I just want to thank all of you that reviewed over the last 8 chapters.
Thanks! Your input is great. Oh by the way, I was on here fanfic.net the
other day and went into my story and found out that whenever I use italics,
like when animals are talking, they don't show up. So sorry if that's a
little confusing. I just used quotes this time. Chapter nine is up! Hahaha,
this one took me a while. Luckily for me, I had a wonderful eight-hour
round trip car ride to spark my imagination! Well, in this chapter Daine
puts her amazing 'super spy' skills to work. Okay, so not really... she
just turns into a cat! Bon appite! (pats self on back for "amazing" use of
French in everyday conversation)
***
"Report," the regent queen said in a bored voice as the sweaty servant strode into the room. He hurriedly bowed, taking the precious moment to catch his breath. He had strict orders to report to the queen the moment news arrived from Corus and he didn't dare anger her.
"Ah course, yer majesty," he panted, "ehem, Your most Royal Highness, Regent Queen, Duchess of Coringa, Lady of Suygi..."
"Enough!" the queen exclaimed, "I know who I am, just skip to the news."
"Ah course yer majesty," he said quickly, his eyes scanning the parchment to where the actual message began.
"My loyalty has paid off. By saving the life of Commander Raoul of Goldenlake and Malorie's Peak in the hurrok attack, which I mentioned in my previous correspondence, I have gained his trust and respect. I have quickly risen through the ranks of the King's Own and am now proud to say that I now hold the position of 1st Sergeant of the First Company. I am now privileged to attend private meetings and to know the whereabouts of every single man in the Own, which I have included in this report."
The messenger looked up to see the spirits of his queen at this and was glad to find that he was not the bearer of bad news. In fact, her majesty was smiling absently as she stroked of the thousands of her cats. Gods, how he hated those cats! A black one was even now twining between his legs and a white one was clawing at his haversack. He shivered as he felt a sneeze coming on and was barley able to contain it. To sneeze in the queen's presence would be suicide.
"I knew that hurrok attack would be perfect," she whispered. "Go on then,"
The messenger grinned, happy that she was happy, and continued reading the spy's message.
"During one of these meetings, I learned from Raoul that, I am displeased to say, the Tortallians have taken steps to place their own agent there in Rajamuat. I was unable learn the name or description of this person, however. I suggest that you keep an eye on all ships coming and going from the Islands. The spy could be anyone." The messenger gulped.
"Spy," Imajane spat out. The word dripped off her tongue like a curse. She stood up in a whirlwind, sending cats scurrying everywhere. Many ran, sensing her anger. The messenger wished that he could run and hide with them.
A beautiful black-and-brown cat, slightly slower than the rest, experienced the queen's wrath first hand. She kicked the poor creature sharply in the ribs with her stockinged feet, turning even redder as it yowled and scampered out of the way.
She stormed over to the cowering messenger. "You, boy, call Rubinyan and our council together. This war is happen. Now."
***
"How very interesting," Rubinyan said quietly to his wife and council. "So the Tortallians are up to our own game."
Everyone was silent, waiting to hear the regent's opinion of this, which they knew would not be a pleased one.
"Rubin," Imajane said, "If they know that we plan to attack, for why else would they send another spy, then we must attack swiftly, before they have time to adequately prepare! We must attack now. I know how much you want Tortall..."
"Your majesty," one officer began, "It takes time to get troops across the ocean. Ten days, at the very least. By then they'll be as ready as they can be anyway. It'd be better to wait and surprise them. The winter perhaps, when they least expect an attack. Let them think that they have false intelligence. Perhaps we could send such a message through our contacts. It would be rash to attack now."
"No. More. Waiting." Rubinyan exploded. "I have worked too hard and waited too long for you people to stop me now. I will not let my efforts got to waste. I've wanted Tortall from the moment that I was born. It will be mine!"
"But what of strategy. We must find ways to contain their wild mage and the dominion jewel. Not to mention all of their troops!" Another, older officer asked. Having worked for Copper Island royalty for many years, he knew how to tell them something and make it seem like it was their idea in the first place. He didn't know how Rubinyan would react to his thought, but he knew that he couldn't send his men to Tortall to be slaughtered.
