Me again. I'm sorry I took so long, but you know the old story: school work, coursework, all the boring, brain-damaging drills.

Anyway, I hope you will enjoy this. Parts of it I wrote with 'Friends' blearing in the background, so I warn, and apologize beforehand to you now if the story feels…odd.

Other than that, I will try and update the next chapter as soon as humanly possible.

I would also like to thank everyone who reviewed the last chapter. Thank you all so, so much. I really appreciate all of your comments, and am very grateful for your support.

Anyway, enough of my blabbering. Hope you will like this chapter, and reviews are welcome.  

Chapter 17

They sat under the tree bathed in moonlight. She had her head rested snugly against his shoulder, breathing in the warm smell of spice and soap. Wrapped comfortably within the arc of his arm, she felt warmth seeping through her skin like some intoxicating drug. She felt light, giddy and a kind of happiness that could only be brought up through close intimacy.    

She tilted her face and smiled. To sit so close to him left her body shaking, and head swarming with feelings she could not name. She was glad they were sitting down, or she doubted whether her legs could support her.

The man murmured something. Magelet, perhaps. It did not matter. 

His eyes burnt under the moonlight, shadows flickering behind. Something on his face made her catch her breath as he lowered his head, bringing his face closer to hers.

She closed her eyes, heart thumping madly as she waited for –

A shriek. Loud and piercing shattered through the night. Daine lurched herself away from him, jumping on to her feet.

Except she was not on her feet, but lying down on her bed. She squinted hard into the darkness, trying to make sense of what had just happened. Her forehead was damp with sweat, and her ears still ringing from the noise.

No. Her ears were not ringing, Daine suddenly realised. They were still hearing it.

It took only a moment for her to realise what was wrong. Flinging the covers off, she jumped off the bed and rushed towards end of the room.

There on the floor within a tangle of blankets lay Kitten, making the ear-splitting screech.

Alarmed, Daine knelt down to touch her. Kitten's scales were cold under her hand, a kind of penetrating coldness that was not normal, even for an immortal.

'Hush, Kit. What's wrong?' Daine lifted the dragonet, cradling her in her arms. She walked towards the window where a strand of moonlight seeped through. In the pale illumination, Daine gasped as she saw the dry, rock-like greyness of Kitten's scales. Even with the loss of previous experience with the dragon, Daine didn't think this was a normal occurrence.

The young dragon moaned, a sound that made Daine go cold, and tossed her long neck from side to side. Her eyes were squeezed firmly shut and try as she might, Daine could not get the dragon to look at her. 

Frantic, she looked around the room for help. Only silent darkness greeted her plea. There was nothing here; at least, nothing that she thought would help.  

Then, the face of Numair flashed into her face, penetrating through the fog of panic that clouded her mind. After that, the quick decision was made in the dark.

Gathering a blanket from her bed and wrapping it around both herself and Kitten, Daine stepped quietly through her door and into the corridor. She knew the way to his room yet it still took a while to reach it, and by that time, she was trembling from worry, the night's chill and the dragon's weight.   

She stared at the closed door for a moment, unsure, and then reached out to knock lightly.

She waited. There was no reply and she knocked again, louder. The silence lingered, and then she thought she heard a distant shuffle.

'Numair?' Daine whispered into the dark. 'It's me. Please open the door!'

There was another shuffle and the door swung open. Numair stood before her, hair tousled, wearing a loose breech and a shirt that was half-buttoned. It looked like he dressed in a hurry.

'Daine? What happened?' He peered closely at the girl, and then his eyes trailed onto Kitten in her arms.

Without a word he led her into his room, conjuring a globe of light as he did so. With the room lit brightly, Kitten looked even worse than when under the shafts of moonlight; here her scales were a dull white-grey and growing paler still.

Like Daine had done before, Numair reached out to touch the dragon, and she saw the alarm and surprise on his face as he withdrew his hand.

'What's the matter with her?' she asked desperately, 'it isn't just weariness, is it?'

Numair shook his head. 'I don't know what's wrong with her, Magelet. My only assumption is that she has caught an illness of some kind. A fever only passed to immortals.'

'But…is that even possible?' Daine demanded, her voice growing shrill. She closed her eyes and tried with all her strength to feel for the dragon's presence with her wild magic. All she got was a numbing blankness, like a tall, impenetrable wall.

'I can't sense her, or even reach through to her!' Daine turned to her teacher eyes flashing, 'if only I knew…if I could just remember how to use my powers properly, I could've made her better!'

