Description: Daine celebrates turning sixteen before she discovers the true meaning of Badger's lesson.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters. Everything belongs to Tamora Pierce.
Author's Note: Please do not pierce your own ears. Have a professional do it with the proper tools.
It always felt cruel to me that Daine thought she was going mad again when she started shapeshifting. This time Numair is with her to reassure the Wildmage that's not the case.
Chapter 27
After dinner Alanna invited the mages back to their camp so they could explain things to The Own but mostly so Daine could visit with Darkmoon. Numair was reluctant to leave Kitten, but Daine was correct: rest really was the best thing for her. He suspected he was about to spend the night sharing his bed with the dragonet, not that he minded really. Kitten just tended to snore and somehow managed to take up a lot of space on the bed despite how small she was.
Daine headed straight for the horses to greet them all enthusiastically and check them with her magic while Numair sat by the fire watching with a fond smile. The Lioness offered him a flask of something that smelled strongly of alcohol before taking a seat beside him on a fallen log.
"Are you here to check up on me?" he asked quietly, refusing to look her in the eye. Those purple eyes, while very beautiful, were incredibly unnerving. Numair kept getting the sense the knight could see straight through him.
"Do I need to?" There was a dangerous edge to her voice.
He took a careful sip of the drink feeling it burn a path straight down his throat. "I swear by the gods and on my life that I have done nothing untoward to my student while she's been in my care."
"Were you planning to before we showed up?" Numair jolted and stared at the Lioness in horror until she burst out laughing. "Relax! Onua's right, you are fun to tease." Alanna elbowed him. "We really are here because of the wyverns."
The mage closed his eyes and shook his head, not sure what he'd done to deserve the K'miri horsemistress' mockery and now the Lioness' it appeared.
"You earned my trust when you got us out of Carthak and you earned my respect when you brought Daine back to us." Alanna took her own mouthful from the flask. "That's not something I hand out freely." She reached out and placed a strong hand on his shoulder. "You're a good man, Numair. Besides, you gained Daine's trust and that is much harder to earn. I've never seen her open up to anyone – anyone human that is – as quickly as she did for you."
Numair looked down and blushed. "I'm honoured to have been granted that trust."
The Lioness shrugged her muscular shoulders and took another mouthful. "Jon trusts you too or he never would have sent you on this mission. How's it going by the way?"
The mage sighed and rubbed his temple. "For every portal we close it feels like another three open."
Alanna nodded grimly. "We've been patrolling the Scanran border up near Galla since All Hallow. Nothing from the Scanrans but lots of Immortal activity. We've fought our fair share of ogres, giants and Spidrens."
"Maybe Daine and I should head up there next," Numair rubbed a finger along his nose thoughtfully. "There may be an open portal which is letting them through into our realm. Do you think you could mark the locations of the encounters on my map, or as near to as you can remember? I may be able to triangulate the position of the open portal." The Lioness gave him a funny look. "Is something the matter?"
She shook her head. "You just sounded like someone else for a second there."
Numair frowned but the knight waved him off as Daine came to join them.
"Where are you headed next?" the Wildmage asked as Numair made room for her on the log.
"No idea. I'll report to Jon in the morning and go from there." Alanna offered Numair the flask again, which he dismissed politely. Whatever was in that vile liquid was not meant for drinking. "It's almost your birthday, isn't it?" she remarked, handing the flask to a passing knight.
"It's in a couple of days. You know, I'd near on forgot," Daine laughed, holding out her hands to warm them by the fire.
"It's a good thing I brought your birthday gift with me." The Lioness leaned forward and winked. "I was hoping to run into you along the road, but I didn't expect it to be this close to your birthday. Why don't the two of you ride with us for a few days so we can celebrate together?"
Now Numair really felt like he was being monitored despite the Lioness' words. He also felt a deep sense of guilt that he hadn't know it was almost Daine's birthday. It was clear his friend hadn't opened up to him that much when he didn't even know something as significant as the day she was born.
Daine was delighted with the idea of travelling with The Own although she pointed out that they wanted to stay in the village for a few days until Kitten recovered. The dragonet, however, was up and about the next day, her scales back to their usual blue-gold and complaining about being hungry. The mages spent another night at Stoneshadow just to be sure before saddling up and riding out with Alanna and The Own.
