Description: The mages travel towards Pirate's Swoop to request the aid of the kraken.

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

Author's Note: I'm having far too much fun with my book-bound scholar in this chapter. When Numair meets Daine in Wild Magic, he's already lived rough for several years and learned all the necessary skills to survive on the road but not our dear Arram.

Chapter 20

The palace stables were a bustling hive of activity with hostlers scurrying about readying enormous mounts for the knights and hitching up carts to shaggier draft horses. Daine entered confidently followed by her pony, striding across the cobblestone yard while Numair hung back near the gates, trying to stay out of the way.

When the young woman realised her teacher wasn't following, she returned frowning. "Why're you back here? Come on."

The mage wet his lips, avoiding her concerned blue-grey eyes. "Horses scare me."

"A big, tall mage like you?" Daine teased. "What's to be afraid of? You're taller'n half of them."

He bit back a smile. "They are lot stronger with legs powerful enough to fracture bone, damage the intestines, and cause internal bleeding that can prove fatal. If thrown from a horse's back you can suffer spinal injuries, cracked skulls –"

"Come on," she grabbed his arm and half-dragged him with her. "I won't let any of them hurt you."

That should have reassured him, but Numair found himself flinching whenever one of the extra-large warhorses moved a foot or shook its massive head. Entering the stables, they found Stefan Groomsman checking the feet of a great horse. Please don't let them choose one like that for me, the mage begged silently.

The Chief Hostler was a friendly potbellied man with a red face and straw-like hair as he greeted Daine who explained why there were there. Numair stayed near the entrance while the pair disappeared into the back of the stables discussing options. They returned shortly with a horse each held by the reins.

"I brung ye a gelding and a quarter to try," Stefan pointed to the two mounts in turn. "He be a patient sort and this fine lady be sweet if a bit jealous," he patted the 'fine lady.'

Numair had to concede that the sorrel mare, with more red than chestnut in her coat, was very beautiful but found himself backing up a step when she began to frisk in a lively manner. He looked over towards Daine for help who was petting the more docile of the two: a black and white spotted gelding.

"Someone's treated you bad," she crooned.

"Aye. Been overworked and beaten when we found 'im," Stefan agreed, giving the gelding a sympathetic pat.

"I know a little something about that," Numair murmured.

The gelding's ears pricked forward when he spoke and Daine beckoned him forward, sliding an apple into his hand when he got close enough. Trying to ignore his pounding heart, Numair offered the apple, not sure if his Wildmage had said anything or if the horse just had a gentle nature when it took the fruit leaving his fingers intact.

"Now, blow into his nostrils. It's how you get acquainted," she explained.

Numair complied, a little shocked when the gelding returned the gesture.

"He'll do right be ye." Stefan smiled, beginning to lead the mare back to her stall.

"He isn't required for someone more deserving, like a knight or a noble?" Numair asked nervously.

"This 'uns no good for the knights. Too skittish for their type o' work an' the nobles prefer solid-coloured thoroughbreds," Stefan answered before disappearing with the mare.

"Does he have a name?" Numair called after him.

"Spots," Daine supplied with an amused grin.

Unimaginative but apt, Numair thought with his own smile. She led the gelding out of the courtyard, towards the road, her mountain pony following like a loyal dog. He was more than a little relieved that Daine hadn't asked him to mount in front of all those people. Numair wasn't a boy anymore so no one would be lifting him into the saddle or offering a box for him to stand on.

She attached a pack to either side of the saddle before giving him an expectant look. "You do know how to ride?"

"I can stay on…" he muttered defensively.

Daine released the reins to loosen the leather straps which attached to metal stirrups. "Left foot goes in there," she instructed, holding it still for him.

Taking a deep breath, Numair raised his foot and, with help from his student, successfully managed to get his boot through the foothold.

"Use the saddle to pull yourself up and swing the other leg over," she explained, retaking the reins.

It took several attempts, but he finally managed to get himself into the saddle, pointedly ignoring the winces and sheer dismay on her face.

"We're going to have to work on that," Daine commented while she adjusted the length of his stirrups and checked all the fastenings before handing him the reins. "You need to hold these not the horn."

Numair tried extremely hard not to calculate just how far off the ground he was while looking down at his student. "The last time I was in the saddle, I was told the opposite."

"How do you expect to steer if you're not holding the reins?" she asked, scowling.

"My master just wanted me to focus on not falling off," he chuckled, gripping both the reins and the saddle horn.

Daine rolled her eyes before mounting her pony with an ease and grace he envied.

"Is no one else joining us?" Numair asked, twisting in the saddle, somehow managing to remain in it.

"No, just us," she said as Cloud started forward at a walk.

"Alone?" He lurched as his own gelding began following her pony.

"Don't get all missish on me," Daine grumbled. "You know that kraken I told you about? We've got to pay him a visit and see if he can be convinced to go stop the enemy ships heading straight for us. They'll be here in two days, and it'll take us three to get to Pirate's Swoop."

