Hey! Where are you people?! I haven't gotten a single review for that last chapter! You're falling down on the job and if you continue to do so I just may have to withhold the rest of the story from you! So there!


Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters. Patricia C. Wrede, Mercedes Lackey, and Tamora Pierce own them.


In which Cimorene and Kazul are surprised by a young girl, a very large cat, and a blind man (who happens to be rather young himself) and many things happen as a result
(part 15)


Daine came to after just a few seconds but the weight was still there, pushing her face into the ground and obstructing her view.

"Mmmph!" She exclaimed as the weight shifted and something started hitting her on the head.

Someone yelled and the weight disappeared. Hands helped get Daine off the ground and cleaned the mud off her face. Daine now looked at Morwen, Mendenbar, Altra, and a very large lion. The lion looked a bit sheepish (if you can imagine that) and his tail was twitching, making a loud 'thump' every time it hit the ground. Well that answered the questions of what was on her and what was hitting her on the head.

Kazul chose that moment to land right in the middle of things with a 'whoosh' of air and the sound of beating wings she touched down. She looked at Daine "Why, whatever happened to you child? You're all muddy. Are you hurt?"

Before Daine could reply the lion broke in (in English even!) "I didn't mean to, honest Your Highness, Your Majesty, King Kazul - a-and King Mendenbar also of course. I promise, it was just an accident a misunderstanding! I-"

"That's enough!" Kazul said, turning to Morwen.

"The lion thought Daine was an intruder trying to steal from the golden pool, so he pounced on her. Men-"

"It was an accident, REALLY!" again the lion broke in.

"AS I WAS SAYING," the lion fell quiet "Mendenbar had to call him off. Daine seems to be all right. Are you, Daine?"

"I'm fine, really. Just a bit dirty." Daine replies. The lion looks a bit happier. "See then, no harm done! I was just doing my job after all and-"

"Be quiet!" This from Mendenbar. "You are not very careful about who you attack, I recall you once attacking me."

"Oh, but Sire that was-"

"An accident, I know. I think that this job is too stressful for you. Maybe you need to get away from it."

"Oh, but Sire, I love my job! No one can do it as well as I! You can't make me give it up!"

"I most certainly can, but that's not what I was talking about. I meant that you should take a vacation, get away from it all for a while. I understand you're training an apprentice, it'll do him good to have some experience. I promise I'll keep an eye on him."

The lion looked skeptical "Well, I have always wanted to see some plains. You know, the kind with tall grass. I hear other lions live there. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to go away for a little while. Okay, I'll do it! Thank-you Your Majesty!" The lion turned and bounded off into the forest.

Mendenbar then thought of something "Wait!" he called. The lion didn't hear him. He sighed and snapped his fingers. The lion appeared-somewhat bewildered- and sat before him. "Why weren't you here when we came?"

Once again the lion looked slightly embarrassed "Well, someone drew me off with a decoy. I ran and ran after it - never quite seeing what it was - and when I finally got close to it, it vanished! I figured that something must be going on back at the pool so I hurried as fast as I could to get back. It took me a while, I'm not getting younger you know."

"Thank-you, you may go now." Mendenbar snapped his fingers and the lion was gone once more.

"So what happened?" Kazul asked. They told her the story and she snorted "Well this sure has gotten us a whole lot of nowhere!"

"Yes, we still don't have a clue as to where Karal is."

Suddenly, Altra's ears pricked up "Shh, I hear something!".

The whole group froze.