Before I get branded as a cheesy fluff writer, I just want to say in defence of my honour * sniggers * that this chapter was considerably harder to write than I thought. And, yes, I know I said I would update as soon as possible because I was already halfway through, but the other half, was a lot longer than I anticipated.

Anyway, I really hope you will like this chapter. I warn before hand that there are some aspects in this chapter that may not be entirely accurate – I have checked Tammy's books but I couldn't really find anything indicating I made a mistake. Plus, my plot would have gone down the drain if I couldn't use it…

You probably have no idea what I'm ranting about. Never mind.

Well, this chapter plus the coming epilogue will mark the end of Vital Obstacle. I don't know whether I would write a sequel – at the moment, I don't think I will. I want to focus more on one-shots (mainly D/N) and I really, really want to work on a three-part story based on the life of Tristan Staghorn. (You know, the apple tree man!)

I will stop talking and let you read now. I would be heartily glad of your reviews. 

Chapter 19

Ozorne lashed out first, shooting a shower of green fire towards his opponent. Numair dodged and managed to avoid it whilst sending his magic towards Ozorne at the same time. It, too, was deflected.

Ozorne narrowed his eyes and twisted his hand. With a lurch, the ceiling light tore from the wall and dropped, coming deadly straight towards Numair.

Daine screamed, but Numair reacted instantly. He jumped sideways, a stream of black fire leaping towards the chandelier to slow its fall.

With a quick flick of wrist, he sent shards of razor-sharp glass from the chandelier towards Ozorne. The Emperor tried to blow the glass pieces in midair but some struck him, piercing his skin. He snarled in fury and raised his hand where emerald fires formed around an object.

It was a small, curved knife.

With it, he lunged forward, making violent, cutting motions with the dagger. Somehow, Numair caught his weapon hand, and the two struggled; one trying to pierce with the knife, the other to pry it away.

Daine watched on, not knowing what to do. She held Kitten tight in her arms. The dragon looked upset, uttering high shrills.

There was a hiss and a snarl, and Numair had the knife, its tip pressed against Ozorne's neck. Numair breathed loudly, sweat on his face. Daine was alarmed when she saw a trail of blood trickling down one corner of his mouth.

'What do you say now, Emperor,' Numair hissed in between breaths. He pressed the blade closer.

Ozorne's face revealed compressed wrath. He snarled but could see he was at disadvantage. He regarded Numair with loathing, and then his eyes flickered towards Daine.

Quick as a flash, he sent a stream of fire towards her.

'No!' Numair, distracted, turned to deflect the deadly fire that was racing towards his student. He managed just in time, but at high cost.

With a cry of triumph, Ozorne pushed with all his might, sending Numair crashing down on to the floor. Before he could react, Ozorne aimed and a long, slithering coil of emerald fire shot from his hand and wrapped itself around Numair's neck. With another tug, the magical coil lurched him off the floor, suspending him by the neck in midair. He struggled, pulling at the chord around his neck but could not loosen it.

With an angry yell, Daine threw herself against Ozorne, knocking him on to the floor. She lashed out, punching, kicking with all her strength at every part of him she could find.

Ozorne's hand curled around her fists, and with a hard push, he rolled over and pinned the girl to the ground. Daine struggle furiously, trying to free herself but the Emperor's strength was overpowering.       

'Well, well, well,' he whispered, leering at her. 'Look what just threw itself onto me.'

From the corner of her eyes, she saw Numair. He looked furious but could not do a thing.

'Look here, Arram,' Ozorne said pleasantly, 'see what I have got.'

'You touch her, and I will kill –'

'Temper, temper,' Ozorne replied silkily. He was thoroughly enjoying his power. 'Now look, Veralidaine. I'm afraid you did not see a very good side of me today, but I assure you, I only get like this in extreme cases.'

'None of your sides are good,' the girl snarled, kicking with her legs.

'I can see where you learnt your manners from,' Ozorne remarked calmly. 'I'm afraid we need to get some things sorted right now. You see, we are engaged, and so you must treat me with a little more respect.'

Daine spat at him – which was hard when lying on her back – but Ozorne just laughed. 'Your little tantrums are most becoming,' he mused, 'you shall display more of it once we marry.'

'I'd rather marry a Stormwing,' Daine retorted.

'Ah, but I'm afraid a Stormwing is no good for you. You need someone more…human, someone more suitable to your needs.'

He bared his teeth at her, and his eyes began to trail along her shoulder, taking everything in hungrily.

'You are revolting,' Daine hissed, 'you make me sick. You do all this because you are jealous of Numair – because you know you can't even dream of becoming who he is, and you hate him because he reminds you of your own failure.'

At these words, Ozorne's smile vanished.

