Description: Numair convinces Kitten to help him with a birthday gift for Daine as reports of Immortals require the mages to investigate various sightings.

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

Author's Note: I originally had to make up the description of flesh-eating unicorns because I couldn't find anything written down, then I bought Tortall: A Spy's Guide and had to adapt what I'd written to fit. I took a small liberty with an idea I had about their horns though. The scene with the unicorns is quite brutal and I do apologise for that.

Chapter 2

The next morning Numair retrieved Kitten from the stables and carried her down the corridors to a quiet section of the palace. The dragonet bombarded him with a series of trilled and whistled questions.

"I'd like your help with a birthday gift for you mother."

Kitten chittered happily and whistled another question.

"We're going to get her a locket. The queen had one made for each of her children by an artist named Volney Rain. He's currently residing here at the palace, having been commissioned to do a portrait of the royal family."

The dragonet let out a series of chirps and a whistle.

"Yes, it will be from both of us which is why I need your help."

Numair knocked on the studio door and waited for permission to enter. After a minute of waiting patiently he knocked again, louder this time. Kitten regarded the door and opened her mouth, but the mage closed it again quickly before the dragonet could unlock the door magically.

"That's rude," he scolded. "We've discussed when it is and isn't appropriate to open other people's doors."

Kitten grumbled as the door opened and a disgruntled man blinked in surprise as he looked at his visitors. Straightening and modifying his expression to one of polite interest, he cleared his throat and addressed the mage.

"Good morning, how may I be of assistance? Master Salmalín – is it?"

Numair nodded his head. "I'd like to commission two portraits from you – about locket sized."

"If you'd like to follow me, please," the artist ushered the pair inside.

The man led them into his temporary studio which was covered in easels, large canvases and paints. Kitten eagerly wriggled in the mage's arms expressing in her own way that she wanted to get down.

"Only if you behave," he told the dragonet sternly. "Don't touch anything and don't play with the paints."

Kitten squawked rudely as soon as he put her down and began to explore, poking her nose into everything while she investigated the room curiously. Volney moved to stand behind his cluttered desk and pulled out a book and quill.

"So, two portraits you say?" the man said making a new entry. "Locket sized. And the subjects for this locket?"

"One is the dragonet, Skysong." Numair indicated the young dragon in time to see her picking up a pot of paint. "Kitten, what did I say about touching the paints?"

The Immortal croaked unhappily and pulled her claw out of the blue paint, her scales turning grey as she sulked.

"Come here so Master Rain can admire you," the mage said amused.

The young dragon crawled along the floor and stopped in front of the artist, rising on her hind quarters to peer into his face.

"Extraordinary!" Volney exclaimed. "I haven't been requested to paint one of the Immortals yet. What an incredible opportunity! Are you sure you only wish for a small painting? I would be happy to –"

"Locket sized is all I require." Numair interrupted. "It is for a birthday gift. I am sure Kitten would accommodate you if you wished to sketch her for any further work you'd like to produce."

The mage guessed correctly as a hungry gleam formed in the artist's eyes. "And for the other portrait?"

"The dragon's adopted mother, Daine Sarrasri."

"Very good. I can book the young lady for a sitting next week if that would suit you?"

Numair blushed. "The birthday gift is for Daine. I would prefer she not be informed about it."

"How do you expect me to paint the young lady if I cannot see her?" Volney snapped in irritation, forgetting himself.

"If you'll allow me – I can place an image of the young woman in your mind," the mage said patiently, knowing well the temperament of artists. "It would stay there for two weeks and then disappear."

Master Rain seemed to consider this for several minutes before speaking. "This is a magical thing?"

"It is."

"Will it harm me in any way?" the man asked worriedly.

"Not in the slightest. It would allow you to recall the image of the young woman whenever you required."

The artist nodded and placed his book and quill on the desk. "Very well, you may proceed."

Numair stepped in front of Volney Rain, noticing the spark of fear in the man's eyes. As gently as he could, the mage placed his fingers against the man's temples and recalled an image of Daine to his mind's eye. It was a memory of the young woman; beautiful, radiant and smiling as she looked at him full of happiness after being introduced to a new animal. The mage carefully placed the image in the artist's mind and attached a timing and recall spell to it. He stepped back carefully watching the artist's face fill with wonder.

"You have a good eye for detail, Master Salamalín. I can see the young lady as clearly as if she were in my studio," Volney said in awe.

"I will require the locket to be ready in two weeks, if that works with your schedule?" Numair said, hoping he wasn't blushing. "I will pay you in full, with an added bonus for the pictures to be delivered to my rooms and your discretion whilst producing them."

