Description: Numair follows Daine to the university where he holds secret talks with Lindhall and his ally about freeing more slaves. Daine's powers get away from her again causing her to awaken another dead creature which raises a lot of questions.

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

Author's Note: How I have written the story so far hasn't given Numair any opportunity to know the Graveyard Hag is about which is why he seems to do nothing about it in the books.

Chapter 9

Numair lay on his bed tossing and turning unable to sleep. The statue of Zernou had left everyone shaken and many of the occupants had begun whispering about the omens. The delegates had disbursed back to their rooms as soon as the boat returned to the palace. Thankfully, Varice hadn't asked Numair to her rooms that night and he hadn't offered.

The mage was still trying to understand the look Ozorne had given him after the statue spoke its warning. The emperor couldn't have thought Zernou was pointing at him, surely? Alanna and Numair had both tried to convince Duke Gareth to conclude the peace talks quickly on their return to the Tortallan quarter, but to no avail. The sight of the Imperial Navy had left the duke very shaken, and he would do anything to avoid a war with Carthak and bring those vessels to their shores. The mage couldn't mention the badger's warning, but he did mention the Stormwing Rikash's words on top of the statue's portent. Carthak was going to fall to some form of disaster soon and they needed to leave before they were caught in whatever storm was coming.

Numair went over the events of the evening several times before he finally realised, he would have to face what was really on his mind. It wasn't just Carthak and the memories that were associated with this land that bothered him, it was Daine. He'd developed an inappropriate attraction towards his young friend. His best friend who had looked absolutely stunning that evening in a dark grey dress with a silver surcoat. If he closed his eyes, he could see her in all the magnificent outfits she'd worn so far on this trip: the blue dress when they arrived, the twilight blue dress she'd worn at the opening banquet and especially that lilac muslin dress with the gold silk surcoat. He'd barely recognised the young lady who stood beside him. His brain had finally settled on the word that best described his friend this trip: breath-taking.

The mage closed his eyes in resignation as he replayed his earlier outburst at the prince. No matter how much he tried to deny it, he had acted out of jealousy not for any moral reasons as he'd wanted to pretend. Numair didn't want there to be anything between Daine and Kaddar because he couldn't stand the thought of the prince stealing her away. The Wildmage had been invited here in her own right because of her skills and magic. Would she need him in her life much longer? Kitten already seemed very fond of Kaddar and that left Numair feeling twisted up inside wondering if he'd lose the dragonet as well. When they returned home, he would help Daine understand this new power, but he was quickly running out of things he could teach her. The mage had taken to broadening her horizons by instructing her on other subjects, but soon he'd be nothing but her old teacher as she moved on with her life.

Numair curled up on his side feeling his heart ache painfully. He needed to put a stop to this ridiculous behaviour. Daine was his student, and he was her teacher no matter how close they had become. She was far too young for him, and despite his newfound awareness of her becoming a young woman, he had to start behaving like the honourable man she believed him to be.

A polite knock on his door woke the mage early the next morning. Harailt of Aili stood there almost hopping with excitement holding an armful of books.

"We have just been granted access to the spells that open the gates to the Divine Realms. We aren't permitted to make any copies only read them. I thought if we shared the work, we might be able to memorise the spells before the talks this afternoon. We have only been allowed access to the books until midday."

Numair visibly brightened. "Of course. I'll get started right away."

The mage accepted the books written in Old Thak as he would have a better chance of understanding and memorising the contents. He had a few hours before his meeting with Lindhall, so he settled on his bed and set to memorising as much as he could. Nuamir left his door open so he was aware when Daine went down for breakfast as he could hear her chatting with Alanna. The mage regretted leaving the spells, but he had to prepare for his visit with his old teacher. Slipping a quartz crystal out of his belt pouch, he used his Gift to attach the image of himself reading on the bed to it. The mage extended his Gift around the room adding a privacy shield and several other wards so people could see in but not disturb him. Cloaking himself in an invisibility spell, he entered the privy dressing for the day and tying back his hair into a tight horsetail.

The mage entered the bedroom and quietly opened a window before quickly shapeshifting into a black hawk. The moment he changed to hawk shape the invisibility spell wore off. Launching himself out of the window he took to the air gaining height so he could hover over the Tortall quarter and wait for his friend to exit. His flying skills were much improved since Daine had learned to shapeshift. Not only had his student mastered the skill of flying faster than he had, but she was also an excellent teacher. The pair had spent many a happy afternoon soaring around the skies of Corus as Daine tried out different species of bird shape.

Lindhall had said in his note that Daine would be escorted to the university by his closest ally and Numair was shocked when the prince collected his student. Of all people, the mage had never suspected a member of the royal family was a co-conspirator in helping free the slaves of Carthak. Numair almost felt guilty for his harsh words to Kaddar the previous night. Almost.

