A/N: Well, I hope you guys liked my first chapter for this story. I really tried hard on that one, even if I did choose to write it at 3:30 in the morning.....*sighs* When will I ever learn? Probably never, actually..... Anyway, you aren't here to read about my problems and lack of sanity, you're here to read my new chapter. Well, all I have to say is enjoy, and the warning from last chapter still stands in this chapter and stands for the rest of this fic. You'll soon know why, and you might even hate me for it. Just promise me this: don't give up one me. I promise you that it ends good! Truly, it does! (Yes, yes, I know you don't see any problems yet, but you WILL!!!!)
Disclaimer: Uh oh, forgot this in my last chapter! *gasps* Well, I still don't own it, and I've got a better chance of being attacked and killed by a coke machine than ever owning Daine and Numair.... *sighs and goes to provoke a coke machine*
oh, one last thing! try and see if you're clever enough to spot something in this chapter that i've used specifically in another of my fics! ^_^
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Daine awoke from a dream filled sleep as sunlight began to fill into the bed chamber she shared with Numair. It poured through the windows and washed over every inch of the bedchamber; much like a blanket. She wished now that she had remembered to fully shut the curtains to the bedroom window the night before, then she would not have been awoken by the sunlight.
Groaning, Daine partially opened one of her eyes, confirming to herself that it was indeed time to wake up. Just as she began lazily throwing back the covers, she came to two realizations. The first was the fact that the spot next to her that Numair normally occupied was empty. The blankets and sheets on his side of the bed had not even been pulled back, nor was there any sign of him having used them at all. There was no indent in the pillow where his head should have been, just as there was no warm spot where he should have slept. This was curious to Daine, for the last she remembered, Numair had said simply that he would stay awake a while longer to work on his lecture and he would then come up to bed. Well, I suppose that plan never fell through, Daine thought to herself. Just as she felt slight amusement by the mage's actions, it quickly faded when she realized that she still did not know where he had gotten to.
Sighing, and fully pulling herself out of her warm haven, Daine slid out of bed, throwing her bare feet over the edge and onto the floor. The hard wood that covered most of the floors of the tower was always icy cold in the morning, making Daine walk fast in the mornings to avoid making contact with her feet against it. Cursing as she quickly scrambled across the cold bed chamber floor, Daine made it to her dresser, where she pulled out a pair of green-dyed wool socks. She fumbled hastily to pull them over her cold toes, succeeding with clumsy accuracy.
Chattering her teeth from the bitter cold of the morning, Daine then reached for her cotton robe that she hung on a nail next to the privy door, she wrapped it hastily around her shoulders, fastening it around herself with its tie. Feeling slightly warmer, Daine made her way out of the bed chamber and into the hall. Walking quickly down the stairs, curious to find what had kept her love from coming to bed the previous night. "Numair?" Daine called softly when she reached the base of the stairs. Receiving no answer, Daine pursed her lips in annoyance.
Daine made her way in the direction of the living room, expecting to find her love sleeping soundly on the couch before a roaring fire in the mantle. When she got into the living room however, she found the couch empty, and the fire long since burnt out. Feeling another rush of annoyance mixed with partial worry, Daine then headed off to his study. She hadn't the slightest idea why she would find him there. He had never been one to wake up in the early hours of the morning just to work on lesson plans. Living with Numair for three years now had taught Daine that he was a man who loved his beauty sleep, and would not sacrifice it for extra work time.
Soon, Daine found herself standing in the doorway of Numair's workroom. As she had expected, his floor and desk was covered in paper and an assortment of other work items, including spare quills and bottles of ink. Daine placed a hand on her hip and raised her eye brow, sighing, when she saw that barely visible under all of this wreckage was the man she was searching for. He was sitting at his oak wood desk towards the front of the room. He lay bent double over the desk, his chest slowly rising and falling and his eyes clamped tightly shut, indicating that he was sleeping.
The young woman looked on at her sleeping love, shaking her head in slight amusement. Out of all of the hair-brained things he always found a way of doing, this was definitely a new one. He may have done it before they lived together, but he most definitely had not since that time. Smiling despite her annoyance, Daine walked briskly into Numair's study and over to where he sat sleeping. She shook his shoulder firmly, causing him to awake abruptly. She laughed inside when he jerked his head up immediately. His surprise was evident.
Numair lifted his head, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. It was then that he noticed the light of the room, a result of the morning sun. Lifting his head up from its nest in his folded arms, he found himself in his study. His eye brows twisted immediately in confusion, for he could not remember how he ended up here. I must have fallen asleep over my work, he thought to himself after noticing that beneath his arms lay a pile of his current papers and experiments layouts. Rubbing his eyes to clear his vision, Numair turned to his right and saw Daine for the first time. He jumped slightly in surprise, his heart beating fast. He hadn't expected to see her there. "Gods, Daine you gave me a scare!" He muttered, voice slightly raspy because he had just woken up.
Ignoring his comment to her and his surprised demeanor, Daine added dryly, "You know, you never cease to amaze me. I can't believe you managed to fall asleep over your own work. That should tell you something about your lecture," On the inside, Daine was wild with amusement. She thought it was exceedingly funny that Numair had fallen asleep as a result of his own lecture.
"Very funny, "Numair's tone was not an amused one, but annoyed. He lifted a hand to his head and began running his fingers through his mass of raven hair, pulling out his hair tie. He let his long hair fall over his shoulders in a tangled mess.
"I pity the pages," Daine added, ignoring his annoyed glance in her direction.
"You're pushing it, Daine,"Numair warned, further proving just how little of a morning person he truly was. Just as he was about to say something more to her, perhaps stand up and teach her a lesson of mocking him, he felt sudden realization flash through his mind. "By Mithros, I've a class today!" Numair all but shouted, leaping suddenly from the oak wood desk chair at which he had previously been sitting.
Daine was shocked to say the least by his sudden outburst. She took a step back, not wanting to be in the way in case he chose to bolt out of his study room door. "Yes, Numair, and I'm from Galla! What on earth are you getting at?"
