Description: Daine continues to try out all means while searching for her black hawk. Meanwhile Arram tries to convince the Tortallans to leave Carthak by any means necessary.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters. Everything belongs to Tamora Pierce.
Chapter 10
The next morning Daine found Alanna sat alone at the breakfast table while Kitten hopped up beside the knight to investigate the pastries with Zek heading straight for the fruit bowl. The young woman had stayed up late last night with Duke Gareth and the rest of the delegation trying to ask what she should to about the emperor's offer but they'd been too distracted by the events in the harbour to pay much attention to her. In the end, she'd given up and gone to bed, leaving the others to their heated debate.
"Where is everyone?" Daine asked, having hoped to catch His Grace this morning before the negotiations began.
"In their rooms. The talks don't start today until noon. If they've any sense, they'll sleep in," the Lioness grouched looking weary.
"Not you?" the young woman tilted her head to assess the dark circles beneath the knight's eyes.
Alanna shook her head, stirring a spoon around her porridge without making any move to eat it. "Too much on my mind. I got rid of the servants. I can't deal with slaves today," she sighed. "The prince is right; the northern fleet is small with about thirty vessels in total. They have an indisputable claim to this shore of the Inland Sea. It's the Western Coast where they have all the war barges and transport ships to protect against Scanran and Copper Isles raids. Those ships are needed there, unless –"
"Unless they know there's no trouble coming," Daine finished for her feeling a shiver run down her spine. "Do rulers normally bring in their navy during peace talks?"
The knight snorted rudely. "If we were actually having peace talks, no. We got bogged down yesterday with fishing rights on top of everything else. Hopefully, that stunt you pulled healing the emperor's birds will be enough to sway opinions today."
Daine avoided her violet eyes and served herself a portion of spiced eggs, tomatoes, and stewed beans: a traditional Carthaki breakfast, so she'd been told. Alanna ate a small spoonful of porridge watching her friend closely while the silence stretched. Neither woman was very good at apologies, and they hadn't spoken since their argument from the other morning.
"Daine – did you really heal the birds with magic?" the Lioness asked quietly.
"I did," the young woman replied, voice hard.
"Was Draper there?"
Daine scowled darkly at her friend. "He was but I healed them, my own self, without any assistance this time."
Alanna held up her hand. "I believe you. Goddess bless, we've known for long enough that you had to have something, we just didn't have a name for it. I shouldn't have doubted you – I just didn't like where you got your information."
"I trust Arram," the young woman raised her chin stubbornly. "I know none of you are happy about it and you all want me to stay away from him, but he's been helping me. I never would have been able to do any of this without him. If he was trying to sabotage us, why would he help put us in the emperor's favour?"
"I don't know but far be it for me to argue with the girl who managed to convince ogres, dragons, and a kraken to fight on our side. If you say you trust this mage, then who am I to doubt you?" Alanna smiled.
"Thank you," Daine smiled in relief. "He's up to something though…"
The Lioness gave her a sharp look before sending out her purple Gift to the corners of the room where it spread creating an aural shield. "What do you know?"
"Nothing for certain," the young woman scowled. "I saw him consorting with that Stormwing from Dunlath and an old slave woman the other night. I think they're planning something."
"Do you have any idea what?"
Daine shook her head in frustration. "I don't think it's against us though." The young woman didn't want to get Alanna's hopes up that they might be allies. She still didn't trust the old slave woman. "The badger came to visit me in my cabin just before we arrived in Carthak."
That got the Lioness' attention. "Why didn't you say anything sooner?"
"'Cause he didn't tell me anything more'n we already know," Daine argued. "The gods are angry with the emperor. It's nothing the omens haven't been warning against or what that statue said last night."
"I don't like it," Alanna folded her arms, face grave. "Secret plots and angry gods. If I had my way, we'd sail tonight but Duke Gareth and Lord Martin are more determined than ever to work out a peace accord after last night's little demonstration. Do you think you could get Draper to tell you what he's planning?"
The young woman shrugged uncertainly. "He got angry with me last time I asked." She considered telling her friend about the mage's refusal to escape after Kit released him, but Daine still wasn't sure what that meant other than it making no sense. "Prince Kaddar asked me about the attack on Pirate's Swoop yesterday."
