Silverlake: I really like Thayet and I find her amusing to write, so think you.
Daine's Daughter: I didn't want to write 20 chapters of pure fluff, it had to have a plot somewhere! That's the bit I'm most enjoying writing.
Dolphindreamer: This will be the update for Friday and Saturday as I'm away for the wekend with no net access, so enjoy!
Sonnet Lacewing: Thank you, as usual for everything! I will correct the typos when I've finished the whole thing.
Imakeladrygirl: Thank you.
A/N: All that you recognise is Tamora Pierce's intellectual property.
I'm away for the weekend - going to the lake district with my version of Numair - so I won't be updating on Saturday. Apologies an' all, but you'll just have to wait. I'd also like more reviews, please...
Chapter 6 – Becoming
The badger found Daine in her dreams, interrupting a series of images of her parents back in the realms of the gods. He watched her for a while, noting the changes that had taken place over the past four years since she had found a home and a reason for being and now love. She became aware of his presence, stirring slightly in her sleep.
"Daine," he said to her in her dream. "I need you to listen."
She became aware of his voice. "Am I dreaming?" She asked.
"No, I'm real. I'm using your dreams to talk to you," the badger told her. "You need to be on your guard, Daine. The trouble isn't over yet."
"But Uusoae has been punished, I heard the Gods…"
"This is trouble in your own realm. We have been watching and we thought it best to let you know. I'm not meant to interfere in human matters…"
"You need to tell me more if I'm to be prepared," she sassed, waking up slightly.
The badger shook his head. "This trouble with the prisoners," he sighed, "Be careful with it. It's as they suspect. We saw fire, a big fire with noise. That's all I can say."
Daine nodded. "My ma and da, how are they?"
"They're well. They think you have done the right thing in coming back here, to be with Numair," the badger sneezed.
"There were other reasons too," Daine said, edgily. The badger sneezed again.
"Remember what I've told you," he nuzzled her gently. "You've always been a good kit." With that he disappeared in a flash of silver light.
He left Daine in a restless sleep, her mind trying to deal with and store the information he had given her. She slipped back into her dreams, but instead of seeing her parents she saw Ozorne and Inar Hadensra, the ruby globe back in his eye socket. They had both been sprayed with blood, and in Ozorne's hand was the head of Numair Salmalin.
"What's the matter, Veralidaine?" she heard Ozorne whisper into her ear. "Did his simulacrum not work?"
The scene changed and she saw Corus, as if she was flying down to it. It came nearer and nearer, the closer she came the more impaired her vision was. Everywhere was filled with smoke. She could see a large ball of flaming fire, and heard a bang that almost perforated her eardrums. She heard Alanna screaming George's name and then everything went silent and the scene changed once more.
This time she found herself by the sea. She sat on the sand, gazing at the waves ebbing and flowing outwards. She felt deaf, or at least as if she was back in the realms of the gods. Everywhere was still and silent. She was completely alone. A woman came to sit next to her with flowing brown curly hair. She was much older than Daine, her face lined slightly and strands of grey wreathed through her hair, but Daine recognised her, although she couldn't place her.
"It's very quiet out here," the woman said after a moment or two of being sat there, her bare feet digging into the sand.
"I'm not sure I like it," Daine responded, not looking at the woman, still gazing out to sea.
"No, you never liked the silence," the woman replied.
"How do you know what I like?" Daine asked, turning to face her.
The woman did not meet her gaze. "I know everything. So far, anyway. But I can see no further than this."
"Who are you?" Daine said.
"That does not matter. The question is who are you?" The woman turned to her, not looking at Daine but looking through her.
"I am Veralidaine Sarrasri," Daine responded. "I know who I am."
"You think you do, but you will start to question it. Every woman does when her identity changes, and it will do, Veralidaine. But who will you become?" The woman's voice was distant, as if she was speaking to herself rather than the person sat next to her.
"I want to know who you are," Daine told her.
"You know the answer to that question if you think hard enough. But names should not matter, they can change. How will you change?"
"You are fair contrary. You cannot give me a straight answer," Daine looked back out to the sea, taking in the cliffs that surrounded them and the vast expanse of empty sand. She felt relaxed, as if she had been taken out of a stressful situation and placed here. She began to wonder where everyone else was.
"You don't need me to answer the questions, you have all the answers yourself," the woman replied.
"Then how come I don't know where Numair and my friends are?" Daine looked to the woman again. She was staring at the huge cliff to the right of them.
"I don't know. I don't know where they'll be. Have you lost them? That was careless of you," the woman started to draw pictures in the sand. Daine looked at the sea, the waves were starting to come in. They had been there a long time.
