the young woman who possessed unique and for other people, incomprehensible magical abilities. That Stefan himself held the copper-colored flames too, just like Daine, connected him to every horse in the stables. Due to his magi it made his job easier.

Another flood of curses reached Stefan's ear and with a light spring he landed on the floor beneath the hatch. He lashed out against the man standing near the stall containing a gray pony. His wood stick hit only air while Stefan lost his footing and he found himself hanging upside down.

"Frankly Stefan, I thought you had learned by now that you can't attack a black robe mage without either end up in the pigsty or get hurt" Numair said and leaned forward so his face was level with Stefan's. "What would you have done if it had been someone else?" He let small luminous balls float out in the stables and lit the room.

"Numair Salmalin! I should have known!" Stefan hissed and stared angrily at his former mentor. "What in Brian North Wind's name are you doing in the stables at this time?"

"King's business" Numair replied and waved gently his hand so Stefan turned 180 degrees in the air and was slowly lowered to the floor. "I had started to say goodbye to Cloud when she bit me" he continued, raising his arm where his sleeve was torn. He looked skeptical on the fabric and sighed. "Is it correct guessed that my magelet hasn't been near her pony for a long time?"

"That is correct assumed" Stefan said and started to correct on his clothes which had been misplaced during his stay in the air. "The girl hasn't been here since she came home from Cria with Onua and Elena" he pointed toward the gray mare standing with its backside facing the two men, ears flat laid down and scowling sent distrustful glances towards Numair "and it hasn't behaved very nicely". Just as Stefan completed his sentence the mare turned her head towards the head hostler and snorted, leaving large blobs of horse snot on his tunic.

Numair frowned. The mare wasn't only angry at him, but also Stefan.

Stefan raised his finger threatening. "If you don't soon behave properly I'll send you on summer fold alone". The mare snorted again in protest. "On the rearmost fold" Stefan added.

Cloud turned its backside to the men again and lifted its tail like an offended cat.

Stefan sighed and looked apologetically on Numair. "I apologize for the rudeness, but if not Daine soon comes down to it I intend to let it get to her." He stood and looked mournfully at the mare which clearly hung its head in sadness. He heard rustling in the stall next to Cloud's and saw that Numair had begun to saddle Spots. "King's business did you say? Tell me Numair have you been sent off on another spy case?"

"Something like that" Numair said absent and put the saddle his horse. He concentrated on getting ready.

"What about Daine? You just got back and everyone knows how miserably she had it in your absence" Stefan handed Numair the bags lying on the floor. The head hostler saw how Numair stiffened.

"She is not going. Not this time." The lanky mage replied and opened the cage to pull the gelding out.

Stefan made room and shook his head. He knew how the young woman's reaction would be and he wouldn't want to be Numair when he came back. The girl had temper. "Does she know that you're leaving?" he asked.

Numair shook his head vaguely. "No. Jonathan gave strict orders to leave her in the dark". The head hostler met Numair's mournful gaze. "I don't know when or if I ever come back" the tanned man said.

Hearing these words Stefan wrinkled his eyebrows surprised. "It sounds like a dangerous mission." He leaned against an empty stall and stared reflecting on the gray mare, still trying to ignore the two men's presence. "I could perhaps bring her a message without the king knowing it?"

Numair turned abruptly with the reins in his hands. He was wearing neutral traveling clothes and didn't look like someone who on a daily basis found himself among with nobility and royalty. He looked more like a merchant who was on his way through the country looking for new bargains. "Will you do that?" he asked hopefully.

Stefan nodded. "Yes, of course Numair. I'll give her a verbal message without it being traced back to me." He saw how Numair pinched his nose in thoughtfulness.

"Tell her I'm ... no ... tell her that she ... no, it won't do". Numair hesitated for a moment. He suddenly smiled. "Tell her that the comet that has traveled alone through space is no longer alone, but the moon will always accompany it even if the night sky is black".

He nodded and walked towards Numair grabbing his former mentor's arm. "Protect yourself Numair and may the four horses gods watch over your trip, wherever you're going. Don' worry about Daine. I'll hand over the message and keep an eye on her in secret. You can safely leave her to us." He saw how the tanned man nodded silently and smiled at Stefan.

"Thank you." With these words Tortall's most powerful mage turned and pulled the horse out into the courtyard where he forced himself into the saddle and the guards who kept watch from the palace walls saw the lone rider putting the horse in gallop.

Stefan, the head hostler climbed up the ladder again. He hoped only that he could get a little more sleep before the first bell rang.


The sounds. The sounds were the first who woke her from her sleep. She rolled around in the big bed, half expecting that she would hit the floor at any moment, but it didn't happen. With a half-open eye she noted that it wasn't her own room she slept in and the feeling of orbiting blankets against her bare skin surprised her even more than the worry about being in a completely different place than her own. She took a deep breath and her lungs were filled with the smell of dusty books, clean clothes and cinnamon. Numair! She sat dazed up in bed.

