Alex Rose: Your wish is my command!
Silverlake: That's the way things are going!
Ishlana: Thank you!
Sonnet Lacewing: The plot is becoming intricate. I keep worrying I'm going to trip
myself up! I'm going to revise it at the end and correct errors then.
Imakeladrygirl: Thank you!
Narm's Briton: Hope you feel better, that always happens at weekends.
Daine's Daughter: Be prepared for a long, long wait. I like suspense!
Celuna Cirrus: I got freaked out by Ecatzin Amaro and I wrote the thing!
Dolphin Dreamer: Thank you again!
A/N: You know the drill! It's Tamora's...
This story is rated PG13, so there are hints at adult themes. Read them as you will. Having recently seen a PG13 film, which basically showed adult "themes", I think its rated appropriately.
Chapter 12 – Jonathan
The evening sky had been tinted red by the sun by the time Numair left the cells to seek out Daine. She had not wanted to accompany him that morning, knowing that it would be a long day of discussion and that she would much prefer to be outside, planning to recheck all the sites that had suffered with the tainted water and see if any more of the animals had been affected.
He immediately went to the stables, knowing that if she was going to be anywhere within the palace grounds, she would be there. He found Cloud's stall empty with obvious signs of Daine having been there. Walking out to the field she would generally use to exercise the horses he saw her in the distance, her curls wildly flying behind her as she galloped towards him. His heart sang at the sight of her and he revelled in the knowledge that she knew how he felt about her, and returned his feelings. Any melancholy that he had felt some months ago at having to keep what he felt away from her had been evaporated like water on a hot day.
Daine dismounted Cloud, leaving her near a salt lick, and walked quickly towards him. She grabbed him into a hug, raising her head for a kiss. He returned it, the scent of her hair and the touch of her skin reprising memories from that morning.
She pulled away eventually, looking at him with the large blue-grey eyes he sometimes felt like he could drown in. "I had word that Jonathan and Thayet are almost here. We should expect them in one or two hours," she informed him, her finger playing with the black opal that hung around his neck.
"That's just as well. We really need Jonathan here now," he told her, the events of the previous day creeping into his mind. Her eyes widened, and he told her of what had happened to George in Corus the night before.
"So we know that the problems with that man in Legann and this man who tried to kill George are connected, and they are probably something to do with the water supplies being contaminated?" she asked for confirmation.
Numair nodded. "The mind control that has been used on both men is similar, as it would take a powerful mage to wield that amount of magic. As with the use of cinnabar and our theory of using a vessel to pour it into the water; that again would take an immense amount of power."
"Could you have done that?" She asked, knowing that Numair was considered to be one of the most powerful mages at present.
He shrugged nonchalantly. "Probably, it's not the can of thing I would attempt to do. We aren't sure of a mage in Tortall who would be able to carry out the things, though we have got a name for him, Karrum Makheen. We need more intelligence work to be carried out, which is where you and I may come into play as George has to be out of the question now."
Daine nodded. "So much for hoping for a peaceful time now Ozorne's dead."
"Unfortunately the aftermath of war can be as horrendous as the war itself, just not so blatant," Numair smiled wryly.
Ordering Cloud to stay where she was, Daine accompanied Numair back into the palace, informing him of her afternoon's work. She had taken water samples to check if the spell he, Harailt and Kitten had performed had been successful. It had appeared to be; there were no more sickly animals, and the ones she had fed Duke Baird's posset to had recovered well.
They told the kitchen staff and Duke Gareth of the king's imminent return so sufficient preparations could be made. Jonathan had been expected back the following day, so had obviously made good time on his journey, prompted by the requests for him to rapidly return. Daine then went to fetch Kitten, who had spent the afternoon in the kitchens, having developed the spell she used to tidy Daine's mussed clothes enough to be able to tidy the work surfaces, proving her invaluable, especially after a hectic day of preparing different dishes. She found Numair again in his rooms, ploughing through his books, hunting for any clues to gauge the mage's power. She sat down on the rug that adorned his study, teasing and playing with Kitten while listening to him repeat facts, memorising them and piecing information together like a huge, complicated jigsaw. Numair looked up occasionally, smiling at her and Kitten, them becoming immersed once more in the old tomes.
Jonathan arrived back at the palace two hours after sunset, tired, weary but desperate to begin attempting to sort the latest threat to Tortall. He immediately demanded a conference consisting of his usual advisers, also asking for the Wildmage to be present. He wished Alanna would also be able to attend, but she was not expected to arrive back in the capital for another two days, having only recently left the Scanran boarder in the north.
