Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or plot outline -- just the subplots. The rest is Tamora Pierce's. All hale!
Chapter 15 – Daine's Death
Numair walked down a long corridor. This time he knew where he was. He had been here before. He was surely asleep and dreaming. He didn't know how he knew that. He didn't think he had ever been aware he was dreaming before. But this time there was no question. He could smell that same musky smell and he focused on it while his feet took him along the path he was compelled to walk.
He came to where the corridor became wider and branched. There would be doors at the end marked with crude symbols in faintly glowing paint. He would pick the door with the gallows, walk down the staircase and see Daine as Ozorne tortured her. Then he would see her turn to a hyena and rip his throat out. And he would watch her precious mind disintegrate. He tried to stop his feet. But he couldn't.
He was descending the stairs, trepidation in every stride. Then, abruptly something changed. He saw the Badger – no he was the Badger. And – no, it could not be – he saw and felt Daine die. She was in the Hall of Bones, collapsed beside a reanimated skeleton, and she was dead.
There was no air in Numair's lungs. Propelled into consciousness with the inexplicable knowledge that this was real, he heard his own howl in grief, "Alanna!" like he had cried two years before when Daine had stopped her own heart to talk to dolphins. But Alanna would not hear. He had warded the room out of a selfish desire for true privacy. Besides, even if Alanna could hear there would not be enough time to reach the Hall of Bones. She was gone and there was nothing any mortal could do to save her. He drew his knees to his chest, forcing the books he had fallen asleep reading to crash to the floor. His blood pounded in his veins and he became aware that he was sobbing.
He could picture her the way he first saw her. She seemed so large while he was a hawk. Then when he saw her from the right perspective she was so small and so young. She was far too young to die. She shouldn't even have been here. She should have been back in Tortall with Onua and Cloud. He tried to rectify it in his mind. It didn't make sense. How could he know? He didn't have visions or prophesy dreams. He replayed in his mind all that he had experiencef. If the Badger really was there, then the Badger was sending him these messages. The Badger passed this gift to her – the gift that cost her life, he thought bitterly.
Suddenly he understood everything and he was angry. He stood up and walked to his pack. He dug out his herb kit and pulled out some vervane root. At the empty fireplace grate he lit a magical fire. Then he tossed some of the herb into the fire and ordered, "Badger!" followed by some well chosen words in old Thak. He had no idea if it would work since the Badger was an animal god. He sat and waited, growing angrier by the second. Five minutes passed. Ten minutes passed. He stood to try the spell again when saw a flash of silvery light bloom and the Badger appeared before him, hackles raised.
-- What is the meaning of this, Mage?-- the Badger roared into his mind.
"Can you bring her back? She died because of you. Can you bring her back?"
--Calm down, Mage, she's fine. I sent her back to bed. She's probably back right now.--
Numair sat down on the bed, hard. "She's alright?" he choked.
He could have sworn the Badger smiled, except Badgers don't smile. --Gods don't lie, you know that.--
"Is that so?" Numair had suffered the worst kind of grief, anger and fear in far too short a span of time to keep the sarcasm out of his voice. "In your mind, leaving Daine to think what you gave her was from you, is not a lie?"
The Badger growled and his fur sparked. –I told her what I was allowed to tell her. You seem to think I'm one of the great Gods. I don't always get a choice. –
"So instead you leave her vulnerable? I thought you sought to protect her."
-- If I wasn't doing everything I could to protect her, I would not be here. I would not have sent you messages and I would not have brought her back. Don't be disrespectful to me, Mage. I don't answer to you --
The Badger's mindvoice was starting to make Numair's head ache. He took a couple of meditative breaths trying to calm himself. "I'm sorry. You dragged me into that dream and through you I felt her die. I've been – distraught."
The Badger paced a little. – I suppos that's understandable then. I see you've put together that the messages were from me. I asked Gainel for his help –
"Badger, do you have any idea how much those four dreams have tortured me? If you wanted me to do something, why didn't you just come and tell me?"
-- I told you I was not supposed to interfere --
Numair nodded. "I understand. You couldn't let it lie because you knew the Graveyard Hag might damage Daine." Numair was suddenly cold. It was still a warm night out, but he supposed that it was stress of the night. He rubbed his own bare arms and shivered.
The Badger sneezed. –So you figured out she is part of this?—
"I doubt very much if you would have led Daine to me if I were stupid."
Twice more the Badger sneezed. Daine had told Numair that she thought this was how he laughed. Now it seemed that must be true. –You did figure out the first message rather quickly. I'm impressed that you were able to get your purple-eyed friend to help so fast.—
"And the second one? I need to keep her from savaging him as an animal?"
--Yes. It is quite important that you do.—
"Wouldn't it just be easier to get her out of here before Ozorne can cause her any harm?"
--That would be preferable, but may not be an option.—
"I just can't see her becoming that violent, Badger. But I'll heed your warning. You know I'll do everything you ask. But couldn't you just drop by and give me a message? Even just have Gainel tell me straight out – what if I hadn't figured out your riddles?"
--Hmmph! You sound just like my Kitt.—
Numair smiled weakly, realizing the Badger was referring to Daine. "Badger, in case I haven't said it already. Thank you – for her life – thank you."
--You're welcome. Just don't let me down.—
"I won't."
The Badger nodded. –And one more thing. I sent you three dreams, not four.-- With that he disappeared in a flash of silvery light.
Numair rose, and got dressed for the day. It was still dark and a long time until dawn, but now he had too much to think about to sleep again any time soon. He had the strong desire to look in on Daine again. But he resisted the urge. As the Badger had told him, Gods couldn't lie. She was safe and whole and he needed to keep her that way.