Numair pounded on Alanna's door. "Alanna! Get out here now!" There was no answer. He continued knocking and yelling until he sank to the floor. He was exhausted and his voice was raw. Alanna appeared minutes later and hustled to his side. "Numair? What's wrong? What's going on?" Her eyes were filled with worry.

"Daine..." he rasped, "...gone..." Anger filled Alanna's eyes so quickly that even she seemed slightly surprised.

"Did you do something to Daine? I swear if you --"

"No." He took a deep breath and tried to explain. "Gone...Daine...unconscious...late..." Alanna stared at him. She had never seen him so disoriented. "Slow down. What about Daine?"

"...late...breakfast...cloud...mad...stable...focus...gray...clouds..."

"Okay, so Daine was late for breakfast." Numair nodded. "You checked the stables, where cloud was angry about something." He nodded again. "You used your focus to find her, but only saw gray clouds." With a last nod he rested his head against the wall, breathing deeply. "Well, if you saw clouds it means that Daine is either unconscious or dead. However, I doubt that she is dead because then all the animals would be acting unusually, not just Cloud." Numair realized she was right. If Daine was seriously injured or dead, there would be hundreds of animals trying to find and help her. Numair looked at Alanna. She had an odd expression on her face. "Actually, there is another option...let me see your focus." Silently he handed her the locket, watching her carefully. He watched as she examined it. Alanna's eyes darkened and Numair felt his stomach drop. "Numair...I hate to tell you this...but this focus is a fake."

Sit, the voice told her, sit in the chair. No! Daine thought stubbornly, I won't let him control me. SIT!, the voice roared in her ears. To Daine's utter disbelief, her body complied. She found herself sitting in the chair. Glaring daggers, her eyes met Perin's. He was smiling broadly. "Yes my dear, it's only a matter of time before your body is completely mine to control."

You wish. Daine wanted o hiss back at him. But instead, her voice came out as a soft purr as she replied, "Whatever you say my lord."

A fake? Those words ran through Numair's mind. How could it be a fake? He had made that focus himself and used it many times to find her. It had always worked until now.

Desperately, Numair tried to remember the last time he had used it. It had been a week earlier...

Numair knocked viciously on Daine's door. She was late for her lesson and he had decided to do something about her common tardiness.

Finally admitting that she must not be in her room, he pulled a silver locket out of his pocket and whispered a few words. He began to wander the halls in the direction of the focus's pull. Not watching where he was going, he accidentally ran into a man wearing a pale blue tunic and white breeches, the uniform of the scribes. The two of them both dropped what they were carrying. Numair quickly picked up the bracelet and continued on his way with a brief apology. However, before he had a chance to use the focus again, Daine came running down the halls. "Sorry Numair! There was a bear having cubs and I had to help. We can start my lesson now. "Numair shook his head at her and they walked the library.

The uniform! Numair thought. A pale blue tunic and white breeches ...whose uniform is that? A scribe! That was the uniform for the scribes! Numair ran for the scribe's wing, hoping we was right.

Daine fell onto her cot and wept. Perin's focus now had control of her body when he wanted it to. Soon he would also be able to control her mind and there was nothing she could do about it.

Her magic was blocked. If she even tried using it she would end up on the floor, gasping for breath.

Daine thought of Numair. She would never see him again. At least, not when she could control herself.

I'm sorry Master Salmalin, but none of my scribes remember bumping into you. Is the question you have for him of much importance?" The chief scribe had asked everybody at Numair's orders.

"Yes!" Numair was desperate. He had to find Daine; he just knew something was wrong. "What about the scribes on leave right now? Were any of them in residence last week?"

"Um...no, I don't think so..." he thought for a moment. " Actually, yes, one scribe was here." Numair felt hope rise in his heart. "Who is he? Where is he? How can I find him?" Numair took the man by the shoulders and started shaking him. "Tell me!"

"Master Salmalin! You must calm yourself!" Glaring, Numair obeyed. "Now," the scribe began, "he left three days ago. He said he had business to attend to in the city. He is supposed to be back in two days' time."

"What is his name?"

"Perin, my lord."

Numair sat in his study, staring at the wall. Perin? He asked himself. What does Perin have against me? And why would he take Daine? Maybe he was trying to force Daine to court him...just the thought made Numair angry. Or maybe they just...just...just what? He asked again. Perin is up to no good and I'm going to get to the bottom of this. He decided to wait for Perin to get back and have a nice, long talk with him.