Hello! Only two weeks after my last update! So proud of myself! Well, anyway, enjoy! And happy 4th of July!
Chapter 9
Arrival At Benton
"Magelet," a voice called, slowly pulling her out of her dreams. "Sweet, wake up" the voice said again. She opened one eye, and saw Numair sitting beside her.
"Numair, let me sleep," she murmured, resting her head in his lap. She was surprised to hear, not her voice, but the neighing of a horse. Oh. She still was a horse.
She got to her feet, shaking out her mane before nuzzling Numair, lipping at his hair. Looking around, she noticed Alex was missing. "Where's Alex?" she inquired, forming vocal chords so she could communicate.
"I sent him to go get firewood," he replied. "Magelet, you should get dressed before then."
"Sure," she replied, going over to her pack and changing to human form.
"Daine!" Numair protested.
"What Numair?" she asked, pulling her clothes out of her pack.
"You shouldn't… it's…"
She sighed, quickly dressing and going over to him. Wrapping her arms around him, she looked up into his eyes. "Numair, this noble streak of yours is fine, but it's getting quite annoying."
"But Magelet-"
"No buts," she said, cutting him off.
He smiled, bringing his lips down to meet hers. She deepened the kiss, pulling him tighter against her.
-----
"Why can't that dumb mage go gather the firewood himself?" Alex complained to himself as he walked back to camp with his arms full of wood. Then, remembering that the animals might tell Daine anything he said, he didn't voice any more of his thoughts.
It's not like I couldn't have woke Daine up, he thought angrily. How am I going to get close to her if that useless mage won't ever leave us alone? He know he'll lose her to me if he doesn't keep us apart, that must be why he never leaves us alone.
He grinned. I'm a threat to the Black Robe Mage of Tortall. Daine would dump that old man in a minute for someone like me.
Walking alongside the stream, he soon arrived at the fringe of the clearing. Envy raced through him as he saw Daine and Numair in each other's embrace. Keeping his feelings at bay, he walked into the clearing, sitting the wood down with a loud thump. Daine and Numair broke apart, an embarrassed flush on their faces. Evidently they hadn't heard him arrive.
"I see you're no longer a horse," Alex joked as they sat up camp.
"Ha ha," she replied, smiling.
-----
"Numair, wake up," a voice called softly, attempting to wake the mage. "Numair!" the voice hissed, sounding quite like Alanna. "Numair!" she voice hissed again, this time forcing him awake. He opened his eyes, and saw Alanna.
"Alanna, couldn't you wait to contact me until morning?" he asked irritably, getting up and going over to sit by the fire.
"No, Numair, I can't," she snapped. "How close are you to Benton?"
"Alex said we'd get there tomorrow. Why?"
"Another messenger came in today from Tirragen. He said the same thing as Alex. Apparently whatever is doing this has moved on from Benton."
"Does Jon want us to head to Tirragen instead?"
"No, he said for you to go on to Benton. See if anyone hasn't been taken and if there are any, talk to them. I'm going to Tirragen to see if I can find out what is going on. Meet me there when you and Daine finish."
"Of course. Now can I go back to sleep?"
About this time Alex woke, looking up to see Numair beside the fire. He was about to go back to sleep when he heard a female voice laugh. He smiled, thinking that this may be the key to getting Daine.
"Sure Numair. But be careful okay?"
"You too. Good night."
"Night."
Alex shut his eyes quickly, pretending to be asleep, as Numair laid back down. Inside though he was grinning, positive he had found the perfect way to get what he wanted.
-----
"Hey Numair," he asked the next morning, once Numair had woke up. "Who were you talking to last night?"
"Oh. You were awake?"
"Yeah, I didn't see who she was though."
Daine looked up, confused.
"That was Alanna," he explained, sitting down beside Daine. "It seems like our problem has moved on."
"What?" Alex asked, wondering how this perfect scheme had left him confused. "And Alanna who?"