Imajane was the first to respond. "Do you see those cats?' she asked pointing to a pair of cats, one black and the other black-and-brown, that had quietly followed her into the war chamber. "See them? Even after I kick them, scream and shout, they always come back to me in the end. They are loyal and oh so predictable. Just like the Tortallians. Their troops are in mourning from all those lost in that scuffle with Scanra. Most of them are still in the north, fighting as we speak. As for the Jewel, there's that stupid loyalty again. That fool Jonathan won't use it after seeing what the famine he caused after his coronation did to his people. It's sickening. And the wild mage and her animals? They're just animals."
The officer looked from her to her cats and back. Finally he nodded, excepting what she had told him. A quiet, gruff voice rang out.
"And what of Salmalin, the black robe?" The voice belonged to a scarred, old looking man with one rolling eye. His other socket was filled with a shinny black opal, giving it the appearance of a bottomless pit.
Rubinyan laughed a hard cold laugh that made even the most seasoned warrior shiver. "Inar Hadendra, have you no brain at all? Do you think that we had our mages spend eight years digging through ancient texts to bring you back from the exhilarating life of a tree just because we enjoy your company? You will take care of Salmalin."
Hadensra nodded slowly, "I'm ready for him now. My gift has had years and years to grow stronger than it has ever been before. In days, Numair Salamin will exist no more."
"Wonderful," King Rubinyan muttered, "Now how shall we attack first?"
The men around them stared at him for a moment, each tying to think up the best plan to please the regents. Before any could mutter a word, a brutal looking man sitting to the left of Imajane piped up
"Attack first with mages and Immortals, strike 'em fast and hard. It'll keep them busy until the reinforcement soldiers can come and finish the job."
"Good Admiral, do it!" Rubinyan commanded.
The council spent most of the remainder of the night planning everything through, from what naval ships they would use to which immortals would lead the first wave of attacks.
By sunrise the council adjourned and the exhausted members rushed to wake their troops and get them going. They needed to be on the ships as fast as possible. Every officer was competing with the others for the King's approval. It was a known fact that those who fell out of favor with the rulers didn't live very long.
Hurroks and winged snakes would leave in three hours time, carrying mages swiftly across the sea towards Tortall.
In all the confusion at the end of the meeting, no one saw the two wide- awake cats slip quietly out of the chamber and into the courtyard outside.
***
Back outside the palace walls, Daine was quietly changing back into her clothes.
"Thanks for you help, Nightwhisker," she said.
The tom nodded, a very un-catlike gesture that he picked up from Daine, and sat down.
"Spying with you was fun. Can all humans turn into cats like you?" he asked. Then he noticed her rubbing her ribs, "Are you okay, Imajane kicked you pretty hard." he asked concerned
"Nope, just me and I'm fined except for a couple aching ribs," she said.
"The news isn't good is it Daine?" he asked
"It's very bad. But now, thanks to you, my friends can be ready and will be able fight to protect our home and young ones. I'll be sure to send our news home. I hope that I see you later Nightwhisker." She said picking him up and giving him one last scratch on the head.
"Good bye," she muttered before striding out of the shelter of the willow and onto the shadowy street beyond.
The news that she had just heard was worse than bad. In but three hours a fleet of winged immortals and war mages would make their way to Corus. Mentally, Daine calculated Tortall's odds. The Isles had one hundred mages, all with war magic, and a mixture of hurroks and winged serpents. Corus had plenty of gifted folk, but few were trained for battle. Jonathon and Thayet had an advantage with all the warriors there, but the mages would wipe them out if there were no protection. Numair too was a major advantage, but Hadensra would occupy his attention. Without warning, Daine's friends would be slaughtered.
Shaking terrible images out of her head, Daine thought fast. She needed to send some sort of warning. Her first instinct was to bring the news herself and fly it back home, but she knew that this would never work. Even flying, it would take a day or two of straight nonstop flight to reach Corus before the swift immortals. She would drop dead of exhaustion before she would ever reach home. One bird would never be able to make it to Corus in time...
