They were both rather quiet as Tarrin tracked the scents of his family back through the halls of the Tower, circular halls that surrounded the central Heart with other hallways that served as spokes in a wheel, connecting the circular hallways together. They both had alot to think about. Meeting Spyder again had startled him, nearly as much as her revelation that she was going to teach them the secrets of Sorcery. That made him feel daunted. Spyder was probably the oldest living thing on Sennadar, and she'd forgotten more about Sorcery than he'd ever known. To be trained by a living legend, a being from the mists of antiquity, it made him feel both very intimidated and extremely honored. He would learn from her, learn everything she would teach him. He would not disappoint her.
He could see that Jenna was similarly shaken by the Urzani's declaration. She was a little pale, and her fingers trembled in his paw. It was alot for such a young girl to be expected to absorb. Not only would she learn Weavespinner ways from the greatest Sorcerer that ever lived, she'd also learned that she would be the one to pass those secrets on to the other Sorcerers. That was a serious task, a very involved one, and it would place Jenna in a position of tremendous power. He realized at that moment that Jenna was going to be the next Keeper. She would have to be in order to accomplish what she had to accomplish. Only from a position of power could she be the great teacher that Spyder made her out to be, the new light to guide the katzh-dashi back to the power they once held in the world.
His little sister, the Keeper. And not just the Keeper of the Tower of Suld. She would be the Keeper of the Tower in Sharadar as well, the new leader of the katzh-dashi of both continents. He realized that Jenna would unify the two Towers, bring them back into intimate communication with one another, join the fractured order of the Sorcerers back into a unified whole. A grand destiny for a little girl whose hair he used to pull and dolls he used to strip of their clothes and hang by their ankles from the ceiling of her room.
Tarrin stopped them at the foot of a set of stairs, then knelt in front of his sister so they could see eye to eye without her breaking her neck to look up at him. "Jenna, you have to calm down," he told her gently, holding both of her hands in a single paw. "If you show up in front of mother like this, she's going to grill us until we tell her what happened. You know how she gets."
"I'm sorry, but I just can't stop shaking for some reason," she said with a nervous laugh.
"It's not every day you meet someone right out of a fairy tale," he smiled at her.
"You seem to be taking it well," she accused.
"Jenna, I've had so many shocks, I really can't be surprised anymore, by about anything," he said with a rueful smile. "Ever since I left home, it's just been one shock after another. I'm numb now."
She looked at him, then laughed. She pulled on one of his thick fingers, a finger nearly as long as her hand, until the claw at the tip slid out from its hiding place. "I think I can understand that," she grinned, looking down at the claw curiously. "How in the world did you end up with Jesmind? Last time I remember, you wanted to kill her."
Tarrin chuckled. "It's a long story. I'll tell it to you sometime."
"Do you love her? I can tell by looking at how she watches you that she loves you."
"Yes, brat, I love her," he said seriously. "And yes, I've told her. She and I, we're mates. I guess we always have been."
"That's good. You know, Jasana is adorable. What's she like?"
"She's shy around strangers, but she'll get very talkative and bubbly once she gets used to you. You'd better watch her," Tarrin chuckled. "She's the most devious little thing I've ever seen. She's almost ruthless when she's trying to get something she wants."
"Then she's just like we used to be," Jenna grinned.
"Who says I've changed?" he challenged.
Jenna laughed, patting him on the arm. "Who says I have either?"
"You did."
"Well, I guess I'm just as capable of lying now as I was back when I was a girl," she teased. "Is she really as powerful as she feels?" she asked seriously.
"She'll be able to spank both of us together when she comes into her power," Tarrin told her with a bit of fatherly pride. "I think she could even give her a run for her money."
There was no need for him to explain who her was. Jenna nodded knowingly and chuckled. "I'd pay to see that little contest."
"I think I would too," he agreed. "Until then, I'm keeping a handle on her. I need to start training her, because she's already used her power. You can help me with that. You're strong enough to choke her off if she starts doing things I've told her not to do."
"I think I could. She's strong, but she doesn't have any idea what she's doing, does she?"
He shook his head in agreement. "At least not yet. It's going to be a bit dangerous when we start teaching her, because then she will know what she's doing. She's so powerful, if she tries to resist, I don't know if I can control her."
"Experience matters alot more than power, Tarrin," she told him. "Mother taught us that."
"I know. Let's both hope that she's right."
"Since when have you ever known mother to be wrong?" she asked with a grin.
Tarrin chuckled. "There, feel better now?" Tarrin asked, patting her on the shoulder.
"Actually, I do," she admitted, holding up a hand that was no longer trembling. "I guess if I think about something else, it doesn't sneak up and smack me."
"Try to keep that in mind. Ready to go on now?"
"I think so," she replied as he stood back up.
They continued. Tarrin followed the scent trail left behind by the other Were-cats, which was very easy for him to track because they were so fresh and so unique. They went high up into the Tower, near the top, into hallways no Novice or Initiate was usually allowed to enter. Hallways with plush carpeting and glowglobes almost every twenty paces, even with tapestries and artworks hanging from the wood-panelled walls. These were the luxury accommodations for the elite of the Tower's political power structure, and visiting dignitaries and other high-station visitors. They spent half their time staring at the lavish decorations, and Tarrin could feel that the carpet under his feet was very plush and soft, feeling almost new.
He was a little uncertain of this. Tarrin wasn't used to this kind of… grandeur. It didn't suit him. He was a simple Were-cat, and wasn't sure if he'd feel comfortable in such lavish surroundings. His worst suspicions were confirmed when the trail led to the end of a hallway at the terminus of a spoke passage, ending in a pair of large double doors. Doors made of a burnished mahogany wood, inlaid with what looked like mother-of-pearl in a swirling, symmmetrical design.
"Nice. The doors to our rooms aren't half that grand," Jenna said, in a slightly accusing tone.
"Blame Triana," he told her as he put a paw on the door, hearing the voices of the others inside. He turned the doorknob resolutely, then pushed the door open.
What was beyond that door looked more like some king's private apartments. It was carpeted with the finest Eastern rugs, and there was a massive glass-paned window on the far side of the chamber, overlooking the Sea of Storms. The large room had a fireplace on the right wall, and facing it were three large sofas in a semicircular pattern that held his parents, mate, daughter, and Were-cat friends, which surrounded an ebony low table that Keritanima would call a tea table. His parents sat on the center couch with Kimmie, who sat closest to Jesmind. Jesmind sat on the couch facing the door with Jasana in her lap, and they sat alone. Thean and Triana sat on the couch whose back faced the door, with Jula sitting nearest the fireplace, staying near the commanding matriarch. All three had turned around to see who had opened the door. There were doors on both left and right walls, leading to other rooms, but this entrance chamber was strangely devoid of other furniture. Only the couches, and the short, wide table that stood between them. There was a large tapestry on the wall behind the couches, a tapestry of the Tower of Six Spires itself, the large central Tower with its six surrounding spires, with the White Moon, Domammon, hovering behind the central Tower. The tapestry was so detailed that the Skybands and the stars were not only present in the depiction, they also actually looked to be in their proper places. As if the maker of the tapestry studied the night sky to place every star in its appropriate place on the tapestry. The maker even got the color patterns of the night-shining Skybands correct.
"It's about time," Triana snorted, looking over at them. "I was about to come and get you."
"Sorry it took so long," he said dismissively. "We had our talk, and it's over now."
"Any news?"
"Not really," he said carefully. He wouldn't lie to Triana, but he wasn't going to spill everything either.
Triana seemed to pick up on that, and nodded. "We got Darvon to send runners to Allia, and to Dolanna. Camara Tal isn't in the Tower right now, and the trees only know where that crazy Wizard has gotten himself off to now," she grunted.
"What about Kerri?"
"She already told everyone not to bother them while they're torturing the traitor," Triana shrugged. "She'll get the message after they're done making the woman squirm."
"I doubt they're torturing her, mother," Tarrin retorted.
"I don't," she said bluntly. "Well, don't just stand there in the doorway looking like a fool. Come in."
"We got cheated when it comes to rooms, mother," Jenna said, looking around.
"Then move up here," Triana told her. "Nothing's stopping you."
"I think they'd object."
"Girl, think about just who you are and who you're related to. You could go around and stick forks in the backs of every Sorcerer's knees, and they'd slap you on the wrist. They won't lift a finger to stop you."
Jenna looked at Tarrin, who only shrugged, and she laughed. "I guess you're right."
"Of course I'm right," Triana said in a dangerous tone. "Now come in before I come over there and make you come in."
