***********************************************
Kharnia sat in her room mulling over her plan. It was early morning and the sun was shining through her room's bay window. She opened her large black back that was magically sealed she pulled out a plethora of potion ingredients. She pulled out a few ingredients and set them aside. 'Now to find a place I can brew in secret.' She thought, but was interrupted by a knock at the door.
"Who is it?" She asked the unknown visitor.
"Kaddar." Said the familiar voice from behind the locked door. Kharnia flicked her wrist towards the door and it swung open. In stepped a bewildered Kaddar.
"What's the matter? You act like you have never seen someone open a door with magic." She muttered.
"I just wasn't expecting it," he shrugged. "I came here to ask if you would like to join King Jonathan and I in a little tour of the city." Kaddar explained. Kharnia shrugged her shoulders.
"I suppose." She said unmeaning fully.
"Well then, follow me. He is waiting for us." Kaddar said and motioned for her to follow him out of the room. Kharnia followed Kaddar to meet the King. All the while she was trying to figure out where she was going to brew her potions. 'I have to start the paralyzing potion today.' She thought. 'It'll take a whole day before it's ready.'
"Glad to see you could join us Lady Kharnia." A voice said cutting her thoughts off. She looked up at King Jonathan and smiled.
"It's a pleasure." She said kindly and Jon looked at her with favor.
"Let us begin the tour shall we?" He asked and Kharnia and Kaddar nodded in agreement. They began the tour and Kharnia dragged herself along. For the most part she was bored out of her mind. Kind Jonathan went over the history of all the well-known buildings in the city. After about two hours the tour was nearing its end, they had now traveled by carriage to the outer most limits of the city. They had stepped out of their carriage and were looking out over miles of farming plains that led to up into a distant forest line. Jon was talking to Kaddar about the cities farming developments which Kharnia found to be even more boring than the whole trip combined. She turned around and looked back upon the city wall, towering up from the ground a hundred yards from her. Her gaze drifted along the wall to a point in the horizon when the tree line encircled the farming fields and met the wall. At that point their was a very old looking building. It was rectangular with what looked like a domed top.
"What's that building?" Kharnia asked and the two men turned to see what she was staring at. "That?" Jon said idiotically pointing to the building. Kharnia rolled her eyes.
"Yes, that." She said annoyed.
"That's an old meeting house. It was here before a monarchy was established in Tortall. That puts it at about five centuries old. Back then their was a constant immortal and runaway mage threat, so it has many ancient spells and curses on it to keep anyone from penetrating it with the gift and it is also completely protected from immortal senses. Some say that even the Gods can't detect it." Jon lectured.
"If it's so protected why don't you use it?" Kaddar asked confused.
"Because it's cursed. When Tortall was first taken over by my ancestors, the government figures of that time put a curse on it that prohibits its use to the Monarchy. They also cursed it so that those who demolish it will die slow and painfully. So I can't demolish it without getting people killed or study it without getting my mages and I killed." Jon said and Kaddar looked at the far off building in wonder. Kharnia looked at the building with a murderous twinkle in her eyes. 'Bingo' she thought to herself.
"Well, lets get going." Jonathan said and motioned for Kaddar and Kharnia to board the carriage. The ride back was very quick and they arrived at the palace well before lunch time. "Will you two be joining me for lunch? I have invited Alanna and George of Pirate's Swoop and of course the Bride and Groom." He said smiling.
"We would be honored." Kaddar said and bowed respectfully. Kharnia took the hint and curtsied.
"Until then the two of you are free to do what you like." Jonathan said before departing them to attend to matters of the kingdom.
"Would you like to accompany me in a stroll around the palace grounds?" Kaddar asked Kharnia.
"No thank you, nephew. I would rather go to my rooms and settle in some more." She said with a yawn. "
"As you wish." He said before turning to take his stroll. As soon as he was out of site Kharnia dashed to her room. 'I must go out there now.' She thought urgently. She locked her door magically, then ripped off her clothing and flung it on the bed Then she shape-shifted into a very large eagle that had one peculiar detail about it. She was completely brown except for around her throat there was a band of golden feathers and at the hollow her neck was a solid circle of white feathers. Without hesitation she flew through the window once she was entirely transformed and headed for the abandoned building. She quickly glided over the large city with her impressive wing span. After about five minutes the building came into sight. She swooped down to a set of massive stone steps that led up to the entrance of the building. She transfigured back to human form. Her lean body was now only covered by her long wavy hair.
