Disclaimer: Everything you recognise is Tamora's.
Thank you so much for the reviews, any feedback is very much welcome! Just a short-ish chapter for you here to get the action moving.
p.s. ReadingRobyn your guess is close but not quite right!
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"I'm fine Raoul, honestly," Daine said, a little exasperated at the big knight's fussing. All she wanted was to finish breakfast then go and find Kaddar but her friends were making this increasingly difficult.
"Can you blame us for being worried Daine? Since that episode on the boat you've barely said two words to anyone," Raoul continued.
"He's right Sarrasri. Is it something to do with a certain black robe we all know and love?" Alanna demanded.
Daine looked up to the divine realms in despair and sighed. "There is nothing wrong. I was just hot on the boat and I guess I've not felt well since. I'm not going through any major crises or fighting with Numair, believe me you two would be the first to know. Now, if you'll excuse me I need to find Kaddar." Shoving back her chair she left the room, ignoring the worried look she saw passed between Alanna and Raoul.
It wasn't hard to find the Emperor: he was in his chambers surrounded by a veritable army of advisors and petitioners. She approached his seat and bowed. "Emperor Kaddar, I was hoping I could speak with you? In private."
Kaddar nodded, dismissing his advisors with a wave. "We will walk with Miss Sarrasri in the gardens." As he left the room the assembled crowd bowed low, Daine a beat behind everyone else.
During their walk to the exquisite Carthaki formal gardens Daine was silent, biting her lip in thought. Kaddar led them to a bench on the banks of an impressive ornamental pond, filled with large fish that sparkled enchantingly in the morning sunshine. The Emperor coughed and shifted nervously before turning to face his friend. "Daine. Are you pregnant?"
Daine's mouth dropped open. "What?" she all but shouted.
"Are you pregnant? Your fainting on the boat made it quite obvious." Kaddar repeated. "I'm taking an educated guess that it's Numair's, the man's never strayed further away from you than a few feet in all the time you've been here. But if you feel trapped you can come and stay here, I'd help you Daine you know I would, there are plenty of options." Daine regarded him in stunned silence. Kaddar stared back, concern filling his deep brown eyes.
"Kaddar, I'm not pregnant," she said. When the Emperor opened his mouth to protest she held up her hand to stop him. "I swear on the Mother herself I'm not. And I'd thank you to not jump to conclusions about me and Numair."
"So you're not together?" Kaddar said eagerly.
"I didn't say that. All I meant was that you were fair quick to assume I was foolish enough to be in that situation and that's not to mention the fact you obviously thought less of me for it. You were cold to me all afternoon!" her voice was rising now, her temper, unlike Numair's, was slow to ignite but once roused was a force to be reckoned with.
Kaddar, having seen the results of Daine's temper first hand, was quick to apologise. "Daine, I'm sorry if I was rude to you yesterday. But I was shocked! And worried about you and angry with him…"
"Kaddar, I love Numair more than anything in the world. And believe me, he's been nothing but the perfect gentlemen," Daine said, inwardly grimacing at her lover's reticence to take things further for fear of damaging her reputation. "I can look after myself. But thank you for your concern all the same."
The Emperor regarded her sceptically. "Are you betrothed?"
Daine shook her head emphatically. "He's asked me a hundred times but I'm not ready for marriage. I've wanted to tell you the minute we got here but I guess I never found the right time. I'm sorry I kept something so big from you."
Kaddar shook his head. "Don't apologise Daine. I guessed anyway: making your mage rabidly jealous is a highly amusing past time. Can I carry on?"
"When Varice Kingsford is around, yes you may," Daine grinned.
The Emperor laughed and shook his head again. "You know she means nothing to him don't you? Anyone can see he worships the ground you walk on."
Daine smiled at him and changed the subject. "Kaddar, tell me more about the mage I met yesterday, Massan was it?"
"Massan? He's a scholar at the university, he grew up with my Uncle," Kaddar replied.
"With Ozorne? And you still keep him as your advisor?" Daine exclaimed.
"Daine if I were to go around banishing everyone who supported my Uncle during one stage or another of his life, I'd have a very small council of advisors," the Emperor said dryly.
"Did Numair know him?"
"Possibly, although Massan rose to prominence after your friend left," Kaddar replied. "Anything else you want to know?" When Daine shook her head the Emperor rose, pulling her up from her seat and kissing her hand.
Unforunately, Numair chose this moment to come across them. He coughed pointedly and glared at Kaddar. "Your Imperial Majesty."
"Master Salmalin. I was just taking Daine on a tour of the gardens," Kaddar said smoothly.
Numair ignored him. "Daine I've been looking for you everywhere."
"Not very hard it would seem," Kaddar muttered. Daine shot him a warning glance before smiling at Numair.
"I'm sorry, I just needed to speak to Kaddar," she said.
"And now we've talked it over, I'm glad you told me Daine. Until next time, sweet," Kaddar said, kissing her hand again. Daine rolled her eyes at his over exaggerated farewell and, once the Emperor had strolled away, turned to Numair who was staring at the retreating back of Kaddar as if he debating how best to exact revenge. Daine walked over to the tall mage and wrapped her arms round his waist, quickly getting his attention.
"What was all that about magelet?" Numair asked, trying to be stern but failing as he looked into her wide, blue-grey eyes.
Daine, highly embarrassed at the thought that the Emperor of Carthak had believed, however briefly, she was pregnant, decided to be selective with the truth. "Nothing really, Kaddar was just checking I was feeling better after yesterday. Which I am, so there's no need to worry."
Numair nodded but still looked suspicious. "He said you'd talked something over…did you tell him about us?"
"I did. So you've no need to be jealous anymore," she grinned.
"Jealous? Me? I'm much too intelligent to ever succumb to such a base emotion," he said haughtily.
Daine laughed and tugged on his horsetail. "Alanna's right, you're a shameless player Salmalin."
"Just one of my many charms," he grinned, kissing her softly. "I missed you magelet."
"We've only been apart an hour," she protested.
"Yes but we've not done this for much longer than that," he replied. Daine all but melted into his arms as he kissed her eyelids, cheeks and neck, shivering in delight when his hands began to sweep in gentle patterns over her back.
A cough behind them made them part, Numair sighing deeply at the interruption. "Forgive me for the intrusion, but I was hoping I could speak with Master Salmalin."
Daine spun round on hearing the speaker, her heart skipping a beat as the mage Massan stood in front of her. Resolutely refusing to look him in the eye, she squeezed Numair tightly before reluctantly leaving his embrace. "Of course. Come find me when you're done 'Mair." Walking quickly away from the two mages, a sense of deep foreboding filled her: she'd realised the symbol on the bottom of his robe was the same as on the door from her dream, the slit-pupilled eye with the crossed wands.