"That doesn't explain the lack of chaperons or guards," Numair muttered.

It hardly seemed respectable for them to be travelling together without at least another female present. Daine was a very young, very attractive woman and he was an unknown mage from an enemy country. It couldn't be that the Tortallans trusted him after so little time…

She shrugged her slender shoulders. "Everyone else is needed to defend the port and the capital."

"Ozorne?" Numair swallowed, already knowing the answer to that question.

"Commanding the Carthaki fleets." Daine nodded, urging her pony into a trot.

So, they were sending him away before the emperor took control and ordered him to attack. Numair didn't blame the Tortallans for their fears. He would have done the same thing in their position, he just wished she had been honest with him about it.

What followed were some of the worst hours Numair had experienced since leaving Carthak. He knew he wasn't a good rider, and while Spots seemed better than most horses, his balls still felt like they were being pounded into dust as he bounced around in the saddle. Daine did try to offer advice, constant and helpful, but Numair was starting to believe he wasn't made to sit on the back of a horse. He felt every step along the Conté Road until they stopped just as the light started to fade.

"Should we not press on?" he asked. As much as his lower half wanted the rest, Numair was worried about the invasion fleet.

"While you might be happy to keep going, the horses need to rest and I'm not setting up camp in the dark," Daine stated, dismounting Cloud with equal grace.

He nodded, bowing to her superior knowledge as he practically fell out of the saddle. Groaning, Numair collapsed to the floor placing a hand over his groin and closed his eyes. "I may never father children of my own. Remind me again why we couldn't just walk?"

Daine giggled at his silliness. "Horses are faster." He opened his mouth to dispute that statement. "And they carry more provisions," she added which he had to concede. The young woman approached to nudge him with the toe of her boot. "I'm going to unsaddle the horses. Can you dig the latrine?"

Numair opened one eye to glare at her. "You're a cruel taskmistress."

Daine nudged him again with more force. "You've got to pull your own weight. I'm not doing everything."

He groaned again before getting to his feet and retrieving the spade while she removed their packs and saddles from the horses. Surveying the area, the mage wondered where the best place was to dig while Daine pulled out a brush from her pack.

"Go over there where the trees are thickest. Make sure not to get too close to the river," she instructed.

"Yes mistress," he grumbled.

Glancing back, Numair saw Daine's worried expression and stuck his tongue out at her to make her laugh. Every muscle in his body protested the movement and the mage suspected he'd sleep like the dead tonight, even on cold, wet ground. By the time he'd finished digging a hole, Kitten and Daine had already started building a fire. Next, she sent him to fetch water, which required more convincing to get his legs to walk to the stream and kneel to fill the pans and their waterskins.

By the time she had dinner cooking, Numair wasn't sure if he even had the energy to eat. Their meal, made up of pork, noodles and leek, gave him enough energy to walk back to the stream and wash up while Daine set up their bedrolls. The mage had just enough presence of mind to ward the camp before he tugged off his boots and collapsed face first onto the blanket, almost instantly asleep.

It took two more days of riding before they reached the village of Buzzard Rocks, the new home of Baron George Cooper, husband to Alanna. They had added new fortifications since Daine had last visited but it was nowhere near as impressive as the castle that had once stood in Pirate's Swoop Bay. A longhouse had been built to house the Cooper family, but George still insisted he would one day reclaim his true home.

The annoying hum that the Wildmage always associated with this area began to ring in her ears when they got close as dusk approached. Guards blocked their entrance at the gate until Daine announced herself and they were instantly admitted. The mages had barely handed the horses over to the hostlers when George emerged to greet the young woman with a bear hug making her squeak.

"Good to see you again, lass. How was the trip?" He grinned, finally putting her down. He was an inch shorter than Numair with a muscular body and short-cropped brown hair dressed in everyday clothing.

"Wet." She grinned back. His smile was infectious. "We'd appreciate a hot meal and a night in the dry before we head down to the bay."

Sharp hazel eyes took in her companion he held out a hand. "George Cooper, and who might you be, friend?"

"Numair Salmalín." The mage took his hand, lowering his eyes.

Daine highly doubted the second-in-command spymaster didn't know who her teacher really was, but George played the game anyway, offering to have their bags taken to rooms inside the longhouse and for servants to prepare hot baths. He slung an arm around the young woman's shoulder while someone showed the mage to his room.

"What's your thoughts on him?" George asked once they were inside his study.

"Numair? Or Arram Draper?" she goaded, taking a seat.

He flashed her a smile full of mischief, leaning against his wooden desk. "You tell me."

"I trust him." Daine met his twinkling hazel eyes. "Numair's been nothing but kind to me and he's a wonderful teacher! Did you know I can heal? Well, I'm learning more now he has me reading books about it." She'd healed an injured rabbit on their way here and had successfully repaired muscle and bone with Numair's guidance.

"A little bird told me, yes," George chuckled.

