Mithros, Mynoss, and Shakith!
Damn Shakith, Numair thought fiercely. Damn her and her Sight and that bloody seer! Where is she?
Daine was missing. The delegation had been due to sail for Tortall at noon, and now it was early evening. She wouldn't have forgotten the departure – but she hadn't shown up. Numair hadn't even seen her following breakfast – she'd kissed him on the cheek and left with Lise. Jonathan had been slightly put out that she was late and had postponed the sailing, but now that the sun was due to set in a few hours, even the king was worried.
Numair couldn't stand it anymore. "I don't understand! Where did she go?"
"Numair," Thayet said soothingly, "your temper besting you will not bring her back any sooner."
Jonathan ran his hand through his blue–black hair. "She's a responsible girl –"
"–which is exactly what's gnawing at my gut!" Numair burst, exasperated. "This isn't like her; what if she's run into trouble?"
"She'll come back," Alanna assured him, although a bit dubiously. Duke Gareth the Younger and Lindhall Reed nodded their assent.
The six senior members of the Tortallan delegation were gathered in the common room of their guest suites at the Carthaki imperial palace, for the most part seated in velvet chairs and racking their minds for a suitable explanation of Daine's apparent disappearance. Numair, at the moment, didn't have the ability to sit still, and thus paced around the room, clenching his fists at intervals and slamming the walls. Lindhall and Alanna were wary of the mage, ready to shield anything should he lose control of his magic.
"Numair," Lindhall tried cautiously, "perhaps you should sit down."
The mage blazed. "I refuse to sit down when she could be dying somewhere! Damn it, I love her!" His cheeks heightened with scarlet as he gritted his teeth and once more exerted extreme self–discipline to keep from destroying a china vase that was presently irritating him with its shape.
Thayet sighed. "We understand your discomfort right now, Master Salmalín, but you are making a great amount of unnecessary noise and straining not only your nerves but also those of everyone in this room."
"If someone hears our discussions, mind," Jonathan said seriously, "the disappearance could leak out. Three years ago, Ozorne proclaimed that Daine ran away to plot against him, and that could easily be assumed in this situation yet again, particularly now that Kaddar's cousin has also disappeared." Numair and Daine had felt that it was unnecessary to tell anyone the truth about Lisette of Whitecross.
Duke Gareth grunted. "It could be widely believed that Lady Lisette desired the imperial throne and thus enlisted Daine's help."
"Please, Numair, for me as a friend," pleaded Alanna, "calm down."
Numair heaved a great sigh and slumped into a chair that the lady knight offered beside her. "I'm sorry," he said after a while, "I'm just worried."
Alanna reached out to squeeze his shoulder. "We all are, if that makes you feel any better, and she means as much to us as she does to you. We'll get her back."
The mage buried his face in his hands and closed his eyes, his heart weeping bloody tears.
.::.
"Scanra?" Daine asked incredulously.
Lise nodded. "The very same, but we have to move, and now," she said urgently. "I can feel the wrath of the god – Ozorne has just returned to him without us."
Daine rolled the parchment up, changed the stone of the ink jar to sand, and let the ink spill into the ground. "Where are we going?"
"Can you make out the time of day?" the seer enquired.
Manipulating the air, Daine sensed the position of the sun's rays. "We've got perhaps two more hours of daylight."
"We have to take shelter, then," Lise said sensibly. "We saw mountains, and mountains have caves."
"Mountains it is. Follow right behind me; you won't be able to see where you're going otherwise."
The two of them trudged cautiously out of the woods, Lise continually listening with her mind for the thoughts of those who pursued them. Daine pulled the fog even more thickly around them as they began walking up the foothills into the mountains. She shivered; it was cold.
The air was slowly getting thinner and thinner as an hour passed, and Daine was growing weary. Shadows around the pair lengthened as the sun sank below the horizon, and when Lise told her that she couldn't sense anyone around them for over a radius of five kilometres, Daine pushed the fog away.
Their jaws dropped open as they peered around them. It had been a different issue of recognizing the region on a map; actually being where they were was shocking. Standing on a large pile of rock upon a projection of stone, Daine could see nothing in all directions but grey mountains. They reached up from their standing places beside her, and suddenly, she realized with horror that the ledge on which she was standing was in actuality narrow and fragile. A glance over the rocky ledge showed that there was open air between her and the ground perhaps one hundred metres down. Daine forced herself to look away. The wind was picking up now, blowing the fog around and buffeting the two as it gusted by, but neither could do anything but stare at the bleak landscape that surrounded them.
