Hey guys… sorry about that last chp – I know nothing happened really –I could pretty much have left it out… I wasn't its greatest fan, but it did give me a laugh when I was writing it, - anyway, I'm just lulling you into a false sense of security…
Thanks to my reviewers – Narm's Boreas, thanks for pointing out those errors, I'll get round to sorting them as soon as poss – I was editing it at 3am cos I wanted to put something up before I went, so I must have missed them... USNA, estranged – don't worry, if I do decide to post an epilogue, a) it will be pretty meaningless so it won't matter if you read it, and b) it WILL be in this fic – its just one more chp. Tortall's Resident Wildchild – ooh, nasty, you have my sympathies… dog-demon-emiko - glad your enjoying it!
Em, i seem to have lost my sp/grammer hat, so if you find any mistakes, i'm sorry!
I'm changing to Numair's point of view for part of this...
Chp 14… only 2 more to go guys:sniff: It gets evil now, I'm warning you…
The week after the end of the festival, Daine and Numair decided to brave the roads and head back to Corus. Myles and Eleni had elected to stay a week longer with their family, but Numair missed his books, he had informed the others. Cloud and Spots trudged through the mud, and occasionally the two humans would have to dismount and walk beside them, guiding them through. When Daine slipped and fell in a puddle for the second time, she growled at Numair. "Missed your books. We have to travel back through this, because you missed your books! Maybe I was wrong about you having sense. Nobody else with any at all is even dreaming about travelling in conditions like this! But no, not Master Mage over there. He misses his books, so we have to travel through mud and rain and snow so you can read some piece of parchment. I'll burn those books if I have to."
"I'm sorry, Daine! We'll stop at the next inn, I promise you!" He grimaced as he slipped, and grabbing Spot's saddle, saved himself from the same fate as Daine.
"You'd better be. Do you know how long it will take me to clean the horses? It's not good for their hooves, Numair. This will take weeks if we carry on at this pace."
"We can get an ostler to care for the animals." He carried on regardless when Daine snorted. "It'll clear up soon enough, and it's only a few miles to the nearest way house, I promise you. We'll have a nice warm bath set up, and something to eat and drink, and you'll feel better."
"That's your solution to everything, isn't it?" she cried exasperatedly. "'A nice warm bath!' What I want is to be inside, not travelling anywhere! We shouldn't even have left Trebond! What's the rush to get back to the palace anyway?"
"That's a secret."
"Numair," she warned. "I'm in no mood for secrets and surprises."
"Are you ever?" he muttered. She glared at him. "You'll find out when we get there."
"Well I hope you're not in a rush, that's all I can say." She screamed her frustration when she slipped again, landing in the mud with a splash. Numair slipped and slid over to her, managing barely to stay on his feet.
"Here," he offered his hand. Daine took hold of it and tried to pull herself upright. Numair's feet though, had other ideas, and he slipped to fall down on top of her. He swore and dragged himself to his feet. Holding on to Cloud's saddle, he pulled Daine to her feet.
Daine twisted, trying to see her back. She tried to wipe the mud off her back, only to realise she was simply adding to what was already there. "See how pointless this is?" she exclaimed.
"Hush, Daine." Numair pulled her into a warm hug. Daine was annoyed to see that he had remained relatively mud free from his fall, using her as a barrier. He held her tightly for a moment, then let her go, only to see that he too was now covered in mud.
Daine laughed. "Serves you right. C'mon, we won't get anywhere with you standing there like that. You look like you've never been seen mud before." She took Cloud's bridle and left the mage behind, smirking at the look on his face.
When they arrived at the inn, Numair sorted the rooms, whilst a stable hand took the horses away from Daine's care. She sighed, watching them go, then followed Numair to the rooms. He was right. After a bath she did feel better, once she had washed the mud from her pores. She dressed warmly, then left Numair bathing for the stables. She greeted the horses there; there were only a few as not many were travelling at this time of year; and went to find Cloud and Spots. They had been cleaned up well, but Daine went over them with a brush regardless. She checked their hooves and then went to the kitchen to take some food for them.
Numair found her in the stables. "How are they?" Daine looked at him blankly. "The horses, I mean. I don't mean to push them, but I would like to get back to Corus fairly soon." Daine ignored him, stroking Spots' mane as she made sure there were no tangles in it. Numair sighed. "Daine –" he began.
"If you'd tell me what the rush was, Numair, then maybe I wouldn't mind so much, but all you say is that you want your books!" She looked at him. "There has to be something more to it than that, Numair."
