Disclaimer: It's Tamora Pierces'.. blah, blah, blah

1reallyblue1: Thanks

Nativewildmage: Wait and see. I like the added drama of her believing that he wants Alanna.

X17skmBdrchiczxx: Thanks.

KnighbyDay: Don't you love when you feel sorry for fictional characters? It is a great compliment to think I can write well enough to make you feel something. I have to laugh at myself each time I read something that makes me cry buckets for people who never existed. I hope someday to have the skill to affect readers that way.

Kit49: It's amazing what a person can miss when they don't want to see it huh? All the snuggling and desires to kiss her ought to tell him something. But it hasn't yet. He won't be instigating anything by the next story either. That one will be between the epilogue and chapter 1 of RotG. He did initiate the kisses in RotG and almost did twice besides that. Evin and Miri should be together. Everyone who read Wild Magic believes it. But in Squire he's still charming generic women. I have an idea for that since Miri never appears again. Maybe I'll write that story too someday.

Purple Eyed Cat: I'll bet you weren't the only one urging him on.

Twilight Shades: How they're controlling Alanna is still a little vague. Don't worry, you'll get it all soon. One thing that won't be resolved is Ozorne's role in this though. They don't figure out he's back messing with their lives until RotG.

Chapter 13 – Another Friend Becomes Foe

Jon and Tkaa searched Raoul's back and shoulders for a knife wound. It took only moments to find the mostly healed mark. Luckily, it had been so small that Duke Baird had not healed it when he examined Raoul days earlier. Magical vision showed a small amount of immortal magic still emanating when the wound was reopened.

Duke Baird and Tkaa then began the tedious job of researching what the spell might be. They knew the basics of how, they just didn't know who had done this or why. They also needed more details if they were to find a cure. In the meantime, knowing that he wasn't mad, Raoul seemed both relieved and angrier than Jon had ever seen him before. The large man wanted the chance to hunt down his attacker and take revenge. This, Jon explained, was out of the question at this point. Raoul might still be dangerous and Jon thought that if Raoul had any more deaths on his conscience, he might never recover.

Jon also took the time to relay the information to George, who had then sent for the griffin parents. Jon still thought this was a dangerous gamble. But George believed the griffins had a right to avenge the death of their offspring. George also explained that the griffins could tell when a mortal had handled one of them. George had a need to see the man who did this thing to his Lioness ripped to shreds and Jon could hardly argue.

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Daine and Numair were both exhausted when morning came. They had been up more of the night than they had slept. But the riders cleared out early, taking Buri and all but one of the extra ponies with them. Cearl had purchased the last pony. The riders' numbers were so much more diminished that it hadn't been needed anyway.

As soon as the group rode away, Onua began rolling up camp to head for Corus. Alanna was nervous but willing to head to Corus. Daniel was more disoriented than Alanna, without his own gift to somewhat counteract the strange effects of the spell.

Alanna and Daniel rode between Numair and Harailt, with Lindhall close behind them. Onua and Cearl took the lead with Daine directly behind them and ahead of Numair.

A murmured conversation regarding the remaining mysteries of the spell was taking place between Numair, Alanna and Harailt. Daine changed her ears to those of a bat so that she could offer any fresh ideas.

"You didn't fight the paralyzing spell, Alanna. Does that mean you remember attacking?" Numair asked.

"No. I reasoned it out. Suddenly I was paralyzed by your magic and I saw my own draw back to me from Buri. I didn't know what I had done, but I knew by the missing time that I had done something."

Harailt studied her for a moment. "This could be significant. What you're saying is that the paralyzing spell stopped the magic that held you."

"I've already suggested that to Jon if Raoul has any further episodes," Numair said.

"I hope that's true," Alanna said. "Anyway, it all sounds like someone or something has to be close enough to see what we're doing so that they can set us off like we're some kind of mage blast. Whoever this is travels fast. Between Daniel, myself and Raoul, that's a lot of ground. For a mage, that too would require a lot of magic. What I don't understand is how this could have happened without my ember telling me something? If someone were creeping about in the middle of the night with powerful magic on a blade, you would think it would have done the usual thing."

