Daine and Numair, much less disheveled than when they were last seen, stood next to the woods, looking fully ashamed as Alanna bereaved them for not telling her.

When she finally took a breath, George stepped in. "Lass, they had ten minutes between coming back and sleeping. Be just a bit more patient, please dear?"

Alanna sighed. "So, how did this start anyway? You didn't just walk into his tent last night, did you?"

Daine blushed. "No, I didn't. It happened in the realms of the gods. I fell off a cliff and was captured by spidrens. They were too busy arguing amongst themselves about whether they should eat me or not to notice Numair, my knight in shining armor." Numair blushed at this, and Alanna laughed. "He killed the spidrens, and he was standing there looking devastated, and I was scared.."

"Well, I was afraid Daine was dead." interrupted Numair. "But I heard her say my name and I looked up to see her standing there, her curly hair all around her, like an angel." By now, all of the army camped near them was listening, and there was a collective "awwwwww", at which Daine jolted Numair out of his daydream by elbowing him, blushing fiercely. Nevertheless, Numair continued, "So she staggered over to me, and I kissed her, and here we are today."

Alanna was the first one to speak. "You haven't...done it...yet, have you?"

Daine looked positively mortified, as did Numair. "No!" she cried "Of course not!"

Alanna, now that she had finished questioning them, laughed. "Finally I get my twenty gold nobles from Jon. I told him you would come back as a couple, but nooo, Jon is always right." And with that she walked off to the camp tent where Jon, party-pooper he is, was studying battle plans.

Daine and Numair set off that day, Numair in his hawk form and Daine as a peregrine falcon. They enjoyed the journey to there, soaring through the air at an immense speed, but sobered as soon as they saw their beloved Pirate's Swoop. It was ravaged by battle and stunk of Stormwings. One of the towers of the castle was home to something resembling strangely to a nest, but much more revolting, as the base was made of bones and it was lined with skin. On an island not far away was their obvious problem: hundreds of stormwings were gathered in a huddle-like position.

Numair and Daine pulled into two immensely fast dives. When they reached the ground, they changed back to their human forms to discuss plans.

"I really don't know what to do." said Numair, dropping his false face of comfort to reveal his true feelings: utter confusion, "none of us have enough power. Maybe if it was combined, but otherwise, no."

Daine thought for a moment, then smiled. "I have a plan. I know of a way for us to combine power, actually more like one lends the other power." she explained the spell. "It's really quite simple."

"Well, if it's so simple, then why have none before us used it?"

"The thing is, the two people have to have a special bond, of love and complete trust, that most lack. But we have it, don't we?"

"Of course! So, now we have to decide who will lend their power."

"Me." replied Daine in a completely sure way. "You could make a net and trap them in it, then send them very, very far away."

"Alright, then. Shall we begin?"

And Daine touched his arm, softly muttering words. If they had not been so concentrated in their work, they would have been staring in awe at the globe surrounding them, an elaborate weave of copper and black. Soon a similar globe was encasing the stormwings, an unbreakable net. The net was thrown at amazing speed through the air and out of sight. The two mages fell on the ground, exhausted, each other their only comfort.