Daine had a wonderful time joking and chatting with the knights, but she noticed that her teacher immediately retreated into himself. Thankfully Alanna wouldn't have it, bullying and pestering the mage until he started talking. Whether the Lioness intended to have a heated debate about suture techniques was on her, but it was good to see the two of them getting along. Numair didn't have enough friends which was sad. While Daine might not have realised just how many two-legger friends she had, she was never without friends among the People.
The day of her birthday started out with light flurries of sleet but after breakfast the clouds cleared to reveal a glorious blue sky with bright sunshine. Zek didn't really understand what a birthday was but offered to share a dried apricot with her while Kitten presented her adopted mother with a sparkly stone which Numair informed the pair was called a geode. Taking Daine to one side, Alanna presented her with two large, wrapped parcels. The first was a crossbow from Raven Armoury, the most expensive armourer in all of Corus, and the second contained a quiver of bolts and a bottle of rustproofing oil.
"Thank you," Daine breathed in awe. "I really don't know what to say."
"You just said it." The knight grinned. "Come on youngster, let's see you use it."
Running her fingers over the foregrip and stock, Daine admired the craftsmanship before placing her foot into the stirrup and loading a bolt into the barrel. She drew the string into place with a soft click before hefting the crossbow. It was lighter than she'd expected as Daine sighted along the shaft. "What's my target?"
The Lioness looked around for something challenging. "How about the knot on that tree?" She pointed to a pine on the far side of the clearing partially hidden by a sapling.
It was a shot Daine could have made easily with her longbow, but she took her time with this new weapon. Squeezing the trigger, the bolt zipped across the clearing to strike the outer edge of the knot. Clicking her tongue in irritation, Daine loaded another bolt, marvelling at how smooth the mechanism was. The second bolt hit dead centre followed shortly by a third. Alanna applauded followed by cheers and whoops from the other knights who had gathered to watch.
"You'll be even more deadly now." The Lioness beamed with pride before going to retrieve the quarrels while Daine was surrounded by members of The Own who were eager to congratulate her and admire the crossbow.
Numair waited until the evening before giving his gift: a pair of plain silver studs. "You mentioned taking an interest in having your ears pierced once," he mumbled. "I thought these would be adequate as a first pair. You deserve sapphires but…" the mage trailed off and fidgeted.
Daine was surprised he remembered her mentioning that. She'd been admiring his opal drop at the time and had thought about getting her own ears pierced like Alanna. The Lioness managed to be a fearsome warrior and an elegant lady, so why couldn't she?
"They're wonderful, thank you." Daine kissed his cheek making Numair blush crimson. "Could you pierce them for me?"
"Me?" he swallowed. "You wouldn't prefer the Lioness to do it?"
She rolled her eyes and shuffled closer making his blush even worse as Numair excused himself quickly, promising to get some supplies. He returned moments later with a cloth, a flask of alcohol, a sewing kit… and Alanna.
"I'll sterilise the needles while you prepare the lobes," the Lioness instructed Numair. "You'll probably want to tie your hair up, Daine. There's nothing worse than getting your hair tangled up in an earring while doing this. Luckily, I don't have that problem." She winked, flicking her short copper hair before going to the fire.
Using one of her head scarfs, Daine tied up her mass of wild curls while Numair poured the alcohol onto a cloth before very carefully wiping over her ears with a gentle touch. Next the mage withdrew a stick of charcoal before pausing.
"Will you want your ears pierced again in the future?" he asked, face scant centimetres from hers. "It's important to know so I leave enough room for more holes."
"I'd druther not look like some Carthaki. One piercing each side is enough for me," she responded tartly.
Numair smiled, amused, before marking two dots on her earlobes as Alanna offered her a mirror to check she was happy with the positioning. When Daine nodded her approval, the Lioness held out the needle while the mage brought out a bar of soap.
"What's that for?" she frowned.
"So I don't accidentally prick your neck when the needle goes through," he explained before placing a long finger under her chin. "Tilt your head for me?"