A deafening sound of animals beat against her normal hearing and her inner hearing. Daine beat abruptly her hands against her ears in an attempt to shut them out. Animal greeting her and their concern over her unnatural silence was overwhelming. Not even the pillows she so desperately held against her ear trying to keep the sound out helped.
How long she lay with her face and head pressed into the bed she didn't know, but slowly the sounds subsided as if all the animals agreed that it was hurting her. With the sounds only a faint background noise she forced the blankets off and swung her legs over the edge of the large double bed.

Numair's room was sparse with only the necessary things. She had been in his bedroom before, but it was always with an overwhelming feeling that she had stepped into his very most private. That she declaratory found herself completely naked in his bedroom was a mixed feeling. Surprise and delight mingled with feelings of joy and happiness. She looked at the closed door. "Numair?" she called loudly after finally having found that she was very alone in the big bed.

No answer. The only one who responded was a bird that sat in the middle of the courtyard. tTe servants who passed beneath threw inquiring glances up against the light bright green branches when a bird's voice called 'Num'ir'. The servants or rather, those who weren't troubled by holding things made instinctively the sign of evil.

Daine stood up and grabbed the black robe which was thrown over the back of a chair. She dressed and opened the door again calling. "Numair?"

Silence.

Empty. His study room was empty. With wrinkled brows she examined the room where he washed himself. Once again empty. Daine returned to Numair's bedroom crestfallen. She pulled the black robe of and took the white dress awkward on. The same dress she had worn the night before. It was impossible for her to reach the lace on the back of the dress and she therefore pulled her cloak on without tying the dress.
Then she went to the door that led out to the corridor. Along the way she checked a second time if he perhaps had left a message on his desk, but this was also empty. Only small round clean circles revealed that there had been laying round objects very recently. The dust was like a market line around each and every missing round thing.

Daine pressed her lips into a thin line. She had a scared feeling that something wasn't right. With the cloak pulled well together around the loose gown she opened the door without any problems and looked inquiring into the corridor. She didn't want to meet others in this kind of clothes and especially with her hair tousled telling everyone that she had been a part of the festivities. Just as she had turned and closed the door behind her she heard suddenly two giggling female voices, which rounded the corner further down the corridor.

"Heard from a guard who was on his way down to keep watch over the fire last night that he finally chose a woman" a woman exclaimed. She hooked one arm through the other woman's arm. A gesture which meant that the two were extremely confidential. "Furthermore, the guard told me that it wasn't only kisses they shared. The caressing should have been reasonably hot".

Daine turned hurriedly and wished that she could squeeze herself into the crack, which was between the door and door frame, but there wasn't time. The two women came closer.

"You're telling me that Numair jumped over the fire with a woman yesterday?" the other woman exclaimed shocked. "All women, including myself, have tried for years ..." the woman was silent.

"I', only telling what the guard told me" the first woman interrupted. "He said that he because of darkness couldn't see who it was, but the woman was wearing a white dress ..."

Daine turned exactly in that moment the women reached her. She had decided that it was too cowardly to try to hide. She was proud that Numair had chosen her. She lifted her chin stubbornly. "Good morning," was all she said, nodding politely to the women who stood frozen to the spot. She walked past them.

"Was that?" began one of the women and continued hesitantly. "Was that Numair's student?"

"Wearing a white dress" the other woman added.

Daine smiled broadly.

"Yes, it was. Did you see her hair ... tousled? And her dress was loose? Could it be that he..." the women's voices were lower the longer down of the corridor she came.

Daine reached the door to the inner courtyard and threw a searching glance back to the women. She knew the ongoing rumors about Numair and her would be intensified, but she didn't care. She needed to change clothes and to find him.


Wearing a light blue shirt with a pair of brown pants and boots she set out to look for Numair. She had chosen the most likely places he could be and so she came crashing in through the door to the library. Embarrassed she was shushed by the librarian, who had started to stack books on a cart. She went to the man and waited until he looked at her. "Sorry to disturb" she whispered low and glanced at the young men who was letting their gaze slide up and down her body.

The man looked at her while he absent lifted a large stack of books. "What can I do for you, Miss?" The man was old, closer to fifty with big bushy gray eyebrows, gray-blue eyes and a wrinkled face. His hair was grizzled and you could clearly see that he had had brown hair in his younger days.

"Have you seen Numair?" she asked.

The librarian starred, not lifting his gaze from Daine when one of the other men dropped a book on the floor. "Master Salmalin are not welcome in the library when I'm here," he replied sober.

This surprised Daine to such an extreme degree that she exclaimed. "He isn't that bad!" and crossed her arms. There was a giggling behind her.