"Of course, of course," the artist waved a hand dismissively. "If the locket is for the lady in question, surely a lover's picture would be better for the other side."

The mage bristled at the implication and hardened his voice. "Miss Sarrasri does not have one. If she wishes to replace the picture at a later time, then that is up to her discretion."

"Very well," Volney said mollified. "I can have those produced for you in the time required. Now, when will I be allowed to draw the young dragon."

"Would now be a good time?"

The artist agreed a little too quickly and began to set up easels and a stand for Kitten to pose on while the mage left the payment on the man's desk. Numair bent down to speak to the dragonet, looking seriously into her slit-pupiled eyes.

"Will you promise to behave for Master Rain?"

The young dragon nodded her head and chirped in agreement.

"And you'll do what he asks of you?"

Kitten nodded her head again eagerly.

He kissed the dragonet on the head and smiled warmly. "Thank you, sweetheart." Rising from his crouched position he addressed the artist. "I leave Kitten in your capable hands."

"Yes, yes," the artist waved him away already absorbed in his own world.

Numair left the studio smiling at the successful execution of his plan, even if the master had come close to guessing his true motives. He did intend to get Daine the locket for her birthday but with Kitten's picture only. The picture of the young woman was for a locket of his own, a lover's token. He couldn't ever reveal his feelings for his magelet, but at least, in this way, he could carry a picture of her smiling face with him.

The mage had most of what he needed to make jewellery in his workroom, but he would require the lockets themselves. It didn't take him long to find what he was looking for after perusing the stands in the market, a plain gold oval for himself and a silver oval for Daine with a simple leaf engraving around the edge. Numair had only just entered his quarters when a knock sounded at his door, and a page informed him the king needed to see the mage urgently. Killer centaurs had been spotted in a neighbouring village and he and Daine were required to investigate the situation.

It didn't take long for the mage to arrive at the stables, knowing his saddle bag was already packed for just such an emergency. He was about to call for his student when he spotted her in the arms of a young man who was kissing her enthusiastically. The mage froze, feeling as if a dagger had been driven into his heart. He backed away as quietly as he could, remembering that boy from the ball as one who had requested several dances from the Wildmage.

As her friend, Numair knew he was supposed be happy that Daine had admirers, as her teacher, he could be concerned for her virtue, but as a man, he was jealous and wanted to tear the two apart. As a black robe mage – he really shouldn't go there. It was far too tempting to make the young clerk disappear.

Numair stood outside the stables for several minutes trying to ignore the ache in his heart while he could only imagine what was happening behind him. Eventually, the young man left whistling a happy tune as he sauntered back to the palace, completely missing the mage who watched him seething silently. After a few calming breaths, Numair walked into the stables trying to appear nonchalant.

"Daine? We need to ride out. The king has ordered us to investigate a possible sighting of killer centaurs near Owlshollow."

The young woman appeared looking very flustered while he tried to ignore her bruised lips and flushed complexion. "Alright, give me a minute. Where's Kitten?"

"She's engaged elsewhere. If we leave now, hopefully we can be back by nightfall, and she won't notice we're gone."

As it turned out, the sighting of killer centaurs was a false alarm, and the Immortals were of the peaceful kind looking to trade with the villagers. Daine easily orchestrated a trade agreement between the centaurs and Owlshollow, and the mages returned to Corus after dark. Over the next two weeks the pair were called out several times, all for false alarms, and they were both tired and frustrated when they returned late one evening.

When the mage retired to his rooms, he found a wrapped package on his desk with a note from Volney Rain. Unwrapping the parcel, he sat and viewed the two expertly painted pictures. The image of the dragonet somehow managed to capture her curious gaze, and Numair wondered how the artist had gotten her to stay still. The picture of Daine, however, took his breath away. It was perfect in every detail from her wayward curls, sparkling blue-grey eyes to her stubborn chin. He almost wished he hadn't told Kitten about the birthday present idea because he wanted both pictures for himself, but he also knew how much his magelet would love the locket. Despite his exhaustion, the mage took the pictures to his workroom and began to craft the jewellery.

Numair, Daine, Kitten and the horses were returning from another false alarm about a sighting of ogres when the king contacted the mage asking them to investigate a nearby sighting of flesh-eating unicorns.

"Do you s'pose this will turn out to be a herd of wild horses?" Daine sighed.

"We can only hope, magelet. These would be the first wild unicorns to be sighted in Tortall, peaceful or harmful, if the report is true. Why don't you scout ahead while we follow?" he suggested.

The Wildmage nodded tiredly and shapeshifted into a golden eagle with fierce talons and a piercing gaze. She launched herself off Cloud's saddle screeching for joy as she soared into the air. Numair watched her glide away with a smile on his face, he then began to fold her clothes and pack them into her bag.