"We've got to go, now! It was supposed to start at noon!" Numair called back to Daine as he quickly strode out of his study. Daine followed him at a hurried walk, fighting to catch up to him without running. By the time she had reached the top of the stairs, she barely saw him scramble into their bed chamber. She followed quickly after him, only to find him already throwing on fresh clothes from his closet. "Jon is going to have my hide!" Daine heard him mumbling, though a loud mumbling at that.
Daine chuckled at this last remark, but replied to his ranting, "And since when did you care about what Jon thinks? I'm fair certain that you never have-" Daine was interrupted suddenly by his answer.
"Since I've got a woman in my life whom I love, and want to support," Numair interrupted as he fastened his black leather belt over his new pair of breeches. He hastily slipped off the shirt he had been wearing upon dozing off the night before, and went to his closet to find a fresh one to wear. Briefly, he poked his head around to face Daine and said, "And if you're coming to the palace with me, you'd best start dressing yourself. We haven't the time to dawdle!"
Though Numair did not see for his back was now to his lover, Daine poked her tongue out at him for his order. Despite her previous actions, Daine did as she was told and went to her closet to retrieve her clothing. She had wanted to bathe this morning before their short journey, but she obviously would not have the time now. Settling on a plain white cotton work shirt and a pair of old tan work breeches, Daine quickly moved to dress. She cursed as she turned around too fast and tripped over the pair of old breeches Numair had carelessly strewn onto the floor in his rush. At the exact moment that she fell, Numair was stepping out of his walk in closet, donned in a new black silk shirt. Upon seeing his lover fall flat on her face, he could not help but laugh.
Daine glared up menacingly at her lover. His frantic state had seemed to fade at witnessing her awkward fall. Seeing his lips twisted in one of his boyish smiles, Daine felt her heart melt. She could not help but smile at him. She felt a sense of gratitude when he reached down and offered her a hand. She accepted it with a smile in his direction.
The two lovers quickly finished dressing and made their way down stairs and into the kitchen to quickly obtain some food for the road. They did not have the time to leisurely eat at home this morning. Daine went into the pantry, where they stored preservable foods for when they did not have the time to prepare a meal. She selected two biscuits from a tray and took that along with two canteens filled with cool water.
Silently making their way outside, the two went to the stable to saddle their mounts. Daine, of course, went to Cloud, and Numair to Spots. Daine reached for the dark brown leather saddle with the basket weave pattern that her grandfather had made for her. She had a matching bridle, which she also used. She rarely traveled anywhere without these two items. She felt almost as if they were like charms for luck.
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(later that day during lesson)
"Does anyone have any questions concerning what I have just covered?" Numair asked, feeling an intense discomfort. His back felt as if it were tied in a knot, which was not exactly the most comfortable thing to feel when you are supposed to stand up straight before a group of pages and teach. "Yes, Nolan?"
"Is it true, what they say? That everyone with the Gift knew where everyone else nearby with the Gift was when the barrier thing fell?" a young page with a mass of curly blonde hair and striking brown eyes questioned.
Just by this mere question, Numair could almost feel what he had felt that day. It had all been indescribably, if he were completely honest with himself. He had seen without vision or eye sight, and that was not entirely possible. "Yes, it is completely true, Nolan, and I'm glad you brought that up," Numair answered, inwardly scolding himself for forgetting to cover such things in the first section of his lecture. It was, after all, a very important and historical event. "As it turns out, that is something I failed to include in this lesson and it is something that ought to be mentioned-" Numair was suddenly cut off by a page's untimely remark.
"Did you feel it?" Nolan asked excitedly, eyes alight with interest. Numair considered the young page to be among the most dedicated pages in the entire class, but he held his tongue on that matter. He had taken the place of the teachers of other classes, and he had found that his own class had much more interest and enthusiasm than the others. He was grateful for that. "You have the Gift, Master Numair, so you should have felt it, shouldn't you?"
"Yes, Nolan, I felt it," Numair said, clearing his throat to keep the boy from continuing with his needless ranting. Seeing the light in Nolan's eyes grow even larger, Numair knew what the boy's next question would be, so he jumped on it in advance. "It was the most bizarre and unexplainable feeling I have ever felt in my entire life. In my time, I have seen much of what there is to see as far as magic and spells go, but nothing like what I felt when the barrier fell. It was like I was in a hundred places at once, without ever even leaving my bed. I could see things, yet I did not see them with my eyes."
The class seemed to regain their interest by this turn of conversation. Soon, several hands had flown into the air, determined to learn more of what happened to all of the mages when the barrier fell.
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Daine sat idly in the Royal Stable, reclining on a large pile of hay near the stable front. She and Numair had been at the palace for three days now, and she felt very relaxed. She had already had her word with the pages as she had promised Numair, and as far as she knew, her responsibilities here were done. Now, she could do as she pleased. All she wished to do at the moment was just sit and think for once. Rarely did she ever get or even desire such moments of peace and utter nothing, but she was glad to have one all the same. Daine had even turned off her wild magic, shielding her mind from the constant voices of the People. This was a rare, yet pleasant silence for her, and she could not help but feel slightly guilty for wanting it as she did. As she lay here though, without a care in the world, she managed to wipe away all thoughts of guilt from her mind.
It truly was a beautiful day out. A cloudless sky spread over Tortall like a blanket, sun shining warmly in its midst. There was also a light breeze, not allowing the intense heat of the sun to heat up the occupants of Corus too greatly. To Daine, the weather was just right. I could not have picked a better day for my rest, she thought to herself, smiling. For a brief moment, as she was breathing deeply, Daine could have sworn a large array of unusual scents were beginning to fill her nostrils. It was subtle at first, but soon came on strong, and it was then she knew that something different was taking place. Her eyes quickly flew open, allowing the sun to leak into her senses. She blinked profusely, trying to clear her vision as her mind reeled. "What in the name of the gods?" Daine murmured, trying to get herself under control, whatever the problem may be.