Finally, hair whipping her face, Lise spoke up, yelling over the forming gale. "We're in the Gulden mountain range in northern Scanra, long known for its miserable weather and size. It's the longest range in the world, and stretches at an imperfect parallel to the border of this kingdom and Tortall. From the looks of it, we were on the northern side of the range as we had to climb upwards to get here, and behind us was open plain. On the southern side of the range, there are no foothills as the sides of the mountains there slope almost vertically to the flatlands of Scanran midlands."
The colour drained from Daine's face as she fought for calm. As the reality of the situation sank into her skin, an enterprising blast of air beat at her knees, which soon gave way. Lise lunged forwards to catch her before she could fall over the edge.
"Shelter," Daine said definitely as she wobbled back up to stand on her own two feet again, retreating as far back as she could to rest against a strong mountainside. "How did we climb up on here and not fall down anyway? I should've sensed it; I should've tried harder to make sure we'd be alright."
Lise rolled her eyes. "It's not your fault that Mithros chose to neglect this place, Daine, don't be silly. Count our blessings; at least we didn't fall off. Can you sense any shelter in this, and keep the wind away from us?" Lise allowed the younger girl to support herself on her shoulder, keeping an arm about her waist.
"There's a hollow in the slab at our backs," Daine murmured as she sensed. "Reach out with your left hand, Lise – do you feel a loose boulder?"
Lise reached. "Yes."
"Lovely. Stand a little closer to me, because I'm going to roll it a little to the side."
The boulder was jaggedly round in shape and slightly taller than she, but Daine grasped her magic and compelled it a few feet away from her and Lise. An opening in the huge slab was revealed, and Daine pushed Lise inside. Once they were gratefully sheltered, away from the merciless winds, she pulled the boulder back to its original place. Changing her eyes to those of a cat, Daine peered around as she and Lise sank to the ground. The cave was fairly large, around twenty feet in width and twenty–five in length, and the ceiling domed upwards to a height at least twice that of Daine's.
"Daine," Lise said tentatively, "could you make some light? I – well, I can't see."
She blinked. "Forgive me, Lise, I really did forget myself – I'm used to travelling with Numair."
Numair! Daine thought, remembering him as she created a globe of fiery, brightly burning flame that floated on a reinforced column of air drawn together over Lise's hand. What would he be doing right now? Had they noticed she and Lise had gone? "Numair," she croaked hoarsely, not meaning to speak aloud as she realized that, for the first time in half a year, he was not with her.
"What is it?" Lise asked concernedly, not hearing Daine's strained word. "Is something wrong?"
"Well, besides the fact that we're on the other side of the bloody world from where we're supposed to be," Daine spluttered, "no! No, there's nothing wrong at all!"
"Oh Daine, I'm sorry," Lise apologized. "That was a little ridiculous of me. Don't worry, they'll find us – Numair loves you so much, and he'll go to the farthest limits of his power to find you."
"Or maybe he doesn't," Daine said bitterly. "What if he thought I purposely ran away today? What if Jonathan and Thayet thought so?"
Lise rolled her eyes. "You're being ridiculous. I'm a goddess–blessed seer, and I know when people are loved." She carefully set the ball of fire Daine had created above the ground, where it hovered, humming slightly, and hugged the Wildmage tightly. "Ow," she said suddenly. "What just poked me?"
Before Daine had time to answer, three blooms of silver light had appeared and coalesced.
–Daine, you idiot kit!– a familiar mind–voice chastised.
–Pups are often distracted,– someone remarked dryly.
–Yet it is no excuse for her. She is a special young one,– another voice said.
Whirling her head around, Daine heaved a huge sigh of relief, chiding herself silently for her own folly. "Badger, Silver, Broad Foot, you have no idea how happy I am to see you."
"I have an idea," Lise said, smiling. "You're emanating happiness. And I have the honour of meeting which of the distinguished pantheon of animal gods?" she prompted expectantly.