Then it hit her. Of course, one bird could never make such a flight, but several birds in a relay could! A plan forming, Daine walked as quickly as her aching, bruised ribs would allow, down into the lower city. She would feel that kick from Imajane for days.
***
Fillid Mewsman woke with a start from her bed of hay. Her old mind must have been deceiving her because she could have sworn she 'heard' a human voice conversing with a cat in her head. She heard the milky voices of cats all the time, but this one was much rougher, distinctly human. Which was impossible of course. She knew of no one else who could handle cats like she could. Her amazing knack with felines was what made had her the finest cat breeder in the Islands. She was even honored by Regent Imajane and was the queen's sole provider of pure breeds.
No, she thought, I must still be dreaming! No one can talk to cats! Even I can't! I only hear them. However, curiosity got the better of her and she focused her thoughts on the conversation.
"Thanks for you help, Nightwhisker," the human said.
"Spying with you was fun. Can all humans turn into cats like you? Are you okay, Imajane kicked you pretty hard." The cat, defiantly a tom, asked concerned.
Spys? In the palace? Oh, the regents would want to hear of this.
"No, just me, and I'm fined except for a couple aching ribs," the human, a woman assured him.
"The news isn't good is it Daine?" he asked.
Daine, as in Veralidaine Salmalin, the Wild Mage? That would explain why a woman was talking to cats...
"It's very bad. But now, thanks to you, my friends can be ready and fight to protect our home and young ones. I'll be sure to send our news home. I hope that I see you later Nightwhisker. Good bye."
Oh yes, this precious bit of information would fetch a pretty price. Fillid quickly dressed herself, put on her cloak and headed over to the palace to pay a little visit to the regents.
***
Minutes later, Daine found herself on a deserted dock with some cheap parchment and charcoal. She had exchanged her wool stockings at a pawnshop for the writing utensils. It wasn't like she needed them anyway in this boiling heat. She wiped some sweat from her brow with the back of her hand and checked the position of the rising sun. She found that she had less than an hour to send her message to even have a chance of it reaching Corus before the immortals. Exhausted as she was, she went back to writing, filling the entire scrap of parchment with the shorthand code that Aly has taught her many years ago.
When she finished, she reviewed what she had written and shook her head grimly. Jon and Thayet wouldn't like this very much. Once decoded the letter read,
King Jonathan and Queen Thayet,
Hope letter reaches you in time. Attack on way. 100 mages on hurroks and winged snakes. War mages. After, ships of thousands coming. Attacks aimed at Corus and Port Legann. Warn Numair, Inar Handensra no longer tree, he's coming. Gather mages and prepare for a siege. Will stay here and try to learn more.
~ D . ~
Daine looked tiredly once more to the sky. She called to a lone osprey soaring high above her.
"Winged sister," she called, "Could you please help me?"
"Why do you disturb my hunt, grounded girl?" the annoyed raptor asked landing on the bare wood of the dock in front of her.
"I need your help. I need a message delivered fast, but I know of no other winged People who are as fast as you at flying over open ocean." Daine said in a humble voice.
"Hum, well if you put it that way, what can I do to help you human?" the osprey asked smugly.
"I need you to deliver this piece of paper to anyone in the 'great nest' in Corus." Daine said slowly as she rolled the parchment up and tied it with her hair tie.
"Corus?" the bird asked, very confused. Daine sent a picture of the city to her, complete with the 'great nest' or castle.
"There? But that's very far! How fast do you need me to get there? It will take at least five days."
Quickly Daine explained her plan of the relay of birds.
The osprey laughed, "Hahaha, the things you two legers think up! Oh well, it should work. I'm sure my mate and some of my old chicks will help." Grasping the parchment in her strong claws, the osprey spread her awesome wings and took flight, still laughing.
"This is almost as strange as those giant nests you build!" she cried as disappeared into the horizon.
