Disclaimer: This is based on the work of Tamora Pierce. If you recognize it, she owns it.
A/N: Dang! I forgot how hard this was to put anything new in some sections. This is where we do get a brief glimpse in Numair's head too, which made it much harder. Hopefully, you'll like what I did.
Numair's Lover: I'm glad you're already hooked. Some of it will seem redundant, but what can I do? The good stuff is coming.
Ann: Thanks. When I'm done posting, I'm sure there will be more. The great thing about writing a good fanfic is that spawns others. And I might do more stuff. It just won't be as fast.
Sarramaks: Thank you for the kind compliment. I have the advantage of working from an already very deep character. Plus, I figure if I had to love someone in silence for six months I'd be going out of my mind. That's a long time to keep a secret of that magnitude.
1reallyblue1: Of course you know more is on the way. I'm obsessive.
Kit49: Thank you so much. You know there's such heavy expectations for this story that I'm actually nervous I'll somehow let everyone down. I've already written the epilogue in my head and some other things. In the meantime, poor Numair gets to have yo-yo emotions (up and down and up and down).
Blackandwhiteroses: Thanks. I felt like something massive had ended when I closed Maelstrom, so I couldn't handle not moving forward immediately.
Goldeneyedwildmage: I laughed at all of that. You should read LR, it is actually the best one. And though I could see that Liam wasn't the man for Alanna, he was an intriguing character. What she had to do to get the dominion jewel was impressive. And also that book introduces Thayet and Buri in a great way. It is also the first time Buri and Raoul meet.
Bitterosemary: Thanks. That really was one of the better lines too. Jon is a great character because he can be so indignant and rant and rave for a very long time and then turn around and be endearing again. I laughed when I read that you thought of them as hippogriffs. I never write HP fanfic though I have probably read each of the books more times than anyone I know. I have audio versions to listen to in my car even.
Purple Eyed Cat: This one will be even more challenging that Two Weeks In Carthak because they are together a lot more. I can already see a struggle to give fresh ideas. But a few will come up soon.
Ethalas Tuath'an: Thanks. His hope is going to be very up and down for a while. His internal struggle is about to get very difficult. I always try to write the stories like the real books have to, reiterating enough of prequels that they aren't absolutely necessary. Since this is practice for real writing, I figure I should.
Hoshi-ko88: Fluffy stuff is coming up, but it will be a while yet.
Narms Briton 44: Most of my Numair torture in this story is mental – at least until we get to the fight with Hadensra.
Chapter 2 - Dispatched
Daine and Numair returned to the guard tower where Tkaa was watching over Kit. The little dragon was extremely pale and was sleeping fitfully beneath a small blanket on a cot. Her immature wings were folded against her back and she was huddled in a ball.
The basilisk, a 7 foot tall immortal that resembled a delicate lizard on its hind feet, stood staring out the window. The time they had spent with him, had given Numair the opportunity to really get to know Tkaa. He was a brilliant and observant creature who had spent many years in the divine realm talking with immortals and then crept into the mortal realm when a mage had opened the barrier to bring in other creatures. He was capable of speaking mind to mind with all sorts of creatures, both immortal and mortal. He was the only individual other than Daine who could hear the mindspeak of animals and he was both a philosopher and a scientist. Numair had become very fond of Tkaa and had learned a great deal from him.
Daine was looking at Kitten worriedly. "I don't like her color. She's never been that shade before. Pale blue, yes, but – going white along with the blue? It's as if she's turning into a ghost." Daine's gaze traveled from Kit to Numair and he could see that she needed reassurance.
"She is weary," Tkaa responded, turning back to face them. "For a dragon as young as Skysong, the effort of will required to send a Wyvern about his business is tiring. She will be fine when she awakes," he promised.
Numair trusted Tkaa's judgment, but he was worried about what might happen if she tried to stop them again. "What if the Wyverns return before then? The king was – unpleased – when I attempted to fight them the last time."
Daine shot him an amused smile and then reiterated what Jon had already hammered in. "You were ordered to keep your power in reserve. Archers can do for wyverns as well as you," she said with a wink and he knew full well she was suggesting that she would protect Kit, "and there might come something archers can't fight. Then he'll need you."
"The wyverns should not return for at least a day," Tkaa responded. "They too used up their strength to defy a dragon's command for as long as they did."
"I can't believe they ran," Daine said. "She's not even three years old." Daine picked up a brush and began to drag it through her smokey curls. She usually wore her very thick hair pinned out of her face, but she and kitten had risen at sunrise to fight the Wyverns, leaving no time for hair taming. Numair tried not to stare at the brush though he was somewhat hypnotized by the motion. He preferred her hair down but never dared to say so. It fell to naturally frame her features and highlight what he considered an exquisite face. He was too tired to look away as quickly as he should have and she caught him staring but she just smiled. Numair had been up through the night. It had been nearly 36 hours since he'd slept now and the exhaustion was beginning to wear on him. But he couldn't bear the thought of leaving.
