Description: Daine discovers the cause of the birds' illness before continuing the hunt for her black hawk.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters. Everything belongs to Tamora Pierce.
Author's Note: Please be warned, this chapter features evidence of torture. I couldn't bring myself to write any of it as that would be too cruel to imagine.
Chapter 9
The first thing Daine did when she woke the next morning was to strip off her soiled clothing and head straight to the baths for a good scrub. She was surprised not to feel more exhausted after last night's healing. The young woman had healed twice as many birds as the previous night, yet she didn't feel anywhere near as tired. It wasn't until after a good breakfast with some of the clerks and Lord Martin for company that Daine discovered Arram's note on her vanity.
Lead poisoning.
Stuffing the tissue into her pocket, the young woman ran outside with Kitten galloping at her heels and Zek clinging to her curls. Daine stopped the first slave she came across to request Arram meet her outside the aviary.
"Arram Draper in unavailable this morning, Nobility," the slave apologised.
"Oh… well, what about Master Lindhall? Lindhall Reed?" She remembered the northern mage who had accompanied her to the aviary the first night and escorted the delegation around the menagerie. He'd seemed nice and Arram had spoken very highly of him.
The slave agreed to inform the master of her request and hurried away. Daine sat and waited for over half an hour playing stones with Kitten and Zek before the northern mage finally appeared.
"Miss Sarrasri? I received your request. What can I help you with?" Lindhall enquired politely.
"I think I know why the emperor's birds have been getting sick," she stood and brushed off her breeches. "Would you let me into the aviary so I can speak – check – if I'm right?"
The master smiled kindly. "Don't worry, I speak with my animals all the time." The pair walked through the double doors when Lindhall spoke again, his voice barely above a whisper. "Arram told me you have wild magic." The young woman's head snapped up and the mage winked conspiratorially. "I am not as close-minded as most of the master's here."
Daine smiled, liking him instantly. She remembered how knowledgeable he'd been about animals during their tour around the menagerie even though Kaddar had spoken the most to her. "Wait, you have animals! Do you have any hawks?"
"Hawks?" Lindhall raised his eyebrows. "No, not currently. I've had a few come in over time, caught in fisherman's nets or having sustained various injuries from refuse. I fix them up and release them as soon as they are well enough. You are very welcome to view my collection any time you wish."
"Thank you. I'd like that," she replied.
The young woman placed Zek on a bench and went to the centre of the aviary. Taking a deep breath, Daine tried to force her magic out, but it was difficult to send out hundreds of threads. Instead, she imagined a fog extending out of herself to touch all the birds' minds. Most of them felt healthy but a few were starting to show early signs of the shadow. How had they all been completely healed? Had Arram returned last night and healed them somehow? No, the mage had told her he couldn't heal.
You did it, when you came last night with the stork-man, a red-crested cardinal informed her.
I healed you? Daine asked receiving multiple confirmations from her patients. Was that why she'd collapsed? The young woman could bet Arram hadn't been happy about that, especially when he had to carry her to her rooms again.
Who's been poisoning you? she called.
Voices deafened her when all the birds replied at once. Instinctively Daine covered her ears and squeezed her eyes shut but it did nothing to quieten the noise.
One at a time! the young woman shouted.
She held out her arms as a few birds flew to her: two red-faced parrotfinches, three orange-belied leafbirds and two royal bluebirds with brilliant blue wings and tail feathers.
We are not poisoned. The Man always brings us nice food, one of the bluebirds said. An image of the emperor appeared in the bird's mind.
Someone or something is making you sick, the young woman argued. What have you been eating?
Seeds, they chorused.
What kinds? Daine asked.
Birds fluttered out of the trees to bring her offerings of seed. She snapped them in half but only found ordinary seed. So, the poisoning wasn't deliberate.
Do you eat only seed or do you have other food? The young woman inquired.
Fruit, the tanagers answered. Figs, grapes, fluffy leaves with lots of wet in them.
Daine grinned when she saw the image of lettuce in their minds.
Green food, a parrotfinch chirped.
What plant is that?