She felt like crying, or worse yet, to hit something. Herself, being the promising candidate.

She writhed in self-hatred then, for not being able to remember the feel of her own power. For being utterly useless when Kitten needed her. Try as she might, she could not find the trace to her magic, could not open the trail that led to the heart of wild magic.

'Its not your fault, Magelet,' Numair said sharply. 'You didn't ask to have your memory lost.'

'I could've learnt it back' Daine said heatedly. 'All those practice sessions didn't improve me at all. I still can't remember a thing!' She broke off, bitter and angry. She looked away from Numair, not wanting to meet his eyes. They both knew what she said was true.

Their trainings really did not help at all. For some reason, the amnesia has seemed to cut off Daine's ability to touch her power, to claim it and use it to her will. She could not recall what wild magic felt like, nor could she find any traces of it within her. The only time she was able to access it was through Numair's help.

Numair studied the girl anxiously, for the first time, not knowing what to do or say. He didn't think anything he could possibly say would be of any comfort to her right now. More than once he wanted to reach out to her, but whether it was the distress she was already in or his own conscience, he could not bring himself touch her.

'Look,' he said gently after some time, 'she's quietening down now. She will probably sleep for a while.'

Daine stared forlornly before her. Hunched and shivering beneath her thin blanket, Numair thought she looked younger and more vulnerable than ever before.

Without warning, something silver rippled through air in one corner of the room. Numair instinctively placed himself in front of Daine.

The glowing mist shimmered for a second, and then the black and white stripes of the Badger appeared.

'Badger!' Daine rushed towards the animal God. 'Thank the Gods you are here. Please, there is something wrong with Kit. You have to help her!'

Badger sniffed the air, and waddled silently forward to inspect the dragonet. He lowered his nose so it almost touched Kitten's, and held it there for a long time. Finally he withdrew and turned to fix his black eyes on Daine. 

'It is strange. I have never met this kind of…illness, if that's the correct term for it, before. Its almost as if her presence is leaking, fading away.'

'But you are certain it's just an illness?'

'I'm sure of it.'

'If that's all it is, surely she can be healed?' Numair asked. 'A dragon of her own kind will most likely to be able to cure her. They have Dragon magic. If she gets worse, I don't think her elders up there would ignore her.'

The Badger stared hard at the man for a second. 'I forgot you know about immortals almost as well as I do,' he commented mildly. 'What you said is likely the case,' – he turned his head towards Daine's worried face, – 'so don't fret, Kit. Your dragonet will probably be fine. I admit, her symptoms are odd, but I can't sense anything fatal. I will go and ask about it when I return to the Realm. She will sleep for a while now, so there is no point upsetting yourself.'

He sounded certain and reassuring, yet Daine couldn't help noticing the pensive look that still lingered in the God's eyes.

But I suppose he knows best, she thought to herself wearily, stifling a yawn. Worrying did not do her any good, mentally or physically.

'Did you want something?' She asked.

'Yes. It is about your amnesia. Do you remember our talk the last time I visited?'

'Of course. You said Mithros had something to do with it and -'

'Wait!' Numair's head turned sharply, eyes glinting. 'Mithros had something to do with it?'

Daine nodded soberly. 'Badger said he made me loose my memories, but he didn't know the reason.'

'Well I do now.' The Badger's voice was grave. 'It is believed that the day before your proposal, Shakith had a vision that sometime during your marriage with the Emperor, he will discover a way to interlink his magic with yours, such that he can control the will of all Immortals through you. Yes, Numair I know that sounds unbelievable to you right now, but it wasn't farfetched enough for Mithros to act upon it.'

'Act upon it!' Numair's eyes flashed angrily. 'So that's why he decided to take away Daine's memory. To stop her from using Wild magic altogether, so that there is no way for Ozorne to control it! That's why she has so much trouble reaching her power.'

'I'm afraid that seems to be the case. He said he did warn Daine before hand, but she still accepted him.'

'Well I suppose Shakith didn't foresee the condition of the proposal.' Numair's voice was dangerous. 'Or perhaps she has, but thought it too insignificant for their Godly attentions. Do they…do they think they can just erase her memories without any regard to the affect it will have on her?' Numair's face darkened with suppressed anger. Daine winced slightly; her teacher had unconsciously gripped her arm while he talked.

'It would do good to keep your thoughts to yourself,' Badger warned, eyeing Numair with a frown, 'or you will soon find yourself under their 'Godly attentions'.' He sighed and placed a heavy paw on Daine's knee. The girl looked at him with blank, weary eyes.

