Ok guys, here she be, chapter 12. I know this took ages, and you have permission to hurt me or whatever you want to do, but for some reason this was really hard to write. Plus, I was in Montana for a week, and all I had was a notebook and a pen. Let me tell you, I'm not used to writing like that at all. It was slow going, you know? I couldn't write my ideas down fast enough, and then I'd lose them. Well, anyway, enjoy! And review. Tell me whatever you want me to change, or what you liked, or whatever.

WARNING: For those of you who need it, there's a little, hmm, how shall I put this... ROUGH LANGUAGE!!! Especially with Prosper...

DISCLAIMER: Dudes, I'm NOT Tammy. I'd think that was obvious by now, what with some of her characters being so OOC. :)

Twelve

Kaddar was walking down the hallway again, the one he knew and didn't know. The windows full of nothing beckoned to him, but he went purposefully forward until he reached the door at the end of the corridor. Stop! His mind screamed; You know what happens from here! Still he continued, throwing open the door and stepping inside. Turning to close it, he felt that presence again, and he whirled around to face his duplicate. Instead of another Kaddar, he found a mirror that reflected his startled face back at him. Relieved beyond belief, Kaddar reached out to touch his image, and felt warm fingers enfold his own in a vice-like grip. The emperor's clone pulled a knife from his belt and stabbed Kaddar viciously in –

Kaddar jolted awake in his chair next to Daine's bed, his hand flying to his chest. He almost cried out when he felt a warm liquid coating his pectorals, before realizing he'd been weeping in his sleep. Reaching for a rag, he swabbed his chest and stomach clean, turning his eyes to Daine only once he'd finished. She was still asleep.

"It came again..." he murmured, still watching the sleeping Wildmage, but thinking of his dream. The mirror was a new development, but it made about as much sense to Kaddar as the duplicate did: none.

Daine swam upwards from the blackness where she'd been calling to the People and receiving no answer. She reached for the light of consciousness and grabbed it, forcing her eyelids open with an effort. The first thing she noticed was Kaddar seated beside her infirmary bed. The second was that it was still dark outside. It must not have been too long since I was attacked... A chattering noise interrupted her reverie, and she looked past a concerned Kaddar to find Zek, waving his limbs wildly about and emitting a train of hoots and howls.

"I... I can't understand you Zek." Daine whispered, and tears came to her eyes in a hot, salty flow. Kaddar looked at her, more alarmed than before, but then leaned forward and lifted her bodily out of bed. He cradled the sobbing Wildmage against his chest, rocking her gently.

"There there now Daine, shh. What's happened? You can't understand who?"

"Zek!" Daine choked out, depressed almost beyond bearing. She couldn't hear any of her friends among the People.

"The monkey?" Kaddar was puzzled, and he let it show in his eyes as his head swung around towards the still babbling Zek.

"Marmoset," Daine corrected automatically.

"He was your friend," Kaddar said. His voice softened with understanding and he folded his brown arms tighter around her.

"Y – yes..." Daine hiccoughed, her sobs dying down slightly.

"I'm sorry," Kaddar murmured. He took one of his hands and cradled Daine's cheek, forcing her to look at him.

As soon as his soothing fingers touched her skin, Daine realized that Zek seemed much less important. Kaddar's eyes captured hers, and Daine dimly heard him say the words, "I'm sorry," again. Her face heated, but then his mouth was close to her own, and he was kissing her again. Again! Yes, he'd kissed her once before. This one was lasting longer though, much longer.

So this is what it's like... Daine thought. Her mind analyzed his taste and feel as her arms twined around his neck. She felt his tongue nudge her lips, seeking entry, before he drew a startled breath in through his nose and broke away.

"I – I apologize... I wasn't thinking," he said, and hoisted her from his lap back into the bed, carefully rearranging the sheets as he did so.

"Kaddar..." Daine said, more in wonder than chastisement, but he jumped away from her as if she'd suddenly turned into a hot coal.

"I understand, I'll go," he said, and his stride was twice as fast as he exited the room. It didn't matter though; his pace matched the speed of Daine's quickly beating heart.

I can't believe you did that!

Kaddar was berating himself furiously inside his head.

You idiot, now she'll run home to Numair and never look back.

Then, someone pulled the rug out from under his reality.

It was almost like an invisible wave traveled through the corridor, bulging out the walls and rippling the floor and ceiling. Kaddar felt something akin to a hook attached to the back of his navel being yanked hard. His eyes snapped shut and he bent forward slightly, trying to alleviate the discomfort. When the sensation stopped and he opened his eyes, he found himself in a totally different world, the world in his dream. The hallway he knew so well stretched before him, full of nothing, and the windows surrounded him, stopped up with everything. Or was it the other way around? Kaddar's muddled brain refused to fully process anything, and he had the thought, Who knows, who cares.

"I'm awake in a dream..." He said to himself, and then his feet started moving without his volition. Kaddar became a passenger in his own body.

When he reached the door, Kaddar tried frantically to stop his unruly arm from rising and hand from gripping, to no avail. The doorknob turned and he flung the portal open, as before, and stepped inside, turning to close the door behind him. Then, that feeling that you couldn't explain crawled its way up Kaddar's neck, pricking his skin with little claws of unease. He turned, afraid yet fascinated with what he should find, only to see the thing he least expected.

"You!" He cried out, his actions seemingly under his own control once more.

"Sono l'estremità." [I am the end]

Donatello sat in his sparsely furnished royal room, the echoes of his quiet voice fading quickly. What did that mean, "THE END"? The end of the world? The end of the Lion? But that was no mere lion... That was...

