Description: Gainel sends Daine a dream but is she really paying attention to what the Dream God is trying to tell her?

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters. Everything belongs to Tamora Pierce.

Author's Note: I had so much fun altering Gainel's dream sequence as you might have guessed. In the books you only get two very small offhand comments that Daine loves Numair. Personally, I wanted to go a bit more into her feelings as I've already thoroughly covered his in previous stories.

Chapter 33

Numair entered the inn, ignoring every look and stare directed their way as he carried Daine up to her room. Placing her gently on the bed, he found her clothes and laid them out beside her before turning his back, allowing her to dress in relative privacy.

"I'm decent," she rasped, touching his arm after a few minutes.

Turning he swept his Wildmage into another embrace, her arms going around his neck while he stroked her back. Numair's heart was still racing from the terror he'd felt when they couldn't find her. One of the girls with Cloud had kept babbling about a wolf and blood which had only made him fear the worst. It only occurred to him now that the girl had likely meant Daine had killed someone rather than being injured herself. He thanked every god he could name for her connection to her pony who had led him directly to her. Numair had no idea what the horse equivalent of living in luxury was, but Cloud would want for nothing for the rest of her life if he could manage it.

"Let's get you to the hedgewitch," he whispered, voice rough with emotion, lowering his friend to the floor.

Keeping an arm around Daine's shoulders, Numair led her outside to be greeted by the animals. The horses sniffed and nosed her thoroughly while Kitten screeched irately. She had not appreciated being left behind with Spots and Zek and the dragonet scolded him severely for it. The animals followed them to the healer's house who was too busy dealing with the other four women to give Daine any more than a cursory scan.

"Make her tea with these herbs. It'll numb the pain," the hedgewitch said brusquely, thrusting a packet at Numair. "With warm water mind, not hot. Get some ice on that neck and she'll be fine."

They were practically chased from the premises by frightened mothers and aggressive husbands who were terrified their women had been raped and defiled by the bandits. From the haunted look in two of the women's eyes it didn't bode well.

Taking Daine back to her room at the inn, Numair tucked her into bed while he boiled a pot of tea over the fire, his mind listing off everything he knew about neck lesions. Signs to watch out for: difficulty breathing or swallowing, tongue swelling, bloodshot eyes, loss of vision, weakness or numbness, vomiting. He needed to reduce the swelling around her neck, so nothing restricted her airway. Any lack of oxygen to the brain, however temporary, could cause permanent, irreversible damage.

Kitten very kindly offered to freeze some clean water in the wash basin which the mage broke and wrapped in a cloth.

"Hold that against your neck," Numair instructed, cupping Daine's cheek tenderly while he placed the cloth against her skin, keeping it there until her small hands brushed against his to hold the cloth.

Returning to the fire he poured the tea, adding ice to the mug to cool it down. It was difficult not to resent his Gift for his inability to heal Daine, despite knowing all the techniques, nor could he cool a simple mug of tea without exploding the contents!

Moving the only chair in the room beside the bed, Numair sat and offered her a reassuring smile he didn't feel. "It's best you don't try to talk which leaves you having to put up with listening to me."

Daine took a small sip of her tea, smiling. "Tell me about you," she whispered.

"Me?" he asked in surprise, having expected her to want to hear about a new animal species or one of the Immortals. She nodded, settling herself back against the pillows. "I'm not that interesting," Numair joked.

Daine scowled and prodded him with a finger, waiting patiently for him to begin. Sighing in defeat, he gave in – as if he would do anything else – and regaled her with the nicer stories from his past: funny memories, childhood memories and what he remembered of Tyra. With a pang Numair realised he hadn't spoken to or contacted his family in well over eight years. Had Pattel and Zerumy had any more children? Had Kerinna and Dofev conceived their first? Were they all ashamed of him or trying to pretend he didn't exist?

The horses had stabled themselves, Numair was amused to discover, when the innkeeper came to inform him with a slight tremor in his voice. Thanking the man, Numair requested that all their meals be brought to the room, including a bowl of fruit for Zek, and paid the necessary additional coin. He talked until Daine fell asleep before picking up a book and settling in for the night. The mage wanted to monitor her condition for the next forty-eight hours at least, which meant he wasn't leaving her side no matter what nasty rumours or gossip the tavern owners might invent.

