"I can't help it. With my own child under my heart, I know exactly how you feel. I'd take the world apart stone by stone if someone threatened our baby."
"I say, that's no lie there," Phandebrass said as he reached them. "You should have seen her out on the grounds, Tarrin, you should. I say, I've never seen her so, aggressive with her magic before. I didn't know she knew half of those spells, I didn't!"
"She's a mother defending her children, biped," Sapphire said bluntly. "You males fail to appreciate how dangerous that can make a female."
"I fully understand it, madam," he said with a bow, "but to see it in my gentle, sweet little apprentice, it was a surprise, it was." He scratched his face, now starting to show signs he was growing a white beard. "I say, if you're off to help plan a rescue mission, count me in, lad. We can't let something like this go, we can't. It's time we put our foot down. Hard."
Hearing the usually easy-going and addled Phandebrass say something like that was a shock. He rarely showed any signs of actual aggression, and he didn't show signs of such focus very often. He was usually quite happy with talking his enemies to death. He rarely fought, but when he did, Tarrin realized as he thought back to the serveral battles they'd fought together, he used his magic wisely, efficiently, and to devastating effect. He showed signs of irreverence during minor skirmishes, but when it was a serious fight, he rose to the challenge, showing an almost inhuman coolness in the face of anything that faced him. Phandebrass seemed scattered, but when he focused his mind, he was a dangerous adversary. And he seemed focused right now.
"I knew there was a reason I liked you, Phandebrass," Sapphire told him.
"As you say, madam dragon, clan is all," the Wizard replied soberly. "I say, I may be no relation, but I'm rather fond of the lad, and I'm truly fond of his daughter, I am. They've been very good to me, and I say, I've not had such good company and such opportunities to learn in all my life, I've not. I take personal offense at them lowering themselves to such a dastardly trick, I do. I say, it's fair time we took the ki'zadun over our knee and spanked them with a spiked bat."
"I couldn't agree more," Sapphire nodded.
"Kimmie, I want you to go wait with Jesmind and Mist," he told her.
"Keeping us all together, hmm?" she said with a smile.
"Exactly that," he answered. "Sapphire wants to talk to Jenna, and there are some things I have to do before I can leave."
"Where are you going?"
"After Jasana," he answered.
"I say, let me pack up then," Phandebrass said.
"No, I'm going alone," he told the Wizard. "But you'll need to pack up anyway. They'll explain it all as soon as Spyder gets here."
"Spyder? She's going to help you?"
"No, she's going to help you," he told her. "You'll find out what's going on later, Kimmie. We don't have time to explain it right now."
"Alright," she said trustingly, letting go of him. "I take it I'll have to follow your scent trail back?"
He nodded.
"Alright then. I'll see you later, and we'll talk," she told him, pulling his head down and giving him a kiss.
"I say, I think I'll tag along with Kimmie," Phandebrass said. "I'll be a fifth wheel in a room full of Were-cats, but with me there, nothing's going to sneak up on them, it won't."
"I appreciate that, Phandebrass," Tarrin said sincerely, nodding to the human. "But before you go, I need a favor."
"Just ask."
"How good are you at astronomy?"
"Astronomy? I say, I'm no expert, but I do know a bit about it. What do you need?"
"On Gods' Day, the four moons are going to form a conjunction," he told him in dreadful intensity. "I need you to find out exactly when that's going to happen. Use a clock and find out to right down to the second. Down to the second, Phandebrass."
He gave him an unblinking stare, then nodded. "I'll draw you up a chart," he promised. "It will be ready by supper, it will. You have my word on it."
"Thank you."
"All you need do is ask, lad. All you need do is ask. Now if you'll excuse me, your pretty girlfriend is going to leave me behind, she is."
They left them behind, then quickly made their way towards Jenna's office. Tarrin paused to turn and look back, watching Kimmie hurry back the way he had come. Kimmie was looking well, and he was glad of that. He hated the idea of leaving her behind, but there was no help for it. He wasn't about to endanger another of his children. If he hadn't been so angry and so driven by his need to rescue Jasana, he would have paid her the attention she deserved. Ever since he'd some back to the Tower, she'd been pushed more and more to the fringes by Jesmind, and Tarrin felt sorry for her because of that. Jesmind seemed perfectly capable of being friends with Kimmie and dealing with her amiably about Tarrin as long as he wasn't around. But as soon as he did come around, she got defensive and possessive, and he knew her behavior was an attempt to push Kimmie out of competition for his affection. He remembered Jesmind's heated declaration when he'd argued with her back when he was a human, and it opened his eyes a great deal about her behavior. As long as she was the only one he loved, she had no qualms about allowing him to stray. But now that she knew that he loved Kimmie, she was worried that he may find more happiness with Kimmie than with her. And Jesmind, being who she was, was responding by trying to drive away her competitor.