Daine did as he requested, feeling a sharp stab of pain which faded surprisingly quickly. Numair rotated the needle gently before inserting the first silver earbob then repeated the process on the other side.
"You're a proper young lady now." Alanna grinned, offering her the mirror again.
Daine turned her head to admire her reflection when she caught sight of Numair in the mirror. There was a heat and hunger in his eyes that made her shiver agreeably but when she looked back at him the expression was gone. Probably just wishful thinking, she grumbled. Daine kissed his cheek again making him turn scarlet as Kitten rushed over to look at the earrings while Zek perched on her shoulder chirping questions.
They're just a bit of pretty, she explained silently to the marmoset.
"Make sure you keep your ears clean," Alanna advised sternly. "Don't take the earrings out for at least six weeks. If you do, you'll need to put new earrings in immediately otherwise the holes will close up. It'll take six months to a year for the holes to heal completely."
"I will ensure she cleans them daily," Numair reassured the Lioness.
"There's magic on them." The Lioness frowned, moving in for a closer inspection.
Both women turned to look at the mage who blushed under their scrutiny. "A little," he muttered. "Nothing fancy. Just a protection spell. Gold would have taken better but you suit silver…"
"And what else do you know of women's jewellery, sir mage?" Alanna teased.
Daine hadn't realised her teacher could turn any redder.
"It was part of my coursework while studying gems and stones at the University," he explained to the ground. "I made several pieces, mostly containing gems, for myself and for the people I admired."
"Why sapphires?" They seemed an oddly expensive stone for the likes of her. "Numair mentioned he wanted to get me sapphires," she explained for Alanna's benefit.
The mage sucked in a breath before glancing in her direction. "Sapphire is the wisdom stone. It stimulates and enhances concentration, creativity and depth of thought."
The Lioness barked out a laugh and shoved Daine playfully. "Not paying enough attention in your lessons, youngster?"
She glared at her friend while Numair continued. "It also helps to focus and calm the mind, removing unwanted thoughts, depression and mental tension. Sapphire is traditionally associated with purity and love, but I mainly wanted it for its healing properties." He was lying, Daine realised with a jolt. Not all of it but certainly that last part. She'd been around him just long enough to pick up a few of his tells. "In their purest form sapphires contain a specific vibration that amplifies healing magic."
"I should start wearing more sapphires," Alanna mused, touching her amethyst earrings. "I'll know what to ask my husband for my next birthday."
Daine only half listened while her friends discussed the gems Alanna should wear to help amplify her healing magic while she admired the earrings again. She'd never had someone buy her jewellery before. Even plain silver they must have set Numair back a quite a bit. It's not like he had a vast amount of coin to waste on something as frivolous as her birthday. It was almost mortifying to think how much he would have spent if he could. Sapphires were for the likes of nobles not common bastards. Still, the gesture warmed her heart making her feel more mature in the eyes of a man.
The Lioness and knights separated from the mages two days later to take care of a band of raiders near Fief Sinthya. Numair wasn't sorry to see them go despite the added protection they provided. He'd rather enjoyed his conversations with Alanna, but the other knights made him nervous and jittery. The entire time they'd travelled with The Own, Numair kept fearing he'd relapse and have another episode but whatever triggered these fits of memory, the presence of soldiers wasn't one of them.
Their small group headed out towards the River Drell where the mage and dragonet had located another portal. It was smaller than some of the others they'd already closed but that wasn't stopping the Spidrens who nested nearby from coming through. The entire forest was infested and in far greater numbers than Daine and Numair could deal with by themselves. After a thorough assessment, the mage was forced to contact the Lioness and ask her and the knights to join them again.
They made camp two miles away from the forest in a small cave that wasn't big enough to shelter the horses. Daine gave them both a good brush after removing their saddles and covered Spots and Cloud with extra blankets while Numair set protection wards around the camp. The Wildmage was desperate to send out a warning to all the animals in the area, sitting cross-legged and going deep into her magic within seconds. He busied himself with lighting a fire and boiling a pot of water for tea before settling down to write a report for the king. Every so often he found himself glancing up to check on Daine while trying not to stare. He'd already memorised the details of her face and it did him no good to obsess.