"World eater."

The words fell unbidden from his lips, and he wondered where they'd come from.

He goes for the heart of Carthak: Kaddar. And he seems to choose the Wildmage as the means to access the emperor. So both must be protected, and the Lion must be exterminated before he finishes with Carthak and moves on... perhaps to Tortall. To Scanra? To wherever! He must be stopped!

"Sono l'estremità!"

This time, his voice rang out loud and true.

Nerezza was in hiding. His distress at seeing his archenemy once more, for the first time after hundreds of thousands of years, had pushed his limited magical abilities to new heights. Nerezza had managed to transport himself to a plane where only souls existed. His essence was bloated and purple- black in color from the many worlds he had consumed. Still, Nerezza felt safer than he had in a long time. The Master was not here, and the Lion couldn't feel his presence anywhere nearby.

My cub!

But the Cub was not there either. He had to go back. The Cub was all he had left from happier, peaceful days, when the worlds had been at his feet, and he hadn't felt the need to devour them all.

Oh, Sconosciuto. I'm so sorry...

Prosper entered the palace easily, smiling and nodding at all he saw. He was, after all, an honored guest and deserving of respect. The guards bowed aside to his regal figure, and he swept quickly through the halls.

When the wizard reached his rooms, he closed the door immediately, the convivial smile melting off his face.

"That damn Lion, he's fucking up my plans! Where could he have gone to...?"

On his last words, he started to pace. His robes flapped slowly as his smooth gait carried him past the purple-canopied bed and the richly jeweled mirror. He eventually stopped his nervous walking at his window, which faced the river, and ruminated over his ruined schemes. Ruined, at least, if Nerezza did not return.

"And the Cub doesn't work, the stupid sniveling wreck," the wizard hissed. With an absentminded flick of his fingers, he conjured the whimpering cub onto the luxurious carpet behind him. Whirling, he glared down at the small animal, his lip curling in a sneer.

"So, now that your papa is gone, what shall I do with you? Maybe try to capture your mother? Would she even show up for you? That bitch deserted you long ago..."

The Cub continued to squall, oblivious to the glowering spectator it had. Prosper advanced on it, until it was only an inch from his silk clad toe. He drew back his foot to kick the pitiful bundle across the room, but then hesitated, and finally set his foot down.

"What to do... what to do with you..." Prosper said softly, but then a smile grew on his lips, taking over his face and rendering the normally quite handsome wizard ugly. "Oh, I know what I'll do, and who to start with! You could be just as dangerous as your papa, brat, you know?" He finished, bending over the Cub.

Master...

The wizard was on his feet and turned around facing the Lion in the space of a breath.

"You!" He shrieked, "Where have – I – you – beast! What the hell were you thinking?"

Master, spare my child. I'll do whatever you ask if you leave the bambino [baby] out of it.

"You stupid bastard, why should I do that when the child works so well? As a matter of fact," Prosper said, gesturing to the Cub, "I have the perfect idea of who to send this little bundle of joy to."

No! Whatever you ask! Please! Spare him –

"Shut up," The wizard said calmly, cutting the Lion off. Then, he snapped his fingers and the Cub vanished.

"Now, if we're done with that small matter, I believe I have something to do to you."

Numair sat in his room, his mouth slightly ajar.

So I was right, it is Prosper. But who exactly is he?

His ears still enhanced from the listening spell he'd placed on Prosper's room, he heard Nerezza begin to whimper. Quickly, he ended the spell; still surprised that Prosper didn't shield his room with magic. The man certainly has enough of it.

"I have to find out why he wants Carthak, and who he sent that cub to!"

Numair jumped off the bed and threw Sashad's clothes into place. He changed himself quickly, chocolate coloring passing over his skin in a dark flood. His body became shorter and his muscles bulged with Sashad's strength.

"I should check on Daine," He murmured in his voice that flowed like molasses. He left before he noticed Donatello standing at his window. The golden-haired youth's eyes were wide with surprise at the change he'd just witnessed, and the man he'd seen before it took place.

I must protect him too...

Reviews!! W00t! My favorite part... But I hope you guys can remember what you wrote!! It's been so freakin' long, I know. And hey!! They won't let me use asterisks anymore!!! {kills} See?

Just Me – Wow, I really like your screen name for some reason... OK, anyway, I'm glad you liked it!! W00t!! You see, this is what motivates me! When people praise me! Lots of exclamation points!! I hope this counts as "og"ging a little further. I've never heard kissing called og before, I've heard snog, but I rather like og!!!

Kore Yan – I apologize for taking so long, but the continuance that you asked for is here!

pauline – Another fan! You guys are too good to me, really. I hope I haven't scared any of you off by taking so long... {cries} And... what exactly does "sexy like chicken" mean? {dies laughing} {hugs madly} You could be my new favorite person!

ellabelle1 – Wow, you know what? You and Kore Yan have been my bestest reviewers. huggles!! Thank you so much for that!! Anyway, YES! D&K action! Only a little tho, but more this chapter, and more the next. You see, I've been kind of holding off on that, because I am sort of embarrassed about writing that stuff and actually PUBLISHING it! {cringes} Still, it's great to know you liked it. Erm, about Don, he doesn't turn into a lion, I just used "padding" because it sounds stealthy, you know? Still, it would be cool if he was a lion. As you can see in this chapter, I am attempting to build his character up into so much more!! I hope I didn't make you wait too long! My mom is now restricting my computer time outrageously!