The news he'd received from Keritanima didn't really improve his mood all that much.
Tarrin opened his eyes and stood up in one smooth motion, causing the others to stop what they were doing and look at him. Jesmind had Jasana firmly in her arms, probably to prevent her from running over and interfering with what he was doing, and it looked like they were doing nothing more than talking while waiting for him. The look of relief on Jasana's face was evident and palpable, and it made him worry slightly. If she was so afraid of what he was doing, it may cost her dearly on the inevitable day when she herself would be forced to do it herself, forced to choose between joining with the Weave or perishing from being Consumed. It was what she would have to do herself. He realized that he had to make her not afraid of it somehow, show her that it wasn't something to fear. That way she could do it herself when the time came.
"Well?" Jesmind asked as he focused on them.
"The Ungardt have attacked the ki'zadun," he sighed. "They don't stand a chance, but they're going to delay the enemy for about two days. That will give us time to reach Suld first."
"How long do we have to get there?" Kimmie asked.
"Kerri estimates that we have fifteen days," he replied. "It'll take us two to get to Torrian, one more to attack it, then about ten to get to Suld. That cuts it very close."
"You really think we can go from Torrian to Suld in ten days?" Kimmie said dubiously.
"They'll have to find a way, Kimmie," he said bluntly. "Either way, I think that they're going to do it without me."
"What?" both Kimmie and Jesmind said quickly.
"I don't think I'm going to travel with the army," he said, holding up his paw. "I want to get to Suld fast. I want to be there. I think that after we take Torrian, we're going to go on to Suld on our own. We can get there in two days."
"How in the furies are we going to get to Suld in two days?" Jesmind asked acidly.
"Sorcery," he replied simply. "I'll summon an Elemental that will carry us to Suld. It can get us there in two days, if it hurries."
"What is that?" Jesmind asked.
"An Elemental is a sentient creature made up entirely of an element," Tarrin told her. "They can be made of earth, air, fire, or water. I'll summon an Air Elemental to carry us to Suld, because they can fly quickly."
"Fly?" Jasana said, her ears picking up and her eyes getting bright. "We'll be able to fly?"
"Well, the Elemental will be doing the flying, cub," Tarrin smiled as he walked over to them and sat down beside his mate. "We'll just be along for the ride."
"Oh, can we do that, mother?" Jasana asked in a suddenly sweet, excited voice. "Please please please please please!?"
"Is it safe, mate?" Jesmind asked dubiously.
"Perfectly," he replied. "The Elemental will obey me, and it will be very sure not to drop anyone. I used one to get over the Sandshield."
"They could summon Elementals with Arcane magic once, but the Elementals never obeyed willingly," Kimmie mused. "Since Sorcery is a magic of nature, I guess the Elementals are more willing to obey a Sorcerer's commands."
"I didn't know Wizards could Conjure Elementals," Tarrin said in surprise. "I was taught that they couldn't do that. That only Sorcerers and Druids could conjure them."
"There are references to it in the books I've read," Kimmie told him. "Maybe they stopped doing it for so long that people thought that they couldn't do it."
"Possible. I've come to discover lately that we really know almost nothing about magic," he said ruefully. "We're just children compared to the Ancients."
"The books I've read about Arcane magic agree with you," Kimmie chuckled. "The Wizards during the Age of Power were said to be able to conjure Demon Lords and move mountains with their magic when necessary."
"The same goes for the Sorcerers," Tarrin agreed. "Maybe it's a universal case of inflated ego."
"Papa said it was safe, mama!" Jasana pleaded with her mother. "Can we go flying? Please?"
"Well, if your father says it's safe, then alright," Jesmind agreed. "I don't think I'm going to like it, but if we have to get to Suld that bad, then I'll put up with it."
"Have room for one more on that Elemental, Tarrin?" Kimmie asked with a smile. "I want to meet this Phandebrass of yours."
"Room for two more, actually," Tarrin said. "I want to take Thean too. He's very wise, and he may be useful in Suld. Thean's like Triana, he has enough experience to be an asset no matter what you ask him to do."
"If you can get him to agree to it," Kimmie chuckled.
"Oh, I think he will," Tarrin said.
"This means I can go?"
"You're going, Kimmie," Tarrin assured her. "Jasana would be too pouty if I left you behind."
"I would not!" Jasana objected.
"Yes you would, cub," Tarrin teased. "You like Kimmie."
"Well so do you," Jasana countered.
"And so does your mother," Tarrin said, unruffled. "Now then, it's starting to get a little late, so I think we should think about heading back," he announced. "They should have everything pretty much well cleaned up by now."
"Aww," Jasana grunted. "I like it here, papa. Can we stay here tonight?"
"No, I think it would be best to stay near the others, cub," he told her gently. "Don't worry. As soon as we get there, I'm sure you'll like being there as much as being here."
"No I won't. They'll all talk to you and drag you away, then you'll come back and be in a bad mood, and that will put mama in a bad mood too."
"I'll try not to get in a bad mood," Tarrin chuckled, "alright, kitten?"
"Well," she hedged.
"And I promise I'll take you with me if I go anywhere."
"Alright!" she said happily, jumping up from her mother's lap. "Let's go let's go!"
They got up and then started back for the village, but they didn't get too far before Jeri met them on the path. "Sathon sent me to get you, Tarrin," Jeri told him apologetically. "And that Arren fellow wants to see you."
"Well, we had good timing, that's for sure," Kimmie chuckled.
"I said they'd come get us," Jesmind reminded them.
"We should have made ourselves harder to find," Tarrin said.
"You wouldn't have been able to hide from me, Tarrin," Jeri said with a grin. "I may be a cub, but I'm still one of the best trackers among us."
"Not if I cheat," Tarrin told him with a slight smile.
"Well that's unfair."
"That's the point."
Jeri gave him a look, then laughed.
It didn't take them very long to get back, and he saw that they did indeed have everything well in hand. Most of the Dal bodies were gone, and the thick columns of smoke rising from the other side of the hill told him that they were cremating the dead. The villagers were all out of their homes now, running around in dubious excitement, children following the Centaurs around in utter fascination. Rangers for the most part occupied the village, but there were a few Centaurs and Were-kin there as well. Not that the villagers were confining themselves to the village. Many of them were out on the open fields surrounding the village, looking like they were doing what they could to help their liberators, from offers of food and goods to offering help erecting the camps for the night. It looked like the Watch Hill villagers were very happy that the Dals had been overthrown.
Jeri led Tarrin into the village, and Jasana looked around in fascination as they climbed up the hill and were eventually led into a small shop on the west side of the hill. The inside of the shop was bare, but a large table and several chairs occupied the open floor between the door and the counter near the back. Sathon sat at one of those chairs, and Mikos had somehow managed to maneuver his bulk into the room and kneel down on one side. Karn was there, as well as Jak, and so was a sharp-featured Were-kin female with black hair and sharp, dark eyes. Sitting facing the door was Arren, with two of his Ranger lieutenants. Arren had not aged well. His hair and beard were now more gray than dark, and there were dark circles under his eyes. The burdens of being occupied had worn on Arren, it seemed. Arren stood and smiled when Tarrin came in, but his smile dropped slightly when Jesmind came in right behind him. It seemed that Arren remembered Jesmind just as well as he remembered Tarrin.
"Ah good, Jeri found you," Sathon said as Kimmie and Jeri entered behind Jesmind. "Thank you, my boy. Could you go find Thean and ask him to come?"
"Of course, Sathon," Jeri said with a nod, scurrying out.
"The other Were-cats are unnecessary," the female said sharply, disdain obvious in her voice. "Send them away."
"Watch who you order around, woman," Tarrin snapped as he whirled on that female and stared down at her with dangerous eyes.
"Yes, well, this is a meeting not meant for just anyone, Tarrin," Sathon said delicately.
"I am just anyone, Sathon," Tarrin said sharply. "I have no authority in this army."
"Wrong. You are the leader of the Were-cats, and your assistance is necessary to get them to obey," Sathon told him flatly. "That means that you need to be here."
"Fine, but I'm not telling any of them to leave," he said challengingly.
"This is to be a war council, this is no place for a loose-lipped child and your harem," the female objected.
Without batting an eye, Tarrin snapped his paw down and grabbed the female by the shirt. Then he hauled her out of her chair and held her at arm's length before him, her feet dangling a good two spans off the floor. "Your lack of courtesy is wearing on me, woman," Tarrin hissed in a voice that promised all sorts of unpleasant things should she continue. "If you insult my mate or my friend one more time, they'll need six seperate baskets to cart you out of this room. Do I make myself clear?"
"Tarrin, let her go," Sathon commanded sharply.
Tarrin growled and did as Sathon commanded, dropping the female unceremoniously.
"Jesmind, Kimmie, would you please wait outside for us?" Sathon asked in a reasonable tone.
"All you had to do was ask nicely," Kimmie said, flashing the dark-eyed female a flat look. "At least we have manners."
"Too bad they're nothing but bad manners," the female retorted quickly.
"I hope you don't need that one, Sathon," Jesmind said in a brutal tone, reaching down and picking up a very quiet, nervous Jasana. "She's not going to live to see tomorrow."
"I'll have no infighting here, from any of you!" Sathon suddenly roared. "I invoke Druid's sanctuary right here and now! This is now chosen ground, and it will be honored with peace! Do I make myself clear?"
"Very clear, Sathon," Jesmind grumbled.
"As you say," Kimmie said with a snort.
"Audrey?"
"I will honor Druid's Sanctuary," the dark-eyed female said with a frown.
"Tarrin?"
"Alright," Tarrin growled.
"Jesmind, Kimmie, please wait for us outside," Sathon repeated.
"But papa promised I could stay with him!" Jasana objected suddenly.
"He did, but I'm telling you to come with me," Jesmind told her daughter sharply. "Do you want to argue about it?"
"No," Jasana growled. "Alright, mama."
"I won't be long, cub," Tarrin told her. "I can promise you that."
"Well now," Arren said nervously as Kimmie and Jesmind left the building, "I see the time has been good to you, Tarrin. How have you been?"
"Well enough, Arren," he replied with a grunt, sitting back down in a chair that was too small for him. His knees banged on the top of the table as he tried to get comfortable, scooting it a few fingers to the side. "It's unfortunate that we had to meet again like this."
"Well, we can talk after this is over," Arren told him.
"We waste time," Mikos said gruffly. "We must devise a plan to take Torrian."
"And do it without flattening the city in the process," Arren said vehemently.
