Description: Daine wakes up and the animals go crazy. Numair and Lindhall start to plan their rescue attempt but the Wildmage beats them to the punch.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters. Everything belongs to Tamora Pierce.
Author's Note: I do love the scene when Daine and Numair are reunited. It's one of my favourites from the book. There's not a huge amount of introspection in this chapter but it's coming. That is because Numair is too focussed on getting Daine and Kitten back.
Chapter 13
Numair shared an early breakfast with Lindhall and finally decided to wash and get into some clean clothes. He was considering trying to get some rest when every animal in the master's menagerie started screaming and screeching in panic.
"She's awake!" he cried and burst out of Lindhall's room into chaos. "It's Daine! She's awake."
His old teacher was more concerned with Sunstone, his giant turtle, who was trying to take a bite out of the mage as it struggled in his arms. All the animals were in uproar, trying to throw themselves at their cages or claw their way out. Only Bonedancer seemed not to be affected by Daine's magical outburst and was looking quizzically around the room.
Numair felt a giddy sense of relief knowing that the cells couldn't block wild magic as he'd theorised until a horrifying thought struck him; why was Daine in such a panic? What if Ozorne was true to his word… He couldn't finish that thought. The animals abruptly stopped their raucous behaviour and started acting as if nothing had happened. Numair took a couple of shuddering breaths trying to convince himself that if Ozorne had tried to hurt his friend the animals would never have calmed down so quickly.
"Are you quite yourself, Master Sunstone?" Lindhall asked the turtle as he released the reptile and got to his feet. "What do you think that was about, do you suppose?"
"Daine woke up," the mage said thoughtfully. "I hope that was just her reaction to discovering she's been imprisoned and nothing more – sinister."
The master patted his friend's shoulder. "I managed to get in contact with one of the Banjiku last night who promised they would search the tunnels for her. If Daine is awake, hopefully one of their animals will be able to locate her."
Numair smiled feeling an overwhelming sense of gratitude and grasped Lindhall's hand. "Thank you."
The older mage nodded in understanding. "Once you have rested, you can tell me about your nightly endeavours, and we can start to formulate a plan. If the Banjiku manage to locate your student, then we can free them both and have you on a boat by nightfall."
Lindhall made a sleeping draft that knocked the younger mage out for most of the day. Numair woke late afternoon and would have complained if he hadn't felt fully recovered physically and magically. The older mage had prepared a meal for the pair and had been busy packing travel bags full of supplies for a long journey. Numair told Lindhall about his visit to the menagerie and his discovery about the locks.
"I think I can break the spell but it's going to draw a lot of attention. I'll need to transform the bars into something that can easily be destroyed or possibly water so we can retrieve Kitten without having to break the lock. The amount of power required to perform that kind of spell will act like a beacon for any mages nearby. We'd have only minutes to get away before we were captured again."
Lindhall unrolled the map of the underground tunnels and pointed at a section. "There are tunnels that lead into the menagerie. Very few know of their existence. You could escape through them and exit near the river."
"I could have used those last night had I known they existed," the mage chastised.
"I didn't trust you not to attempt something foolish and try to rescue your student before we'd had a chance to put things in place," the master eyed his friend warily.
Numair blushed knowing that is exactly what he would have done if he'd had the map in his hands. "Have you heard from any of your contacts?" he asked instead.
"Not a word, I'm afraid. I have marked the Banjiku saferoom on the map. I suggest you speak with them first as one of their animals may be able to guide you to Daine. Once she is freed, you could return to the menagerie and retrieve the young dragon. I have paid for your passage on one of our shipping vessels. It leaves at dawn so you will need to reach the harbour by then."
"Daine could convince the animals to cause enough of a distraction and possibly ask some crocodiles to tow a small boat down the river. We'll make it to the harbour by dawn. You could come with us..." Numair looked up hopefully at his friend.