For two days and nights, Numair stayed by Daine's side feeding her soothing teas and warm soups while he talked and read, napping periodically in the chair while Kitten and Zek kept watch. On the third night, he decided it was finally safe to return to his own room. The swelling around Daine's neck had gone down significantly and there were a growing number of animals with her who could alert him if there was trouble. Placing his book to one side, Numair crept out of the room, looking forward to a good sleep in his own bed tonight when a small voice called him back.

"Where are you going?" Daine sat up.

He turned and smiled. "I thought you were asleep."

"Don't go," she pleaded, holding out the book to him.

Returning to her bedside, Numair stroked a hand through her messy curls and placed a kiss on the top of her head. "Settle down, sweetling. I'll stay."

Adding more logs to the fire, he grabbed a spare blanket before sitting down to read again. It looked like he was spending another night in a chair.

Daine's dream started in darkness, which was odd because she wasn't usually aware while she was dreaming. Overhead white spots of light appeared like stars in the sky, illuminating a black and white chessboard under her feet. Ahead of her figures started to appear: a red queen dressed in an orange gown with black tangled hair, Daine guessed it to be Uusoae because her hands and eyes kept changing. Beside the queen an empty shadow materialised for the king, its darkness trying to suck in the other pieces which the young woman didn't recognise, but she bet Numair would have been able to tell her.

Behind her, gold pieces appeared: Mithros and the Mother Goddess for the king and queen, Kidunka the world snake and Oinomi the wave walker for the rooks, but she didn't recognise the rest of the gods. In front of Uusoae, the red pawns rose to fill the spaces: Emperor Ozorne as the central piece with a blonde Scanran mage with a ruby eye beside him. The rest of the red pawns were Immortals: a spidren, a hurrok, a female Stormwing, a winged ape, a killer centaur, and a flesh-eating unicorn. Daine found herself standing on one of the gold pawn spaces armed with her bow and quiver when Onua appeared beside her with Tahoi at her feet. Along the board Buri, Queen Thayet, King Jonathan, Alanna, Raoul and at the furthest end Numair stood. From her position, she could only just see the top of her tall friend's head.

Ozorne yelled the command to attack as the red pieces surged forward to engage the gold Tortallan pieces. Despite the battleground being a chessboard, the pawns didn't move like chess pieces with the winged Immortals taking flight. Daine and Onua were set upon by the female Stormwing, firing arrows into the human half until it fell to the ground, dead. The Wildmage looked around frantically trying to spot Numair who was too close to Ozorne. Some part of her knew that, even though this was just a game, he shouldn't be anywhere near him.

The emperor was currently battling Buri and the queen as Daine dashed past them, dodging magical blasts from the king and the Scanran mage. Alanna swung her sword beheading the flesh-eating unicorn before she was carried into the air, hurling curses and purple with rage, by a winged ape. Finally, Daine spotted Numair also firing blasts of black sparkling fire at the Scanran mage and not paying attention to the rest of the board. Beside him, Raoul fell to a killer centaur while a hurrok swooped down towards the mage. Daine cried out a warning, but it was too late: claws pierced through Numair's chest as it sank sharp fangs into his neck. She screamed in rage and pain, setting an arrow to her bow when the centaur holding Raoul's dripping, severed head swung its axe and impaled her through the chest. Daine dropped to the floor coughing up blood as the red pieces swarmed forward to overtake the board. Numair was trying to drag his way to her while the hurrok continued to rip pieces off him when the centaur swung his axe down on her head.

Daine blinked and gasped to find herself back on the square she started. Onua stood alongside her as the red pieces lined up ahead of them again. This time the Wildmage didn't wait for Ozorne to give a command as she charged across the board towards the hurrok firing arrow after arrow as soon as she was within range. Emboldened by her charge, the Tortallans attacked, engaging the enemy on the offensive. The hurrok fell to her arrows when black sparkling fire exploded behind her, destroying the Stormwing who had been about to slice her to ribbons. Numair stood three squares away breathing hard with his hand outstretched as Daine ran to him, almost crashing headfirst into Ozorne who had moved between the two mages. The emperor struck at Numair driving him to his knees with emerald lightning while Daine pelted Ozorne with arrows.