–Ah, but you already recognize us from Daine's thoughts, do you not?– the badger said knowingly. –What kind of seer was never nosy?–
–A seer respectful of others' privacy is no seer at all,– Silver said sagely.
Lise blushed furiously. "That was not necessary, wolf pup!"
–You are solely the favourite of Shakith,– Silver said, tongue lolling in a wolf grin. –All of the animal gods together could surely handle her.–
–Hush, Silver,– Broad Foot said peremptorily. –We did not come to debate the moralities of seers, and the situation at hand far outweighs any petty squabbles that you would like to pick with the lady.–
Silver picked at a random burr, lodged in his fur near his right forepaw, with his teeth. –Duckmoles,– he sniffed. –But he is right. Daine, we told you to summon us!–
Daine glared. "Well, I lost track of my thoughts running away from a malicious god and his little pet emperor. Besides, if you three were that interested in our well–being, you would've come to us earlier."
The three gods looked as if they had to deliver yet another lesson to another young idiot.
–We couldn't,– the badger said finally, slightly frustrated. –Don't you understand? The gods aren't allowed to interfere with the course of events that is now in motion. It began with the kidnapping of you ladies, and will end in either the return to Chaos or the sustenance of life as is known.–
–Father Universe and Mother Flame forbade their children from stepping in,– Silver explained further, –as the god working with Ozorne has meddled with the very elements of time and space to firstly bring his minion back from the dead, and to secondly give himself a form.–
Broad Foot hit his tail against the cave floor. –If the gods had been allowed to interfere, the battle between them and Ozorne's forces would have escalated to immeasurable heights. Their struggle would most likely have torn the fabric of reality to shreds as a result of incredible exchange of power.–
"Then why are you here?" Lise asked.
–The gods were very careful with what they promised their mother and father,– Silver said smugly. –Being as they are the protectors of this world, it is their last wish to see it destroyed. Thus, they promised they would not do anything, but they did not promise for all gods. The animal world was overlooked. At first, Mithros was very reluctant to let us help you, as his parents had expressly stated their wishes. It was touch and go for a while, as Mithros' decision was what would rule the ultimate course of action, as he is the sun god.–
–In the end, he was persuaded by none other than your mother,– Broad Foot declared. –You should be proud. Her rhetoric was remarkable.–
–And now, we have slipped away,– the badger finished. –We were not allowed to come until summoned, but when it became apparent that neither of you would think to do so, Mithros gave a roar of fury and allowed the accidental touch by Lise to my claw to pass as a summons.–
–The world is in trouble,– the duckmole said, his troubled tone clearly showing even through his mind–voice. –Lise was correct. The Midwinter attack is the pivotal climax of this series of events, and it is absolutely critical that this knowledge be returned to Jonathan.–
Silver lowered himself to the ground, resting his head on his paws. –Daine must return to Tortall. Her skills with the animals must be at the dispense of our side if we are to win. The animal gods offered to speak with their people, but Mithros would not allow the involvement of so many in a deliberate act of disobeying Father Universe and Mother Flame.–
Mutely, Daine and Lise nodded. The seer, unused to being informed of events that passed by without her already knowing of them, found herself in an awkward position of subservience to three animal gods.
It was Daine, more accustomed to the gods, who finally broke the silence. "Where do we go from here?"
.::.
Sorato4ever: Voila the next instalment! However … there won't be that much N/D right now, or like for a long time, because they're not currently together! … :| lol
LadySatineThreepwood: Well I made it a month!
Moonfairy2000, asett, ShadowRaven, StAmourOwl: Thanks!
Spice: I'll think about it. But it'll probably take a while to get them back together again :P
Daine: Sorry … this was not a soon update.
Nolaiel the Half–Elven: I'm sorry, I deprived you oO lol hope you liked this one (:
Numair's Daine: YAY I love your new story :D
and last but not least, Martini: Aw my dedicated reviewer! Thanks so much for your support, and I'm really sorry :P
To everyone, I'm not even going to bother to try and make up a suitable excuse for being absent from ff.n for a month =P I'm sorry! Well, from now on, my chapters are gonna be shorter, because I'm really busy this summer and I've got even less time than during the school year! :| I have no idea how that works out, but it does. Thanks for taking the time to read my pathetic creation, and I promise I won't take another extended leave ^^*