"And I've told you, it's a surprise. I'm not telling you." He sighed and pulled her into a hug. "Are the horses alright?" Daine nodded. "Then we can eat something then." Apologising to the horses, he pulled Daine back inside.
Late that night, a shouting voice pulled her from her dreams. Dawn was still a few hours away, but a blue light filled the room. Shaking her head, she sat up, pulling the blankets around her as she did so.
"Numair! Numair!" came the voice. Daine blinked, clearing her vision as Numair stirred beside her. King Jonathon's head stared back. "Daine, good, you're awake. Wake Numair," his voice ordered.
Daine nudged the sleeping man beside her in the ribs and he sat up with a jolt. "What?" he exclaimed, his voice heavy with sleep. Daine looked at the sapphire globe in front of them, and Numair followed her gaze. "Oh," he paused for a moment. "What is it Jon? What time is it?"
"The fourth bell just rang. I'm sorry to wake you so early, but this is important. We've had reports of a spidren nest at Riverdale, and you're the closest to it. The reports don't state how many there are, but Lord Tormod and more than half their guard have been killed. I'm sorry, I know it's early, and I know it's dangerous, but I know you two can handle it."
Numair nodded sleepily. "We'll be on our way in a moment, just…" he nodded at the covers which the couple had pulled around themselves.
"Oh," the King said. "Well, I don't think there's anymore information I can give. Alanna is on her way too, but with the roads in the state they are, you'll probably get there long before she does. Is Kitten with you?"
"No, she stayed at Trebond. She's to come back with Myles and Eleni next week."
"She has sense," Daine muttered.
Jonathon laughed. Suddenly a voice came from behind him. "Come back to bed, Jon. It's too early even for you to be awake."
"Coming, Thayet." Jonathon blushed. "My lady's voice," he explained. "Good luck, send news later."
Numair nodded, and the speech globe vanished, throwing the room into darkness once more. She heard Numair sigh beside her in the darkness. "I suppose we should get up then. His majesty depends on us." Sparkling fire put the room in relief, and Daine's eyes adjusted to the new light. Numair stumbled over to the desk and lit a branch of candles, then repeated the process for the set on the other side of the room. He stretched his arms above his head, his hands touching the ceiling. "They really should make bigger rooms." He tossed a pile of clothes over to Daine. "Get dressed, and take a pack with you."
Once she had dressed, she headed for the kitchen, hoping to find some food for their breakfasts. A sleepy kitchen maid gave her bread and lumps of cheese, which she and Numair devoured as they readied the horses. Numair handed her a pack. "Here," he said. "I think you should shapeshift and fly ahead to find out what we're dealing with." Daine nodded, she'd been planning to. "Take this with you, and you can dress without waiting for my arrival. I've spelled it to be weightless and invisible so it won't be a burden." He pulled her into a kiss. "Luck Magelet. I'll bring Cloud and your bow, so you needn't worry. I've paid for the rooms, and explained." He looked at her, his eyes serious. "Be careful Daine. Don't risk anything that can wait till my arrival. I love you."
"I'll be careful," she promised. "I love you too." Taking a deep breath, she began to shapeshift, turning into a large golden eagle, with cat's eyes to aid her in the dark. She flew to land on Cloud's saddle, watching the man as he picked up her discarded clothes. Straightening, he added them to the pack which was also on the floor, and then drew a rune over it with a sparkling hand. The pack vanished in his hands, and he turned to the eagle. Lifting one claw, he put something underneath. Daine closed her claw, and spread her wings. She could feel something in her talons, but it had no weight.
Numair kissed her beak. "I'm good, aren't I?" he grinned. She flapped her tail at him, and he smiled. "Come on." He mounted Spots, holding Cloud's reins in his hands. "There's no point in you leaving yet, it's still dark." He led them outside the stable, and tossed a coin to the stable boy as he passed, who stared in awe at the large bird that had appeared, and the man that spoke to it as if it were human. Outside the stable, cold air flowed over them and Daine ruffled her feathers, shivering. She flapped her wings, getting the blood pumping in them.
They rode together for a short time, then Daine left Numair, soaring high on the wind as it carried her quickly towards her destination. The wind pulled her over the tree tops, and Daine scoured the dark ground below her for signs of life. She hated spidrens. They could use the trees for cover, and could swing between them, not touching the ground. With no obvious signs of the spidrens, she flew further, heading for the castle of the fief itself. Like Trebond, Riverdale was in a clearing, the walls built high as defence from Scanran raiders who forayed over the border. She could see signs of battle on the ground, dead bodies and weapons littering it. Daine felt sick, and headed back over the trees. If she was to wait for dawn, she would not do it where she had to see that sight.