With good winds and the luck of the gods, the message would reach Corus in a day. Slowly, Daine got to her feet with a yawn and made her way back to the Parrot's Beak Inn and her nice bed.
***
Will Daine's message get to Tortall in time? Will the strange old mew keeper rat on Daine? Is there anyone crazier that Rubinyan? You'll just have to tune in to the next chapter to find out! Review Review Review!.
***
"Report," the regent queen said in a bored voice as the sweaty servant strode into the room. He hurriedly bowed, taking the precious moment to catch his breath. He had strict orders to report to the queen the moment news arrived from Corus and he didn't dare anger her.
"Ah course, yer majesty," he panted, "ehem, Your most Royal Highness, Regent Queen, Duchess of Coringa, Lady of Suygi..."
"Enough!" the queen exclaimed, "I know who I am, just skip to the news."
"Ah course yer majesty," he said quickly, his eyes scanning the parchment to where the actual message began.
"My loyalty has paid off. By saving the life of Commander Raoul of Goldenlake and Malorie's Peak in the hurrok attack, which I mentioned in my previous correspondence, I have gained his trust and respect. I have quickly risen through the ranks of the King's Own and am now proud to say that I now hold the position of 1st Sergeant of the First Company. I am now privileged to attend private meetings and to know the whereabouts of every single man in the Own, which I have included in this report."
The messenger looked up to see the spirits of his queen at this and was glad to find that he was not the bearer of bad news. In fact, her majesty was smiling absently as she stroked of the thousands of her cats. Gods, how he hated those cats! A black one was even now twining between his legs and a white one was clawing at his haversack. He shivered as he felt a sneeze coming on and was barley able to contain it. To sneeze in the queen's presence would be suicide.
"I knew that hurrok attack would be perfect," she whispered. "Go on then,"
The messenger grinned, happy that she was happy, and continued reading the spy's message.
"During one of these meetings, I learned from Raoul that, I am displeased to say, the Tortallians have taken steps to place their own agent there in Rajamuat. I was unable learn the name or description of this person, however. I suggest that you keep an eye on all ships coming and going from the Islands. The spy could be anyone." The messenger gulped.
"Spy," Imajane spat out. The word dripped off her tongue like a curse. She stood up in a whirlwind, sending cats scurrying everywhere. Many ran, sensing her anger. The messenger wished that he could run and hide with them.
A beautiful black-and-brown cat, slightly slower than the rest, experienced the queen's wrath first hand. She kicked the poor creature sharply in the ribs with her stockinged feet, turning even redder as it yowled and scampered out of the way.
She stormed over to the cowering messenger. "You, boy, call Rubinyan and our council together. This war is happen. Now."
***
"How very interesting," Rubinyan said quietly to his wife and council. "So the Tortallians are up to our own game."
Everyone was silent, waiting to hear the regent's opinion of this, which they knew would not be a pleased one.
"Rubin," Imajane said, "If they know that we plan to attack, for why else would they send another spy, then we must attack swiftly, before they have time to adequately prepare! We must attack now. I know how much you want Tortall..."
"Your majesty," one officer began, "It takes time to get troops across the ocean. Ten days, at the very least. By then they'll be as ready as they can be anyway. It'd be better to wait and surprise them. The winter perhaps, when they least expect an attack. Let them think that they have false intelligence. Perhaps we could send such a message through our contacts. It would be rash to attack now."
"No. More. Waiting." Rubinyan exploded. "I have worked too hard and waited too long for you people to stop me now. I will not let my efforts got to waste. I've wanted Tortall from the moment that I was born. It will be mine!"
"But what of strategy. We must find ways to contain their wild mage and the dominion jewel. Not to mention all of their troops!" Another, older officer asked. Having worked for Copper Island royalty for many years, he knew how to tell them something and make it seem like it was their idea in the first place. He didn't know how Rubinyan would react to his thought, but he knew that he couldn't send his men to Tortall to be slaughtered.