Not a plant. We show you, the parrotfinches fluttered to the windows near where they made their nests.
The leafbirds and bluebirds joined them hanging from metal vines that decorated the windows. Daine reached out a hand and felt pockmarks where the birds had been pecking at the enamel.
"Master Lindhall, what are these vines made of?"
The northern mage looked up from where he was feeding handfuls of seed to the birds who perched on his arms and shoulders. "They are primarily composed of copper wire coated in green enamel to give them the appearance of vines."
The young woman addressed the birds again. Are you all eating this?
It's good but I'm always thirsty after eating it, one of the leafbirds replied while the other birds chirped in agreement.
"Is there any lead used in the making of those vines?" she asked the mage.
"There will be trace amounts in the enamel," Lindhall came to stand beside Daine and frowned. "I think I'm starting to see where you are going with this."
"It's these vines on the glass," the young woman pointed to the pitted surface. "The birds have been eating it which is what's been making them sick."
"Well, I'll be," the master breathed. "You solved the mystery. His Majesty will be delighted to hear this."
"I'm going to tell all the birds in here to stay away from it but that won't help the new chicks when they arrive," Daine informed him. "I can't come back every time babies are born to tell them not to eat it."
"I will inform His Majesty of the problem and we'll have it changed immediately," Lindhall reassured her. "Thank you, my dear. It upsets me to see any creature suffer like these birds have and not be able to understand the cause. I wish I could speak to all my patients as you do. It would make healing them so much easier if I could instantly understand what ailed them."
"You should thank Arram too," the young woman pointed out. "He was the one who figured about the lead poisoning."
The master's smiled faded. "I will when I see him next. Did he bring you in here again last night?"
Daine nodded absently before going to explain about the dangers of eating the green food to her patients. It took several hours as she worked her way through small groups. The young woman could have called to them all, but she wanted to ensure they all understood the message and reinforce it with her will, pausing several times to heal a few of the birds that were starting to show signs of the sickness again.
Lindhall Reed escorted Miss Sarrasri back to the guest quarters before heading towards the cells beneath the palace. There was a large, stark room outside the cells where prisoners were stripped of their clothing and possessions before being thrown into the empty rooms. Ozorne sat lounging on a cushioned couch at the side of the chamber sipping wine and nibbling on figs from a gold dish.
Keeping his eyes fixed on the emperor, Lindhall bowed deeply, "Your Imperial Majesty, I have excellent news. Veralidaine Sarrasri has healed your birds and discovered the cause of their illness. They have been pecking at the metallic vines on the glass taking trace amounts of lead into their bodies. If we replace the coating or place shields over the surface, then this won't happen again."
"Indeed? How did she manage the healing?" Ozorne looked up with interest.
"The birds did not show any signs of the sickness when we arrived," the elderly mage answered honestly. "The young lady merely wished to discuss her theory on how they were getting sick."
The emperor glared mercilessly towards the centre of the room. "You visited the aviary again last night with the girl-child. How did she do it?"
Lindhall kept his face impassive while he heard Arram cry out in pain when he gave no answer.
"No matter," Ozorne waved a hand dismissively. "We will lure the girl away with titles and wealth. She is nothing but an orphaned commoner, how could she refuse us? Once Veralidaine accepts, we will hand her over to the university to discover her secrets. Then I shall have the dragon!"
The triumphant gleam in the emperor's eyes made the northern mage shudder.
"This does interfere with my plans to implicate the Tortallans and start my war," Ozorne clicked his tongue in irritation while he selected another fig from the dish. "We shall have to delay for a day or two while I bestow my benevolence and gratitude on the girl before incriminating one of them. Perhaps their precious Lioness…" the emperor tapped his lips thoughtfully before smiling warmly as if just remembering the mage was still there. "Thank you for bringing me this news, Master Lindhall. I shall visit with my birds and see this miraculous recovery for myself."
"Very good, Your Imperial Majesty," the mage bowed low before walking away.
