A/N: Hey all. Here's #23! Hope y'all like it! #24 soon, and I'm sorry it took so long! Just one thing, could someone please volunteer to beta read for me? I need more than one. *grins at Jae*. R/R, and be kind please!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
" Well..." Kel was unnerved. The King and Queen had just drugged pages. She shook it off. " We think someone is going to attack Corus. A MAGE attack."
" We think that they took Roald and Alanna to hold them ransom or something like that."
" Something like that.' Thayet echoed. " WHy would they want Alanna AND Roald- not just one or the other?"
" IT's obvious." Jonathan looked out the window gravely. " Alanna can fight her way out of most any trap - one of wits or of brawn. And Roald because he's the crown prince. He's next in line to the throne."
" Yes, but why both?" Thayet cut in.
" Alanna finds it her duty to protect the royal family. ESPECIALLY the children. Roald and Kally in particular." Thayet nodded.
" Excuse me, I don't mean to sound rude, but what has that got to do wtih drugging everyone else except us?" Neal asked beligerantly. " I'm not exactly seeing a connection."
Jon laughed. " Because my boy, You are one of my son's best friends, along with Kel here. The others also, may be simulacra."
" SIMULACRA?" Kel asked. " What are those, and why might they be?"
" A simulacra is an image of someone. A powerful mage can make it talk and act like the real person, but it's just a preojection of the person. As to why, there are Carthaki ships approaching the coast at Port Caynn, and the ambassador has had too many visitors lately for me not to be suspicious." As Kel and Neal tried it register that, Thayet pulled Jon aside.
" What're we going to have them do?"
" Use their ingenuity."
"Jonathan!" Thayet snapped. " They're only teenagers!"
" Alanna and I went to the black city when we were pages. They can handle this."
" But you forgot. They aren't you and Alanna!"
" Yes, I know that." He looked her in the eye with his piercing blue stare. " But they have the potential to accomplish it." Thaet shook her head. She didn't like it.
" Now then." Jonathan raised his voice a notch to get their attention. " About helping us..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I cannot believe we're doing this." Neal muttered to himself as he and Kel headed up to Numair and Daine's rooms.
" Neal. CALM DOWN!" Kel reassured him. " You'll be fine. WE'll be fine."
" FINE?!?! We're going to be sent to another realm, and you want me to CALM DOWN?!?!" Neal hissed as Kel knocked on the door.
" YES YOU NINNY! We're only going to Carthak! THAT ISN'T ANOTHER REALM! IT's a different country, sure, but NOT a different REALM." Neal sighed dejectedly, knowing he had lost this argument. He remembered Jonathan's words precisely. ' Go to Numair- give him this- he'll know what to do.' He had said. * Right. AND he expects me to believe that our friends are simulacra.*
" Yes? Oh good." It was Daine. " It's you two. Come in. Numair's waiting."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
" So we'll be able to get back right?" Kel asked nervously. Neal squeezed her hand reassuringly. " And we'll be able to communicate right?"
" Calm down." Numair told her smiling. " This will work out, so long as you apply to the ground rules."
" Will they believe that we're there to discuss an exchange education program?" Neal asked skeptically." It seems rather risky."
" Well then, oh ye of little faith, if anything goes wrong, we'll know immeadiately, and I can transport you back. As for hearing what's going on, You have hearing charms on you that you turn on by saying " Mithros bless" and turn off by saying " So mote". It responds only to your voice, so becareful when you say things, and don't worry about other people detecting them."
" How long will we be there again?" Kel broke in, trying to end the fierce looks Numair and Neal were sharing.
" Three weeks." They answered together, not breaking eye contact.
" THREE WEEKS?" Kel exploded. " I'm stuck listening to this philosophical nut for THREE WEEKS?!?!" THAT got NEal's attention. Daine and Numair started to crack up, resulting with an insulted look from Neal at Kel. " I got your attention didn't I?" She asked grinning.
" Yes. You did." Neal muttered, being ornery as usual. " Now. When we get there we'll be on a Tortallan ship sailing into the harbor, and they'll know why we're there? What about the emperor?"
" Ahh. Kaddar (A/n: Sp?) shouldn't mind too much. It isn't him that we suspect. It's the last remanents of Ozorne's forces that bother us. Kaddar is trusted, he's a very intelligent and caring man." Daine spoke up. " You'll be fine Neal. As long as you and Kel stay together every moment possible, You'll be fine."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THAT EVENING
" NEAL!!!" Kel called, pounding on his door. " You should be the one pounding on doors here!!!!!" Kel continued to pound.
" All right. ENOUGH!" Neal told her, sharpely opening the door. Kel almost pounded on his head.
" FINALLY!" Kel snapped. * great. Now I'm being bitchy, so he'll not want to talk to me.*
" Look. I know you're just as nervous as I am if not more." Neal's glare softened.
" But we won't get through this unless we both cooperate. Which also means no throwing certain parties over their hips," He gave her a meaningful look. " And no talking their ear off about philosophy." His cheeks tinted pink. " And above all, let's try and be civil."