"Old is right." She muttered to herself as she took the sight of the ancient building in. Ivy had grown into the stone everywhere. She could tell that the area had once been cleared because the plant life showed signs of being in the latent stages of secondary succession. With tall shade resistance trees slowly taking over smaller trees, shrubs, and hardy varieties of weeds as one got closer to the building.
Kharnia briskly walked up the stairs and pulled on the handle of the old wooden doors. For their age they looked remarkably well kept. For a moment she struggled to open the doors because of their weight. Once she had finally pried it open enough to slip inside she found what she had been hoping for. She slowly closed the door behind her and instantly felt the outside world magnified. She could sense everyone. She could tell that Numair had a powerful masking spell about him, but she could sense him with no help of magic. She could tell that he was in his quarters in the castle. She knew where Kaddar, King Jonathan, Thayet, or Alanna was without even thinking about it. She suddenly realized she could sense immortals too. She felt an odd force she had never felt before coming from Numair's room. Something inside of her lit up and said 'Dragon'. Then her attention was taken to deep within the surrounding forest to sense stormwings. However, she couldn't sense Daine. Her brows furrowed as she tried to concentrate, but couldn't. She also realized she couldn't sense animals. She decided these details were trifle and opened her eyes to take in her surroundings. The room had deep ebony floor tiles that were delicately laced with a deep smoky grey. The walls were made out of a shinny black stone that had crimson looking blood splashes upon them from the light cast down on them by a crimson glass dome on the roof of the building. There were also pillars made of the same black marble as the floor. She found the center of the room that was directly beneath the apex of the dome. Here the floor was now a tile mosaic depicting the scene of an ancient immortal war. She looked up to see if there were any side rooms. In the faint sullen crimson light she could make out one door in the entire room. She went to it and opened it. She discovered it was a walk in storage area. She found shelves and shelves of rare potions ingredients that had been preserved over the centuries in air tight containers. She also found bags of rare gemstones that could be used for various types of black robe level spells. In the far end she found chains, shackles, whips, and other various torture devises.
"These might come in handy." She whispered to herself as she ran her fingers along the shackles. She turned her attention once more to the gem stones once more. She lifted one of the many bags filled with them and was surprised by the weight Opening it and sifting through she pulled out two gemstones that caught her eye. "These will come in very handy she said and removed the two stones and set the bag back on its shelve. Walking back to the center of the room and laid one of the gems down on the center of the mosaic and chanted a few words under her breath. She then headed out of the building and blinked in the harsh sunlight. She set the stone down and shape shifted. She grabbed the stone in her talons and flew back to the castle.
Once she had gotten back to the castle she returned to her normal form and placed her clothes back on. Then she took a cauldron out from one of her large bags. She set it on the floor then removed all of her ingredients and placed them inside the cauldron, then set the stone inside of it and chanted a few words. The stone began to glow and soon the cauldron did as well. Within seconds the cauldron along with the ingredients that had been set inside of it vanished. The stone that was inside of it fell to the floor. Kharnia smiled picked up the stone and once again chanted a phrase. She began to glow as the cauldron had and within seconds vanished without a trace or sound. The gem she had been holding dropped to ground. It hit the white marble tile of the room and produced no sound.
************************************************************
Kharnia opened her eyes and she was once again in the old building. Her hand was still clenched and she opened it to find it empty once more. Her cauldron and ingredients had made the little trip safely as well. Pulling the ingredients out of the cauldron she arranged them by item and by which potion they were to be involved in. She then waved her hand and a small amount of boiling water appeared in the cauldron. Then she picked up some odd looking roots and flung them inside of it. Picking up a weed type plant she tore it up and let the bits fall into the cauldron. She continued this with five other ingredients and by the time she was done the liquid was an odd assortment of colors. She put her hand over it palm up and chanted for a few minutes. Then she looked down to see the pot's ingredients were now boiling.
"Now I just have to wait about twenty-four hours till it all turns clear and the first stage of my plan will be in full swing." She said as she picked up the gem she had deposited in the building by the cauldron. She chanted and once again vanished.