'You think just because you are the Emperor here, you are automatically the best. Well you're not, because you'll never be as great or as powerful as Numair, and if you think for one second I will marry you, you are even more stupid than you already are.'

She had said one word to many. Ozorne regarded her with deadly silence.

'You are wrong, Veralidaine,' he said quietly, 'Numair, whom you call powerful is now powerless, hanging by a strand of my magic. And you, are also under my power.' He changed; a new, chilling, lustfulness crept into his voice, as in his eyes. His hand began to wonder down her waist.

Numair swore, struggling at his bond.

Daine could not move. She felt paralysed against Ozorne's eyes. Dimly she was aware of him pulling at the cloak that covered her.

Numair swore again and black fire leapt from his arm and raced into Daine's cloak. It wrapped itself firmly against her.

Angry, Ozorne pulled harder, but Numair's magic pressed the cloak determinedly against Daine's body.

Seemingly given up, Ozorne tried another tactic. Slowly he lowered his head until it almost touched hers and whispered, 'give up, Veralidaine. You are quite defeated. Just give yourself up while you can.'

'Eat my loincloth,' Daine retorted angrily.

Ozorne chuckled. 'I would,' he whispered into her ear, 'but you are not wearing any, are you.' And with that he started to kiss her neck and her shoulders.

Daine bit back a wave of revulsion at his touch. From the corner of her eyes, she saw Numair with his hand ablaze. He watched in fury and desperation but could not strike in case he hit Daine by mistake.

The girl groaned, cringing at Ozorne's large, searching hand. She wanted to strike, but had no weapon. She wished she had something, something lethal and sharp.

Then the idea hit her like a gust of wind. Closing her eyes, she stopped fighting and tried to imagine.

Ozorne mistook this for submission. He smiled to himself, thinking she had surrendered. With a smug and triumphant smirk, he looked towards Numair pointedly.

Numair was on the verge of murder. 'Don't you dare do anything!' he shouted wildly, and Ozorne smiled gleefully at the note of panic in his voice.

'Daine! Daine!' Numair shouted, trying to get her attention.

Don't shout at me, Daine thought to herself desperately, your shouting is distracting me from what I'm trying to do!

She knew how she must look to him, unresisting and subdued. And she also knew what he was thinking.

Well I'm not that stupid!

Trying to concentrate, she imagined herself as one with power and potential. She imagined herself with weapons she could fight and kill with. Ozorne was oblivious to this. His fingers groped hungrily along her waist, enjoying the authority he had.

Silently, stealthily, sharp feathers swapped for fingers, and claws for feet. Within seconds, Daine in full Stormwing form, lashed out at Ozorne, cutting him with her metal feathers.      

Ozorne screamed in pain; his face, neck and chest gushing crimson blood. Daine kicked with her hind legs, sending Ozorne sprawling on to the ground. She jumped on to her feet and raced over to Numair.

With one wing, she slashed through the magical chord that tied him. Acid pain raced down her wing when she made the contact, and several metal feathers tore away, dropping onto the floor. Numair dropped too, and he stared at Daine's new shape in amazement.

Together they faced Ozorne who lay bleeding on the floor. He breathed heavily, his robe stained with blood. It was clear that he had lost the fight.

'You're through,' Numair said coldly, eyeing the Emperor without pity. 'If I don't finish you now, you will still bleed to death.'

In his state of exhaustion, Ozorne still managed a laugh. 'I'm not finished so soon, Arram. It'll take more than a mage and his student whore to beat me.'

Numair made a violent movement with his arm, and an orb of gleaming black smashed straight into the Emperor's stomach. Ozorne doubled up, clutching his front as he fought to breath.

Daine watched him writhe, and felt a sudden, queer feeling of what she could only describe as boredom. She did not know why, but she found the slow rate of things somewhat tedious. She wanted to see some more action, wanted to feel more fear. She flexed her metal wings, grinding them against each other.

The sound brought Ozorne to look at her. Blood stained his face and trickled down his forehead. Daine sniffed. The scent of blood was exhilarating!

'You know, I must admit Veralidaine,' Ozorne said slowly, looking at her immortal shape, 'even with your foolish ways, I never thought you would be mad enough to change into a Stormwing.' He suddenly gave a low laugh. 'Oh, Arram – you do realise that your precious student is now going to be a Stormwing forever? How you must kick yourself to know that in future, you and her are never going to be able to…shall we say interact, in the same way again?'

'How typical of you to think that's the only thing I'm concerned with,' Numair replied coldly.

'But I speak only the truth, Arram. Why else would you put up with a girl child for so long if not for your own advantages? I know you Arram. You see her only as a trophy, as all your other arcane discoveries. As soon as you have seen everything her Wild magic, not to mention herself, could offer, you would discard her like some outdated item.'   