Then, it came on for a second time. It all flew in at once, giving her no time to question its presence. Her nose felt as if it might burst from the sudden variety and intensity of smells. There were things that Daine inhaled now that she never had before, and she had not a single notion what they might be. She could smell strongly the scent of the horses around her. She could tell where each of them were at this very moment, despite the fact that her wild magic was distinctly blocked off. She could smell a sort of fear on them, as if they could feel that something was not right. Suddenly, she heard a loud and unmistakable swishing sound in her mind, much like the noise a court lady's extravagant gown skirts would make as she rotated her body with the music at a ball. This sound was no swishing dress. Daine knew immediately that it was the sound of a horse's ears pricking forward in caution of an approaching predator. She was dumbfounded by this sudden, odd knowledge, but she did not question it. It was all too unmistakably clear for her to question anything about it. She heard a loud drip of water as beads of sweat began trickling down a nearby horse's glossy mane.
The only thing she questioned was why she felt it. She had never felt or heard anything like this before. The feeling of intense fear whirling around each and every horse in the stable, the magnified hearing, and most definitely the odd array of scents and aromas. Daine could think of no time where she had had all of these things. And as she thought this, utterly puzzled, it all vanished as rapidly as it had come. It left Daine in a puddle of confusion, not knowing if it had been reality or dream.
Rubbing her head to clear a sudden head pain that had come as a result of her 'feelings', Daine rose from her haven in the pile of hay and stood to her feet. All of this was beginning to remind her of what had happened only a few nights back. She had been at the tower, and she had had a dream that she was a wolf, and it had overlapped into reality. All of this was confusing and beyond reason, and Daine did not even want to think about it. There was a tiny voice in the back of her mind that told her that perhaps it would be best if she told Numair, but there was also another that said clearly that he would just worry and throw one of his fits. Now that wouldn't do, and Daine knew it. She loved Numair dearly, but she knew well that he was over protective when it came to her welfare and would more than likely send her back home to the tower, or expect her to stay in bed under the constant watch of a palace healer. She wanted neither of these things, and immediately decided it would be best if she kept her silence.
"Gainel plays some fair mean tricks on us mortals," Daine said to herself, forcing a small and barely audible laugh. Just by saying such things, she forced herself into believing that it was nothing more than a mere dream, and dreams could hurt no one.
Hunt. Blood. Kill. The words echoed in the back of her mind, sending a chill shiver down Daine's spine. She gasped at hearing them, trying her best to keep convincing herself that it was all fake. Things were getting rather hard to block out at this point. It was just a memory, Daine told herself firmly in her mind, nothing but a harmless memory; I didn't really hear those things just now. She laughed again at her own cleverness, but this time her laugh was an uneasy one.
Daine's train of thought was suddenly broken as she heard the distinct sound of a horse approaching from the distance. Hooves clopped rhythmically against the hard dirt path that led to the stable. Daine quickly let her feet move from where they were glued to the stable floor. She broke into a sprint, running to the door to see who was arriving at the palace. She sincerely hoped it was one of her close friends, for few of them were at the palace this week aside from the monarchs.
Quickly pushing open the swinging wooden door of the stable, Daine rushed out to see the approaching rider. Coming through the courtyard was a tall, gallant palomino warhorse. His mane glittered in such fineness, that Daine's mind rang clearly with recognition. She did not have to raise her eyes to the rider to know who it was. Sitting atop the pridefull stallion was none other than the King's Champion, Alanna the Lioness.
Daine watched in utter delight as Alanna pulled Darkmoon to a gentle stop, murmuring kind words into her mount's ear. The Lioness looked in Daine's direction, finally noticing the presence of her long time friend. Her face lit up with a smile, and the smile on Daine's face only grew wider. Alanna quickly swung her leg over the side of her saddle and dismounted her steed. She walked briskly over to Daine, skipping steps as she went.
As soon as the two women met, they both threw there arms around the other, warmly welcoming each other. "I'd only expected to cross paths with Numair while I was here," Alanna muttered, excited to see her friend.
"Its been so long, Alanna!" Daine exclaimed, hugging the lady knight tightly and then pulling away and stepping back for a moment. "I've only spoken to you through letters and Numair's speaking spells for quite some time!"
"As sure as I'm standing here, it has been too long Daine, " Alanna added, nodded and allowing her shameless grin to spread across her face.
"How have George and the children been? And the Swoop?" Daine shot off question after question, eager to find out just how her friend had been fairing these past three months since they had properly had a chance to speak.
"I'll tell you all about it, just let me unsaddle and brush down Darkmoon and see that he's settled. We can go to my rooms and talk then," Alanna said, making her way towards the stable with Darkmoon in tow. Daine followed, the two women chattering the whole way.
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Several days passed, and all seemed well to Daine. She had not even had a slight notion of one of her attacks as she had come to call them. She had begun to wonder if she would be having another one at all, or if it was possible that it was over. Daine sincerely hoped that it was indeed over. She could not help but be nervous about what such attacks in her own mind might mean, and especially of what they were capable of doing to her. One thing she had learned from these attacks on her mind, was that each time they occurred, they got mildly worse. Her first, now that she looked back, had been quite easy on her mind. It had been little more than a strong head pain and the repetition of ghastly words from her dream in her mind.
Now, things had gotten much worse. The head pains were stronger and more intense. They would throb on and on until she thought her head might explode. It would hurt so much, Daine would be close to not only gasping as she sometimes did now, but crying out in painful agony. Her attacks were much more than just head aches, though. They had grown into so much more, to Daine's dismay. Every time they came on, she would hear the chanting in her mind and would feel a strong, almost irresistible pulling. She would want to dive into it all, as if giving in to madness. Daine knew such feelings as this all to well, and that was likely to be what frightened her the most about it all. She would feel herself change when all of this happened. It was as if she was no longer herself, but something else.
All of these things frightened her more than she would care to admit. She was known throughout the realm for her endless acts of bravery. How could it be that she was genuinely afraid of some sort of trick her mind was playing on her, but not of fierce immortals? Daine did not like that idea at all. She wished all of this would just go away, that it had never started to begin with. There was no sense in wishing such things, she knew, because she could never change the fact that it had come, and it had come for a reason. She just had to find what the cause was and put a stop to it as soon as she could.
