Description: Numair is excused from the talks for the day to calm down and think about his conduct so far. He contacts George for some advice before having a long discussion with Alanna about his behaviour. That night, the banquet is held aboard a ship as Ozorne demonstrates the empire's true might.

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

Author's Note: Sexpionage is called a honey trap. A female agent is called a sparrow and a male agent is called a raven.

I'm really enjoy the relationship I've built between Alanna and Numair. It's known that the two of them are friends, but you don't see much of it in the books and I can easily imagine her being a protective older sister to the mage.

Chapter 8

Numair paced back and forth in his room like a caged animal. Ozorne didn't forgive slights, and this was cumulative on top of what the emperor would already consider his treasonous behaviour. The mage kept expecting a knock at his door with guards there to arrest him for attempted assault on the Emperor Mage.

Numair took a breath and forced himself to stand still. He needed to speak with George. The second-in-charge spymaster would have a better perspective on the situation than the mage currently did. Numair let his Gift flow out into the corners of the room adding several more layers of protection his listening spells and to opaque the windows. Satisfied, the mage reached into his pouch and retrieved the tanzanite, activating the crystal.

"George?"

"Numair?"

"Is it safe to talk?" he asked quietly.

"Of course, lad. Has something happened?"

"I – I've done something very stupid, and I'm worried I've put everyone at risk," the mage admitted.

George took a breath and tried to sound reassuring. "Tell me what's happened."

Numair told the man about Daine going missing that morning and searching all over for her until the incident in the aviary. Lastly, he mentioned that Alanna didn't think his actions would put talks at risk, but the mage wasn't so sure.

"I'm inclined to agree with my lass. If the emperor wants these talks to succeed, then he won't risk them to settle a score with you. I think he was testing you, to see if he could get a rise out of you. From everything we know about the man, he'd want you to publicly condemn yourself. I don't think he'd be satisfied arresting you after a private scene, like that. He's found a weak spot though…"

Numair froze as he realised what he'd unintentionally revealed. "I've put Daine in danger, haven't I?"

"I doubt he'll do anything during the peace talks, but he knows she's important to you, now."

The mage rubbed his temples as he began to pace. Not only had he been stupid enough to allow Ozorne to bait him, but he'd practically told his enemy whom to target to hurt him.

"Just don't let the emperor play you." George warned. "He wants you to lose your temper, so you'll hang yourself."

"I'll try to be more careful."

"All right, lad –"

"There's something else I wanted to ask you." Numair said quickly before George left.

"Go on."

The mage licked his lips nervously before asking the question he dreaded an answer to. "Is Varice Kingsford one of Ozorne's sparrows?"

There was silence for a few beats. "Why do you ask?"

Numair blushed relieved that George couldn't see his face while he stuttered. "We – renewed our acquaintance the other night, but during – she started talking about the peace talks."

"What did she say exactly?"

The mage recounted Varice's words as closely as he could recall.

"She's not a known sparrow but it's possible she's being used against you specifically because of your previous relationship." George pondered.

"What should I do?"

"Try to engage in as little pillow talk as possible." George teased and Numair blushed a deeper shade of crimson. "Or try to avoid the situation entirely."

"If anything were to happen again, should I try to influence her instead?" He hated to ask but felt he should make the offer after making such a mess of things.

"You're not trained to be a raven, lad, and I never thought you had the right nature for it." George said gently.

The mage bit his cheek. "Tell me what to do anyway."

The spymaster sighed. "There are three routes to take with a honey trap: manipulation, blackmail and bribery. Miss Kingsford went down the manipulation route by the sounds of it, trying to use sex to convince you to influence the talks. I doubt bribery or blackmail will work with her. She's got a high position in court so she won't be interested in money and we don't have the power to ruin her career. Not unless you have a secret that would condemn her –?"

Numair felt dirty for considering using this tactic on anyone let alone Varice. "No."

"Your best route would be manipulation then. Please her and distract her while making suggestions to our advantage."

The mage stood silently considering the spymaster's words trying to decide if he was even capable of doing this. If the talks went badly because of him, did he owe it to Tortall to try? Did Varice deserve such callus treatment?