Tarrin pushed Jenna into the room, then closed the door behind him. Tarrin and Jenna sat down on Jesmind's couch, Jasana deciding to sit in Jenna's lap as Jesmind seemed to instinctively sidle up against her mate, getting close to him. "We're not going to stay long," Triana told him immediately. "You're probably tired and hungry, and I'd like to catch up with Thean. I'm sure that we'd all like to hear what's happened to you since we last talked."
"That's a very long story, mother," Tarrin told her in dismay.
"Not everything, silly," she corrected. "Just what happened once you got to Aldreth." She looked towards the door. "I got someone to go down to the kitchens and get you some food. You can talk until it gets here. Then I'm going to see my cubs eat, and then I'm taking Thean with me when I go."
"I am a little hungry," Tarrin admitted.
"And I think we should go look at the other apartments around here," Jenna told her parents. "If Tarrin gets a place like this, then we should too."
"The Wikuni's apartments are up here, and the Selani lives with her," Triana shrugged. "It only makes sense that all of you get moved up here. At least then you're all close to each other."
"It makes a certain amount of sense," Tarrin agreed. "What do you think, mother, father?" he asked.
"I think it will spoil him," Elke Kael said, nudging her husband in the ribs. "I just got all the fat worked off of him."
"But it is a good idea," Eron agreed, a bit hastily.
"Yes, it'll put a few dozen flights of stairs between you and the kitchen," Elke said flintily.
"Ooh, I forgot about that," he winced.
"That kitchen should close," Elke complained. "It's getting to where I have to drag him out of there by the hair. He knows all the cooks on a first-name basis."
"I can't help it if I love to eat, dear," he said mildly.
"If you love it any more, you're going to be as fat as those poppinjays that run around the city in those ridiculous outfits," she snorted.
"Your mother thinks that panteloons and doublets are a bit silly as a fashion," Eron winked at his son.
"I'd have to agree," Tarrin told him.
"Did Elke conceive you all by herself, or did I have anything at all to do with it?" Eron complained.
"I think I'm the wrong person to ask. I wasn't alive when it happened," Tarrin told him smoothly.
"He's got you there, Eron," Thean chuckled.
"I guess I'm just too artistic of a soul," he sighed. "At least I can see the art in it."
"Then whoever made them must be the definition of a tortured artist," Elke said with a snort.
"You're getting off the point, and you're eating into what little time we have," Triana told the pair flatly. "Go ahead, cub. I want to hear what happened after you got to Aldreth."
Tarrin and Jesmind exchanged glances, and then she chuckled. "Just what parts should we leave out?" she asked.
"Like what?" Triana asked.
"Oh, like the things that aren't too dignified," she replied.
"I know you two. I don't think anyone here would be shocked to hear that you got into at least one fight. It wouldn't be you if you didn't."
They looked at each other again, and then they grinned at each other. "One," Tarrin admitted. "But it was all her fault."
"It did what I wanted it to do," she said smugly.
"Alright, now I'm interested," Elke said. "Spill."
They looked at one another, and then Tarrin began. He spoke plainly and simply, glossing over certain emotional tirades that consumed him when he first saw Jesmind and his daughter. He told them that he was very angry, and left it at that. Then he continued on to talk about what it was like to be there for three days, and that was when Jesmind described the fight she instigated to his parents. "He needed a release for all that emotion. I gave it to him. It didn't do my jaw any good, but it did get him to work it all out." After that, he described meeting Sathon and the Centaurs, and then their campaign. He didn't really feel like going into detail about that, only saying that they had taken Watch Hill, and he deliberately left out what happened at Torrian.
But Triana only glared at him. "The truth, cub," she demanded. "I know what happened. I just want to hear you say it."
Tarrin sighed, leaning back against the couch. "Do I really have to, mother?" he asked wearily.
"Yes, you do. Better to hear it from you than from idle mouths when the rumors reach Suld."
Giving Triana a somber look, he sighed again and told them what happened at Torrian. His voice had no emotion, and it was apparent to everyone there that speaking about it made him very uncomfortable. He didn't go into elaborate detail, he only recanted the events as if reading them off a proclamation.
His parents turned a bit pale when he told them about burning Torrian to the ground, and Jenna stared at him in shock. "It was the only way," he said, looking into the fire. "There were too many of them, and they knew the plan. They would have killed us all."
"You burned Torrian? The entire city?" Eron asked in shock.
"Right out to the walls," he said in a grim voice.
"What about the people?" Elke asked.
"They survived," he told her immediately. "They were protected from the fire. They lost everything they own, and I mean everything, but they survived. I left Arren enough gold to rebuild the city and pay every citizen back for what I destroyed. It was the least I could do after that."
"Are you sure there was no other way, son?" Elke asked.
"Mother, you taught me the rules of war yourself," he said defensively. "They outnumbered us at least five to one. They had catapults, they held the city wall, and they knew our plan. Tell me how the battle would have come out if I'd have allowed them to fight it."
Elke was silent, and then nodded her head.
There was a polite rap at the door, and then it opened. Four older women wearing servant's dresses entered, each carrying a very large tray holding assorted meats, breads, and pastries. It was the food that Triana had arranged to be brought. Tarrin's stomach jumped at the smells coming from those trays, and he almost stood up to take them from the women as they entered the room. They set the trays down on the table and curtsied, a bit intimidated by the strange company within the room, and then quietly filed out. Tarrin didn't wait for the others, he sank down to sit on the floor in front of that table and reached right for the roasted beef.
Tarrin's parents and sister very nearly had to fight the seven Were-cats over the food on the table. Tarrin and those that had travelled with him were starving, having not eaten since that morning, and it was the five of them that dominated the food. Triana nibbled more than anything else, and Jula didn't look to be very hungry, but Jenna was hungry, and she wasn't afraid to challenge her non-human brother over just who had possession of what. She very nearly tried to take things out of his paw, but Triana smacked her hand away quickly and forcefully. "Don't!" she said adamantly, glaring at the young woman.
"What's wrong?" Jenna asked in surprise, rubbing her hand as Jenna's parents glared a little at the Were-cat matriarch.
"You forget just what he is, girl," Triana said in a powerful tone. "If you eat food that's been in his paws, you're in danger. He's had those paws around his mouth."
Jenna paled when Triana's warning struck home. Tarrin's condition was contagious to humans, in its own way, but it was easy for some to forget that. Even him. He hadn't even considered that, and it seemed that Jenna hadn't either. "I completely forgot," she gasped, pulling her hands away from the table.
"Never forget," Triana told her bluntly. "I'm too old to train another turned youngling."
Tarrin blew out his breath. The very thought of accidentally turning his sister turned his stomach, and he didn't even want to think about it.
"I think you'd better leave all that food alone, girl," Elke told her forcefully. "If you're hungry, we'll go down to the kitchen and get you something."
"I think that's a good idea," she said emphatically, sliding back up to sit on the couch again. "But I seem to have lost my appetite for some reason."
"I guess it's a good thing that she feels so comfortable around us," Triana said gruffly. "As do you two."
"He's our son, Triana. We'll accept him and those around him, no matter what he looks like."
Triana nodded simply, then stood up. "Are you finished, Thean?" she asked directly.
"Let me take some off one of the trays, Triana," he replied, quickly gathering up some food on one of the trays, then picking it up. "We can eat it later," he told her.
"That's alright with me," she told him. "I'm going, cubs. I'll see you in the morning, and we'll catch up some more."
"Goodnight, mother," Jesmind told her.
"Sleep well, mother," Tarrin mirrored, waggling the end of his tail in her direction, since both his paws were occupied.
"Uh, where do I sleep, Triana?" Kimmie asked.
"There's several empty apartments up here, Kimmie. Just go find one. I seriously doubt that anyone would dare try to throw you out," Triana said with a stony smile.
"An apartment like this, all to myself?" Kimmie asked in surprise. "That would be wonderful!"
"Not all to yourself," Triana stated. She pointed at Jula. "This one stays with you. I'm going to be busy with Thean, and I doubt that Jesmind would appreciate having Jula in her home just now. The cub is yours for the next few days."
Jula sighed, but knew better than to say anything. She simply nodded in understanding.
"The apartment to the right after you go down the passageway is occupied, but the one to the left is empty."
"Who's in that one?" she asked curiously.
"We are," Triana said pointedly. "We're taking over this floor. That way we can defend each other better, just in case."
"There's no more need for defending ourselves, Triana," Eron told her.
