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A/N: I am so sorry for not updating recently. I ran into a major fit of writer's block. I'm bringing 16 up as well today and hope to have somemore this weekend. Thank-you for being so patient. Anyway, on to the new chapter 15.

CHAPTER 15 Arrival

Numair was pacing the deck. All he could think was, 'I can't believe I'm going back. I can't go back.' He'd been pacing so long that he was starting to scare his friends. They could tell he was a nervous wreck about doing this, about returning to Carthak. It had taken every single one of them to even get him one the ship that would take them to their destination. Once on, he hadn't left his cabin until the shore was spotted. Now, he paced and watched as it slowly came closer and closer.

Alanna was the first to try and speak to him. His pacing was breaking the lady knight's heart. "Numair?" she said, laying a hand on his shoulder. "Numair?"

He had nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt her hand touch his shoulder. He looked at her with weary eyes that looked to old to be her friends. "Yes, Alanna?"

"Are you okay?"

"Yes, of course. Why wouldn't I be?" Alanna only gave him a look that read, don't lie to me. He sighed, "No, I'm not alright. How am I supposed to be? I am returning to the place where the one person I was supposed to protect, my student, was killed. How can I be alright?"

"Oh, Numair," she sighed, "you have to quit blaming yourself. There was nothing you could have done. She wouldn't want you to feel guilty for something that wasn't your fault."

Numair just gave a hollow laugh. "Of course not. I failed her once, though, I will not do it again."

Alanna eyed him suspiciously. "What do you mean?"

"I may not have been able to stop person who killed her, but I will make him pay. That is the only good thing coming out of this trip."

Jonathon, who had over heard what he had said cut in, "You can not do that, Numair."

"Why not? The person derserves whatever I can give them and much more."

"Be that as it may, my friend, you can not be the one to look for or to punish whoever did it. We are her for Ozorne's wedding. We cannot do anything to risk the peace that we have worked so hard for. Searching for murderers that he has made a personal vow to find on our behalf may just do that."

"I have to do something, Jon."

"If you can make it through the wedding without doing anything to cause trouble, then we may be able to receive permission from him to conduct our own search for the remaining week of our stay. Promise me you won't do anything," the king commanded as they were about to dock.

"But Jon…"

"Swear it, Numair, or by the gods I'll have you put in the dungeons when we return home."

"How long?"

"Numair!"

"Fine, I swear," Numair ground out. The king just nodded before heading to the front of their party with his wife to depart the ship.

As the group left the ship they were surprised to see who was in the welcome party. It was none other than the Emperor himself, Ozorne. "Ah, most honored cousins, I am very pleased to welcome you here for such a delightful occasion. Oh, and I see that everyone is here. Good, the more the merrier. I am sad to say my beautiful bride-to-be was unable to come long to greet you. With the wedding so close, she is very busy. However, she will be at the banquet tomorrow if you can stand to wait." Everyone noticed the particularly evil smile that he had on as he spoke. "Well, let's be on our way, shall we. We still have to get down the river before nightfall." They had no choice but to proceed with him, however they were all left wonderin just what did he have planned.

A/N: Thanks to the following for their reviews on chapter 14:

Keeran Amytha

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And to the followin for their reviews on the old chapter15:

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