Daine knew very well that Numair could be a great help to her in this field, as well as Alanna, but this gave her little comfort. She could tell neither of them, nor any of her other friends about what was going on. What if they thought her to be mad if she did tell them? After all, they of all people knew about her infamous streak of madness when she was twelve. Every time Daine had these attacks in her mind, she wanted nothing more than to shout out in agony and call for Numair. But every time she thought this, soon other things flew threw her mind, and not comforting things. She could see in her mind's eye a picture of her laying on the floor, her mind under siege and her body wracked with the pain it brought, and Numair, walking out of the room shaking his head in obvious disgust. She did not want that, and it was because of this fear that she kept her silence. In the beginning she had feared he would be over protective of her if he knew what went on inside her, but she was passed that now. She feared so much more now, and it had become much more of a reality.
Unfortunately for Daine, her peace did not last much longer. Before the week was out, she found herself falling into another of her attacks. It happened this time back at the tower. She was inside Numair's library, searching for a certain book on the ailments of horses, for she needed a bit of assistance in healing a particular horse in the stable that she had recently acquired. As she was running her fingers over the leather-bound backs of the books that lined the shelf she was searching at the time, the attack came.
It came on fast and sudden, just as they always did. It took Daine by sudden surprise, and it was all she could do to keep from shouting out and thus alerting Numair. Daine knew he was only in the room across the hall, his study, and was working on an experiment. If she did not watch herself and wait as quietly as possible for her attack to die down, she would cause the lanky mage to come and see about her. She bit her lip in pain, groaning as the head pains came on, making her dizzy. Hunt.Blood.Kill. The words rang clearly in her mind, biting at her sense of reality. It was as if there was a rabid monster inside of her, fighting to break free of its confines.
Daine brought her hand weakly to her forehead, rubbing it gently to try and calm herself. Against her will, she began to slide to the floor, her knees collapsing. Because of her frantic state, Daine had no way of knowing whether or not her fall had alerting Numair, but she hoped it had not. She prayed silently to the gods for help, and to keep Numair and all of her friends unaware. Hunt. Blood. Kill. Daine clamped her eyes shut suddenly as the pain in her head magnified without warning. She gasped, fighting for breath. "What's happening to me?" She asked to herself, voice mingled with tears and in little more than a whisper. She continued drawing in air raggedly, tears falling faster and only magnifying the pain.
Finally, Daine attempted to reopen her eyes. She immediately wished she had not, for she was met by something she had not expected. Instead of finding her normal surroundings, she found her vision to be only in black and white coloring. Memories of the time she had entered Brokefang's mind entered her own now. Then, her vision had been much the same. Could it have some sort of connection? She doubted it, for shape-shifting had never posed as a problem to her before.
Blinking rapidly, Daine rubbed her eyes in a frenzy, fighting to bring back her normal vision. That was when the sounds began filling her ears. She could hear everything. She could hear a loud scratching sound, like a quill scraping against a piece of parchment. She knew it was the sound of Numair working across the hall. Along with that she heard his constant murmuring and rantings to himself. This surprised her greatly, for moments ago she had not been able to hear him at all. She knew it was this attack on her mind that was magnifying her hearing and changing her vision.
Hunt. Pack. Food. Blood. Kill. The words sounded again and again in her mind, never ceasing. Daine's body lay crumpled on the floor as she writhed in pain. She had not a single notion how much more of this she could stand. So far, this had been the longest and most intense and painful of her attacks so far.
Just as she was thinking this to herself, her head began spinning in an unknown furry, and Daine could not help but kick her leg out suddenly. It made painful contact with the book shelf in front of her, the impact making it sway. Though the heavy oak wood shelf itself did not fall on her, thankfully, several heavy books from the top levels of the shelf did fall. The noise that filled the room was loud, making Daine know it would easily be heard in the next room.
Instantly, as the books fell on her, Daine felt her mind begin to clear. The voices in her mind began to slowly but surely fade. Her vision began to whirl back into its normal sight of color and her hearing returned to its usual level. At this time, Daine heard the sound of boots clicking rapidly against the hard wood floor of the tower. The sound of the door to the library swinging open soon filled her ears and the foot steps approached.
"What in the name of the gods happened in here?!" Daine heard the sound of Numair's rough voice split the air of the library. She could feel his presence as he approached where she lay beneath the pile of books. "Daine, are you all right, sweet?" He called frantically, as he knelt down on his knees on the floor beside her. She could feel his calloused hands search the pile for her hand, which he squeezed tightly upon finding. He then began rapidly pulling the books off of her, soon finding her. He lifted her into a sitting position, gripping her shoulders tightly. His eyes were alight with obvious concern, and she swallowed hard. She would have to think of something fast, lest he find her secret.
"I'm fine Numair, I just tripped on one of the floor boards and hit the book case," Daine managed to say, breathing hard from the excitement of what had just happened. "I'm sorry about the mess I've made of your books." She drew in several more ragged breaths, fighting for air.
"I wasn't worried about the books, you dolt!" Numair all but shouted, choosing to call her the name she normally chose for him when he had done something she considered to be a bit stupid.
"I'm fair certain I'll live Numair!" Daine answered back tartly, her face twisting into a frown. She hated it when he went all protective over her as he was doing now, not to mention the fact that he had just called her a dolt. "Unless its possible to bleed to death from a few bruises and a paper cut, I'm certain I'll pull through!"
The two sat in silence for a moment, neither knowing quite how to respond to the other's sudden outburst. Daine noticed that Numair's face had turned a scarcely noticeable shade of pink. She could barely see it under his tanned Tyran skin. At seeing this, she herself blushed, feeling ashamed of herself for snapping at him like she had. "I'm sorry, Numair," Daine said, eyes glued to the panels of the wood floor, "I shouldn't have yelled as I did."
Numair sighed, reaching up a hand and nervously running it through his hair. "Its all right, Daine, I should compose myself better. I just don't want you getting hurt, because when you hurt so do I," Numair said, his feelings of guilt from yelling at her fading when he saw her face twist into a smile.
"I love you, " Daine murmured, feeling it was the best thing for her to say just now, and appropriate for the moment. In this time, Daine almost forgot that she had had an attack at all, and perhaps that was for the best. Then again, maybe it was not, for it would certainly happen again. It was just a matter of when.