They met in the large meeting room, it having been set up with a supper to cease any hunger. Jonathan found that his appetite had dwindled; such was the apprehension that was welling in his stomach. He noticed that George's face was pale and wan, lacking it's usually colour. He had briefly been informed by Myles of the incident in Corus the previous night, and the attack on George's life and his wish for Alanna to be present vanished. Seeing her husband look as he did would have provoked a hot headed reaction in her that certainly would not have helped matters. He knew that they were going to have to tread slowly and intelligently as this man appeared to be both cunning and powerful.
Daine and Numair sat together, Kitten perched on a high stool to Daine's right, her intelligent reptilian eyes peering at people around the room. The meeting began in the usual way; reports and recounts were given, bringing some people up to date with the events that had occurred. Jonathan allowed people chance to fill plates up with the food that had been set out, forcing himself to eat. He knew that giving them time to think and mull over what had happened and the predicament they were in would hopefully encourage ideas and theories on how to progress.
He brought them to a silence, knowing that there was a need to decide things rapidly, as they had no idea what to expect from Karrum Makheen and what or when his next attack would be.
George spoke first. "We need to get more information about Karrum Makheen and his theories and any rumoured future plans. We know he detests how Tortall is run, and believes that we will face the wrath of the gods because of our liberal ways. I suspect that these views and the diatribes he makes about them has caused a good number of people to begin to follow him."
"We can assume that he is charismatic and intelligent, as well as a powerful mage," Jonathan continue after George had fallen silent. "I wonder if those really are his views, or if they are just a way of bringing people to support him. It is not difficult after a war like the one that we have just had, to play on people's low morale and taint them."
"But, effectively we have won the war. People have celebrated," Duke Gareth interjected.
"Corus is made up of a melting pot of different people. Some of those are from enemy states, such as Scanra and the Copper Isles. They will not be so happy because of where their true affiliation lies. Tortallian's who have been badly hit by the war, either by disease or famine will be easy targets for him, if they believe they were not helped enough by those in charge. Also, we have those people who were disaffected previously; there have always been those who have disagreed with the way I have ran things with my attitude being so different to that of my father's. Having a female King's Champion did not help with some people as well," Jonathan smiled at George with the reference to Alanna. "And there are those who will feel that there is power to be won. That they will gain if there is an uprising against the crown. I suspect that Karrum Makheen is desirous of his own power and this disruption is a way of trying to but himself some."
Numair nodded. "I agree with you whole heartedly, my lord. But while we cannot be sure of his intentions or his motivation behind them until he had made we can attempt to cease any more attempts to injure or worse. We need to find him."
"I recognise that. Are there any theories as to what we can do immediately? George is known to them, so he needs to lie low for a while," Jonathan responded.
"Can Daine be used as a spy? She can take the shape of a small animal and find her way into any place that we suspect Karrum Makheen, or his associates, to be in," Duke Gareth suggested.
Daine nodded. "That would be easy enough. But we will need to narrow down the places that he goes to first."
"I have spies out in Corus at present trying to find out that knowledge. I wonder if he is using a pseudonym. I have never heard of a Karrum Makheen before. I doubt that he has waited till now for the first time to start trouble," George theorised.
"Possibly. He appears to have a great deal of knowledge about magic, knowledge that not just any mage would have, and owns a great deal of power. I am surprised that neither Harailt nor I have heard of him before. A pseudonym would answer that," Numair added.
Jonathan could feel the tension in the room increasing as people began to offer theories and suggestion, everyone intent on stopping this new enemy.
"Maybe it would be an idea for you and Harailt to make a list of people who could possibly be Karrum Makheen. Then at least any spies would be able to check any names that they hear," Daine offered quietly to Numair. He regarded her proudly.
"That would be useful," George said from across the table, his ears picking up on her comment. "Surely you and Harailt would have some notion of who this could be. It doesn't need to be someone from Tortall. I'm would imagine it's a mage who was maybe schooled in Carthak, and has changed his name as you did, Numair, to avoid recognition."
Numair seemed to think deep into thought at George's words. That possibility he had not considered before and it deep open a lot of options. Jonathan watched Numair, knowing how much he relied upon his friend in times like these.
