~ ~ Three ~ ~
Daine was free! She leaned into the wind from the prow of the boat she was riding in, hearing the calls of the People of the sea, answering them, and straining to smell the forgotten smells of Carthak.
"M'lady! You'd best be down from there, the cap'n'd fair 'ave my 'ead if you were t'fall." A coarse sailing man appeared behind her, wringing his dirty cap in his hands.
"Oh, don't worry." She smiled at him, feeling lighter than ever to be free of Numair. "My friends would've saved me before I'd sunk an inch. All you would've had to do was slow the boat down so they could catch up."
"Er, yes, M'lady," The man executed an awkward bow before scampering off. Daine knew what he was afraid of, but she refused to let the reality of her magic wear her down. She had enough friends as it was; what did one sailor matter?
Are you excited to see Kaddar? Asked Zek, she'd forgotten that he was perched on the railing next to her. Turning to him, she said, Of course I am! I've missed him.
Maybe more than was wise to miss him? Zek prompted.
Daine laughed, He's simply a friend Zek, a very good friend.
And I'm a gator's uncle, Zek muttered before leaping down from the railing and stalking off, tail up.
~~~~
Kaddar sat upon his golden throne in the large imperial craft as it flew down the river towards the bay and Daine. The slave's backs shone with sweat under the sun, but Kaddar didn't mind. He'd decked himself out in his finest jewels in order to impress Daine and welcome her back. All his thoughts were focused on his old friend returning.
~~~~
Daine ran below to pack her bags as soon as the first cry of, "Land ho!" came from the crow's nest. Snatching up her last tunic, she hastily shoved it in her pack and pulled the drawstrings tight. Picking up the two leather bags, she hurried up on deck again, Zek trailing her a few feet behind. There it was, the harbor. Feeling a sense of deja vu, Daine saw all of her old cat and dog friends lining the wharves, and her feathered friends bedecking the ships' masts and railings. She called to them all.
Friends, all, thank you so much for coming to meet me! I'll be at the royal palace if any of you need me. Now, please return to your masters, they must be worried.
The animals complied with a brief roar of welcome. Then, Daine spotted the one boat she was looking for. And in the prow, rested a figure from a legend. Kaddar stood, one foot placed jauntily up on the railing. His theme was a warm bronze color, and on top of a deep red tunic, he wore a light shirt of bronze mail. His sandals were dyed the metallic color, and all of his jewelry glinted warmly in the sunlight. His eyes had been outlined in black kohl paint, while his hair had been lightly gilded with bronze. The moment he saw her, he waved eagerly and transformed from the imposing monarch awaiting a visiting delegate from another country, to the prince Daine knew, who was waiting for a friend.
Daine waved back, letting her bags drop to the deck where Zek scrambled to get out of the way. When the imperial boat pulled alongside, Daine jumped down to its deck, heedless of any safety precautions, and ran to Kaddar. He enfolded her in a warm hug and whispered against her hair, "I knew you'd come."
"Kaddar!" Daine pulled back and looked him over. "How are you? Oh my goodness, you must tell me everything that's taken place since I left!" Kaddar was looking around, as if expecting something to happen.
"Where are Numair and the rest of your escort?" He asked, shading his eyes to squint up at the deck of the Tortallan vessel.
"It's only me that's come, Kaddar," Daine said, feeling a tinge of unhappiness that even he did not seem to think she could be alone.
He looked back at her. "No lie?" She shook her head. "Then we must get you back to the palace immediately! Who knows what could happen? What someone could have planned? Daine, I don't want anything to happen to you, my friend."
Daine had been preparing an outburst, but when he looked at her so endearingly with his last sentence, she couldn't bring herself to yell at him.
"Fine," She muttered, "Let's go." And let Kaddar lead her under the canopy that stretched across the middle of the imperial craft, keeping out the sun.