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A/N: Well? I'm sorry I took so long to update! I had SOOOOO much stuff to get done, and unfortunately I had to put this last on my priority list......I'll *try* not to take so long again this time! Next chapter is a VERY important one! Its going to be very -er- fluffy and also exciting....I may have to split it into two chapters, because I have so much planned for it....REVIEW OR YOU'LL NEVER SEE THE NEXT CHAPTER!!!!
Disclaimer: Uh oh, forgot this in my last chapter! *gasps* Well, I still don't own it, and I've got a better chance of being attacked and killed by a coke machine than ever owning Daine and Numair.... *sighs and goes to provoke a coke machine*
oh, one last thing! try and see if you're clever enough to spot something in this chapter that i've used specifically in another of my fics! ^_^
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Daine awoke from a dream filled sleep as sunlight began to fill into the bed chamber she shared with Numair. It poured through the windows and washed over every inch of the bedchamber; much like a blanket. She wished now that she had remembered to fully shut the curtains to the bedroom window the night before, then she would not have been awoken by the sunlight.
Groaning, Daine partially opened one of her eyes, confirming to herself that it was indeed time to wake up. Just as she began lazily throwing back the covers, she came to two realizations. The first was the fact that the spot next to her that Numair normally occupied was empty. The blankets and sheets on his side of the bed had not even been pulled back, nor was there any sign of him having used them at all. There was no indent in the pillow where his head should have been, just as there was no warm spot where he should have slept. This was curious to Daine, for the last she remembered, Numair had said simply that he would stay awake a while longer to work on his lecture and he would then come up to bed. Well, I suppose that plan never fell through, Daine thought to herself. Just as she felt slight amusement by the mage's actions, it quickly faded when she realized that she still did not know where he had gotten to.
Sighing, and fully pulling herself out of her warm haven, Daine slid out of bed, throwing her bare feet over the edge and onto the floor. The hard wood that covered most of the floors of the tower was always icy cold in the morning, making Daine walk fast in the mornings to avoid making contact with her feet against it. Cursing as she quickly scrambled across the cold bed chamber floor, Daine made it to her dresser, where she pulled out a pair of green-dyed wool socks. She fumbled hastily to pull them over her cold toes, succeeding with clumsy accuracy.
Chattering her teeth from the bitter cold of the morning, Daine then reached for her cotton robe that she hung on a nail next to the privy door, she wrapped it hastily around her shoulders, fastening it around herself with its tie. Feeling slightly warmer, Daine made her way out of the bed chamber and into the hall. Walking quickly down the stairs, curious to find what had kept her love from coming to bed the previous night. "Numair?" Daine called softly when she reached the base of the stairs. Receiving no answer, Daine pursed her lips in annoyance.
Daine made her way in the direction of the living room, expecting to find her love sleeping soundly on the couch before a roaring fire in the mantle. When she got into the living room however, she found the couch empty, and the fire long since burnt out. Feeling another rush of annoyance mixed with partial worry, Daine then headed off to his study. She hadn't the slightest idea why she would find him there. He had never been one to wake up in the early hours of the morning just to work on lesson plans. Living with Numair for three years now had taught Daine that he was a man who loved his beauty sleep, and would not sacrifice it for extra work time.
Soon, Daine found herself standing in the doorway of Numair's workroom. As she had expected, his floor and desk was covered in paper and an assortment of other work items, including spare quills and bottles of ink. Daine placed a hand on her hip and raised her eye brow, sighing, when she saw that barely visible under all of this wreckage was the man she was searching for. He was sitting at his oak wood desk towards the front of the room. He lay bent double over the desk, his chest slowly rising and falling and his eyes clamped tightly shut, indicating that he was sleeping.
The young woman looked on at her sleeping love, shaking her head in slight amusement. Out of all of the hair-brained things he always found a way of doing, this was definitely a new one. He may have done it before they lived together, but he most definitely had not since that time. Smiling despite her annoyance, Daine walked briskly into Numair's study and over to where he sat sleeping. She shook his shoulder firmly, causing him to awake abruptly. She laughed inside when he jerked his head up immediately. His surprise was evident.
Numair lifted his head, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. It was then that he noticed the light of the room, a result of the morning sun. Lifting his head up from its nest in his folded arms, he found himself in his study. His eye brows twisted immediately in confusion, for he could not remember how he ended up here. I must have fallen asleep over my work, he thought to himself after noticing that beneath his arms lay a pile of his current papers and experiments layouts. Rubbing his eyes to clear his vision, Numair turned to his right and saw Daine for the first time. He jumped slightly in surprise, his heart beating fast. He hadn't expected to see her there. "Gods, Daine you gave me a scare!" He muttered, voice slightly raspy because he had just woken up.
Ignoring his comment to her and his surprised demeanor, Daine added dryly, "You know, you never cease to amaze me. I can't believe you managed to fall asleep over your own work. That should tell you something about your lecture," On the inside, Daine was wild with amusement. She thought it was exceedingly funny that Numair had fallen asleep as a result of his own lecture.
"Very funny, "Numair's tone was not an amused one, but annoyed. He lifted a hand to his head and began running his fingers through his mass of raven hair, pulling out his hair tie. He let his long hair fall over his shoulders in a tangled mess.
"I pity the pages," Daine added, ignoring his annoyed glance in her direction.
"You're pushing it, Daine,"Numair warned, further proving just how little of a morning person he truly was. Just as he was about to say something more to her, perhaps stand up and teach her a lesson of mocking him, he felt sudden realization flash through his mind. "By Mithros, I've a class today!" Numair all but shouted, leaping suddenly from the oak wood desk chair at which he had previously been sitting.
Daine was shocked to say the least by his sudden outburst. She took a step back, not wanting to be in the way in case he chose to bolt out of his study room door. "Yes, Numair, and I'm from Galla! What on earth are you getting at?"
"We've got to go, now! It was supposed to start at noon!" Numair called back to Daine as he quickly strode out of his study. Daine followed him at a hurried walk, fighting to catch up to him without running. By the time she had reached the top of the stairs, she barely saw him scramble into their bed chamber. She followed quickly after him, only to find him already throwing on fresh clothes from his closet. "Jon is going to have my hide!" Daine heard him mumbling, though a loud mumbling at that.
