The story is coming very close to an ending, and I'd like to thank everybody that's been leaving their ideas and impressions for the whole story. Several pieces of the plot only happened because of suggestions from you guys, and I think the story would have been much worse without them.

The Emperor's Mage
Chapter Thirty-four: Leave

Daine had stayed through most of the impromptu peace conference. Alanna had been shocked at both items of news: Arram and the heir to the Carthaki throne were alive. This led into the news that Arram had brought the scrolls detailing the construction of the barriers between the gods and the mortals, as well as detailed news about how it would be an extremely wise decision to get on the Graveyard Hag's good side, and they talked about all of those implications while she took a detour. Daine had broken into Lindhall's suite to break the news, and after several minutes of reassuring her teacher, he had sprinted to the king's office so quickly that Daine had barely been able to keep up with him.

Arram had been sitting that time, luckily, because Lindhall had tripped at the last instant and Arram had managed to catch the man out of the air. That had led to yet another long series of yelling and explanations. This time, Daine stayed while they explained what had happened with Kaddar. The prince himself hadn't realized that Arram had found a way to save him, and had thought the entire time that his closest friend would execute him. Kaddar had fallen asleep in his cells, and when he had woken up, a Corus mage was removing a sleep-spell. Sarge had waited for him to calm down before explaining things. He had ended up waiting for a good long time, but by the time all that excitement was over, Kaddar accepted a place in the stables until the rest of Arram's protections were in place.

When they had actually moved on to the business at hand, things had been much calmer. There had been the odd moment when Daine dragged Jon and Thayet aside to tell them about her da, and Jon had nearly choked on his wine, but that was the most excitement after they'd moved to the conference room. George had smoothed that one over, and Daine could hardly blame him for keeping the secret. When she told him so, he'd kissed her forehead and called her a kind lass.

The conference had been a bit of a letdown, after the way that the Carthaki one had dragged on for days over the stupidest of things. Kaddar had been able to easily promise the reasonable demands that Jon had drafted, in their original form, and then there had been the part where Thayet mentioned that close allies often had marriage to link them. Princess Kalasin was quite pink, and Kaddar looked flushed himself, and nothing else was said. Thayet looked quite pleased with herself, though, even if Jon and Roald looked equally shocked that she had said it so bluntly.

Daine left when they began to talk about the tiny specifics of ending with Kaddar on the Carthaki throne. George, Alanna, Lindhall and Sarge were all at the peace conference, which meant that Kitten had been left with Onua. Kitten would be unhappy enough that Daine had been gone at all, but if she was left alone for too long while Daine was actually in the palace, there would be no end of mischief to right later.

Kitten had been soothed, eventually, but it had taken a full hour of stories and petting and compliments before the dragonet would even accept a gift. Onua had watched the entire production, and then laughed when the dragon sulkily agreed to accept a present. Kitten had meticulously undone the ribbon tied around the box, looking unhappy the entire time, but once she'd found her present she trilled her appreciation.

"You've spoiled her rotten, Daine. How are you going to top opals for a present?"

Daine smiled. The uncut black opals had been expensive, maybe, but they were the rough type of opal that the magicians generally didn't have the patience to wield. "When she's tired of having them as loose stones," Daine started, ignoring Kitten's dismissive chirp, "I'll get one of the jewelers to have them put onto a chain so she can keep them with her much easier." Kitten looked much more pleased with that arrangement, and it seemed that three opals was a high enough price to win her affections back.

"Sarge tells me that you'll be learning healing."

"I already know the way that it works, and I think that I can help a few of the lamed ponies that we have in the back pasture."

Onua leaned against the wall of Daine's suite, half-smiling. "That's the business end of it, then, and however glad I am to hear that you'll be more use to the Riders than ever... I'd rather hear just how you came out of Carthak with the mage that can hold his ground against Alanna and Jon together."

Daine still wanted to know, herself, but Onua had been the one to tell her that sometimes you only worked a problem out when you talked it through. She started at the beginning, this time not interrupted by Kitten's demands, and just three minutes later Kitten had replaced her opals in the box and climbed into Daine's lap.

"I'll rest easier knowing you're back," Onua said, speaking quietly. Kitten had fallen asleep half an hour into Daine's story, and was sprawled contentedly over her foster mother's lap. "I know you can look out for yourself, but I like knowing that when you're home."

She would tell Sarge eventually, and maybe Alanna's children and the royals when they were old enough, but Onua deserved to hear before any of them. She'd been the one that gave Daine the chance before knowing anything about her work with horses, when Daine had been wandering through the fair in Cria three years back.

"Arram told me who my da was. George has known all along, but he said that it's best to let gods tell their stories in their own time." The words were embarrassing, almost, as if Daine were claiming some undeserved power.

Onua's jaw dropped, but that reaction was gone within moments. "Horse lords, girl, no wonder you're such trouble when you're the mind to be. Godborn or god chosen, you always have the faster paths to walk. Which one was it, then?"

"Weiryn."

Onua nodded slowly. "I know his stories, after so long in the north. Several of the weapons dealers in Cria have little shrines to him, fresh kills left at the base of an unstrung bow—one that no mortal can draw, traditionally," Onua said thoughtfully. "It fits, as Weiryn is the antlered fellow with the knack for bow and arrow if my recollection is right. He could hardly feel ashamed with you as a child, even if he was fool enough to ignore all the rest you do. You're the best with a bow that I've seen."

"You really think so?"

"He can take it up with me if he disagrees, Daine, but you'd do any parent proud."

The way Onua said it... Daine's eyes widened as she recognized the half-proud, half-shy expression. That wasn't the look of a woman not planning on any children younger than fifteen-year-old Rider recruits. "Onua! Did you?"

"Yes, I did," her friend said with relish. "Sarge kept on thinking that I couldn't tell him from the last man, as if that were ever a mistake that I'd make, so I told him that we were going to put the hormone-driven recruits to shame no matter what ended up happening, and I'd rather make it happen on a regular basis."

Daine hadn't realized they'd be so far as canoodling already, when they'd just been making occasional eyes for the ponies to see before, but couldn't imagine how that was a bad thing. "Good, now you can tell Buri that she and Lord Sir Raoul have been making occasional eyes at each other long enough."

Onua smiled slyly. "Careful with all that matchmaking, Daine, or it just might rub away on you."

"Well, maybe, but there aren't all that many unclaimed single men to interest me."

Onua didn't look any less pleased with herself, much to Daine's annoyance, but after a moment they both turned to talking horses and ponies again as they always did. Onua knew that Perin hadn't been interesting for more than a month or so. Daine was going to wait a while before she started up with boys again, anyway. She had lessons to learn and People to catch up with and a whole lot of friends to mind. She wouldn't have time for men for a while yet.