~~~~
Kaddar settled back on a small couch as his imperial boat made its way up the river. He watched Daine as she stood at the railing; Zek perched on her shoulder, absorbing the scenery as it drifted past. Her brown curls blew in the wind, just as he'd remembered. Suddenly, she turned and caught him looking at her. Blushing, she looked away again, and said, "So Kaddar, how are the birds?"
She meant former Emperor Ozorne's birds, who she had cured of lead poisoning once before when she had first come to Carthak. Kaddar smiled at her. "They are quite well and have been asking after their 'wing-sister'"
Daine looked at him sharply. "How do you know that?"
"One of the khanu volunteered to stay and take care of them. She tells me what they want and how they feel, what they think of me. I'm becoming quite attached to them."
Daine laughed and came to join Kaddar on the couch. Settling next to him, she reached for a bowl of fruit placed on a low table. Selecting a pear from it, she placed it back on the table, along with an eager Zek, who had latched himself onto an apple. Taking a bite, she turned to Kaddar and smiled.
"It's so good to see you Kaddar, you have no idea."
"Daine, I missed you," Kaddar said simply. He smiled his wide easy smile, and Daine felt an equally wide smile grow in reply. But then Kaddar frowned and said, "I expect you know why you're here."
"Oh yes! For that lion, right?"
"Yes, the Night Lion, as my people have come to call him. The terror of Carthak some say, worse than Ozorne, although I think that a particularly foolish comment. Nothing could be worse than Ozorne." Kaddar fell silent and stared meditatively off into the distance. Daine waited expectantly until he continued. "The lion appeared only days before I sent Jonathan that first letter. Then, one of the mages let it leak that I sent a message to Tortall, and before I could stop it the news was all over that you were coming.
"The people remember you for some reason Daine, and they remember your magic. Some think the Night Lion is no coincidence, they think the Gods are punishing us for having had a wild witch at the castle –" Daine winced at the name, "– but I believe that it is a completely natural occurrence. However, if this lion is what the mages say, then there are only forty of them in the entire world. Why one suddenly appeared in this area, I have no idea, but it's dangerous. It's killed four people already! I can't let this terror go on, but I am completely against killing it. I want to capture it and release it in an unpopulated area." He turned to Daine. "That's why I called you, I was hoping he would listen to you."
"I can certainly try Kaddar," Daine said, but she wanted to know more about this rare species of lion. "What does this lion look like?"
"Its scientific name is dreadoneous lionious, or dread lion. I've been told its fur is pitch black, hence its excellent night hunting ability, but otherwise it looks and acts almost the same way as a normal lion. The only difference is that it is about three times bigger and much more territorial. The only reason I can think that the dread lion would start attacking is because it's decided we invaded its territory."
Daine nodded, intrigued. She'd only ever seen lions in captivity, and then only normal lions. This 'dread lion' sounded huge and exciting. She couldn't wait to meet him.
Kaddar continued, "It's favored method of assault seems to be attacking the victim from behind and then proceeding to snap their neck with his jaws, paralyzing the prey. Then, this may sound gruesome Daine; he eats them while they're still alive, saving the vital parts for last. They are forced to watch, without feeling anything, while it feasts. It truly is a dreaded beast." Kaddar paused and observed her reaction. She seemed at a loss for words. "He eats them, alive." Kaddar repeated.
"Alive?" Daine reiterated, seeming unable to grasp the concept. She had dealt with carnivores of course, all manner of them. Wolves, tigers, foxes, ferrets, even ill tempered badgers, she thought, thinking fondly of the protective badger god. All of them killed their prey before eating, but this dread lion... Eating prey while it was still alive seemed so pointlessly... evil. She wasn't so sure about meeting him anymore.
~~~~
Daine was amazed at the new palace Kaddar had been constructing. It was so wonderfully simple yet elegant. The high cream walls and swooping red tile roofs had been all she could see as soon as they'd rounded the last bend in the river. Dark holes carved into the walls were windows, and everywhere else she looked there was life. Green vines clung to the stucco, trees blossomed, and flowers grew. It seemed to her that the whole palace was covered in gardens, and vibrating with animal life. She could hear them whisper, the many tiny birds and mammals quivering together over the approach of one of the People. Kaddar laughed at the awe in her voice as she whispered, "Kaddar, oh Kaddar, it's gorgeous!"