The mage followed the pair, soaring high in the sky as they rode horses down to the ferry that would carry them across the river to the university. As soon as Daine and Kaddar entered the university, he flew towards the five-tier building that housed Lindhall's study and workrooms, circling looking for an open window. Either his old master had gotten engrossed in a book, or he had thought Numair might have followed his student using invisibility spells. They hadn't actually discussed how he would get to the university.

Landing on the windowsill to the master's workroom, he pecked gently on the window. After several taps with his beak Lindhall appeared looking flustered until he spotted the black hawk and rushed to open the window.

"I'm sorry, my friend, I should have realised you would fly here. Come in, come in."

Numair fluttered to the floor and began to shift back into a man. When he stood before his old teacher they embraced warmly.

"Your simulacrum is safe in that room." Lindhall pointed to the door behind his cluttered desk. "It is a masterful piece of work, my boy. I could hardly believe it was a copy of you and not the real thing. You must tell me how you made it when we have more time. I suppose Kaddar and Daine have arrived downstairs by now. I should go and collect them. Keep yourself hidden until we're all here and then we can talk."

Numair called on his Gift making himself invisible before the master existed his rooms in a rush. It had been years since the mage had been in these rooms helping care for his teacher's animals. His old room would belong to Lindhall's new apprentice but not much else seemed to have changed. Numair wandered down the corridors looking at the animals and recalling fond memories of time spent in these rooms.

The door down the corridor opened and voices drifted to him as Lindhall returned with Daine and Kaddar. He could hear the Wildmage's voice as she spoke with his old teacher and the unmistakeable command as Lindhall told his door to close. Slowly the mage crept back down the corridor and held back as he watched Daine admire the room and all its occupants. She went to each of the tanks to inspect and speak with the inhabitants inside. Numair smiled and stood happily watching his student while Lindhall chatted and fussed over the welfare of his animals. He didn't want to interrupt while his teacher showed off his menagerie and his magelet made new friends. That was until Kitten got too close and sensed his invisibility spell and started to whistle irately at him. Dropping the spell, the mage scowled at the dragonet.

"You had to inform everyone."

She nibbled on his breeches until he petted her affectionately.

"But – I saw you, in your room." Daine looked very confused.

"It was a simulacrum. I'm expressly forbidden to leave the palace," he explained.

"What if one of their mages came around, looking for you? What if the emperor spies on you?"

His heart warmed considerably as she worried for his safety. Hopefully that meant she had forgiven him for embarrassing her last night. "I embodied it with sufficient amounts of my Gift to deceive anybody. Should someone try to disturb the copy, it will enclose the room completely, so no one will enter until I am back inside."

"And if you're caught? He'd love to catch you breaking the rules!" she said crossly.

It was difficult not to adore her when she was this protective of him.

"Daine, we had to talk. There's no other way we can do it without being spied on." Kaddar interrupted.

The young woman turned on Lindhall and Kaddar. "You knew he'd be here this morning. That's why you brought me."

"I also wanted you to see my friends. You are more than welcome here in your own right, my dear." Lindhall said kindly.

Daine turned to face her teacher again. "You could have trusted me."

He took her hands in his without thinking. "I do trust you, magelet. I simply didn't wish to discuss it under Ozorne's roof. You aren't particularly adept at concealing your state of mind." Something he'd never wish her to change. Numair loved that she openly displayed her feelings for everyone to see. "You would have been visibly apprehensive if I had left with you and His Highness, whether I was invisible or not."

"How did you get here?" she demanded.

"Hawk shape. And now, we've little time and much to discuss." He released her hands regretfully. "Would you mind looking at the aviary for a while? Or would you rather be privy to our discussions?"

"I'll go look at the birds. I'm tired of secrets. Kit? Stay or go?"

Kitten sat on the floor and stared at the men as iguanas started to crawl and investigate the dragonet. Lindhall opened the door to the aviary and Daine disappeared inside leaving them to their discussions.

"Thank you for agreeing to meet with me, Master Numair." Kaddar said.

"When Lindhall arranged this meeting, I had no idea who I would be speaking with," the mage admitted.

"I asked Master Lindhall to bring you here because I'm worried about increased aggression between our two countries. My uncle is still preparing for war despite the peace talks."

"His demonstration last night seemed to suggest that." Numair said darkly.

"If the Imperial Navy sails, then it could make shipping routes to the Tortallan border more difficult to navigate safely. We have several contacts among the dye merchants that are willing to smuggle people out in crates to a safehouse in Pearlmouth," the prince explained.

"We?" the mage asked.