A speaking spell sparkled in front of her and Numair's voice came from it. "Anything, Daine?"
She formed vocal chords and a mouth. "Nothing. I mean, there's clearly been combat, but I can't see any sign of spidrens. Not even a web. It's too dark for me to see at the moment."
"Wait – somewhere safe – for dawn then. I'll be back in touch."
"How's the travelling?"
"It's hard going, but we're managing. I'll speak to you after dawn. Be careful Magelet." The globe vanished before she had a chance to retort. Finding a ditch, she hid her pack, then perched on a branch high in a fir tree. She was out of sight of the ground, but she could see the castle if she had to.
Dawn came, and light filtered down through the trees. Daine listened for signs of animal life and activity, but her surroundings were curiously quiet, and what little she could hear was filled with fear. She flew back out over the forest and castle, looking for activity. When she could see nothing, she returned to her branch. Changing to a pine martin, she began to explore through the trees. She did find some spidren web, but she could tell from past experiences it was at least three weeks old. Daine sighed. There had been no recent spidren activity here that she could see. So what had caused the battle? Taking back the eagle form, she flew back to her original branch and waited, watching intently for signs of human or immortal life.
Something moved on the castle walls. Daine strained her eyes to see what it was. A lone man, his loose clothes hanging limply on his lean frame, stood there, his back to the castle, facing into the forest. Daine took flight, using the tree line as cover to fly to a lower branch, one closer to the castle. The man's black hair was limp and greasy, and looked straggly and unkempt. His beard was in similar condition, and his skin was pale, as if he had been inside for a long time. Daine shivered; in a certain light, Daine could see similarities to the King, but she discarded the thought; there were plenty of tall men in Tortall with black hair.
Once again, a speech globe flared into life. "Magelet?"
Making a mouth for herself again, she answered. "The only evidence of spidrens is at least three weeks old. There's someone on the battlements; they've only just appeared."
"What do they look like?" Daine described the man to Numair. She looked over her shoulder. The man seemed to be staring right back at her.
"Numair, you have to go, I think he can see me."
"Don't go near the castle, Daine. Wait for me. I'm about an hour or so away." The globe disappeared. Daine ruffled her feathers and turned back to face the castle once again; the man, whoever he was, was gone. To appear like a normal bird, she tucked her head under her wing, feigning sleep. After she judged half an hour had past, she took to the air, meaning to go find her pack. Retrieving it from the ditch, she flew back up into the air, the strap from the pack wrapped securely around her talons. Suddenly, another figure came out onto the walls, a woman this time. Daine studied the woman, heading quickly for the trees. The woman shouted something, and pale blue fire lashed at her. Daine dove for the tree line, but something seemed to grab her tail, then her wings, pulling her backwards. Blue fire covered her, streaming over her, binding her wings to her sides and reeling her in. Daine tried to scream as darkness washed over her.
Numair rode quickly through the mud, his face grim as the two horses picked their way across the slippery ground. He was grateful for the mud in a way, it muffled the sounds that the horses normally would have made. Alanna and George were not far behind, he knew; Alanna had spoken to him earlier through a spell. It always felt good to know the Champion was at his back, but he was worried about Daine nonetheless. He knew she'd be fine; she had an amazing ability to look after herself, even though he didn't normally let her know it. Whilst the horses carried on, he mulled over what Daine had told him. A single, lone man on the battlements of a castle that had recently been attacked was not normal. Neither was the fact that that man had dark hair. Numair knew Lord Tormod; his son was a student at the university. None of the lord's family had dark hair; Tormod himself was blonde, whilst his wife, son and children all had light brown hair. And for Daine to say that he looked like the King – that was just too uncanny for his liking.
Quickly Numair opened a speech spell to Alanna, and related what Daine had told him. The Lioness swore. "Is it him?"
"She doesn't know. Daine's never seen the man to know what he looks like. And I last saw him in Carthak, and that was years ago."
"It was years ago that I killed him," Alanna reminded him. "If it is Roger, we need to get there fast. Don't go in without us. Have you spoken to Daine since?"
"I'll give her an hour, then get back in touch. I should be there soon anyway."
"Well, just wait for us. We're not far behind, we'll try and catch up." Numair agreed and closed the speech spell, gathering the magic back up, and continued towards the fief. When the mud became too much, he moved the horses under the trees. If there were spidrens, then he would find better information of them there, and the ground would be firmer underfoot for the horses. They would make quicker passage. He scoured the land around them for evidence of spidren presence. If they had been here, all evidence of them had been cleaned away.