"All right, lad, you've got the information. What you do with it is up to you," the spymaster said reluctantly. "Have you learned any more about a slave rebellion?"

"I'm speaking with Lindhall tomorrow. We'll discuss it then."

"Hang in there. You'll be home soon." George said kindly.

"Thank you."

Numair ended the spell not sure if he felt better from his conversation with George or not. He didn't plan to end up in bed with Varice again, but he hadn't entirely planned on it the first time either. She still had quite a hold over his heart even if he wasn't sure he loved her anymore. Numair began to pace again feeling claustrophobic in his room. The mage had promised Alanna he would stay out of sight, but he couldn't stay inside any longer.

Walking out of the delegation quarter, he made his way to the formal gardens and found a tree to sit under. The Carthaki heat was unbearable, especially in the height of the day. Even with four years of drought, the palace gardens were lush and green which meant people had died for this splendour. Ozorne prioritised his wealth and comfort over the lives and the suffering of his own people. Numair never would have believed the young man he'd grown up with could have become the ruler he was today.

The mage allowed his mind to drift as his thoughts swirled. So much to consider and he wasn't sure where to start. Thoughts of Daine predominated his mind and he forced himself to focus on the easiest to contemplate. The Banjiku believed, and Numair agreed with them, that Daine was the daughter of a god. As the mage considered the evidence: Daine's incredible raw power, her ability to communicate with all types of animals, her shapeshifting, and her accuracy with any projectile weapon. This, coupled with her new ability to raise the dead, screamed of a connection to the gods. Numair wasn't aware of any god of wild magic other than Lushagui, but she was a goddess and a patron of Carthak not Galla. The mage desperately wanted his books to start researching potentials for Daine's father. Perhaps there was a Gallan god of archery or a god of forest animals? He doubted there would be one for both, but without his books the mage could ponder the possibilities all day.

Several thoughts clawed at his mind begging to be examined but he ruthlessly shoved them down. He didn't want to consider his growing attraction to his student or whether he could manipulate Varice. The mage desperately hoped the rest of the trip would pass without his ex-lover asking to come to his rooms again and when they returned home things would return to normal with Daine.

Numair was surprised when the entire day passed by, and soldiers hadn't arrived to arrest him. He predicted the time he thought the talks would end and returned to his rooms knowing Alanna wished to speak with him. While he waited, the mage started to prepare for the evening banquet and discovered he hadn't eaten for most of the day. A tap at his door distracted him from his grumbling stomach.

"Come in," he called.

Alanna entered sending her purple Gift out to the corners of his room before taking a seat on his bed.

"Time to talk, laddybuck. What happened with Ozorne this morning?"

Numair licked his lips nervously. "What did Daine tell you?"

"Never-you-mind what Daine said. I want to hear what you have to say for yourself."

The mage sighed and rubbed a finger along his nose. "I did go to the aviary this morning to search for her. I realised when I went to the gardens that she would have wanted to check on her patients. When I got there, I saw Ozorne feeding his birds and – I panicked. I thought Daine was in the aviary alone with him. I demanded to see her and when he denied any knowledge of seeing Daine, I lost my temper. I thought he was concealing her for some unknown purpose."

"Why would you think that?"

"He wants her – or rather he wants her wild magic. Ozorne has seen what she can do and he wants this new power for himself. I saw it in his eyes when she presented herself in the audience chamber."

"He hadn't seen what she could do then," the Lioness pointed out reasonably,

"I imagine reports have crossed the Emerald Ocean and the Inland Sea as to what Daine is capable of. The masters may not believe in wild magic but since she healed the aviary birds, Ozorne, at least, believes."

"So how did you end up hitting him?"

"He baited me." Alanna stared him down until Numair told the rest of it. "He accused me of sharing a bed with her."

"That accusation has been made before and you've dismissed it easily enough," she chided him. "Why did it upset you so much this time?"

The mage turned away from his friend afraid his face would reveal his newfound attraction to his student. "I think it was because it was Ozorne," he lied.