******************************************************
"Getting cold feet yet?" A teasing voice said. Daine looked up to see mischievous purple eyes staring back at her.
"No!" She said and crossed her arms to fain anger before bursting into giggles. "Well... maybe a little." She added weakly.
"How come?" Came Thayet's voice from across the table. So far they were the only ones that had arrived for lunch.
"It's just that I haven't asked the question..." Daine said and Thayet understood immediately.
"What question? What aren't you two telling me!" Alanna said getting frustrated as she looked at Thayet's knowing look..
"Shhhh! Numair's coming!" Daine said urgently as she saw him open the door out of the corner of her eye. "I'll tell you later. I promise." She said to Alanna with pleading eyes.
"Oh all right, but you had better!" She said as she slumped back into her chair crossing her arms.
"Hi ladies." Numair said as he took a seat next to Daine and put his arm around her. "Jonathan, Kaddar, and George are on their way. I seen them talking in the court yard on my way here." Numair explained.
"Was Kharnia with them?" Thayet asked. Numair shook his head. "I hope she comes." She said as the door opened and Kharnia stepped in. "So glad to see you! I was just talking about you!" Thayet said gleefully as she stood up and welcomed the new guest. Kharnia gave her a sweet smile. "Come sit by me. I insist!"
"My pleasure." Kharnia said warmly as the Queen ushered her to the empty seat.
"Ma!" A small voice said from the doorway. Everyone turned to see the young princess.
"What is it dear?" Thayet asked concerned.
"Did you see it?" She squealed.
"See what?" Thayet asked getting annoyed at being interrupted from a formal lunch for something unimportant.
"There was a great big eagle flying around the castle earlier! I saw it twice!" She said then looked to Daine. "I was wondering what kind of eagle it was. I'd never seen one like it before." She said timidly. Daine smiled.
"Describer it to me." Daine said warmly. Kharnia looked to the girl with a foul feeling.
"She was huge! Biggest wing span I ever saw! She was all brown, except there was a circular band of gold feathers around the neck and a circular patch of white feathers in the hollow of her neck." She said excitedly.
"I don't know. I've never heard of an eagle of that description before." Daine said with an odd feeling. 'I know all the bird varieties in this realm. How could I have missed one?' She thought uneasily to herself. "I'll look it up for you and get back to you, sweet." Daine said with a smile.
"Ok." She said with a satisfied smile. For her part Kharnia didn't show the paleness she was feeling inside, instead she turned to Daine and smiled.
"Are you a bird expert?" She asked sounding interested. Daine blushed.
"I guess you could say that. I'm a wildmage." She said timidly and Kharnia looked at her bewildered.
"I thought wild magic didn't exist." Kharnia said.
"It does, but normally it is in very weak forms that goes undetected." Numair chimed in. Kharnia looked to him and fingered a piece of her hair.
"Then why is it detected in her?" She asked.
"My wild magic is exceptionally strong because my father is a minor god." Daine said timidly.
"And what all can you do?" Kharnia asked with interest.
"I can talk to animals and shape shift into any animal I want to. I can also sense immortals and talk to them as well. I'm also an animal healer." Daine said trying to be modest.
"That is an amazing gift." Kharnia said sweetly. 'This makes sense. I couldn't sense her because she is closely aligned with animals and she is the daughter of a minor god. I will need to be careful with this one." She thought with distaste.
"Sorry were late." Jonathan said he, Kaddar, and George walked in.
"Men..." Alanna muttered under her breath.
"Lets begin." Jon said glaring at Alanna who smiled innocently at him. At his words servants rushed in carrying food and drinks. The lunch lasted about an hour with mostly talk between Kaddar and Jonathan about governing Kingdoms. Thayet and Kharnia engaged in a conversation about fashion while Alanna and George argued about who their children got their bad habits from. Numair and Daine sat quietly while they held hands underneath the table out of view. As the lunch came to a close Jonathan wrapped up his conversation with Kaddar and looked to Daine.
"I know your are getting married in a few days, but if you would take a look at the royal horses tomorrow afternoon I would be very grateful." The king said warmly to Daine. "There is some kind of illness they are all catching."