Daine chuckled at this last remark, but replied to his ranting, "And since when did you care about what Jon thinks? I'm fair certain that you never have-" Daine was interrupted suddenly by his answer.
"Since I've got a woman in my life whom I love, and want to support," Numair interrupted as he fastened his black leather belt over his new pair of breeches. He hastily slipped off the shirt he had been wearing upon dozing off the night before, and went to his closet to find a fresh one to wear. Briefly, he poked his head around to face Daine and said, "And if you're coming to the palace with me, you'd best start dressing yourself. We haven't the time to dawdle!"
Though Numair did not see for his back was now to his lover, Daine poked her tongue out at him for his order. Despite her previous actions, Daine did as she was told and went to her closet to retrieve her clothing. She had wanted to bathe this morning before their short journey, but she obviously would not have the time now. Settling on a plain white cotton work shirt and a pair of old tan work breeches, Daine quickly moved to dress. She cursed as she turned around too fast and tripped over the pair of old breeches Numair had carelessly strewn onto the floor in his rush. At the exact moment that she fell, Numair was stepping out of his walk in closet, donned in a new black silk shirt. Upon seeing his lover fall flat on her face, he could not help but laugh.
Daine glared up menacingly at her lover. His frantic state had seemed to fade at witnessing her awkward fall. Seeing his lips twisted in one of his boyish smiles, Daine felt her heart melt. She could not help but smile at him. She felt a sense of gratitude when he reached down and offered her a hand. She accepted it with a smile in his direction.
The two lovers quickly finished dressing and made their way down stairs and into the kitchen to quickly obtain some food for the road. They did not have the time to leisurely eat at home this morning. Daine went into the pantry, where they stored preservable foods for when they did not have the time to prepare a meal. She selected two biscuits from a tray and took that along with two canteens filled with cool water.
Silently making their way outside, the two went to the stable to saddle their mounts. Daine, of course, went to Cloud, and Numair to Spots. Daine reached for the dark brown leather saddle with the basket weave pattern that her grandfather had made for her. She had a matching bridle, which she also used. She rarely traveled anywhere without these two items. She felt almost as if they were like charms for luck.
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(later that day during lesson)
"Does anyone have any questions concerning what I have just covered?" Numair asked, feeling an intense discomfort. His back felt as if it were tied in a knot, which was not exactly the most comfortable thing to feel when you are supposed to stand up straight before a group of pages and teach. "Yes, Nolan?"
"Is it true, what they say? That everyone with the Gift knew where everyone else nearby with the Gift was when the barrier thing fell?" a young page with a mass of curly blonde hair and striking brown eyes questioned.
Just by this mere question, Numair could almost feel what he had felt that day. It had all been indescribably, if he were completely honest with himself. He had seen without vision or eye sight, and that was not entirely possible. "Yes, it is completely true, Nolan, and I'm glad you brought that up," Numair answered, inwardly scolding himself for forgetting to cover such things in the first section of his lecture. It was, after all, a very important and historical event. "As it turns out, that is something I failed to include in this lesson and it is something that ought to be mentioned-" Numair was suddenly cut off by a page's untimely remark.
"Did you feel it?" Nolan asked excitedly, eyes alight with interest. Numair considered the young page to be among the most dedicated pages in the entire class, but he held his tongue on that matter. He had taken the place of the teachers of other classes, and he had found that his own class had much more interest and enthusiasm than the others. He was grateful for that. "You have the Gift, Master Numair, so you should have felt it, shouldn't you?"
"Yes, Nolan, I felt it," Numair said, clearing his throat to keep the boy from continuing with his needless ranting. Seeing the light in Nolan's eyes grow even larger, Numair knew what the boy's next question would be, so he jumped on it in advance. "It was the most bizarre and unexplainable feeling I have ever felt in my entire life. In my time, I have seen much of what there is to see as far as magic and spells go, but nothing like what I felt when the barrier fell. It was like I was in a hundred places at once, without ever even leaving my bed. I could see things, yet I did not see them with my eyes."
The class seemed to regain their interest by this turn of conversation. Soon, several hands had flown into the air, determined to learn more of what happened to all of the mages when the barrier fell.
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Daine sat idly in the Royal Stable, reclining on a large pile of hay near the stable front. She and Numair had been at the palace for three days now, and she felt very relaxed. She had already had her word with the pages as she had promised Numair, and as far as she knew, her responsibilities here were done. Now, she could do as she pleased. All she wished to do at the moment was just sit and think for once. Rarely did she ever get or even desire such moments of peace and utter nothing, but she was glad to have one all the same. Daine had even turned off her wild magic, shielding her mind from the constant voices of the People. This was a rare, yet pleasant silence for her, and she could not help but feel slightly guilty for wanting it as she did. As she lay here though, without a care in the world, she managed to wipe away all thoughts of guilt from her mind.
It truly was a beautiful day out. A cloudless sky spread over Tortall like a blanket, sun shining warmly in its midst. There was also a light breeze, not allowing the intense heat of the sun to heat up the occupants of Corus too greatly. To Daine, the weather was just right. I could not have picked a better day for my rest, she thought to herself, smiling. For a brief moment, as she was breathing deeply, Daine could have sworn a large array of unusual scents were beginning to fill her nostrils. It was subtle at first, but soon came on strong, and it was then she knew that something different was taking place. Her eyes quickly flew open, allowing the sun to leak into her senses. She blinked profusely, trying to clear her vision as her mind reeled. "What in the name of the gods?" Daine murmured, trying to get herself under control, whatever the problem may be.
Then, it came on for a second time. It all flew in at once, giving her no time to question its presence. Her nose felt as if it might burst from the sudden variety and intensity of smells. There were things that Daine inhaled now that she never had before, and she had not a single notion what they might be. She could smell strongly the scent of the horses around her. She could tell where each of them were at this very moment, despite the fact that her wild magic was distinctly blocked off. She could smell a sort of fear on them, as if they could feel that something was not right. Suddenly, she heard a loud and unmistakable swishing sound in her mind, much like the noise a court lady's extravagant gown skirts would make as she rotated her body with the music at a ball. This sound was no swishing dress. Daine knew immediately that it was the sound of a horse's ears pricking forward in caution of an approaching predator. She was dumbfounded by this sudden, odd knowledge, but she did not question it. It was all too unmistakably clear for her to question anything about it. She heard a loud drip of water as beads of sweat began trickling down a nearby horse's glossy mane.