"I know it's a little plain, compared to the last one," he indicated across the river where they could see the ruins of the grandeur that had been Ozorne's palace. Daine had destroyed it when she'd last been in Carthak, using the skeletons of gigantic animals called dinosaurs that she had brought back to life.
"But Kaddar, it's so... right! Right for you, right for Carthak," She turned back to him, her eyes shining, and said, "It even seems right for me. I'm really going to enjoy my stay here, dread lion or no."
On an impulse, Kaddar reached out and took her hand. Squeezing, he caught her eyes with his own and said, softly, "I'm absolutely delighted you feel that way. I must admit, I built certain parts of it with you in mind."
Zek broke the spell between them by scaling Kaddar's leg and leaping across the bridge of their joined hands to Daine's shoulder. Startled, they pulled apart, but then Kaddar started to laugh. Daine was soon chucking along, hoping that the shadows under the canopy and her merriment would hide her burning cheeks.
~~~~
Watching the royal craft pull into the palace harbor and its happy occupants disembark, Götz felt the old familiar anger return. Stupid palace, stupid emperor, stupid Tortallan whore he'd summoned. As if *she* would be able to get rid of Dieter and him. And the Pet, that was the clincher. She'd never be able to get rid of it, it was too happy here. According to Dieter, the Pet had never had so much easily accessible food before, and once it'd been told about the wildemage, it had eagerly informed Götz and Dieter that it would sooner kill her than listen to her.
"Götz, it's here." Dieter's scratchy voice distracted him from his silent vigil, and he turned back to face the small, nervous looking man.
"How is the Pet?" Quite well, I hope?" As if in answer to his question, two burning green eyes opened in the darkness of their riverside lair. A soft purring sound, made more sinister by the sweet smell of decay that rolled out of the room to envelope him, caused Götz to blanch slightly, but he refused to let the Pet see his fear.
"It – it says it smells you. It says you smell like a coward... sorry." Dieter mumbled as he scrambled away from the doorway that led onto the small enclosed porch. A living nightmare followed him outside.
The Night Lion of Carthak was six feet tall at the shoulder, and ten feet long. Its pitch-black hide bulged with muscles as it padded out to face Götz. Its huge muzzle was level with his face, and it pulled its lips back in a sinister smile before letting out a short catlike cough and settling itself down on its haunches. It was still almost as tall as Götz himself. The "Pet", as Götz called him, was nothing of the sort. In fact, it was the one in charge of the operation.
"He says that he's pleased with the way things are going around here, and he's not going to let some little cub ruin his plans. He says not to worry." Dieter had edged as far away from the lion as the porch would allow.
"That's well and good," Götz managed to respond without wetting his pants. There was something about the way the beast stared at him. "But what does it still need us for? I thought all we were supposed to do was bring it here and then our debt was paid."
"It says that that was only part of the deal. It says – " Dieter paused, gulped, and continued, "It says its master has other plans for us. Götz, it's laughing."
Of course the lion didn't look like it was laughing. It remained impassive, its eyes, golden in the slight sunlight, fixed on Götz's ruddy, sweating face. Suddenly, it yawned, and Götz was treated to the sight of rows upon rows of gleaming white teeth and a blast of warm breath. The lion's red tongue flicked out lazily, and it absentmindedly cleaned its whiskers before heaving itself to its dinner-plate-sized feet again. Turning, it left, disdainfully switching its tail at the two men.
"He says he'll be in touch." Dieter said. "Götz, what have we done?"
"Something that'll get us killed if we look at it the wrong way. I guess we're in for the long haul."
"Shit," Dieter whimpered, his lips trembling.
"My thoughts exactly." Götz turned his gaze back across the river and hoped this whole operation would be worth his soul.
