For a long moment they just stared at one another, Numair in the doorway,
Adian looking over the back of the couch. Then the redhead vaulted over
the couch with a whoop and bounded over to the mage to wrap him in a rib
crushing bear hug. (Never mind that she didn't reach anywhere near his
shoulder) Tears were flowing freely down Numair's face and Adian's blue-
grey eyes were looking a little misty. He returned her hug just as
fiercely and they stood there for several moments. Daine did not want to
intrude on what was obviously a private reunion, and wondered if it was
possible to melt into the floor. She was still dumbfounded by this latest
revelation. Numair had a sister? Never, NEVER had she heard anything
about this. As she studied Adian more closely, she saw that the woman
didn't look very Carthaki. For the thousandth time that they, the thought
echoed through Daine's mind: Who is she?
Suddenly, Numair pulled away and held her by her shoulders at arm's length. "Where have you BEEN?!" he cried. "I thought you were DEAD! You minx! I should kill you myself!" He accented each sentence with a shake. "I will roast you! If you ever do anything like this to me again." and then he pulled her back into a hug.
"I'm so sorry Arram." Adian whispered into his chest. "I'm so sorry. It was... necessary. Everyone had to believe that I was dead." She closed her eyes, as if remembering some past pain. "That doesn't make it any better, I know. All I can say is that it hurt me as much as it hurt you."
Numair finally let her go and took a deep breath. "Well." He said a little weakly. "Hello."
Adian smiled. "Hello."
Numair had been watching her eyes. "Ah.green. So you're happy to see me?"
"You still remember how to read my eyes?"
Numair chuckled. "How could I forget? You're so dangerous to deal with that any advantage a poor man can find is not easily forgotten." He softened. "Besides, you're my sister. How could I forget anything about you?"
"SISTER?!" Daine found that she could no longer keep silent. They both jumped, having momentarily forgotten her presence. "Numair, you never told me you had a sister!"
"We're not blood sibs." Numair explained. "It's like.you go through s many experiences with a person, that you become closer than blood relations ever do. We just.are." He smiled. "I'm sorry Magelet, I can't explain it any better than that."
"The great Numair Samalin at a loss for words? I'm speechless." Adian said dryly. "Let the fact be cried out from the towers, for surely we thought that this day would never come."
"Curb you tongue, Dragon-lady, or I'll find words enough - and probably words that would not be appropriate for Kitten to hear."
"Yes, well, I do seem to have that effect on people. Talk to folks long enough and they start using language that would make a guardsman blush." She said, baring her teeth in a wolfish grin.
"Probably because you use so much of the said 'language' yourself." Numair jibed. "It's catching."
Kitten sat up and chirped something in Dragon. Adian began laughing so hard that she choked, tears beginning to stream down her face. "Hmmm." She said when she had got her breath back. "It seems that your discourse is not so pure either. What this that I hear about you threatening to, ahem, 'duck the Lord Marshall in the royal fishpond'? And I won't even repeat the next part." She said virtuously. "A bit juvenile for you, don't you think?"
Numair actually had the grace to blush. "Ah, I ..er..he had it coming! He should be grateful that I only shouted at him, and, um."
"Made his nose hair begin to grow uncontrollably!" Daine giggled. "And don't pretend that you're the soul of restraint! It took Alanna, the King, and myself to physically stop him from carrying out his fishpond threat. And I don't even want to tell you how long it took to convince him to return the Lord Marshall's nose hair to normal. Hours! It seems that Alanna and the King never learned that particular trick, so Numair had to do it. I've never seen the King trying harder not to laugh!" She told Adian conspiratorially.
"It did not take 'hours' as you say." Numair stated as he turned a deeper crimson. "And you would have been angry too! The nerve of that man! Implying that mages were less useful than warriors.." He glared at Daine. "She didn't need to know all those details! Although where she heard that story." Suddenly he went stiff, his eyes wide with shock. "Wait.you didn't tell her the story, did you?" Daine shook her head. "Kitten told you, didn't she?" He asked Adian. She nodded wickedly, eyes dancing with the glee of being able to shock him. "Mithros, Mynos, and Shakith." And with that he sat down, hard, on the couch.
"It is so fun to shock you, brother dear. I never got to do it nearly as often as I would have liked, and twice in one day! This is a rare occasion." Adian smiled. "Although honestly compels me to admit that I was unaware of this talent until earlier this morning. I mean, it isn't as though I've ever met a real dragon before." She laughed, a deep, pleasant sound that made everyone else want to laugh as well. "Except for Liam Ironarm, of course."
"You've met the legendary Shang Dragon?!" Daine gasped, her eyes wide. "I've heard Alanna speak of him often! Does she know? That you know? Oh, I'm making such a mess of this!"