The librarian sighed deeply. "You are his student, right?" She nodded half affirmative and in half denial, which caused her head to move around in small circles. The low giggle was even higher behind her. The man turned and sent the young men a warning glance. "Master Salmalin had unfortunately a tendency to experiment in the library when he arrived at court. It was before his majesty equipped him with a room that was remote from all so he couldn't make accidents. Which he did often and to such a degree that this" he gestured to his surrounding "nearly was blown up".

Daine looked around. It struck her suddenly that there were so many things about Numair's past she didn't knew despite the fact that she had been his student for several years and now his lover, or she hoped. She nodded slowly. "I see. Sorry I disturbed you master ...?" She had no idea what the older man was called.

"Master Farran, Miss Sarrasri" the librarian said. He bowed to her.

"Just call me Daine, my last name makes more trouble than good" she explained, smiling. She liked the older man. "Do you know where Harailt is? He may know where Numair is".

Master Farran nodded and took out a book. "He sits on the top floor at the end of the long corridor. Would you be so kind as to bring him this?"

She accepted the book. "Of course". As she turned her back to the boys she heard a low question from one of them.

"I wonder what he teaches her?"

A snort. "Probably not the same thing we learn, not with his reputation".

She turned abruptly and saw just in time how two books from the cart levitate over to the young men to fall down in their heads. Farran was facing them with an angry frown. She hid a smile behind her hand and hurried out the door. Behind her she clearly heard the librarian's scolding voice "If I ever hear you talk like that again I will in Mithros name ..." she heard no more as the door closed. Although it was the day after Baltane it didn't mean that the world stood still. The entire palace and their people worked as if nothing had happened. And the university was no exception. Here there was seen many nationalities and she was in one of the upper corridor when a bell rang. All the doors were opened at once and even though she knew that there were many classes with students who possessed differnt gifts she was overwhelmed by the crowd. These students wore as anyone who studied at the Royal University, robes showing what year they studied and at the bottom of these robes were sewn ribbons that revealed the color of each student gift.

Daine was standing in the corridor hesitantly. She watched the young women who was about her age and wondered whether if she hadn't been under Numair's teaching, if she would have been one of them.

As she stood in the corridor the surrounding people began to notice her presence. They no longer walked directly past her, but fled toward the opposite wall. Daine growled inside herself. Maybe it was a positive thing that she hadn't been forced to spend her time among them. She knew that enough of them had been jealous that she had received special teaching from the country's most powerful mage while she being an illegitimate child, was employed by the Queen's stable master. Slowly the sound of voices silenced around her and she was beginning to hear how comments like 'Freak' were thrown at her in their passing. Daine pressed the book against her chest, staring down at the floor, wishing that she was somewhere else. She felt left out. With the loss of her wild magic she could no longer describe herself as unique and it was long before she discovered that the corridor again were empty.

"Daine, what in The Goddess name are you doing here?" a voice said close to her. She lifted her face and looked directly into a round friendly face. "Have you been crying?"

She lifted a hand up to her cheeks surprised. Indeed, her cheeks were wet. "I...," she looked down at the book she was still clutching against her chest. "I think so".

Harailt straightened up. "Why are you standing here in the middle of the corridor?"

"I was coming up to you when ...I'm not used to be here" Her voice trailed off. Why did she feel tears rolling down her cheeks?

He patted her consolingly on the hair. Harailt was a man who had the same height as Numair and she was obliged to put her head back to look up at him. "Where is Numair?"

Daine dried heatedly her cheeks. "I don't know. I thought you might...?" She became silent when she saw Harailt shake his head.

"No. I haven't seen Numair since yesterday, where he was about to devastate the Great Hall. Gods must have protected the man who touched you..."

She stared at him in astonishment. "What?" she whispered.

Harailt stared down at her and regretted his words. "Nothing" he hastened to say. Blue-gray eyes still starred suspiciously at him. He cleared his throat. "Would you like to come up for a cup of tea? I teach only in the afternoon, so if you have time ...?".

"Of course," she replied, pushing herself away from the wall to follow him.

They reached the top floor and Harailt straightened two fingers against the fireplace, where a kettle hung on an iron bar. Fire broke up under the boiler and while Daine sat down the boiler started of sizzle. A cat came marching forward from under the desk. This was larger than normal. Harailt stood up when they heard a deafening hooting announcing that the water was hot. She looked investigative around in his study. It was like Numair's she noticed and laying the book on the desk in front of her, so the big red and white cat could jump up on her lap. Daine looked down and looked directly into bright green eyes. "You're magnificent!" Daine whispered while the cat put his paws on her chest and pushed his forehead against her chin in a greeting.

"He's called Emerald, because of his eyes" Harailt explained and poured a reddish tea up.

Daine scratched the cat under the chin, which blissfully closed its eyes. Her free hand took the cup with hot liquid that was handed to her. "Thank you," she murmured.