"No problem. I'll go now." Daine said and was about to get up from the table.
"No not now. The horses are out with the own right now and won't be back till tomorrow afternoon. I've just been sent word that many of them have gotten ill during the outing." Jonathan said.
"I'll be waiting for them tomorrow afternoon." Daine said as she sat back down.
"Thank you very much Daine." The king said warmly. "And Numair the scarlet robe exams have been moved from mid morning to noon since many of the other examiners couldn't attend. Will you have any problems being there to test the students?"
"Of course not. My first class doesn't start till mid afternoon." Numair responded.
"Well I thank you all for attending." Jon said warmly as everyone started to move from their chairs to the door. 'This is good. The paralyzing potion will be done tomorrow morning and I can get the first half of the other potion started tomorrow afternoon!" Kharnia thought to herself. "The fiancé will be gone tending to her beloved animals and out of my way. And Numair will be on his way to the University. He will be easy to pick off." She thought as she watched Daine and Numair walk peacefully out of the room ahead of her. Kharnia's hand drifted to her neck line and felt the presence of the locket through her high necked dress. 'It won't be long, love.'
*********************************************
PrincessAlyssa16- Who would be cruel enough to kill Numair? **Cough** Me **Cough**
CrAzYhOrSeGiRl88- You no who is very persuasive....
Lita Pern- Good question... Who doesn't like D/N fluff... lol
Leaf n Jelly- Thanks for reviewing
Pandora7- Wow! You left my biggest compliment yet! :)
Kit49- I hope I keep getting better!
Neb- Thanks! I try my best to be in character.
Beachbabe23- Thanks!
Fire Mage6- It had to be leiano cuz the only way to for her to make a convincing death fake story is by means of a simulacrum and it takes a black robe mage make them be extremely convincing. And I needed an unaccounted for Black mage to do it... Well to be honest I didn't think of any possibilities, lol.
A starlit dreamer- Thankies!
Cwfanatic- Thank you! I tried putting George in this one, but I really don't know what to do with his character... :(
horsegurl21- Hope you enjoy this update!
Alanna Copper- Thank you for reviewing! :)
Kharnia sat in her room mulling over her plan. It was early morning and the sun was shining through her room's bay window. She opened her large black back that was magically sealed she pulled out a plethora of potion ingredients. She pulled out a few ingredients and set them aside. 'Now to find a place I can brew in secret.' She thought, but was interrupted by a knock at the door.
"Who is it?" She asked the unknown visitor.
"Kaddar." Said the familiar voice from behind the locked door. Kharnia flicked her wrist towards the door and it swung open. In stepped a bewildered Kaddar.
"What's the matter? You act like you have never seen someone open a door with magic." She muttered.
"I just wasn't expecting it," he shrugged. "I came here to ask if you would like to join King Jonathan and I in a little tour of the city." Kaddar explained. Kharnia shrugged her shoulders.
"I suppose." She said unmeaning fully.
"Well then, follow me. He is waiting for us." Kaddar said and motioned for her to follow him out of the room. Kharnia followed Kaddar to meet the King. All the while she was trying to figure out where she was going to brew her potions. 'I have to start the paralyzing potion today.' She thought. 'It'll take a whole day before it's ready.'
"Glad to see you could join us Lady Kharnia." A voice said cutting her thoughts off. She looked up at King Jonathan and smiled.
"It's a pleasure." She said kindly and Jon looked at her with favor.
"Let us begin the tour shall we?" He asked and Kharnia and Kaddar nodded in agreement. They began the tour and Kharnia dragged herself along. For the most part she was bored out of her mind. Kind Jonathan went over the history of all the well-known buildings in the city. After about two hours the tour was nearing its end, they had now traveled by carriage to the outer most limits of the city. They had stepped out of their carriage and were looking out over miles of farming plains that led to up into a distant forest line. Jon was talking to Kaddar about the cities farming developments which Kharnia found to be even more boring than the whole trip combined. She turned around and looked back upon the city wall, towering up from the ground a hundred yards from her. Her gaze drifted along the wall to a point in the horizon when the tree line encircled the farming fields and met the wall. At that point their was a very old looking building. It was rectangular with what looked like a domed top.