Had Daine retained her human shape, she would have bristled in indignation on her teacher's behalf. Any fool would realise Numair was simply too honourable and morally bound to do what Ozorne accused.

But for some unexplained reasons, she found it difficult for her attention to stay in one place. She shifted her footing, trying to shake out the dull impatience that clouded her.

'Of course, I don't blame you, Veralidaine. It isn't your fault to fall for whatever trickery Arram has brewed for you. You have lost your memories, and he has seized the gap to fill it with lies.'

Daine turned to the Emperor in disdain. She saw his mouth move to speak, but the noises he made, each articulation of words meant nothing to her. It really did not bother her in the least to know what the Emperor thought.

More than anything, she wished the man to shut up so Numair could finish him off.

And he's taking a long time getting to it, too, she thought edgily. Stormwing blood raced through her veins, making her hungry for blood and flesh.

'I am telling the truth, Veralidaine' Ozorne was now saying, 'impossible as it may seem to you; I am the only one who sees your teacher's true nature. You can trust me, Veralidaine – '

'And you can eat my feathers,' Daine cut across. Lazily, she flickered one of her feathers on the floor to him. It bounced on the Emperor's knees and clattered onto the floor.

For a moment, Ozorne just stared at the feather, and then his face drew together in such a smile that made Daine falter.

'Do you realise what you have just done?' He whispered, triumph almost exploding from within his eyes, 'you have just given me a Stormwing feather, an immortal token!'

So saying, he snatched the silver feather and drove it through his wrist.

Something exploded in a burst of light. Daine felt the air punch her as she toppled backwards. Struggling to her feet, she looked up to see Ozorne's triumphant face atop the body of a Stormwing.

She looked at him in fury. She gave a loud snarl and lunged towards the Emperor Stormwing. Crashing head first onto his chest, the two rolled onto the ground, biting, hissing and clawing at each other.

Daine dug her lethal feathers into his exposed stomach, drawing blood. At the same time, Ozorne made a swipe of his wing and a deep cut appeared on Daine's neck.

She screeched in anger. Stormwing nature had won its hold and was taking over her will and character. More than anything she lusted for Ozorne's blood and his death. She hungered for the feast of his fear – and there was plenty; Ozorne was sweating and panting like a soldier on his last breath. His eyes kept darting across to Numair, who stood silently, watching the fight.

Suddenly Ozorne called out, his voice sounding painfully loud across the room. 'Guards! To me, now!'

Daine smiled maliciously. 'Can't even finish your own fight?' She sneered, flexing her metal wings for the next attack.

Heavy pounding sounded by the door. There was a flash of light and a crash, and a dozen of war-mages poured into the room. They rounded on Numair, forming a threatening circle around him. Numair regarded them silently, and poised his body for an attack. 

Seeing Numair now preoccupied, Ozorne focused on the girl. He was running out of strength fast, but then, so was Daine. Fanning with his wings, the Emperor rose several feet unsteadily off the ground. Soon, he was high in the air, pursued closely by Daine.

The two Stormwings fought in midair, striking with their talons.        

'You are quite vicious, aren't you?' Ozorne said as he narrowly missed Daine's swiping wing. Daine didn't answer. All that mattered to her now was defeating Ozorne. Rational, human thoughts had swiped clean off her mind, leaving only Stormwing desires.

The two continued to fight, dodging and striking by turn. Neither of them managed any clean aims; staying aloft restricted their movements and their wings proved hazardous to approach. They were both beginning to tire when something whistled past them and into the ceiling. There was a loud crash as the thing tore through the roof, leaving a large, splintered hole.

Both Stormwings looked down at the fight below. Dead bodies of the Carthaki mages littered the floor. Numair stood in amidst the heap, looking worn out and dazed.

Before Daine knew what was happening, Ozorne turned sharply and flew straight for the hole in the ceiling. Within seconds, he was out of the room and out of sight.

Angry at his escape, Daine made to follow. She just about reached the hole when black smoke curled around her body and began to pull her down.

Incredulous, Daine flapped her wings and fought against it but it continued her descent.

'What are you doing?' She screamed at Numair, 'let go of me! He's getting away!'

But Numair continued to pull her down. When she was on the floor, he rushed over to her.

'You have to change back now!' he said, a look of worry and panic in his eyes. 'You've been in this shape for too long. Your Stormwing shape is beginning to settle!'

'No!' Daine threw him a heated look and made to rise. Numair's hand shot forwards and gripped her wings. The contact cut through his palm, slicing his skin.

'Get off me!' Daine hissed, half furious, half amazed at him. Where she had sensed fear from Ozorne, she could see there was not one trace of that feeling within this man. Only sheer desperation and urgency made him clung on to her wings.