Lindhall only spared a brief glance towards the centre of the room where Arram knelt tied to a post with leather cords. Bloody gashes covered every inch of the young man's back, and he had a swollen right eye and split lip. His typically swarthy skin was a mottled tapestry of dark blue, purple, and sickly yellow from severe beatings by the two guards that stood either side of him holding wooden sticks. While Lindhall knew a healer would be called to tend his friend once the emperor had finished with him to hide the unsightly wounds and bruises, it wouldn't do for his prized pet to be unpresentable at dinner, the northerner worried more for Arram's soul. How much longer could the young mage endure this form of treatment before he broke beyond repair?
By the time she'd returned from the aviary the rest of the delegation had already been called to the talks leaving Daine to eat the midday meal with only Zek and Kitten for company. The young woman wondered how she wasn't getting fat from how hungry she'd felt over the last few days and really wanted to ask Arram if this was a side-effect from all the healing she'd been doing.
Wandering out into the gardens, Daine practiced using mind-speech to talk with a several wild birds and two palace cats. She asked again after Arram's whereabouts to two servants and a slave but was given the same answer from this morning. What exactly did slaves do all day when they weren't required to serve anyone?
"Daine, I was looking for you," Kaddar approached wearing an open shirt which revealed a well-muscled chest.
The young woman smiled politely at the prince. "Do you know where Arram is today? I was hoping to talk to him, but no one will tell me where he is."
"Why should I care about a slave?" Kaddar announced loudly before grabbing Daine's arm and taking her aside, looking around skittishly. "Don't ask about him," he hissed.
"Why ever not?" she scowled keeping her voice low while the prince continued to glance around nervously. Daine rolled her eyes. "Kit?" The dragonet tilted her head before shaking it resolutely. "There are no listening spells, Your Highness."
"She can identify listening spells?" Kaddar looked delighted. "Do you have any idea how valuable she is? An ability like that is worth her weight in diamonds!"
"Kit's not for sale! She's her own self not a pet," the young woman snapped not caring who he was.
Kitten made a rude noise and narrowed her slit-pupiled eyes.
"Does she know what that sound means?" The prince covered his mouth struggling not to laugh.
"Kit knows the meaning of all her sounds," Daine folded her arms.
"There truly aren't any listening spells on us?" Kaddar directed his question to the dragonet who shook her head once again. "Draper is at 'obedience training.'"
The young woman felt her blood run cold. "What's that?"
"You don't want to know," the prince shook his head gravely. "My uncle took him away last night and he hasn't been seen since. If you're lucky, you might see him tonight at dinner depending on how heavy-handed his training is."
Daine swallowed hard sharing a bleak look with Kitten. She didn't want to imagine the mage being tortured again under any circumstances. Why couldn't Arram have just run away when he had the chance?
"My uncle sends his compliments and said you may go anywhere you wish today," Kaddar said trying to lighten the mood.
"Could we see more animals?" the young woman asked tentatively.
The prince frowned while he thought aloud. "You've seen the menagerie already… The university keeps their own collection for study and practice but there is always the public zoo."
"I'd like to see them all, please," Daine requested. She wanted to find her black hawk more than ever and leave this place with its slaves and its torture.
"All of them?" he balked. "As you wish," Kaddar sighed and held out his arm.
Daine placed Zek onto it instead making the prince laugh as the marmoset climbed up to his shoulder to examine an earring. Kaddar escorted her to the university where he showed the young woman the animals which were contained in small cages. The prince explained that they went to larger enclosures once the students and masters had finished studying them but it didn't make the animals suffering any easier to bear.
Next, he showed Daine the animals which were lined up for dissection. There were glass tanks containing numerous species of fish, amphibians, lizards, and snakes. The young woman shuddered and trembled uncontrollably until they left that room no matter how much Kaddar tried to reassure her that the animals were killed humanely. Daine didn't care how he phrased it, killing was killing!
The public zoo was as bad as she'd imagined the Imperial menagerie to be. Animals stood or lay in cramped cages with very little water and not enough food. They were too skinny, and their depression weighed heavily upon Daine while they walked. The young woman attempted to pull in her magic as much as possible and stuff it all inside of herself, but she'd never tried to before and it proved extremely difficult.