"I didn't live to get this old by letting my guard down, Eron," she told him bluntly. "I'll feel safe when I'm long gone from this cloying place. Not a moment sooner." She looked to the door absently. "I suggest you go find another apartment on this floor and claim it," she told them. "I'll help you move your things up here."
"No, that's quite alright, Triana," Eron smiled. "We don't have all that much. It won't take but a few minutes to move things."
"It'll give my husband some exercise," Elke said critically, jabbing him in the belly. "Come on, Jenna. Let's go get you some dinner before we move things."
"Alright. See you later, Tarrin. Bye Jasana," she said, waving at the little girl.
"Bye Aunt Jenna," she replied between bites.
Jenna laughed at that. "Aunt Jenna. That makes me feel like an old maid."
"Watch your mouth!" Elke snapped.
"Yes, Grandmother," Jenna said in a teasing voice, then quickly got up and danced out of reach of her mother.
"You're not too old to spank, little girl," Elke growled at her daughter.
"But you'll have to catch me first, mother," Jenna laughed. "And as old as you are, you may not be able to do it."
Jenna laughed, but that laugh turned into a squeal as Elke jumped up from the couch and showed her daughter just how lively she could be. Elke nearly caught her as she scrambled to open the door, and they all heard the pair run out into the hallway. Eron watched them go and chuckled lightly, standing up. "Jenna's been getting pretty impertinent lately. It must be the company," he winked at Tarrin. "I think your mother enjoys it, actually. Jenna's mild nature always seemed to rub her raw."
"Ungardt don't like people who don't stand up to others," Tarrin explained easily. "Now that Jenna's starting to show mother how strong she is, it's natural for her to like it. You know how mother loves to fight, be it with weapons or words."
"I figured as much. Well, I'd better go find them before I go down the stairs and find them wrestling down at the bottom," he chuckled.
"Jenna wouldn't wrestle mother. She knows she'd lose. Jenna would cheat."
"What a thing to say about your sister!" Kimmie said with a grin. "I take it it's true?"
"Very true," Eron sighed. That made Kimmie laugh. "I'll see you tomorrow, son," he said. "Sorry for not shaking your hand or giving you a hug, but I think I'll take Triana's warning seriously."
"It's alright, father. Have a good night."
"Goodnight, Jesmind, Jasana," Eron said, waving at his granddaughter fondly.
"Night grampa," Jasana smiled back at him. That made Eron beam slightly, and he put his hands in his pockets and meandered out the door, whistling to himself. It still struck him odd to see his father walking without a limp.
"Well, it looks like they're clearing us out," Kimmie chuckled, looking at Jula. "Let's go see if we can find a place bigger than this one," she offered with a conspiratorial wink.
"Sounds good to me," Jula said with a growing smile.
"Night, cubs," Triana announced, then she led Thean towards the open door. " Try to stay out of trouble, won't you?" she asked from the doorway as they left the chamber.
"Never!" Jesmind shouted in reply as Jula and Kimmie regained their feet.
"I can't wait to get back into a dress," Kimmie complained, wiping at the trousers she wore.
"Tarrin wouldn't let me wear a dress," Jula said, giving him an accusing look.
"At first, it's not a good idea," Kimmie sided with him. "But you're more acclimated now, so it's entirely your choice, isn't it?"
"I think Triana wouldn't like it," Jula giggled.
"Well, when you're accepted by Fae-da'Nar, you won't have to worry about what anyone thinks of what you're wearing," Kimmie told her. "We turned ladies have to stick together, Jula. Tarrin may be turned, but he's a man. He just doesn't understand certain things."
"That's the Goddess' own truth," Jula agreed with a big smile at her bond-father. "I think I'm going to like you, Kimmie."
"Good, because I already like you," she replied. "We'll see you tomorrow," she told the others.
"Don't you go and corrupt my daughter, Kimmie," Tarrin threatened, though his tone made it clear he was bantering with her.
"I won't make her any worse that you already did," she promised with a wink.
"You mean you could make her worse?" Tarrin asked in feigned shock.
"Of course I could," Kimmie teased. "I could make her just like you."
"Scram, woman," Tarrin said, shooing her with his paw.
"Scramming," Kimmie chuckled. "See you tomorrow, Jesmind. Night, cub," she waved at Jasana. "Let's go find that apartment, then hit the kitchens," Kimmie told Jula as they headed out the door. "Tarrin is always such a pig. I don't have enough paws to gather up enough food to satisfy myself when he's at the table."
"I heard that!" Tarrin shouted.
"I'm so glad you did!" Kimmie shouted back, and then Jula closed the door.
Jesmind laughed after the door closed. "She's getting too familiar with you, my mate. I may have to do something about that."
"Leave her alone, Jesmind," Tarrin told her. "She knows where the line is."
"Well, we managed to get rid of the others," Jesmind purred at him.
"I know, but Allia should be showing up any time now," he said. "She should have received the message by now, and it won't take her long to find me."
"Maybe she's asleep."
"Not this early, and not so soon after the fighting," he countered.
"Well, we can enjoy the time while it lasts. Hand me that plate of mutton," she asked, reaching over him.
Tarrin let his mate eat, getting up and drifting over to the large window. There was a balcony beyond it, and he saw that the window was large enough for someone to open and step through. He opened it, letting in the cool late spring air, then ducked under and went out onto the balcony. It was surprisingly large, built against the side of the elegantly curved outer wall of the Tower, with a graceful stone rail with carved pillars joining it to the balcony floor. Tarrin recalled that a long time ago, he had climbed onto one of these same kinds of balconies as he infiltrated the Tower on a mission of intrigue. It had been lower than this one, but it looked much the same as this one did. He put his paws on the rail and looked out over the western stretches of the city of Suld, out towards the sea, a city illuminated by the risen White Moon of Domammon and the Skybands, easily light enough for his light-sensetive eyes to see. There were at least twenty ships in the large harbor of the city, and over half of them were Wikuni clippers, with their lamps lit to mark their positions. The city below him was also lit with torches and lanturns, as the citizens of Suld went about their nightly business with little knowledge of what was coming to threaten them.
Full circle. He had come full circle, he realized. He was back in Suld, back in the one place he swore to himself he'd never visit again, but he had little choice. All the craziness with the fighting in northwest Sulasia had caused him to not dwell much on the core reasons he was coming back here, to reach Suld before the armies, and what was more important, to return the Book of Ages to the Tower. He had done that, and it was still carried with him in the elsewhere, safe from prying eyes and magical spells of location. Tomorrow, he knew, he and Keritanima and Allia and Dar would retire to the courtyard, and they would begin the process of trying to find the location of the Firestaff. With the traitor found and the preparations for the city's defense more or less already made, he felt that Keritananima would have the time to undertake the important job of deciphering the written Sha'Kar language.
He had come a very long way. He looked up into the sky, pondering where he was and how he had gotten there, and the bumpiness of the road along the way. It had only been two years ago that he and Tiella and Walten had left Aldreth with Dolanna and Faalken. Two years. In his wildest dreams, he never thought he'd be where he was now when he left all that time ago. Now he was a Were-cat, Faalken was dead, and he was closing in on the artifact that his Goddess had tasked him to find. He found no real sense of exuberance in it, no sense of accomplishment or excitement that his task was coming to a close soon. All he could feel was impatience. He wanted to be done with it, to get it out of the way so he could get his life back. Regardless of how long he had been at it, how far he had come, he was still an unwilling player in the game. He wanted nothing to do with the Firestaff or its power, he wanted no part of the adventure surrounding its finding would bring. He had had enough adventure in his life already. He just wanted it to be over, and then he could go on to the life he wanted. And now that he had Jesmind, he realized that it was a life that he was eager to take up. Kimmie said that the two of them would have about ten years together before their Were natures caused them to split up. He could live with ten years. And after Jesmind, there would be Kimmie or Mist, and after one, the other, and then back to Jesmind again. Given who they were and how he liked them, he found that to be a very pleasant scenario. All he had to do to gain that prize was finish the task, to complete the mission. All he had to do was find the Firestaff, and then keep it away from everyone else until its time of activation passed, and it became harmless for another five thousand years.
The Goddess had said that there would be rewards. Given the kind of treasure that Jesmind was, that Jasana was, given how he'd started feeling about Kimmie, and how he felt about Mist, he realized that the reward she waggled in front of his nose more than made up for the ordeal of doing her work. Returning to Aldreth, building his nice little house out in that meadow in the Frontier, and living in it with his mate and his daughter, that was the richest prize in the world. Nothing, not even the power of being a god, could compare to that in his mind.
