It was gone. Missing. It had been in the log when he left, where was it now? When Weiryn found the one who took his daggar he was going to be quite upset. He was quite upset now as he searched the area around the log where he had left it. It was, of course, nowhere to be found. Well, this was not over. The god of the hunt was going to find this particular prey. Make no mistake about that.
When Numair came home that afternoon, Daine was, as usual, hunched
over her desk working on homeowrk. He came in quietly and kissed the
top
of her head, not wanting to disturb her studying. As he went into the
bedroom to change, she put down her pen and followed him. "I don't
understand why they make us wear these stupid robes while we teach," he
was
saying when she came in. "They're so heavy."
"It *is* November," she reminded him. "I should think you'd be
grateful it kept you warm."
Numair pulled on a clean shirt and breeches as he said, "Outside,
it may be November, but believe me in that robe it's July. I shudder to
think what it will be like in Indian Summer at the beginning of the next
school year."
"Well by then the baby will be here and you'll have more things to
worry about than hot robes," Daine said, trying to sound flippant.
"Whose baby?"
Daine looked at the floor. Numair had never been one to miss
details. "Uhm, ours."
Numair stopped buttoning his shirt and turned from the mirror to
look at her. "Ours?" he said quietly. Daine nodded, not sure what to
think of his reaction. In two long strides, he crossed the room between
them and swept her up in a passionate kiss, his lips pouring love,
acceptance, comfort, excitement into hers.
When he finally finished, she was't much more than a pool of
custard. "I take it you're exctied," she said, relying on his strong
arms
to hold her up.
He ran a big hand down her cheek. "Oh Magelet, I-"
He never got to finish the thought. For just then there was a loud
crack of thunder outside and the earth shook mildly beneath their feet.
Numair ran to the window and looked out into the darkening sky of late
afternoon. "Mithros, Mynoss and Shakith," he said under his breath.
"What?" Daine asked, coming over. "Horse Lords," she breathed when
she saw.
Above the snowy hills and bare trees, it was as if the barrier
between the mortal realms and the realms of the gods had become a
window.
It was still there, none of the immortals were escaping into the world
of
humans, but looking up into the sky, Daine could see everything that was
going on there, and it didn't make her feel very secure. It was war.
All
out war. None of the great gods were there, but all the minor gods
including all the animal gods were at odds with each other. She
couldn't
hear what was being said (or rather screamed), but magic flew
everywhere,
singing fur and buring holes in clothing.
"I'm going to talk to Linhall," Numair said, turning to leave.
"What can I do?" Daine asked, desperate to help her animal friends.
"You can stay here where you'll be safe," Numair said in reply to
her question.
"I can't just stay and do nothing. I have to help!"
Suddenly the room was filled with a soft, comforting breeze. Daine
turned to see the Green Lady, the goddess of childbirth and home arts,
her
Ma standing before her, her green dress ruffling in the breeze.
"Sweetling, I'm glad you called," Sarra said. "I'm afraid you're the
only
one who can help."
Gesturing at the sky outside and the ensuing fight, Daine asked,
"Ma, what's going on? What could happen that would cause that much
unrest?"
Sarra looked mournfully outside. She sighed. "Weiryn did it all
by himself," she said. "It most pains me because it's so petty and
stupid.
It's all about a daggar that was, he thinks, stolen. He left it in a
log
one day and someone took it and he accused someone - I forget who now -
and
everyone took sides. What you see is the result of your Da's temper."
"That's all over a daggar?" Daine asked incredulously. "A daggar
that he's not even sure was stolen? That is among the most ridiculous
things I have ever heard, Ma!"
Sarra looked mournful, "I tried to talk to him, of course. He
wouldn't listen."
"Can I come and help?" Daine asked. "Numair's making me stay here
and I think I'll go crazy if I don't do something."
"I shouldn't go against Numair's wishes," Sarra said, "but as I
said, I fear only you can help. Weiryn thinks the world of you and I
think
he'll only listen to reason coming from you." She sighed again. "So
with
that..." she snapped her fingers and suddenly they were in the middle of
the battle, everyone all around them screaming at each other. Bolts of
magic flew through the air, going around Sarra and Daine and into their
targets.