Alanna clicked her tongue. "I knew it was a bad idea sending you here. I told Jon he should have reconsidered. We would have managed without putting you through this."

He risked a glance back at his friend. "You spoke to the king on my behalf?"

The Lioness scowled at him. "Of course I did! You don't think I know what it cost you to agree to come back here? I'm not sure how Jon thought you could play politics with a man who wants you dead."

Numair swallowed. "How did the negotiations go today?"

"Not well. We got tied up in fishing rights of all things! It really started to heat up when the emperor said he wanted Prince Kaddar to marry Kally in the spring. He has to know we'll never agree to that."

"Perhaps that's why he suggested it." Alanna gave him a questioning look. "His military force far outnumbers any we could mount against him, so he will feel he can intimidate us to agree to anything to avoid a war. Having a Tortallan princess in Cathak gives Ozorne a further opportunity to manipulate the king and queen to ensure Kalasin's safety. Assassination attempts are all too frequent in Carthak, and it wouldn't take much to suggest something may happen to the princess if we don't agree to further stipulations."

The Lioness shuddered. "Well, thankfully, the talks ended rather abruptly when lightning struck two of the statues of the emperor outside and melted them."

"What!"

"I'm surprised you hadn't already heard. People are whispering it's another sign the gods are angry with Carthak. With Daine's warning this morning, it's making me feel very on edge. I'd like to leave here as soon as possible."

Numair nodded in agreement. "We can't leave until the peace talks are concluded."

"I know." Alanna played with the amulet at her throat. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that. I know you'll have wanted to leave here the moment we stepped onto Carthaki soil."

The mage attempted a smile. "It was long before that, actually."

"I don't think these problems with the talks had anything to do with your quarrel this morning," she said reassuringly. "The ministers wouldn't have had time to speak with the emperor about antagonising us."

"Even so, my actions won't have helped matters, as you said." Numair stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"We'll keep an eye on you from now on." Alanna smiled. "Try to keep you from doing anything else foolish. You're not alone, remember? We won't let Ozorne take you without a fight."

"You can't risk war if he decides to arrest me. I won't be the reason Carthak goes to war with Tortall."

The Lioness stood and walked over to the tall mage and embraced him. Numair looked at his friend utterly bewildered. "What was that for?"

"You looked like you could use a hug," she shrugged. "Don't beat yourself up over this. We'll go to dinner tonight and make nice with everyone. Maybe the emperor will be in a more generous mood if his birds continue to improve."

"Maybe." The mage didn't share his friend's optimism.

"I'll leave you to finish getting ready. We're sailing tonight," Alanna made a face. "Who ever heard of having a banquet on a boat? I'll be sick all night at this rate!"

Numair gave his friend a sympathetic smile as she left his rooms to get ready. The idea that talks had not gone well today deeply troubled him. Would he have to try his own manipulations with Varice? Maybe he could just speak with her at dinner tonight and convince her to speak with the ministers without having to do anything underhanded.

The banquet was held on the emperor's personal boat as they sailed down the River Zekoi. Four masters had been stationed on the boat to move it with magic instead of using slaves. Numair preferred it this way, instead of forcing slaves to row the guests down the river dining in luxury while they toiled and were whipped for their efforts.

The mage was attempting to engage Varice in conversation about the peace talks and convince her to use her powers of persuasion to ease things among the ambassadors and minsters, but she was resistant to discussing things with him.

"Why must you keep on about this?" she complained as she nibbled delicately on a shrimp.

"It's the reason we are all here. You said it yourself; these talks are vital to good relations between our countries. At least get the ministers to see reason over the arrangement for princess Kalasin. The king and queen will never agree to a betrothal let alone a marriage in the spring."

"That was a rather abrupt suggestion. The princess is not even of marriageable age, is she?"

"She is barely ten years old," he affirmed.

"So, there could be potential for setting up a marriage for her when she reached, say – fourteen?" Varice suggested.