Imajane was the first to respond. "Do you see those cats?' she asked pointing to a pair of cats, one black and the other black-and-brown, that had quietly followed her into the war chamber. "See them? Even after I kick them, scream and shout, they always come back to me in the end. They are loyal and oh so predictable. Just like the Tortallians. Their troops are in mourning from all those lost in that scuffle with Scanra. Most of them are still in the north, fighting as we speak. As for the Jewel, there's that stupid loyalty again. That fool Jonathan won't use it after seeing what the famine he caused after his coronation did to his people. It's sickening. And the wild mage and her animals? They're just animals."
The officer looked from her to her cats and back. Finally he nodded, excepting what she had told him. A quiet, gruff voice rang out.
"And what of Salmalin, the black robe?" The voice belonged to a scarred, old looking man with one rolling eye. His other socket was filled with a shinny black opal, giving it the appearance of a bottomless pit.
Rubinyan laughed a hard cold laugh that made even the most seasoned warrior shiver. "Inar Hadendra, have you no brain at all? Do you think that we had our mages spend eight years digging through ancient texts to bring you back from the exhilarating life of a tree just because we enjoy your company? You will take care of Salmalin."
Hadensra nodded slowly, "I'm ready for him now. My gift has had years and years to grow stronger than it has ever been before. In days, Numair Salamin will exist no more."
"Wonderful," King Rubinyan muttered, "Now how shall we attack first?"
The men around them stared at him for a moment, each tying to think up the best plan to please the regents. Before any could mutter a word, a brutal looking man sitting to the left of Imajane piped up
"Attack first with mages and Immortals, strike 'em fast and hard. It'll keep them busy until the reinforcement soldiers can come and finish the job."
"Good Admiral, do it!" Rubinyan commanded.
The council spent most of the remainder of the night planning everything through, from what naval ships they would use to which immortals would lead the first wave of attacks.
By sunrise the council adjourned and the exhausted members rushed to wake their troops and get them going. They needed to be on the ships as fast as possible. Every officer was competing with the others for the King's approval. It was a known fact that those who fell out of favor with the rulers didn't live very long.
Hurroks and winged snakes would leave in three hours time, carrying mages swiftly across the sea towards Tortall.
In all the confusion at the end of the meeting, no one saw the two wide- awake cats slip quietly out of the chamber and into the courtyard outside.
***
Back outside the palace walls, Daine was quietly changing back into her clothes.
"Thanks for you help, Nightwhisker," she said.
The tom nodded, a very un-catlike gesture that he picked up from Daine, and sat down.
"Spying with you was fun. Can all humans turn into cats like you?" he asked. Then he noticed her rubbing her ribs, "Are you okay, Imajane kicked you pretty hard." he asked concerned
"Nope, just me and I'm fined except for a couple aching ribs," she said.
"The news isn't good is it Daine?" he asked
"It's very bad. But now, thanks to you, my friends can be ready and will be able fight to protect our home and young ones. I'll be sure to send our news home. I hope that I see you later Nightwhisker." She said picking him up and giving him one last scratch on the head.
"Good bye," she muttered before striding out of the shelter of the willow and onto the shadowy street beyond.
The news that she had just heard was worse than bad. In but three hours a fleet of winged immortals and war mages would make their way to Corus. Mentally, Daine calculated Tortall's odds. The Isles had one hundred mages, all with war magic, and a mixture of hurroks and winged serpents. Corus had plenty of gifted folk, but few were trained for battle. Jonathon and Thayet had an advantage with all the warriors there, but the mages would wipe them out if there were no protection. Numair too was a major advantage, but Hadensra would occupy his attention. Without warning, Daine's friends would be slaughtered.
Shaking terrible images out of her head, Daine thought fast. She needed to send some sort of warning. Her first instinct was to bring the news herself and fly it back home, but she knew that this would never work. Even flying, it would take a day or two of straight nonstop flight to reach Corus before the swift immortals. She would drop dead of exhaustion before she would ever reach home. One bird would never be able to make it to Corus in time...
Then it hit her. Of course, one bird could never make such a flight, but several birds in a relay could! A plan forming, Daine walked as quickly as her aching, bruised ribs would allow, down into the lower city. She would feel that kick from Imajane for days.