As they went in search of Weiryn, Daine surveyed the fight. There
was her badger friend, the duckmole, the goddess of housecats, Old White
the aolf god and his mate. None of them noticed her, they were all so
involved in the fight. Only gods, she thought, would get so wrapped up
in
who stole a daggar.
They finally found the hunting god over in one corner of the battle
field, overseeing the destruction. "Da, stop this right now!" Daine
said
when she was withint earshot. "Did you know it's causing havoc in the
mortal realms as well?"
"Daine," Weiryn said in reply. "Of course I know. But someone
wtole my daggar, and I have to find it."
"I don't suppose it ocurred to you to simply ask around to see if
anyone had seen it or knew anything about it," Daine accused. "Of
course
you had to start a fight so huge it ruined a perfectly good moment for
me
and Numair. And who knows what all at the University was interrupted.
I
bet all kinds of folk will have to start projects all over again
because of
you." She turned and looked at the bettle again. "Now who all have you
got involved in your petty little disagreement?"
"Everyone except the raccoon," Weiryn said. "No one can find him.
Badger says he probably went to sleep for winter early. He does that
every
few centuries."
Without a word, Dain went off inserach of the first raccoon, the
god of all raccoons in the mortal realms.
"Stop," said the younger mage. "Look at that." he pointed vaguely
out Linhall's window.
Lindhall did a double take when he saw what was outside. Through
the crystaline barrier he could see Daine talking to Weiryn. "Oh my,"
he
said. "That doesn't look safe."
"I told her to stay home," Numair said heatedly. "She can't be
running around in places like that!"
"Whyever not?" Lindhall asked. "She's old enough to take care of
herself. And she is with her parents."
"Because she's pregnant!" Numair said, feeling exhasperated.
"So?" Lindhall asked. "Would you lock her away in a sterile room
until the baby is born?"
"If I could," Numair said, "yes."
Lindhall chuckled. "Well, I can see you're going to be a force to
be reckoned with where this child is concerned. But perhaps we don't
need
to take any action now that she is there. Let's watch and see." That
said, he pulled a chair up to the wondow and proceeded to watch the
scene
in front of him as if it were a play on stange, not a world-threatening
situation.
Numair paced the room.
He yawned at looked at her. "Is it spring already? I feel like I
just went to sleep a few days ago."
"You did," Daine said. "Where did you get that daggar?"
The raccoon looked at the knife. "That? Oh I found it in a log
somewhere. Why? Did it belong to somebody? Oh I'm always getting into
trouble because I take things that belong to people."
"Well you've stirred up a fine wasp's nest this time," Daine told
him. "There's quite an argument going on about who took that thing.
You
better come fix it."
"What kind of argument?"
"The kind with violence and outrage. It's messing things up in the
mortal realms too. Now come on." She picked him up, the knife in his
mouth, and carried him to her father.
"There you are, coon," Weiryn said when he saw them.
"Here's your thief," Daine said, plunking the animal down on a tree
stump. "He didn't know it belonged to anyone. Raccoons take things
that
look pretty, and the hilt on that daggar fair sparkles in the sun. It
was
all quite a misunderstanding, and I demand you fix this right now, Da!"
Looking determined, Weiryn strode to the center of the fighting and
spoke a word in Old Thak. There was a huge boom of thunder and a bolt
of
lighting came down to strike the ground in front of the god of the hunt.
When it had dies down, the place was strangely silent. Without a word,
Weiryn threw the daggar down so it was sanding up in the ground.
Everyone
gathered around to see it as if they never had before.
"What happened?" someone asked.
"Where did it come from?" asked another.
"You found it?"
"It was never lost," Weiryn said. As if that explained everything,
he picked up the daggar, sheathed it, and began walking home again.
"Kit, your father makes no sense," the badger told Daine.
"I know," Daine said with a smile. "But I wouldn't have it any
other way. Can I go home now, Ma?"
Sarra smiled and snapped her fingers again. How come I could never
do that? Daine wondered as she felt herself drawn back to her apartment
in
Corus.
"Nice to see you too," Daine muttered, her voice muffled by his shirt.
"I don't think I'll be able to handle being a father," Numair said,
loosening his grip.
"You can do it," Daine said. "Think of it as an adventure."
"What was this?" Numair asked, gesturing outside.
She considered a moment before saying, "That was just life."