The only thing she questioned was why she felt it. She had never felt or heard anything like this before. The feeling of intense fear whirling around each and every horse in the stable, the magnified hearing, and most definitely the odd array of scents and aromas. Daine could think of no time where she had had all of these things. And as she thought this, utterly puzzled, it all vanished as rapidly as it had come. It left Daine in a puddle of confusion, not knowing if it had been reality or dream.
Rubbing her head to clear a sudden head pain that had come as a result of her 'feelings', Daine rose from her haven in the pile of hay and stood to her feet. All of this was beginning to remind her of what had happened only a few nights back. She had been at the tower, and she had had a dream that she was a wolf, and it had overlapped into reality. All of this was confusing and beyond reason, and Daine did not even want to think about it. There was a tiny voice in the back of her mind that told her that perhaps it would be best if she told Numair, but there was also another that said clearly that he would just worry and throw one of his fits. Now that wouldn't do, and Daine knew it. She loved Numair dearly, but she knew well that he was over protective when it came to her welfare and would more than likely send her back home to the tower, or expect her to stay in bed under the constant watch of a palace healer. She wanted neither of these things, and immediately decided it would be best if she kept her silence.
"Gainel plays some fair mean tricks on us mortals," Daine said to herself, forcing a small and barely audible laugh. Just by saying such things, she forced herself into believing that it was nothing more than a mere dream, and dreams could hurt no one.
Hunt. Blood. Kill. The words echoed in the back of her mind, sending a chill shiver down Daine's spine. She gasped at hearing them, trying her best to keep convincing herself that it was all fake. Things were getting rather hard to block out at this point. It was just a memory, Daine told herself firmly in her mind, nothing but a harmless memory; I didn't really hear those things just now. She laughed again at her own cleverness, but this time her laugh was an uneasy one.
Daine's train of thought was suddenly broken as she heard the distinct sound of a horse approaching from the distance. Hooves clopped rhythmically against the hard dirt path that led to the stable. Daine quickly let her feet move from where they were glued to the stable floor. She broke into a sprint, running to the door to see who was arriving at the palace. She sincerely hoped it was one of her close friends, for few of them were at the palace this week aside from the monarchs.
Quickly pushing open the swinging wooden door of the stable, Daine rushed out to see the approaching rider. Coming through the courtyard was a tall, gallant palomino warhorse. His mane glittered in such fineness, that Daine's mind rang clearly with recognition. She did not have to raise her eyes to the rider to know who it was. Sitting atop the pridefull stallion was none other than the King's Champion, Alanna the Lioness.
Daine watched in utter delight as Alanna pulled Darkmoon to a gentle stop, murmuring kind words into her mount's ear. The Lioness looked in Daine's direction, finally noticing the presence of her long time friend. Her face lit up with a smile, and the smile on Daine's face only grew wider. Alanna quickly swung her leg over the side of her saddle and dismounted her steed. She walked briskly over to Daine, skipping steps as she went.
As soon as the two women met, they both threw there arms around the other, warmly welcoming each other. "I'd only expected to cross paths with Numair while I was here," Alanna muttered, excited to see her friend.
"Its been so long, Alanna!" Daine exclaimed, hugging the lady knight tightly and then pulling away and stepping back for a moment. "I've only spoken to you through letters and Numair's speaking spells for quite some time!"
"As sure as I'm standing here, it has been too long Daine, " Alanna added, nodded and allowing her shameless grin to spread across her face.
"How have George and the children been? And the Swoop?" Daine shot off question after question, eager to find out just how her friend had been fairing these past three months since they had properly had a chance to speak.
"I'll tell you all about it, just let me unsaddle and brush down Darkmoon and see that he's settled. We can go to my rooms and talk then," Alanna said, making her way towards the stable with Darkmoon in tow. Daine followed, the two women chattering the whole way.
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Several days passed, and all seemed well to Daine. She had not even had a slight notion of one of her attacks as she had come to call them. She had begun to wonder if she would be having another one at all, or if it was possible that it was over. Daine sincerely hoped that it was indeed over. She could not help but be nervous about what such attacks in her own mind might mean, and especially of what they were capable of doing to her. One thing she had learned from these attacks on her mind, was that each time they occurred, they got mildly worse. Her first, now that she looked back, had been quite easy on her mind. It had been little more than a strong head pain and the repetition of ghastly words from her dream in her mind.
Now, things had gotten much worse. The head pains were stronger and more intense. They would throb on and on until she thought her head might explode. It would hurt so much, Daine would be close to not only gasping as she sometimes did now, but crying out in painful agony. Her attacks were much more than just head aches, though. They had grown into so much more, to Daine's dismay. Every time they came on, she would hear the chanting in her mind and would feel a strong, almost irresistible pulling. She would want to dive into it all, as if giving in to madness. Daine knew such feelings as this all to well, and that was likely to be what frightened her the most about it all. She would feel herself change when all of this happened. It was as if she was no longer herself, but something else.
All of these things frightened her more than she would care to admit. She was known throughout the realm for her endless acts of bravery. How could it be that she was genuinely afraid of some sort of trick her mind was playing on her, but not of fierce immortals? Daine did not like that idea at all. She wished all of this would just go away, that it had never started to begin with. There was no sense in wishing such things, she knew, because she could never change the fact that it had come, and it had come for a reason. She just had to find what the cause was and put a stop to it as soon as she could.
Daine knew very well that Numair could be a great help to her in this field, as well as Alanna, but this gave her little comfort. She could tell neither of them, nor any of her other friends about what was going on. What if they thought her to be mad if she did tell them? After all, they of all people knew about her infamous streak of madness when she was twelve. Every time Daine had these attacks in her mind, she wanted nothing more than to shout out in agony and call for Numair. But every time she thought this, soon other things flew threw her mind, and not comforting things. She could see in her mind's eye a picture of her laying on the floor, her mind under siege and her body wracked with the pain it brought, and Numair, walking out of the room shaking his head in obvious disgust. She did not want that, and it was because of this fear that she kept her silence. In the beginning she had feared he would be over protective of her if he knew what went on inside her, but she was passed that now. She feared so much more now, and it had become much more of a reality.
