Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, the outer plot line, or anything worth money. That happy claim goes to Tamora Pierce

Chapter 20 – The Wrecking Crew

Numair did not remember how he got back to the university. He was exhausted and disheartened. He had searched for her until he had nearly run head-long into Ozorne. Luckily he was invisible and Ozorne was preoccupied. He ultimately found his way back to Lindhall but was unable to speak at all.

His mind reviewed the dreams and pictures from the past. He could remember tiny things he had forgotten. He felt again like he had the night Daine died and was brought back by the Badger. But this time there would be no reprieve. It was strange that Gods could sometimes undo death, but not repair a ruined mind. And Numair had never felt so useless in all his life.

He spent hours huddled in that corner. He may have dozed at some point but he wasn't sure. Inexplicably, Lindhall knew not to bother him. It was near dusk now. The light had become an odd golden that seemed extra bright instead of the usual gloaming. Numair was remembering waking to soft chuckles between Onua and Alanna, two years ago after the attack on Pirate's Swoop. He had fallen asleep when the battle was done. Exhausted from holding off dampeners for hours, he had simply drifted away right where he was. During the cleanup, Onua and Alanna had come to help the injured. When Numair came to himself, he felt something warm snuggled against him, and looked up to see the hindquarters of a mare right in front of him. As he groggily asked what was happening, Onua and Alanna's chuckles became full on roars of laughter with intermittent bursts of incoherent speech. He finally figured out they were trying to say that "they" looked sweet that way. Daine had curled up against him and had also fallen asleep. Cloud, Daine's mare, had stood guard like a protective sentry. How ironic it was to him that Cloud had protected the girl so effectively for years while he, a powerful mage, had managed to lose her in a matter of days.

And there was that feeling again. It was as if an astounding epiphany waited on the edge of his consciousness and if he just turned the right direction, he would see it. But his ponderings were again interrupted, this time by the sound of multiple pairs of feet entering the university.

Without discussion, Numair shimmered out of site. He stood in the corner next to Lindhall's desk and that was where he was when Kaddar entered the office. Apparently the door had been spelled to admit him. "Professor," Kaddar shouted, "I think the sky is about to fall."

"What?" Lindhall asked, alarmed.

"Daine had not run away. She was kidnapped. But now she's out and she's seeking revenge for Master Numair's death. She told me to take everyone I cared about out of the palace. She was frightening."

Without thinking, Numair revealed himself. He grabbed Kaddar's shoulders and pleaded, "Please, you've seen Daine? Where? Can you take me to her?" It was only then that he realized the fear on Kaddar's face. He looked like he had seen a ghost.

Lindhall separated the two and scolded, "That's hardly the most tactful way to reveal yourself.

"I s-s-saw you d-d-die. I – I w-w-was part of your ex-execution," Kaddar stuttered. His deep mahogany skin was now a pasty sort of gray.

"Oh Gods! I'm sorry Kaddar. As you can see I'm quite alive and unharmed."

"But I…"

"It was a simulacrum and I was there but cloaked. I saw the whole thing," his voice softened as he continued, "You tried to say 'forgive me'. It was not your fault. You have earned my respect."

Kaddar looked for a minute like he might like hit Numair. Numair took a step back.

"I have thought for twenty four hours that I contributed to your death," the boy yelled. Then his hand flew to slap his own forehead, "And I told Daine you were dead. She was – there's no other word for it, she was scarey."

Numair and Lindhall simultaneously looked alarmed.

"And I don't know where she will be now," Kaddar said. "It was hours ago. I had to get my friends and family out."

Numair said, "Tell me everything. Perhaps we can figure out where to find her."

Settling into a chair by the door, Kaddar began, "A Banjiku slave found me and took me to a secret room that is known only to the Banjiku slaves. Daine, a cheetah, and her marmoset were there. She looked thin and pale and quite angry. She told me she had been kidnapped by Ozorne. He apparently used dreamrose on her and she asked me for information on it. So I told her it produces deep sleep and true dreams. I urged her to leave Carthak, but she said she had dreamed that you, Numair, were still in Carthak looking for her and that she didn't want to leave without you. Numair covered his mouth withhis hands looking intently at Kaddar.

"I had to tell her the truth as I knew it. I told her you were executed yesterday and that I had seen the whole thing. I admit that I was too ashamed to tell her of my part in the execution." He looked at the floor. "She went white and it was – it was as if she were frozen. I thought for a moment she had entered some kind of catatonic state. I shook her and called her name, but she just pushed me away. She said in this cold, calculating voice that she was thinking." Kaddar shivered involuntarily.