Report finished; Numair picked up his journal to start jotting down notes when Kitten whistled for his attention. "What it is, sweetling?"
The dragonet chittered excitedly pointing to the Wildmage. Even with her eyes closed they had almost doubled in size. Quickly putting aside his book and quill, the mage crawled forward to kneel in front of his student who now had white feathers appearing amongst her dark curls and down her arms. Kitten chattered softly and pointed to Daine's legs which were narrowing and shortening. Mage and dragonet watched in silent fascination as the young woman shrank before their eyes until she opened her yellow eyes and screeched in terror seemingly unaware of what she'd achieved.
"Shh." Numair cupped the side of her small, fluffy face in his hand. "It's all right. You returned to your body too quickly. You need to remember who Daine is. Close your eyes and find your core."
He removed his hand as the Wildmage closed her eyes and slowly regained her shape after several minutes. Opening her blue-grey eyes again she reached her hands up to her face before smiling in relief. Returning the smile, Numair scooted back to his original spot while Kitten whistled mournfully, picking up one of the white feathers from the floor to show Daine.
"Well, that solves the mystery of the badger's riddle," he remarked, picking up his journal and quill again.
"What just happened?" the Wildmage gasped.
"You shapeshifted." Numair beamed.
"I – I shapeshifted?" Her beautiful face lit up in pure joy, blue-grey eyes sparkling.
The mage grinned, trying to temper his enthusiasm. "Can you do it at will?"
Daine closed her eyes, scrunching up her face while her magic blazed in his magical sight.
"Try to imagine yourself as a snowy owl again," he suggested helpfully.
After a few minutes Daine opened her eyes and shook her head, looking despondent.
"It does beg the question if owl-shape is the only form you can take." Numair tapped his lips with the end of the quill thoughtfully. "What about a horse? Cloud and Spots are only over there."
The Wildmage tilted her head at the horses, lifting a nail to bite which he snatched, giving her a stern glare. "I'll try," she muttered closing her eyes.
After several minutes with no results Numair spoke, keeping his voice soft and encouraging. "What if you link your mind with either Cloud or Spots?"
Daine's face immediately began to develop grey fur and lengthen until she opened her eyes. He grinned at her oddly misshapen features while she touched her face tentatively, yelping in surprise.
"Do the exercise and return to yourself properly," Numair instructed, attempting to smother his own joy while her face returned to normal. The mage rubbed his long nose while his mind considered this new information. "I'm only postulating of course, but it is possible that you will learn the shapes of each animal intimately while you ride with them which will make the feeling easier to recall and allow you to take their shape at will." He couldn't help the spike of envy for that ability. "I would suggest trying to memorise the feeling of just one animal for now, rather than multiple, to try shifting into. Of course, we do need to address the issue of you losing your own shape whilst making yourself a magical symbiote. That will come with practice. For now, when you do this, we'll start with you being able to consistently return to yourself after linking your mind with someone."
"Sounds sensible." She grinned up at him.
Numair nodded and returned to his scribbling with great difficulty.
After a full minute of silence, Daine frowned and shuffled closer. "I thought you'd be full of questions."
He replaced his quill and glanced at her from under his lashes. "You are not always overly fond of my academic interest especially after a tiring day." She'd shouted at him the last time he'd been enquiring about what worms smelled like to a mole and how they navigated through the earth.
Daine shrugged slender shoulders. "You're not you if you aren't hailing me with endless questions." Numair licked his lips, brown eyes filled with longing. "You've not even got one thing you want to ask?" she teased.
He chuckled and held up his journal, flipping through page after page of notes. "I have an increasing list."
His student laughed, settling Kitten into her lap. "Ask away."
"You're sure? You don't need to rest?" It was too tempting an offer to refuse but the mage was aware he got a tad – excessive – in his desire for knowledge.
She rolled her eyes. "I'm hungry but not as tired. Do all new magics tire the body afore you get used to it?"
"Not just the body but the mind as well." Numair reached over to tap her temple. "It's like going out for a ten-mile hike without ever having walked more than a mile in your life. You would be exhausted. If you build up to it slowly then your muscles get used to the exercise and, while you may still be tired at the end, you won't have completely exhausted yourself. It's the same with magic. Why don't I get dinner started while I ask my questions?"
