Description: Varice and Numair sleep together but is there more to it than that?

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters. Everything belongs to Tamora Pierce.

Author's Note: I am sorry to everyone who doesn't like Varice, but I do think Numair will sleep with her. She was his first love, and he needs to work through his feelings for her before he can move on.

A sparrow is the term for a female spy for those of you who are wondering.

Chapter 6

Once the entertainment had finished the guests were escorted back to the reception area. The musicians moved to the corner of the room while slaves brought drinks round on trays. Varice excused herself to see to the delegates comfort while Numair went to check on Daine. They were soon joined by Lindhall who engaged the pair in conversation about the Immortals.

"– I had expected griffins to have more of the traits of the Ekallatum eagle and hunt land mammals, but you're telling me their diet mainly consists of fish?" Lindhall spoke in his hurried fashion when he found an exciting topic to discuss.

"Certainly, the one's on the Tortallan coast are more interested in fish than livestock. Daine negotiated a treaty with the first griffins we encountered." Numair said proudly.

"Indeed? You spoke with them? They can understand human speech?" the Northerner turned to the young woman eye's bright with interest.

Daine blushed. "They prefer mind speech, but they can understand human speech. Our voices hurt them. And I didn't negotiate much, only talked with them. They didn't want the villagers to get close to their nest sites."

"When we arrived, the griffins were flying low overhead in an aggressive display posture –" Numair started to explain.

"Did you take note of whether they extend their claws, as an eagle will display, or did they rely on their voices, as a lion roars to warn the people away –"

Lindhall was interrupted from finishing his questions as a cart was wheeled over, bearing the Stormwing, Rikash. The older mage hurriedly excused himself as Daine and Numair exchanged pleasantries with the Immortal. It was a surreal experience to have a good-natured conversation with a creature that had harried and attacked them for the past two and a half years. The mage suspected Rikash was not a typical Stormwing as he asked after his friend, Lady Maura of Dunlath. The conversation only became heated when Daine accused the Immortal of hypocrisy.

"Don't play innocent. We've seen the menagerie, Lord Rikash. They have one of your queens and her consort here," the Wildmage said accusingly.

Kitten whistled her own agreement only to be glared at by the Stormwing.

"You are wrong. There are no queens missing from the other flocks, and I have no queen in mine. The old one was slain in combat by King Jokhun, after our custom."

"Then maybe the prince was mistaken. He seemed convinced Barzha was a queen." Numair added mildly.

"What did you say her name was?" Rikash asked sharply.

"Barzha. Her consort was named Hebakh." Daine answered. "The prince said their being in a cage here was the price of the allegiance with King Jokhun."

The Stormwing frowned and leapt from the cart disturbing several of the guests as he flew off.

"I wonder where he was going. Is it possible he did not know of Ozorne's special menagerie? And what was that about the health of Carthak?" Numair muttered wondering about Rikash's earlier words that things would get worse before they got better. "Will you be all right? I must speak with Lindhall again."

Daine nodded and the mage left to find his old teacher who was in deep conversation with Harailt. When Numair approached the pair, the dean nodded to him and left them to speak privately.

"Have the seer's foretold any recent events due to happen here?" he asked his former teacher.

"No more than you already know," Lindhall said softly. "The gods are unhappy and Carthak will suffer."

"Nothing more? Nothing about an imminent disaster about to befall the empire?" the mage asked.

"No. Why? What have you heard?" the Northern master glanced around them.

"After our rather unusual conversation with the Stormwing, he mentioned Carthak was unhealthy and that he wouldn't need to remain here much longer."

"I imagine any conversation with a Stormwing to be unusual, but I have not heard anything to confirm or deny his words," Lindhall mused.

"Daine mentioned something as well –" Numair frowned knowing he couldn't bring up the badger in the open like this. "How can Ozorne continue to ignore so many omens?"

"The emperor believes he is doing what is required to save Carthak."

The two men shared a look knowing that Ozorne's translation of the portents was wildly different from anyone else's. The emperor neglected the gods, the people and the land and there would be a reckoning.

"I'd love to talk to you more, my boy. I have missed our conversations." Lindhall shook his hand and Numair felt the older man slip him a piece of paper. "I must go and speak with Duke Gareth."

The mage slipped the note into his pocket warding and shielding it until he had the chance to read it later in private. There was too much to think about and too little time to consider things properly. Between the peace talks, imminent destruction befalling Carthak and the question of Daine's divine father the mage wasn't sure where to focus his attention. On top of that was his sudden awareness of his magelet becoming a young woman and the affect it had been having on him recently.

"I was hoping to find you alone." Varice slid her arm into his and smiled up at him. "Would you take a walk with me?"

Numair smiled down at her. "I'd love to."

They walked through the maze of paths arm in arm until they reached an ornamental lake. The mage used to enjoy late night walks by himself or with Varice. As a young woman she had appreciated the need for quiet and time to let the mind wander.

"You look troubled. Anything I can help with?" she asked softly.

He sighed wishing he could divulge some of his problems to the woman. "I've got a lot on my mind."

Varice turned to face him. "I do know how to help you with that."

Numair raised an eyebrow as she wound her arms around his neck and kissed him. The mage closed his eyes melting into the kiss as all thoughts fled his mind. One kiss led to another, and he kept having to remind himself to breathe as he lost himself in the feel of her. His hands caressed down her sides and back loving the feel of satin under his fingers.