Lindhall shook his head sadly. "I am too old for such dangerous escape attempts. Besides, someone must remain to help the slaves across the sea. The emperor has spent much of the day reviewing the Northern Army. They march in two days for Thak's Gate before boarding the vessels bound for Tortall. War is imminent. If we don't get you out before the borders close, you'll be stuck here."
The mage frowned in thought and rubbed his nose. "We'll find a way out. We can't stay here while Ozorne goes to war with Tortall. Daine and I will be needed in the fight."
"I packed spare clothes and food for you both. I took some of my assistant's clothes for Daine. They should be a good enough fit for her. I resized some of my spare clothes for you. Is there anything else you require?"
"I'll need lock picks to break into Daine's prison," the younger mage tugged on his nose. "You know the Gift doesn't work in or outside of those cells."
"That is not something I can obtain at such short notice, my boy."
"I could fashion some if you have the materials."
"Use my workroom." Lindhall said standing to clear their dinner plates. "I'll come and get you when it's fully dark."
Numair spent the next few hours carefully crafting lock picks of varying types. It was a skill he'd acquired on the streets and from time spent with George Cooper. The mage had crafted an L-shaped torque wrench, a thin pick with a curved end and was finishing the ridges on the rake when someone began pounding on Lindhall's outer door. He grabbed his tools and stuffed them into his pocket and opened the door to exchange a worried look with his friend.
"Go into the back room. I'll see if I can get rid of whoever it is," the older mage whispered hurriedly.
Numair ran into the room closing the door softly, readying his Gift. He couldn't call on it without drawing attention to himself, but he listed off several spells he could use on an unwanted intruder. The mage listened through the door trying to figure out who was on the other side. Whoever it was sounded panicked rather than angry, so it was unlikely to be a guard. Numair heard footsteps approach as Lindhall opened the door.
"It's alright. It's a friend. You can come out."
The mage stepped into the main room and saw Prince Kaddar pacing worriedly. The young man looked up and all the blood drained from his face as he pointed a shaking hand at Numair.
"But – I saw – it can't be – you're dead!" The prince's eyes rolled up in his head as he collapsed in a dead faint.
"Poor boy. I didn't think to warn him who I was retrieving." Lindhall went to Kaddar's side. "I don't think I have any smelling salts."
"Wakeflower works just as well," the mage said with a smile.
"I suppose it would. I have a vial in my workroom. I'll get His Highness into a chair if you can retrieve the wakeflower."
Kaddar was coughing and sneezing awake a few moments later as Numair held the vial under his nose.
"Welcome back, Your Highness." Lindhall said gently. "If you can remain conscious, I will explain how Master Numair came to be in my rooms."
The prince nodded senselessly as he stared open mouthed at the mage.
"Master Numair suspected Ozorne would betray him and took precautions accordingly." Lindhall explained. "What you and I witnessed in the arena a day ago was the execution of his simulacrum. He has been hiding at the university in my rooms while we plan the rescue of Miss Sarrasri and the young dragon."
"So, she was right. You were alive and looking for her." Kaddar's voice held a good deal of awe as he gazed at the black robe mage.
Numair grabbed the prince's arms. "You've spoken to Daine? Where is she? Is she alright?"
"That's what I came to tell you. I think Daine's gone mad." Kaddar looked between the two mages as he spoke gravely. The mage moved away to sit opposite the prince. "I spoke to her earlier this afternoon and informed her my uncle had killed you. I'm sorry, I thought it was the truth at the time," the prince said apologetically. "She didn't take the news well. We – one of the Banjiku slaves and I – we couldn't get her to respond to us and she seemed almost frozen. When Daine finally did speak, she told me to get anyone I cared about out of the palace by nightfall. I've never heard anyone sound so terrifyingly calm after receiving such news."
"Do you know what it is she planned to do?" Numair asked worriedly.