'I'm sorry about this Kit. It really is not fair on you. I will do the best I can up there to smooth things out. Numair, don't let her get in anymore risks.'

Numair was outraged. 'Since when have I ever – '

But the animal God just patted Daine's knees once more before vanishing, leaving a trail of musky scent behind.

There was a sigh. Numair turned to his student and smiled weakly. 'Well, at least we now know why you can't seem to get to grips with your power. I hope you won't still kick yourself for being useless.'

When Daine didn't reply – and still looking downcast – he risked putting an arm around her. She shook beneath him.

'Don't worry about Kitten,' he said gently, 'Badger said she will be fine. And despite his charming manners, I suppose he is a God, so he knows what he is doing.'

He spoke softly, not wanting to disrupt the sleeping dragon. When Diane made no move to answer, he lowered his head to look at her properly. 'Magelet?'

Without a word, Daine turned and buried her head into his chest. Numair blinked, and then slowly wrapped his other arm around her and patted her shoulder.

'Tired?' He whispered, 'you really should go back to bed. There is still some hour before –'

'I don't want to marry him' Daine's voice came out flat and emotionless. 'I don't care that I've already agreed to it. I'm not marrying him!'

'You won't, Magelet,' Numair smoothed the back of her head. 'Mark my word he will have me to deal with before coming anywhere near you.'

Daine responded by wriggling closer to him. She knew she was acting childish and placing both herself and Numair in an awkward position, but mutual instinct was too strong. It felt good, comforting and safe, to be so close to him.

'What was the condition, Numair?' She asked quietly after a while. She felt his chest tense. 'Please tell me?'

 There was a silence. Then, Numair sighed and gave a small shrug.

'Ozorne told you he would kill me if you refused the marriage. That's why you agreed. He knows you will never accept him otherwise. Well, it worked'- his shoulder shook in a mirthless laugh –'he certainly knows how to use power against people.'

Daine pulled away from him and stared at him, hard. 'He used you to get to me?'

Numair nodded.

'But…why just you? Why not somebody else?'

He shifted slightly at this. 'He knew that you and I…. that you and I were close and that I…' He broke off, looking extremely uncomfortable.

Daine frowned at him, blue-grey eyes questioning. He met her gaze, but quickly looked away.

Is he blushing? Daine thought to herself, a little baffled. She didn't think he was the type to get discomfited, especially when it was only around her.

There was an awkward silence. 'Maybe you should go back to your room now,' Numair murmured without meeting her eyes. 'It would not look good for you to appear like you have spent the night here.'

Now he really was acting strange. Daine narrowed her eyes. 'I don't want to go,' she said slowly, quite surprised at her own boldness.

Or rudeness.

She got up clumsily to her feet. 'I…I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that.'

'No, no! Forget what I said,' Numair went on hurriedly, reaching out to pull her down. A tinge of red crept onto his tanned face. 'Stay here tonight. There's…there's no point in moving Kitten, and she will probably want you here when she wakes.'

Daine nodded gratefully, but mused secretly to herself.

'You can sleep in my room. I will stay here for tonight.' He got up and walked briskly into the sleeping chamber. After a while he came out again, carrying some items of clothing.

'I will see you in the morning. Call me if you need anything.'

Daine nodded again and made to leave. Reaching the door she paused and turned, wanting to say something. Numair eyed her curiously, waiting.

His stare brought colour on to her face. 'Night,' she mumbled and hurriedly shut the door.  Making her way to the bed, she spread the cover and sank down with a sigh.

Eyes closed, she gripped the quilt – his quilt – and wrapped it around herself, breathing in the soft, lingering scent of his body. The scent reminded her of her dream, and she blushed in the dark. 

Much later that day Daine sat in her own room, watching a servant clean the floor. True to Badger's words, Kitten was still asleep, and not wanting to risk waking her, Daine left the dragon in Numair's room. 

There was a loud clang as the servant knocked a metal bowl from the table. She looked terrified.

'Here, let me help.' Daine rushed forward to scoop up the scented flower petals that poured out from the bowl. The servant girl blushed and looked down.

Daine peered at her curiously. She was the same person who had first told her of Kitten's outburst that previous day.

'What is your name?' Daine asked politely, meaning to thank her.

To her surprise, the servant's mouth trembled as her large, round eyes met Daine's.

'Do you…do you really not remember me, Your Highness?'