Deep hatred flashed through the knight's amethyst eyes. "What did he want to know?" her voice iced with rage.
"How we got a dragon and a kraken to fight on our side," the young woman explained.
"What did you tell him?"
"That the dragon wasn't on us. It's not like I can explain about the kraken when I never understood it myself," Daine frowned.
Alanna nodded slowly before eyeing the girl carefully. "George heard whispers about an underground movement against the emperor. The heir to the Carthaki throne is certainly a likely candidate to be in on something like that considering their family history on assassinating each other for power. If you learn anything more, bring it to me immediately."
Daine went out into the gardens when the gong rang calling the rest of the delegation to the talks. No one had been willing to discuss the emperor's offer, all too focussed on their strategy for the negotiations, but His Grace had promised to make some time for her before dinner. Today Kitten had accompanied Alanna, wanting to listen to the negotiations now they were getting interesting. There was still no sign of Arram, and the young woman was afraid to ask after him. Was he still being tortured or was he now permitted to rest and recover?
Forcing her worries for the mage out of her mind, Daine found a quiet spot on the lawn and concentrated on pushing out her magic as she sent out a call. At first, she was only able to hear the birds closest to her in the gardens. Zek scampered off her shoulder to sit on the grass as more birds came to perch on the young woman. The smaller birds hadn't seen a black hawk but promised they would keep an eye out for her. It took time for her to call the birds that were further out: ducks, geese and pigeons who also had no information. The plovers and lapwings offered to fly near where the men wearing shiny coverings, soldiers Daine explained, were camped. The gulls and terns said they would search the harbour and docks in case her hawk was being held there ready to be shipped across the sea.
The young woman's biggest fear was that her hawk had been imprisoned in Carthak's black market which was not a place Kaddar could have taken her. The first sign of the prince and his entourage of guards would've had the sellers disappearing before she'd had a chance to speak with any of them. Rats were the obvious animal of choice with access to all of Carthak but they'd never listen to Daine no matter how nicely she asked. The young woman had to settle for cats and dogs who she asked to pass on the word. As dusk fell, all of Carthak's wildlife was hunting through the streets, back alleys, and waterways in search of Daine's black hawk.
The evening meal was nothing special in comparison to the previous nights, held in the banquet hall inside the palace to cater to Ozorne's paranoia after yesterday's excitement with the lightning and the statue of Zernou coming to a seeming of life. Arram wasn't foolish enough to believe the emperor might scrape up a modicum of decency and become a good ruler after those warnings. He'd long since given up on that misconception.
Daine had slipped out into the gardens some time ago now that the feast was over and the other guests were mingling. She was possibly hoping he would follow but the mage stayed where he was knelt beside Ozone's chair, to all outward appearances completely broken.
The young woman had been openly delighted when she'd spotted Arram in attendance this evening which left the mage filled with mixed emotions. He needed to keep his distance from her before he got Daine into more trouble because of him, hence why the mage remained where he was, knelt in submission. The emperor already suspected there was something about the young woman and Arram couldn't allow him to learn of her wild magic under any circumstances. The rest of the Tortallans all wore grave expressions after the talks this afternoon. Their 'reward' for Daine's good deed had been an offer of marriage between Prince Kaddar and Princess Kalasin to solidify the alliance between their two great nations.
Despite having been born in Tyra and having lived most of his life in Carthak, Arram didn't feel he owed his allegiance to any country, but for Daine and Kitten's sake alone the mage planned to speak with the Tortallan delegation tonight. He had wrestled with the idea all day, but his conscience wouldn't allow them to fall prey to one of Ozorne's nefarious schemes. The emperor's words during his punishment still weighed heavily on the mage's mind. Ozorne was going to make a move against them soon and if Daine couldn't be convinced to stay in Carthak would he resort to kidnapping her and Kitten too?
When the evening finally concluded, Arram slipped quietly into the shadows and entered the slave tunnels exiting near to the guest quarters. The Tortallans had all retired early, perhaps to discuss their strategy for tomorrow's negotiations, and the mage was pleased to discover Duke Gareth, Lord Martin and Gareth the Younger were still awake when he entered the common room, bowing low at the waist.
Duke Gareth noticed the intruder first and stood to address him, his voice strained but polite. "Is there something we can do for you?"
