Once again, everything you recognise is the great Ms Pierce's. Thankyou so much for the reviews, they're really encouraging! Sorry for taking so long to update, I've had about a million essays to write but it's the holidays now so I've got plenty of time to spend fanfiction-ing. Not too sure about this chapter so let me know what you think!
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Daine frowned. She was walking down a long, winding passageway lit intermittently by flickering torches. Reaching out a hand to steady herself she touched damp stone and drew back, sniffing the air like one of the People. Casting out her wild magic she searched for any friends who could help her but found the way ahead sinisterly devoid of even the tiniest of mice or rats. Dimly aware she was dreaming but unable to wake herself up, she continued down the hallway until she reached a thick wooden door. A large symbol was carved into it: an eye with a slit for a pupil underneath two crossed sticks which she realised bore a marked resemblance to those on the now deceased Emperor Mage Ozorne's crest. She pushed on the door gently, surprised to find it open, and entered the room. It was bare save for another door with the same symbol carved inside it opposite her. Feeling increasingly apprehensive she progressed through the second door, along the passageway that now sloped downwards abruptly. Another minute's walk and her sharp eyes spotted a figure in the distance, tall, dark and reassuringly familiar. "Numair!" she called out, quickening her pace.
"Daine run! Faster!" the mage called out, opening his arms. Worried at the fear in his voice she almost failed to hear the loud sound behind her, like a gust of wind but thicker and laced with a crackling that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.
"Numair!" she shouted again, her chest tightening as she ran faster and faster getting closer to her love. The noise behind her was growing louder now, she could feel an immense heat racing down the passageway towards her, travelling far faster than she could run. She screamed and reached out for Numair who did the same, their fingers almost touching but it was too late. Her final feelings were of sheer terror as her whole body became unbearably hot and a smell of burning filled her nostrils and mouth so strongly she couldn't even scream.
She opened her mouth to try again and found she was sat bolt upright in bed, her arms outstretched and her chest heaving wildly. Her actions were enough to wake even the notoriously heavy sleeper beside her. "Daine? Sweet," he murmured, rubbing her back gently.
"Just a dream," she said, her heart still racing as she leant back into his arms and closed her eyes, the feelings of terror and panic evoked by her nightmare subsiding slowly in a haze of warmth and desire.
"You scared me magelet, it must have been a really horrible nightmare," he said, lips on her hair.
"I just want to forget about it now though," she said, her voice muffled as she rubbed her nose against his chest, a gesture often used that guaranteed Numair's immediate distraction. He laughed softly and tilted her face up for a kiss that firmly banished any remaining fears on Daine's part: the two soon became lost in each other, Daine's heart racing as his hands swept over her arched body and Numair gasping in delight at her lips against his neck.
A bang at the door made them both jump. "Numair?" someone behind the door shouted. "Alanna told me to go and make sure you're at least conscious. So are you?"
"Odds bobs that's Raoul," Daine whispered, scrambling round the mussed bedclothes for a shirt. Numair couldn't contain his amusement at the distressed wild mage who, having found a shirt, was now yanking on breeches at an alarming speed, so much so that she fell over with a crash.
"Salmalin what on earth are you doing?" Raoul shouted again.
Numair snorted. "Nothing!" He then whispered to Daine: "Sweet, can't you just shape shift?"
"Into what? If he comes in and sees a cat in here he's going to get highly suspicious. Besides, I think my toe is broken," she whispered back, her face comically contorted in pain as she rubbed her foot. Numair laughed again and got out of bed, heading for the door.
"I'm coming Raoul," he said, now almost bent double from laughing as Daine hauled herself across the room behind the curtain, still clutching her toe. He opened the door and grinned at the big knight in front of him. "Morning."