"I would never lose my friends or Numair," she looked at where the woman had been. A small girl sat there, two or three years old. The waves were starting to come in fast. Daine picked her up in her arms and she started to cry. She murmured sweet nothings to her to soothe her and ran to the rocks, away from the sea. The child in her arms turned into a puppy, then a baby sea lion. Daine laughed. The child turned back into a little girl.
"Who will you become, Daine?" The woman's voice appeared again from the child, startling her. Then the scene changed and Daine found herself back with her parents, where she had been before the badger's arrival.
"Ma!" She called. "I've been to the strangest places!"
"Stranger than here?" Her mother replied.
"There was an old woman and she turned into a bairn…" Daine begun.
"I'd noticed the new charm around your neck!" Sarra smiled as her daughter blushed.
"It's just in case," Daine protested.
"There will be no in case," Sarra responded. "It will happen. But who will you be afterwards?"
"Ma, you sound like the old woman," Daine complained, touching the charm.
"Who will you be, Daine?" Sarra repeated, over and over, until Daine felt the sunlight pour in from the window and heard the noise of the chorus of birds from Port Legann wake her into the new day.
Daine heard Numair moving about in room next door. Perturbed and puzzled by her dreams she got out of bed and went to his room, tapping on the door. Numair opened, looking at her with some concern.
"You look as if something's bothering you," he kissed her gently and sat down with her on his unmade bed.
"The badger came. He told me that the prisoners would be a problem and there would be fire and a big noise. Then I had other dreams, strange ones," her voice was tense and sad. Numair realised that she had been quite disturbed by the dreams. He didn't press her to explain them further; he knew that they might have been quite private. He held her in his arms and nuzzled her hair. "You should let Jon know the badger's predictions. We know that trouble is being caused; this makes it sound that it will be quite serious."
"I saw a fire in Corus," Daine said, recalling the memory. "I heard Alanna shouting George's name. There was a big noise, too. It felt like it was linked to what the badger said." She didn't tell him about the other dreams. The image of Ozorne and Inar Hadensra she thought was just her mind playing out it fears and the final two scenes made her head hurt just by thinking about them.
"They were dreams, Daine. You need to forget about them now, or at least out them to the back of your mind." He comforted, although he had found the part about Corus and George worrying. "You've never had prophetic dreams before – I know you saw visions when we were in the realms of the gods, but not prophesies. Don't worry," he soothed.
"Let me stay with you tonight," she told him. Her large brown eyes looking up into his.
"Okay, if it will make you feel better," he gave in. It didn't feel right her not being there.
Jonathan had sent a messenger to both Daine and Numair as soon as he deemed it late enough to disturb people from their slumbers. The messenger got lucky and found them together in the stables, Numair watching Daine as she groomed Cloud. He delivered the message the king had given him, asking them to go to the Imrah's study immediately. Numair raised his eyebrows at Daine. "Sounds ominous," he said, standing up from his seated position on the floor.
Jon, George and Harailt met them in the study. Daine felt slightly nervous as she sat down with the men, hoping that the language they used would not go above her head. Numair held her hand under the table, as if to reassure her.
"George had a visit last night from one of his employees who had took it upon herself to deliver a message in person," Jonathan began. "There have been rumours of rather subtle attacks being planned on Corus, germs being placed in the water supply for example. George's contact has said that the rumours point to a mage, or someone following out a mage's instructions. I'm returning the four of you to Corus to look into this matter. The mages here can continue with the prisoners. Daine, it appears you have a new job as a spy. We need to find out exactly what is being planned and if the water has been tainted, how we can fix it with the least possible disruption of the civilians. I don't want a panic." Jonathan's face was deadly serious, as Daine had never seen it before. This was a different type of war, one far more sly and deceitful than Daine had known before. She looked at the faces of the men in the room; each one was etched with a level of seriousness she had never really seen before.
"I am suggesting that you head back in two group; George and Harailt are to leave this afternoon, Daine and Numair tomorrow at first light. If all four of you appear at the same time it may cause suspicion and talk. Thayet and I will return in two days hence," Jonathan looked at them, waiting for their response.
"Do we have more information than that?" Numair asked.
George shook his head. "How she found this out is irrelevant, it wouldn't help. It's what's been heard through the grapevine. She pieced enough together to work out the information that has been given to you now. I think the water supplies of varying places have already been tampered with, and I'm hoping that you may be able to put that right as it looks to be magic that's done it and identify the source from where it came."
"I hope we can," Numair said quietly.
"I'll help in whatever way I can," Daine added, using the same quiet tone. "It would be easy enough for me to sneak in to places to find out information."