Daine was free! She leaned into the wind from the prow of the boat she was riding in, hearing the calls of the People of the sea, answering them, and straining to smell the forgotten smells of Carthak.
"M'lady! You'd best be down from there, the cap'n'd fair 'ave my 'ead if you were t'fall." A coarse sailing man appeared behind her, wringing his dirty cap in his hands.
"Oh, don't worry." She smiled at him, feeling lighter than ever to be free of Numair. "My friends would've saved me before I'd sunk an inch. All you would've had to do was slow the boat down so they could catch up."
"Er, yes, M'lady," The man executed an awkward bow before scampering off. Daine knew what he was afraid of, but she refused to let the reality of her magic wear her down. She had enough friends as it was; what did one sailor matter?
Are you excited to see Kaddar? Asked Zek, she'd forgotten that he was perched on the railing next to her. Turning to him, she said, Of course I am! I've missed him.
Maybe more than was wise to miss him? Zek prompted.
Daine laughed, He's simply a friend Zek, a very good friend.
And I'm a gator's uncle, Zek muttered before leaping down from the railing and stalking off, tail up.
~~~~
Kaddar sat upon his golden throne in the large imperial craft as it flew down the river towards the bay and Daine. The slave's backs shone with sweat under the sun, but Kaddar didn't mind. He'd decked himself out in his finest jewels in order to impress Daine and welcome her back. All his thoughts were focused on his old friend returning.
~~~~
Daine ran below to pack her bags as soon as the first cry of, "Land ho!" came from the crow's nest. Snatching up her last tunic, she hastily shoved it in her pack and pulled the drawstrings tight. Picking up the two leather bags, she hurried up on deck again, Zek trailing her a few feet behind. There it was, the harbor. Feeling a sense of deja vu, Daine saw all of her old cat and dog friends lining the wharves, and her feathered friends bedecking the ships' masts and railings. She called to them all.
Friends, all, thank you so much for coming to meet me! I'll be at the royal palace if any of you need me. Now, please return to your masters, they must be worried.
The animals complied with a brief roar of welcome. Then, Daine spotted the one boat she was looking for. And in the prow, rested a figure from a legend. Kaddar stood, one foot placed jauntily up on the railing. His theme was a warm bronze color, and on top of a deep red tunic, he wore a light shirt of bronze mail. His sandals were dyed the metallic color, and all of his jewelry glinted warmly in the sunlight. His eyes had been outlined in black kohl paint, while his hair had been lightly gilded with bronze. The moment he saw her, he waved eagerly and transformed from the imposing monarch awaiting a visiting delegate from another country, to the prince Daine knew, who was waiting for a friend.
Daine waved back, letting her bags drop to the deck where Zek scrambled to get out of the way. When the imperial boat pulled alongside, Daine jumped down to its deck, heedless of any safety precautions, and ran to Kaddar. He enfolded her in a warm hug and whispered against her hair, "I knew you'd come."
"Kaddar!" Daine pulled back and looked him over. "How are you? Oh my goodness, you must tell me everything that's taken place since I left!" Kaddar was looking around, as if expecting something to happen.
"Where are Numair and the rest of your escort?" He asked, shading his eyes to squint up at the deck of the Tortallan vessel.
"It's only me that's come, Kaddar," Daine said, feeling a tinge of unhappiness that even he did not seem to think she could be alone.
He looked back at her. "No lie?" She shook her head. "Then we must get you back to the palace immediately! Who knows what could happen? What someone could have planned? Daine, I don't want anything to happen to you, my friend."
Daine had been preparing an outburst, but when he looked at her so endearingly with his last sentence, she couldn't bring herself to yell at him.
"Fine," She muttered, "Let's go." And let Kaddar lead her under the canopy that stretched across the middle of the imperial craft, keeping out the sun.
