A/N: YAY! I now have over 30 reviews! . Well once again this chapter is partly based on the song Numb by Linkin Park. Oh yeah. (In case you're reading this 'CynicalCritic' my reply to your review is at the end of this chapter.) This might be the last one for a couple of weeks. Unfortunately I have exams and assignments to finish/study for.

Disclaimer: The world and characters you recognise all belong to Tamora Pierce.

Chapter 6: Feeling so Faithless

Aly's POV:

My family…the thought echoed around the void. The smoky images morphed and clarified into my family's faces. They floated in front of my minds eye. I had made a promise and I would keep it or die trying.

End Aly's POV

Aly's eyes snapped open. She sat up stiffly from her slumped position on the ground. Briefly she wondered how long she had been lying there and then dismissed the thought. It didn't matter. She had to leave.

With a groan she struggled to her feet. It was time to find Heishi and pack provisions, she had an appointment with his master and then with Kyprioth.

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Aly stood before Dove and the rest of her council. There was dangerous light in her spymaster's eyes. Wherever Kyprioth was she pitied him greatly when Aly caught up with him.

"…so your majesty, members of the council, I'm here to seek leave to hunt down my family and his," she nodded towards the chained Heishi, "master." Then Aly added as an after thought. "And I need to take the assassin with me."

That caused surprised mutterings to spread through the congregation of nobles. Ultimately, the final decision in all matters put forward here came down to Dove, however members of the council (a group of raka and luarin nobles from after the rebellion thought to be trust worthy and able to advise, who ensured that the rule of the Copper Isles didn't become like it had when the Rittevon's ruled.) could vote and advise Dove, who had to listen to all the opinions, then make a decision that was 'for the good of the kingdom'. She felt sick as she looked at the results of the voting.

'At least that was the theory'. She added as an after thought. She couldn't exactly just make a choice on a whim; a ruler couldn't afford to offend the most powerful nobles in the Copper Isles. Even if Aly was her friend. Trying to regain her composure she said,

"I-the coun-It has been decided that," she paused her eyes beseeching Aly to understand her current helplessness. Swallowing hard she continued, "That you are to be denied leave, and are to stay within the boundaries of the city of Rajmuat. Force will be used if necessary. Disobeying this order will be the equivalent of treason."

Aly looked up her eyes disbelieving.

"But I must go! He has my family! I must find them!"

Dove looked helplessly at the majority of the faces around her. They were cold to the spymaster's pleas. A couple looked uncomfortable and another empathetic but they were the minority. Ignoring protocol Dove spoke to Aly as the friend she was not her subject.

"I'm so sorry Aly…I-I," she glared defiantly at the nobles around her. The anger in almost tangible. Her eyes telling Aly what she must do.

Aly nodded, "It's alright Dove, I understand."

With a sudden movement she was at Heishi's side and the chains that bound his wrists were sliding off. A sense of power filled the room even as an alarm began to toll-someone had alerted the guards-. With one last look towards Dove Aly said,

"I will come back and face the consequences of this Dove. But first I must find my family." She nodded to Heishi and then there was a flash visible even to those without the sight making them cover their eyes. By the time dazzled eyes could see again they had disappeared from the room.

"Good luck go with you my friend," murmured Dove, as the irate nobles converged on her.

…………

They materialised in Aly's quarters where she bent to grab the packs she had prepared before the meeting just in case she had to leave like this. Then paused the vague image of a better plan forming in her mind.

"How far can you actually transport us magically?" mentally Aly kicked herself for not thinking to ask earlier.

"About 20km max," the assassin replied.

Aly nodded thoughtfully in that case we're not leaving the palace as soon as I thought."

Heishi nodded his understanding. It was based an old trick that every assassin knew well. 'The best place to hide is in plain sight.'

"Since we're obviously going to be here for awhile can you explain something to me?"

Settling into a chair Aly replied,

"Sure."

"If you served Kyprioth doesn't he owe you? And if he owes you why don't you ask him for the boon and for your family back?"

Aly sighed. "You have a point. I thought to ask him but…" she let the sentence trail off.

"But?"

"He-look, if you organised this from a trickster's point of view why would you let something that simple spoil all you planned? It doesn't add up.

"It can't hurt to try?" suggested the assassin.

"I guess-"

Kyprioth's voice once again materialised in the room. Aly was on her feet looking wildly for the god.

"Show yourself Kyprioth. You've got a lot to answer for!"

"I have nothing to answer for my dear, and that boon won't work, if I can I will try to explain later. Of course that depends on you letting me." The two mortals could almost hear the god's inner conflict as he hesitated then added, "All that I have done I have done because I have to not because I want to."

To her surprise his voice sounded genuinely apologetic. "Try to think of it as an adverse divine compliment that it was your family that was involved in this. It means my brothers and sisters thought you the only one capable." With that cryptic comment his presence faded from the room.