Harailt nodded. "I'll do whatever I can also. It's relatively easy for me to find out certain pieces of information. I have contacts that will be useful."
"Thank you," Jonathan said, a note of relief in his voice. "I will be back in Corus in roughly six days. Please keep me informed until then." He stood up to leave; the others stood to show their respect for their king. He smiled around at them. "I see you soon," and he left the room.
Numair sank down into the chair, looking at George and Harailt and taking Daine's hand under the table once more. "We have to stop this soon. It could do more damage than another war."
"It is another war, just a different sort," Daine plucked up the courage to speak.
"What do we think the reasoning behind it is?" Harailt asked.
"I think its related to Ecatzin Amaro and the control of him. Similar things have been reported to have been said; criticism of the morals held by the king and queen, treatment of prisoners, disrespect for the Gods. We are talking about a very small minority, extremely small, but it is who is contained in that minority that makes it dangerous. We probably have a ring leader, someone of some power who is maybe using mind control or targeting easy prey to get people to act for him," Daine had never seen George in this role before. It was now clear that the king had employed the ex-king of the rogues for a particular reason. He was intelligent, skilled and, as Daine had seen before, excellent at reading people and situations. She had always liked him, and now she found her respect for him increasing threefold.
Their discussion continued for a while longer, pulling apart and developing theories and strategies to use once in Corus. Names people Daine had never heard of were mentioned, as were ones she knew and was surprised to hear of them associated with this topic. It was lunchtime when they finally left the study. Harailt and George were to pack and leave immediately and head towards Corus. Riding quickly it would be a good two and half days ride back to the capital. Speed was of the essence now.
Numair and Daine decided to pack up what they could and then spend the rest of the day mulling over their thoughts and resting, conserving as much energy as they could before setting off in the morning. She sat on Numair's bed, teasing Kitten with a feather as Numair packed.
"This is feeling familiar," she said to the mage as he put his clothes into a bag.
He looked at her and smiled. "At least we will have some time on our own. And I think what we're facing next will be different to what we have done previously."
"And we are going back home," she smiled at him. "You'll be able to start referencing in your books. I could see you just itching to get to them when Jon was mentioning spelled water."
Numair laughed. "I have missed the library and my own collection." He sat down next to her on the bed and pulled her hair gently. "Are you going to tickle me like that, one day?" he asked, half jealous of the attention Kitten was getting from Daine.
"Are you ticklish?" she asked back, picking Kitten up and placing her on Numair's knee.
"Very, in some places," he confessed. Wondering how to control his imagination, which now had Daine touching him in places that were usually hidden by clothing. "The response to tickling is actually a state of panic, like what one would get if a spider or another insect crawled on us. Tickling had been used as a form of torture as well, although it's usually used as a form of pleasure. It releases chemicals in the brain, such as endorphin and enkephalin…"
Daine lifted her head up to his and kissed him. It silenced him straight away. When she pulled away from him she looked into his eyes and realised that she had the same effect on him as he did on her.
"I never knew you were ticklish," she told him.
"Maybe there's lots of things you don't know, Veralidaine Sarrasri," he put Kitten onto the bed besides then and pulled her down onto him.
The use of her full name had reminded Daine of her dream. The woman had said that she already knew the answers. Not to everything, though. She remembered the question that had been echoed; Who will you be?
I'm me, Daine thought, as she became immersed in Numair's kiss. But that me is changing.
Daine had retreated to Numair's room with him that night. Her belongings were there now anyway after she had packed in preparation for leaving at dawn. In silence they had changed into their bedclothes, Daine ducking into the adjoining room to give them both some privacy while they changed. She sensed that Numair was a little nervous at her being in his bed. She touched the charm that Thayet had given to her, although she doubted that it would be used just yet, she was glad of the freedom it gave her. Kitten had slept in the small room just off the bedchamber. Daine got in next to Numair; unsure of how close she should go to the lanky mage. The candlelight highlighted the structure of his face, his long nose and defined cheekbones and full lips. She found that she had moved close to him; she heard him draw a sharp intake of breath and then felt him pull her towards him. He kissed her, so sweetly she was glad she was already lying down. He ended the kiss tenderly.
"I really don't want to make love to you yet," he whispered, "It's too soon. Once you've done that you can never go back to just kisses and holding hands and we've not had enough time to do that yet."
"I know," she whispered back. "I know that it will change things."
"There are other things, though, that we don't need that charm for," his voice sent shivers down her spine.
"So show me."
---------------------Please review - It would really make me want to put that chapter up if I had lots of reviews to read when I get back!