But the end was getting closer and closer. The Book of Ages had been the largest hurdle thus far. Now there would be finding its location, and then going to get it. Once he had it, the game would change from offense to defense, and Tarrin figured that it would be best if he took the artifact and disappeared with it, without even letting Allia or Keritanima know where he was going, to take it and hide where no one could find him until the Goddess told him it was safe to come back out. That seemed to be the smartest thing to do. After that special day passed, it would be worthless for five thousand years. Hopefully, by the time that rolled around again, he'd either be dead or too old to be bothered with it again.
There were other things, of course. He looked down at the city, hoping that it was still going to be there in a month's time. The approaching army concerned him, but Keritanima seemed confident that they had the manpower necessary to win. He hoped she was right. He'd already destroyed one city, he didn't want to have to scorch the earth of Suld to protect the Tower and the Goddess.
Kitten, there will be no need for that, the voice of the Goddess touched him. As things go now, you have little to worry over.
"What do you mean?"
The army is still coming, but with Amelyn's capture, even they realize that their chances of victory have dwindled. They know you have come, and they know what you can do, and what is most important, they know that we are preparing for their arrival. They know that even if they do win, it will cost them their entire army. And Suld will not be the last time that they will clash with the combined forces of our side. They know that, and the hopes of a quick victory have been dashed.
Tarrin mulled that over. "If they know they can't win, why are they still coming?"
You don't understand the psychology of some of the creatures they've recruited, kitten, she told him. They want a fight. If they don't give them one, they'll end up losing them, even have them attack the humans in their own army. They promised them a battle, and now they have no choice but to hold up their side of the bargain.
"If that's so, why Suld? Darsa is on the way. They could attack Darsa and give them their fight, and protect their troops."
Darsa is deserted, kitten, she told him. Keritanima arranged through the regent to clear the way for the army. There's not a living soul between Suld and the Tykarthian border. If they want a fight, they have to come here. They have no other choice.
Tarrin picked up on what she said earlier. "What do you mean, this won't be the last time?"
Simple, kitten. Now that the ki'zadun has come out from the shadows, their organization is threatened. Do you really believe that the rulers of the West, or Keritanima, or even the Tower, are going to allow them to simply run away and start again? They have shown their hand, and now they have to finish the game. Keritanima's spies have found their strongholds, and after Suld, they will probably march on them. If the ki'zadun's army is destroyed here, there will be no protecting those strongholds from the counterattack, and we know that one of those strongholds holds the icon of Val. And unlike me, who will simply be banished from the world until I can reform my icon, Val would be destroyed, because his godly spirit is imprisoned within his icon. That is why the battle of Suld won't be much of a battle. They will give their bloodthirsty allies a taste of the battle they promised, then retreat back to their strongholds to protect their god, where their numbers give them a much better chance of holding them. As you know, it is much easier to defend with limited numbers than attack with limited numbers.
Tarrin mulled that over, and found the reasoning sound. If they knew that they couldn't win, they should have just turned around and went back, but they couldn't do that. The nasties and Demons they conjured joined for the chance for battle and destruction, and now they had no choice but to give what they promised. You did not break a deal with a Demon. Odds were, they'd let those that demanded battle to go in and do just that, then withdraw the smarter forces while the battle-crazed ones held up the defending armies to protect their rear as they fled.
"So, the new job is to destroy as much of that army as possible before it can retreat," he reasoned.
Precisely. And that is something that won't be easy.
"Why? I could just fly over them and destroy a good chunk of them."
No, you can't. If they can't take Suld and destroy my icon, they'll take whatever they can get. Killing you would give this failure a positive light when they have to report back to Val about what happened. Just as our side will try to inflict as much damage as they can, so will theirs. And you're too valuable to risk. When the army comes and the fight starts, kitten, you will not leave the Tower grounds. They will be looking specifically for you. I'm not going to allow you into any position where they can isolate and destroy you.
"Mother, I can handle myself," he protested.
Against mortals, yes. But what they're going to send is nothing like anything you have ever imagined, kitten, she warned. They've delved deeply into the pits of Hell for the creatures they've conjured for this battle.
"If that's so, then they'll need me to help fight them."
No they won't. You forget that you're not the only sui'kun here. That battle will be Jenna's to fight, not yours.
"Jenna! She's just a girl!"
And when you started, you were only a couple of years older than her, she reminded. This is why Jenna came back to Suld, kitten. This is her fight. Don't worry, my daughter is going to train her, and train her well. Even ten or so days of instruction will mean a world of difference. Jenna is very smart and learns quickly. Spyder will train her in what she will need to know to combat the darkness approaching us.
Tarrin growled in his throat. He didn't like it, not one bit. Jenna was too young to be fighting, too delicate for fighting. It wasn't in her nature. He was the one who should be out there defending Suld, not Jenna. He could handle it. But he would not disobey the Goddess, not in any way, not for any reason. She told him to stay on the Tower grounds, and he would do just that.
That's my kitten, she praised in a loving voice. I have to go now. Remember, kitten, don't worry too much about the coming army. I want your attention focused on your primary mission and on the training Spyder will give you. Let the others worry about the battle.
"Alright," he sighed. He didn't like it, but he would do it.
Very good. I love you, kitten.
"I love you too, Mother," he called, and then he felt her retreat from him in that peculiar way. She never truly lost touch with him now, the way she used to, instead he felt her pull away from him, leaving that gentle touch on him that was always there, always comforting.
Not that it comforted him much now. He didn't like the orders she'd given him, but there was little he could do about it. He couldn't disobey. He didn't want Jenna to have to go out and fight for the Goddess. She was his sister, she wasn't ready for it, she wasn't suited for it. She was too young. But if the Goddess said that it would be that way, he had to accept it.
He looked down at the city once again, staring at the lights, his mind lost in thought. It turned out that all his rushing to get here had been for nothing. If the ki'zadun weren't going to commit to the attack, then he'd done all that worrying and hurrying for nothing. He remembered what he'd been told about Val, and he realized that the rulers of the ki'zadun were going to have a lot of explaining to do when they went back. The kind of explaining that would end with someone dragging their lifeless bodies out of his presence. That kind of fate would make them desperate, and desperate men were dangerous men. The Goddess may think that the battle was already won, but Tarrin wasn't so sure. If they were desperate enough, they just might commit to an assault, because they had nothing to lose. To attack and be repelled looked alot better than to simply turn and run away. At least they could say that they made an attempt. That would be something they could take back with them. He did see the logic in the Goddess' order for him to stay out of it. If they could kill him, that would be a big something that they could take back with them. The coming war was nothing but another in a series of moves to gain the ultimate prize, the Firestaff. One always had to keep the goal in mind when viewing these positions. Their reason to attack Suld was to eliminate the katzh-dashi, the Goddess, and Tarrin from the race, the ones who served as their primary opponents. If they couldn't destroy the Goddess' icon, then they had to do anything they could to slow Tarrin down.
He heard footsteps behind him, and glanced at Jesmind as she ducked under the window. She came up beside him and looped her arm around his, leaning against him as she looked down at the city. "Where's Jasana?" he asked absently.
"The day caught up to her," Jesmind replied. "She's sleeping on the couch."
"It's about time. I thought she wouldn't go to sleep until next month."
Jesmind chuckled. "Let's hope that she decides to stay asleep for a while." She looked down. "From up here, it actually looks pretty," she said. "I can enjoy the view without that horrible smell."
"True enough," he agreed. All cities had that pungent miasma of human waste, decay, and moldering stone that all Were-cats found unpleasant. Suld was no exception. But so high up, the odor couldn't reach them, it being dissipated on the wind long before it reached them. "Jesmind, I hope you'll be, considerate for the next few days. You know I'm going to be busy."
"I know, but I'm not going to let you forget about me either," she warned.
"Like I could ever do that," he chuckled, putting his arm around her. "Knowing you're waiting for me is going to make sure I don't forget to come back."
"You don't want me to come looking for you, beloved," she warned in a dangerous tone. "It would be embarassing for you if they see me dragging you back up here by the hair."
Tarrin laughed lightly, squeezing her shoulder. "You need to grow, dear," he complained. "You're too short."
"You're too tall," she countered. "I kind of like you tall, but I miss being able to look right into your eyes without having to look up. It felt more equal that way."
"Well, nothing a few hundred years won't solve," he replied. "I get the feeling I'm topped out. You said we never stop growing, but you also said that once we reach a certain height, the growing slows down to almost nothing. I think I'm there."
"So is mother," she agreed. "She's been the same height for about a hundred years or so now."
"So, you need to catch up with us."