"Not at the time. I told my friends and we planned to cross the river at nightfall, but that's when we saw – I'm not sure if you'd even believe me." The prince glanced at Bonedancer who was perched on the desk watching him with hollow eyes. "Or maybe you would… It's the skeletons from the Hall of Bones, they're rampaging through the palace grounds destroying everything in their path. I think Daine brought them back to life with her power. My friends and I barely made it across the river unscathed. The west wing of the palace was already burning when we reached the university."
The two older men exchanged shocked glances. "This I have to see," Numair whispered.
Lindhall crossed the room to his desk and rummaged in the drawer for a few moments before he withdrew a cats-eye agate and handed it to the younger mage. "Let's not take any chances of someone recognising you."
The older mage found robes for all three of them as Numair activated the stone and made himself invisible. Bonedancer flapped its empty wings and clacked its beak until Lindhall placed him on his shoulder. Evidently the lizard-bird skeleton was equally as interested in seeing its friends brought to life. The three men left the university and joined the growing masses standing by the riverbank watching while the palace burned. The ferries were full of frightened people trying to cross the river and get away from the destruction.
"We need to get to the other side of the river and find Daine," Numair whispered quietly behind Lindhall.
"You want to cross the river and return to the palace?" the prince hissed in surprise.
"I have to go to her," the mage replied earnestly.
"Then I'll go with you," Kaddar looked grave.
"As will I, my boy." Lindhall spoke softly while Bonedancer groomed him.
"Do you have any idea what she intended?" Numair asked the prince.
"Daine said she wouldn't leave without Kitten. I think she'll head towards the Immortal menagerie."
"Then we'll make that our first stop," the mage agreed. "I can cross the river without being seen but what about the two of you?"
"I will command one of the ferry drivers to take Master Lindhall and myself to the other side," the prince replied arrogantly.
"I will meet you on the other side away from the crowds."
Numair walked until he found a quieter part of the river to make his crossing. The invisibility spell on the agate failed when he entered the murky water, but the mage suspected no one was interested in hunting for a dead man with everything else that was going on.
Lindhall and Kaddar were waiting for him outside the palace walls. Together the three of them slowly made their way through the remains of the palace. Dead bodies of mages and old bones lay scattered amongst the ruins. They passed a huge thirty-foot plated lizard skeleton with a spiked tail who seemed intent on destroying one of the towers. The blackened and twisted remains of other plated lizards and snake-neck lizards lay on the ground from their fight against the palace mages. Kaddar called out to the older men when he discovered Chioké lying crushed on the floor in a ruined doorway.
"Daine can't have done all this by herself." Numair bent down and examined one of the melted dinosaur fragments. "Even bringing one of these creatures back to life exhausted her. How could she have reanimated an entire army of dinosaurs?"
"We should keep moving." The prince pointed to a giant snake-necked skeleton which was being attacked by magical fire in the distance. It rose on its hind legs and stomped on the ground, as the magical fire disappeared, the giant skeleton crumbled unable to hold its shape any longer.
The three men eventually reached the menagerie which was eerily silent. As they passed the enclosures, evidence of Daine's presence was everywhere as the cages had been torn apart and tree trunks had been placed in the pits to allow the animals to escape. When they reached the gates of the Immortal menagerie, they spotted Ozorne by the griffin cage surrounded by four spotted hyenas. They circled the emperor snarling and yipping in excitement as Ozorne gathered his emerald Gift in his hands swaying visibly.
"No!" Numair shouted as he surrounded the emperor in a sparkling shield preventing him from attacking the hyenas.
The lead hyena threw itself at his shield and yelped in pain as she struck it and used its front paw to rub her nose. Numair's magical sight instantly identified the hyena as Daine from the intensity of her copper fire.
"You'll have to choose, Uncle." Kaddar took a step forward imperiously. "Abdication and imprisonment – or the hyenas. You must give in. Your Gift is almost used up. We can see you're taking it from your life force now."