"That's something I've thought a lot about too," Harailt said. "I don't really have a guess for that. Do you, Numair?"

Numair merely nodded. He looked so tired when Daine turned back to see him, but he smiled at her. They needed to be galloping to Corus, but a sudden shift in the weather left the hard ground too slick for anything faster than a trot.

Daine thought about her own experience with Gods. Her badger claw, a symbol and link between her and the Badger God, didn't give her warnings the way Alanna's ember did. However, the Badger often showed up in person when something was afoot. In Carthak, he had passed her the power of the Graveyard Hag without explaining to her who it was from or really what it did. He had done that on orders from the Hag not to interfere. Unlike the Badger, the Goddess was a major God. She doubted if anyone could tell Goddess to keep her mouth shut, but it was worth a try. "Numair, is there any God that could order the Goddess not to interfere with something, or who could hide his or her actions from Goddess?"

"Not really. Gods don't usually help with mage schemes anyway. Why do you ask, Magelet?"

"I was thinking about Carthak and how the Badger didn't really advise me the way he usually does because the Hag ordered him not to. I thought maybe that's why Goddess' ember maybe didn't work."

"The queen of Chaos can hide certain things from the upper level Gods," Harailt suggested. "Might she be involved?"

"I cannot imagine how," Alanna answered.

"Can you work magic at all without Alanna's ember warning her?" Daine asked Numair.

"I'm not sure, Magelet. Has that ever happened, Alanna?"

"I honestly can't remember. If it did I warn me I would have ignored it because you're a friend. I trust you."

Daine wondered again about Buri's suspicions. She felt sure that Alanna wouldn't cheat on her husband. She was entertaining those thoughts when she felt the stormwing. She motioned to her friends and waited to see if the stormwing was friend or foe. She heard a strange sound and all went black.

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The attack came out of nowhere. Birds flew at their party in a rage. Their mounts turned on them and threw them. Alanna reached for her weapons which Harailt carried and shot purple fire at Cearl and Onua which Cearl blocked. At the same time, Daniel went after Lindhall. Numair saw Daine level her bow on him and he was so shocked he didn't shield himself. She would have shot as true as always were it not for Cloud's attempts to throw her aim off without unseating her. The arrow caught his shoulder.

From where he lay on the ground, Numair rolled out of the way of a possible trampling from Spots and Darkmoon with seconds to spare. Cearl and Harailt torched the attacking birds. Numair ached for what Daine would do when she discovered that, but there was no help for it. He threw a paralyzing spell at Daine as Harailt and Cearl captured Alanna and Daniel, respectively. Lindhall appeared to be knocked out.

The horses and remaining birds seemed disoriented and confused. Tahoi whimpered when he seemed to realize his teeth had sunk into his master. Only Cloud seemed to be unaffected. A sharp trilling from Kit pulled weapons from Alanna and Daine's hands, and the tiny dragon dropped from her saddle bag, weapons following her through the air.

"Oh no, Magelet," Numair murmured aloud. Somehow the monster had gotten to her. He tried to think when this could have happened. And just as suddenly Alanna threw her paralyzing spell off and lunged for Kit and her sword. Kit whistled loudly and Alanna was stone, as if Tkaa had done the work.

Numair pulled himself painfully up and said, "The paralyzing didn't bring them round this time."

Onua stood and went to the paralyzed Daine.

"No!" Numair yelled. "Onua, she can break out of it. Be wary. She broke out of a paralyzing spell in two months ago when she went after Elyra Kelton." He stumbled forward, staring at Daine's frozen expression, to watch for signs she was fighting the spell. He could see her slowly changing form to something scaley and knew her wild magic was working on the spell. "What can we do with you, Magelet?" he muttered, thinking aloud.

