(It's daytime by now….just to let you know)
Daine snarled. She could tell by smell that she was getting close to the Emperor. >He stinks!> she complained to the other hyenas that she was hunting down the man with.
>It's such a good trail to follow though,> retorted Teeu, the hyena who was leading the pack, >stop whining, we're getting close, then you can have your prize!> They all gave an eerie yip, which sent advancing soldiers running quickly away in the other direction.
Tonight Ozorne, you are mine! Daine thought.
The pack kept running until the smell of the Emperor became almost unbearable. It was here that the hyenas stopped to rest the pads on their feet and lap some water to ease the pain they felt in their head from the odor. Daine couldn't drink. There was too much adrenaline coursing through her veins for her to think about anything besides killing Ozorne. She decided to look around to get oriented and spotted a hill a few hundred feet away that they hadn't noticed right away as the pond they stopped at was nestled in shrubs and trees. There Daine saw a man on top with green fire glittering around his outstretched palms, Ozorne, she thought wildly, and started off at a run. The hyenas saw this and quickly caught up with her and they went to claim their prize.
It was Ozorne, but he did not look like the neat, kept emperor she had seen over the last few days. His braids had fallen out, he was covered in bloody scratches, the face paint had run in the sweat on his dampened brow, his eye looked as though it had met a hard object, and his clothes were torn and shredded it parts.
Ozorne seemed to be eyeing something in the bushes, but turned his attention to the advancing hyenas, and sent a bolt of fire in their direction. RUN! She screamed mind-to-mind, and Iry dodged the oncoming danger just in time. Aranah lept for the emperor with a furious snarl and took a bite of his arm with his powerful jaws.
The emperor screamed in agony and stared at the blood that was flowing freely from his left arm. Teeu took advantage of this and dove in and drew blood from Ozorne's right leg. Daine changed one of her paws into a claw and slashed the Emperor, drawing a gash on his chest.
They attacked with lightning speed, not giving the emperor enough time to call upon his magic. Gasping for breath, as he had lost so much blood, Ozorne was about to die, and he knew it as well as the hyenas. It was then the he sent up his last bit of magic and started chanting a spell in a language that Daine did not know. She was about to warn the others to back off, a gap opened up in the sky and a barrage of stormwings flew down on the hyenas.
Ozorne laughed as he was scooped up in a sling that the evil immortals had brought to bring him to safety, and proclaimed that it was time for the hyenas to meet their death. Daine craned her neck toward the sky, to suddenly be slashed on the back by a stormwing feather.
She fell to the ground in shock and prayed that Teeu, Aranah, and Iry were ok. Daine howled out in agony again as another stormwing sliced her leg. I can't believe this. I know I let Numair down…, were her last thoughts as she closed her eyes and waited for death to come. Had she stayed conscious for only a few more moments, Daine would have noticed a black wall with white sparkles of light in it cover and protect her from the stormwings' attack.
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Numair's POV
Numair (A/N: Hurrah! He is finally in the story! Hands out cookies to readers, and cherries to beckythorn13!) sat in the bushes close to a hill, and took many deep breaths. After Ozorne arrested and executed his simulacrum the day before, Numair had fled Lindhall's house in order to find Daine and take her back to Tortall with him.
After hiding in the slaves' underground tunnels for the night, he planned to find his Magelet in the daytime. After evading the gaurds and skirting around the sentries, he had come to rest in the bushes. (A/N: Hope that wasn't too confusing!)
But where could his pupil be? He shivered at the thought of his lovely Daine being trapped in one of Ozorne's dungeons. What's this? My lovely Daine? "Mine" can pertain to a lot of things. She could be my student, my friend, my love. "Love?" Where did that come from. When? Did he love Daine? Interesting thoughts to be thinking while you are sitting in a bush trying to avoid an army.
Numair looked at the sun and noticed that it had moved a lot while he had been pondering to himself. He peered through the bushes to see if anyone was around, when he found Ozorne standing a top the hill with magic filling his palms. If I can just trap him, I can get him to lead me to Daine.
The black robe called upon his magic and was alarmed to see the Emperor staring at the bush he was hiding in. I have to catch him before he catches me! Just as he was about to send his magic flying, Numair saw four brown shapes run past him in a blur to surround Ozorne.
Knowing that Daine would be furious with him if he harmed these beautiful creatures, Numair sat and waited for the creatures to move onto easier game. He was astonished to see the hyenas attacking the Emperor. This is strange behavior for a hyena…unless…Numair studied all of the animals' movements and tried to find one that moved differently from the rest. Could it be Daine? He was sure when the different hyena changed it's paw into a claw and attacked.
Elation and fear filled Numair at the same time. Daine was still alive, but feared for her as the emperor mage grew a maniac look in his eye, knowing that if the onslaught continued, he would soon meet his demise.
Numair's anger boiled over when stormwings fell from the sky and carried the emperor to safety. Too late did he see another immortal come down and slice Daine's back open with it's razor sharp steel feathers. Numair stood in shock as heard Daine's haunting howl as another stormwing cut her leg, and she fell to the ground.
Breaking out of his daze, Numair sent a shield of magic over his Magelet, protecting her from the barrage, and praying that she would be ok.
The badger god suddenly appeared. Mage, we must protect my kit and her friends. I was only allowed to enter Carthak for a short time, so lets be quick and get rid of these stormwings. With that, he started hurling his deadly fireballs, and Numair proceeded to blast any stormwings that dared to come close to him.
When the fight was over, the badger disappeared with only a nod, and Numair and the hyenas rushed over to Daine. "Oh Magelet, I am so sorry," Numair murmured as he picked her up in his arms. He set an invisibility spell over the party and they quickly made their way to Lindhall's house for a healer.
(A/N: WOAH! That was a pretty big chapter for me! Hurrahhh! Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed, I am so happy that there are people who actually like this story! Just post a review and tell me what you think!)