~~~~
Kaddar settled back on a small couch as his imperial boat made its way up the river. He watched Daine as she stood at the railing; Zek perched on her shoulder, absorbing the scenery as it drifted past. Her brown curls blew in the wind, just as he'd remembered. Suddenly, she turned and caught him looking at her. Blushing, she looked away again, and said, "So Kaddar, how are the birds?"
She meant former Emperor Ozorne's birds, who she had cured of lead poisoning once before when she had first come to Carthak. Kaddar smiled at her. "They are quite well and have been asking after their 'wing-sister'"
Daine looked at him sharply. "How do you know that?"
"One of the khanu volunteered to stay and take care of them. She tells me what they want and how they feel, what they think of me. I'm becoming quite attached to them."
Daine laughed and came to join Kaddar on the couch. Settling next to him, she reached for a bowl of fruit placed on a low table. Selecting a pear from it, she placed it back on the table, along with an eager Zek, who had latched himself onto an apple. Taking a bite, she turned to Kaddar and smiled.
"It's so good to see you Kaddar, you have no idea."
"Daine, I missed you," Kaddar said simply. He smiled his wide easy smile, and Daine felt an equally wide smile grow in reply. But then Kaddar frowned and said, "I expect you know why you're here."
"Oh yes! For that lion, right?"
"Yes, the Night Lion, as my people have come to call him. The terror of Carthak some say, worse than Ozorne, although I think that a particularly foolish comment. Nothing could be worse than Ozorne." Kaddar fell silent and stared meditatively off into the distance. Daine waited expectantly until he continued. "The lion appeared only days before I sent Jonathan that first letter. Then, one of the mages let it leak that I sent a message to Tortall, and before I could stop it the news was all over that you were coming.
"The people remember you for some reason Daine, and they remember your magic. Some think the Night Lion is no coincidence, they think the Gods are punishing us for having had a wild witch at the castle –" Daine winced at the name, "– but I believe that it is a completely natural occurrence. However, if this lion is what the mages say, then there are only forty of them in the entire world. Why one suddenly appeared in this area, I have no idea, but it's dangerous. It's killed four people already! I can't let this terror go on, but I am completely against killing it. I want to capture it and release it in an unpopulated area." He turned to Daine. "That's why I called you, I was hoping he would listen to you."
"I can certainly try Kaddar," Daine said, but she wanted to know more about this rare species of lion. "What does this lion look like?"
"Its scientific name is dreadoneous lionious, or dread lion. I've been told its fur is pitch black, hence its excellent night hunting ability, but otherwise it looks and acts almost the same way as a normal lion. The only difference is that it is about three times bigger and much more territorial. The only reason I can think that the dread lion would start attacking is because it's decided we invaded its territory."
Daine nodded, intrigued. She'd only ever seen lions in captivity, and then only normal lions. This 'dread lion' sounded huge and exciting. She couldn't wait to meet him.
Kaddar continued, "It's favored method of assault seems to be attacking the victim from behind and then proceeding to snap their neck with his jaws, paralyzing the prey. Then, this may sound gruesome Daine; he eats them while they're still alive, saving the vital parts for last. They are forced to watch, without feeling anything, while it feasts. It truly is a dreaded beast." Kaddar paused and observed her reaction. She seemed at a loss for words. "He eats them, alive." Kaddar repeated.
"Alive?" Daine reiterated, seeming unable to grasp the concept. She had dealt with carnivores of course, all manner of them. Wolves, tigers, foxes, ferrets, even ill tempered badgers, she thought, thinking fondly of the protective badger god. All of them killed their prey before eating, but this dread lion... Eating prey while it was still alive seemed so pointlessly... evil. She wasn't so sure about meeting him anymore.
~~~~
Daine was amazed at the new palace Kaddar had been constructing. It was so wonderfully simple yet elegant. The high cream walls and swooping red tile roofs had been all she could see as soon as they'd rounded the last bend in the river. Dark holes carved into the walls were windows, and everywhere else she looked there was life. Green vines clung to the stucco, trees blossomed, and flowers grew. It seemed to her that the whole palace was covered in gardens, and vibrating with animal life. She could hear them whisper, the many tiny birds and mammals quivering together over the approach of one of the People. Kaddar laughed at the awe in her voice as she whispered, "Kaddar, oh Kaddar, it's gorgeous!"