Daine laughed. "The Lioness, Alex. Now what do you mean the problem has moved on, Numair?"
He sighed, wrapping his arm around her. "Yesterday a messenger arrived at Corus from Tirragen, with the same story as Alex. We're assuming that whatever it is has moved on to Tirragen, having finished with Benton."
"So are we going to change course?" Daine asked.
"No, Jon wants us to continue on to Benton since we are almost there already and find out if there is anyone that hasn't been taken, and get their opinion if there are any. Alanna is heading for Tirragen now, and we're going to meet her there once we've finished."
"Didn't you think that once the war was over, all this," she said, motioning around at their campsite, "would stop? I thought that we would be able to stay in one place for a little while, but now we've got another problem to deal with."
"I know Magelet," he said, pulling her tighter against him. "But hopefully once this is taken care of, we can relax. Do you realize that it's been forever since I've actually read a book?"
Daine laughed. "That was last week."
"Well, it seems like forever."
Kit walked up to them, climbing into Numair's lap, forcing the two to separate. Alex decided that he liked that little dragon.
-----
That afternoon they rode into Benton. The small village looked normal, except for the fact that only a few of the people they saw even paid attention to their arrival. That was unusual for such a small town that saw few outsiders.
Alex led them through the small village to a large white two-story house. "This is where Ayame, our village leader lives," Alex explained as they dismounted. "Most of the ones who hadn't been taken were preparing to move in here when I left for Corus."
The door opened and an elderly man walked out, helped by a young boy. Several other kids followed them out, crowding behind the old man, watching the newcomers.
"Welcome to Benton," the old man said, brown eyes studying Daine and Numair. "I am Ayame. If you'll come with me, we can discuss the strange occurrences that have happened in Benton. The lads will take care of your horses." Hearing this, the boys rushed forward to grab the horses' reins.
Cloud's ears went back and she lunged forward, teeth bared. The boy reaching for her reins jumped back, face pale. "Cloud, leave be," Daine scolded the mare. Being motioned forward, the boy reached for the mare's reins again, and although her ears stayed back, she didn't attempt to bite again.
Another boy walked up to Daine. "I'll take your horse for ya, Miss," he said quietly, looking at the stallion admirably.
"Oh, sure," she replied, smiling. "Just a second." She went back to her saddle, picking Kit up out of her bag and holding the dragonet against her hip. "Okay, you can take him now," she said, turning around to face the boy. He stared at Kit in awe, not moving.
"Are you okay?" she asked. He nodded, reaching for Black's reins, who reared, bringing them out of the boy's reach.
"Black!" Daine reproached. "Stop picking on him." Black snorted, but allowed the boy to lead him away.
Once the horses had left, Ayame led them into the house. He was old, older than 70, and had long gray braided hair that ended at his lower back. They entered a small room, the boy helping Ayame sit down in a large, heavily cushioned, chair. Then, bowing to the others, he left, shutting the door behind him.
"Please, be seated," Ayame said, motioning towards a large sofa and another chair. Numair and Daine sat down on the sofa, Alex following their example and sitting on the chair. Kit climbed up on the other side of Daine, trilling softly.
"We are honored and grateful that you have come so quickly to our small village in our time of need, Master Salmalin and Miss Sarrasri," Ayame began, bowing his head in their direction. "When we sent young Alex to Corus for help, only a few of our men and women had been taken. Now, only our young children and us elderly ones are left. No one else has been taken for several days. We're not sure if whoever or whatever behind this has left or there's no one else they want to take."
"Whatever behind this has moved on to Tirragen," Numair explained. "I received word yesterday that a messenger arrived at the palace from Tirragen with the same story Alex had. We plan on meeting the Lioness there once we have done what we can here."
Ayame smiled sadly. "I'm afraid that there is very little that can be done for us now."
"Has anyone not returned once they have been taken?" Daine asked.