Ozorne glared at his nephew until his eyes fell upon Numair. He blanched as his skin drained of colour until he looked a sickly pasty-white colour. "Abdi –? Never!" he snarled.
"Then it must be the hyenas, Uncle, just as the Graveyard Hag promised."
Numair wasn't sure if the prince was aware that one of the hyenas was Daine, but he had no intention of dropping his shield and allowing his friend to kill in cold blood. She already carried the weight of killing the bandits who murdered her family. He wasn't about to allow her to carry this death on her conscious as well.
"Give him to the animals!" Queen Barzha cried from her cage. "They have worked hard for his flesh – let them have it! Let them feast, so we can sup on his fear!"
The emperor trembled as he stared at the Stormwing while the hyenas laughed in triumph. Daine stepped closer to the sparkling shield licking her lips and bared her teeth viscously at Ozorne. Don't do it, sweetling, Numair thought, I'm not going to drop my shield.
"Promises, is it? Well, I have a promise in reserve!" the emperor grabbed the back of his head as his fingers dug through the braids. "See! I have this promise!"
In his fingers Ozorne held the metallic feather of a Stormwing. Numair frowned in confusion trying to determine what the emperor intended to do with it. Daine snarled in fury and threw herself at the shield again as Ozorne drove the feather into his arm. The mage gasped in horror as light exploded destroying his shield and the hyena finally reached her target. Daine rolled away from a Stormwing wearing Ozorne's face who now had a nasty scar on his chest.
Chimes began to ring all around as the cages holding the Immortals started to disappear. The griffins and hurroks immediately leapt into the air and fled into the night sky. Lindhall called on his fog-coloured Gift to contain the killer unicorns, spidrens and killer centaurs before they could escape. Kitten sat up and chirped an inquiry as she woke from her long sleep. Queen Barzha and her consort stretched their wings and smiled cruelly at the newly made Stormwing.
"Humans, stay out of this." Barzha commanded. "Now he is in our form; he must answer to Stormwing justice!"
"No! I am the Emperor Mage, lord of Carthak." Ozorne yelled aghast.
"No immortal may hold a mortal throne." Hebakh cackled. "Wake up, Emperor Mage! Do you understand now the trap that was laid for you?"
"No immortal may rule over humans or use human magic." Numair wasn't sure when Rikash had arrived, but suspected he had something to do with this trap as the blonde Stormwing landed next to his queen. "Go ahead – try it."
Ozorne attempted to speak a spell, but a large bang threw him back into the menagerie wall where he lay looking dazed.
Numair smiled in satisfaction. "You forgot our earliest lessons, Ozorne. Once you take immortal shape, you can never change back."
"We are free!" Barzha shrieked gleefully. "First I take payment from that motherless worm Jokhun and then I will tend to you, Ozorne!"
The queen and her consort took to the air and flew off into the night.
"I have magic!" Ozorne shrieked as he struggled to stand on his claws. "I – I have Stormwing magic!"
"Of course you do, sweetheart." Rikash said sweetly. "Do you know how to use it?"
A scarlet bolt edged with gold struck the floor in front of Ozorne and exploded. The new Stormwing stood there panting and sweating as he attempted to speak a protection spell.
"You'll get the hang of it in a few days or so. If you live that long, of course," Rikash taunted. "There is a reason former King Jokhun didn't want to fight Barzha Razorwing on her terms."
A second bolt struck behind Ozorne spraying him in sharp pieces of rock. He cursed and attempted to fly away rising a falling clumsily several times as he pumped his wings in retreat. Numair had no intention of telling the new Immortal that Stormwings used their magic to help them fly. Let the mad fool figure it out for himself, he thought.
"I must go after him. I wouldn't like him to lose interest, not after it took so much work to get him into the proper claws." Rikash told the humans. "Barzha will want him eventually, after all." He looked between the four hyenas. "Is one of you Daine?"