"There will be damage no matter how careful we are, human," the female, Audrey, said sharply. "The key will be minimizing that damage."
"The first step will be to know where the enemy is, so I think we can all agree that the Aeradalla's going to be a key to any final plans we make," Sathon said. "She can fly over the city and tell us where the Dals are concentrating their defenses."
"If we're going to hold off on plans until then, why am I here?" Tarrin asked acidly. "We can't do anything until Ariana reports. That makes this a waste of time."
"Because she'll just influence the plan we make," Sathon told him. "Now calm down."
"The plan I've been devising is fairly simple," Arren spoke up. "Torrian is a hostile city to the Dals. If we can breach the walls and get in, we can defeat them from the inside. The citizens of Torrian will aid and support us. It will be house to house fighting, but we could overwhelm the Dal garrisons in the city because the Rangers are trained for the guerilla tactics necessary in fighting from house to house in that manner, where the Dals are not. Dals don't function well without officers, and that style of fighting is going to naturally cause the Dal forces to break up into small cells, separated from their chain of command. That gives my Rangers a huge advantage, because they can fight effectively without support from the chain of command. We can chew the Dal army up cell by cell and house by house. That gives us an advantage, and couple it with the Were-kin, Centaurs, and the aid we'll receive from the citizens, and it gives us our best chance of taking the city in the shortest time while doing the least damage. Doing it that way will also cause only a minimum amount of damage to the walls, walls we'll need to hold the city against any Dal reinforcements that arrive. The only problem is going to be taking the keep. They've taken over my castle, and I can attest to how impervious it is to assault."
"If it's so impervious, how did they take it from you?" the female asked sharply.
"Because the city surrendered," he replied with a sigh. "My city was facing an army more than ten times our garrison's size. I surrended to save as many people as possible. They would have destroyed the city and killed all the citizens to take the keep, and I couldn't live knowing I'd have caused something like that."
"Unsound," the female snorted. "You handed them a perfectly unassailable fortress."
"We sabotaged the walls and burned the keep before we left," Arren told her, the pain of having to destroy his ancestral home clear in his eyes. "But it's been a while, and they've managed to repair all the damage we did and rebuild the walls. They even rebuilt the keep."
"Then we'll take the keep the same way that we take the city," Sathon said mildly. "Get inside the walls and take it from the inside."
"How do you propose we do that, Sathon?" Arren asked.
"That's how," he said, pointing at Tarrin. "We have eight fighting Were-cats with us. They can climb the walls, get inside, then wreak havoc while one of them opens the gates and lets in an invasion force. The Dals are going to be too busy trying to deal with the Were-cats to worry about closing the gates."
"Do you think it would work, Tarrin?" Arren asked him directly.
Tarrin considered it. The Dals couldn't easily hurt his kin, and they could terrorize them pretty thoroughly. Tarrin knew the keep's general layout, and Arren could fill in all the gaps. Given they moved together and adhered to a plan of attack, it was more than possible. But asking eight Were-cats to take on what would probably be hundreds of men would leave them vulnerable. Even a human could kill a Were-cat if they took off the head, or severed the spine in such a way that the Were-cat couldn't remove the severing instrument before the heart gave out, or used fire against them. The Were-cats would have no support, no help, and they would be asked to fight vastly superior numbers in what could be open ground.
There were other ways, however.
"Leave the castle to me," he said with a sigh. "I can eliminate the threat of the castle without risking the lives of the others."
"How do you intend to do it?" Sathon asked.
"Any number of ways," he shrugged. "The easiest way would be to simply destroy the castle, but it's Arren's home, and I'd rather not do that. So I think I'll just use your plan, but with a different instrument of chaos."
"What do you have in mind?"
"An Earth Elemental," he replied, stroking his chin absently. "It can cause alot more chaos than a pack of Were-cats. While my Elemental is keeping the Dals busy, I'll open the gates."
"You can summon such a thing?" Sathon asked in surprise.
"Not a Druidic Elemental," he elaborated. "But I can raise an Elemental with Sorcery."
"Well, it would work, either way," Sathon agreed. "If you can get the gates open, we can send in a force of Were-kin to finish off the Dals."
"Why Were-kin?" Arren asked. "Why not let me retake my own keep?"
"Because the Dals can't hurt us," Audrey said consicely. "We are immune to non-magical weapons while in hybrid form. Unless the Dals have silver swords, we can overwhelm them without much danger to ourselves."
"The idea is to keep as many humans alive as we can, Arren," Sathon explained. "We will leave Torrian, and it will be up to the humans staying behind to protect it from any Dals that appear."
"I can't argue with that logic," Arren agreed. "We'll do it that way, then. All we need to know from the Aeradalla is where the Dal forces are inside the city, so we'll know where to move first once we get inside the walls."
"Let's use Tarrin's idea to get into the city as well," Audrey offered. "If we can create a distraction, a small group of Were-kin could climb the walls and simply open the gates. That way, we will do no damage to the walls, and leave the humans with a definsible city."
"It has to be something that won't alert the Dals that they're being attacked," Arren told her quickly.
"Then a simple fire would be best," Audrey concluded. "A fire set near the gate we intend to take. The fire will keep the attention of the Dals manning the walls, allowing our Were-kin forces to climb the walls and overwhelm them while they're distracted.
"I can set a fire like that from a distance," Tarrin injected. "I just need to be able to see my target, that's all."
"The Aeradalla can provide that," Audrey reasoned. "Can you use your magic in your cat form?"
Tarrin nodded.
"Then we send him up with the Aeradalla. He sets a fire near the gate we choose to attack. The Dals' attention will be on the fire, allowing us to strike them and open the gate. Then we can proceed with Arren's plan. But I do suggest that the Were-kin stay on the walls and take them, both to stop Dals from shooting arrows at our forces, and to keep them from damaging the walls when it becomes clear that we will win."
"Very clever, my lady," Arren said appreciatively. "Where did you learn tactics like that?"
"I'm not really satisfied staying in the Frontier all the time, Arren," the woman, Audrey, smiled. "I like to go out among the humans sometimes, and I've picked up any number of talents along the way. My familiarity with the humans is why my kin selected me to represent them here."
"That kind of plan requires a night attack," Mikos announced. "They'll see the Aeradalla and try to shoot her down if we try this during the day. Can your humans make a night attack, Duke Arren?"
"The Rangers are extensively trained for night action," Arren announced. "We can handle a night attack."
"Were-kin are more at home in the dark anyway," Audrey nodded.
"The Centaurs have no problem with a night attack," Mikos agreed.
"Then we'll do it that way," Sathon announced. "The only problem is that we'll have to attack the night of the day we arrive. If we get there at night, it means that we'll have no time to rest."
"Why the haste?"
"A Druid in Suld has told me that we have about fifteen days to get there," Sathon said. "That means that we don't have time to dally around. We have to get to Torrian quickly, take it with all possible speed, then start out for Suld almost as soon as the dust settles. We don't have time for anything else."
"Are you sure you can make it that fast?" Arren said dubiously.
"We can," Mikos nodded. "The Centaurs can run longer than any horse, and the Were-kin can keep up with us. Any humans that come along will ride on the backs of Centaurs. That kind of a run will kill a horse. We can be there ten days after we start out from Torrian."
"That just barely gives us the time to set up as the commander of Suld directs us," Sathon added.
"If time is such an issue, why are we camping?" Arren asked. "The Rangers can handle a forced march. We can keep up with you."
"We camp to rest before the long days ahead, Duke Arren," Mikos explained. "We know what is coming, and we know that this is our last evening of peace before the trial ahead. We need this."
"Ah. I completely understand," Arren nodded. "I've sent out runners ahead of us, to gather the rest of the Rangers at Torrian," he told them. "There are almost twice again what I have here around Torrian, and they'll be ready to help with the attack once we arrive."
"Very good," Sathon nodded. "As we've discussed, Duke Arren, we have selected you to be our general," Sathon told him. "I just want you to know that everyone here will obey your commands."
"I appreciate that," Arren nodded. "And I just want you to know that I value your opinions. This little meeting has shown me that the ideas of our forest neighbors are worth listening to." He looked around the table. "So, the plan is to use a diversion to open the gates of the city, then get inside and defeat them from the inside, in house to house fighting. The Were-kin will swarm the walls and take them to protect our forces, and after they have them, we can man them and use them to shoot arrows at the Dals. After we've taken the majority of the city, Tarrin and a force of Were-kin will use their plan to take my keep back from the Dals. After that, the city will generally be secure. Does everyone agree to this plan?"
"I agree with it," Mikos nodded.
"It is a good plan," Audrey agreed.
"I find nothing wrong with it," Sathon added.
"It should work," Tarrin said.
"Then I'd reason to say that this meeting is over," Arren smiled. "I don't want to take any of you away from your rest any more than necessary."
"We appreciate your concern for us, Duke Arren," Mikos said with a nod.
"You show courage to offer so much," Audrey told Tarrin in a calm voice. "I think I misjudged you. I'm sorry."
"Few of the others understand us," he said dismissively.
"Then maybe we should get to know you," Audrey said calmly, then she stood up. "I need to go tell my pack of this, and they'll spread the word through the Were-kin," she announced.
If she had a pack, then that meant that she was a Were-wolf. It explained her initial reaction to Tarrin and the Were-cats, but it also surprised him in that she would be willing to admit she was wrong about them. Were-wolves hated Were-cats.
They broke up after that. Tarrin was the first one out, picking up Jasana as he came out the door and nodding to Jesmind and Kimmie. "Let's go find the other Were-cats," he said. "If I know them, they're off together somewhere."
"Probably. We're not exactly welcome with any of the others," Kimmie said soberly, loud enough for Audrey to hear her as she came out of the door.
"Come on," Tarrin called.
They found the others well away from the other Woodkin, gathered around a fire that had just been set with their backs to the treeline well to the west of the village. About as far away as they could get from everyone else. They had two small deer roasting over the fire, tended to by Nikki and Singer. "Well, lad, I see Jeri found you," Thean called as they approached. "What did Sathon want?"
"They wanted to meet about what would happen in Torrian," Tarrin said, handing Jasana to Jesmind as she sat down on one of the logs dragged over to serve as seats. "They decided that I had to be there."
"What did they say?" Shayle asked.
Tarrin sat down and went over the framework of the plan they had formed at the meeting. "It should work," he summarized after he was done. "It utilizes our advantages and protects the majority of the human army, so they can hold Torrian against any Dal forces that wander in or try to retreat back to the city."
