A/N- Don't kill me, I was on vacation! Happy 2007!
Disclaimer- This story is only the ramblings in my head unleashed. Beware!
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Numair was very, very mad.
And he at least had a good reason to be.
He had just endured… what was it? A two week madness of not knowing who was who, sneaking into foreign countries where only a few years ago he was being sought after, being slapped by a hormonal woman, and only getting three hours of sleep each night. And as Daine knew, if you messed with Numair's sleep schedule… you would pay dearly. When he was threatening to totally blow up the wall between him and the mystery person, he was only threatening. Any woman would have described him as having a very bad case of PMS.
He had dearly hoped that the other person would run away, leaving Numair feeling very almighty.
Kalasin, however, did not know of Numair's situation, or the fact that by now she was supposed to be running away. To her, the other person on the other side of the wall had been pampered with chocolate delicacies and had just endured a two-hour long bath. Needless to say, she was mad at the person she had created in her imagination.
Kalasin prepared to die. She closed her eyes, and glued her fists to her thighs for a strange comfort.
The onslaught of death never came, and she could feel a mix of emotions including anxiety, apprehension and joy at not being dead course with surprising speed through her veins.
She tentatively opened one eye, and when she saw nothing but the dark hall ahead of her she opened the other. The silence enveloped her like a cloak on a dark night.
"Hello?" she whispered, gambling with her life.
"Hello," Varice said, recovering from the shock of Numair doing nothing first.
More awkward silence, until, "What's your name?" which came from Unikum.
She was tired of doing nothing, and figured that if you did nothing, then you would achieve the same thing.
"Kalasin," she replied, showing all of her cards. She looked down, long, untrimmed hair covering her face, and shuffled her feet.
Numair, Unikum and Varice exchanged looks of "No way!"
"It's only fair," she said, voice rising, "that you tell me your names now."
Kalasin never received an answer, because a very tall man ran through the connecting hallway and enveloped her in a massive hug. Since her head was now on the person's left shoulder, she could only see the back of his head, which was a long, black horsetail. She recognized it immediately.
"Numair!" she shouted. Finally…someone she knew…tears welled in her eyes, but she managed to hold them back.
Unikum and Varice ran around the corner, wanting to see who Numair knew so well. They saw him with a young girl, no more than fourteen who was dressed in a simple skirt and tunic.
Kalasin, facing them, asked harshly, "Who are you?"
They both put their hands up. "Friends," they both said at the same time.
Numair let go of Kalasin and faced his companions. "This," he said, a smile creeping onto his face "is the future Empress."
Unikum and Varice's eyes went wide, and the former bowed while the latter curtseyed.
"Nice to…meet…you, Nobility?" Unikum posed it as a question, silently asking what to call her. Kalasin sighed.
"Kalasin is fine, thank you," she said. "But," Kalasin continued, "We have to go, now! Lukiem, the person who held me captive is looking for me! And if he finds me, he'll kill me, or at least lock me up with no chance of escaping. You, however, will be killed because he has no need for you!"
"The place is big," Unikum said, "It's nearly impossible to find someone."
"That doesn't matter! We need to get out of here now!" Kalasin said, with urgency in her voice. "Where's the exit?"
"Back that way," Varice said, throwing her head over her shoulder. "Not far."
"Come with me," Kalasin said. Due to the fact that her hair was still tucked in the back of her tunic and itching madly, she pulled the midnight locks out. She noted that her hair, shoulder-length when she came, was now past her shoulder blades.
Numair nodded. "Agreed. When we get out of this place, stick together until we get above the ground. Then run for the ballroom, where there are a lot of people, and as fast as you can."
Kalasin, Varice and Unikum nodded in agreement.
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Lukiem's legs burned from the running he had done. The underground palace was as big as the original palace.
The tenebrous atmosphere had never gotten to him as it did then, with shadows dancing around him, He knew he had to find Kalasin before she made it to the trapdoor, or else his plan would be ruined.
The trapdoor. If he could block Kalasin before she reached the exit, then she wouldn't be able to escape. Thus all he had to do was reach it before she did.
Lukiem knew the underground as well as the back of his hand, and he knew exactly where the exit was. It wasn't far, which he smiled wolfishly at. He amazed himself at the speed of which he ran to the exit, and he gave the credit to adrenaline.
He arrived at the exit, and was glad to see no one else was there. He had arrived first. And since they could only come from his left or front, (due to the design of the hallway,) he knew he had won the little game of cat and mouse. He admitted that Kalasin was the most entertaining of prey he had ever chased, but that didn't matter. He had won.