Daine was taken aback. 'I…I'm sorry, no,' she gave a nervous laugh, 'I don't even remember who I am most of the time…'

Cold hand gripped hers. 'It's Leeta. I – I cleaned your room before…before you fell from the chair. We were …friends.'

Daine blinked. 'Oh…well in that case, I'm sure we can carry on being friends. If you still want to, that is. Just…just don't call me 'Your Highness' please?'

Leeta shook her head earnestly. 'I promise I won't, Your H-' she smiled sheepishly, 'Daine.' She gathered the last remaining petals from the floor, and grabbed the water jug on the table.

'I will go and refill this,' she told Daine, 'you must be thirsty.'

When she left, Daine walked over to a nearby armchair and collapsed onto it. She did not know what to do with herself. There was an edge of restlessness that itched in her bones.

'Oh good, you are here.'

Daine jumped violently and would have lurched to her feet except the heavy weight that now pressed painfully onto her knees.

'Badger? What do you want?' she asked, rubbing at the spot where the God's sharp claw dug into her flesh.

'I'm afraid I have some bad news.' His serious tone made Daine look at him properly. The Badger God shook his head, his expression grim and sombre. 'All the dragons in the Realm have fallen ill. They all seemed to suffer the same symptoms Kitten has. I don't know how the sickness started, but there is reasons enough to believe Chaos might be involved.'

'Chaos?'

'She has being struggling against us for years. If it is her doing, the only motivation I can presume from it is to kill off all the dragons from the land.'

'But why?' Daine's voice trembled. 'Why would she do that?'

'If all dragons simply vanished from the Realm, so will the core of their magic. This sudden departure will cause a great impact on the equilibrium that balanced the Realm for centuries. The Realm will result in chaos and confusion, which is exactly what Usoae wants. You can't just take away a part of the essence that makes up the Realm without expecting consequences.'

Daine shook slightly. 'Numair said they could use Dragon magic to heal…'

'They can only heal if the healer is uninfected. All the dragons are ill, Kit. Their magic is tainted.'

Daine staggered up to her feet, letting Badger with a thud onto the floor. 'Then what are they going to do?' she cried. 'They can't just wait for death! Kitten…she needs their help!'

Badger moved forward slowly. 'The Gods held a meeting last night after I returned. Apparently the dragons' sickness was detected shortly after my departure for the Mortal Realm. From the meeting, the Gods reached a solution. The only solution that stood a chance.' He sighed and regarded Daine almost regrettably. 'You will be the one to help the dragons, Kit.'

Daine felt herself go cold. 'Me?' She squeaked. 'How…how can I possibly do anything? I don't know anything about Dragons, other than Kit. I can't even use my own magic remember?'

'You will be able to. Mithros has agreed to restore your memory.'

His words dropped like heavy boulders. Daine stared at the animal God.

'He can do that?' She whispered. 'He can really bring my memory back?'

'Well, he proved very good at taking it away. One would assume he is just as able to restore it.'

Daine breathed in slowly, weighing the Badger's words. It would be so wonderful to finally know who she was. To know who everyone else was. And she would be able to use her magic at last.

'What do I have to do?'

'You will travel to the Realm with me immediately. Mithros doesn't want to take any risks, so you will come with me now.'

'But what about Numair?' Daine protested. 'I have to tell him what's happening.'

'There's no time. Once you are in the Realm, I will return to inform him of your whereabouts. Though I'm not sure I particularly look forward to that job.'

'And Ozorne?' Daine asked. 'What about him?'

The God sniffed the air. 'We don't need to tell him anything just yet. If everything goes smoothly, you won't be gone for long. If he can't find you here, he'll just assume you have gone for a walk or else with Numair.'

'He'll just look for him instead.'

'I'm sure Numair will have no trouble getting rid of him.' Badger said dryly, and then reached out a paw to place it on the girl's ankle.

'Are you ready, Kit? I'm sorry I can't tell you more about this, but Mithros will explain everything once you are there.'

Daine licked her dry lips. She did not know what to expect in the Realm. She wasn't even certain she wanted to meet Mithros. But Kitten needed her help, and she did want so badly to remember again.

'I'm ready.' She took a deep breath and knelt down to grip Badger's paw. 'Take me up there.'

Badger breathed out a stream of musky scent, making Daine sneeze. An invisible force tugged at her from all sides, disconcertingly like being squeezed and pulled apart at the same time. She closed her eyes and braced herself for the dizziness.

There was a lurch, and both girl and God vanished in a shimmer of silver dust.