Arram kept his head lowered respectfully. "Forgive the interruption, Nobility. This unworthy one wished to speak with you on a private matter."
"Fetch Alanna and Harailt," Duke Gareth whispered to his son which was just audible in the now silent common room.
The men waited in stony silence for the Dean, who arrived carrying a book, and the Lioness, who had apparently turned in for the night when she appeared dressed in a nightgown.
"Gary said you needed me – what are you doing here?" Alanna's violet eyes hardened when she noticed their visitor.
Arram forced himself to meet her intimidating gaze. "Would you be so kind as to ward the room, Nobility?"
"You could do that as easily as I can," the Lioness folded her muscular arms while she sent out her purple Gift to the corners of the room, warding it from prying eyes and ears.
"I would prefer that no one know of my being here," the mage explained.
"What does the emperor's pet want with us?" Gareth the Younger mirrored Alanna's stance, glowering.
Arram dropped his slave persona the moment the wards were set and raised his head to regard the people in the room. "To humbly ask you all to leave."
"You must be joking," Lord Martin laughed bitterly.
"The emperor is deceiving you," Arram levelled his dark eyes on the ambassador. "He has no desire for peace, only war. You must return to Tortall before he turns against you."
"The emperor won't risk attacking us during peace talks and incurring the wrath of all the Eastern Lands," Gareth the Younger scoffed.
"He won't attack you directly, that's not his way," the mage explained patiently. "You won't see the attack until it's too late."
"If we leave now then the other ambassadors will believe us weak and refuse to aid Tortall when your fleet inevitably invades our lands," Duke Gareth reasoned.
"Arram!"
His heart clenched with a combination of joy and sorrow when Daine rushed into the room with the dragonet hard on her heels. For a moment he almost believed the young woman would embrace him, but she stopped just in front of his tall frame. Zek had no such reservations as the pygmy marmoset leapt from her shoulder onto his arm. Arram petted him gently with one finger while Kitten placed her claws gently against his leg and whistled for attention. The mage gave up on pretence and bent down to scratch the dragonet under the chin but refused to pick her up. He had some dignity!
"I see that you have been taking my warnings seriously, Daine," Duke Gareth gave the young woman a withering stare.
Daine blushed but remained unrepentant as she looked at Arram with those breath-taking blue-grey eyes. "Why're you here?"
"To warn you," he spoke directly to her, ignoring the others. "You must leave and return home."
"We can't. We've still got to sign a peace treaty," she frowned.
"It's too dangerous here," the mage stood, taking her hands in his. "Please, Daine. I don't want you to share in my fate." Knowing what was in store for her should she remain in Carthak only hardened his resolve.
"I can't leave. Not yet," the young woman whispered so only he could hear.
Arram released her hands and went to his knees, prostrating himself before her. "I beg of you to heed my warning and to leave this place. Tonight, if possible."
Daine shuffled her feet uncomfortably, but it was Duke Gareth who responded. "We thank you for the warning, but I'm afraid we must disappoint you. We will not be the ones to start a war with Carthak. Tortall wants only peace, and we won't leave until we have reached an accord."
The mage swallowed and sat up to see their unyielding expressions and his heart sank. Arram looked up to silently plead with Daine, but she merely shook her head. Getting slowly to his feet, the mage bowed low and left the room not bothering to hide his disappointment, surprised when the Lioness didn't threaten to kill him. The knight had been unexpectedly quiet during the discussion and Arram noticed on his way out that she was regarding him with suspicion rather than open hostility.
The talks broke down dramatically after only an hour the next afternoon when the Tortallans refused to hand over their ten-year-old princess for a spring wedding. The emperor left after that announcement with Duke Etiakret storming out shortly after, only returning to say they would not hand over one of their lords to northern justice despite the fact the man was well-known for pillaging the Tortallan coast.
Arram stood staring into the ornamental lake that had already been refilled after its transformation. Turning the water to dust would have been more appropriate considering the situation but the mage doubted Ozorne would have been pleased with that. The emperor might have punished Arram there and then for demonstrating his opinions so publicly. He was still sore from his recent ordeal even though the physical evidence had all been removed.