He watched Daine from where he stood by Kitten for a moment longer and then turned his gaze to the dragon. She looked so small and fragile. He stroked her gently once and thought about this war. They had known it was going to be difficult since spies began to report an alliance of the Copper Islanders, Carthaki rebels, Scanran raiders, and untold immortals. They had struck Tortall and their allies with a strategic brilliance, showing much more organization than Tortall had ever dreamed. The various enemy forces had struck the northern border, western coast, and a hundred points within the realm simultaneously. Jon had rallied every fighter at his disposal, sending Alanna of Pirate's Swoop with several battalions to the north and Raoul of Goldenlake and several troupes to the south and spreading riders and the king's own throughout the middle.
Numair, Daine, Tkaa and Kitten had become a team of magical troubleshooters. Daine possessed wild magic, which enabled her to ask animals and birds to fight the invaders. She was also a magnificent archer and a highly effective spy, given her ability to shape shift into any animal. Kitten, who was previously thought of as merely Daine's ward, had shown her own amazing abilities with growing dragon power. Tkaa could turn anyone who crossed him into stone and could provide unbelievably in-depth information on immortals they had never before encountered. Numair rounded off the team with his own powerful gift and ability to comprehend schemes that seemed nearly impossible. The group had managed to stave off disaster after disaster for nearly twelve weeks.
The four had ridden all night to get to the king a mere two days before. Numair had slept for four hours and jumped into action. Sooner or later, he was going to have to rest properly.
He thought about the things that Jon had told them at dinner the night they arrived. "Our true allies are pressed to the wall. Maren, Galla, Tyra – immortals hit them at the same time they hit us. Emperor Kaddar does his best to guard our southern coast, but he's got a rebellion on his hands. The emperor of the Yamani Islands has promised to send a fleet, but even when it comes, it will be needed to relieve the siege on Port Caynn and on Corus." If something didn't change, Numair did not see a way for them to prevail.
Kitten stirred in her sleep, interrupting his thoughts. "Shh," he murmured, stroking her again. The dragon twisted so that her belly was half exposed and quieted again. Numair looked up and saw Daine staring at him with a half smile on her lips. Their eyes locked for the first time in weeks and his stomach did its familiar flip. The sensation was almost immediately followed by a twinge from the hollow pain that had settled in his chest the morning she had fled him.
He barely heard the boy that stuck his head in the open door until his name was spoken. "'Scuze me, m'lord Numair, Lady, um—um—sir" (this was a common confusion when people tried address Tkaa) "His majesty needs you now, up on the coast wall, the northwest drum tower. If you'll follow me?"
Numair looked again to Daine, both of them clearly wondering what disaster had arisen now. "Kitten---" Daine began.
"I will remain with Skysong, "Tkaa assured her.
Daine stood on tiptoe to pat the immortal's cheek. "You're fair wonderful, Tkaa." Numair wondered if it was a sign his sanity had left him when he was mildly jealous of the basilisk. Daine and Numair followed the boy at a brisk walk.
A commoner knelt at the king's feet. He was clearly exhausted, his skin tinged with gray and his clothes torn and sweat-soaked. He was gulping from a tankard as if he had not tasted water in days. Beside him was a tray with a pitcher and a plate of sliced bread, meat, and cheese. Jon leaned against the tower wall, reading a sheet of parchment. Jon's face told Numair that whatever was going on, it was terrifying and dire.
"This is Ulmer of Greenhall, a village southeast of here," Jon explained. "He has ridden hard to reach us, and his news is – unsettling."
"Unsettling? I don't like the sound of that," Numair remarked.
"The village headman writes that five things came out of the Coastal Hills near Greenhall the day before yesterday. They kill what they touch—"
"Skin 'em with magic," Ulmer interrupted. "Can't shoot 'em." He refilled the tankard with trembling hands. "I mean y'can, but it does them no hurt. Swords, axes –" He shook his head and then having just realized he'd interrupted the king, he ducked submissively. "Beggin' your pardon, sire."
"It's all right, Ulmer," Jonathan assured. He turned to face Daine and Numair with a look in his eyes that showed he was clearly mystified. "Sir Hallec of Fief Nenan went to fight them at sunset yesterday. They killed him." He grimly rolled up the parchment. "Fortunately, the Skinners don't move after dark, and are slow to start in the morning – they seem to need to warm up. The people of Greenhall have fled, but… there are rich fields in this part of the realm, as you know. We will need those crops this winter." He looked them each in the eye apologetically. "I'm sorry. I know you're exhausted, but –"
Numair smiled and finished it for him. "You need your other mages to deal with the enemy fleet and the siege. This is why you've kept me in reserve, Your Majesty." He now wished he could apologize again for using magic on the wyverns. It really had shown poor judgment on his part.