"No, they've all came back, but they are not normal. Certainly not normal," Ayame answered. "I'm sure you must be tired. I'm afraid that with all the people I now have living here, I have only two rooms available. I hope that is okay with you?"
"It's fine," Daine assured him.
The old man nodded. "Before you go, may I inquire how you managed to tame a dragon? I've always dreamed of seeing one."
Daine laughed. "Kit's not a pet, she's a friend. Her mother was killed protecting us, and I've been raising her daughter Skysong ever since."
"Don't you think that I would be better for someone with more experience with dragons to take care of her? Or maybe you should allow her to go back to the Dragonlands to be with her own kind."
Kit whistled angrily. "Kit wants to stay here. You can't keep a dragon, even a young one, against their will."
Ayame nodded. "Forgive me, I'm afraid I know little about dragons. Naratu!" he called, and the boy entered again, standing by the door.
"Show our guest up to their rooms," he told the boy. Naratu nodded, and Ayame turned his attention back to Daine and Numair. "Dinner's in a few hours," he informed them. "If you would like, I can have one of the lads come get you."
"Thank you," Numair answered graciously. "We would appreciate that."
Naratu led them up a flight of stairs, heading down the hall past several doors. Opening two doors next to each other, he turned back to face them. "These are your rooms," he said, eyes focused on Kit. "Someone will be up to get you for supper." He bowed, and then left them, heading back the way they had come.
Daine entered one room, sitting Kit down on the bed. Alex entered the other room, hoping that it would have two beds so as he wouldn't have to sleep on the floor. But then Numair entered Daine's room instead, he wondered if maybe he would have preferred sleeping on the floor.
-----
Numair watched as Daine entered one room, Alex the others. He paused, unsure which room to choose. His head told him to go in the room Alex had chose, to protect their secret until they could formally announce their relationship, but his heart wanted to throw caution to the wind.
He followed his heart, going over to where Daine was looking out the window, wrapping his arms around her. Smiling, she turned to face him, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Choosing to stay with me, are we?" she inquired softly.
"Of course," he answered, caressing her cheek.
"I'm glad," she replied as he brought his lips down to meet hers.
Kit whistled, angry at being left out. Daine and Numair broke apart, laughing at the dragon's antics. Daine led Numair over to Kit, sitting down on the bed beside the dragonet, Numair following her example. He leaned back against the wall, Daine resting her head against his chest. Kit curled up in his lap, her tail curled around her body.
"Numair, do you think there's anything we can do to help these people?"
He sighed. "I don't know Magelet. This is quite unusual."
"I want to go out and talk to the animals later. They might know something."
"That can wait until tomorrow. For now we can just relax," he replied, yawning.
"Yeah," she replied as she left the bed, going over to look out the window once more. "I just wonder what's happening. I thought that once Ozorne was gone, the war would be over, but-"
She was interrupted by a knock on the door. A young boy entered, carrying Daine's bags. "The lady's bags," he said, bowing his head towards Daine.
"Just sit them down there," she answered. "Thank you very much," she added, smiling.
"You're welcome," he replied, leaving the room. As he left another, slightly older boy entered, carrying Numair's bags.
"Master Alex told me to bring Master Salmalin's bags over here," he explained to the two.
"That's fine," Numair assured him. "Thanks."
The boy smiled, sitting the bags down before leaving the room with a bow.
Daine sighed, moving their bags to the corner before rejoining Numair on the bed. "There's really no point in unpacking since we're very likely only going to be here one night."
"Hopefully Alanna can handle it until we get there," Numair replied, disturbing her and Kit as he stretched out on the bed.
She laughed, lying down beside him, Kit curling up between their feet. "Naptime, is it?"
"Yes, it is," he murmured, wrapping his arms around her, pulling her against him.
Daine smiled, closing her eyes and quickly falling asleep.
-----
They were awakened by a knock on the door. Numair groaned, covering his head with a pillow. "Go away," he commanded the person on the other side of the door.
"Master Salmalin, I'm sorry to interrupt you but dinner is ready," a young girl's voice replied through the door.