"I think it's a decent plan," Singer mused. "I don't like much being used as a target, but they do have a point in wanting to keep the city in Sulasian hands after we leave."
"So we attack the city, then we attack this castle?" Jeri asked. "Why not attack the castle at the same time?"
"Human castles have they own defenses," Thean told him. "We need to reorganize before we can attack the castle. I've seen the castle at Torrian, lad, and believe me, we'll need to be organized when we attack it."
"Why is that?"
"It sits on a bluff with its back to the river that runs through the city," Thean replied. "There's no easy way to get to it. Tarrin's idea of setting an Elemental loose in the bailey will let us get to the walls without being rained on with arrows."
"That was the idea, Thean," Tarrin nodded. "I don't want to expose us to any more danger than we already have to face."
"Bah. There's no reason to fear humans," Rahnee snorted. "By the time they figure out how to fight us, they're dead."
"Yes, but those behind the ones we kill very well may figure it out at the same time," Thean said sharply. "Don't underestimate the humans, Rahnee. They can be just as dangerous as any of us, and you're not as invulnerable as you'd like to think."
"Whatever," Rahnee grunted, waving her paw in Thean's direction noncommitally.
"Anyway, we have this one night to rest, so I suggest we take advantage of it," Tarrin said. "We'll be moving fast to Torrian, and we'll be attacking the city either as soon as it gets dark or as soon as we get there, depending on when we arrive. And we'll be leaving for Suld as soon as the dust settles in Torrian, so we're looking at a very hard fifteen days ahead of us."
"Hah! They'll have to keep us with us," Shayle grinned. "We can run any Were-kin or Centaur into the ground."
"There's no call for competition here, Shayle," Thean told her. "For us to work together, we need to be considerate of one another. So that means that we don't go baiting the others. Let's try to be civil."
"What if they start it?" Jeri challenged. "I'm not going to turn away when some mangy Centaur insults me."
"If they start it, then go ahead and finish it, but we start nothing," Thean instructed them. "Let's not give anyone any reason to call us out."
"There won't be any calling out any time soon," Tarrin said. "Sathon invoked sanctuary. That means we're on chosen ground until we march out tomorrow. All of you remember that."
"Of course he'd call sanctuary, to protect that sharp-mouthed little witch that was sitting at the table," Jesmind growled. "And I was going to go track her down and teach her some manners, too."
"Just let it go, Jesmind," Tarrin told her. "All of us know you could thrash her. Just be happy with the knowledge of it."
"I'd rather be happy ripping her face off," Jesmind growled. No matter how sedate she was trying to be, Jesmind was still Jesmind… and always would be. And he rather liked her that way.
"Let's not be breaking the law," Thean cautioned. "Now after we leave here… well now, that's another story, isn't it?" Thean winked.
"And this from the one that just told us to be civil," Shayle laughed.
"Some things can't be ignored," Thean said defensively. "Since this female started it, I'd say that gives us the right to finish it, now doesn't it?"
"Alright everyone, the deer's ready," Nikki announced. "Let's eat!"
They enjoyed their meal, and then settled in for quiet conversation and simple companionship as the afternoon dwindled into evening, and the sun slowly set. It wasn't often that so many Were-cats gathered in one place, and all of them were feeling rather sociable. They took turns telling stories, stories of what they'd been up to since the last time they'd seen one another. Tarrin more or less tuned them out, playing with Jasana's tail absently as she sat on his lap and listened to the elders talking. The time was drawing closer and closer, and something inside him both looked forward to and dreaded what was coming. He had never been in a large-scale battle before, and more to the point, he had never been the focus of the strategy as he was now. It was going to be his job to distract the Dals with his fire so his Were-kin could take the gate, then he would do the same thing at the castle with an Elemental so they could take the keep. He didn't feel anxious about having them depend on him, for he was used to having others depend on him and his magic, but it felt strange knowing that he would be so… important.
That was the real kicker. Always before, he was just one of a number of unusual, bizarre, or powerful individuals. He really wasn't that remarkable when compared to Keritanima, or Allia, or Dolanna, or Camara Tal, or Phandebrass, or Sarraya. He was used to being part of an unusual group, a group of disparate individuals with pretty formidable powers or advantages. But this felt different. He did stand out among the Were-cats and the other Woodkin, because of what he was. A Sorcerer, a Druid, a very aged and powerful Were-cat. He was just one of the others when he was with his friends, but here he was not. It felt strange to know that he ruled the others. It felt strange that he was where he was in the first place.
Jasana. Would she feel the way he did? Her magical powers were without peer. When she came into those powers, when she matured and learned how to use them, she would be the most powerful Sorcerer alive. Would that knowledge change her? Would it make her arrogant, or would she learn how to accept her power without having it change her? It could, if he didn't teach her the right way. It was important to teach her the morality of power while she was young, establish it in her before the tempation of her power caused her to embrace the headiness of it. If he was diligent, he could see her grow to be everything she could be without being twisted by the intoxication that came with great power. He hoped that he could, that his mission wouldn't make it impossible for him to be there for her when she needed him. He twirled Jasana's tail up around his fingers, feeling how silky her white fur was, how small and delicate she was compared to him. Strange that someone he'd only known for a few short days could suddenly become the absolute center of his life. She yawned and leaned against him, and he put a paw on her belly. She was a handful. She was a manipulative little schemer. She was devious. She was just like any number of little girls out there, human or not. But she was his, and that made her the most special little girl in the entire world.
"It's getting late," Jesmind announced. "Tarrin, why don't you whip up a tent for us? I'm about ready to go to bed."
Tarrin nodded. "We'll have a very long couple of rides ahead of us. I think getting some rest is a good idea for everyone."
"I think I'm going to go talk to Sathon for a while," Thean said. "I haven't had a chance to catch up yet."
"I'll keep the bed warm for you, Thean," Singer smiled at him. "Provided I have one, anyway. We should have borrowed some tents from the villagers."
"I'll take care of it," Tarrin told her, looking at them. "Just tonight. You'll have to take down the tents and carry them if you want to keep them."
"Fair enough," Nikki said.
Tarrin hadn't Created on that scale in a while, and it left him a little tired. But when he was done, six good-sized tents were standing around the fire, each one with bedrolls in them for their occupants. He created one tent for his family, one for Rahnee and Jeri, one for Singer and Thean, and one each for Kimmie, Shayle, and Nikki. Tarrin wasted no time saying his goodnights and ducking into the fairly large tent he made for his family, which had within it nothing but a pair of fairly soft, comfortable bedrolls. Jesmind and Jasana came in right behind. "I don't wanna sleep in my clothes," Jasana complained as she looked around the tent.
"Then take them off," Jesmind told her calmly, grabbing the tail of her shirt and pulling it over her head. Jasana was a Were-cat, just like her parents, and that meant that they would have on qualms about undressing in front of her. Or just about anyone else, for that matter. Tarrin took off his sword and set it on the ground beside the bedroll, then shrugged out of his vest as Jesmind unlaced her breeches.
Jesmind helped Jasana undress and slide into her small bedroll, then impatiently pulled Tarrin into their bedroll almost before he could get his breeches off. She cuddled up to him, wrapping him up to keep him from getting away, then sighed in contentment. "Goodnight, cub," Jesmind called.
"Night mama, papa."
"Sleep well, cub," Tarrin told her, then he surrendered to the peace of it all and fell immediately asleep.
The entire army was up before the sun, and was gone with the dawn.
The addition of the Rangers did not slow down the host by very much. They were all mounted, and their horses were in very good condition. The host had to stop or slow down more frequently to give the horses a chance to rest, but other than that they moved at the same brisk speed that got them to Watch Hill. Tarrin spent most of the day in his ground-eating pace, keeping stride with Mikos as he and Sathon talked. Or more to the point, Sathon talked and Tarrin listened. The Druid meant to teach Tarrin more magic, and he held to his promise.
Tarrin was surprised at how versatile Druidic magic could be. He learned a number of useful spells dealing with organic matter, from flesh to wood to earth to leather, spells to change its shape, age it, invigorate it, even destroy it. Tarrin had been startled to know that a Druid of even moderate talent could use his Druidic magic on himself and affect his own flesh, and bring about a shapeshifting by magic that was natural for the Were-kin. But where Were-kin were limited to three forms, a Druid could transform into nearly any living creature. Sathon warned him explicitely that Druidic shapeshifting was not something for him to try, because he was already a shapeshifter. Any time a Druid Were-kin attempted shapeshifting through Druidic magic, it caused the Were-kin to go temporarily insane. The magic that made up a Were-kin was incompatible with Druidic spells of shapeshifting, forcing a creature whose body was already designed to transform to do so into a form for which it was not designed. The taking of an alien shape caused the instincts within to go wild, and that triggered madness. Tarrin could understand that intimately, because he had a similar restriction in Circling. Were-cats could only circle with other Were-cats, because of the Cat's violent objection to linking with a mind that was alien to it. If the Cat objected contact with an alien mind so strongly, it only made sense that it would rebel to being trapped within an alien form. But where Tarrin couldn't use those spells on himself, he could easily use them against some unwitting victim whom he wanted to punish, but not kill. Turning someone into a carrot was a pretty formidable vengeance.
Those types of spells were very versatile. By the time Sathon was done teaching him the proper images and concepts of will, Tarrin could take a stick from the ground and make it grow or shrink, could cause it to become unbreakable, could cause it to decay into dust, and he could cause it to explode in a fiery ball. He had done that once before that he could remember, detonating a ship's wheel that had been on the deck of Sheba's ship, a very long time ago. What was more, Sathon taught him a trick of infusing a natural object with the power of the All directly, a trick that Sathon called Animation. By animating the stick, Tarrin caused it to have something of a life and will of its own, but was subservient to his commands. The animated stick would move about by itself and perform tasks as Tarrin directed it. All in all, it was a particularly clever little trick, and Tarrin could appreciate the innumerable ways in which it could be used to frighten, annoy, startle, or even outright attack another person. A strong Druid could cause an entire room full of wooden furniture to suddenly come to life and attack someone in the room with it. A nasty little concept there.
Sathon had been suprised that Tarrin knew the Druidic spells of healing, so he taught Tarrin spells for augmentation of the body. Spells to temporarily boost strength or speed or resistance, spells to turn a normal human into a juggernaut against which no other normal human could stand. Those spells were as hard on the recipient as they were on the Druid, being demanding spells to cast, but they were spells that Druids used on themselves when it became apparent that their lives were in the balance. They were rarely used because of the stress they put on the recipient's body, a stress that had been known to kill the recipient.