"Did you think about what I said?" Varice whispered in his ear as she nibbled on his earlobe.

Numair shivered as all the blood rushed down his body. "My room," was all he said.

She pulled away with a triumphant smile on her face. They hurried through the gardens and entered the Tortallan halls which were completely empty except for a few dosing slaves. The pair entered his rooms as the mage locked the door and sent out his Gift to ward the room. There was no romance as they quickly shed their clothes and tumbled into the bed. Numair wasn't thinking as they kissed and caressed each other, he wasn't thinking when he rolled on top of her, and he certainly wasn't thinking when he was buried deep inside his lover hearing her moans of pleasure beneath him.

Sometime later they lay side by side panting and coated in a sheen of sweat. Varice slowly rolled onto her side and started to swirl her fingers through his chest hair.

"You've improved," she purred.

Numair wrapped an arm around her pulling her closer as his mind started to clear.

"You're oddly quiet." Varice kissed his chest as her fingers continued to stroke slow circles. It was something she knew drove him to distraction.

"What do you mean?" he asked catching the hand and kissing her fingers.

"You used to want to talk about your performance. How to improve. Do you remember?" she giggled.

Numair blushed crimson. "Please don't remind me of the young idiot I used to be."

"I thought you were sweet. You always wanted to impress me in the bed chamber. I liked that." Varice slid her foot up and down his bare leg and Numair swallowed knowing she was trying to distract him again.

"Do you still want to impress me?" her voice was husky as she placed small kisses over his chest.

"Did I disappoint you just now?" he asked looking down at her in disbelief.

Varice chuckled and moved up his body to kiss his shoulder and collarbone. It seemed she remembered his body far too well as she found every spot that drove him wild with desire.

"We need these talks to go well tomorrow," she nibbled on his collarbone. "You know Tortall needs this peace. You should make sure to remind your people to keep an open mind during the discussions."

Despite Varice's lips and teeth doing wonderful things to his body her words snapped the mage's brain into overdrive. Was she trying to manipulate him with sex?

"Darling, I don't want to discuss the talks at this very moment," he complained.

She chose that moment to suck on a spot at the base of his neck as she ran her nails down his chest. He arched his back and moaned losing track of whatever he'd just been thinking.

"We can't keep doing this if these talks don't go as planned. The sooner we reach a peace accord the sooner we'll be – closer friends," she whispered suggestively.

Numair wasn't sure he was hearing her correctly, so he rolled over and captured Varice's hands above her head. Using his weight, he pinned her body beneath his, but she merely grinned wickedly as she wriggled her hips and wrapped her long legs around his waist. He was suddenly very unsure of the situation he was in. Was Varice trying to manipulate the talks, or did she want the talks to succeed so they could be together again? She opened her mouth and Numair silenced her with a kiss. He wasn't in the mood to talk anymore so he devoted himself to distracting her over and over and over again.

The mage lay in bed staring at the ceiling while his mind raced. Beside him Varice lay on her side with her back to him sound asleep. He'd managed to satisfy both their bodies, but his mind wouldn't allow him to sleep. There was a time when he would have said sex with Varice was the best he'd ever had, but that hadn't been it. Tonight had been no different to any other affair he'd had with a lady of the court. Numair couldn't understand what had changed. He still loved her didn't he?

That was the uncomfortable question that was keeping him awake. Her words had him deeply troubled. It could have been innocent seduction, but he worried it was more than that. Numair needed to find an opportunity to speak with George. It would be an uncomfortable conversation, but he would know better than anyone if Varice had become a sparrow.

He glanced at the sleeping woman beside him realising how much he'd missed this. It had been a long time since he'd last taken a lover, and while Numair preferred to be cuddled up with the woman he shared a bed with, the mage remembered Varice's dislike of being held while she slept. He couldn't sleep when he got cold, and sharing body heat while wrapped around a lover was a very comfortable way to lie.

The mage realised he hadn't been quite so promiscuous since Daine had come into his life. A large part of that was due to the fact he wasn't at court as often because he and his student spent a good deal of their time travelling. The more uncomfortable discovery was that he hadn't been as interested in sex since he'd begun teaching Daine. She distracted his mind with magic and new discoveries that he'd often found himself preferring to be lost in a book rather than in a woman's body.

Remembering the note Lindhall had slipped him earlier, Numair eased out of bed and hunted out his breeches. Finding the piece of paper, he sat on the bed and read it carefully before using a whisper of his Gift to turn it to ash.

Come to the university the day after tomorrow. I will have my closest ally escort your student. Follow them and we will talk.

The mage lay back on the bed and pulled the covers over himself. At least he would finally be able to speak with Lindhall in private. The older mage's rooms were so skilfully warded that they would be perfect to hold talks with his secret ally without fear of being overheard.

What was wrong with him? Numair rolled over and looked at Varice's naked back. Shouldn't he be thinking about her body and how good it had felt to be with her again? He'd just had sex with the woman he'd once loved with all his heart and yet his mind was elsewhere. Realising he no longer loved the woman beside him broke something deep inside the mage and a horrible emptiness filled him. He felt like he'd suddenly lost everything from his boyhood. Somehow, still loving Varice had given him something to cling to; a bright light in the horror that was associated with Carthak. There really was nothing here for him anymore.