They had become accustomed to scouting this way over the years: Daine would fly overhead while he followed with the packs and horses. While the mage could take hawk shape, his Gift was generally reserved until it was needed and not to be wasted on shapeshifting. Numair had warned the king his spell wasn't accurate, and it had barely been set up in the neighbouring villages, but at least it would stop the false reports the two mages had been tracking since midwinter which had all been visual sightings from villagers and Rider groups.

The mage had been riding for a good hour when he heard an eagle cry from overhead. Dismounting, he removed Daine's pack from Cloud and placed it by a tree. Turning his back, Numair stood by Spots while his friend dressed quickly in the freezing air.

"It's flesh-eating unicorns, all right. A whole herd of them. I counted fifteen in total. Eight adults and seven foals," Daine reported.

"That's strange," the mage frowned. "Are you sure it's the flesh-eating kind?"

"They were feeding on the carcass of a stag when I circled them. Why's it strange?" she asked.

"Flesh-eating unicorns don't form herds like the peaceful kind. You tend to find two adults only, possibly with foals, like we did last spring with those bandits. I wonder if the cold has driven them together," he mused. "Unicorns, flesh-eating and peaceful, prefer warmer climates. It's why we haven't received any reports of them here in the north."

"Maybe they wandered through when the barrier fell and are trying to go south," the Wildmage suggested.

"It's possible. I should inform the king before we engage them," Numair muttered. "How far out are we?"

"They're about two miles from our position." Daine spoke briskly shivering from the cold.

"Are there any villages nearby that need to be warned?"

The Wildmage returned fully dressed and mounted Cloud. "Not closer'n us."

"We'd best hurry then. I don't want them to move on before we reach them."

Both man and woman dismounted when they drew close to the spot the Wildmage had spied the flash-eating unicorns. Leaving the horses and dragon at a safe distance, they crept stealthily through the woods until they saw the herd who were now crunching on the bones of their kill. Flesh-eating unicorns were similar to hurroks in that they had fangs instead of teeth and claws instead of hooves. Their horns were barbed instead of smooth like that of a peaceful unicorn, and they came in a range of colours like a horse. Numair shuddered as he readied his Gift and nodded to Daine as she raised her crossbow.

The young woman's first shot went clean through a unicorn's eye, felling it instantly as Numair sent out his Gift to surround three of the Immortals, incinerating them. Daine got another shot off killing a second before the herd screamed in panic and charged at the mages. Numair exploded the ground in front of them startling the unicorns, causing them to rear and circle as the Wildmage killed another two. The herd split, running in opposite directions while the mage turned to face his targets, sending out his Gift to explode three more. His back was now to Daine, but he trusted her to deal with her own opponents.

The last two unicorns, foals, rolled their eyes at the mage and fled for the trees. It tore him up inside and as much as he hated to kill like this, Numair couldn't allow them to escape. The unicorns screamed as they burned when another very human scream sounded behind him. The mage whirled to see a unicorn snap its fangs close to Daine's face as the young woman dropped, firing her crossbow as she fell, shooting the Immortal through the throat. Numair used his Gift to explode the last remaining unicorn as it reared above his friend, intending to rip her open with its claws. The mage surveyed the area, checking for any survivors before he raced to Daine's side.

The young woman was already sitting up looking annoyed. "I hate this!"

"Are you alright? Did one of them get you?" he cupped her cheek and helped her to stand.

The Wildmage pointed to the shredded fabric on her shoulder. "One of them caught me before I could get the next bolt loaded."

"Let's retrieve the horses and Kitten. We'll make camp away from here – far away, then I can take a look at your wound."

"They don't deserve this," the young woman sniffed looking around at the carnage.

"I know, magelet," Numair wrapped an arm around her as his eyes scanned the bodies. "I fear this will only get worse as more Immortals enter into our realm."

There were no caves to shelter in, but the pair found a small clearing to make camp. Numair forced Daine to surrender to his examination, and he was relieved to find it was only a shallow cut and nothing more serious. He cleaned it thoroughly, using water from his canteen and applied a healing ointment to prevent infection. The mage insisted they get it looked at when they returned to Corus, but it should be fine until then.

They set up camp, each taking their own chores while Kitten lit the fire. The temperature was dropping fast and after brushing the horses down Daine added an extra blanket to both Spots and Cloud to keep them warm.

"I wish we'd brought Mangle with us, so we'd have the tents." Daine wrapped her arms around herself, rubbing them to ward off the chill.