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The four –Kalasin, Numair, Unikum and Varice- sprinted to the trapdoor. There was one final stretch, and when they turned the final corner-
They saw Lukiem, revenge in his eyes. The four stopped dead in their tracks, and Kalasin wanted to kill the man where he stood.
"Hello, there," Lukiem said, voice dripping with poison. "How are you?"
"I'd be a lot better if you weren't here," Kalasin shot back, with only ten yards between them.
"Shame," Lukiem said. "Such a shame. Can't come any closer now, or I'll get you."
He opened up a part of his robe, and revealed a rough cotton shirt with a leather vest overtop. Taking off the light robe, Kalasin noted a sheath at the side of the breeches he wore. A hilt penetrated from it.
"I'm not afraid to kill you," Lukiem said, voice strong. "As long as you're dead, I'm happy."
"I don't understand," said Varice, whispering to Unikum. "Kalasin never hurt him."
"She represents Tortall, and he wants to destroy Tortall. He'll stop at nothing," he replied.
Kalasin was oblivious to the two talking behind her. The hatred towards Lukiem was growing within her.
She wanted to kill Lukiem, while Lukiem wanted to kill her.
Anyone could figure out that someone was going to die that night.
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Daine and Kaddar were nearly blind from the lack of light in the trapdoor, and only a thin, metal railing kept them from tumbling downwards.
"How much longer until the bottom? Or anything?" Daine asked.
"If I knew, then I'd tell you," Kaddar said. Then he added, "Wait. I see something...it's a light!"
Daine, who was behind Kaddar, was hesitant. "Go slowly. Who knows what's down here." She unsheathed the stable boy's dagger, and the hilt beneath her fingers made her feel better.
Finally, the two arrived at the bottom of the winding staircase. A wooden door was in front of them. Kaddar put his hand on the knob, and then stopped when he heard voices of the other side of the door.
"What are you going to do now, princess? Run away?"
Kaddar and Daine snapped up straight. Kaddar recognized Lukiem's voice, and realized Kalasin was also there. The question what should we do? went through both of their heads.
Kaddar, with the little light he had, managed to mime that they should open the door, and charge Lukiem. Daine thought about it. She didn't want any one to get hurt, but if that was the only way…
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"All good things must come to an end," Lukiem said, cocking his head to the right.
"Damn it, Lukiem, you're wrong." Kalasin turned to Numair. "Do something!" she said.
Numair, with strands of his hair over his face, wiped the sweat from the running out of his face. "How?" he asked.
Kalasin winced. Men were so thick. "With your magic!"
Click. Kalasin practically heard the sense finally coming into his mind.
"Right! Magic!" Numair's face went dark, and he started to concentrate. Usually his magic came to his naturally, but not now. He did strange things with his hands, but Lukiem remained standing there, unchanged. "It's not working," Numair said, dejected. "He's warded the place. No magic is used down here."
Lukiem's sick laugh echoed through the damp halls. "Right you are, Master Numair! Has it been awhile since you fought without magic?"
Numair never answered, as the door behind Lukiem opened with a burst. The latter turned around with fury, and he faced Daine and Kaddar.
"Daine!" Kalasin yelled, as did Numair. "Kaddar!" Kalasin also added.
Daine and Kaddar paid them no attention, as their eyes were glued to Lukiem. His dagger was pulled, as was Daine's. Recognition in Lukiem's eyes told Daine that she was in for trouble.
"You," Lukiem said, "are Tortallan. You are the one who killed my son. You will die."
He lunged at Daine, murder in his heart. Daine moved to the right quickly, the dagger missing her chest by inches. Varice and Unikum cowered backwards, Numair stepped forwards (although he knew well enough to stay out of harms way) and Kalasin ran towards her friend. Kaddar, seeing his opportunity, brought his knee up to Lukiem, winding him. Lukiem managed to pivot however, stabbing Kaddar in his right thigh.
The blood pounded out of Kaddar, and the pain was immense, especially when he took the dagger out. Lukiem, hair plastered to his forehead, would have killed him if not for Kalasin, who jumped on Lukiem's back and started strangling him. Lukiem shook her off with ease, and she flew four feet backwards.
By now Daine had recovered. Seeing Kalasin being thrown backwards, Daine locked chest-to-chest with Lukiem, and immediately realized her problem. Lukiem was taller, heavier and stronger. He pushed her backwards, and she hit the ground with a thunk. Lukiem was carried by the momentum a few feet from Daine, and she grabbed his ankle, pulling him down with her. He let go of the dagger as she did so.