"My uncle would be furious if he knew these animals weren't being properly cared for," Kaddar remarked.
"I guess people are too busy trying to fend for themselves what with the drought and all than to care about the animals," she replied gloomily.
"I'll speak to my uncle about having these animals released or brought into the Imperial menagerie," the prince looked around equally as distressed at the animals' sorry state.
Can we leave this place? Zek asked having transferred himself back to Daine's shoulder when they entered. I don't like it here.
Neither do I but I must find my hawk, the young woman insisted.
After hours of searching and even visiting several pet stalls in the market square, Daine found no trace of her black hawk. Feeling utterly despondent, she feigned tiredness and heat exhaustion and asked to return to the palace.
"May I ask a difficult question?" Kaddar requested while they ambled along at a gentle pace. "No listening spells?" He asked the dragonet who shook her head. "How have you managed to resist my uncle for so long? You were overwhelmed at Pirate's Swoop."
"We had help…" she replied, suspicion creeping into her voice. The others had been worried about Arram questioning her on strategic matters but here was the prince doing exactly that. "Kit's Ma fought on our side and then a kraken cleared up the rest."
"A kraken?" the prince half-shrieked before he remembered to keep his voice down.
Daine shrugged her shoulders, avoiding his eyes. "He was in the area and agreed to destroy the enemy vessels. Made quite a mess in the end."
Kaddar licked his lips and swallowed. "How does one call for the aid of dragons and kraken exactly?"
The young woman chewed on her tongue while trying to decide how much to reveal. She didn't want to overplay her hand but neither did she want Tortall to appear weak. "The dragon wasn't our doing. The mages pulled her through the barrier along with the Stormwings."
"And the kraken?" the prince asked hesitantly.
"He was a ways off. I'm not really sure how I called him," Daine responded blandly. The situation had been dire at the time, and they'd needed help desperately. The young woman still had no idea how she'd drawn that monster to Pirate's Swoop, but Daine now knew that her magic was somehow responsible for him being there.
"You wouldn't bring one here, would you?" Kaddar wore a distressingly familiar look on his face of a person who was trying to decide if she was crazy or too strange to be around.
"There's only the one I know of, and he isn't nearby," the young woman mumbled.
Daine wished Cloud were here with her tart opinions and frank horse sense. Even Alanna would have been preferable despite their argument yesterday over her magic. Come to think of it, Arram had never looked at Daine like she was mad or been even slightly disturbed by what she could do. He and Lindhall for that matter had displayed only interest or curiosity. Carthak was the last place Daine had expected to find understanding or acceptance of her connection with animals.
Entering the palace by way of the water stairs which carried water from the river to the guest quarters, the young woman noticed the twin statues of Ozorne stood either side. One was dressed simply with birds on his shoulders and scrolls at his feet while the other wore robes and held a jewelled sceptre in one hand and a crystal orb in the other which sparkled with gold-green fire.
"In case you needed a reminder of whose home this is," Kaddar scowled darkly.
A loud clap of thunder boomed overhead despite there not being a cloud in the sky as a bolt of lightning struck the statues. When Daine's vision cleared all that remained of the statues was molten gold and shattered marble. The young people shared a look before they darted inside and went their separate ways.
No one spoke about the lightning at dinner that night which was held aboard a royal barge. Daine felt Arram's absence keenly while she attacked her nails and worried what sort of tortures had been inflicted on him. The emperor, of course, made no mention of his missing pet while four masters dressed in red robes used their Gift to float the boat along the River Zekoi. Tristan Staghorn had joined them again for dinner that night with his smiles and false charm, sitting near enough to make Daine's skin crawl but not at her table so, thankfully, she didn't have to attempt polite conversation with him. It was the first time Zek had chosen to remain behind in Daine's rooms rather than accompany her. The pygmy marmoset was too terrified to go anywhere near the dreadful river that had almost claimed his life and the young woman saw no reason to traumatise him any further.