"I will, eventually," she said. "Tell me something, Tarrin."
"What?"
"Are you going to leave me again?"
He sighed. "I don't know for certain yet, Jesmind, but I'd have to say probably yes," he told her. "I still have a duty to carry out, and I don't think I like the idea of taking you and Jasana along with me. It's going to be dangerous, and neither of us want to expose Jasana to danger."
"True enough," she grunted. "But what will happen to her if you're not here to control her magic?"
"Jenna can take care of it," he told her. "Jenna's very nearly as strong as I am, love. Jenna can contain Jasana easily. If I have to leave, then you're going to have to stay near Jenna. Or make Jenna stay near you," he corrected.
He felt her shivering. He realized that she was torn between staying with him and leaving Jasana behind, or staying with Jasana and letting him go. Jesmind's instincts warred with her emotions, but in a moment, she calmed down. He already knew how that turned out. Jesmind couldn't go against her instincts in that manner, not against the incredibly powerful instinct to protect and nurture her cub. "It's not fair," she complained. "I just got you back. I just won your heart today. I don't want to let you go so soon."
"Sometimes we have to let go, Jesmind. But you know I'll come back to you. I'll always come back to you, my love. No matter how many times we have to part, I'll always come back to you."
Jesmind looked up at him, her green eyes soft and luminous, and then she embraced him and gave him a sweet, lingering kiss that conveyed her love for him in the most intimate manner. He held her gently, looking down at her. "My turn. Tell me something."
"What?"
"What do you have against magic?"
Jesmind chuckled ruefully, running her paws up and down his sides. "Well, you should say what do I have against magicians," she told him. "My annoyance with magic has to do with mother."
"How so?"
"Well, she has four children, as you know. Me, Shayle, Laren, and Nikki. I'm the oldest, you know, and when I was born, mother was ecstatic about having a child to pass all her Druidic knowledge down to."
"Ohhh," he said, understanding. "And it turned out that you weren't a Druid."
"Exactly," she sighed. "That was a bitter disappointment to her, to this day. I know she loves me, but it really annoys her that not one of her children has enough Druidic talent worth training. I got the worst of it, because I do have a little touch of it, just enough to sense magic being used around me, and certain other little things. She tried to train me, to see if I had any hidden potential, but it was a disaster. I didn't even talk to her for about thirty years afterward. And now she has you," she smiled. "She finally has a child to teach. That's one of the reasons she's so attached to you, beloved, even over the love and the pride she has for you. When all this is over, you better expect mother to show up on your doorstep, and you'd better put aside about twenty years or so for her. She'll teach you what she could never teach any of her other children."
"Sarraya said something about mother tearing off her wings for teaching me," he remembered.
"She wanted to be the one to train you," Jesmind chuckled. "She was so mad at Sarraya that she would have killed her if they'd been in the same room. But she's over it now. She'll just pick up where Sarraya left off, that's all."
"That explains alot," he told her. "A great deal."
"I figured it would. Mother made me so furious with her training, I actually ran away. I was a very independent and unruly cub, even for a Were-cat."
"I can imagine," Tarrin smiled. "I've heard Thean talk about you. I've never heard any stories of your youth, since you're one of the elders, but I can just imagine you as a feisty little hothead."
"That's a perfect description," she grinned. "I had a short temper and a chip on my shoulder back then."
"You still do."
"But you love that about me," she teased, flexing her claws in his sides lightly. "It was almost fifty years before I'd even go to a Druid's grove. Even today, I'm a little wary around magicians. It's a conditioned reflex. I'm still not very comfortable around magic, mainly because I see no reason to use magic when you can do the same thing yourself with your own paws. But I'm getting better. I'd better, if I want to live with you."
"Well, I'm flattered that you're willing to change your ways to suit me," he told her.
"I'm not as inflexible as the other Were-cats think, my mate," she grinned. "I can bend when it's needful. Besides, you're worth having to change my old ways," she purred, leaning against him. "Being mates sometimes means we have to compromise."
"Compromise? Did I just hear the C word come out of your mouth?" he laughed. "Jesmind, the mistress of 'my way or the door,' is saying that she'll meet someone half way?"
"I'm not that bad!" she protested, slapping his side spitefully.
"Oh yes you are," he told her with mischievious eyes. "You're a stubborn, mule-headed witch, so much so that when you dig in your heels, nobody's going to move you from your position. But I like that," he told her with a light smile. "I like strong women. Stubbornness is a sign of a strong-minded person. I want a woman that's going to fight when she thinks I'm wrong."
"Well, you've got me, beloved," she purred. "You think you can handle me?"
"I'll give it a good try," he said in a throaty tone, then leaned down and kissed her again.
They stood out on the balcony for quite some time, before the opening of the main door caused them both to look back into the room. Through that ornate door, dressed in a pair of soft trousers and a halter-like half-shirt, was Allia. Her hair was bound up in a single tail behind her, and it bobbed up and down as her keen eyes locked onto him and she suddenly rushed towards him. Tarrin's heart leaped in his chest when he saw his beloved sister, and Jesmind graciously let go of him to allow him to duck back under the window and embrace his long-parted sister. He picked her up and spun her around as she laughed, holding onto him tightly. "Why did you not come find me!" she demanded in Common as he put her back down.
"I didn't think it would take this long for the message to get to you, sister," he apologized, looking down into her blue, blue eyes, letting her spicy, coppery scent fill his nose. The bonds between them defied rational explanation; Tarrin loved Allia just as intensely and deeply as he loved any other person, even Jesmind or his parents, but it was a different kind of love. Joined by those deep bonds, they would always have a special place in one another's heart for the other, a place not even mates or husbands or children or parents could join. Tarrin could see in one glance at his sister everything about her mood, everything about her. She was a little tired from the fighting-and it seemed to him that that annoyed her, by the set of her shoulders-but she was ecstatic that he had returned. Her scent betrayed her annoyance that he hadn't come to find her, but he could also tell from her eyes that she accepted his brief explanation. He put his paws on her shoulders gently and looked down at her. She seemed so much smaller now, even more delicate, but her exquisite beauty, a beauty unattainable by humans or Were-cat alike because of the non-human cast of her features, had not changed in her. He stroked her silver-white hair from her face, remarking again how similar she and Spyder looked.
"It's going to take me some time to get used to looking up at you like this, deshida," she laughed, speaking in Selani. "Seeing the image of you is one thing. Standing beside you is another."
"It took some getting used to for me as well," he chuckled in Common. "Allia, I want you to meet someone." He turned her and pointed her in the direction of Jasana, who was just starting to wake up after being disturbed by Allia's entrance. "Allia, that is my daughter, Jasana. Jasana, wake up, cub."
"Mmph," she grunted, sliding back up to a seated position and rubbing her eyes. "I'm up, papa."
"Cub, this is my sister, Allia. Say hello to her."
Jasana looked up at Allia as the Selani left him and knelt by the couch. She reached out and took Jasana's paw gently, giving her a warm smile. "So, this is my little kaisha," she said, using a Selani term for niece. "I have waited a long time to meet you, little flower."
"You have the same marks on your shoulders as papa," Jasana noted, looking at her.
"That is right, kaisha. Those are the Selani brands of adulthood."
"What are brands?"
"They are marks left behind after fire-hot iron is pressed against the flesh," she said evenly. "It is a rite of passage among my people."
"Will I have to have that done to me?" she asked fearfully.
"No, little one, you will not," Allia smiled gently.
"Shew," Jasana sighed in relief. "You're very pretty."
"Thank you, kaisha. I think you are very pretty too."
"What does that mean?"
" Kaisha? It is a word in my language that means niece. That is what you are to me, after all. You are the daughter of my brother."
Jasana looked to her mother. "She smells alot nicer than a human does, mama," she noted. "Why can't humans smell like her?"
Jesmind laughed. "I can't answer that one, cub," she admitted.
"Where's Kerri?" Tarrin asked.
"As far as I know, she is still interrogating Amelyn," she replied, sitting down beside Jasana, then pulling the girl into her lap. Jasana amused herself by playing with Allia's hair. "You are looking very well, Jesmind," she greeted the Were-cat female.
"Are you still going to kill me?" Jesmind asked evenly as Tarrin and Jesmind sat down on the same couch, Tarrin beside his sister.
"You are now the wife of my brother, Jesmind," Allia said calmly. "It is unseemly to spill the blood of relatives."
"Well, that's good," Jesmind chuckled. "But I'm not his wife. I'm his mate."
"It is close enough for me. Tarrin would be angry with me if I killed you, so I will not."