***
Fillid Mewsman woke with a start from her bed of hay. Her old mind must have been deceiving her because she could have sworn she 'heard' a human voice conversing with a cat in her head. She heard the milky voices of cats all the time, but this one was much rougher, distinctly human. Which was impossible of course. She knew of no one else who could handle cats like she could. Her amazing knack with felines was what made had her the finest cat breeder in the Islands. She was even honored by Regent Imajane and was the queen's sole provider of pure breeds.
No, she thought, I must still be dreaming! No one can talk to cats! Even I can't! I only hear them. However, curiosity got the better of her and she focused her thoughts on the conversation.
"Thanks for you help, Nightwhisker," the human said.
"Spying with you was fun. Can all humans turn into cats like you? Are you okay, Imajane kicked you pretty hard." The cat, defiantly a tom, asked concerned.
Spys? In the palace? Oh, the regents would want to hear of this.
"No, just me, and I'm fined except for a couple aching ribs," the human, a woman assured him.
"The news isn't good is it Daine?" he asked.
Daine, as in Veralidaine Salmalin, the Wild Mage? That would explain why a woman was talking to cats...
"It's very bad. But now, thanks to you, my friends can be ready and fight to protect our home and young ones. I'll be sure to send our news home. I hope that I see you later Nightwhisker. Good bye."
Oh yes, this precious bit of information would fetch a pretty price. Fillid quickly dressed herself, put on her cloak and headed over to the palace to pay a little visit to the regents.
***
Minutes later, Daine found herself on a deserted dock with some cheap parchment and charcoal. She had exchanged her wool stockings at a pawnshop for the writing utensils. It wasn't like she needed them anyway in this boiling heat. She wiped some sweat from her brow with the back of her hand and checked the position of the rising sun. She found that she had less than an hour to send her message to even have a chance of it reaching Corus before the immortals. Exhausted as she was, she went back to writing, filling the entire scrap of parchment with the shorthand code that Aly has taught her many years ago.
When she finished, she reviewed what she had written and shook her head grimly. Jon and Thayet wouldn't like this very much. Once decoded the letter read,
King Jonathan and Queen Thayet,
Hope letter reaches you in time. Attack on way. 100 mages on hurroks and winged snakes. War mages. After, ships of thousands coming. Attacks aimed at Corus and Port Legann. Warn Numair, Inar Handensra no longer tree, he's coming. Gather mages and prepare for a siege. Will stay here and try to learn more.
~ D . ~
Daine looked tiredly once more to the sky. She called to a lone osprey soaring high above her.
"Winged sister," she called, "Could you please help me?"
"Why do you disturb my hunt, grounded girl?" the annoyed raptor asked landing on the bare wood of the dock in front of her.
"I need your help. I need a message delivered fast, but I know of no other winged People who are as fast as you at flying over open ocean." Daine said in a humble voice.
"Hum, well if you put it that way, what can I do to help you human?" the osprey asked smugly.
"I need you to deliver this piece of paper to anyone in the 'great nest' in Corus." Daine said slowly as she rolled the parchment up and tied it with her hair tie.
"Corus?" the bird asked, very confused. Daine sent a picture of the city to her, complete with the 'great nest' or castle.
"There? But that's very far! How fast do you need me to get there? It will take at least five days."
Quickly Daine explained her plan of the relay of birds.
The osprey laughed, "Hahaha, the things you two legers think up! Oh well, it should work. I'm sure my mate and some of my old chicks will help." Grasping the parchment in her strong claws, the osprey spread her awesome wings and took flight, still laughing.
"This is almost as strange as those giant nests you build!" she cried as disappeared into the horizon.
With good winds and the luck of the gods, the message would reach Corus in a day. Slowly, Daine got to her feet with a yawn and made her way back to the Parrot's Beak Inn and her nice bed.
***
Will Daine's message get to Tortall in time? Will the strange old mew keeper rat on Daine? Is there anyone crazier that Rubinyan? You'll just have to tune in to the next chapter to find out! Review Review Review!.