The Wildmage trotted forward as the Immortal waddled on ungainly claws to greet her. "If it counts for anything – though I'm not sure it does – you have my gratitude. And things aren't as bad as you think. You might look around." Rikash met Numair's eyes and smiled mischievously which shocked the mage. The Stormwing took flight and gave chase after his quarry. "Ozorne, my precious, where are you?"
The other hyenas joined Daine as she looked around in confusion. When her eyes met her teacher's she turned instantly human and very naked.
She sat down hard and gasped. "No. Gods this is too horrible. Don't do this to me."
Numair approached her slowly trying to keep his eyes respectfully on her face. The hyenas formed a protective circle around the young woman hiding her naked body from view.
"I'm real, sweetling," he spoke softly. "It truly is me."
"Kaddar and Varice saw them kill you. You're a – a ghost, or a – puppet. A simu-thing."
The mage held up his hand and called on his Gift as a sparkling black aura surrounded it. "Ozorne couldn't attach magic to a simulacrum, remember?" He released the magic and held out his hand towards her inviting her to touch and reassure herself it was flesh and blood.
Daine eyed his hand warily and swallowed. "Very well, then – you're one of Numair's simal –"
"Simulacra" he corrected smiling despite the awkward situation. "Magelet, remember how we met? I was a shape-shifted hawk. You nursed me until Alanna helped me regain my true form. Last year, in the courtyard of Dunlath castle, I changed Tristan Staghorn into an apple tree with a word of power."
Taking off his cloak, he threw it into the air using his Gift to float it over the young woman. She stood wrapping the material around her body as she took one hesitant step forward. Her hand reached out towards his, but she yanked it back terrified before their fingers could touch.
"Kitten? Is it really him?"
The mage heard the dragonet chirp happily but refused to take his eyes off Daine as he continued to hold out his hand waiting patiently for her to come to him. Blue-grey eyes searched his face until she gently slid her hand into his. Numair pulled her against his chest as he wrapped his arms tightly around her waist and lifted his friend off her feet. The world fell away as he thought how perfectly she fit in his arms until she buried her head in his chest and began to sob brokenly.
"I'm so sorry, sweet," he murmured softly. "I didn't mean to scare you. I never meant for you to get caught up in my deception. Please forgive me. I should have taken better care of you." He continued to whisper apologies until she cried herself out.
The mage gently set his friend on her feet and offered her a handkerchief. She wiped her eyes and blew her nose obediently.
"Where have you been?" Blue-grey eyes met warm brown ones. For one intense moment Numair was overwhelmed by the desire to kiss the young woman before he got control of himself.
"At the university. Once the emperor's men arrested my simulacrum, I had to play least-in-sight for a day or two." He wished he'd gotten to her sooner to spare her this grief.
"But – they knew – Varice and Kaddar were sure it was you." When had Daine spoken to Varice?
"It was a very good simulacrum, my dear." Numair caught his use of endearment that time and chastised himself. "I worked on it for weeks in secret and had it shipped to Lindhall from Tyra. I didn't quite trust Ozorne's good intentions, I'm afraid."
"Why didn't you tell me?" The hurt in her eyes broke his heart.
He sighed "I have no idea. I think I forgot," he smiled apologetically. Between rushing back to Tortall so he didn't miss the delegation leaving and the journey to Carthak, it had completely slipped his mind. Numair mentally kicked himself because he had always intended to tell his magelet about his simulacrum just in case he'd needed to use it.
"Oh." The mage was relieved his friend wasn't angry with him. "How'd you find out? About – all this, then?"
"Kaddar made it across the river. We have enjoyed a most informative evening. Are you aware that the entire west wing and Astronomer's Tower are burning?"
Daine blushed and kicked the dust with a bare foot. "I thought they'd killed you. I lost my temper."
Numair's eyes danced with barely concealed amusement. "Magelet, that is the greatest understatement I have heard in my life."
"She had help," a voice cackled behind the pair reminding the mage they weren't alone.