"What's that building?" Kharnia asked and the two men turned to see what she was staring at. "That?" Jon said idiotically pointing to the building. Kharnia rolled her eyes.
"Yes, that." She said annoyed.
"That's an old meeting house. It was here before a monarchy was established in Tortall. That puts it at about five centuries old. Back then their was a constant immortal and runaway mage threat, so it has many ancient spells and curses on it to keep anyone from penetrating it with the gift and it is also completely protected from immortal senses. Some say that even the Gods can't detect it." Jon lectured.
"If it's so protected why don't you use it?" Kaddar asked confused.
"Because it's cursed. When Tortall was first taken over by my ancestors, the government figures of that time put a curse on it that prohibits its use to the Monarchy. They also cursed it so that those who demolish it will die slow and painfully. So I can't demolish it without getting people killed or study it without getting my mages and I killed." Jon said and Kaddar looked at the far off building in wonder. Kharnia looked at the building with a murderous twinkle in her eyes. 'Bingo' she thought to herself.
"Well, lets get going." Jonathan said and motioned for Kaddar and Kharnia to board the carriage. The ride back was very quick and they arrived at the palace well before lunch time. "Will you two be joining me for lunch? I have invited Alanna and George of Pirate's Swoop and of course the Bride and Groom." He said smiling.
"We would be honored." Kaddar said and bowed respectfully. Kharnia took the hint and curtsied.
"Until then the two of you are free to do what you like." Jonathan said before departing them to attend to matters of the kingdom.
"Would you like to accompany me in a stroll around the palace grounds?" Kaddar asked Kharnia.
"No thank you, nephew. I would rather go to my rooms and settle in some more." She said with a yawn. "
"As you wish." He said before turning to take his stroll. As soon as he was out of site Kharnia dashed to her room. 'I must go out there now.' She thought urgently. She locked her door magically, then ripped off her clothing and flung it on the bed Then she shape-shifted into a very large eagle that had one peculiar detail about it. She was completely brown except for around her throat there was a band of golden feathers and at the hollow her neck was a solid circle of white feathers. Without hesitation she flew through the window once she was entirely transformed and headed for the abandoned building. She quickly glided over the large city with her impressive wing span. After about five minutes the building came into sight. She swooped down to a set of massive stone steps that led up to the entrance of the building. She transfigured back to human form. Her lean body was now only covered by her long wavy hair.
"Old is right." She muttered to herself as she took the sight of the ancient building in. Ivy had grown into the stone everywhere. She could tell that the area had once been cleared because the plant life showed signs of being in the latent stages of secondary succession. With tall shade resistance trees slowly taking over smaller trees, shrubs, and hardy varieties of weeds as one got closer to the building.
Kharnia briskly walked up the stairs and pulled on the handle of the old wooden doors. For their age they looked remarkably well kept. For a moment she struggled to open the doors because of their weight. Once she had finally pried it open enough to slip inside she found what she had been hoping for. She slowly closed the door behind her and instantly felt the outside world magnified. She could sense everyone. She could tell that Numair had a powerful masking spell about him, but she could sense him with no help of magic. She could tell that he was in his quarters in the castle. She knew where Kaddar, King Jonathan, Thayet, or Alanna was without even thinking about it. She suddenly realized she could sense immortals too. She felt an odd force she had never felt before coming from Numair's room. Something inside of her lit up and said 'Dragon'. Then her attention was taken to deep within the surrounding forest to sense stormwings. However, she couldn't sense Daine. Her brows furrowed as she tried to concentrate, but couldn't. She also realized she couldn't sense animals. She decided these details were trifle and opened her eyes to take in her surroundings. The room had deep ebony floor tiles that were delicately laced with a deep smoky grey. The walls were made out of a shinny black stone that had crimson looking blood splashes upon them from the light cast down on them by a crimson glass dome on the roof of the building. There were also pillars made of the same black marble as the floor. She found the center of the room that was directly beneath the apex of the dome. Here the floor was now a tile mosaic depicting the scene of an ancient immortal war. She looked up to see if there were any side rooms. In the faint sullen crimson light she could make out one door in the entire room. She went to it and opened it. She discovered it was a walk in storage area. She found shelves and shelves of rare potions ingredients that had been preserved over the centuries in air tight containers. She also found bags of rare gemstones that could be used for various types of black robe level spells. In the far end she found chains, shackles, whips, and other various torture devises.
