I think that this story will end with forty chapters. That's not set in stone just yet, but it is drawing to a close. I've had a lot of fun writing this, and I've been thrilled that so many people enjoyed reading the story.
The next project, Lady Lioness, sadly lacks any trace of Daine. She might be two by the time that story's timeline is finished. There will (eventually) be a part for a young Arram Draper. Alanna went to the convent, but she needs allies more than ever. Arram definitely qualifies.
The Emperor's Mage
Chapter Thirty-eight: Seasons
Of all of the people in Tortall that made it their business to keep an eye on Daine, especially as she began taking on more and more of her role as the lady of Pearl Cove, not one of them could claim to be the first to realize that she wasn't just making business conquests. George and Myles had found her an excellent pair of financial advisers, a married couple that would rather have a nice place to raise eventual children than run away with the treasury. The head of security was similarly vetted, and had been commissioned by the king himself. Some of the conservatives grumbled about the favoritism, shown, but Jon had blithely ignored them and let Alanna insist on paying for the man's first three years at the post.
The people of Pearl Cove hadn't been sure about gaining a noble that would technically own their village and homes, but Daine promptly relieved those worries. She met with the village headman in his own home, as was only proper, and he was delighted to meet a girl from a tiny town with everybody in everybody else's business. She had the papers ready for both of them to sign, swearing that the noble holding Pearl Cove would never confiscate the village's property. Daine didn't understand any of the contract save the introduction, but the headman had whistled to see that Duke Turomot himself had signed off that the document was legally binding and would not be reversed without first changing several laws.
By the end of autumn, Pearl Cove's people were quite fond of their lady. Miri's many stories about her good friend from the Riders that found her wonderful ponies and helped with archery had certainly paved the way, but that wasn't nearly enough for a fishing village. In a stroke of luck, however, both the fishermen and the pearl divers had decided that Lady Daine was lucky. (She had tried for "Daine," and no titles, but in the end she agreed that "Lady Veralidaine" would be worse.)
Numair visited Daine often, but that was to no one's great surprise. He split his time between Corus and Pearl Cove, as befitted a mage that had taken on a student. He had averted his eyes from the frequent clothing mishaps from the start, perhaps, but he had a quick eye and a good memory. Half a second of accidental viewing was enough to prompt mortified descriptions in his many letters to Varice Kingsford, every one of them signed Numair Salmalin.
Varice had been keeping track of both of them for months before she was sure, but the signs had lately turned unmistakable. Daine was more circumspect, of course, but it was simple enough to guess just which mage the girl might be interested in from a few of the details that had slipped through. Arram wanted a little reassurance, and after four months Varice was certain enough to give him the right kind of advice. As long as the girl was past sixteen (quite easy, honestly, as Daine was months past seventeen) and her guardians agreed (again, quite handily managed, as the Lioness seemed to approve of Arram), then there was nothing to concern the best of ethical minds.
By winter, she had taken long enough to sort out her own conflicted feelings, and to find the even subtler hints woven through "Numair's" letters. Kaddar was alive. That should have made her angrier, perhaps, that Arram had been keeping so many secrets from her all along, but she had only smiled. They had been lovers, she knew, but Varice had finally realized that they hadn't been in love. Love might not be the idealized thing poets wrote paeans to in so many of their works, but it certainly would have made staying behind in Carthak a very poor option. Someone in love would have followed the insane man anywhere.
In spring, she was one of the main agents in the new ring of nobles and slaves that snuck information out with the hand-chosen slaves that would escape that week. She also started leaving hints of her own in letters to Daine, and outright statements of encouragement in Arram's.
When that didn't garner the result that she had intended, Varice took one last step that would take care of things one way or the other. She wrote a letter to Lady Alanna of Pirate's Swoop and washed her hands of the matter. If the Lioness couldn't make the two of them see sense, then it obviously wasn't meant to be.