Daine woke up the next morning shivering under her covers, wondering where the other blankets had gone. To her surprise, a moment later the door to the privy opened and a very tall man stepped out. Daine squealed and hid under the covers, then remembered the events of the day before.
"What were you doing in there?!" she asked incredulously.
The mage lookedflummoxed. "Do I really have to explain?"
Daine blushed "I'm sorry, you just surprised me. And no, you don't have to explain." She shuddered mentally at the thought.
"No, no. I should be the one to apologize. I shouldn't have startled you like that. I wouldn't have except for the fact that nature was calling rather loudly and I didn't wish to wake you." He bowed elegantly. "I am very sorry." He looked into her eyes as he straightened, holding her gaze. Daine was surprised at the intensity in his eyes, and found that she couldn't look away.
He must have noticed her shivers, because he suddenly looked away and said, "Would you like your blankets back? I was certainly glad to have them last night, but at the moment it looks like you need them more than I."
Daine shook her head. "It's about time I got up anyhow. I need to..." she trailed off. There was nothing she needed to do, really. Just the dull monotony of sitting in the tower all day, hoping that she might get some food. At the thought, her stomach rumbled. She watched as Numair's gaze went to her middle, and she grinned sheepishly.
"How long has it been since you last ate?" he asked. Daine thought about it for a moment. "I think it was the day before yesterday. Maybe the day before that." She shrugged. "I'm sorry I don't have anything to offer you, they feed me when they think about it."
Numair looked appalled. "Wait here." He disappeared down the stairs. Daine took the opportunity to pull off her night gown and pull on a dress, numerous petticoats, and stockings. Numair reappeared as she was dragging a brush through her unruly curls. He noticed he was holding the saddle bags he had magicked into her rooms yesterday, but was completely surprised when he pulled out some dried meat, a loaf of bread, and a small round ball that smelled like spices. He handed a chunk of the bread to her, along with some of the meat, and then pulled out a pot and used some of Daine's clean wash water to fill it up. He spelled it to sit over the fire to warm. Daine was staring at the meat in apprehension as she munched on the bread.
"What type of meat is this?" She asked.
"Venison jerky," came the reply. Numair turned around in time to see Daine's perplexed expression. There was no way she could force herself to eat this meat. But if she refused it, especially when he knew she hadn't eaten in days, there would be awkward questions. She couldn't hide it; he was looking at her far too closely for that. She sighed.
"Numair, I can't eat the jerky."
"Why not? It's not gone bad, has it?"
"No," she said, resigned. "I can't eat wild game, it makes me sick."
He looked at her strangely. "What can you eat?"
"Domesticated animals, like chicken, beef, some ham, and fish."
"Is it an allergic reaction?" She shook her head. "Is there something wrong with the game in the area?" She shook her head again.
"Oh."
The "Oh" made her nervous. It sounded like he had made a discovery, but didn't want her to know.
She hastily finished the roll and stood up. "Call me when the soup is ready," she said, and pelted down the stairs.
When she made it to the bottom, she walked to the window and looked out at the forest. Maybe if she told him it wouldn't be that bad. After all, the worst he could do was kill her. If he did that then at least she could get out of the tower. It wasn't as if she had anyone to miss her. She might see her ma again, and her grandda...
"The soup is ready!" came the call from upstairs. Daine started out of her thoughts and immediately scolded herself for thinking so morbidly. She couldn't just give up like that! What would her ma say!
She made it to the top of the stairs and accepted the bowl of soup from Numair. She quickly scarfed it down, and only then thought to ask what was in it.
"Chicken, thyme, and various vegetables," came the reply. Daine sighed in relief.
They sat in silence for a moment, Daine desperately trying to think up something to keep him busy. She didn't want any awkward questions.
"Would you like a bath?" she asked impulsively. At his surprised look, she said, "Well, you've been traveling, and most travelers only want to rest, eat and bathe when they find a place to stay. You've rested and eaten, so there's only bathing left."
He looked down at himself, as if only just realizing that he was travel worn, and nodded. "Do you have enough water?"
Daine nodded and went to the window. Hanging under it was a large oilskin that she hung out to catch the rain. Oliver had brought it to her when she had complained that the guards never gave her enough water to bathe with. She lifted the bucket sitting on the floor, but Numair took it from her and filled it up himself.
"It's my bath, and I'll fill it up. You eat the rest of the soup."
cCCcCCcCCcCCcCCc
Numair finished filling the tub in the washroom with water from the makeshift reservoir and warmed it up with his gift. After closing the door, he stripped off his clothes and sank into the water. Daine had been right, he had needed a bath.
He also suspected her of stalling for time. She was such an untrusting little thing. But then, he supposed she had her reasons. People don't get locked in towers for nothing, after all. It was probably her magic that had gotten her into this mess in the first place, so he couldn't really blame her if she didn't want to tell him about it.
He hadn't really made the best first impression either. Of course, after he had met her he had tried his hardest to gain her trust, but things like that don't happen overnight. He couldn't really blame her if she didn't want to spill her heart to the man who had come unannounced and naked into her little world just the day before.
