There was a flash of copper and then a deafening roar of animals: bats, birds, rodents, bears, seals, whales; all screamed in rebellion. The copper disappeared as quickly as it had come, cut off by whomever, or whatever, had made it. The animals quieted, then started running away from the water.

Daine had recognized that shade of copper. "Numair!" she cried.

He was there in a second and Daine explained briefly as she transformed, keeping her head so she could talk and her arm so she could get down. Then, she launched herself off of the platform of Pirate's Swoop; the same one she had been lowered off of in the siege her first year in Tortall. She transformed completely as she fell towards the water.

She sped out to the ship that the copper light had come from in dolphin form. Getting right next to it she stuck her now human head out of the water and listened.

"You cut it off," a low voice growled.

"It was hurting them," a quiet voice said.

"I don't give a damn about the animals," the first voice replied. "You've been more trouble than you're worth—"

"We're winning aren't we?"

"Barely. We'd be marching in there if—hey! A dolphin. The Wildmage!"

Numair's magic filled the area like the copper light had.

George, Onua, Numair, and Daine all woke up at the same time, sweating. They looked at each other, than at Atalaya. She was sleeping peacefully.

By the end of the next day, George and Numair had questioned Atalaya enough that they were more comfortable with her.

That night, just when they were about to douse the fire, it roared up and turned blue. "George, Numair?"

It was Raoul, Commander of the King's Own and friends of George, Numair, Daine, and Onua.

"What is it Raoul?" George asked. His voice carefree, but his face showing that he knew this wouldn't be just a friendly chat.

"Where are you? We need help at Golden Lake! Carthak has a thousand foot soldiers and seventy-five mounted knights. We might be able to handle that, but they have mages and seem to have some griffins."

Daine cut him off saying, "But griffins are peaceful."

"I know Daine, but these are either being controlled or want to fight. I think the Carthakis have some spidrens waiting in the forest as well, so we can't retreat."

"If they have you surrounded how can we get to you," George asked Raoul.

"Get Numair to contact the nearest reinforcements then come…blow them up with your magic or something."

"Raoul, that's not fair," Onua argued. "You can't expect us to gallup all day to reach you then be ready to kill 1,075 people. I know Numair is powerful, but he'd have to use his life force to even get through to you."

"Onua, he turned a man into a tree— but I know he can't do that," Raoul said, his voice annoyed. "Just call for reinforcements and see if you can be ready by the day after tomorrow." He cut off the link.

"We're going to battle?" Atalaya asked, looking nervous.

"Yeah, so get your rest," George replied.