Then Sathon taught Tarrin spells that almost all Druids knew and used. The easiest of them was Sending, the sending of messages to other Druids through the All. It was how Thean and Triana and just about all the Druids communicated with one another, for it was easy and dependable. A Sending was little more than a message spoken into the All, and then the All caused the Druid who was the recipient to hear the message. One couldn't conduct a conversation that way, because there was a lag of several moments between the sending of the message and the receiving of it, depending on the distance separating the two. For direct communication, the Druids used two methods. One was called Greater Sending, which was a spell that was hard enough to cast to prevent some Druids from using it. It was a form of Sending, but it allowed for conversation to pass in real time so long as the casting Druid maintained the connection. The other form was what Triana did, which Sathon called a Window. Sathon himself couldn't do it, but he was familiar with the technique. The casting Druid created something of a window through the All, allowing the Druid to see the person to which he or she was talking. Triana had done that to talk to him before, so he knew what it looked like, and now how it worked.
After that was learned, they stopped for lunch, and while they were eating Sathon taught him techniques for creating, changing, shaping, destroying, or transforming elemental matter. A Druid could create fire from nothingness, transform it into earth, change its size, shape, mass, density, or content, then banish it back into nothingness. Sorcery and Druidic magic both were Elemental in nature, magic derived from natural forces, and it gave both orders of magic strong control of basic elemental forces. Creating elemental matter was a bit different from the Creation that Sarraya taught him, for it was actually much easier. The only problem with Druidic creation of elemental matter was that it was always in its base form. A Sorcerer could use Sorcery to create any manner of fire or water or air, from smoke to cold flames of light to fog to toxic clouds, but Druidic magic always limited it to pure earth or stone, pure water, pure air, or pure fire. Sorcery proved to be much preferable to Druidic forms of elemental magic when they were compared with one another. It was even possible to transmute one thing into another through Sorcery, like changing flesh into stone or water into ice or rock into glass, which was much more difficult using Druidic magic.
When they started out again, Sathon taught him Druidic magic concerning life. Druids could affect the life cycles of plants and animals, but not sentient creatures. A Druid could cause a seed to bloom into a flower, accelerating its maturation, and could likewise reverse the damage of aging in an old animal and make it young again. Sathon had no clear answer for him when he asked why they didn't work on sentient beings, only telling him that the limitation was well documented. It was a line that no Druid had crossed and survived. Druids could urge plants or animals to grow in ways that were not natural as well, causing a wolf to become as large as a bear, or causing vines to suddenly grow tens of spans in a short moment to choke off a path or conceal something that needed to be hidden. Those spells weren't very demanding, but they were very, very complicated, and they took Tarrin much more time to learn than the other spells that Sathon taught him.
By the time the sun began to lay low to the west, Sathon was teaching his student Druidic spells to communicate with animals. Animals would obey Druids when they were spoken to in ways the animal could understand, even putting their own lives in jeopardy to protect a Druid from attack. It explained some of the things he'd heard about Druids, about how the plants, the animals, even the earth itself would rise up and attack those trying to harm a Druid. From what he'd learned that day, he knew that those weren't stories. That the plants and the animals and the earth itself would rise up at the Druid's beckoning, rise up and defend him from harm. Spells to speak with animals were fairly simple in form, but were surprisingly demanding on the Druid.
When Tarrin left Sathon after the army stopped in a large field by the road and made camp, he was surprised at how much he had learned, and how versatile Druidic magic really was. Sorcery had always seemed to eclipse Druidic magic, but now he knew Druidic spells that had no comparable technique in Sorcery. Sorcery was still much preferred as battle magic, or the creation or manipulation of elemental matter, but Druidic magic was extremely useful when attempting to enact change on living things, something that Sorcery could not easily do without killing the target.
Tarrin hadn't been the only one to receive that education. Jesmind had been close to him all day, as had Thean and Jasana, and both of them had listened studiously to the elder Druid as he granted his wisdom and experience to Tarrin, and indirectly to Thean. Thean had Druidic talent, but even he admitted that his talents barely rated among the Druids. He had enough talent to use Sending, and some minor Druidic spells. He could Conjure and Create, so long as it wasn't a large amount or something exotic or not naturally occuring. He could Summon, but nothing larger than a large dog in size. And using just about any spell outside Sending exhausted him, so he usually didn't bother using magic when he could go about it the normal way. It was much easier on him.
"The old human sure talked alot," Jasana observed as they padded over to where the other Were-cats were gathering, well away from the others, in a narrow corner of the field. "I was starting to wonder if he was going to come in our tent and keep talking."
"Mind your manners, young lady!" Jesmind snapped at her. "You don't say things like that about a Druid!"
"Someone should go hunt up some dinner," Tarrin suggested, looking at the others.
"I need some exercise," Jesmind said stiffly, stretching. "You want to come?" she asked in the direction of her sisters.
"Sure," Shayle said with a grin. "It'll give us a chance to gossip."
"You're not leaving me out," Nikki announced.
"Can I go, can I go?" Jasana pleaded.
"Sorry, cub, but we need to bring food back quickly," Jesmind told her with a pat on the head. "You can go when we have time to teach you what we're doing, alright?"
"It's alright, kidlet," Kimmie told her, coming up behind her and sweeping her off her feet. "I'll help Tarrin keep an eye on you while your mother's out hunting. We'll have fun."
"Awww," Jasana growled. "Hurry back, mama."
"Bring back something big," Jeri called as the three started towards the trees. "I'm hungry!"
"We have our own work to do, cub," Tarrin told him. "Let's get this place set up, so we can start cooking as soon as they get back."
It didn't take long for the camp to be erected. The tents were raised, a firepit dug, and some logs were dragged out and cleaned to serve as seats for the Were-cats. Jeri and Singer grumbled at being tagged for firewood duty, but Singer managed to come back with a rabbit as well as a hefty amount of firewood.
What happened next surprised Tarrin. Singer used the rabbit to quite literally bribe Jeri away from Rahnee. It didn't surprise him that Singer was interested in Jeri, it surprised him that she did it right in front of everyone else, including Rahnee. She offered him the rabbit, in exchange for staying in her tent that night instead of Rahnee's. And he agreed.
"What was that about?" Tarrin asked Thean as Rahnee glared at the two of them.
"Me and Singer parted ways this morning," Thean said in a quiet tone. "She told me that she's always had an interest in Jeri, and having him so close wasn't fair to me, when her mind was on him." He chuckled. "You just witnessed one of the ways that females steal males from other females. Some try to seduce, some literally grab them and drag them away, daring the other female to challenge her over him. Singer used bribery."
"What if the male objects?"
"He certainly can," Thean agreed. "It's part of the danger of trying to steal a male. If you go to all the trouble to steal him and it turns out he doesn't like you, you just ticked off the other female for no good reason. And she will definitely remember what you did to her the next time she catches you alone out in some dark, deserted tract of the Heartwood."
"I don't think I'm going to steal a male any time soon, Thean," Tarrin said dryly.
Thean laughed. "I was speaking in hypotheticals, lad."
"So, Singer just made Rahnee angry."
"Oh, I'd agree with that," Thean nodded, motioning to Rahnee. She looked furious. "Since Jeri agreed openly, Rahnee would lose face if she got into a fight with Singer now. Females may fight each other over males, but it's the male that decides it more often than not. Not that it's going to amount to much," Thean chuckled. "Jeri and Rahnee were just sleeping together. It wasn't a mating in the sense of you and Jesmind. She'll be a little peeved for a while, then she'll get over it."
"So you'd better watch your tail, Thean."
He chuckled again. "Probably. I'm the only available male at the moment, but Rahnee's going to have to contend with Kimmie and Shayle. Kimmie looks caught up with Jasana at the moment," he said, looking to where Kimmie was spinning Jasana around in the air, making the little girl laugh, "and Shayle's out hunting, so Rahnee's going to take her time."
"That's not like her."
"True, but me and Rahnee have had words in the past. She doesn't really like me, but Rahnee is Rahnee. She'd ask a rampaging bear into her bed if she was desperate enough."
"I think that's an unfair view of her, Thean," Tarrin said.
"No, it's not," Thean told him seriously as they drifted away from the others, as Tarrin and Thean took some waterskins towards a nearby stream. "Rahnee is obsessed with sex. She spends her entire life going from male to male, hunting them down and holding onto them until they're about ready to take her face off. That almost single-minded bent is probably what made Jeri leave her, because most males I know don't like how intense Rahnee is." Thean chuckled. "Almost. They all like the way she makes love, but she's like a fly-catcher plant. A sweet lure and promise of great pleasure, but getting away from her is the trick. I know why she does it, but there's no stopping it until she gets pregnant again."
"Her lost children?" Tarrin asked.
Thean nodded. "Rahnee's just as vulnerable to instinct as Mist was. Since she has no living children, having one and keeping it alive until it's an adult has taken over her life. Were-cat females have a human fertility cycle, but it's extremely hard for them to conceive for some reason, and it gets harder and harder as they age. An elder female like Rahnee can mate almost continually, and not conceive for many years."
Tarrin considered it. He had felt so sorry for Mist because of what had happened to her, and he started feeling a little sorry for Rahnee. Rahnee didn't close herself off to the world like Mist did, instead she continually tried to get pregnant again. It was a different response to what was fundamentally the same problem, which was different because Rahnee could get pregnant, she only hadn't managed to do it and keep a child alive to adulthood. But, just like Mist, there was a cure for Rahnee's lonely obsession, an obsession he understood a little better now. Rahnee wasn't an oversexed tart, she was desperately trying to get pregnant. That did make her an oversexed tart, but it was her instincts commanding her to fulfill the most basic of their instructions, to reproduce. "That's no real problem," he mused.
"What are you talking about?"
"I can make that happen," he replied calmly. "I know how Triana did it to Mist. I can do it to Rahnee. I could get her to conceive tonight."
"That's considerate of you, lad, but there's a problem."
"What?"
"Jesmind would kill you."
Tarrin laughed. "I don't have to do it, Thean. I can prime Rahnee, and after that any male can finish the job." He looked at the elder male. "So, you feeling frisky tonight, Thean?"
The gray-furred Were-cat glanced at him, then laughed. "I don't think this is the time or place to fix Rahnee, lad. It'd be best to wait until after we finish at Suld. The fighting may cause her to lose the baby."
"You have a point there," Tarrin agreed. "Should we tell her?"
