All right, here is the first chapter. I apologies that it is so short – and that it is not as exciting, but I am planning a whole colossus of events later on.

Phew, I really did not think writing a follow up of Pierce's book would be so downright hard.

Please give reviews so I can improve. Thanks!

Chapter 1

Daine stared moodily into the looking glass. She was already late for the banquet, and her hair decorations, which she had just spent the last half an hour putting on, had popped off yet again.

Daine could have screamed in frustration. For the third time, she was forced to gather the beads and pin them back on to her hair, being less patient with each try.

Her stomach gave a loud rumble. It had been three days since she and the Tortallen delegations had arrived in Carthak, and despite the constant banquets given by the Imperial Emperor, her stomach was no way near full. Having relied on mostly drinks and bread because the rest of the food contained the flesh of animals she was probable to have exchanged conversations with, the girl felt lousy and short tempered.

'And you're not helping either!' she told her hair-beads sternly. The beads were devious little things; pretty to look at, but extremely tricky to put on.  

Given another time, Daine would have admired the finely coloured glass droplets that twisted her locks into wild curls, but as Daine had already spent nearly half an hour just trying to make them stay on her hair, she was in no mood to speculate the beauty of the craftsmanship. 

Finally satisfied, Daine turned to face Kitten.

'How do I look?' she asked.

Kitten gave a loud chirp.

'We'd best hurry,' Daine said, putting a hand for Kitten to climb on, 'we don't want to keep His Imperial Majesty waiting.' She giggled slightly at that formal addressing. Back in Tortall, King Jonathan and Queen Thayet had insisted on been addressed by their names, and this sudden change was unfamiliar to her.

Opening her bedroom door, Daine half walked, half ran down the brightly lit corridor.

Just then, a nearby door opened to release one very tall man. Without looking, Daine ran straight into her teacher, and crashed onto the floor in a very undignified manner.

Needless to say, her hair beads once more fell scattered onto the floor.

'Now look!' the girl said crossly, already gathering the glass beads. 'Do you have any idea how long it took just for me to keep these to stay on my hair?'

Numair Salmalín grinned down at his student.

'I always did tell you not to run inside corridors.'

This only made Daine's scowl deeper. Kitten rushed to pick up a fallen bead and gave it back to her. With every piece gathered, Daine made to re-construct her hair.

'Here, let me,' Numair said and Daine poured the content into his hand. 

Something warm and glowing settled like a blanket around the girl's hair. With one hand, Daine felt her head to find the beads entwined around her curls in a tight knot.

'You make it look all so easy,' she sighed, smiling up at her teacher, 'sometimes I wish I had your kind of magic instead.'

Kitten suddenly gave a loud, indignant chirp. Daine smiled and kissed the tip of the dragon's nose. 'Course,' she added, 'I would never give up the ability to talk to you!'

Numair watched Daine with an unreadable expression. When the girl turned to look at him, his usually dark face turned to a slight shade of red.

'You look good,' he told her, wishing those large, grey eyes would stop looking so inquisitively at him.

'You look better,' replied Daine with a mischievous grin, 'though you did take longer to get ready.'

Numair had to smile. 'For your information, Magelet,' he said in a mockingly hurt voice, 'I was reading a book dear old Lindhall lent me, and I merely forgot the time. Funny how time flies by when one's having fun.'

Daine snorted. 'Reading about the geological structure of a water dam is not fun!' she remarked.

'When the other option means meeting an old friend who wants you dead, it is very fun,' he retorted. 'Which reminds me, we should get a move on.'

Taking Numair's offered arm, the man and the girl walked down the corridor towards the great banqueting hall.