Among the other fights on the board, the Scanran mage fell to King Jonathan and Raoul beheaded the centaur who had killed him in the last turn. Alanna yelled a triumphant war cry holding up the severed head of a Spidren when all the red pieces crumbled. Leaping over Ozorne's remains, Daine flung herself into Numair's arms checking him for injuries as she moved back to get a proper look at him. Their eyes locked for a breathless second then her mouth was on his, kissing him for all she was worth.

– You must reveal the pawn. Only then will Father Universe and Mother Flame intervene. – A soft, ethereal voice spoke overhead.

But Daine wasn't listening, focussed entirely on the feel of Numair's mouth against hers and his large hands roaming down her back and over her hip. It was everything she'd wanted and more as he rolled them both so he was on top, which was an interesting notion when there was no floor beneath them, only blackness. Her hands caressed over his back and shoulders as Numair broke away to kiss along her jaw and nibble at her earlobe.

"You're wearing far too many clothes," he complained, voice low and husky while he continued to kiss down her throat, sucking gently.

Daine gasped, hips bucking against him, drowning in sensation. This is my dream, she thought stubbornly, willing her clothes away. Numair pulled back when her clothes vanished, his dark gaze raking over her body, feverish with hunger. Lowering his mouth onto her breast, he teased her nipple with his tongue while one large hand began to massage the other breast. Daine writhed and moaned having no idea anything could feel so good. Her fingers delved into his soft, silky hair desperate to hold onto something while Numair rumbled a deep chuckle moving lower. His hands and mouth lit fires of desire within her everywhere he went until he rested at the juncture between her thighs.

Meeting her eyes in a heated gaze, he lowered his head and began to lick and suckle gently making Daine cry out. Never in all her imaginings had she known such a thing existed, and she was a midwife's daughter! Daine thought she knew what happened between a man and a woman having seen enough animals mate with each other throughout her life, but she had no clue where her mind had conjured this idea. The sounds ripped from her throat were purely vulgar while she writhed, lost in rapture. All that existed was Numair and his hot, eager mouth. Her orgasm, when it hit, was a tidal wave carrying her away to drown in pure ecstasy.

Daine woke, her body shuddering with aftershocks as she leapt out of bed, upsetting Zek, Kitten and a family of mice to dash to the privy and slam the door. She couldn't even look at Numair in the chair, worried that if he saw her face, he'd know what she'd dreamed. Leaning against the wall, she closed her eyes feeling her heart pounding in her chest.

"Daine, if you're up to it, I'll see you at breakfast," Numair called through the door, voice strange.

"Sure," she squeaked.

Oh Gods, had he heard her? Had she made a noise or cried out? Daine's cheeks flamed while she splashed water onto her face trying to calm her erratic breathing. That dream had felt so real! Would it feel like that in the waking world? Would Numair's mouth feel even better if he...? She blushed scarlet, unable to even finish that thought.

When Daine eventually exited the bathroom, she was bombarded with questions from Zek and the mice until she shut off her magic. A girl needed some privacy to her thoughts. She dressed in silence, having a drink of water and checking her throat before meeting Numair downstairs in the common room. He barely looked at her during breakfast which made Daine fear that she'd done something to give herself away. She was relieved when the king contacted them with a new assignment and assured her friend she was more than ready to leave.

For most of the day the Wildmage closed off her magic, refusing to speak to anyone while she thought things through. Thankfully, Numair didn't expect her to talk while her throat was still recovering although he was oddly silent himself during the ride. Had Daine reached an age where she just wanted a good canoodling or was it Numair specifically? There was no denying how much she cared about him with his sweet smiles and gentle voice. She'd never had someone treat her like an equal before. Even Onua, who Daine loved dearly, had been the horsemistress while she was her assistant. And the knowledge Numair had shared with her! Sometimes it was an effort to get him to stop so she could absorb everything. He had an almost boyish enthusiasm when it came to magic, learning and new experiences which was highly infectious. It was incredibly attractive when his dark eyes lit up while he scribbled away in a journal, flashing delighted grins in her direction. The desire to grab his shirt and kiss him full force on that soft, sensitive mouth of his was getting harder to resist.

Glancing over at her tall friend, taking in his head of thick coal-black wavy hair, the long nose, sensitive mouth, dark skin, broad shoulders, and well-muscled body, it was quite possible Daine was a little bit in love with him. Maybe for a while now. She hadn't gone back for him in Carthak just because Badger had told her to.