"No, if we did, she'd be unbearable," Thean grinned. "She'd follow you around like a puppy."
"We can't have that," Tarrin said seriously. "I wonder why Triana didn't do it to her a long time ago."
"Triana doesn't meddle," Thean told him. "Rahnee's capable of conceiving, so Triana won't do anything. What you want to do is out of compassion, because you can't stand the idea of seeing Rahnee being unhappy. Triana's a bit harder than you."
"I don't think she's hard."
"She is hard, lad," Thean said soberly. "She's very old, and the years have taken their toll on her. Most people to her are transitory things, only here for a short time before fading away in the roll of the years. So she doesn't like to form attachments to very many people, and most of them are Were-cats. Triana's seen too many friends grow old and die."
Tarrin could appreciate how that would feel, to see beloved friends wither and die as age claimed them. It made his heart flutter to think that he may have to face the same thing some day, to see friends like Azakar or Var or Denai or Phandebrass or Ariana succumb to the passing of the years.
"At least she has us, Thean," Tarrin said as they started filling waterskins.
"I know. You have no idea how honored it makes me feel to know that she loves me."
"I think she'd be happier if you loved her back instead of feeling honored."
"Oh, I do, Tarrin. Triana is the hub of my life. If it wasn't for the fact that we wear on each other after we've been together for a while, I'd be with her all the time."
"Kimmie told me about that," Tarrin said. "I guess even Were-cats like Triana and you are just as vulnerable to instinct as the rest of us."
Thean chuckled. "It makes us seem less awesome, doesn't it?" he said with a rueful smile. "To know that we're just as weak as everyone else."
"Reality is a pain sometimes."
Thean laughed. "It is at that."
They wandered back to their group, idly chatting about nothing in particular, and then delivered the waterskins to the others. Rahnee looked speculatively at the pair of them, and when Thean left to go see Sathon about something, Tarrin turned to prod the fire and get the coals right for some quick roasting. It surprised him when Rahnee's scent came up right behind him, and she grabbed him by his tail and pulled herself down to where he was kneeling. "What do you say, Tarrin?" she purred in his ear. "Jesmind's not here. Want to drift back behind the trees and have some fun?"
"You want to get us both killed?" Tarrin asked archly. "She'd kill you for trying, and she'd kill me for accepting."
"I know you're interested in me, and I'm not afraid of Jesmind," Rahnee assured him.
"Then you're a fool," he snapped bluntly.
"Hmph. Well, if that's how you're going to be, I'm just going to have to come and get you later. But I will come back," she promised, standing up.
"Go play with Thean," he said dismissively as he threw another couple of large chunks of wood on the fire.
"Hmph," she snorted again, stalking away.
Tarrin didn't pay it any more mind. Rahnee was just being bold because Jesmind wasn't there to defend her claim on him.
What Tarrin was not prepared to face was what happened when Jesmind, Shayle, and Nikki returned, carrying two large bucks between them. Rahnee set herself directly in the path of the three sisters, and slapped the buck off Jesmind's shoulder when she got within reach.
Tarrin stood up, about ready to go over there and spank Rahnee, but he had no place in what was going to happen. Rahnee felt that she was strong enough to fight Jesmind over him, and as the male in question, it wasn't his place to stop them. Rahnee wasn't going to take any of his objections seriously, so no matter what he said, she was going to do what she was about to do no matter what. And since she wouldn't listen to him, she was just going to have to learn that he had no intentions of leaving Jesmind the hard way.
He had no worry about it. Jesmind was much nastier than Rahnee, especially when she was mad. Jesmind would relieve him of any unpleasant confrontations with Rahnee when he rebuffed her once again.
"I'm tired of hearing how scary you are," Rahnee said in a loud tone. "I think you can't live up to your reputation."
"Get out of my way, Rahnee," Jesmind warned in a dangerous tone.
"I want Tarrin, and since he's so afraid of you, I guess I'm just going to have to send you packing. Unless you're not woman enough to fight for him."
That was the wrong thing to say. Jesmind's eyes exploded from within with the green aura that marked an angry Were-cat, and her claws came out almost as quickly as she attacked Rahnee.
It was a fight between Were-cats, and that meant that it carried with it a mindless brutality that made such a spectacle difficult for the squeamish to observe. Rahnee and Jesmind ripped at one another with their claws, even biting one another as they ended up on the ground, rolling in grass that quickly became stained with blood. In the first furious moments of their fight, Tarrin began to wonder if Rahnee was really going to lose. She was the same size as Jesmind, and he'd never seen her actually fight before, so he wasn't sure how good she was. She really took it to his mate in those first moments, pinning her to the ground and tearing into her pretty thoroughly with claws paws and feet. But then, Jesmind seemed to have had enough. She drove the palm of her paw into Rahnee's chin, hard enough to snap her head back and lift her off of her, then descended on the disadvantaged black-furred female with merciless savagery. They traded blows face to face, staying on their feet as their brutal claw match slowed into a calculated fight between two combatants. Both of them began showing elements of a street brawler, blocking blows, kicking, trying to grapple or grab hair, and when he saw them like that, he saw that Jesmind was much superior to Rahnee. In very short moments, Rahnee became overwhelmed by her faster, more experienced adversary, until Jesmind rushed the black-furred Were-cat and then bulled her to the ground. Rahnee became the one pinned to the ground, struggling to defend herself from Jesmind's tearing claws but not doing a very good job of it. She started crying out in pain as Jesmind began to inflict wounds that her regeneration couldn't immediately heal, had worn down Rahnee's regenerative ability to where it could no longer keep up with the damage being done to her. When it became apparent that Rahnee was going to lose, Jesmind took it one step further, jumping to her feet, grabbing Rahnee by the paw, and then dragging her temporarily weakened opponent across the ground. Tarrin did move to intervene when he realized what she was doing, but he was too late. Jesmind grabbed Rahnee with both paws on her arm, then heaved her up and over her shoulder, directly into the large fire.
Rahnee's pained shriek made the hair on the back of Tarrin's neck stand up. The bloodied female bounced in the embers as Jesmind let her go, and for a very unpleasant moment she seemed unable to move. The smell of burning hair and cloth and singed blood and burning flesh washed over the small encampment as Rahnee convulsed on the fire, screaming in agony, until she seemed to regain control of her body and roll out of the flames. Red-hot embers clung to her blackened shoulders, back, buttocks, tail, and upper legs as she whimpered and scrabbled on the grass on her belly, in the general direction of the stream that was some distance away, as small licks of fire burned in her red hair, her black fur, and in her blood-soaked clothing.
There was silence. All the Were-cats, even Jasana, stared at the wounded Rahnee with expressionless faces. Tarrin was shocked that Jesmind would do something like that, would actually hurt Rahnee like that. He stared at her in dismay and surprise, in disbelief that she could be so… so monstrous. But in that moment he realized that now he knew how others thought about him when they saw some of the things he did. How Allia felt when Tarrin had killed the wounded priest after destroying Sheba the Pirate's ship. About how Dolanna felt when Tarrin very nearly killed the arrogant acrobat aboard the Dancer. About how many felt about him after he destroyed the arena in Dala Yar Arak. Tarrin could not look at Jesmind and accuse, not without pointing the finger at himself as well. He had no right to make such moral judgements, not with the darkness in his own past. What she did only reminded him of his own past deeds, and it caused deep slash of guilt to cut into him. That guilt translated to anger when he looked at her, even though he knew none of it was her fault.
Despite that, he found that he couldn't think kindly of his mate at that moment, and probably wouldn't for a while. No matter how much she may have needed to have been beaten down, Rahnee didn't deserve to be thrown into a fire. Jesmind had her beaten, and every Were-cat looking on knew that. She had gone beyond merely establishing her dominance. She had tried to kill Rahnee, and Tarrin felt deeply in his heart that he wasn't worth Rahnee's life. If Jesmind was going to attempt to murder every female that showed interest in him, then he wasn't sure he wanted to continue their relationship.
He also couldn't deny the cries of the burned Were-cat. Levelling a flat look on his mate, Tarrin quickly made his way to where she still clawed at the grass, groaning as smoke wafted up from her severely burned back. He put a paw on her and exerted his will against the Weave, sending flows of Earth, Water, and Divine power into her, the flows of healing. Rahnee's back arched severely as the icy sensation of Sorcerer's Healing drained off some of her own inner energy to assist in the healing of her charred back, as the weave attacked the burned flesh, excising it and growing new, unmarred flesh to replace what was removed for the good of the whole.
Rahnee's groans were replaced with a heavy panting, and her jerking struggles eased. She put her head down on the ground and breathed deeply as the icy sensation melted away, taking the pain with it. Tarrin stood up and stared at Jesmind, telling her without words that his displeasure with what she had done went far beyond a simple difference of opinion.
He couldn't even look at her. Turning his back on them, he started stalking away.
"Tarrin! Tarrin, wait!" Jesmind suddenly called, and he could hear and sense her rush up behind him. The closer that she got, the angrier with her he became, until it came to a head just as she was starting to slow down. He turned on her so fast she didn't even register it, and struck her dead in the face with the back of his paw. She was driven to the ground by his inhuman power, a power much greater than her own, leaving her dazed and looking up at him with unfocused eyes.
When they did focus, she found herself staring up into ominous green slits, his eyes ignited from within as a clear indication of his anger.
"Get away from me, or I'll throw you in that fire," Tarrin hissed, then he whirled and stalked away, leaving his mate sprawled on the ground, holding her cheek in her paw, staring at him in stunned disbelief.
It was a difference of opinion.
Tarrin sat on a rock well away from the others, listening to the song of the night, arms wrapped around his legs and tail curled around his ankles as he worked through the conflict within him. It was a difference of opinion, that was all. His two halves had different views over what had happened that afternoon, and their conflict was why he felt so confused.
The Cat saw nothing wrong with what Jesmind did. She had simply defended her territory, defended her rights to her mate, and when it came to something like that, there was no quarter. In a fight, there were no rules, and the end justified the means. Jesmind had probably done what she did to establish beyond any doubt just who was the dominant between her and Rahnee, by nearly killing her to prove to the other Were-cat that she was the stronger of them. That part of him understood why Jesmind did what she did, even appreciated that she could do it, would do it, and was baffled by the reaction of his other side. The Human in him was horrified by what Jesmind did, horrified and shocked. He had never believed that Jesmind could be capable of such calcuated cruelty, depite the fact that she was a Were-cat. The Human was prepared to accept the fact that Jesmind and Rahnee had to settle their dispute, and it would come to a fight. Sometimes fights were necessary, even in the Human perspective. But fights over dominance weren't supposed to be fatal. That was all that was, all it was supposed to be, a fight over who was dominant, over who had the right to court a mate. But it had gone beyond that, and that was the part that Tarrin couldn't rationalize in his Human side. He felt terrible about it, because Rahnee had suffered tremendous agony, and he knew that he was the reason for it. He should have rebuffed her firmly. He shouldn't have been so neutral. If he'd have told her no emphatically, she wouldn't have tried to fight Jesmind. That guilt just added on to the confusion.