"He's changed somewhat since Carthak." Daine doubted even a month ago Numair would have been confident enough to voice a single complaint during their journey. "Sometimes I almost believe Arram did die back there but then Numair will mention something about being a slave and you can see it in his eyes."

"You talk like he's two different people." George folded his arms, frowning.

"It feels like it sometimes," she agreed.

"This is the file I've been reviewing on our 'friend' Arram Draper." The spymaster turned to pat a thick stack of paperwork beside him. "It contains detailed reports about what happened during the Siraj massacre, including the number of deaths he accounted for personally. And that's not the only atrocity Draper committed in the name of the Emperor Mage. He's destroyed homes, rerouted water supplies and destroyed farms on nothing more than a word from his master."

"Does it say in there that the emperor made him do all those things by controlling his magic?" Daine scowled darkly. "He's controlled by a magical focus."

"We can't know his reasons for certain," George cautioned. "Sometimes a broken man will do things just to avoid being punished again."

Stormy blue-grey eyes glared at the spymaster. "I was there when he refused an order from the emperor. I saw what was done to him."

"And yet, he still did what the emperor asked without Ozorne needing to use a focus. Alanna was there too, lass." George stared back, resolute. "She told me what happened. Speaking of my darlin' wife, could you avoid sneaking off without telling her in the future?" He pleaded. "She was like a real lioness with a lost cub when she returned, snarling and growling at everyone."

Daine giggled. "I'll make no such promise." The smile faded as she gripped his wrist, eyes serious. "George, I trust Numair. He wouldn't hurt a fly if he could help it. He's good people, I swear it."

The spymaster was silent for a long minute before he finally nodded. "My wife said the same. Despite what the reports say, it's hard to argue when the people I trust vouch for him."

Her eyes fell on the thick stack of paperwork. Numair hadn't really told her any details about Siraj, just that he'd been forced to kill a lot of innocent lives. Should she read it and find out exactly who her new teacher was? Badger wouldn't have sent her to someone dangerous though…

"You can read it if you want, lass." George was far too perceptive. "You more than anyone should know who you're dealing with."

That made the decision for her. "I'd druther get to know him my own self. That's only going to say what others have seen him do. Does it mention in there that he helped free slaves?"

"It does." The spymaster nodded. "It's not all bad, I grant you, but the power that man wields and what he can do with it scares me."

Daine disagreed with that. Numair's power didn't scare her as much as who was in control of it. She trusted her teacher to use his Gift properly. Other than the earthquakes he hadn't done anything to be frightened of and, to be fair, it was more the earth-shakes themselves than Numair summoning them that had scared her.

"The Graveyard Hag made him raise an army of the dead," she commented idly, wondering what George might have heard about the fall of Carthak. "I think he caused the earth-shakes but Numair – Arram – had divine power running through him at the time." He'd certainly put a stop to the earthquakes easily enough.

The spymaster grabbed a piece of parchment and scribbled a quick note. "Any other deities you know he's in contact with?

Daine shook her head before grinning impishly. "I met with the male god of hippos, Ernimi, if you want that for your records?" George laughed and made a note of it. She wasn't ready to tell him who her father was or the possibility of her ma being a goddess just yet. It was still a lot for her to believe. A thought struck Daine while he was scribbling. "Can you do anything about the focus?" she asked hopefully. "Numair said it would need to be destroyed to free him proper."

"I've got my people on it, but Ozorne will have it on his person. That's not going to be an easy thing to get our hands on even for my best foist," George admitted, voice grave.

It was a relief to know that someone was working on a way to free her teacher. Daine knew the idea of Ozorne still having the ability to take control of him weighed heavily on Numair even if he tried not to show it. The mage wouldn't be truly free until either the focus was destroyed, or someone killed the emperor. Daine regretted not sticking an arrow in him when she'd killed Tristan Staghorn.

"I should be letting you go for a hot bath and something to eat." George pushed himself off the desk. "Alanna told me you might be able to rid us of that monster in my bay."

Daine made a face as she stood. "They want me to convince Himself down there to destroy the fleets headed for Port Caynn."

"They arrived this afternoon," he murmured.

"Did the enemy block the magic again?" She looked up sharply.

"Not this time." George patted her shoulder. "We had enough warning to set up our own magical defences. They're still taking a pounding though. The Carthakis have been using their catapults all day but, so far, the shield has held, but I don't know how long the mages can hold it..."

"Me'n Numair can head down to the bay now," she offered, fear twisting in her belly for her friends in that fight.

The paymaster shook his head, steering her out the door. "They won't use the catapults anymore tonight. They'll wait 'til it's light. Tonight, the enemy will try to sneak their troops onto land so they can surround the port by morning. You get yourself rested and fed," he ordered. "You can head down first thing to talk to that beastie."

The hot bath and food did wonders at restoring her, but Daine found sleep hard to come by that night. Kitten had no such trouble, lying sprawled on her back snoring softly. The young woman tossed and turned so much that several of her bedmates got fed up and went elsewhere to sleep. What if she couldn't convince the kraken to help? How many people would die if she failed?