"These might come in handy." She whispered to herself as she ran her fingers along the shackles. She turned her attention once more to the gem stones once more. She lifted one of the many bags filled with them and was surprised by the weight Opening it and sifting through she pulled out two gemstones that caught her eye. "These will come in very handy she said and removed the two stones and set the bag back on its shelve. Walking back to the center of the room and laid one of the gems down on the center of the mosaic and chanted a few words under her breath. She then headed out of the building and blinked in the harsh sunlight. She set the stone down and shape shifted. She grabbed the stone in her talons and flew back to the castle.
Once she had gotten back to the castle she returned to her normal form and placed her clothes back on. Then she took a cauldron out from one of her large bags. She set it on the floor then removed all of her ingredients and placed them inside the cauldron, then set the stone inside of it and chanted a few words. The stone began to glow and soon the cauldron did as well. Within seconds the cauldron along with the ingredients that had been set inside of it vanished. The stone that was inside of it fell to the floor. Kharnia smiled picked up the stone and once again chanted a phrase. She began to glow as the cauldron had and within seconds vanished without a trace or sound. The gem she had been holding dropped to ground. It hit the white marble tile of the room and produced no sound.
************************************************************
Kharnia opened her eyes and she was once again in the old building. Her hand was still clenched and she opened it to find it empty once more. Her cauldron and ingredients had made the little trip safely as well. Pulling the ingredients out of the cauldron she arranged them by item and by which potion they were to be involved in. She then waved her hand and a small amount of boiling water appeared in the cauldron. Then she picked up some odd looking roots and flung them inside of it. Picking up a weed type plant she tore it up and let the bits fall into the cauldron. She continued this with five other ingredients and by the time she was done the liquid was an odd assortment of colors. She put her hand over it palm up and chanted for a few minutes. Then she looked down to see the pot's ingredients were now boiling.
"Now I just have to wait about twenty-four hours till it all turns clear and the first stage of my plan will be in full swing." She said as she picked up the gem she had deposited in the building by the cauldron. She chanted and once again vanished.
******************************************************
"Getting cold feet yet?" A teasing voice said. Daine looked up to see mischievous purple eyes staring back at her.
"No!" She said and crossed her arms to fain anger before bursting into giggles. "Well... maybe a little." She added weakly.
"How come?" Came Thayet's voice from across the table. So far they were the only ones that had arrived for lunch.
"It's just that I haven't asked the question..." Daine said and Thayet understood immediately.
"What question? What aren't you two telling me!" Alanna said getting frustrated as she looked at Thayet's knowing look..
"Shhhh! Numair's coming!" Daine said urgently as she saw him open the door out of the corner of her eye. "I'll tell you later. I promise." She said to Alanna with pleading eyes.
"Oh all right, but you had better!" She said as she slumped back into her chair crossing her arms.
"Hi ladies." Numair said as he took a seat next to Daine and put his arm around her. "Jonathan, Kaddar, and George are on their way. I seen them talking in the court yard on my way here." Numair explained.
"Was Kharnia with them?" Thayet asked. Numair shook his head. "I hope she comes." She said as the door opened and Kharnia stepped in. "So glad to see you! I was just talking about you!" Thayet said gleefully as she stood up and welcomed the new guest. Kharnia gave her a sweet smile. "Come sit by me. I insist!"
"My pleasure." Kharnia said warmly as the Queen ushered her to the empty seat.
"Ma!" A small voice said from the doorway. Everyone turned to see the young princess.
"What is it dear?" Thayet asked concerned.
"Did you see it?" She squealed.
"See what?" Thayet asked getting annoyed at being interrupted from a formal lunch for something unimportant.
"There was a great big eagle flying around the castle earlier! I saw it twice!" She said then looked to Daine. "I was wondering what kind of eagle it was. I'd never seen one like it before." She said timidly. Daine smiled.
"Describer it to me." Daine said warmly. Kharnia looked to the girl with a foul feeling.
"She was huge! Biggest wing span I ever saw! She was all brown, except there was a circular band of gold feathers around the neck and a circular patch of white feathers in the hollow of her neck." She said excitedly.