And in a way, it conjured up memories of his own evil deeds. That caused him pain, and he transferred that pain onto Jesmind's shoulders. He had done things like that himself, and when he did them, there had been a grisly… eagerness about it. More than once, he had acted like that for the sheer need to inflict pain, like when he had fought and beaten Jula. It eroded a bit of his image of himself and his own kind to know that they all shared that tainted trait. He had seen Jesmind lower herself to a level he hoped he'd never see either in himself or any other, and that hurt.
Maybe he'd been fooling himself all along. Jesmind was a Were-cat. She wasn't the pristine little doll he had created in his mind as an impression of her, an impression fueled by her recent flexibility, her desire to accommodate his peculiar nature to keep him as her mate. He had known what she was like, even if he didn't want to face it himself. She was the same Jesmind as before, with the same fiery nature and rather ruthless approach to things. She had been very tranquil lately, but she had never tried to hide who she was from him. The truth of her had always been right there, only he chose to cover it with an illusion that she wasn't as bad as he was, that she would give to their daughter a gentleness that he no longer had inside, an innocence lost. He had to face the fact that she was just like him, that she was just as capable of evil and monstrosity as he was. He didn't want to believe it, but he had no choice.
Jesmind had become a mirror of himself, and he found that he couldn't bear to face the reflection of himself he found in her.
Just another shattered illusion. And the shards of it cut into him.
So he sat on that rock, well away from the camp, well away from everyone else, and struggled to rebuild his image of his mate. She was still Jesmind. Even after this, the Cat in him wouldn't allow him to hold it against her. He was still drawn to her, attracted to her, wanted to be with her. That seemed slightly ghoulish, considering what she had done to Rahnee, but the truth of it was undeniable. He was just angry with her, for what she did, that was all. And that would pass. All things passed with Were-cats. Even Rahnee would eventually forget about what Jesmind did to her-well, maybe not forget, but she would let it drop. For them, the matter was settled, at least for the moment, but Tarrin wasn't sure if it would stay that way. Had Jesmind simply beaten her and been done with it, they would have been talking and laughing together moments after the injuries healed. But Jesmind had gone farher than that, and he wasn't sure if Rahnee would ever forget it. Were-cats could hold grudges, and they could be very nasty. Tarrin would know, he had more than a few grudges against various assorted people at the moment.
Rahnee wouldn't forget… and he knew that he never would either. But he could forgive, even if he couldn't forget.
There was a stir behind him, and when the wind shifted, he caught Kimmie's scent. He glanced in her direction as she stepped from the brush and padded over to him, but he said nothing. He wasn't surprised to see her.
"Both of them are pretty shamefaced," she told him gently. "Jesmind is pretty upset that she made you angry, and Rahnee is upset that she caused a fight between you two. She only challenged Jesmind because she wanted you to think about her after you and Jesmind broke up, the same way I've been talking to you about it. Only Rahnee acted with her muscles instead of her brain. Rahnee knew that even if she won, you wouldn't have left Jesmind."
"Jesmind should be upset," he growled. "How could she do that?"
"Tarrin, you have to know the history between them to know why she did that," Kimmie said, seating herself on the rock beside him. "Jesmind and Rahnee have had some bad blood between them for a while, since the last time Rahnee tried to steal Jesmind's mate. What happened out there was just them settling an old score along with a new one. It's over now. Rahnee's a little angry that Jesmind actually threw her in the fire, but she'll get over it. She's been beaten, and she knows it. Jesmind and Rahnee were good friends before this mate thing cropped up, and now that they've fought it out, they probably will be again." She put a paw on his shoulder. "If anyone understands, I know you do, Tarrin," she said gently. "I know it offends your human sensibilities, but remember that we're in their world now."
"How can you say that, Kimmie?" he demanded, looking at her. "How can you defend Jesmind after she threw Rahnee into a fire?" he said with consice emphasis on each and every word.
"I'm not defending her. I'm just saying that it's something that all of us have done at least once before," she replied. "All of us. Even me. We're all prone to things like that, and we know that it's not that it's personal, it's just that we got a little too angry. Rage is part of being a Were-cat, turned or natural. Jesmind's anger got the best of her because of what happened between the two of them in the past, and what she did reflects that. After all, we both know that Jesmind would never do something like that to someone without being in a rage. Rahnee understands. And I think you do too." She turned his chin to make him look at her. "None of us are happy about what Jesmind did, but then again, we won't condemn her for it. Because we've all been there."
Tarrin blew out his breath. Damn Kimmie and her calm logic! She had surmised everything he had felt himself, surmised it and explained it in a way that made it hard for him to remain angry with his mate. Triana had told him that all Were-cats suffered rages, lived with it all their lives. Even Jesmind. He couldn't blame her for losing her head, because it was something that could and did happen to Were-cats, no matter how old or experienced or controlled they were.
He hadn't actively considered the idea that Jesmind was in a rage, but now that he thought about it, it was a rational explanation. The Jesmind he knew wouldn't throw Rahnee in the fire. No, it would take something like a rage to cause her to do something like that. That rational explanation satisfied the Human's need to understand what caused it to happen, and the two parts of him suddenly found a concensus upon which to agree.
"Is, is Rahnee alright?"
"Fine," Kimmie assured him. "Whatever you did to her healed her completely. She doesn't even have any scars."
"Why is she upset that she caused a fight between me and Jesmind?"
"None of us like to see another upset, Tarrin," she said gently. "Rahnee knows she's the reason you're angry, because she picked the fight. Jesmind is terribly upset because you saw her when she was at her worst, and you rebuffed her when she tried to explain what happened. Believe me, Tarrin, we don't like to see any Were-cat when they're in a rage. It's a reminder to us of the skeletons in our own closets. Since you were born human, Jesmind knew that you wouldn't understand, that you've never seen another Were-cat in a rage before, and that you'd react exactly the way you did. And she was right."
Tarrin sighed. "Don't make me feel any worse, Kimmie," he asked in a low voice.
Kimmie chuckled. "Sometimes I'm impressed by how well Jesmind knows you, Tarrin," she admitted. "Her understanding of your mind is remarkable, considering she's a natural Were-cat. Her ability to predict how your human mind is going to operate impresses me." She stood up and held out her paw. "Now come on. Jesmind is very upset, and she needs to know that you don't hate her."
"If she knows me so well, she knows that."
"Tarrin, Tarrin, Tarrin," Kimmie sighed with a chuckle. "Of course she knows it, but she needs to hear it. She may be a natural Were-cat female, but she's also a woman. Women need to hear these things, whether they know it or not."
Tarrin looked at her, then stood up and took her paw. "I'm still a little angry," he grunted.
"Anger isn't much to Were-cats, Tarrin," Kimmie smiled. "Jesmind can live with it if you're angry, but she can't if you hate her. She really loves you, you know. I've told you that before. Your good opinion of her matters as much to her as Jasana, or breathing."
"Well, let's go make sure that she keeps breathing, then," he said, feeling much better. Kimmie was alot like Allia, he realized. Always there with a gentle word and a kind paw to make him understand things, to make him feel better about himself and the world. Her calm reasoning had explained things to him in a way that made sense, had calmed his fears and eased the troubled tumult rolling through his mind.
The camp was empty and quiet. He could scent the others in their tents, clearing the way for him to come back without facing a gauntlet of concern. He could smell that the fire had been doused with water, but not before it was used to roast the deer. Kimmie shooed him towards his tent, then went to her own and ducked inside.
Jesmind had her back to the tent flap, kneeling on the ground, but she whirled around to face him when he opened it and ducked in. He was surprised to see that she'd been crying, and that caused what animosity he'd felt for her and what she'd done to melt away. He realized that Jasana wasn't in the tent, that she was probably with one of the others while her parents worked things out.
"Oh, Tarrin, I'm so sorry!" she said immediately as he knelt beside her, and he was startled when she reached out and embraced him so tightly that it threatened to break his ribs. "I didn't mean to-"
"Kimmie explained it," he interrupted in a wheezing voice. "Could you let go before your paws meet in my middle?"
"Oh!" she said in surprise, releasing him. He put his paw to his chest and took a deep breath, then he looked into her teary eyes calmly. "I'm sorry I reacted that way, Jesmind. I knew you'd never do something like that willingly, but when I saw it happen-" he looked away. "It's not you. When I saw that, it reminded me of the things I've done, and I was angry with you because it made me remember. Kimmie said no Were-cat likes to see another lose control for just that reason. I believe her."
Jesmind sniffled, wiping at her face with the back of her furry white paw. "I never wanted you to see me like that," she said in a quiet tone.
"It's alright," he assured her. "I'm a little angry, but that's natural, considering things. I'm not going to hold it against you, and I don't hate you for it. If Rahnee can forgive you, then so can I. What kind of mate would I be if I couldn't accept you for your faults as well as your strengths?"
The look she gave him was one of unparalleled gratitude. Then she reached up, grabbed him by the back of his head, and pulled him down into a fierce kiss.
Kimmie had been right yet again.
The bad event of the last evening had either been forgotten, or nobody cared to talk about it the next morning. The Were-cats gathered together for breakfast without much conversation, and then they were off before the fire had a chance to burn down to coals. Rahnee and Jesmind did talk with one another for a moment after they woke up, doing so privately, and when they returned they were actually smiling at one another. Kimmie had been right once more when she said that Rahnee wouldn't hold what happened against Jesmind. The two of them seemed to have made peace with one another, but Tarrin knew that was going to last just as long as Rahnee thought that Jesmind wasn't keeping an eye on her.
But there were other things on their minds that day, and that was war. The entire host became quieter and quieter as they neared Torrian, and they began to move faster. Even the humans seemed to sense the quiet urgency catching up the Woodkin, an urgency to set right a wrong ignored too long, a need to strike a blow against foes that sought to destabilize the balance of things. They were almost running as the sun began to set, and Arren pulled them up behind a small rise. Tarrin remembered that rise from long ago, and he knew that Torrian was just on the other side of it, in a wide, shallow valley split in half by a river. That river flowed directly through Torrian, going under the log wall, and it formed a part of the formidable defenses that protected the castle in the middle of the city.