He had just been so surprised. He had been expecting a mountain man, not this frail little girl with the storm cloud eyes. Why, she was more of a magelet than a mage!
Oh well, he thought as he used the bucket to tump water over his head, She just was a bit different than my expectations. I think I would rather have her than a mountain man anyway, even if she is a bit skittish.
He finished his bath and dressed, then went out into the bedroom. He found Daine had fallen asleep in her chair, the empty soup bowl dangling out of her hand. He gently took it from her and set it on the table, then leaned down and looked her in the face.
"Daine?" he gave her shoulder a delicate shake. "Magelet?" deciding that she was out cold and that he'd rather not wake her, he slipped his arms under her knees and back, then carried her to the bed. He laid her down, pulling the blankets on top of her, and left.
cCCcCCcCCcCCcCCc
Daine woke to a weight on her chest. At first, she thought it was the mage, finally showing his true colors. She began to panic and pushed at the weight, but then realized that her fingers were embedded in thick, wiry fur.
"Badger," she mumbled.
-Kit, wake up. I need to have a talk with you.- He sounded angry. Daine opened her eyes all the way and saw that the badger god's nose wasn't an inch from hers. "-Kit, you need to trust this mage. Things are starting to fall into place again, and you need to play along.
-I can't believe you didn't realize sooner. It's not as if you don't know who he is.- The badger disappeared from her chest and materialized across the room, next to the book shelf. Daine got up out of bed and went over to where he was, and found him nosing her book on wild magic out of its spot on the bottom shelf. It fell out onto the ground, and Daine gasped. She knew she'd heard his name before!
Observations on Wild Magic
Numair Salmalin
Daine picked up the book, cradling it to her chest. She had known that the man who wrote this book was famous, rumored to be the most powerful mage the world had ever seen. So what was he doing in her little corner of the world?
cCCcCCcCCcCCcCCc
Daine crept down the spiral staircase, clutching the heavy book in her arms. She paused when the mage came into view, sprawled out over the couch and snoring lightly. He didn't really look like a great and powerful mage at the moment, but Daine of all people knew that appearances could be deceiving.
She took a deep breath and reached to gently shake Numair's shoulder, whispering his name.
"Magelet?" he said blearily, opening his eyes and squinting at her.
She chose to ignore the strange name, and said, "Was it really you who wrote this?" She handed him the book carefully, making sure he had a firm hold on it before surrendering it to his grasp.
Numiar stared down at the book in astonishment. "Where did you get this?" He asked in a wondering tone.
"Oliver found it at the Fair in Cria, and brought it back here to me," Daine said hastily, afraid that he was angry. It was his book after all.
"Onua," he muttered ruefully. "Who is this Oliver person? You haven't ever mentioned him before."
It took Daine a minute to catch up to his abrupt subject change. He had gone from muttering strange names to asking about her only friend in the space of a breath. "Oliver is lord Ilar's son. I guess he felt fair sorry for me after I went - was captured, and he brought me to the tower. He's my friend."
Numair nodded. "As to your first question, I did write this book." He flipped to book to a random page in the middle, to show her the now familiar elegant scrawl. He then rummaged in his pack until he found the report he had been writing to Jonathan, putting the two next to each other so she could see how the handwriting matched.
Daine nodded and then swallowed, sitting down on the edge of the couch. "I suppose I owe you an explanation, then. At least I know you'll believe me." She looked up into his face, seeing the curiosity and excitement there, before returning her gaze to her lap. "I always felt a bit sorry for you, writing so persistently about something you weren't even sure was real. After all the trouble you went through, first writing this book, and then finding me, you deserve to have your proof."
She paused, taking a deep breath. "I have your wild magic, Numair." She tensed, waiting for his anger for not telling him sooner. It startled her when, instead of hitting her, he threw his arms around her in a hug so tight she could hardly breathe.
"Thank you," he breathed into her shoulder. "You can't possibly know how long I've been waiting to hear that. I've finally found a wildmage!"
Daine had no idea what to do. She stared down at the top of his head, which was currently resting on her shoulder, and waited for him to come to his senses. After a moment, he let her go and smiled shyly at her. "I apologise. I must have gotten a little over excited there for a bit." He looked down at the floor, then back into her eyes. "Can you talk to the animals?" Daine nodded, knowing that this interrogation would come sometime. "Can you heal? Can you shape shift!?" Daine nodded again. "Oh magelet, this is wonderful! We can go back to Corus, and you can live in the castle, and maybe even -"
"What's a magelet?" Daine asked. He looked startled at the interruption.
"It doesn't mean anything really, just "little mage," I suppose."
"Oh."
She shivered, only now noticing the cold. She wasn't sure if she wanted a pet name, especially since she had only met him the day before yesterday. It seemed harmless though, and it wasn't as demeaning as some of the things she had heard men call their women. Not that she was his, of course. She shook her head to clear her mind of that train of thought, and paid attention to what he was saying.