By now Numair realized that if he wanted to help, he would have to stay out of it. He would only be a nuisance. If Daine was hurt, he would rush in her place.
Meanwhile, Unikum and Varice were huddling together, watching the fight, scared it would come to them.
Kaddar grabbed Lukiem's cast-off robe and ripped off a long piece. He wrapped it tightly around the entry wound, and it stopped bleeding. He couldn't, however, move without stabs of pain shooting through his leg.
Kalasin shimmied up the wall, and finally stood. She wasn't badly hurt, just shaken. Seeing Daine in an all-out fistfight with Lukiem, she panicked, not knowing what to do. At that point the discarded dagger of Lukiem's came into view, as did Daine's which she had lost during the fight. Picking up the closest one, she fingered it. The tool of death sent shivers up her spine, although she knew what she had to do.
It was unexpected, however, that she couldn't tell the difference between the two. They both had dark hair and breeches. If she stabbed randomly into the rolling bodies, she risked hitting Daine.
"Daine!" she shouted above the screams of pain from Lukiem and Daine. "Get up! Run! Let me kill him!"
Daine realized that Kalasin was right. She had no reason to hate Lukiem, although she did know that she had broken his nose. Mustering the last bit of energy within her, she kicked Lukiem between his legs, and while he was distracted she rolled over away from him. She ran towards Numair, leaving Kalasin and Lukiem facing each other.
Kalasin kneeled towards Lukiem, whose face was distorted with pain. She didn't realize that Lukiem had picked up his dagger when Daine had run away.
"All good things must come to an end, right?" Then she leaned closer to his ear. "Wrong."
Lukiem, who was only in half of the pain he portrayed, took advantage of his situation.
"Whatever," he said, grinning, and kneed her in the chest. "Right now, I want the other to die first."
His eyes locked Daine's, who was standing beside Numair. Unikum and Varice had stopped shaking by now, and had joined the pair.
Lukiem took slow steps towards Daine. Numair stood in front of her with his arms stretched out, protecting her. "No," Numair said.
Realizing that he couldn't get any closer without getting beat up, (He was already in bad shape, with a cut across the check from Daine, a broken nose and bruised knees.), Lukiem threw the dagger.
The dagger whistled through the air, but Lukiem's aim was off.
He didn't hit Daine, or Numair.
Instead, his dagger buried itself in the heart of Unikum.
He died instantly.
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"No!" everyone shouted, excepting Kaddar who had passed out. Even Lukiem showed remorse, as he had just killed one of his followers. The crumpled body of Unikum lay of the floor, and Varice, who had been the closest to him, started crying.
Kalasin, who had recovered her breath, had by now walked to three feet away from Lukiem.
"Damn you, Lukiem. I thought that you had changed when you stopped drugging my food. I thought you had a heart. No, I was wrong. You don't have a heart. You're not human. You don't deserve the title. I thought that leopards could change their spots. Damn you, Lukiem."
Lukiem, shaking, turned to face her. To her surprise, he was crying.
"You don't know how it feels," he said. "To lose a loved one. Your son! How could it happen? Damn me, Kalasin? I don't think so. Damn Tortall, for ruining my life."
Kalasin shook her head. "Your son was in the army, and accepted the risks of the job. Daine didn't mean to kill him, either. It was his own stubbornness for not leaving. When you learned of your loss you could have mourned for as long as you wanted, and then moved on. If you don't move on, your life is caged in tragedy. Remember him, but do not live your life for revenge."
Lukiem didn't hear a word she said. Instead, he turned to the one who he hated with every once of his body, Daine.
"You killed me," he said.
"No," Daine replied, voice cool, "You killed yourself."
Lukiem stared at her, realizing what she meant. If he had instead accepted his loss then his life would have been fuller. If he had been lucky, he might of still had a wife. But he had lived his life in misery, slowly killing himself.
"I can't let you live, Lukiem."
Lukiem faced Kalasin again.
"Goodbye," Kalasin whispered.
With all of her might, she rammed the dagger into his heart. The life drained out of him, and that was the fateful day that Lukiem Hashamr died.
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A/N- Almost done the story! There's maybe one chapter left, and then an epilogue. This chapter took about two hours to write, and was by far the longest. I'm hoping to get to 300 reviews by the end, so you know what that means…review!