"This is it," Arren announced. "The other Rangers should be around here somewhere. Tarrin, could you call that winged woman down so she can tell us what's out there?" Arren called.
"Yes, Arren," Tarrin complied, calling out to Ariana with the amulet. She responded, then swooped in to land just in front of them not a moment later.
"I was circling over a large camp of Rangers about a longspan over there," Ariana said, pointing south. "They had scouts out, and that camp is breaking up. They know we're here, and they're moving out into the forest."
"Did they set up the traps as I ordered?"
"This morning," Ariana replied with a nod. Tarrin realized that Arren must have sent Ariana ahead with orders from him. It explained why he hadn't seen her much for the last two days, she'd been spending her time flying back and forth. "They're all in the camp now, so they must be moving to deploy like you told them to, since they know we're here."
"Good. Alright, let's get Mikos, Sathon, and Audrey up here. It's time to get set up."
Tarrin looked towards Jesmind, who had Jasana up on her shoulders. They hadn't spoken much since the night before, and that ended without much conversation. Jasana had been curiously quiet all day, which surprised him. He figured that she'd ask a thousand questions about what happened the night before, but she hadn't. She'd been downright silent all day. He found out that Kimmie had watched her last night, her being the only Were-cat that Jesmind would trust with their daughter, and that told him that Kimmie had probably explained some things to Jasana in a way that both made her understand and prevented her from talking about it today, bringing up things that everyone knew were better left dropped. They had talked about this last night, about what would happen next. Jesmind had argued vociferiously about it after she got over her bout of guilt, reverting to her old ways as soon as she realized that her place with him was still secure, but in the end she could not move Tarrin an finger. So she would spend this battle well outside of it, away from danger, and she would have Kimmie to help her protect Jasana from harm. Tarrin would settle for no less than two Were-cats defending his child, and it was probably best to keep Kimmie out of the fighting anyway. She didn't have the temperament for it.
Sathon and Mikos arrived a moment after Arren summoned them, and Audrey a moment after them. "Alright, we're here," Arren announced. "We're going to do this as we planned. All of you know what to do. Audrey, did you explain the concept of officers to the Were-kin?"
"It wasn't easy, but they understand," she replied. "They don't like not knowing every part of the plan. Were-kin have a problem following orders blindly."
"I've noticed," Sathon said with a grin. "I think they don't like following orders from humans more than following orders in the first place."
"That's probably true, Sathon," Audrey agreed with a straight face.
"I chose strapping Rangers that can keep up with the Were-kin in a fight, so that shouldn't be a problem," Arren told her. "Tarrin, are you ready for you part?"
"There's not really much need to prepare," he said mildly. "Since there's only one gate on this side of the river, I know where to go and what to do. I just need to know when."
"When I send you off with Lady Ariana, it'll be time," Arren told him calmly. "My dear, you flew over the city?"
"Several times, my Duke," Ariana smiled. "You're going to be facing about five thousand Dal troops. Most of them are quartered either on the walls or in the castle. They're using ten man patrols to keep control of the city, but I suspect they'll all head for the walls when the alarm goes out."
"That would be the logical thing to do," Arren agreed. "All right then, my officers have already received their orders, and they'll be spreading out to take command of your groups. Uh, you did divide them up into units, didn't you?" he asked.
"My Centaurs are already organized like that, Duke Arren," Mikos told him calmly.
"I had a hard time convincing the Were-kin to divide up, but they eventually agreed. I barely had to bite anyone to do it, either."
"I'm so glad to know that," Arren murmured. "The officer I'm sending with the Were-cats should-"
"Don't bother, Duke Arren," Tarrin grunted. "They wouldn't listen to a human officer. Just tell them where to go and what to do, then let them do it. They'll find a way to be useful."
"Well then, I'll take your word for it," Arren chuckled. "They know the signal?"
"When they see the others attack the gate, they'll know."
"Well then, there's no more need to stand here talking. Let's get into position. Everyone remember that we can't be seen, so move carefully and be quiet. Tarrin, you and Ariana stay with me. Everyone else, you know what you have to do."
Tarrin, Ariana, and Arren moved forward more slowly than the others, at a walk, allowing their forces to get into their assigned positions, but with a short look at him, Jesmind took Jasana and Kimmie and went the other way, away from the city. Arren took them to the top of the rise just as darkness claimed the sun, hiding them from view from the city below as they looked down upon it. There were many, many torches, many points of light shining over the walls of the city, and they looked a little… hazy. Tarrin had a strange, nagging sensation that he couldn't quite explain while he looked down at the city, and it made him feel distinctly uncomfortable. He didn't know why, but he did.
They waited in grim silence for nearly half an hour, and then Arren mounted his horse deliberately. "Give me five minutes," he told them. "Five minutes, and then go. Remember, be quick, be careful, and be true. We only get one chance at this."
"One chance is one more than what's necessary, Duke Arren," Ariana said confidently. "What you're asking is child's play."
"Let's hope you're right, my lady," Arren grunted. "I suddenly have a bad feeling about this." And then he urged his horse to a slow walk, disappearing into the trees on the left side of the road.
"Worryer," Ariana snorted, shivering her wings. "When will it be five minutes?"
"You'd think that people who have to navigate by air had a sense of time," Tarrin muttered, looking at her.
"Tell me what a minute is, and I'll gladly tell you how many have gone by since he left," she said sharply.
Tarrin glanced at her, then chuckled ruefully. "Nevermind. By the time we talk about what we'll do, it'll be ready to go."
"Oh, alright then. I already know which house we should hit. It's a really big one right by the gate, with one of those rooves made of straw. It should make a nicely distracting fire."
"I think I remember that building," he said, remembering back to his first and only visit to Torrian. "Big place with a stable in the back?"
"The building surrounded by the fence?" Ariana asked. Tarrin nodded. "That's the one," she agreed with a grin. "How close do you need to be?"
"The closer the better, but you won't have to get within bow range of the city," he assured her. "Five hundred paces over the building is close enough. I know a way to weave the spell that will allow me to drop it from the air and have it land on the building, then ignite the thatch."
"Alright then," she said, looking around. "You have that basket handy? It's about time to go."
Tarrin conjured up the basket to ride in, and she belted it to her waist. He shifted into cat form, she picked him up, settled him inside, and then they were off.
Tarrin still had a silent exuberance about flying. It was a wonderfully strange feeling, a feeling of utter freedom that appealed to his nature and his instincts. Tarrin looked out of the basket as the ground slowly became a blur of dark, green trees, as his cat's eyes lost the ability to make out fine detail about the ground below him, but he could see enough to know where they were. Ariana was flying in a wide circle as she gained height, flying away from the city at first, but had now turned back towards the city now that she had enough altitude. He could make out the lights of the city and could discern the city wall because it was a different color, a border between the green of the fields surrounding Torrian and the browns and blacks of the city itself.
Again, he felt a wave of… something. He looked down at the city, and for the first time, he began to slowly comprehend why he had had such a nagging feeling. He had been feeling the edges of a strong magic, and now that they were nearing the city, he was feeling it again, and it was markedly noticable. He looked down, trying to puzzle out what he was feeling. It was a spell, a woven spell, and it was big . It was impressive how large it was, how it had been created, and he realized that it had to take a circle of seven very good Sorcerers to create and maintain it. He couldn't see the spell, though, he could only sense it, and that worried him. What he could make out, however, was that the spell was laid over Torrian itself, filling its volume within the walls completely, and that it was not a spell meant to interact with the physical world.
Tarrin looked down, trying to make something out. Torrian wasn't a large city by any standard, more of a large town than a small city, with about five hundred buildings safely located within the log walls. But that was still an impressive amount of area to cover with a weave, a weave that he couldn't make out because of the difficulties of trying to see it through cat's eyes and being in cat form, which did impact his ability to use and sense Sorcery. Were there katzh-dashi in Torrian? Was this some part of Arren's plan that had been made when he wasn't there to hear it? His fahter had never said anything about katzh-dashi being assigned to the Rangers before.
No, wait. If they were making the spell, and it was such a large one, they had to be at its center. It would be the only way they could maintain something so large. They had to be at the center of it, so that the power that sustained it flowed as quickly as possible from the Sorcerers and into the weave's every woven edge. Tarrin looked down, swinging his head from one side to the other, fixing the middle of the weave in his mind. He found its center, and it was in a place that looked a little different from the others, a place with lots of torches and a blurry grayish color that made it separate from the rest of the city.
Gray. The only large gray thing in Torrian, a town made of wood and wattle buildings, was the castle.
Sorcerers in the castle, using a large spell that covered the entire city? Arren said that the Dals occupied his castle.
Something wasn't right. Very not right. Tarrin started squirming out of the basket as they crossed over the wall, as Ariana began a tight banking turn to keep Tarrin over the target. She didn't seem to notice that he was trying to squirm free of the basket-
– -but he did end up free of it when he heard Ariana curse loudly and suddenly veer off in the other direction, dropping about fifty spans in a heartbeat, which caused Tarrin to get wrenched free of the basket. He began to fall immediately, but caught himself on a hastily woven platform of Air, and used it as a base from which to change form and regain his better eyes. He needed them right now.
It was chaos. Three black, scaly things were banking behind the Aeradalla, who was turning again to try to shake off the pursuers. One of them screeched, and he recognized it immediately as the cry of a Wyvern. He had been right in one's face as it screeched like that, the one that had capsized Rennae's little riverboat on his first journey to Suld. Wyverns! He looked carefully, and saw that all three had riders. They all had crossbows, wearing black armor, taking shots at the Aeradalla as their Wyverns tried to bite at her wings when they managed to get close to their faster, more agile target.
Wyverns chasing Ariana. But only the ki'zadun used Wyverns as mounts. Jula had told him that.
Jula. Jula had been a Sorceress, and she had been in the ki'zadun .
