(Sorry that it's taken me so long to update!!! I have been very busy lately...yesterday was my birthday! Anyway, Read and Review, and I hope I can update much more quickly next time!)

"It's hardly my fault, is it?" shouted Numair as Daine thrust on her boots. "He's my student! We're dealing with a kind of magic that's never been known before, so of course I'm not going to have as much time for everything else in the world!"

"Not even me?" Daine cried, jumping up and pointing a finger at herself. "Numair, I haven't seen head or tail of you in over a week! I matter, too!"

"Of course you matter!" Numair yelled, "But some things are just…"

"What? More important?"

"Daine, STOP! You're not being fair!"

"I don't want to listen to this." Daine headed for the door, but Numair stepped in her way.

"I said, stop. Look at me, Daine. It's me, Numair. Look at me. Mithros, Minos, and Shakith, Daine. Why are you acting like this?" Daine's stubborn chin showed that she wasn't about to say anything. Like a child who was being reprimanded, she avoided eye contact with Numair. "I don't want to fight," he said gently.

"Maybe you should be thinking more of other people!" hissed Daine, and she pushed past him into the hallway.

"Maybe you should think of other people! Do you know how ironic those words were? Daine!" But Numair's voice was fading out of her hearing as she sprinted down the hallway. She knew everything that Numair was saying was true. She was being incredibly selfish and childish. Shaking her head to rid herself of those thoughts, she made her way to the place she went whenever she was bored or upset: the stables.

She burst into the stables, a cloud of light dust from the road billowing behind her. Immediately she made her way to Cloud's stall.

Everyone whispered about it behind our backs, and we knew, but we never did anything about it. Maybe we should have listened to them.

What are you talking about? Cloud asked.

Me and Numair! she cried, completely abandoning grammar in her distress. Everyone said, "She's too young! She's too immature! He's too old!" That's what they always said. But we didn't care; we thought we could "work it out". Maybe they were right after all. Maybe I am too young. Maybe Numair and I were never meant to be together. She wove her hand through Cloud's mane and pressed her face to Cloud's musty horse-neck.

Maybe you're being a stupid colt.

What?

You and Storkman always got along before you came here.

So?

So something around here is wrong.

Cloud, it's just a really poor village.

What about Fancypants?

Fancypants? Do you mean Daron?

Of course! Storkman is always nice. Why do you like Fancypants?

I…he…

You're just being stupid.

Cloud, Numair is ignoring me!

So? So you're just going to abandon him?

N-no…Daine hadn't known it was possible to stutter in your thoughts until it actually happened.

I have nothing further to say to you.

Daine pulled away from her horse, gaping. Cloud had never closed her out like that. Cloud? The pony did not answer. As she was staring in disbelief at Cloud a weary-looking man rode into the stables. He dismounted and led his horse toward Daine.

"Where can I stable my horse?" he asked. Daine felt a smile tugging on the corners of her mouth. The man thought she was a stable hand. Well, I might as well be, she thought. She showed him to an empty stall. "Do you happen to know where I can find a Verilidaine Sarrasri?" he asked when they had safely seen the horse into its living quarters. Daine looked at him in surprise, suddenly noticing the badge he wore on his breast that branded him as a Court Messenger. Suddenly Daine was intensely aware of her mussed hair and dirty clothes. She cleared her throat.

"Uh, I'm Verlidaine Sarrasri, actually." The man eyed her up and down, and then seemed to decide that the idea was plausible.

"Well, I have a message for you from King Jonathan," the man started. "He wishes to ask you whether you can come back to Corus for a few days. The lions in His Majesty's menagerie have taken sick and they don't understand what is wrong."

"Taken sick? How?"

"I'm not sure."

"Is it…" Daine stopped. She had been about to ask whether it was urgent, but then she realized that it didn't matter if it was urgent; she was going to go anyway. It would be the perfect excuse to leave.

Fifteen minutes later she was packed and mounted on Cloud, having left behind a message to Numair telling where she had gone.

That night Numair entered his rooms to find them strangely empty. There was a small piece of parchment on Daine's dresser.

Numair,

Jon needs me for something in Corus.

--Daine

And that was all. Numair quickly opened the drawers to her dresser. All were empty. He ran to the closet and flung open the doors. Daine's clothes were nowhere to be seen. She had taken all of her possessions with her.