A/N: I forgot to put a disclaimer on one of my stories, and you know what? Nobody sued me! How do you like that? But I'd still like to say that any idiot who's read the Tamora Pierce books knows that these characters aren't mine, and I know it, so don't sue me!
"Numair? Numair, wake up." I felt a hand shake me, rousing me from my dream of falling through an infinite shadowy abyss. With some effort, I opened my eyes and saw a pair of violet ones staring back at me. I smiled feebly at Alanna.
"Thank you. How long have I been asleep? I feel as if I've been trampled by an entire army!"
Her outline was fuzzy, but I could tell that she looked at me sadly. "You've only had a few hours. It's almost dawn."
I frowned, trying to comprehend. "What's wrong? Why did you wake me?" Maybe something terrible had happened. I forced myself to sit up.
Alanna sighed. "I know you need your sleep, but Jon needs your help. As soon as you get dressed, he wants to see you in his study." She must have seen my face go pale, for she added, "I'm sorry, I really am. But he said he can't get anyone else. Besides, this may be just the thing for you."
With a sigh and a nod, I pushed back the covers and sat on the side of the bed. She handed me a mug of strong tea, and I drank it gratefully. When I finished, she took it back and gave me a hug.
"Good luck, Numair," she said. "I hope you won't need it." I smiled at her and she left, closing the door softly.
I rose too quickly, and for a moment my vision went dark and I clutched the wall. Once I had regained my balance, I got dressed as quickly as possible. With fumbling fingers, I tied on my belt-purse and black opal pendant. Just in case, I extinguished the lamps before leaving my room.
The king, I knew from experience, could be found in his study at this time of the morning. Sure enough, he was standing in front of the fire when I arrived, his back to me.
"Jon?" I said when he didn't turn around. When he faced me, he was smiling, but his eyes looked worried.
"Good morning, Numair," he said, sitting down at his desk. He motioned to me and I sank in a chair facing him. I glared back, and he chuckled.
"I'm sorry I got you out of bed so early, but this is important."
I growled, in no mood for civility. "It had better be. Have you any idea how little sleep I've had in the past week?"
He raised his eyebrows. "Would you care to tell me?"
I sighed. "If I said nothing, I would be giving you accurate information." Maybe this was pushing my luck a bit, but he just shook his head.
"What have you been working on that is so important you have been neglecting your health?" For a minute I could clearly see my father looking back at me with level blue eyes.
"Thanks for not putting it past me, but no. I've just had a stint with insomnia lately, and about a week ago it started to worsen." Seeing his frown, I added, "I'm prepared for whatever you need me to do. Truthfully."
He nodded and handed me a sheaf of papers. I read them while he spoke.
"I'm sending you on an infiltration mission. Some of those you have seen before," he told me, indicating the documents with a sweep of his hand. The ones he mentioned were regarding trouble with the Lord of Sinthya. I briefly skimmed the reports, which described various suspicious activities, all of which suggested—but did not prove—that fief Sinthya was collaborating with Carthak.
"I see them," I replied, "But they don't explain what I'm doing. The information here is hardly enough to necessitate a search warrant, and even if it were, you wouldn't need me. Is there something new?"
Jon shook his head. "That's why I'm sending you, and not a regular spy. We have nothing to go on but suspicions." He paused, and I noticed him tapping his finger on the desk. So he was worried. This was not a good sign, not at all.
Abruptly he continued. "Whatever he's doing is being done in the utmost secrecy, so that we can't possibly investigate lawfully. But if you can get the necessary information without being discovered—"
"I still don't understand why you can't send any Gifted spy! Why are you acting like I'm the only one who could sneak in under an invisibility spell and snatch a few papers?"
The king rose to his feet and started pacing in front of the fire. I stayed where I was, gripping the arms of my chair with white-knuckles hands. He was so transparently agitated! But nothing he had said so far explained why.
He turned to face me. "This is completely different from any other mission. We can't give you an undercover identity; you'll have to me invisible the entire time. Take a look at the list," he said, and I fumbled for the list of evidence I needed to retrieve for him. I paled when I saw it…document upon obscure document, almost nothing easily obtainable. I looked up at him.
"You're trying to tell me that I have to remain invisible long enough to get all of this! Not to mention the difficulties of procuring…what is this, private correspondence, papers that have been burned…Jon, what kind of a superhuman do you think I am?"
When he dropped back into his seat, I could tell he was almost as worried as I was. "That's not the only tricky part."
"Oh really?" I was more than a little annoyed with him by now. "If magically recovering burnt letters while exhausted from an invisibility spell of who knows how long, then, pray tell, what is?"
He sighed heavily, and I instantly regretted my harsh words. "If you're caught, I can't claim any responsibility for your actions." I stared at him blankly. Surely that was impossible. "My sending you is completely prohibited by the laws of the realm. You know that."
I nodded. "But this must be important, whatever these…speculations suggest. Otherwise, I hope you wouldn't send me on such a dangerous mission." He smiled.
"Thanks for being understanding." A large stack of papers stood unsteadily on his desk, and he handed me the top one of these before showing me to the door.
"Here's your timeframe for the assignment. You leave in an hour, and I'll expect you back in three weeks, or in magical contact at the very least." I rubbed my temples. Three weeks was a long time to use my Gift continuously.
Jon moved to open the door and hesitated. "I have some suggestions." I looked at him. "I sent you not only because I need your power, but also because I need your sense. If you read the briefing papers more carefully…"
And when would I have time to do that?
"…you will see that many details of recovery are rather imprecise. I need you to use your judgment in more matters than most missions. Including that of your Gift. Conserve it any way you can. Maybe you could shape-shift during the night, or find a safe place to let your spells down for a few hours." He clapped me on the back and opened the door. "Tortall is counting on you. I think you're up to it."
"Not being too melodramatic, are we now, Jon?" I teased. Now that I was properly awake, I began to regard the entire thing as an adventure, a chance to test myself.
Alanna was gone when I got back, to my great relief. I washed and dressed, feeling better than I had for a long time. Maybe I just needed something to do.
In half an hour I was in the kitchens, persuading a cook to give me some breakfast.
In another thirty minutes, I was at the stables, clumsily saddling Spots. As I mounted, I thought how much the poor animal had to put up with me as a rider. I swore to myself that one day, I would have Onua teach me to ride properly.
Ok, that's the last slow chapter before the action starts. I'm sorry! I really am!