She grinned at him. " When aren't we civil?" He opened his mouth to reply, but she covered it with her hand. " That was rhetorical Neal. Now. Are you ready to go?" She removed her hand. Neal nodded. With a sigh, She managed to talk without revealing what a basket case she was. " Then let's go."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
" Well..." Kel was unnerved. The King and Queen had just drugged pages. She shook it off. " We think someone is going to attack Corus. A MAGE attack."
" We think that they took Roald and Alanna to hold them ransom or something like that."
" Something like that.' Thayet echoed. " WHy would they want Alanna AND Roald- not just one or the other?"
" IT's obvious." Jonathan looked out the window gravely. " Alanna can fight her way out of most any trap - one of wits or of brawn. And Roald because he's the crown prince. He's next in line to the throne."
" Yes, but why both?" Thayet cut in.
" Alanna finds it her duty to protect the royal family. ESPECIALLY the children. Roald and Kally in particular." Thayet nodded.
" Excuse me, I don't mean to sound rude, but what has that got to do wtih drugging everyone else except us?" Neal asked beligerantly. " I'm not exactly seeing a connection."
Jon laughed. " Because my boy, You are one of my son's best friends, along with Kel here. The others also, may be simulacra."
" SIMULACRA?" Kel asked. " What are those, and why might they be?"
" A simulacra is an image of someone. A powerful mage can make it talk and act like the real person, but it's just a preojection of the person. As to why, there are Carthaki ships approaching the coast at Port Caynn, and the ambassador has had too many visitors lately for me not to be suspicious." As Kel and Neal tried it register that, Thayet pulled Jon aside.
" What're we going to have them do?"
" Use their ingenuity."
"Jonathan!" Thayet snapped. " They're only teenagers!"
" Alanna and I went to the black city when we were pages. They can handle this."
" But you forgot. They aren't you and Alanna!"
" Yes, I know that." He looked her in the eye with his piercing blue stare. " But they have the potential to accomplish it." Thaet shook her head. She didn't like it.
" Now then." Jonathan raised his voice a notch to get their attention. " About helping us..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I cannot believe we're doing this." Neal muttered to himself as he and Kel headed up to Numair and Daine's rooms.
" Neal. CALM DOWN!" Kel reassured him. " You'll be fine. WE'll be fine."
" FINE?!?! We're going to be sent to another realm, and you want me to CALM DOWN?!?!" Neal hissed as Kel knocked on the door.
" YES YOU NINNY! We're only going to Carthak! THAT ISN'T ANOTHER REALM! IT's a different country, sure, but NOT a different REALM." Neal sighed dejectedly, knowing he had lost this argument. He remembered Jonathan's words precisely. ' Go to Numair- give him this- he'll know what to do.' He had said. * Right. AND he expects me to believe that our friends are simulacra.*
" Yes? Oh good." It was Daine. " It's you two. Come in. Numair's waiting."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
" So we'll be able to get back right?" Kel asked nervously. Neal squeezed her hand reassuringly. " And we'll be able to communicate right?"
" Calm down." Numair told her smiling. " This will work out, so long as you apply to the ground rules."
" Will they believe that we're there to discuss an exchange education program?" Neal asked skeptically." It seems rather risky."
" Well then, oh ye of little faith, if anything goes wrong, we'll know immeadiately, and I can transport you back. As for hearing what's going on, You have hearing charms on you that you turn on by saying " Mithros bless" and turn off by saying " So mote". It responds only to your voice, so becareful when you say things, and don't worry about other people detecting them."
" How long will we be there again?" Kel broke in, trying to end the fierce looks Numair and Neal were sharing.
" Three weeks." They answered together, not breaking eye contact.
" THREE WEEKS?" Kel exploded. " I'm stuck listening to this philosophical nut for THREE WEEKS?!?!" THAT got NEal's attention. Daine and Numair started to crack up, resulting with an insulted look from Neal at Kel. " I got your attention didn't I?" She asked grinning.
" Yes. You did." Neal muttered, being ornery as usual. " Now. When we get there we'll be on a Tortallan ship sailing into the harbor, and they'll know why we're there? What about the emperor?"
" Ahh. Kaddar (A/n: Sp?) shouldn't mind too much. It isn't him that we suspect. It's the last remanents of Ozorne's forces that bother us. Kaddar is trusted, he's a very intelligent and caring man." Daine spoke up. " You'll be fine Neal. As long as you and Kel stay together every moment possible, You'll be fine."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THAT EVENING
" NEAL!!!" Kel called, pounding on his door. " You should be the one pounding on doors here!!!!!" Kel continued to pound.
" All right. ENOUGH!" Neal told her, sharpely opening the door. Kel almost pounded on his head.
" FINALLY!" Kel snapped. * great. Now I'm being bitchy, so he'll not want to talk to me.*
" Look. I know you're just as nervous as I am if not more." Neal's glare softened.
" But we won't get through this unless we both cooperate. Which also means no throwing certain parties over their hips," He gave her a meaningful look. " And no talking their ear off about philosophy." His cheeks tinted pink. " And above all, let's try and be civil."
She grinned at him. " When aren't we civil?" He opened his mouth to reply, but she covered it with her hand. " That was rhetorical Neal. Now. Are you ready to go?" She removed her hand. Neal nodded. With a sigh, She managed to talk without revealing what a basket case she was. " Then let's go."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