For a few moments, they continued on in silence. Suddenly, Cloud reared, and Spots pranced under him. Numair swore, trying to stay astride his mount as Spots plunged up and down. Finally the horse stopped, fidgeting. "What is it?" Numair looked around him for something that could have spooked the horses so; Cloud wasn't a horse that scared easily. He could see nothing, nothing on the ground, nothing magical in the air that surrounded him. He slid off Spots and walked over to Cloud. "What is it?" he asked the pony, holding her bridle in his hand. Cloud grabbed his shirt in her mouth, closing her teeth around his arm gently. Numair tried to shake her off. "Let go! You'll break my locket –" Dread washed over him. "Daine! What's happened? Where is she?"
Numair didn't need Daine's 'knack' with animals to understand the horses' message. Spots pushed his back with his head, and Numair scrambled into his saddle, gripping the reins tightly. Once he was settled, the horse lunged forwards underneath him, nearly making him fall. He grabbed the saddle horn tightly and ducked to avoid low branches as the horses trotted quickly through the forest. As they hurried forwards, he pulled a small compact from his belt purse. Daine always teased him when he used it, saying he merely used it for his vanity. Now he cast a hand over it, glittering fire surrounding it. Alanna's face appeared before him. "Numair," she gasped. "What's happened? Darkmoon and Mischief are frantic. Is Daine alright?"
"I don't know" he whispered, fear making his throat tight. "If he has her –"
"Don't do anything till we get there. We're coming as fast as we can." Alanna vanished and Numair closed the compact with a snap.
Like he would leave Daine there alone. If Roger had her, she would not be safe for long. Suddenly fresh fear washed over him, heat following it. If Daine was right… about Varice, having Roger's power. He would never have thought she was powerful enough to do such a spell, but Daine was right when he said he didn't know her anymore. If Varice had Daine, he dreaded to think what she'd do to her. He couldn't just leave her there, and wait for Alanna; he had to do something.
The horses slowed as they reached the tree line. "Is she alright?" he asked them. Cloud nodded, and the horses stopped just before they cleared the trees, ensuring that they had cover enough to avoid being spotted by any sentries. Just to make sure, Numair threw a veil over them, cloaking their presence. He practically fell out of the saddle, anxiety making his bones wobbly. He sat down hard on the ground, leaning against a tree trunk. He took the mirror in his hands and focused on it hard, letting his magic flow over it so it could show him what he wanted to see: Daine. He concentrated on the mirror, searching for an image. All he could see was grey clouds. He slammed the compact shut with a bang. Why could he never see Daine when he scryed for her? This had happened before, not just the time she disappeared. Most times, when he looked for her, he couldn't see her, only a haze. Maybe it was because she was godborn, but then it didn't always happen. Numair sighed and ran his hands through his hair. Where could she be?
He turned to the horses again. "Anything?" Cloud whinnied and pranced, fidgeting. "I know! I want to go to her too!" He sighed. "I can't do anything till Alanna and George get here." Cloud reared impatiently, stamping her hooves when she landed. "I know!" He grabbed the compact and opened a speech spell again. "Alanna! When will you be here?"
"We're going as fast as we can! The mud's slowing us down more than I thought!"
"Well ride under the trees then! It's what I did."
"Look, we're only a mile or so away. Just hold on!"
"I'm not leaving her there any longer than I have to! If they have her, who knows what they won't do. If it's Varice…" his voice trailed away as fear constricted his throat.
"I know, Numair," Alanna said, voice kind. "I'm sure she'll be alright. She can look after herself."
"But they already have her!" he cried exasperatedly. "She can't look after herself if she's been captured!"
Alanna sighed. "Look, I've been scrying for her, but nothing. There's not much I can do but get to you. Can you wait?"
Numair sighed. "I suppose. But hurry! Please!" He snapped the compact shut and stood, pacing inside his magical shield impatiently. The horses watched him warily, Cloud snorting edgily. Numair rested his hand on Cloud's head, scratching her mane between the ears. Normally, he wouldn't have been so bold with the horse, knowing her temper, but now he felt as if the pony was his only link to Daine. He couldn't speak to Cloud as Daine did, but… Could Cloud speak to Daine for him?
"Cloud, can you get a message to Daine? Can you sense her?" he asked urgently. He watched the mare as she tossed her head, and then stalked in a circle. Finally she stopped, and shook her head. "No? Is she conscious?" Again the pony shook her head. Numair swore under his breath. "Is she alive?" Cloud nodded. "Hurt? Can you tell?" The mare shook her head, and Numair stroked her mane reassuringly. "We'll find her," he promised distractedly. "We'll get to her soon, she'll be alright." He couldn't hide the doubt from his voice. He had to get to Daine, fast.