"I really wish that Kerri would come," Tarrin growled. "It's getting late, and I'm tired. I know she's going to wake me up once the news that I'm here reaches her. I'd rather her come when I'm ready for her."
"Then call to her, brother," Allia said simply.
"I thought about doing it, but I don't think it would be a good idea," he answered. "She's probably got all her attention on what she's doing. They'd be very unhappy with me if I disturbed them."
"They should kill Amelyn," Allia grunted, deftly grabbing Jasana's paw and applying firm yet gentle pressure to keep her from pulling her hair out by the roots. "Easy, kaisha, I am not as robust as your parents. I injure easily compared to them."
"Sorry," Jasana apologized, letting go of her hair.
"How is everyone else?" Tarrin asked.
"Dar had some trouble when he first arrived, for they sought to put him in the Initiate. But the training Dolanna gave him showed the katzh-dashi that that was not the place for him, as he is very nearly as accomplished as many in the order. They relented when he demonstrated his ability in Sorcery, and raised him into the order. He has been training with the katzh-dashi that taught Keritanima. Lula, I believe her name was. I watch over him for you, as I promised, deshida . He is well. Phandebrass has been missing for some days now, probably lost track of time while in one of the libraries in the city. Camara Tal continues her quest to get her husband, Koran Dar, to return to Amazar, but she has little luck. Koran Dar seems to fancy her, but he will not leave the Tower. They are a continual source of arguments and fighting," Allia said with a slight smile. "They cannot talk without fighting, and twice it has come to blows. Azakar remains by Keritanima's side as her bodyguard, along with that other Vendari that has come to replace Binter and Sisska. Azakar promised them that he would defend Kerri, and he is honoring his word," she said with an assenting nod. Honor was serious business among the Selani. "Dolanna has become a part of Kerri's inner circle, attending the meetings of the Council and advising our sister on many things. Kerri belives in Dolanna's wisdom, and affords her great respect."
"That's only smart. There's few in the Tower as smart or wise as Dolanna."
"Truly," Allia agreed. "Miranda remains at Kerri's side, as is always for her. Your parents and Triana have been getting to know one another, as I am sure you know. That is about it, my brother."
"Well, it's good to know," he said. Since he already knew what had been going on around the Tower while he was gone, he felt no need to ask about it.
Allia looked at them, then smiled and bounced Jasana slightly on her lap. "Now then, my brother, I deserve to hear all about what you have done without me," she demanded. "All of it. Not just the half-truths you tell the others."
"Not without me you're not!" a voice called from the hallway. Tarrin's heart surged as he recognized Keritanima's voice. She burst into the room's still-open doorway at a dead run, and Tarrin barely had enough time to stand up to accept her as she jumped into his arms. Tarrin hugged his other sister tightly, taking in the musky scent of her fur, smelling the anxiety and the effort of the night's events all over her. He set her down and glanced at the door, where Miranda and Azakar stood, leaning against each side of the doorframe, the slight mink Wikuni in front of the massive human. Behind them stood the absolutely monstrous Vendari bodyguard, Szath. Tarrin set Keritanima down gently as she reached up and patted his shoulders, laughing. "I didn't go through you this time!" she declared.
"Kerri, you're looking great!" he told her, taking her slender little hand into his paw. "I can smell that you're a little worried, though."
"Well, interrogating people is hard on the interrogators, too," she grinned that toothy grin. "I nearly took off the head of the messenger who told us you were here. Why didn't you contact me!"
"Because we didn't want to disturb you while you were interrogating," Tarrin told her. "Now that I'm back, we have all the time in the world."
"So you say," she teased, slapping his forearm.
"Allia said Dolanna was with you. Where is she?"
"The Keeper and Ahiriya wanted her to stay," she replied. "She knew Amelyn personally, so they wanted her there to try to dig more out of her. You have it, don't you?"
"Of course I have it," he told her, knowing what she was asking. "I'll give it to you tomorrow."
"I want to see it, Tarrin. I want to see it."
Tarrin looked around. They knew he had it, and they all knew where he was. He could see no harm in taking it out of the elsewhere now, so long as he put it back there. He nodded and stepped back. "Watch out," he said. "I have to change to get it."
"Get what?" Jasana asked curiously.
"Oh, so this is the little kitling!" Keritanima said, noticing the others for the first time. She stepped over and knelt by Allia, and held her hand out to Tarrin's daughter. "Well, hello there, Jasana. I'm your aunt Kerri. I'm glad to meet you."
"Hullo," she said in her shy voice. "Are you a Were-kin too?"
"No, kitling, I'm a Wikuni," she told her. "We just look like Were-kin."
"Oh. What's a Wikuni?"
"That's not easy to explain, since we all look different," Keritanima grinned. "I've heard your father talk about you, kitling. I'm looking forward to getting into trouble with you."
Jasana giggled, then held her arms out to the Wikuni queen. Keritanima picked her up easily, bouncing her on her hip. "Well, don't be voyeurs, you three. Come on in," Keritanima called to the others.
"You're awfully free about inviting people into our rooms," Jesmind accused.
"We won't be here forever," Keritanima replied easily.
Tarrin gave Miranda a warm hug, then took Azakar's hand firmly in his paw. The young Mahuut looked a little more mature, standing erect and proudly. A Vendari posture. The Vendari had had quite an effect on the young man. "They said you grew, but I didn't expect to be looking you in the eye, Tarrin," Azakar chuckled.
"How do you think I feel?" Miranda asked. "I'll break my neck looking up at him now."
Tarrin looked down to the unbearably cute mink, and for the first time, he could feel it about her. The same thing that attracted him to her, made him like her, that sense of peace and friendship she seemed to radiate towards him, he could sense it as something outside of her own self now. An aspect of the power given to her by her gods, what made her an Avatar. He could feel it in her clearly now, could feel it as a mortal-bound piece of the energy of a god. Miranda was truly a daughter of the gods, albeit a mortal one. Her supernatural aspect was very subtle, very gentle, meant only to grant her the intelligence and patience to be the companion to Keritanima that she was literally created to be. Miranda had literally been created to be Keritanima's friend. Since the goddess that created her was a goddess of the moons, it caused her to have an effect on Tarrin as well, since he was so keenly attuned to the forces of the heavens.
What he did not expect was Jasana. Keritanima set her down when she started to squirm, and she marched right up to the mink Wikuni and tugged on her dress. She looked down at the Were-cat child warmly, hands on her knees and tail slashing back and forth. "And you must be Jasana," she said with that adorable cheeky grin.
"Why do you have a glowing rope in you?" she asked immediately and directly.
Miranda blinked, standing up straight and looking down at her strangely. "Excuse me?" she asked in confusion.
"There's a glowing rope that comes out of nowhere and goes inside you," she said calmly. "I don't know where it comes from, but I can see it."
"Whatever are you talking about, child?" Miranda asked, but Tarrin realized that Jasana had immediately sensed what took the Goddess revealing to him to understand. Since Miranda didn't know that she was an Avatar, she had no idea what Jasana meant.
"That," Tarrin said quickly, scooping up his daughter, "is nothing that concerns you, cub," he told her sharply. "Leave it be. Do you understand?"
"Yes, papa," she said obediently, though he had no idea if she meant to really leave it alone. If it interested her, Jasana would disobey him as quickly as water poured downhill.
Miranda gave Tarrin a strange, searching look, but he waved her off. "Ignore Jasana, Miranda. She's still very new to her power, and doesn't entirely understand things yet."
"Oh, alright, I guess," she said uncertainly.
"I can feel it about her, Tarrin. She's like a bonfire," Keritanima said seriously.
"She pulls at the Weave," Allia agreed. "Just like you do, my brother."
"That's part of the story I'll tell you," he said, handing Jasana over to Jesmind. "Alright, let me change."
And with that, he shifted into the human shape, making sure to will the backpack holding his prize to return. The gnawing ache immediately sprang up inside him, but Allia's training allowed him to more or less ignore it. Jasana looked at him, and then giggled.
"You look funny, papa," she told him.
"It feels as funny as it looks," he told her absently, taking the backpack off his back and then returning to his natural form. "Well everyone, this is it. This is what the Goddess sent me to recover."
And with that, he pulled the ancient tome out of the backpack.
It looked just as he remembered. It wasn't all that remarkable. It was a plain black book, about four spans long and three spans wide and about two spans thick, bound in that strange black leather. It had no writing on its cover, nothing that would make it recognizable as one of the most complete repositories of knowledge that existed in the world. Within those uncounted yellow pages, pages he still had not opened and perused, was the key to translating the written language of the Sha'Kar. Somewhere.