"Possibly." Numair didn't like where this was going. Fourteen was still too young to be considering marriage in his opinion. Unfortunately, for royalty these things were usually set up far in advance of them reaching the age to marry. For a noble, and a royal such as the princess, she wouldn't be wed until she reached at least sixteen.

The mage glanced at Daine abruptly realising his friend would be reaching the age to marry in a few short months. As a commoner, she could have been married at fourteen and she had mentioned a few girls in her village were baring their first child at fifteen. The thought of his young friend being married filled Numair with a sudden sense of dread. He couldn't stand the thought of her with a husband and raising children as some sort of housewife. That was not the life he wanted for his magelet. She should be wild, able to visit her animal friends and travel freely across the country making new friends and discovering more about her magic.

Numair swallowed a snarl as he watched Kaddar gazing at his friend in a more than friendly way. He certainly didn't want Daine involved with someone like the prince, especially a Carthaki prince. Kaddar would flirt and fraternise with his student then cast her aside as if she were nothing. With the main course finished, the mage excused himself quietly and approached their table.

"May I join you?" he asked taking a seat beside Daine and baring his teeth at the prince in what he hoped was a pleasant smile. "We haven't really had a chance to chat. I understand you're studying with my friend Lindhall Reed." At the prince's answering nod Numair continued. "What course of studies, may I ask?"

The Wildmage started to feed Zek pieces of orange on her lap while Kitten crunched on a duck bone from her own chair on the young woman's other side.

"The relation of men, animals, and plants to one another, with a matching course in law. Next spring, if things permit, I hope to go south with Master Lindhall and a group from the university to look into the causes of the drought. We're hoping – well, the masters are; I'll just be there carrying things – we hope to find some way to end it. Five years is a long time."

"I see. Commendable." Which it was. Numair had heard good things about Kaddar from Lindhall in regard to him as a student. As a young man he was possibly no different than any other of his age. "With regard to your position as heir, has your uncle arranged a marriage for you?" the mage didn't miss the glare Daine shot him.

"He is negotiating with the king of Galla for the hand of one of his daughters. There is also a princess of the Copper Isles who my uncle feels is a possibility." Interesting. So, the prince had possibly not heard of his latest marriage arrangement to Princess Kalasin.

"I see. But you are involved with girls, are you not? Students at the university, young noblewomen. Are they aware you are not permitted to marry to please yourself?"

Daine kicked at his leg under the table, a blush colouring her cheeks. He ignored her protests and continued to stare at the heir to the Carthaki throne.

"No gentleman deceives a woman in that manner, sir."

"Indeed not. Stop kicking me, Daine," he said as he felt her foot connect with his shin, harder this time. "You understand she is very important to a number of powerful nobles and mages in Tortall. Their majesties. Lady Alanna and her husband, the baron of Pirate's Swoop. Me. All of us would take it amiss if we thought for one moment she was being trifled with, particularly by a young man who wasn't free to do the right thing by her."

"Numair. Can I speak to you privately for a moment?" the woman in question said through gritted teeth as she stomped hard on his foot.

"No. Stepping on my foot won't work, either. Do I make myself clear, Prince Kaddar?"

The young man sat a little straighter in his seat as he studied the mage. "I understand you well, Master Salmalín."

"Good." The mage stood slowly feeling the flicker of his Gift around him. He wasn't sure when his control had slipped on the leash that held it in check. "Lindhall tells me you also have an excellent memory. I hope so."

Numair walked back to his table and sat slowly his eyes still on Daine and the prince. He'd embarrassed his friend, but she would forgive him when she realised he only had her best interests at heart. At least, he hoped she would. His left leg throbbed where she'd kicked him, and her heel had dug into his foot.

"What was that all about? Did you just threaten His Majesty?" Varice demanded.

"I didn't like how he was looking at her." Numair stated flatly.

"You can't tell His Royal Highness how to look at a girl," she hissed at him.

"I can if that person happens to be my student."

"Why is she so important to you?" Varice demanded. "She's got no money, no status and no family by all accounts. She's pretty, I grant you, in a plain sort of way, but other than her magic I don't understand why you are getting so worked up over her."