Unfortunately for Daine, her peace did not last much longer. Before the week was out, she found herself falling into another of her attacks. It happened this time back at the tower. She was inside Numair's library, searching for a certain book on the ailments of horses, for she needed a bit of assistance in healing a particular horse in the stable that she had recently acquired. As she was running her fingers over the leather-bound backs of the books that lined the shelf she was searching at the time, the attack came.
It came on fast and sudden, just as they always did. It took Daine by sudden surprise, and it was all she could do to keep from shouting out and thus alerting Numair. Daine knew he was only in the room across the hall, his study, and was working on an experiment. If she did not watch herself and wait as quietly as possible for her attack to die down, she would cause the lanky mage to come and see about her. She bit her lip in pain, groaning as the head pains came on, making her dizzy. Hunt.Blood.Kill. The words rang clearly in her mind, biting at her sense of reality. It was as if there was a rabid monster inside of her, fighting to break free of its confines.
Daine brought her hand weakly to her forehead, rubbing it gently to try and calm herself. Against her will, she began to slide to the floor, her knees collapsing. Because of her frantic state, Daine had no way of knowing whether or not her fall had alerting Numair, but she hoped it had not. She prayed silently to the gods for help, and to keep Numair and all of her friends unaware. Hunt. Blood. Kill. Daine clamped her eyes shut suddenly as the pain in her head magnified without warning. She gasped, fighting for breath. "What's happening to me?" She asked to herself, voice mingled with tears and in little more than a whisper. She continued drawing in air raggedly, tears falling faster and only magnifying the pain.
Finally, Daine attempted to reopen her eyes. She immediately wished she had not, for she was met by something she had not expected. Instead of finding her normal surroundings, she found her vision to be only in black and white coloring. Memories of the time she had entered Brokefang's mind entered her own now. Then, her vision had been much the same. Could it have some sort of connection? She doubted it, for shape-shifting had never posed as a problem to her before.
Blinking rapidly, Daine rubbed her eyes in a frenzy, fighting to bring back her normal vision. That was when the sounds began filling her ears. She could hear everything. She could hear a loud scratching sound, like a quill scraping against a piece of parchment. She knew it was the sound of Numair working across the hall. Along with that she heard his constant murmuring and rantings to himself. This surprised her greatly, for moments ago she had not been able to hear him at all. She knew it was this attack on her mind that was magnifying her hearing and changing her vision.
Hunt. Pack. Food. Blood. Kill. The words sounded again and again in her mind, never ceasing. Daine's body lay crumpled on the floor as she writhed in pain. She had not a single notion how much more of this she could stand. So far, this had been the longest and most intense and painful of her attacks so far.
Just as she was thinking this to herself, her head began spinning in an unknown furry, and Daine could not help but kick her leg out suddenly. It made painful contact with the book shelf in front of her, the impact making it sway. Though the heavy oak wood shelf itself did not fall on her, thankfully, several heavy books from the top levels of the shelf did fall. The noise that filled the room was loud, making Daine know it would easily be heard in the next room.
Instantly, as the books fell on her, Daine felt her mind begin to clear. The voices in her mind began to slowly but surely fade. Her vision began to whirl back into its normal sight of color and her hearing returned to its usual level. At this time, Daine heard the sound of boots clicking rapidly against the hard wood floor of the tower. The sound of the door to the library swinging open soon filled her ears and the foot steps approached.
"What in the name of the gods happened in here?!" Daine heard the sound of Numair's rough voice split the air of the library. She could feel his presence as he approached where she lay beneath the pile of books. "Daine, are you all right, sweet?" He called frantically, as he knelt down on his knees on the floor beside her. She could feel his calloused hands search the pile for her hand, which he squeezed tightly upon finding. He then began rapidly pulling the books off of her, soon finding her. He lifted her into a sitting position, gripping her shoulders tightly. His eyes were alight with obvious concern, and she swallowed hard. She would have to think of something fast, lest he find her secret.
"I'm fine Numair, I just tripped on one of the floor boards and hit the book case," Daine managed to say, breathing hard from the excitement of what had just happened. "I'm sorry about the mess I've made of your books." She drew in several more ragged breaths, fighting for air.
"I wasn't worried about the books, you dolt!" Numair all but shouted, choosing to call her the name she normally chose for him when he had done something she considered to be a bit stupid.
"I'm fair certain I'll live Numair!" Daine answered back tartly, her face twisting into a frown. She hated it when he went all protective over her as he was doing now, not to mention the fact that he had just called her a dolt. "Unless its possible to bleed to death from a few bruises and a paper cut, I'm certain I'll pull through!"
The two sat in silence for a moment, neither knowing quite how to respond to the other's sudden outburst. Daine noticed that Numair's face had turned a scarcely noticeable shade of pink. She could barely see it under his tanned Tyran skin. At seeing this, she herself blushed, feeling ashamed of herself for snapping at him like she had. "I'm sorry, Numair," Daine said, eyes glued to the panels of the wood floor, "I shouldn't have yelled as I did."
Numair sighed, reaching up a hand and nervously running it through his hair. "Its all right, Daine, I should compose myself better. I just don't want you getting hurt, because when you hurt so do I," Numair said, his feelings of guilt from yelling at her fading when he saw her face twist into a smile.
"I love you, " Daine murmured, feeling it was the best thing for her to say just now, and appropriate for the moment. In this time, Daine almost forgot that she had had an attack at all, and perhaps that was for the best. Then again, maybe it was not, for it would certainly happen again. It was just a matter of when.
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A/N: Well? I'm sorry I took so long to update! I had SOOOOO much stuff to get done, and unfortunately I had to put this last on my priority list......I'll *try* not to take so long again this time! Next chapter is a VERY important one! Its going to be very -er- fluffy and also exciting....I may have to split it into two chapters, because I have so much planned for it....REVIEW OR YOU'LL NEVER SEE THE NEXT CHAPTER!!!!