"We need to keep an account of any unusual goings on in places like the gaol and in the towns on the outskirts of the capital. That will be where I expect we will pick up on any strange gossip or new faces. If what the king has said is correct, which I'm inclined to think that it is, then Karrum Makheen has been in the area for maybe a few months, in order to set this up. He may have family here, or old friends who he stayed with originally. Of course, the main incidents will take place in the centre of Corus, so it would be wise for maybe Daine and some other employees of George to spend some time around there," Gary spoke up for the first time, having given due consideration to what he had heard.
"There are certainly possibilities, George, thinking about what you said about the name Karrum Makheen being a pseudonym. I can attempt to make some enquiries as to the whereabouts of certain people I know to have the nature and the inclination to do something like this," Numair woke up from his deep thoughts.
"We could also do with working on breaking the gagging spell that's affecting Thomer Varsgen," Harailt told them. "Having done some research it would be possible to do it, it would, however, take a great amount of strength."
"I looked at that also. From what we've seen of Varsgen, he's completely controlled by the focus. If we can break that hold, then I imagine he would give us as much information as we needed to begin to track down Makheen," Numair agreed.
"How much of your gift would be needed to do that?" Jonathan asked.
"It would take a lot," Harailt interrupted before Numair could minimise the truth, knowing that Jonathan would not allow him to put himself in danger.
"Then I am forbidding you to do it until you can find a way without draining yourself," Jonathan ordered.
Numair's jaw clenched firmly. Jonathan knew he would not be impressed with the order, being the type of person who would always push himself to the limit, whatever the consequences. "Is that clear, Numair?" he asked, trying to keep his tone steady.
"I wouldn't necessarily drain myself doing it," Numair replied, looking Jonathan in the eye.
"When you know for sure that you can do it with minimum disruption to your gift then I will give you permission to go ahead. I need you to be on full alert. If we are dealing with someone of great power then you are our greatest asset. I cannot let you put yourself at risk," Jonathan explained.
"I understand, your highness," Numair's jaw slackened as he grasped the truth of the king's words. "I do think, however, that it would be a good idea for Harailt and myself to take a walk through some of the areas of Corus and see if we can sense anyone with a strong gift."
Jonathan nodded. "I agree. However, I recommend that you maybe take that outing with Daine. People would then be too occupied with gossip to pay any attention to the fact that two of Tortall's greatest mages were patrolling. Harailt can go into the town at another time," Jonathan smothered a smile, his first of the evening, as he watched Daine's face redden slightly at the reference to their relationship.
The meeting began to draw to a close, now that the beginning of a strategy had been drawn up. Patrols around the city were to be increased and certain prisoner and known criminals discreetly questioned. In the morning Numair and Daine were to take a tour of Corus under the guise of a shopping trip to see if any more information could be learnt of if Numair could pick up on anyone whose gift was strong enough to have performed the spells that they knew of so far. The quiet and serene palace that Daine had enjoyed the previous day was now filled with a hubbub of activity and noise that she had not experienced before, even after the barrier had evaporated at Midwinter. Everyone appeared to have a purpose and a task to perform.
It was approaching midnight, and although informal discussions were taking place Numair knew that they needed to sleep before their visit in the morning. He led Daine to his rooms, desirous of some time alone with her. Kitten was already asleep in Daine's arms, snoring softly. She had clearly worked hard in the kitchens in the afternoon and the cook had rewarded her with more food than she was accustomed to, her belly now bloated making strange noises as she digested.
Daine had returned to his rooms without question, not even considering the people they saw as they walked into Numair's quarters. Numair watched as she placed Kitten down in a large basket padded with cushions that she had moved there from her own room. She followed him into the bedchamber, her hand searching to hold his. With the light of one candle glowing causing small flickering shadows to dance over the walls, Numair began to kiss her. All thoughts of Karrum Makheen erased themselves from his mind as Daine began to make the kiss go deeper, her hands exploring his body and capturing all of his senses. She led him over to the bed, straddling him. Her fingers skilfully undoing the buttons of his shirt, untying the band from his hair and letting his black mane fall about his face. He groaned as her lips moved down his neck, starting to let his own hands explore underneath her shirt, smiling at her reaction as she pushed her hips harder against him, encouraging his hands to touch her in places newly discovered.
The heat of the night and the echoes of action and debate from the palace pushed them further in to their need for each other; just them, no interruptions or cares, with their hunger for this new passion. Numair knew that any chance of getting to sleep at an early hour had gone. He smiled as Daine roughly removed his shirt, the yearning in her eyes driving him to distraction as she showed him what a quick learner she was.
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