What was she going to do about it? That was the question which turned over and over in her mind. Numair wouldn't be cruel enough to laugh if she told him... No, worse, he'd be nice about it! He would probably dismiss it as nothing more than a childish crush and Daine had no desire to talk about her feelings. Maybe she should just copy her animal friends and crawl into his bedroll at night. Brokefang and Rattail had often laid pressed together, just the two of them, before they'd disappeared off to mate. In fact, Numair had been displaying a lot of wolf-like mating behaviours towards her. He always offered reassuring touches to her face, arms, and back. He'd even started kissing her cheeks and forehead more often, which wasn't far off when wolves mouthed each other's muzzles. Maybe she didn't have to have an embarrassing conversation with him. Perhaps she'd just return the affection and see what he did with it.

When she dismounted that evening, Cloud clamped her teeth around Daine's arm and reluctantly the Wildmage opened herself up to her magic again. Her pony didn't think much of a two-legger's need to be alone with their thoughts sometimes.

Are you going to talk to us now instead of being silly? Cloud demanded.

I needed some time to think, Daine admitted quietly.

About your stork-man, Cloud snorted. Just remove your clothes and mate with him.

He's my friend! Daine rolled her eyes.

He wants to be your mate, Zek piped up from his position on Numair's shoulder.

The Wildmage bit her lip and pretended to look for something in her pack. I'm not sure you understand two-legger...

Enough! Or I shall bite you again, Cloud stamped her hoof.

Daine stared at her pony in shock as Spots approached to lip her shoulder. We can smell it on him the same as you, the gelding explained kindly.

"Is everything all right?" Numair asked worriedly.

Daine swallowed hard, refusing to look at him. He'd made it quite clear he didn't want her. Had all that been a lie? Why would Numair lie to her about that?

"Daine?" He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"I'm fine," she mumbled. "I've just had things on my mind all day and they're not best pleased at being shut out."

Numair turned her carefully to face him, tilting her chin to examine her neck while Daine's pulse throbbed. "Is your throat bothering you?"

"It's not too bad." That wasn't entirely a lie. The combination of the ice and the soothing teas had helped remove the pain even if there was still a nasty red mark.

"Kitten, could you make some more ice please?" the mage requested with the dragonet whistling happily in response. "I'll make you another tea." He squeezed her shoulder.

Could it really be true? Did Numair want to be more than just friends? Daine wasn't entirely sure she wanted to act on the word of two horses and a marmoset. They'd only be smelling a desire to canoodle and, while she very much wanted that with him, was that all she wanted?

Daine sighed heavily, taking a seat while Kitten proudly handed her a block of ice. She thanked the dragonet before wrapping the ice in a cloth and placing it on her neck. Daine was getting fed up with being taken care of. Numair was a real mother hen when it came to fussing over her and had a stubborn streak to rival her own, and possibly Cloud's, when she'd tried to argue.

"Do you want to talk about it?" the mage asked while he concentrated on building the fire.

Daine blushed before she realised he couldn't hear her thoughts, unlike the People.

"If it's something I can help with, you know I'll do anything for you." Numair paused to look at her with so much sincerity in his soulful brown eyes.

"I know." She smiled. That confession alone strengthened her own conviction about the intensity of her feelings for him. Daine grabbed at the first thing she could think of that had been bothering her even if it wasn't the main thing on her mind, "I've been finding it harder to hunt lately."

"We can manage without fresh meat," Numair replied easily, lighting the sticks with flint and steel. He was getting really good at that now.

"No, I meant…" She bit her lip, glancing away.

Numair sat beside her, one hand cupping her cheek as he smiled in that way that made the rest of the world just fall away. "Your lessons are bringing you closer to the animal perspective and you have been experiencing a moral dilemma. I'm not blind."

Daine swallowed, gazing up at him and feeling herself blush at how close they were sitting. "I've felt sick after dinner lately…"

"I had noticed you've been leaving the game, eating only chicken, mutton and fish." He removed his hand but didn't move away.

The thought of setting another trap after she'd been caught in one herself caused her to shudder. "I'm not sure if I can hunt anymore."

"We can survive just as easily on rations, fruit, nuts, and mushrooms. We'll forage for our meals instead, which your animal friends might be good enough to help us with." Numair placed a kiss in her hair before moving away to search the bags for something for dinner and just like that, Daine knew.