"I know it's a little plain, compared to the last one," he indicated across the river where they could see the ruins of the grandeur that had been Ozorne's palace. Daine had destroyed it when she'd last been in Carthak, using the skeletons of gigantic animals called dinosaurs that she had brought back to life.
"But Kaddar, it's so... right! Right for you, right for Carthak," She turned back to him, her eyes shining, and said, "It even seems right for me. I'm really going to enjoy my stay here, dread lion or no."
On an impulse, Kaddar reached out and took her hand. Squeezing, he caught her eyes with his own and said, softly, "I'm absolutely delighted you feel that way. I must admit, I built certain parts of it with you in mind."
Zek broke the spell between them by scaling Kaddar's leg and leaping across the bridge of their joined hands to Daine's shoulder. Startled, they pulled apart, but then Kaddar started to laugh. Daine was soon chucking along, hoping that the shadows under the canopy and her merriment would hide her burning cheeks.
~~~~
Watching the royal craft pull into the palace harbor and its happy occupants disembark, Götz felt the old familiar anger return. Stupid palace, stupid emperor, stupid Tortallan whore he'd summoned. As if *she* would be able to get rid of Dieter and him. And the Pet, that was the clincher. She'd never be able to get rid of it, it was too happy here. According to Dieter, the Pet had never had so much easily accessible food before, and once it'd been told about the wildemage, it had eagerly informed Götz and Dieter that it would sooner kill her than listen to her.
"Götz, it's here." Dieter's scratchy voice distracted him from his silent vigil, and he turned back to face the small, nervous looking man.
"How is the Pet?" Quite well, I hope?" As if in answer to his question, two burning green eyes opened in the darkness of their riverside lair. A soft purring sound, made more sinister by the sweet smell of decay that rolled out of the room to envelope him, caused Götz to blanch slightly, but he refused to let the Pet see his fear.
"It – it says it smells you. It says you smell like a coward... sorry." Dieter mumbled as he scrambled away from the doorway that led onto the small enclosed porch. A living nightmare followed him outside.
The Night Lion of Carthak was six feet tall at the shoulder, and ten feet long. Its pitch-black hide bulged with muscles as it padded out to face Götz. Its huge muzzle was level with his face, and it pulled its lips back in a sinister smile before letting out a short catlike cough and settling itself down on its haunches. It was still almost as tall as Götz himself. The "Pet", as Götz called him, was nothing of the sort. In fact, it was the one in charge of the operation.
"He says that he's pleased with the way things are going around here, and he's not going to let some little cub ruin his plans. He says not to worry." Dieter had edged as far away from the lion as the porch would allow.
"That's well and good," Götz managed to respond without wetting his pants. There was something about the way the beast stared at him. "But what does it still need us for? I thought all we were supposed to do was bring it here and then our debt was paid."
"It says that that was only part of the deal. It says – " Dieter paused, gulped, and continued, "It says its master has other plans for us. Götz, it's laughing."
Of course the lion didn't look like it was laughing. It remained impassive, its eyes, golden in the slight sunlight, fixed on Götz's ruddy, sweating face. Suddenly, it yawned, and Götz was treated to the sight of rows upon rows of gleaming white teeth and a blast of warm breath. The lion's red tongue flicked out lazily, and it absentmindedly cleaned its whiskers before heaving itself to its dinner-plate-sized feet again. Turning, it left, disdainfully switching its tail at the two men.
"He says he'll be in touch." Dieter said. "Götz, what have we done?"
"Something that'll get us killed if we look at it the wrong way. I guess we're in for the long haul."
"Shit," Dieter whimpered, his lips trembling.
"My thoughts exactly." Götz turned his gaze back across the river and hoped this whole operation would be worth his soul.