"I am a member of a secret coalition of merchants, nobles and scholars that don't agree with the direction our country is headed. My uncle's spies discovered the last slave route near the southern wall. I was hoping to discuss the route you took to Corus in case we need to flee in a hurry. You are perhaps the only person to escape my uncle and avoid capture." Kaddar looked at Numair in admiration.

"I would not suggest anyone else take the route I did to Corus. I was one man hiding alone in alleyways. If we are to try smuggling entire family groups out of Carthak. I would suggest avoiding coastal roads due to raider attacks. It would be far better to take someone north through the hill country."

Lindhall retrieved a map from the shelves and laid it out on the table. "So far, we have three ship captains that are willing to smuggle slaves to Pearlmouth," he explained. "There is a way house owned by a Lady Coltone who feeds and clothes them. What we need to discuss it a new route north for slaves and refugees to take."

Numair perused the map "I would suggest the slaves travel north through the hill county, as I said. There are three villages where we could set up new way houses." His fingers traced the route on the map as he placed some small stones at the locations of the villages. "They would need to stay left of Whitethorn Lake but avoid Persopolis. Crossing the main road will be dangerous, but if we can get everyone to Buzzard Rocks, they will receive new papers and get settled. I'll speak with the Whisper Man about organising the way houses. His people can clear the route and organise a relay to guide the slaves and anyone else to the villages."

The Whisper Man was the name George Cooper used. His associates were referred to as his Whispers.

"The slaves will need work as well as shelter. Are you sure your Whisper Man can organise all of this?" Lindhall asked.

"He is more than capable of organising everything." Numair reassured him.

"Buzzard Rocks appears to be on the coast near to Port Caynn." Kaddar pointed on the map. "It's a shame we can't sail our ships there. Perhaps if Tortall agrees to accept dye shipments from Carthak we could land our ships there instead."

"We'd be asking a lot of the runaways to remain inside crates during the time it would take to sail to Port Caynn." Lindhall advised. "Remember, only the ship captains are allied with us. We cannot risk spies among the ship's crews revealing our contacts. How would you feed and water someone on a trip that long?"

"I see your point." The prince's shoulders sagged in disappointment.

"What of the slaves going south? We heard rumours of a rebellion." Numair asked the pair.

"With the drought as bad as ever the slaves are unlikely to rebel any time soon." Kaddar said seriously. "Their focus is on just trying to survive out in the desert. There is plenty of anger towards my uncle but as the old adage says, 'an army marches on its stomach'. Until we can find a way to end this drought and feed the people there will be no rebellion."

The mage nodded. "You must forgive me for saying this Your Highness, but I am surprised to find a member of the royal family so willing to conspire in an uprising."

"I want to make Carthak great again." The prince tilted his chin proudly. "My uncle is only interested in inciting war and claiming more land. He wants to raid and to pillage to feed his great army so they can continue his conquests. Meanwhile Carthak falls into ruin and decline."

"I have heard such boasts made before – from your uncle when he was a young man, in fact." Numair's voice was hard as he assessed the young prince.

"His Imperial Highness isn't interested in what is best for our people. He wastes our money on surrounding himself in luxury while the people starve! Taxes go to pay for the army and the navy instead of solving the drought." Kaddar was red-faced as he got more worked up.

"Far be it for me to accuse someone from deviating from our original conversation, but we have little time, and we must pass on all our information to Numair before he attends the talks at noon." Lindhall apologised to the two men.

The mage held up a hand to stop the older man. "With His Highness' permission there is a simpler way to pass on the information. If you will allow it, I can take the knowledge directly from your mind."

Kaddar deliberated briefly before nodding his head. "I will allow this."

Numair placed his fingers carefully against the prince's temples and reached into his mind. As much as he wanted to know if the heir was trustworthy, he remained polite and only took the knowledge he required: contacts and conspirator's names.

Lindhall opened the door when the mage finished to reveal Daine sat with an odd-looking lizard-bird skeleton standing on a plinth. Numair stared and avoided groaning wondering how they were going to explain this indiscretion away. Somehow, her new powers had brought the creature back to a seeming of life and it was standing with pieces missing as if it were a complete skeleton.

Lindhall and Daine discussed her new friend while Kaddar and Numair watched the skeleton in awe. The mage found it difficult to deny his interest as this was a link between the birds of today and the dinosaurs. It had solid bones instead of hollow ones and would have had feathers instead of scales. The skeleton showed off a lizard's abdominal ribs and flexible tail but also having a bird's wishbone and gripping feet.

"This isn't the assemblage spell. I've never seen anything like this in my life." The observant young man pointed out. "What did you do to it?"

Kitten, who was closely followed by the iguanas, scolded the prince for his tone.

"I can't – I'm not –" Daine looked imploringly at her teacher.

"I think you must explain," he said rubbing his temple feeling a headache coming.

"These rooms are warded. That's how I could talk with Master Numair safely." Kaddar told the young woman.