There was a horrible blank look in her eyes that made him want to weep. This was Daine's body but the essence of Daine was temporarily absent. He said some old thak words to try the new magic sealing spell he'd found in the Power Codex. He was hoping that whatever magic was controlling her could be shut away, even though her magic couldn't really be trapped. She stopped fighting the paralyzing spell.

"Where's that damned Stormwing?" Onua asked, searching the sky. Birds had pecked her face and she had many painful looking wounds.

Suddenly, Numair realized that the Stormwing had never appeared. Black fire shot into the air and punched through a stealth spell leaving the Stormwing briefly visible before he raced away.

"Cearl, let's try releasing Daniel this time. He's less dangerous," Numair said. Cearl pulled his white gift with black sparkles back. Daniel looked dazed and didn't try to get a weapon.

"Did it happen again? Did I try to…" Daniel's voice shook pathetically.

Numair nodded. "Alanna next, Kit. We probably need her healing."

A short whistle from Kit turned Alanna back to herself. She looked around herself and froze, tears brimming her eyes.

Numair let Daine go last and then sat down hard. Daine was the only one still on her horse. She looked confused and then shocked. Obviously, Cloud was filling her in. Mortified, she jumped from Cloud's back and ran to Numair. "I shot you?" she cried.

Alanna looked alarmed and started to walk toward him. "No! I'm still standing. See to Lindhall first in case that Stormwing comes back." The pain was beginning to really seep into him. He took meditative breaths and tried to shut it off. Onua ordered him to sit so she could pull the arrow. "Four mages and only one of us can heal," Numair growled through gritted teeth. "No point in trying to pull it that way, Onua, it's well embedded in the bone." Black fire swarmed around him and the arrow disintegrated, along with his shirt, but the wound remained.

Alanna brought Lindhall round. He sat up with a groan. Harailt was staring at Numair with alarm, "You're losing control of that Gift again."

He was quite right, but between the pain of the wound and the fury of knowing that whoever had gotten to Daine, Numair was unable to distract himself. He felt it was better to burn off some rage than hurt his friends. Noting a boulder a few yards away he blew it to pieces and when that wasn't enough he proceeded to blow apart five heavy stones in a row.

When he turned around, everyone had backed away from him except Daine, who still looked mournful but determined not to leave him. "Sorry," he said to her, "I needed to exercise some demons."

"You're apologizing to me when I shot you?" she squeaked incredulously.

He tried to smile, though he was really feeling the ache in his arm now. "You didn't shoot me. Someone used you to do it. Don't you blame yourself." He saw tears begin to drip down her lovely face and he stood again, meaning to go to her. He was dizzy though and he swayed slightly.

"If you're done blowing things up can I help with that wound?" Alanna asked.

"It was better than zapping you unintentionally," he said tersely. He noticed his own voice was kind of slurred and wondered why. He was feeling extremely light headed. Daine looked alarmed and ran to him. He vaguely remembered seeing Alanna run too. But his focus was all on Daine as he lost consciousness.

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The midwinter ambassadors' banquet was only two weeks away and Elyra's projection spell was still not working. She had practiced until she was weak. Then her nieces came to see her.

As the hours dragged, she tried to be a good hostess but all she wanted to do was sleep. She began to make small excuses to be alone and one by one her visitors took their leave.

During the goodbyes she studied the young women, realizing that they belonged so much more than she did. The last of her ties to Yaman had really disintegrated with the death of her father. Elyra favored her mother in many things, including her height. She towered over her nieces and her coloring stood out like a red flag in a field of white. She looked more like Ilane of Mindelan than her own family. She felt it was proof that she belonged in Tortall.

She promised herself to contact Lindhall the following morning and ask for further assistance. She would get suggestions from Numair Salmalin or Harailt of Aili if she had too. She would succeed with this projection spell and get the treaty back on track. Then she would pack up her children and they would leave for Tortall and hopefully a future with Lindhall Reed.

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Sorry for the cliffy. I had written it but had to split it into Chapter 14.