"I don't know. I've never heard of an eagle of that description before." Daine said with an odd feeling. 'I know all the bird varieties in this realm. How could I have missed one?' She thought uneasily to herself. "I'll look it up for you and get back to you, sweet." Daine said with a smile.
"Ok." She said with a satisfied smile. For her part Kharnia didn't show the paleness she was feeling inside, instead she turned to Daine and smiled.
"Are you a bird expert?" She asked sounding interested. Daine blushed.
"I guess you could say that. I'm a wildmage." She said timidly and Kharnia looked at her bewildered.
"I thought wild magic didn't exist." Kharnia said.
"It does, but normally it is in very weak forms that goes undetected." Numair chimed in. Kharnia looked to him and fingered a piece of her hair.
"Then why is it detected in her?" She asked.
"My wild magic is exceptionally strong because my father is a minor god." Daine said timidly.
"And what all can you do?" Kharnia asked with interest.
"I can talk to animals and shape shift into any animal I want to. I can also sense immortals and talk to them as well. I'm also an animal healer." Daine said trying to be modest.
"That is an amazing gift." Kharnia said sweetly. 'This makes sense. I couldn't sense her because she is closely aligned with animals and she is the daughter of a minor god. I will need to be careful with this one." She thought with distaste.
"Sorry were late." Jonathan said he, Kaddar, and George walked in.
"Men..." Alanna muttered under her breath.
"Lets begin." Jon said glaring at Alanna who smiled innocently at him. At his words servants rushed in carrying food and drinks. The lunch lasted about an hour with mostly talk between Kaddar and Jonathan about governing Kingdoms. Thayet and Kharnia engaged in a conversation about fashion while Alanna and George argued about who their children got their bad habits from. Numair and Daine sat quietly while they held hands underneath the table out of view. As the lunch came to a close Jonathan wrapped up his conversation with Kaddar and looked to Daine.
"I know your are getting married in a few days, but if you would take a look at the royal horses tomorrow afternoon I would be very grateful." The king said warmly to Daine. "There is some kind of illness they are all catching."
"No problem. I'll go now." Daine said and was about to get up from the table.
"No not now. The horses are out with the own right now and won't be back till tomorrow afternoon. I've just been sent word that many of them have gotten ill during the outing." Jonathan said.
"I'll be waiting for them tomorrow afternoon." Daine said as she sat back down.
"Thank you very much Daine." The king said warmly. "And Numair the scarlet robe exams have been moved from mid morning to noon since many of the other examiners couldn't attend. Will you have any problems being there to test the students?"
"Of course not. My first class doesn't start till mid afternoon." Numair responded.
"Well I thank you all for attending." Jon said warmly as everyone started to move from their chairs to the door. 'This is good. The paralyzing potion will be done tomorrow morning and I can get the first half of the other potion started tomorrow afternoon!" Kharnia thought to herself. "The fiancé will be gone tending to her beloved animals and out of my way. And Numair will be on his way to the University. He will be easy to pick off." She thought as she watched Daine and Numair walk peacefully out of the room ahead of her. Kharnia's hand drifted to her neck line and felt the presence of the locket through her high necked dress. 'It won't be long, love.'
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PrincessAlyssa16- Who would be cruel enough to kill Numair? **Cough** Me **Cough**
CrAzYhOrSeGiRl88- You no who is very persuasive....
Lita Pern- Good question... Who doesn't like D/N fluff... lol
Leaf n Jelly- Thanks for reviewing
Pandora7- Wow! You left my biggest compliment yet! :)
Kit49- I hope I keep getting better!
Neb- Thanks! I try my best to be in character.
Beachbabe23- Thanks!
Fire Mage6- It had to be leiano cuz the only way to for her to make a convincing death fake story is by means of a simulacrum and it takes a black robe mage make them be extremely convincing. And I needed an unaccounted for Black mage to do it... Well to be honest I didn't think of any possibilities, lol.
A starlit dreamer- Thankies!
Cwfanatic- Thank you! I tried putting George in this one, but I really don't know what to do with his character... :(
horsegurl21- Hope you enjoy this update!
Alanna Copper- Thank you for reviewing! :)