In the end, he stopped so many times to make notes on Daine's first shapeshifting experience she ended up making the dinner. Cloud's input that the Wildmage's bones changed first was an incredible insight. The pony had actually felt her mistress get lighter whilst she'd been riding and linking her mind with other animals.
Numair offered to wash up while Daine located a suitable courier for his letter to the king. She was waving goodbye to a magnificent eagle owl when he returned and asked if she could pass on his thanks as well. He'd been raised to be polite after all. The mage was deciding between reading or an early night when the young woman spoke hesitantly.
"Numair? Can I ask you something?"
"You can ask me anything," he smiled warmly.
"It might sound fair foolish." She shifted uncomfortably, avoiding his eyes.
"There's no such thing as a foolish question. Only a fool does not ask questions," the mage quoted.
That made her smile as Daine took a deep breath and ploughed forward. "People say girls my age can craft a charm on Midsummer to attract a true love. Is that true or all just superstitious nonsense, like seeing the face of a lover in a pool of water?"
"Well, actually, the idea of seeing the face of your lover in a pool is based off a very old legend." Numair settled himself comfortably while he recalled the story. "King Leopold ruled long ago in a distant kingdom – its name now lost to living memory. He had lost his wife in childbirth and vowed never to allow his only daughter to leave his side, for he was lonely and heartbroken. When his daughter came of age, she longed to take a husband and have children of her own, but her father refused. After much pleading the king conceded that he would allow her to marry if she glimpsed the face of her true love in the lake by the castle.
For a year and a day, the princess visited the lake every morning praying to the Mother Goddess to see the face of her true love until one morning she saw the face of her father's most loyal and trusted knight reflected back at her. So delighted by this image, the princess rushed to her father to tell him what she'd seen, and they were wed that very evening."
"But there was no proof!" Daine stuttered in outrage. "She could of lied to her father."
"Indeed." The mage grinned at how perceptive she was. "There are several theories pertaining to this legend. The first is that the knight, who was taken by the princess' beauty, knew she visited the lake every morning and positioned himself above her in a tree so his image would be reflected. Another is that the king arranged for the knight to be there that morning because then the couple would remain at the castle, and he wouldn't lose his daughter. And, of course, there is your argument that the princess lied to her father because she was secretly in love with the knight.
As to the charm, it would take a very powerful mage to craft one to call a lover to them from anywhere in the world. Usually, the evidence of wearing the charm is enough to attract a man's attention and thus improving the woman's chances of finding someone she loves."
"You're not sounding like you believe it works," she sighed.
Numair rubbed his nose, considering this. "It's more that I don't believe in the existence of a one true love. I find it hard to believe the gods intended for only one person to be destined for another. The chances of meeting that singular person you are destined for are remote considering the sheer size of the world and the amount of people living in it. The gods would have to take a significant interest in every individual and history tells us that they prefer to subtly influence events not to get directly involved. My own experience with the gods has been that they are too wrapped up in their own affairs to care about us mortals in any great detail, unless we upset them."
"You said it would take a powerful mage." Daine shot him daring look from under her lashes. "Could you make one?"
"No," he stated firmly. "Nor would I. Love is a rare and wonderful thing that should not be influenced by magic. Too often magic has been used distastefully to lure a person against their will. Why the sudden interest in true love? Are you hoping to settle down now that you're sixteen?" A twinge of sorrow twisted his gut.
"No," she snapped defensively, turning away sharply to unroll her bedroll. "It was just a question!"
Numair watched his young friend tug off her boots and wrap herself in the blanket, muttering a goodnight as Zek came to join her. Whatever she'd hoped for him to say, he hadn't said it. When he'd been sixteen the last thing he'd wanted was to be tied down and married. It didn't seem like the type of thing Daine would want either but perhaps he'd been wrong to assume that. The mage tried to remember if she had a sweetheart back at the palace he was keeping her from but couldn't recall anyone specific. The question continued to nag at his brain all night while he tossed and turned in his bedroll.