'You're letting him get away!' Daine snarled, thrashing within his grip. She could not believe how this man…this mortal could be so irritating.

'Daine – look at me,' Numair said forcefully. When Daine refused, he managed to grip her face with his other hand. Forcing her to face him, he said, 'do you hear yourself? Do you know what you sound like? – Change back, Magelet. You are forgetting who you are!'

'I know who I am!' Daine shot back, 'I'm a Stormwing! An immortal. I am not bound to any rules or any laws and I am not governed by useless, human ways. I am powerful – far greater than you… or any other mortals.'

'No, curse it!' Numair's eyes blazed and radiated fury.

Daine jumped. There was something prevailing and powerful in his voice. She stopped struggling for a second, stunned at his sudden brutality.

'You are not a Stormwing, do you hear me?' Numair said fiercely. His eyes gleamed with force. 'You do not belong to the Stormwing race, nor are you an immortal. You are a human, and you are going to change back right now, or you will seriously regret the day you became my student.'

'I don't want to – '

'I'm not in the least concerned with what you want. You will change back, do you understand?' He breathed loudly, exhausted from shouting and keeping her down at the same time. His eyes though, never once left hers. Grim determination burnt deep within, and there was something else in his eyes that made Daine suddenly hesitate.

'I'm not about to loose you again, Magelet.' He said, softer this time. Naked longing crept into his eyes. It was a look that completely threw Daine off balance. She gaped at him, mouth open.

'You don't belong to the Stormwing race,' he whispered, his voice shuddering through Daine's body. 'You are a human. You belong here in the mortal realm with people who know you and care about you – and you belong with me.'

And then he kissed her. His lips pressed against hers fiercely and hungrily. He leaned forward, closing himself on her, ignoring the searing pain as metal feathers cut into him. At first Daine tried to turn away, but Numair refused to let her. He kissed her lips with urgency and desire, feeling both dizzy and ashamed at his own selfish exploits. 

After a while, Daine stopped fighting. Something had exploded inside her, leaving a large hole where energies drained away. She simply yielded, letting herself go limp in his arms.

She changed whilst they kissed, melting back to her human form. Numair pulled her closer to him, his arms wound tenderly around her bare shoulders. Without taking his lips from hers, he summoned for the blanket on his bed. It came to him, and he wrapped it gently around Daine's body.

The sheer intimacy of the moment made her so giddy that she had to turn away and gasp for air. Although she was warm beneath the blanket, she found herself trembling uncontrollably. Numair noticed and his arms grew tighter around her shoulders.

'Goddess bless,' he whispered, 'I thought I'd lost you – and have to teach a Stormwing for a student.'

Daine stifled a laugh. 'Nothing wrong with a Stormwing,' she said, wriggling as she felt Numair's arms coil around her waist.

'True,' Numair admitted and began to kiss her neck, whispering in her ear as he did so, 'but I won't be able to carry out what Ozorne so charmingly called 'human interactions', now would I?'

Daine knew he was only teasing, but she felt her whole body flare up at his words. Trying hard not to squirm under his gaze, Daine said regrettably, 'we've lost Ozorne.'

She heard Numair sigh. 'That can't be helped. If you had gone after him, Mithros knows how long the fight would have carried on. By the time you finish –' he gave a small shudder –'you would have been a Stormwing for good.'

'But what about Ozorne? He's still alive…out there somewhere.'

'I don't think he can do much damage. He is injured for one thing, and he doesn't know how to use Stormwing magic. I think for now, he is harmless as he will ever get.'

'Still,' Daine said with a sideway smile, 'I wish I could've killed him. He has insulted you far too much to be allowed to live. I would've avenged for your behalf.'

Numair chuckled and kissed her softly. 'I feel honoured, Magelet.'

As his mouth closed on hers, Daine threw her arms around Numair's neck, and for the first time, let herself to really feel for his closeness and presence. All those times before she had lost her memory, she had always built herself a thin barrier, not to block, but to warn herself not to get too attached. Good feelings never last for long, she had thought to herself.

But now, she pushed that barrier, shattering the obstacle that prevented her from truly acknowledging Numair's clear implications. Reaching forward, she closed the mental distance between herself and Numair, and faced him squarely.  

'I've got you at last,' he murmured softly, his hand caressing her back. Where his fingers touched her, Daine felt currents, as strong as his Gift, racing through her skin.

Burying her face into his robes, she whispered, 'you've always got me.'

In comfortable silence, girl and man sat wrapped within a cloud of blanket and cloak, holding each other with tenderness and understanding that was beyond simple human emotions.

And in the silence, Daine could not fail to hear Numair whisper the words that made her heart leap with feelings that would surely overspill. She pressed herself against him in response.

'Love you too.'