"I do not relish a night in the cold either, magelet. At least you will have companions to keep you warm." Numair smiled trying not to consider the idea of lying beside her for warmth.

"I could ask some of them to curl up next to you, if you like?" she asked shyly.

The mage swallowed as he deliberated. A few months ago, he wouldn't have refused the offer, but since Ozorne had accused him of sharing a bed with Daine and her animals, it had tainted the experience for him. An icy wind blew right through his layers of clothing making the decision for him, and he nodded quickly.

"Someone with a lot of warm fur would be appreciated," Numair murmured his teeth chattering.

The Wildmage tilted her head as she listened for the surrounding animals. "I think all the bears are hibernating now, and I can't sense any wolf packs nearby."

"Please, no bears," he pleaded.

His last experience of bears had been a terrifying one, mostly because it had been unexpected. That summer morning, while they'd been camped near a river, Daine had slept with two bear cubs. Their mother had decided to curl up with the taller mage, who had somehow managed not to scream when he woke to the sight of a very large brown bear inches from his face.

The Wildmage giggled, possibly remembering the same incident. "There might be some badgers, but they won't want to be disturbed without good reason. I'll see if there's some foxes about."

The mage smiled and finished cooking the stew, dishing out three bowls, one for both humans and one for Kitten. By the time they were in their bedrolls, Daine had managed to call three foxes, five hares, a family of pine martens and beaver to join them. Numair always marvelled how predators and prey seemed to form an immediate truce when they were near his magelet. Kitten, who usually slept between the two mages around the campfire, chose to curl up next to her mother with her back to the fire.

A wet muzzle snuffled over Numair's forehead and nose, interrupting his sleep. He tried to bury his face under his blankets until a set of teeth fixed onto his hair and yanked hard. The mage yelped and woke with a start, his Gift flaring into his hands as he glared at the mountain pony.

"Cloud! What have you been told about biting?" he snapped.

The mare whickered and pawed the ground going to stand near her mistress. The mage extinguished his magic and scrubbed a hand through his hair, checking the viscous pony hadn't made a bald spot. It was still dark, and at some point, it had started snowing as a thin layer lay on the ground around them. Hid bed companions were long gone which was unusual as they tended to leave in the morning when Daine sent them away. Cloud whinnied and stamped her foot getting his attention as Numair clambered out of his warm bedroll.

"What is it?" he asked going over to check on the young woman.

It was even stranger to find Daine without any animals in her bedroll, and only Kitten for company. The Wildmage moaned and rolled towards him, her face contorted in pain. Numair quickly checked her forehead and swore when he discovered how hot and clammy she felt. Undoing her bedroll slightly, he rolled his friend onto her back and checked the wound on her shoulder only to confirm his worst fears that it had become infected.

"Daine. Magelet." Numair shook her gently, trying not to let his own fear enter his voice. "Wake up. We need to get moving."

"No. Don't go," the young woman whimpered.

"We need to get moving, magelet. Your wound is infected. We must get you back to Corus as fast as possible."

Kitten stirred as the mage spoke and whistled a question as she began her own examination.

"I'm going to pack," he told the dragonet. "Be a good girl and look after Daine."

Numair packed away the camp in record time, needing the movement to distract him. He'd never seen a wound get infected this quickly, and worried what sort of diseases had transferred into the wound from the Immortal's mouth. The mage froze as a new thought struck him, hadn't one of the Carthaki master's mentioned something about flesh-eating unicorn saliva being used as a poison? Numair began to pace furiously as he tried to remember the details: a drop of saliva took three days of intense pain to kill a person. They were at least three days out from Corus, and with the snow starting to come down heavily, that would hamper their speed considerably.

The mage approached Cloud warily. "If I load you up with our packs and Kitten's travel bag, will you be able to carry the weight comfortably?"

Cloud snorted derisively and nodded her head.

It wasn't long before the horses were saddled and ready as Numair gathered Daine into his arms, still in her bedroll, and mounted Spots. Even for him, that was quite a feat, as he couldn't usually get himself into the saddle let alone holding anything. The young woman shivered against him and snuggled up into his arms moaning softly.

"It's alright, magelet. We're heading home," he soothed using his Gift to light the area around the horses as he urged them forward.

Their pace through the night was steady, but not as fast as he would have liked as the snow began to fall harder until it was thick underfoot. Eventually as dawn approached, they had to give up on travelling when the mage realised they wouldn't make it in time as their progress slowed even further. Numair carefully dismounted in a clearing and used his Gift to melt the snow as he settled Daine gently onto the ground. He led the two horses to the centre of the clearing and held their muzzles forcing them to look at him.

"I'm about to do something you won't like. Stay very still, please."