Lying in Wait
Numair glared across the table at his king. "Jonathon, we must trace these Stormwings before they get too far. Every minute we waste here is one more to them and their evil plans."
King Jonathon of Tortall shifted in his chair, considering Numair's words. "Numair, we don't even know for sure what happened to Daine, so before we exhaust all our energies on one possibility, shouldn't we examine others first."
Numair rose with a sudden flare of impatience and anger, knocking his chair over. "Must I tell you once more! I found a stormwing feather in the pile of her cloths! These creatures don't malt. That feather was deliberately placed there; it's a message. Someone has her, and they want us to know it."
Jonathon looked down, avoiding Numairs eyes. With his face concealed, he murmured, "us, or you."
"What!" Numair breathed, "what are you saying?"
"I'm not saying anything!" Jonathon rose from the table, "I'm merely observing that nothing happened to you, and, well, why risk your interference unless they wanted you to know they had her. They could have easily killed you as you slept, or waited until Daine was totally on her own. For, from what you've told me, you found her cloths no more than two hundred yards from your camp."
Sprawling his hands on the table, Numair narrowed his eyes, staring straight at Jonathon. "Just what is it that you're trying to say Jonathon?"
Jonathon heaved his chest in a great sigh. For a few moments he said nothing. He seemed to be searching Numairs eyes, trying to tell him without actually saying the words. Finally he spoke and his face winced, "I think I'm trying to tell you that Daine was taken because someone knew if she were, that you would follow, which is exactly what you're trying to do. And that is why, why I feel you should not go after her."
Numair sunk into another chair as though he'd just been hit. "Numair, please," Jonathon tried again. "You are to valuable to me, and to the realm. We need you, you're, you're of the utmost importance."
When he saw no response from Numair, he turned to face the window overlooking the moat. They stood that way, in silence, for several minutes before Numair spoke his voice full of bitterness. "And Daine isn't of importance, I was under the impression that we'd all be ashes right now if it wasn't for her and her part in the Immortals War. And you know, she does have a great deal of personal significance to me, as well as Onua, Alanna, even your own wife, she's important to them."
"Now Numair that's not what I said, what I sa-"
"What you said," Numair hissed, "what you said is that I should sacrifice my love, because at this moment you view me as important!"
At this Jonathon whirled around, "I'm not suggesting we sacrifice Daine for anyone, what I am suggestion is that before you rush off and get both of killed, hat we try to learn a little more about who, and what we're dealing with."
Numair sighed deeply; Jonathon walked over and set a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry sire, it's just unbearable for me to sit here and not do anything for her, the last time that happened I almost lost her."
"We're all blinded where those we love are concerned, and you're no different my friend." Jonathon said as he patted his shoulder.
"Thank you." Numair said as he turned to go. "I just don't know how long I'll be able to wait."
+++
Daine sat, curled up in a little ball at the base of a cage. She dared not touch the bars because like almost everything else in that hall of shadows, they were made of pure chaos. Chaos was probably the most dangerous thing to Daine, because if she came into contact with it, it tore holes in the very core of her wild magic.
She glared at the shifting form of Ozorne as he peered at her through the bars. "I thought I'd rid myself of you." She whispered her voice full of hatred and disgust.
"And so you would have, were it not for my lady Uusoae. Before she was put back in her prison she put a little of herself into me. Enough to out way my inner balance. I live, but I am more chaos than anything else."
He reached out a claw/hand through the bars toward her. She shrank back and screamed. Abruptly he pulled his hand back. "This time, this time, neither of you will escape."
"Ne, ne, neither," she stuttered.
Then, realization struck her, she buried her face in her hands and let out a pitiful wail.
Suddenly she lifted her head from her hands and looked him straight in the eyes. "I'll do anything, anything you say, anything you want. Kill me, torture me, but please, can't you leave him be, people need him. I won't deny you your revenge. But couldn't you be satisfied with just me?"
"Oh no my dear, revenge is the punishing of those who have done you wrong, and no one has done me more wrong than my one time, said friend, Arram Draper. Besides, where you are going, I would not want to send you without company." Then suddenly, he reached out and placed his hand/claw on he arm. Before she realized what he'd done, she'd passed out again.