"So that's it," Keritanima breathed. "I've been dreaming about looking inside it."
"So, we will find what we need within?" Allia asked.
"Not exactly," he replied. "Inside we'll find a key to translating the written language of the Sha'Kar. We'll find the location of the Firestaff somewhere in the books and scrolls we stole from the Cathedral of Karas."
"You're serious!" Keritanima gasped. "You mean we had what we needed the whole time?"
"Yes, but without this," he said, holding up the book, "we couldn't read it. Now we can."
"Or at least we'll be able to soon," Miranda said absently, putting her hand on the book. "When do we start looking?"
"Tomorrow," he replied. "The Goddess already told me to ignore the coming army. My job is to learn the Sha'Kar written language and find the information we need. But I'll definitely need help," he told them.
"I've gotten everything more or less set up," Keritanima snorted. "They'll have to do without me from now on. I think the Keeper can handle things."
"You can't do this without me," Miranda said fiercely.
"We'll need Allia as much as we'll need you, Miranda. And Dar."
"Dar? Why Dar?"
"Dar's a very smart young man, Miranda. Smarter than you think. And he'll be able to remember the glyphs of the Sha'Kar writing more easily than we can. His memory is amazing when it comes to things he sees. Just look at the Illusions he creates. They're absolutely perfect."
"You have a good point, brother," Keritanima agreed.
"Have you taught him Sha'Kar?"
"He's fluent," Keritanima assured him. "He still has the accent you corrected in us, but I'm working on that."
"If you have to ignore the army, then what are we going to do?" Miranda asked insightfully. "Kerri figured your powers into her defensive strategy."
"Jenna will take my place," he replied with a grunt. "I don't like it, but it came straight from her. I'm not to leave the Tower grounds once the army gets here and the fighting starts. She said they're going to be looking specifically for me, so I can't allow myself to get cornered."
"I can't imagine what could corner you, Tarrin," Miranda laughed. "But if those are orders, then they're orders."
"Can Jenna handle it?" Keritanima asked.
"She's almost as strong as I am, sister," Tarrin replied. "She can also circle with the other katzh-dashi. That's something that I can't do. She'll be able to do it. Not that I like it, but like I said, orders are orders."
"With me and Allia, we could build quite a large circle," Keritanima speculated. "Twenty-one humans and the two of us. If Jenna's leading it, she could pack a serious punch with the power she could generate."
"That's probably true," Tarrin agreed. "But you'd better find out if that actually works, Kerri."
"We already have," Allia chimed in. "We experimented with it when we arrived. As long as either I or Keritanima are in the circle, we can build a circle greater than seven." She looked at the Wikuni. "Kerri was right. So long as seven are led by a non-human, we can exceed the normal limits."
"That was a dangerous thing to do," he accused.
"Dangerous or not, it had to be done," Kerri said dismissively. "Since there are only two of us, it wasn't like we could use some patsy to find out."
"Well, that was a nice thought," Tarrin said with a slight frown.
"I guess it's the queen in me," she said with a toothy grin. "You're awfully quiet, Jesmind," she noted.
"I don't have much to say about all this, mouse," she replied smoothly. "This is all things that don't really concern me."
"That's Queen Mouse to you," Keritanima teased.
"That title means about as much to me as the dirt between my pads, mouse," Jesmind told her flatly.
"True, but it makes me feel better," she countered. "Alright, put that away, Tarrin," she said, tapping the book. "Then sit down. It's time for you tell us the whole story. All of it, everything you wouldn't tell me when you were projecting yourself."
"Alright," Tarrin chuckled. "Have your Vendari close and guard the door, and I'll do just that. It may take a while, though. It's a long story."
"Szath, defend the door, if you would," Keritanima called to the Vendari, who was still standing beside the open doorway.
"As you command, your Majesty," he said in a rumbling bass voice, closing the door with a surprisingly light touch, and then moving to stand directly before it, using his back to keep anyone from opening it.
"It's too bad the others aren't here," Tarrin sighed. "I'd rather only go over this once."
"No, you'll have to do it twice. I'm sure there are things you'll want to leave out when you tell it to Phandebrass and Camara Tal. We can fill in Dolanna and Dar."
"True," he admitted. "Well, let's sit down so I can get this overwith."
They sat down, and then Tarrin began. He started just after he left Allia, since Allia would have told Keritanima about everything up to then, and he left nothing out. He went over things as best as he could remember them, from the flight from Dala Yar Arak and the Cat-induced depression he suffered, through the dusty plains of Saranam and the human-shaped ploy Sarraya thought up to get them past the ki'zadun. About the brief excitement at the trading post, and his rescue by Anayi. He went into great detail about the desert, about how it felt and smelled, about how it always made one uneasy, as any place of great danger could. He told them about the dreams, and how they had plagued him during that time. Jesmind held his paw while he reopened that old wound, and he found her touch and her presence comforting. He told them about his first encounter with Var, and the short fight they had had. He told them about the massive kajat that had attacked him, describing the huge beast with all the respect it was due. He told them all about Druidic magic, and how Sarraya had started training him in the ways of that magical order. But when he got to the part where he battled Spyder, Keritanima and Allia both finally interrupted him with questions.
" The Spyder?" Keritanima gasped when Tarrin spoke her name.
"That cannot be!" Allia gasped with Keritanima.
"It was, believe me," he chuckled. "I didn't realize why she was there at first, and it shocked me when she attacked me. She thoroughly kicked my tail all over the desert," he grunted. "I've never been outclassed like that before. It was like a child trying to kill a Giant with a stick."
"Why would she attack you?" Keritanima asked curiously.
"Because she was told to," Tarrin said evenly. "She was there to make me lose control.
" Why?" Allia asked pointedly.
"Because it turns out that that's what had to happen for me to progress any further in my power. It was her that incited me into gaining the powers of a Weavespinner."
"What do you mean?" Miranda asked.
"It's how Sorcerers become Weavespinners," he answered. "You have to completely lose control, and right before you're Consumed, you have to find the Heart. If you can, you lose all your powers for a time, then after you readjust, you gain new ones. If you fail, you die."
"That's quite a penalty," Miranda said with a humorless chuckle.
"So that's why you wouldn't tell me!" Keritanima realized. "You were afraid I'd try it, and then lose my powers right when they're needed for the defense of Suld!"
"Precisely," Tarrin told her. "Besides, it's very dangerous, Kerri. It's not something you should try until you gain total mastery over your powers. When you literally run out of things to learn, then you should try it. But not until then."
"I'm no second-rate Sorcerer, Tarrin," she said with a slight flare.
"I'm not saying you are," he said mildly. "But remember the price of failure, Kerri. That's why it's something you should not try until you feel absolutely certain you can succeed. Because your life literally depends on it."
"I wouldn't call you a master of Sorcery," Keritanima accused.
"By no means," Tarrin agreed. "But I'm different than you, sister. I'm what Spyder called a sui'kun. I was born a Weavespinner, and was always meant to be one. For the others, they're what Spyder called da'shar. You can become a Weavespinner, but it's alot more dangerous for you, and Spyder said that da'shar still can't use High Sorcery without circling."
"Huh," Keritanima sounded, tapping her chin in thought. "What I wouldn't give to pin her down and interrogate her. She's probably forgotten more than we'll ever know."
"We are drifting off the story here, sister," Allia reminded her. "Continue, deshida."
"Alright." He continued, describing the aftermath of the battle, and his curious newfound immunity to heat. He went on to describe meeting Denai, and how she had managed to worm her way into their group, and then told them about how he strove to regain his magical powers even as he strove to conquer the Cat and accept Denai without fearing her. He continued on, telling them about how Var joined them, and how the two of them guided him through the Desert of Swirling Sand's dangers. He told them about how they got sweet on each other, and then he described in great and attentive detail his adventure climbing into the city above the clouds, and what happened up there, including his regaining his powers of Sorcery.
"So that's how you met the Aeradalla," Keritanima chuckled.
"I told you they lived in the desert, sister," Allia told her mildly.
He then went on, telling them about how Ariana flew him well away from Var and Denai, about how he knew Jegojah was coming for another battle. He related the story of that fight in the abandoned dwarven city in some detail, including, with a few sniffles, how they had animated Faalken's dead body and used it to create a second Doomwalker, and how that had caused him to find High Sorcery once again. He told them about how he freed the souls of Faalken and Jegojah, and how Faalken's soul managed to escape into the Realm Beyond and find peace. That caused all four of them that knew the cherubic Knight to shed a few silent tears as they remembered their deceased companion, and how his loss had affected them all so greatly.