Raoul smirked and glanced behind Numair at the highly obvious bulge in the curtain. "Black robe though you may be Salmalin, your powers of deception are abysmal. We both know a certain wild mage is currently hiding behind that curtain so unless you want Alanna to find out I suggest the said wild mage shifts into something very small and inconspicuous so as to avoid our noble champion's detection…" Before he could continue however, the bulge in the curtain changed into a very large and very conspicuous lioness. Raoul yelled and jumped backwards, much to Numair's further amusement. Daine the Lioness padded towards Numair, affectionately rubbed her head against his leg and sauntered past Raoul, flicking her tail at him as she passed by. A moment later the lioness had been replaced by a tiny brown mouse which scampered off down the corridor towards Daine's chambers.
"I'm going to kill her," muttered Raoul, glowering at a highly amused Numair.
After breakfast the Tortallans were given a tour of the newly built palace, before boarding the impressive new Imperial barge which took them on a trip down the River Zekoi. Emperor Kaddar found Daine leaning against the decorative wooden railings of the vessel, staring out into the waters. "Are you enjoying your trip so far Daine?" he asked, standing next to her.
Daine smiled up at him. "Very much so. I'd forgotten how lovely Carthak is…very different to Tortall but lovely all the same."
"I wish you could stay longer," Kaddar said quietly, taking her hand. "I really missed you Daine."
She bit her lip and decided now was as good a time as any to tell him about Numair. "Kaddar, there's something you should know…"
A cough behind them interrupted her and the Emperor turned round, frowning at the disturbance. "Aah, Massan," he said, nodding at the man standing before him. "I was wondering whether you'd returned from your trip. This is Veralidaine Sarrasri, the wildmage from Tortall. Daine this is Massan al Louren, a Master at the university here and one of my advisors." Daine turned to look at the mage in front of her. He was tall and very thin, his skin a waxy colour suggesting he spent too much time indoors. He was dressed in a simple brown robe but on the bottom was a strange mark Daine couldn't quite make out. She looked up into his strangely cold amber eyes and immediately a number of familiar mages and feelings flashed through her mind: the wooden door with the crest, Numair calling to her from the end of the corridor and a dreaded feeling of heat and terror. She closed her eyes and swayed on her feet as she tried to block out the wave of panic that threatened to consume her; she was dimly aware of the People near to the shore calling out to her in worry, but it wasn't until she felt a familiar and pleasant warmth behind her that she retreated from her visions. She leant backwards into the arms of Numair who cradled her tenderly, stroking her hair. "Daine?" he said, worry evident in the tremble of his voice.
She opened her eyes and looked into his face, a picture of concern and love. "I'm all right…I…" she sat up and rubbed her eyes. "Maybe it was the heat."
Alanna appeared at her shoulder and knelt in front of her, tilting her head one way then the next to examine her. "The heat doesn't normally affect you so badly. I'm assuming that cacophony of noise from the shore was your beasties showing their concern?"
Daine flushed and stood up, brushing off Alanna's question whilst still leaning on Numair for support. She glanced at Kaddar who was looking at her strangely: a mixture of concern, surprise and something else she couldn't quite make out filling his face. "Maybe you should sit in the shade Veralidaine?" his use of her full name shocked her and she glanced at him, puzzled. She didn't have more time to dwell on it, however, as the mage Massan addressed her. She noticed he didn't meet her eyes and deduced he knew or guessed the real reason behind her spell of weakness.
"Perhaps that would be best, Miss Sarrasri. The Carthaki heat is fiercest at this time of day," his voice was low and to Daine's ears sounded thin and slightly sinister. She nodded and allowed Numair to lead her over to a nearby canopy where he fussed around her like a mother hen. She told him as such and he glared at her, launching into a lecture about the dangers of over exerting herself during her time here that did more to comfort her than anything else.
That night she came to his room again, hoping her sleep would be dream free. "Daine, can I ask you something?"
"Of course," she said, yawning as she watched him climb into bed.
"What really happened on the boat today? It wasn't the heat so don't try that again," he said, looking at her firmly in the eye.
Knowing she could no more deceive Numair than make pleasant small talk with Varice Kingsford she chose to evade his question. "Nothing. I'm tired, can we talk about this tomorrow?" she asked. He frowned but nodded, pulling her into his arms where she lay awake for a long time, dreading the moment when she closed her eyes in case her nightmares returned to haunt her.