"What's in this place is unlike normal warding spells." Lindhall extrapolated. "The emperor must never suspect these rooms are warded, or he would come to discover what I have that's worth concealment. If he or his servant mages try to eavesdrop in these rooms, they will hear only dull, innocent conversations and noises made by my animals."

Daine whistled, impressed by the spell. "It's a new thing that's happened. I'm not sure of the details… Numair, what should I say?" she turned to him a worried expression on her face.

"All that you told me yesterday," the mage said quietly, concerned that the more people who knew about this new power, the more danger it put his friend in.

The Wildmage told Lindhall and Kaddar as much as she could about her new power while avoiding mention of the badger god. When she finished explaining, Daine wandered over to speak with aviary birds while the others absorbed the information.

"You mean it isn't permanent? He'll stop being alive?" Lindhall asked.

The lizard-bird seemed to have taken a liking to the older mage as it stood on his shoulder using its bony tail to hook around the man's neck while it groomed his hair affectionately.

"I'm sorry, but it does seem to run out, after a time." Daine apologised.

"You should try this in the Hall of Bones. Stop that." Lindhall said to the lizard-bird who had started to gnaw the buttons on his shirt. "If you bite it, you'll hurt yourself. Although I suppose it would be a bit inconvenient if any if the dinosaurs were to walk away."

"Inconvenient puts it mildly," Kaddar said looking disgruntled causing the young woman to giggle. "But Daine's right to keep this secret. I hate to think what my uncle would do with someone who has such power. Can you imagine? An army of dead creatures that can't be hurt by normal means?"

"It would be precisely to his taste." Numair muttered. "He might decide such power is worth a war in Tortall, perhaps even all the Eastern Lands."

"Well, while he's with us, I am going to call this one Bonedancer." Lindhall stroked the skeleton's skull sentimentally. "There's one thing I find troublesome about all this, however. Numair is right – wild magic does not function this way, as far as we can determine. What is the provenance of this power? Even the Black God is unable to give a semblance of life to the dead."

"Mynoss –?" Kaddar suggested. "No he judges only."

"In The Ekallatum Book of Tombs it's said the Queen of Chaos once raised an army of the dead." Numair said thoughtfully.

"But the Scrolls of Qawe Icemage refute it." Lindhall argued. "According to him, the Queen of Chaos assembled dead wood and stones to be her army. No, the only god, I believe, who can resurrect that which was once flesh and is now dead is the Graveyard Hag."

"That's right," Kaddar said excitedly. "Remember? There are legends of bonedancers – the resurrected dead – from the fall of the Ikhiyan dynasty, and the end of the Omanat priest-kings –"

The three men exchanged glances wondering about the prophesised fall of Carthak. Could Daine's new power be somehow linked to the omens? Would she be the emissary of Ozorne's doom?

Daine suddenly gasped for air as her knees buckled. Numair caught her before she dropped to the floor and helped her into a chair. He crouched in front of her looking worryingly into her eyes fighting the urge to cup her cheek.

"Are you all right?" he asked. "Bringing things to life tires you, doesn't it?"

She nodded unable to speak until Kaddar brought her a cup of water and a pitcher in case the young woman needed more.

"We have to be careful talking about the Graveyard Hag," the prince teased. "Yesterday she had a coughing fit in the Hag's temple. It didn't let up until we were outside."

Numair looked sharply at Daine while she took sips of water and missed the rest of the conversation. The mage had been so caught up in the thought of his friend using god-powers because of her potential divine inheritance he hadn't even considered an outside force at work. He'd been so quick to put down the possibility of this being something to do with the badger he hadn't even anticipated another god working through him. Hadn't this started happening since they had arrived in Carthak whose patron goddess was the Graveyard Hag? It seemed too much of a coincidence for Daine to have a coughing fit in her temple and then again now while they were discussing the goddess's abilities to raise the dead.

"Numair, I think you must be getting back – it's almost noon." Lindhall's voice broke through the mage's musings. "And what will you young people do? I could have lunch brought to us and then show you around a bit."

Daine smiled at the old teaching master. "I'd like that, if it's all right with Kaddar. I can get to know your friends better."

Numair gave a wistful look at his student wishing he had more time to speak with her. He reluctantly shifted to hawk shape and returned to his quarters. No one had disturbed his room or his simulacrum when he entered through the open window. The mage shifted back into a man instantly cloaking himself in an invisibility spell until he lay on the bed and dissolved the simulacrum. He frowned in thought wondering if the Graveyard Hag was indeed about and meddling. The only thing that didn't make sense was why the badger would be working for the Hag, but hadn't Daine mentioned the animal god speaking to an unseen person before breathing on her? Numair didn't have enough time to contemplate this further as the gong rang calling the delegates to the talks.