"Don't care," he mumbled into the pillow. Sighing, Daine got up, despite Numair's protests, and went over to the door. Smiling, she opened it, revealing a young girl with long black hair. Her emerald green eyes widened in surprise at seeing Daine. Apparently she hadn't known Daine was inside.
"We'll be ready in a moment," she told the girl kindly. "You can go on ahead."
The little girl shook her head fiercely, black curls flying around her face. "I'm supposed to take you down to the dining hall ma'am."
"Well, come on in while I try to get Master Mage here up," she replied. The girl obeyed, and Daine shut the door behind her before turning and going back to the bed. Kit climbed down and went over to the child, who stared in awe at the young dragon.
"Numair, wake up," Daine said, poking him in the ribs.
"No."
She sighed, pulling the pillow off of his head, pulling his nose playfully. "Numair…"
Opening his eyes, he glared at her. "Fine, ruin a perfectly good nap," he said, sitting up. "Oh, hello," he said, noticing the girl playing with Kit.
"H-h-hello Master Salmalin," she replied timidly, stopping her play with Kit.
Standing up, he looked in the mirror, running his fingers through his hair.
Daine snorted.
"What?" he asked innocently, turning to face her.
"You're more vain than the palace ladies."
"Yeah, but you love me anyway," he teased.
She hit him lightly on the shoulder. Laughing. "Come on, let's go."
The girl quickly stopped her resumed play with Kit, leading them out the door.
"What's your name?" Daine asked her as they followed her down the stairs.
"Arisa."
"That's a pretty name," she responded kindly.
Arisa smiled in reply, leading them into a small dining hall. Ayame and Alex were already there, talking about the happenings at Benton.
"Master Salmalin, Miss Sarrasri, welcome!" Ayame called cheerfully, stopping his conversation. "Please sit down," he continued, motioning to two chairs on either side of him. "Alex and I were just talking. I'm sorry to say that-what's wrong with the dragon?"
Kit was whistling angrily as Numair and Daine sat down. Smiling, Daine picked up the dragonet and sat her on her lap. "Do you think someone could get a stool or something for Kit?" Daine asked Ayame. "She likes to be at the table so she can see what's going on."
"Oh!" Ayame exclaimed. "I had heard dragons were very curious creatures. Arisa, be a dear and go find a stool for Skysong here," he told the girl.
Arisa nodded, rushing out of the room. When she returned carrying a stool, dinner had already been served. She sat the stool between Daine and Ayame and as Daine sat Kit onto the stool, left.
"So, what are your plans?" Ayame asked Numair and Daine. "Is there anything you can do to help our village?"
"There's not much I can do alone," Numair answered. "There are too many people affected. But hopefully I can find out what happened to them and how to free them from it."
"While he's doing that I'll talk to the animals, find out where they were taken and who took them," Daine added. "Animals are everywhere and most people don't think about what they might overhear or see."
Hearing this, Alex smiled. Numair wouldn't be with her! This was his chance!
"Splendid! Absolutely marvelous! Then you will travel to Tirragen, I presume?"
"Yes, hopefully by tomorrow afternoon," Numair replied. "The sooner we get to Tirragen, the better the chance of capturing the culprit."
"Of course, I understand. And what about you Alex? Are you going to stay here?"
"I guess I'll stay," Alex said, smiling ruefully.
As the others talked, Alex tuned in to his thoughts. He just had to fine a way to go to Tirragen with them!
AN 1: This is my longest chapter yet! 3, 014 words. Finally we are starting to get into some action, but just starting. The end of this fanfic is a long, long way off.
AN 2: I'm counting down the days until Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. 16 days! Speaking of counting down days, my newest book series, Fruits Basket is on volume 16 (in English print) and 17 comes out August 5th! Can't wait for that either! Fruits Basket is this awesome manga series. Does anyone else read it?
Read & Review
Later ppl,
Kasia