Fear swept through Numair for the second time today. Was it already too late? "Please continue," he said in a hoarse voice that did not sound like his own.

"She had that frozen look again and a visible rage washed over her. The very air became electrified. The cheetah's fur stood on end and it backed away in fear, but all of us could feel it. She asked what time of day it was and she asked where the emperor was and when he would return. So I told her that Ozorne had officials to meet with after sunset. Then she asked if I had anyone I cared about in the palace. I told her I did. So she told me to have them out by sunset. She told the slave, Tano, that he needed to get word to the slaves and get them and the emperor's pets out by sunset too. She sent us on our way. I wanted to argue, but frankly she was too frightening. When I got back up to the main level, the palace animals had begun to assemble. She's bent on vengeance and I pity anyone stupid enough to stand in her way."

Looking out the window, Numair realized that every free outdoor creature was working to keep the innocent from the castle. "Then pity me. I must find her – now!" Numair stated with urgency. And that was when they heard the first major crash.

When Numair headed back to the palace he realized that Lindhall and Kaddar had followed. The three men were rushing against a throng of people trying to escape. The reason soon became apparent. Huge snake necked dinosaur skeletons were destroying the great hall. Horn-faced lizards had pushed a hole through the wall and the chaos inside was revealed for all to see.

"Goddess protect us!" Lindhall and Kaddar whispered as one. Numair was speechless. Numair ignored the instinct to run away and headed for the center of the chaos. His only thought was to get to Daine and help her before she lost her sanity. The others regretfully followed.

It was difficult to avoid the large skeletal feet of the reanimated behemoths as they searched through the destruction of the great hall. Twice Numair's quick reactions saved the others as he magically lifted them out of the path of danger. He did not attempt to interfere with the beasts for fear injuring them might hurt Daine. And he stopped Lindhall from sending fire at one monster for just that reason. Because they weren't attacking, the skeletons mostly ignored them. Numair wondered if that had been Daine's instructions.

Tripping through the rubble of columns and piles of broken pottery and decorations, they followed the leader of this particular wrecking crew. It soon became apparent that Daine had split her forces and she was not present. It was amazing how completely the monsters destroyed everything in their path. No portraits, vases or candelabras escaped their demolition.

Despite his recent visits to the hall of bones, Numair had never realized how many skeletons it held. Perhaps the number seemed greater when the huge creatures were moving through a building, tearing up everything in their wake.

From somewhere far away screams issued. He saw smoke billow through windows and heard crash after thunderous crash. It was hard to tell which were impact tremors from huge feet and which were impact tremors from mutilated foundation.

The three men ran down corridors calling for Daine and ducking the tumbling bricks, plaster, and columns. They saw all varieties of skeletal dinosaurs in their awe inspiring state of reanimation. The creatures followed a path of destruction known only to them. Fire began to spread throughout the palace and at last the three men were forced outside. They would have to find another way in. As they circled the building, Numair heard Lindhall shout, "Stormwing!" When he looked up, Numair realized it was Rikash and that Zek was on his shoulder.

The stormwing and Numair stared at each other. Again Numair saw the kind of expression one would wear if they had just seen a ghost. "Mage!" Rikash shouted. "I watched you die." The stormwing landed in front of him hard and looked almost joyful at the sight before him.

"I'm rather hard to kill." Numair stated cautiously.

"Someday you'll have to tell me how you managed it." Rikash was looking at him appraisingly. "In the meantime, there is a young lady that will be very, very happy to see you alive."

All pretense dropped, Numair exclaimed, "You've seen Daine."

The stormwing smiled. "Yes, Storkman, I have seen your girl."

"Storkman?"

The stormwing laughed heartily. "Did you not know the nickname her animal friends call you?"

"No," Numair answered and brushed the thought aside for later reflection. "Where is she? How long ago did you leave her?"

"I'm sure she isn't where I left her. It has been about fifteen minutes. I had to duck some angry monsters and some angrier mages. But when I last saw her she was planning to go after Ozorne himself. She was shifting into hyena form."

"Gods no!" Numair shouted alarmed. He had gone extremely pale and felt the air leave his lungs. Turning to Kaddar and Lindhall he said, "I have no time to explain it all, but the Badger God sent me a warning. If she kills him this way, she will lose her mind. It is essential that we find her before it is too late."