Wild Goose Chase

This takes place when Daine and Numair have to round up killer unicorns, they get separated and Daine is shot. These stories usually tick me off coz they are kinda unoriginal but... I wanted to do something to Numy later so I will. Yayz. Please be kind and don't flame me. Light and heat is bad, so bad...

The air rippled around Daine. Black fire, flecked with silver, raced at the bandits and unicorns, stopping a metre short of Cloud. Then, as soon as they had come, the flames evaporated into thin air, leaving only the ashes left of the enemy. Through blurry eyes, Daine saw Numair gallop in on Spots. He looked around frantically. She saw a cut across one cheek, his torn shirt revealed several cuts and scrapes; he was coated in a layer of dust.

'Daine?' he shouted

She was plucked out of her reverie and became aware of the pain. She plummeted to the ground. Spots realised and turned around. Numair looked just in time to catch his student fall to the ground with a sickening crack and saw her turn human upon impact.

She lay sobbing in pain

Numair dismounted Spots and ran to his Magelet's side. He pulled her into his arms, not caring about her nakedness.

'It hurts Numair, it hurts. Make it stop. Please make it stop.' She wept. Numair then saw the arrow in her arms and he paled. He broke off the shaft and was about to pull the arrowhead out when she cried 'Wait! It's a barbed arrow!'

Tears stung his eyes. He breathed meditation style and said 'It's going to hurt Daine, but I must take it out.'

'I don't care just stop it hurting!'

Numair was helpless to do anything but put his magelet in more pain. His magic did nothing in the field of healing and even if it did he wouldn't have had enough magic left to do so.

'I'm, I'm going to pull it out.' He said, more to himself than to Daine. He gripped it gently and closed his eyes. He counted to 3 (1...2...3...) and yanked the arrow out.

Diane screamed as more skin and muscle was torn. She turned away from Numair and vomited. Then she passed out. Numair pulled off his cloak and wrapped it around the girl. Then he pulled off his shirt and tore it into strips. He wrapped the strips around her bloody arm. Spots walked over to the friends. Numair wiped his teary eyes on his hand and put Daine in his saddle. He clambered after her and wrapped his arms around her waist. Cloud looked up at him

'Look, I can't converse with you as Diane is able, but I know you will understand. Daine is gravely injured and I need to get her to a healer or she'll die. Can you walk behind us? Please?'

Cloud stared at him for a moment then butted his leg gently, urging him to go

'Thank-you.' He whispered and he took off at a gallop for the nearest town.

The healer/ midwife looked grave as she examined Daine's wound

'If she's lucky, she'll lose the arm.' She commented finally

'What? If she's lucky? What if she's unlucky?' Numair was glad that he was sitting, or he would have fainted at the thought. He stared hopelessly at his Daine, who was shockingly pale, even against the cream bed sheets.

'If she's unlucky, she'll die. I'm sorry but there is little hope for her. Also, I'd be surprised if she wakes up. I'm sorry.' She walked out

Numair fell to his knees beside Daine's bed. He gripped her hand tightly, his knuckles going white, his hands trembling. With his other hand he summoned all the magic he had.

'Alanna! I need you yesterday. Daine is hurt, perhaps mortally!'

'How?' Came the answer.

'She took a barbed arrow in her arm. The healer here says she may not make it.'

There was silence and then she said, 'I'm on my way.'

The fire disappeared and Numair's knees felt like jelly. He looked at his magelet and sat beside her on the bed. Leaning over, he planted a soft kiss on her lips.

'Please hurry Alanna.' He whispered

Alanna looked, if it was possible, even graver and more sombre that the healer.

'Goddess Numair, how did this happen?' She asked as she started to burn out the infection.

'Well, we captured the killer unicorns and we thought that we could get back to Corus by evening. But then, Daine rode ahead and suddenly I heard a scream. It was bandits! They separated us and after I killed my own foes, I heard laughter and the squawks of a wild goose. It screamed or squawked in pain and I knew something had happened to her. I killed the bandits but then I realised they had shot her. She fell and hit the ground, which only added to her injuries. They got her with a barbed arrow'

Alanna winced as she tried to heal the wound. It healed a little, but not much.

'Numair, do you have the arrowhead? I need to have a look at it, I think tghere's something very wrong here.'

Numair nodded. He had wanted to make sure that there was no rust on it so he had taken it to the inn. He reached under the bed and pulled it out.

He passed it to the Kings champion and she paled as she examined it with her magic. Numair looked at it with his own and nearly passed out. The arrow was poisoned with.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Will Daine survive this ordeal?

Will Numair confess his feelings?

Find out, one day when i come up with what to do