Adian grinned. "She had better know! We've discussed it often enough. Ah, the stories that I could tell about those two."
"Which you will NOT tell." Numair cut in hastily. "Sorry Daine, but you'll have to hear them without me around. I have heard one too may of your stories, and they all end the same way!"
"But Numair," Adian purred, "the human body is nothing to be ashamed of." She watched her longtime friend turn 10 successive shades of red and then proceeded to laugh wildly. "I had forgotten how much fun it was to DO that!" She said, wiping away another tear.
Suddenly, Onua's voice was heard. "Daine, where are you? You were supposed to be in the stables half an hour ago! The new trainee's ponies won't wait." The signs of a speaking spell (clearly powered by Alanna, if the purple color was any indication) hung in the air.
Daine smacked herself in the head with the palm of her hand, making a loud * thwack * resound throughout the now silent room. Numair and Kitten waited patiently for Daine to make her answer. Adian sat rigidly on her end of the sofa, her relaxed, carefree manner gone. She stared straight ahead; her hands curled into fists at eh sides. Her staring eyes were a pale yellow color.
"I'll be right down Onua. I.lost track of the time." The feeling of power in the air faded to nothing.
Daine was on her feet, pulling on her boots on as she hopped towards the door. "I have to go." She said regretfully. "Onua's going to kill me as it is." She turned to look back over her shoulder and froze when she took in Adian's stony face. "Adian? What is it?"
The woman seemed to shake herself out of her stupor. "It's nothing." She said with a tight smile. "I'm fine. I just don't care much for speaking spells. You had better go. From what I recall of Onua's wrath, it is not to be tempted."
Daine looked at her doubtfully. Here was yet another mystery to be solved. Hardly any of the original ones had explanations!
Adian saw the look and this time, a genuine smile lit her face. "I know that I haven't answered a tenth of your questions, but you need to go. I promise that they will be answered." Color was beginning to flood back into her eyes, washing the sickly yellow color out. Daine was still unconvinced, but turned to go. "Oh, and Daine?" Adian said. "I would appreciate it if you didn't mention that I was back to anyone. I want to surprise the hell out of them all at supper." Mischief had once more crept into her voice. "I'll see you again then, and I promise you that tonight you can accost me with all of the questions that you like."
"Alright, I'll keep quiet. Supper should be an interesting spectacle." And with that, Daine ran lightly out of the room.
* * * * * * * * Author's Note: Groovy! Two updates in one week, what do you think of that? Boo yah! This will probably never happen again, but I had a little extra time on my hand this week and was able to finish another installment. Okay, now before I wasn't asking for reviews, but I'm a little more unsure about this chapter and would greatly appreciate some feedback. Is there anything about my writing that you don't like or find frustrating? I can't promise that I will change everything, but I will certainly listen and take any suggestions into consideration. Thank you!
Suddenly, Numair pulled away and held her by her shoulders at arm's length. "Where have you BEEN?!" he cried. "I thought you were DEAD! You minx! I should kill you myself!" He accented each sentence with a shake. "I will roast you! If you ever do anything like this to me again." and then he pulled her back into a hug.
"I'm so sorry Arram." Adian whispered into his chest. "I'm so sorry. It was... necessary. Everyone had to believe that I was dead." She closed her eyes, as if remembering some past pain. "That doesn't make it any better, I know. All I can say is that it hurt me as much as it hurt you."
Numair finally let her go and took a deep breath. "Well." He said a little weakly. "Hello."
Adian smiled. "Hello."
Numair had been watching her eyes. "Ah.green. So you're happy to see me?"
"You still remember how to read my eyes?"
Numair chuckled. "How could I forget? You're so dangerous to deal with that any advantage a poor man can find is not easily forgotten." He softened. "Besides, you're my sister. How could I forget anything about you?"
"SISTER?!" Daine found that she could no longer keep silent. They both jumped, having momentarily forgotten her presence. "Numair, you never told me you had a sister!"
"We're not blood sibs." Numair explained. "It's like.you go through s many experiences with a person, that you become closer than blood relations ever do. We just.are." He smiled. "I'm sorry Magelet, I can't explain it any better than that."
"The great Numair Samalin at a loss for words? I'm speechless." Adian said dryly. "Let the fact be cried out from the towers, for surely we thought that this day would never come."
"Curb you tongue, Dragon-lady, or I'll find words enough - and probably words that would not be appropriate for Kitten to hear."
"Yes, well, I do seem to have that effect on people. Talk to folks long enough and they start using language that would make a guardsman blush." She said, baring her teeth in a wolfish grin.
"Probably because you use so much of the said 'language' yourself." Numair jibed. "It's catching."