"-should probably go back to bed. You're freezing, and you need to get your rest." She nodded for what seemed the millionth time that night, and went back up the stairs.
cCCcCCcCCcCCcCCc
Daine woke up late the next morning, feeling stiff, like she hadn't moved for hours. She stretched, and then yelped. It felt like a knife had been thrown into her shoulders and abdomen. After looking around to make sure the mage wouldn't walk in like he had the previous morning, she hiked up her shift and saw the proof of the badger's visit last night. She had deep purple bruises across her stomach and on both her shoulders.
She grimaced and rose from the bed, pulling on a dress with a high collar to avoid the awkward questions the mage was sure to ask if he saw her injuries. She walked down the stairs, peeking around the corner to make sure Numair was decent before making her appearance. He looked up from where he sat on the couch as she descended the last step of the staircase.
"Good morning, Daine. Did you sleep well?" he asked.
"Before or after I woke you up?" Daine replied, blushing. She really should have waited till morning.
"Either."
"I couldn't sleep before. That's why I came and bothered you. I'm sorry I woke you up."
"Don't be sorry," he said, getting up and coming over to take her hand. "Thank you for trusting me. I know it must have been hard for you." Daine blushed at his sincere intensity, and turned away. The hand that wasn't holding hers came to cup her cheek, forcing her to look at him. She stared into the warm brown eyes, unable to look away. This man had only showed up two days ago, and already he was turning her whole world upside down.
A rattling noise came from the tower door. Daine felt her eyes go wide. "Hide!" She whispered frantically. At Numair's questioning look, she hissed, "They've come to feed me, and if they know you're here, it'll only make things worse. Go!!" The mage didn't move. Daine sent him a terrified glare, and he gave her a sly grin before he let go of her hand and disappeared into thin air. Daine barely had time to gasp before the door opened and two guards came into the room, one carrying a tray of food, the other a hunting spear.
Daine felt a hand on her shoulder, and Numair suddenly appeared beside her. She sent him a wild eyed glance, and he mouthed, "They can't see me." Daine relaxed, and looked back to the guards. They were staring at her warily, obviously having noticed her alarm.
"Now, missy, we jus' brought ye yer food," said the man with the tray. He was facing her, even though the table was to his back. As he set down the tray, his eyes never left her face. "There. Now you can eat yer nice food, and everyting'll be a'right. Jest stay calm, we won't hurt ye..." he continued talking, like he was speaking to an injured animal. Daine looked up to see a startled look on Numair's face. He obviously wasn't expecting the guards to be scared of the frail girl.
Daine took a step forward, moving for the table, and the food. The guard with the spear struck out with the handle, knocking the girl to the floor. He put the butt of the weapon against her neck as his comrade escaped, and then ran out of the room, locking the door behind him.
cCCcCCcCCcCCcCCc
Numair was stunned. All his poor magelet had done was take a small step toward the first food she had been given in only the gods knew how long. It wasn't her fault that the man that had been carrying the tray hadn't moved from between her and the table. What surprised him most was how two burly, armed soldiers managed to become so terrified of the small, frail, little girl. She was about as menacing as one of princess Kalasin's dolls.
He picked her up from the floor, and laid her on the couch, pulling the blankets over her. She was such a mystery! He thought about thenight before when she had woken him up to tell him about her magic. What had happened to make her confess to him so suddenly? She had seemed dead set on not telling him anything when she had gone to bed. And now this! There was definitely more to this girl than met the eye.
Looking around, he noticed that she had left his book on the table next to the couch. He picked it up and started thumbing through it, waiting for Daine to wake up.
cCCcCCcCCcCCcCCc
She couldn't move. Something was on her legs, and she couldn't get up. Daine squirmed, managing to sit up, only to find the mage leaning against her legs, reading her book. He hadn't even seemed to notice her struggles. Daine cleared her throat.
"Oh! I apologize, Daine. I'm afraid I got caught up in my book." He smiled sheepishly, and then closed the book. "Are you alright? That dolt was rather violent with you. I think you might have a concussion."
Daine reached up to feel the place where she had been hit. Sure enough, there was a large bump there. She grimaced, and Numair reached to gently feel the lump.
"You stay here; I'll get your food. I don't think it would be a good idea for you to get up."
Daine nodded, and Numair took the tray off the table and set it in her lap. She ate half the food, and then offered the rest to the man.
'No, no. This is your food, you eat it. If I get too hungry, I can fly out the window and go to an inn." He smiled down at her, and then turned thoughtful. "Daine, if you can shapeshift, then why don't you turn into a bird and escape? There's no reason for you to stay, and you can't possibly like it here."
Daine looked down at her food. She was hoping she wouldn't have to have this discussion. "I can't leave, Numair. There's a very good reason for me to stay. "
"But why, magelet? I can't see that there's a problem at all."
"All I'll say is that having wild magic isn't the bed of roses that you make it out to be."
I'm not sure how many of you are going to get to this, what with Harry Potter coming out tomorrow and all that, but I hope that those of you made it liked the chapter. If you have any questions, or anything else, for that matter, feel free to review. Or just review anyway. It'll keep your mind off of the upcoming Pottermania.
Starling