"Hold on," Miranda said after a moment of silence. "You missed something, Tarrin."
"What?"
"How did you get to be so tall?"
Tarrin chuckled under his breath. "I thought that Triana would have told you about that."
"She doesn't tell us anything about anything," Keritanima said sourly.
"Well, I got this way from Shiika," he explained. "When we had our fight, she tried to drain me of my energy. She managed to do that, but it couldn't kill me. It caused my body to age, and I think I've told you that Were-cats only grow taller as they get older. This," he said, holding out his paws, now with fetlocks on the outer wrists, "is because of Shiika."
"Oh. Alright, that explains it, then," Miranda nodded.
Tarrin continued, telling them about Jegojah's warning of the ki'zadun, and the meeting with Andos and Var's promise of bringing in his clan. Then he rushed a little telling them about how they moved quickly out of the desert. He didn't go into great detail about the Elemental, concentrating instead on his haste to get back to Suld as quickly as possible. There was little to tell about what happened until he reached Aldreth, but when he got to that part, he went into some detail, occasionally elaborated by Jesmind, about how he came to meet his daughter and rejoin his long-parted mate.
"It was real touchy there at the beginning," Jesmind said with a smile at him. "He was very angry with me, but I knew I could wear him down. I know all his weak spots."
"I'm sure," Tarrin drawled. "To say I was angry was an understatement. I was furious. But it all worked out," he said, patting Jasana on the shoulder gently.
He went on to talk about the fighting at Watch Hill, and the brief spat between Jesmind and Rahnee, but he was deliberately curt about what happened in Torrian, only stating that he burned down the city to protect their armies from destruction. That was still a raw wound for him, and the others seemed to sense it, because they didn't press him or ask any questions. "After I recovered from that, I summoned an Elemental to bring us to Suld," he said in a tone that told them that he was done. "And here we are."
"Here we are indeed," Miranda nodded.
"That's quite a story, Tarrin," Azakar told him. "I feel cheated that we weren't there to share in your adventure."
"It didn't feel like an adventure from my side, Zak," he sighed. "It was very hard on me."
"It wouldn't be an adventure without hardship," Azakar shrugged. "That will make the memory sweeter down the line."
"I hope so," he said without much enthusiasm.
"Well, the important part is that you're here," Keritanima said calmly. "That the family is back together again. And with some new additions," she added, nodding in the direction of Jesmind and Jasana. "I hope you're over your bout of peevishness, Jesmind, because you have to share him now."
"You're not trying to steal him, so I have no reason to be peevish," she said simply. "What happened between me and Rahnee was a matter of protecting what's mine."
"I love it when she talks about him like he's an object," Miranda said with a cheeky grin.
"He is," Jesmind declared. "He's mine."
"Down, Jesmind," Tarrin chuckled, patting her leg fondly.
"I'll give him the time he needs to do what he has to do, but don't think I'm just going to give him to you," she told them all in no uncertain terms. "He knows what will happen if I think he's ignoring us."
"Mama said she'd drag him home by the hair," Jasana giggled.
"She would," Tarrin said with a straight face.
Keritanima laughed. "I'm starting to think that Camara Tal is going to try to do the same thing," Miranda noted with a sly expression. "Those two are as bad as you two. They'll throw punches at each other, and then you'll see them huddled up in a corner somewhere kissing. If there's ever been a defining love-hate relationship, that one has to be it."
"I never thought I'd hear someone say that a pair of humans are as bad as us," Jesmind said with a laugh.
"I wouldn't doubt it," Tarrin speculated. "I know Camara Tal loves Koran Dar, and I know how adamant Koran Dar would be about staying here. If he went back to Amazar, he'd be little more than a slave. He won't leave here, no matter how hard Camara Tal tries to either lure him out or drag him out."
"Well, since Tarrin and Jesmind aren't going to be any more fun, we'll just have to watch them," Keritanima said with an evil smile.
"It's getting late, and Jasana here is about to fall asleep," Jesmind announced. "You've heard the story, and now it's time for all of you to go."
"Well, that was courteous," Miranda grinned.
"About as courteous as any of my kind gets," Jesmind declared. "If it suits you better, then here. Get out!"
That made Keritanima and Miranda explode into laughter. That seemed to confuse Jesmind, who stared at them like they were crazy or something, then she snorted in the peculiar way Were-cats did to give sound to their frustration or impatience. "I think Jesmind has a point," Tarrin said smoothly, deflecting the imminent outburst from his mate. "It's getting late, and I am pretty tired. I've had a long day, and so have all of you. We can talk again tomorrow, alright?"
"I guess you're right," Keritanima admitted. "I need to go back and see what else the Keeper, Dolanna, and Ahiriya have found out, anyway. Let's all meet for breakfast tomorrow, alright?"
"That's fine with me," Tarrin agreed.
"Let us meet here, where it is familiar to us all," Allia offered. "And we must ensure to bring Dolanna and Dar with us."
"I really want to see them," Tarrin assured her.
"Then we can go throw some of the elder katzh-dashi out of one of the private dining rooms. I have the feeling that there's going to be quite a few people there," Keritanima grinned. "I heard that you brought two other Were-cats with you."
"Thean and Kimmie," Tarrin replied. "Triana took Thean, and Jula's staying with Kimmie for a few days to give Jesmind enough time to get used to her."
"Jula is my very own sister," Jasana announced to them.
"Something like that," Tarrin agreed with a nod. "You, Miranda, and Zak haven't met them, Kerri, but the others have."
"Allia told me about them," Keritanima nodded. "Jesmind is starting to glare at me, so we'd better go," she laughed, standing up. "Come here and give your sister a hug, Tarrin, then we'll run away before Jesmind starts showing us her claws."
"At least you take a hint," Jesmind snorted.
Tarrin stood up and embraced each of his sisters in turn, then hugged Miranda and clasped Azakar's hand once again. "Well then, we'll see everyone tomorrow. Just don't come too early. We'll probably sleep in a little. It's the first bed we'll have slept in for days."
"We will come an hour after dawn. Is that alright by you, deshida ?" Allia asked.
"I think that's late enough," he agreed.
He escorted them to the door, both to be courteous and to share in their company for just another moment longer. He missed not having his sisters around him all the time, but now that they were together again, they'd return to their familiar patterns. Only expanded slightly, since Tarrin now had Jesmind and Jasana in his life, vying for his attention. He said farewell to them one last time as Jasana waved to them from her mother's lap, starting to break out of the shell into which she placed herself around strangers, and then he watched them file down the hallway.
But he couldn't watch them forever. He closed the door and leaned against it, a hundred memories of the time he spent with his sisters rolling through him. Good memories. Things always seemed better, happier, easier, when they were together. And even now, despite the impending battle and the formidable task which lay ahead of them, things didn't seem quite as intimidating as they had that morning. Because Allia and Keritanima were there, and they would make everything alright, just as they had done in the past. They were dependable, reliable, and one of the four pillars which supported the foundations of his entire life. His parents and sister was the second, Triana, his mate and daughter were the third, and the Goddess was the fourth. And they were all with him again, all gathered around him, and that gave him a feeling of peace, a feeling of security, a sense that everything would turn out for the best, that he had not experienced in a very long time.
Things were as they were supposed to be, and it almost made him want to purr in contentment.
He looked to his mate and daughter with a gentle, loving expression. "Well, I think it's time for bed," he told them. "Are those both bedrooms?"
Jesmind nodded. "Let's get you into bed, cub," she told Jasana, picking her up as she stood.
"Aww, I'm not sleepy."
"Yes you are," she said bluntly. "If you weren't sleepy, your tail wouldn't be swinging in the breeze like it is now."
Jasana had no answer for that, resting her head against her mother's shoulder. "I don't have a nightshirt."
"It won't be the first or last time you've slept naked, silly cub," she chided. "We'll get you some new clothes tomorrow, alright?"
"Alright," she said in a tone that betrayed her sleepy condition.
Tarrin joined his mate as they went about the parental duty of getting their daughter ready for bed, and Tarrin felt the rightness of it. Everything was where it was supposed to be now. His mate and cub were here, his parents were here, Triana was here, his sisters were here, his bond-daughter was here. Everyone was with him again, and he felt that it was good. With all of them with him, helping each other, working together, nothing could stand up against them.
For the first time all day, he felt actual optimism about the days to come. Maybe Keritanima was right after all. Maybe they were going to win.
To: Title EoF