"The wyverns –" the boy who had brought them said. He blushed when the others looked at him. Numair understood his concerns. The wyverns had some unique powers. They breathed a yellow fog that gave humans a dry, lasting cough and made the eyes burn and blur. A crew of one of the great catapults, half blind and unable to breathe, had dumped a boulder among their own soldiers. The boy had a look of grief about him that made Numair wonder if a friend or family member had been among those soldiers. As much as he hated to admit it, their best defense against wyverns was Kitten.
Numair looked to Daine, sharing a silent conversation. "Kit stays," she said firmly. "Tkaa knows more about helping her than I do anyway."
"She won't protest?" Jon asked.
Daine shook her curly head. "She doesn't like us being apart for long, but she's gotten used to it since the war started. Sometimes we're more useful when we're apart." Numair smiled to himself. In fact, Kit had sometimes been very vocal about her displeasure of separation – not that she could talk. The various clicks, purrs, whistles and hums that she made usually got her point across and sometimes caused chaos around them. If she was upset, things could fly or even melt around until she was returned to Daine's side. It was a trick Numair wished he could get away with.
"I'll guide you to – home," Ulmer said, hoarsely. He tried to get up and failed. The poor man looked so completely exhausted that Numair felt guilty for wishing for sleep.
"There's no need," he said gently. "If you do not object, I'll take the knowledge of the route to your village from your mind. You're in no condition to ride." The man looked at him fearfully, but Jon nodded reassuringly.
"I'll pack for us both and give the word to Tkaa," Daine said. "Meet you at the stables soonest."
Numair saw Jon reach for her sleeve. "Be careful," the king said. "These creatures sound like nothing that anyone has encountered before." He handed her the parchment letter with a worried look.
"Numair will set them to rights, Majesty. Just make sure you're still here when we come back." Numair felt a surge of pride in her confidence in him. He felt that hope swell again. Someday he might earn the right to love her.
"I think we can manage that much," Jon replied. "Unless they get reinforcements, we can hold them all summer if we must." Numair saw both Daine and Jon tap their heads with closed fists. It was their version of knocking on wood, having been born from some private joke about hard-headedness that Numair had somehow missed out on. "Look at the bright side," Jon continued. "It's Midsummer's Day – maybe the Gods will throw some luck at us!"
"Midsummer – do you know I'd fair forgotten," Daine responded wryly. "Maybe I'll look in a pond along the way and find out who my true love will be." Jon laughed. Numair felt crushed.
The ritual itself didn't seem like it could possibly work. A girl would stare into a pond on this one day of the year and, if she was single and of age, supposedly see the image of her true love superimposed over her own reflection. By all he knew of magic and science, it didn't seem reasonable and yet women swore by it. It was possible that the Goddess, who ruled over the heart and women and children in general, visited them on this one day each year and made it happen. Of course priests had neither seen nor heard of anyone seeing the great gods in months. Some more conservative imbeciles had said it was a sign that Jonathan had let Thayet have too much freedom. Numair wondered if perhaps they didn't like human wars.
He wondered who Daine would see if she looked in a pond. It didn't seem possible that it could be him. Certainly the months of telling himself all the reasons they could not be together supported that. But that tiny part of him that was resurrected hope said It could be you. You love her truly and would never hurt her. Why not? He shook the thought away and focused on the task at hand.
"I will not take anything but what you offer. Simply imagine the route home as if you're riding it now," Numair instructed. He placed his hands on Ulmer's temples and black fire sparkled lightly as he took the knowledge.
When he pulled his hands away, the exhausted man looked at him in shock and said, "That's it? I thought it would hurt."
Jon patted Ulmer on the shoulder and shot a meaningful glance at Numair. "Now you know your home is in the best of hands."
Numair pulled a blue opal from his mage pack and took Jon aside. "I think this might help Kit if the wyverns come back. It should amplify her. Tkaa can probably tell her how. I won't get to say goodbye to her so.." He put the opal in Jon's hand.
The two men stared at one another in silence for a moment. "Be careful," Jon said finally, and like he had done so many times now he added, "And don't die."
"Don't worry. I won't let you down if I have anything to say about it." The two men shook hands and Numair headed to get food provisions. He knew Daine would probably already be packed and saddling Spots. She was efficient and he'd have to hurry to keep up.
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