Sudden horror rising up in him, Tarrin absently smashed the nearest Wyvern with a weave of Air, killing it and sending its rider plummeting to his death below, shrieking all the way down. His paws rose up, and a weave of Air, Water, and Fire spun together between them, causing a vicious blast of bright lightning to lash out from them, striking the rider of the next closest Wyvern squarely in the back, blasting the slight figure from the saddle. Maintaining the core of the spell, he recharged it and unleashed it again, striking the Wyvern with the last rider in the head with it, causing its beaked head to suddenly explode as blood and fluids boiled instantly from the incredible heat of the lightning, rupturing its head in a spectacular fashion. Gore and ichor splattered the rider just as he aimed his crossbow at Ariana, and it made him flinch as the bolt was loosed, just before the Wyvern dropped from the sky and carried the man to his doom. But instead of making him miss, the flinch actually corrected his aim, and the bolt struck his Aeradalla friend in the lower side, in her back. Tarrin knew immediately that it wasn't a mortal wound, but it did cause her to wobble in the air and drop some altitude, then dive towards the trees. She knew not to stay in the air when she was wounded.
The injury to Ariana only made him angry. Where did the Wyverns come from? They were so big, Ariana couldn't have missed them when she flew over the city on her scout! He looked down, and with his humanoid eyes, the nature of the massive weave covering Torrian became clear. He could see a town with empty streets, with torches at intersections, spaced through the streets, but it wasn't real.
It was an Illusion!
A massive Illusion! He penetrated it with his eyes, using his control over the Weave to allow him to ignore its false image, and beneath that he saw streets overflowing with men in Dal uniforms, running all over the place. There were men in black uniforms as well, uniforms he recognized as ki'zadun, and there were also Goblinoids. Dargu and Waern mainly, but he did see a pack of about twenty Trolls. They boiled out of houses, out of every building, running quickly and confidently towards the walls, towards the defenses, moving exactly as if they knew where to go and what to do. Nowhere, nowhere did he see a single man or woman in Sulasian dress. Everywhere he looked, he saw nothing but enemy troops. Thousands of them!
There was no small garrison here, there was a massive army!
He looked down, and to his horror, he saw forces forming up in a large open space near the gate, all of them mounted. They were going to ride out and attack the Rangers! He saw covers being thrown off of catapults, siege engines being readied by their crews, tubs of pitch and naptha ready beside them to hurl fire into the fields outside the city. He saw archers readying bows on the walls, he saw an army getting ready to ride out of the gates of Torrian and attack the Rangers and Woodkin hiding in the fields beyond. He saw a man run to a building and set fire to it, a building near the city gates that the Were-kin were going to try to take in the darkness.
It was a trap!
"No!" Tarrin growled, looking at what was below him as he stood in midair, eyes penetrating the Illusion. They had been waiting for them! They knew they were coming! And they knew what Arren had planned! But it made no sense! Why attack Ariana with Wyverns in full view of the army outside when they could have just let them set the fire-wait, it was too dark now for anyone to see the black Wyverns against the sky, even the Were-kin. It was too far away from the treeline even for a night-sighted Were-kin to be able to see so far. There was a good two longspan gulf between the treeline where the armies were hiding and the city walls, and that was new. They must have cleared the distance since the last time he'd been there. They had stopped Ariana, but they knew something couldn't have gone right for them, because something had killed their Wyverns.
Tarrin looked down at the city in horror. So many… so many of them. The Were-kin were going to slink right into a trap! The Rangers were going to be slaughtered!
Tarrin's heart seized as he realized what had to be done. It was… it was too horrible to think about. But what other way was there? If he didn't stop the Dals here and now, they would be facing a much larger army in Suld, and doing it with less men of their own. It would put his Goddess, himself, his friends, his family, his daughter , in mortal danger! There was nothing else he could do. There was no other way!
His eyes lighting from within with incandescent light, his paws limning over with Magelight as he pulled in the power of High Sorcery, Tarrin suddenly screamed in rage and horror. The limned glow around his paws became coherent as he brought them together, and he wove together that chaotic mix of Air, Fire, Water, Divine, and token flows of the other Spheres to grant his spell the power of High Sorcery, then he unleashed it with a scream, unleashing it against the castle. A blazing bar of pure white light, as bright as the sun, suddenly came into being across the sky over Torrian, blazing from Tarrin's outstretched palms and slamming into the Torrian Keep, right into the very center of the Sorcerers he could feel there, maintaining the Illusion. The invincible blast of magical power struck the walls of the keep, and they withered to nothing under that incredible blow of magical might, sending stone and mortar and wood spinning away in burning chunks as Tarrin implacably raked that sustained beam of death across the castle, penetrating it all the way down to the dungeons, shattering stone and vaporizing people wherever it went. The initial blast had only killed three Sorcerers, and he could feel them in there, running from the power of his spell. He used it to chase them down, one by one, chase them down and destroy them in the blazing purity of the wrath of the Goddess, the punishment for working for those who opposed her.
When he killed the last, Tarrin wrenched the sustained stream of magical power, and that caused it to explode violently. It started where he was, forcing him to shield himself from the raw force of it with a shield of Air. The coherent blazing bar suddenly became an expanding snake of fire, writhing through the sky with the speed of a cannonball shot from a Wikuni bombard, until it struck the solid stone of the keep. The immense power of the detonation shattered the entire keep from the inside out, sending chunks of fiery debris soaring thousands of spans from the inferno that had once been the Torrian Keep, raining fire down on the city below. The sound of the detonation was like a physical thing, shattering windows all over the city and knocking down soldiers who stopped to look at the blazing pyre burning in the middle of Torrian.
No other way, he thought to himself over and over again as he released the weave and began drawing in more and more power. No other way. More and more of the power of the Weave flooded into him as he sent out flows and snapped them into strands to provide him with a direct feed of energy from the Weave. The Magelight limned over his entire body, and then it expanded from him, forming the concave star at the center of the shaeram, a blazing star that illuminated the city below with milky white light. Tarrin felt the platform of Air dissolve under his feet, felt himself being held aloft by the power itself, felt the power of it flow into him, infuse him, saturate him as he drew in everything that he could, drawing in to the limits of his power. He became the power, felt it flow through him like blood, felt it become a part of him. It moved with him, joined with his mind, understood what must be done, and it did not judge.
It never did.
Tarrin descended towards the burning wreckage of Torrian Keep as the white star surrounding him suddenly turned an angry, broiling red, its elegant, distinct borders flexing and boiling like water in a kettle as the symmetrical star melted into a sphere of ominous, ruddy red, concealing the form within from view as the suddenly terrified Dal soldiers began to panic, rushing through the streets, rushing towards the closed gates.
Closing his eyes, Tarrin descended into the fire of Torrian Keep, and disappeared.
The Dal soldiers stopped running when they saw the reddish ball of magic disappear, the ball that had destroyed the castle. Some thought that it had died out, some thought that using magic like that had worn out the mage that had created it. But some kept running, afraid of whatever may come, afraid of what might happen next.
They were all doomed.
The fires of Torrian Keep suddenly stopped. They froze in mid-churn, their lines and boils and trails of multicolored flame frozen as if stopped in time. The smoke billowing up from it kept moving, entrancing those Dals and ki'zadun that had turned to look, showing a sculpture of fire with a trailing gout of smoke rising above it. They stared at it in awed, horrified wonder, at this sculpture of fire, until it suddenly contracted. It contracted as if it were water draining from a hole in the bottom of a bucket, swirling down into a ball of blazing red light, casting a crimson pall across of the buildings, streets, houses, walls of Torrian, and all the faces and bodies contained therein.
The Dals and the ki'zadun stared in terror, then they turned and began to flee in desperate, hysterical panic.
It must be done. It must be done. There's no other way. Goddess, forgive me!
"Oh, I don't know about that one, Kimmie," Jasana bubbled happily as the Were-cat female showed her a small stone that had flecks of quartz in it, that made it glitter. "I don't think that wouldn't be very pretty, even if it was polished."
"Well, kidlet, if I used it as a decoration, I'd be worried."
"What do you use it for, anyway?"
"Well, this right here is used to create a little ball of light," Kimmie replied, holding it up so she could look at it and Kimmie's face at the same time. "It's part of a magic spell."
"Papa never uses things like that."
"He's a Sorcerer. I'm studying Arcane magic. They're different, kidlet."
"Why-" Jasana began, but then she gasped and put her paws to her head, covering her eyes.
"Jasana? What's wrong?" Kimmie asked in sudden concern.
"Cub?" Jesmind asked quickly, rushing over from where she was looking towards Torrian, fuming over having to stay behind when she should have left Jasana with Kimmie and did what needed doing. She was already worried, because she had heard some strange rumbling sounds from that direction, almost like thunder. But it was a clear night, with no lightning anywhere. "Jasana?" Jesmind said in sudden concern when Jasana cried out suddenly, as if in pain. "Jasana!" Jesmind said in a strangled tone, physically pulling her small arms away from her face, demanding that she look at them.
But both she and Kimmie were unprepared for what stared back at them.
Jasana's eyes were glowing an incandescent white.
"Papa!" Jasana managed to gasp. "Papa! He's doing something, something big!" She gasped again. "Fire! He's making fire!"
And then the ground shook, and a sudden explosion of light illuminated the western horizon.
The ball suddenly shivered, and then it exploded outwards. It was not the blast of Air that Tarrin had used to destroy before, this was a one-weave spell, a spell of pure Fire. It swept out from him in a circle, incinerating anything it touched, causing wood to explode and thatch to simply evaporate and stone to burn and steel to melt, blasting the flesh of anything it touched into ash as it swept out from the center of town as fast as a leaden ball fired from a Wikuni musket. In the span of four heartbeats, the towering wave of fire swept up to the walls of the city, then engulfed them, sending a shockwave of heat and ear-splitting roaring emanating out over the cultivated farm fields surrounding the city. And then they stopped rushing outward and instead turned upwards, swirling up into the sky, creating a cyclone of fire that reached into the night, a vision of hellish proportions that utterly engulfed the city.
Almost as quickly as it appeared, as it had engulfed the city of Torrian, the massive cyclone of fire simply ceased. It left behind a raging inferno of normal fire in its wake, burning what the firestorm did not instantly incinerate, leaving a firestorm that illuminated the forest beyond fields that were being rained upon with burning embers. A firestorm that would leave Torrian a blackened wasteland of ash, charred bones, twisted, melted metal, and shattered rock.
Those who had been outside, the armies of the Rangers and the Woodkin, stood in mute, dumbfounded shock, staring at the wall of fire that consumed the logs that made up the walls of Torrian, watched them fall and reveal an entire city being consumed by a raging inferno, the likes of which they had never witnessed before.
Standing in the center of the firestorm, ankle deep in ash and melting rock, stood Tarrin Kael, his expression one of emptiness, and tears flowing freely down his cheeks.
To: Title EoF