Daine picked through her meal only half-listening to the conversations, upset that she still hadn't managed to find her black hawk. Why couldn't the badger be more helpful with his instructions? The least he could have done was told her where to find this hawk, so she wasn't trying to hunt down every back alley of Carthak.
Servants came to clear their plates when the emperor stood to address his guests. "This morning we received word that Veralidaine Sarrasri has done us a great service by healing our treasured pets and discovered the source of their mysterious illness."
"You never mentioned this," Alanna hissed from across the table.
"We would like to thank her and honour her properly." Ozorne held out his hand to indicate that the young woman should stand.
Daine got shakily to her feet aware that all eyes were on her. A sharp look from His Grace reminded her that she should bow before the emperor which she managed well enough.
"We would like to offer you a home here with us. You will be granted land and a title befitting your new status: countess."
Everyone clapped politely while the young woman blushed furiously and ducked her head wishing she could hide behind her curls which had been pinned up tightly to her head.
"Thank you, sir –" A meaningful cough from Lord Martin had Daine quickly correcting herself. "Your Imperial Majesty. The only reward I need is knowing your birds are well." Satisfied she'd come up with a polite rejection, the young woman bravely raised her head. She wanted nothing from the Emperor Mage!
Several of the Carthaki ministers and foreign ambassadors murmured in approval even if their tone sounded a little condescending. The Tortallan delegates all wore grim expressions with His Grace looking very much like he wanted to say something.
Ozorne held up a hand. "You need not give us an answer now. Think carefully before making your decision."
Daine heard the threat behind the emperor's words despite his pleasant smile. "Thank you, Your Majesty," she bowed before retaking her seat.
The young woman instantly decided she needed to speak with Duke Gareth after dinner or at breakfast tomorrow morning to figure out how to firmly reject this offer without causing offence or starting a war.
With dinner concluded, Ozorne went to the bow of the ship and invited everyone to join him where he commanded his mages to raise the boat high into the air. Kitten shrieked with terror until Alanna scooped the dragonet into her arms to calm her. Tonight's 'entertainment' consisted of a chilling display of Carthak's military fleet which was parked in the harbour lit by the enemy mages aboard the ships.
"Is he mad?" Kaddar announced loudly at Daine's side. "This isn't just the northern fleet – he's brought the western one up as well! Did he do it to – to brag –"
"Shut up," Lady Varice hissed, clutching the prince's arm in a tight grip. "What's the matter with you? Do you want to disappear like the last heir?"
"But –"
Daine elbowed Kaddar, not wanting to see someone else suffer the emperor's wrath. "Shut up!" she spoke through clenched teeth.
No one spoke while the prince fumed in silence until the Carthaki mages lowered the boat back onto the Zekoi. Four new mages approached to replace the exhausted ones and bowed to the emperor as a gong began to sound. From behind the harbour tower rode a giant golden horse with a golden rider slumped over its back. A shield and sword hung from the rider's hands as if they were too heavy to lift.
"Who's that?" Daine whispered to the prince.
Kaddar didn't even glance in her direction when he answered. "Zernou – the first emperor. It looks just like the statue that usually stands in the Market Square…"
All around them people were making the Sign against evil. This wasn't part of the entertainment…
"I don't think it's there now," Alanna muttered from somewhere behind them.
The golden horse stopped in the lock between the boat and the harbour before rearing, its rider pointing his sword directly at Ozorne before speaking in an unfamiliar, guttural language that made Daine's head ring with every word. The Carthaki mages, including Staghorn, reacted instantly forming shields around the boat and its occupants but no attack came. The emperor turned deathly pale before whirling around as if looking for someone to blame for this horrible trick. Behind him the horse and rider leapt over the seawall to race towards the lighthouse leaving a trail of sparks in their wake. When the statue reached the cliff, it leapt over the fleet of vessels before continuing to gallop over the ocean's surface until it vanished.
"What did he say?" Varice asked the prince in a hushed tone. "That was Old Thak, the first language of the empire, wasn't it?"
"'Woe'," the prince translated, his voice a soft tremor. "'Woe. Woe to the empire – we are forsaken. The gods are angry!'"