Kitten sat up and chirped something in Dragon. Adian began laughing so hard that she choked, tears beginning to stream down her face. "Hmmm." She said when she had got her breath back. "It seems that your discourse is not so pure either. What this that I hear about you threatening to, ahem, 'duck the Lord Marshall in the royal fishpond'? And I won't even repeat the next part." She said virtuously. "A bit juvenile for you, don't you think?"
Numair actually had the grace to blush. "Ah, I ..er..he had it coming! He should be grateful that I only shouted at him, and, um."
"Made his nose hair begin to grow uncontrollably!" Daine giggled. "And don't pretend that you're the soul of restraint! It took Alanna, the King, and myself to physically stop him from carrying out his fishpond threat. And I don't even want to tell you how long it took to convince him to return the Lord Marshall's nose hair to normal. Hours! It seems that Alanna and the King never learned that particular trick, so Numair had to do it. I've never seen the King trying harder not to laugh!" She told Adian conspiratorially.
"It did not take 'hours' as you say." Numair stated as he turned a deeper crimson. "And you would have been angry too! The nerve of that man! Implying that mages were less useful than warriors.." He glared at Daine. "She didn't need to know all those details! Although where she heard that story." Suddenly he went stiff, his eyes wide with shock. "Wait.you didn't tell her the story, did you?" Daine shook her head. "Kitten told you, didn't she?" He asked Adian. She nodded wickedly, eyes dancing with the glee of being able to shock him. "Mithros, Mynos, and Shakith." And with that he sat down, hard, on the couch.
"It is so fun to shock you, brother dear. I never got to do it nearly as often as I would have liked, and twice in one day! This is a rare occasion." Adian smiled. "Although honestly compels me to admit that I was unaware of this talent until earlier this morning. I mean, it isn't as though I've ever met a real dragon before." She laughed, a deep, pleasant sound that made everyone else want to laugh as well. "Except for Liam Ironarm, of course."
"You've met the legendary Shang Dragon?!" Daine gasped, her eyes wide. "I've heard Alanna speak of him often! Does she know? That you know? Oh, I'm making such a mess of this!"
Adian grinned. "She had better know! We've discussed it often enough. Ah, the stories that I could tell about those two."
"Which you will NOT tell." Numair cut in hastily. "Sorry Daine, but you'll have to hear them without me around. I have heard one too may of your stories, and they all end the same way!"
"But Numair," Adian purred, "the human body is nothing to be ashamed of." She watched her longtime friend turn 10 successive shades of red and then proceeded to laugh wildly. "I had forgotten how much fun it was to DO that!" She said, wiping away another tear.
Suddenly, Onua's voice was heard. "Daine, where are you? You were supposed to be in the stables half an hour ago! The new trainee's ponies won't wait." The signs of a speaking spell (clearly powered by Alanna, if the purple color was any indication) hung in the air.
Daine smacked herself in the head with the palm of her hand, making a loud * thwack * resound throughout the now silent room. Numair and Kitten waited patiently for Daine to make her answer. Adian sat rigidly on her end of the sofa, her relaxed, carefree manner gone. She stared straight ahead; her hands curled into fists at eh sides. Her staring eyes were a pale yellow color.
"I'll be right down Onua. I.lost track of the time." The feeling of power in the air faded to nothing.
Daine was on her feet, pulling on her boots on as she hopped towards the door. "I have to go." She said regretfully. "Onua's going to kill me as it is." She turned to look back over her shoulder and froze when she took in Adian's stony face. "Adian? What is it?"
The woman seemed to shake herself out of her stupor. "It's nothing." She said with a tight smile. "I'm fine. I just don't care much for speaking spells. You had better go. From what I recall of Onua's wrath, it is not to be tempted."
Daine looked at her doubtfully. Here was yet another mystery to be solved. Hardly any of the original ones had explanations!
Adian saw the look and this time, a genuine smile lit her face. "I know that I haven't answered a tenth of your questions, but you need to go. I promise that they will be answered." Color was beginning to flood back into her eyes, washing the sickly yellow color out. Daine was still unconvinced, but turned to go. "Oh, and Daine?" Adian said. "I would appreciate it if you didn't mention that I was back to anyone. I want to surprise the hell out of them all at supper." Mischief had once more crept into her voice. "I'll see you again then, and I promise you that tonight you can accost me with all of the questions that you like."
"Alright, I'll keep quiet. Supper should be an interesting spectacle." And with that, Daine ran lightly out of the room.
* * * * * * * * Author's Note: Groovy! Two updates in one week, what do you think of that? Boo yah! This will probably never happen again, but I had a little extra time on my hand this week and was able to finish another installment. Okay, now before I wasn't asking for reviews, but I'm a little more unsure about this chapter and would greatly appreciate some feedback. Is there anything about my writing that you don't like or find frustrating? I can't promise that I will change everything, but I will certainly listen and take any suggestions into consideration. Thank you!