A frustrated cry from the lower terrace brought the mage from his reverie as he looked up to see a flock of birds, no two of the same species, fly into the air. Apparently, no matter how good his intentions, he couldn't seem to avoid Daine. The young woman was storming back and forth having a heated discussion with someone, Arram suspected either Zek or Kitten, because he couldn't spot any other animals nearby. Giving up on self-preservation, the mage made his way down the marble steps and crossed the grass, stopping a short distance away from Daine who noticed his approach but didn't stop her furious pacing. Kitten whistled a greeting but was more focussed on the incensed young woman than him.
"You're angry at how quickly the talks broke down today?" Arram enquired politely. He hadn't believed she was that interested in politics.
Daine stopped mid-stride; her blue-grey eyes stormy. "No – well, yes – but that's not..."
"Not what's upsetting you," the mage finished, watching as she bit her lower lip, eyes darting about furtively. "Can I help?"
He doubted more than ever that she had come here simply to heal the emperor's birds. There had to be an ulterior motive at work here but what it was the mage couldn't fathom. So long as it didn't interfere with his own plans, Arram would happily assist the young woman if it meant convincing her to leave sooner.
"I don't know…" she swallowed, glancing up at him visibly apprehensive.
The mage walked towards the marble railing leaning on his elbows while keeping his back to her, allowing the young woman to come to this decision by herself. He couldn't force Daine to trust him, even the Gift didn't have that sort of power. After a few minutes of more pacing, she joined him at the railing, the soft material of her shirt brushing against his skin.
"Have you seen a black hawk?" the young woman asked softly. "He's caged somewhere around here."
"A black hawk? They aren't commonly found in Carthak," the mage frowned.
"So I've been told," Daine hung her head in defeat.
"Why do you need to find one so badly?" Arram asked unable to deny his own curiosity.
"A – friend told me I had to find him and free him," she admitted haltingly.
The mage went very still. Not just a black hawk, a male black hawk. "Who is this friend of yours?"
"I can't tell you that," the young woman shook her head making her wild curls dance.
Arram swallowed, choosing his next words with painstaking deliberation. "But your friend sent you to Carthak to rescue a black hawk?"
"Yes." Blue-grey eyes met his in desperation. "You know something! Please, tell me," she grabbed his arm. "I have to find him!"
Hag's bones, Daine was here for him! "I do…" The mage's mind filled with a thousand questions. "The news is not good I'm afraid."
"What do you mean?" Her grip tightened.
"He died. Eight years ago," Arram answered tactfully.
"No… He can't be dead! I was sent to find him," she turned away before asking brokenly, "Who was he?"
"He was a member of the Banjiku with a connection to hawks," the mage lied easily. "Now will you heed my warning and return home with your quest a failure?"
Pain filled her beautiful face and Arram swallowed against the lump in his throat. "But I needed him. He was s'posed to teach me..."
Teach Daine? That was a temptation beyond words! He would have dearly loved to instruct the young woman all about her magic – and anything else she desired to learn. This was why the Graveyard Hag had continuously warned him not to get distracted. Arram was no longer a child wishing for impossible dreams, but the sudden burning desire to return with her was hard to crush. With great difficulty the mage extinguished that flame and set himself the far more painful task of destroying the brief friendship they'd built.
"Daine, what I did to Siraj was unforgivable," he spoke softly. "Ozorne now has his sights set on Tortall for its rich farmland. If he commands me to invade your lands, I will transmute the earth to salt making it a wasteland for years to come."
"Why would you do that?" the young woman looked up at him in horror.
"Ozorne cannot be allowed to expand his empire any further," Arram explained.
"But – what about the animals? They never asked to become involved in two-legger wars!" The hurt evident in her eyes.
The mage straightened to his full height, aware of how intimidating he appeared. "I will do what I must to ensure Ozorne's conquest ends before it can begin, even at the expense of your lands. You should return home and prepare your forces for war."
"They were right about you…" the young woman backed away from him. "You really are a heartless monster."
Arram blanked his expression despite feeling his heart breaking in his chest while Daine ran from him. Kitten made a rude noise before she turned tail and scampered after her mistress. That look of betrayal in the young woman's eyes would haunt him forever.
It won't be long, dearie. Soon your patience will be rewarded, and I shall have my vengeance!