He opened his mouth to offer an angry retort and closed it again. "You wouldn't understand," he said instead. Numair wasn't sure he understood it himself. He couldn't tell Varice that he considered Daine a part of his family as did Alanna and their majesties. It certainly wasn't a good idea to start listing off every detail that made Daine a beautiful young woman either. He probably shouldn't have threatened the prince, but he did not want Kaddar flirting with his friend.

Drums began to pound, cutting off any further talk, as Ozorne rose and walked towards the bow of the boat. Numair had been very careful to avoid the emperor all evening and hadn't even risked a glance in his direction. He had no wish to further antagonise his former best friend. The occupants of the boat all rose from their seats and went to join the emperor at the railings. Numair held himself at the back of the crowd standing behind Ozorne. Due to the mage's six foot five inches, he could easily see over the heads of the others.

They had reached the harbour at Thak's Gate with the beacon from the lighthouse providing the only illumination. Numair could sense hundreds of mages in the harbour even if he couldn't see them. A horn signalled as the unseen mages called on their Gifts to create vines of light that twined up the masts of hundreds of ships in the harbour. As the light spread it reflected off the armour, shields and spear tips of the soldier's standing silently on the war barges. This wasn't a pleasure cruise but another demonstration of power then. It was one thing to know the enemy had a powerful navy and quite another to see it sitting on the doorstep.

A whistle sounded as Master Chioké and three other masters stepped forward to replace the masters that had brought the boat here. In unison the red robes raised their arms as their Gifts shot into the air. The four masters that had transported them sent their Gifts beneath the boat to form a flat disk for it to rest on. Master Chioké and the three other masters shouted the cantrip for vertical elevation as the boat began to rise out of the water. Somewhere in the crowd Numair heard Kitten shriek in terror as the mage saw Kaddar crouch down. He scowled even though he should be grateful the prince had thought to comfort the dragonet.

The boat continued to rise steadily until a whistle blew again and it hung eighty feet above the harbour. The masters were all sweating profusely at the effort it took to make this grand performance. Numair was wondering why they had been raised to such a grand view when they could easily see the war barges from below until another horn called and was answered by others. Beyond the harbour, magical lights began to twine around more masts as another fleet of ships was illuminated in the dark. A roar sounded in the darkness as torches set fire to balls of liquid fire resting in the catapults on the vessels below. It was a truly terrifying sight and an impressive display of Carthak's military force.

"Is he mad?" Kaddar's voice carried in the silence on the deck. "This isn't just the northern fleet – he's brought the western one up as well! Did he do it to – to brag –"

Varice left Numair's side in a bustle of skirts to quieten the prince. It wasn't wise for the heir to so publicly question his uncle's decisions. They hung in the air for a few minutes before the boat began to slowly descend back to the harbour. Four fresh red robes came to replace the four that had transported them and created the disk. They bowed to the emperor as a gong began to sound. It took Numair a moment to realise that it wasn't a gong but the air itself that was ringing as a golden rider on a golden horse appeared around the harbour master's tower. It was the statue of Zernou, the first emperor of Carthak, which usually stood in the Market Square of the city before the temple of Mithros. The statue wasn't standing proud as it usually did with both horse and rider slumped over as if weary or grief stricken. The sword and shield that Zernou held in salute now hung from the rider's hands as if they were too heavy a burden to carry.

The statue stopped in the lock between the boat and the harbour as the horse reared. Zernou pointed his sword directly at Ozorne and shouted in Old Thak as the air rang. "Woe. Woe. Woe to the empire. We are forsaken. The gods are angry!"

The imperial mages reacted instantly by forming shields around the boat and its occupants. Ozorne stood frozen for a moment then whirled around to stare directly into Numair's eyes. Behind the emperor, the golden horse leaped to the seawall and raced towards the lighthouse in a trail of sparks. When the statue reached the cliff, it leapt over the fleet of vessels and continued to gallop over the ocean's surface until it disappeared. Numair's attention returned to the emperor who was still staring at him with a look of pure malice as he seemed to silently accuse the mage of something. What that was Numair couldn't guess.