Part of Aly still raged at the god, but the rest, the cool, calm part of her mind reflected on the god's words. Was it her imagination had there been a tinge of fear in the last sentence he said?

The outside world faded as she sunk the confused jumble that was her thoughts.

………………

The subject of most of Aly's thoughts sat once again before his fire. The Spymaster was coming to reclaim her family as the dark-one and bright-ones had said she would.

Her family.

They had proved more troublesome then he had initially thought they would. The two young ones were powerful mages though they were untrained and two of them had shown the ability to turn into crows, though he wasn't sure about the more secretive twin. Then there was the strange dark creature that had nearly suffocated him when he had brought them here. That creature had nearly succeeded before he thought to use compacted air and magic to pry it off. He shuddered at the memory of the cold liquid-solid covering his face.

Thinking of the Spymaster's family, he ought to make sure that they were still secure. The two mages young as they were had a habit of wearing down the magical wards that confined them and their father. Exiting the room he walked down the hallway till he came to a heavy wooden door with no apparent lock.

By placing his hand on the door and sending his gift into it he deactivated the magic that kept it closed. The room was plain and made of stone with a small table and a hearth in one corner. It had been a good idea to check. The two who could change into crows were free and working to release the other twin. He pinned them to the wall in a blast of magic, the chains relocking around their wrists. He ignored their baleful looks as he said,

"You just don't know when to stay down do you? Next time I catch you like this I take one of the children with me when I leave."

A sudden gust of wind blew the heavy door to the room open. He jumped as it slammed into the opposite wall, rebounding and closing again. In a panic he rushed to the fire, this had happened the last time the dark-one had come. His hands clenched into fists as he remembered the dark-one's anger that he had been late in summoning the portal in the flames…he would not do that again, he would not survive it.

Sitting before the fire he summoned his gift and let it flow into the flames, watching in fascination as they slowly changed colour. Then the dark gaping hole appeared as it had many times before, the bitter wind and the sheer feeling of menace that emanated from it making him cringe away.

The strange eyes appeared again. The ones that glowed with a gift the colour of old blood. They were forever haunting him, through out the day and then even in his sleep.

The cold aloof voice emerged from the darkness that sent shivers down his spine,

"Have you got them this time Monashi? I will not be as lenient this time if you've failed again."

"I have dark-on-,"

"It's Your Grace for a Duke as you well know," the voice hissed icily. "Show me them then."

'Even for a former Duke?'' thought Monashi rebelliously. He snapped an order over his shoulder waving his hand and the chained trio were pulled forward into the light.

"Ah, you have done well Monashi. For once. I take it the Spymaster is on her way?"

"Yes…Your Grace." He shrank back as the eyes glowed more brightly.

"Good very good."

"Dark- Er-Your Grace? May I ask a question?"

"You may Monashi," it replied mockingly.

"Why are you so interested in the Spymaster?"

"That is my business alone Monashi but it involves revenge. In future don't ask stupid questions. Clear?"

"Yes m'lord Duke of Conté."

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A/N:

Well that's it for this chapter. So thanks to everyone who reviewed! In particular thanks to MSB! You've reviewed every chapter. .

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Review reply:

CynicalCritic: I did say I would accept constructive criticism. I'm replying here, because 1. Your review falls under that category and 2. If you're wondering about some parts of my story then it's nearly guaranteed someone else is too. Anyway, I know the original characters have drifted OOC but I can't accurately reproduce Tamora Pierce's characters. I simply can't write that well. All I can do is try and hope that one day I can. Please bear with me.

I said at the start of my story that this one takes place a couple of years after the end of Tricksters Queen. That, and Aly was pregnant at the end of that book. Also, you're right Heishi could break free, and he did.

"She watched uneasily as the wards once again flowed to suppress his gift. He threw them off as though they were a kid's first attempt at a spell, not one created by the most powerful mages in the Copper Isles…" (Chapter 4)

Kyprioth not doing something like he did to one of his chosen did occur to me however, he is a god and she is a mortal. In Tricksters Queen he reacted emotionlessly to Elsren's and Dunevon's deaths even though they were 'his queen's' relatives, as though they were tools to his ends. Why Kyprioth allowed and encouraged her family to be taken and why the boon wouldn't/didn't work, will be explained later on in the story. If you want a more detailed explanation of the latter please PM me or alternatively use the email address written in my profile. Obviously I'm not going to write that here. (that goes for anyone else who really wants to know). You have not ruined my day or burst my bubble and your comments are greatly appreciated. Thanks for your review! .

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My story does need work and that's why I accept and appreciate constructive criticism. (plz don't bother making it anonymous…really, if you're sending a review like CynicalCritic's give me your name thingy or e-mail so I can reply, doing it here is annoying.) I'm happy for people to tell me what they don't like. I can't try to improve it if I don't know. Any comments, suggestions, ideas ect. are welcome. So please, review! .

Firedraike08