Harailt sat down in his chair behind the desk and blew carefully at the tea so that the fluid rippled. He looked at the young woman whose cheeks still bore traces of half glistening tear. Something had changed in her. She was no longer the little cautious girl who had come to the Palace and during Numair, Onua's and Alanna's protectionshe had blossomed. He saw how the cat walked around itself three times to lie down to sleep in her lap. Two hands slowly raised the steaming cup and put it against pale lips, while the long curls of brown hair fell around her female face. He lowered the cup slowly. "How is your Unicorn Fever?" he asked quietly, alluding to her problems.

She lifted her head with a jerk. "How?" She began, but quickly realized that the man was a close friend of Numair. She stared into the Harailt's eyes. She had had no problems since Numair had arrived at the palace with the many women released from Inar Hadensra's prison. "Good" she whispered hoarsely. Her eyes were looking down towards the liquid. "I haven't had any problems since Numair returned from wherever he was" she explained.

The Dean nodded contentedly. "So it is over?"

Daine nodded. "I think so".

"Have you talked to Numair?" Harailt asked suddenly and looked more searchingly at her. Was it his imagination or did she blushed heavily by his questions.

"Only yesterday" she replied. "Even if it was only briefly. I would like to talk to him, but I have no idea where he is." She admitted. There came a sound from the cat in her lap. Daine lifted the cup again and drank. The reddish tea was sweet and soothing. "I found that I didn't know him nearly as well as I thought" she murmured quietly.

Harailt lifted wondering his eyebrows and leaned forward. "What do you mean?"

She smiled wryly. "Did you know that he had nearly blown half of the library in the air?"

A laughter erupted through the room and got the cat in Daine's lab to lift his head dissatisfied. "Yes, I knew. I helped to extinguish the fire and protect the poor books and Numair for that matter. Farran had nearly killed the young Numair when the fire was extinguished. The librarian had trapped him in a corner without any possibility to escape. Numair tried in his own charming way to mitigate the furious man, but to no avail and when the librarian continued Numair had to resort to a more unconventional way to avoid being ripped to pieces. Farran has never forgiven Numair for sending him involuntarily to the pigsty ".

Daine nearly dropped the cup. "He did what?"

Harailt smiled. "Oh my dear girl. Yeah, there's a lot you don't know about Numair. Not even the king doesn't know everything about him. The man carries dark shadows of his past and he tends to disappear when he wants it sufficient enough".

"I hope he will soon show up, because I need to talk to him," she whispered down to the cat, who once again made a sound, staring hopefully up on Daine.

"Can you use me?" the Dean asked.

She shook her head. "No, this is something only Numair can help me with" she admitted, blushing deeply. She slowly noticed, for the first time, a ring on her left hand. "I just need to know where he is."

'Gone' was a soft and unknown voice.

She had looked closer at the ring. She didn't own such kind of jewelery, when she heard the voice. She lifted her head with a jerk. "What do you mean by 'gone'?" she asked Harailt.

The Dean appeared to be preoccupied with his own thoughts for a few minutes and didn't answer her.

"Master Harailt? What do you mean he is 'gone'? she asked again.

"Daine? Sorry ... what do you say?"

She placed the cup on the table in front of her. "You said Numair was 'gone'?"

Harailt shooked his head confused. "I have said no such thing, my dear".

'No, I did' a hiss in her lap sounded. Daine looked into the emerald green eyes that starred thorough and focused on her. 'Finally you hear what I'm saying. It only took forever '.

"Daine, what's wrong?" Harailt asked now half risen with concern on his face and looked at the frozen woman. He saw how she raised her eyes and meeting his.

"He says that he's gone" she explained, pointing a shaking finger down toward the cat in her lap.

Within a few seconds Harailt crossed the distance and came over to her. "What do you mean?" he asked wonderingly. "You can hear what he says?"

She nodded confirming and looked down at the cat. "What do you mean he's gone?" she asked the cat.

Emerald began to clean his paw. 'The man who moves like a big cat took off early this morning. I was hunting for mice in the barn when he took his horse and disappeared '.

When Daine spoke her voice was hoarse. "He has left me?"

'I don't think he did it voluntarily' the cat interjected. 'He seemed sad, as when a cat had been kicked out of its home'.

Daine stood up abruptly forcing the cat to roll down from her lap. She met Harailt's eyes. "Numair is gone! Your cat tells me that he left early in the morning! I have to find Stefan." She said quickly and disappeared out the door.

Harailt bent down and lifted the cat up and looking into its eyes. "I thought she had lost her wild magic?" The cat struck a paw with claws out after him. He turned to the window and walked slowly toward it while he pressed a sulky cat to his chest. Down below the window Daine had reached the inner courtyard and as if the gods had intervened she bumped directly into Stefan; the King's head hostler. Daine was pushed back to she sat down in the mud.

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