Jesmind was jealous, and he probably couldn't blame her. He loved Jesmind with all his heart, but he also loved Kimmie. There were no depths or levels of love to him; love was love. What Jesmind didn't seem to understand was that both he and Kimmie knew that right now, he belonged with Jesmind. He had promised he would come back to her, and he would keep that promise. They were still mates, in his mind as well as hers, and only time and the process of their instincts driving them apart was going to change that. She had probably been a little hurt by what happened as well, feeling that she wasn't woman enough to be everything he needed, or feeling betrayed that he would fall in love with Kimmie when he was already in love with her, or probably both. And now with Jasana gone--he sighed. He needed to pay her some very special attention. With everything happening, she needed some reassurance.
Tarrin watched Kimmie walk away with hooded eyes, taking in the sight of her. Even from behind, her expanding waistline was starting to become apparent, but she was still one fine figure of a Were-cat female. If she only knew, but there was no way he could tell her. Then he turned and followed Sapphire.
Jenna's scolding was brief, but it was also intense and thorough.
Sapphire blasted into her, venting her anger and her displeasure in a very effective manner, blistering Jenna's ears with heated tirades of her lack of responsibility and her inattentivess, then drifting into outbursts of obscenity so vile that it even made Tarrin's ears cringe to hear them, things he wouldn't even say. Not satisfied with the colorful expressions available in Sulasian, her black vituperations extended into several languages. From Arakite to Sharadi, Torian drawl to a flowery language he'd never heard before, she ranged through all the worst available foul language present in those languages, sizzling the pale Jenna's ears. Then, as if to crown it off, she started raging at the girl in the language of dragons. She had never taught him any of the obsceneties, and that was probably why he barely understand a quarter of the words that came off of her lips. Jenna stood stock still and pale as the dragon bored into her with her remonstrances for allowing Jasana to be taken off the grounds. The Keeper stood there like a meek little girl who had just been caught with her hand in the pasty dish, taking the dragon's hot lecturing with a bowed head and a pale face.
There was silence for several moments after Sapphire seemed to play herself out, looking at Jenna with those ominous eyes and panting from the exertion of such an outburst, as Jenna simply stood there with her hands folded in front of her, looking as contrite and vulnerable as she could possibly look. It was a trick Jenna used to devastating effect against her father, and it had allowed her to weasel out
of a great deal of punishment when she was a little girl.
A devious nature was something of a family trait on the female side of Tarrin's family line.
But Sapphire had the same mettle as their mother, and Elke Kael had been immune to her daughter's suffering and simpering posturings. She glowered at Jenna for a moment as she recovered from her tirade, then she sighed and looked to Tarrin. "I feel much better now," she admitted.
"I don't think Jenna agrees with you," he said absently.
"You're right," she said in a weak voice.
"I would not have been able to focus on the matter at hand if I hadn't gotten that out of my system," she said conversationally.
"Has Spyder contacted you, Jenna?" he asked.
"She did. She said she's coming, and we have something serious to talk about. You have any idea what she means?"
"Yes. We're about to stop a second Blood War, Jenna," he said grimly. "Before it has a chance to get out of control."
"What?" she asked woodenly.
"The same people who attacked the Tower aren't done yet, sister. They've rebuilt their army, they have Val raising an army of Demons to aid them, and Spyder herself is going to put a hand in to stop it. So are all the gods, both Elder and Younger. This is going to be a direct confrontation, Jenna," he said with unwavering eyes. "If we don't stop this here and now, it's going to be the Blood War all over again."
"I can understand why she's so upset," Jenna said, putting a hand to her stomach. "But what does this have to do with Jasana?"
"She's being held in the middle of that army," he said emotionlessly. "That's going to make getting her out a bit tricky."
"I can tell you have a plan, little one. What is it?" Sapphire asked.
Tarrin sat down in the chair in front of Jenna's desk. Jenna sat in her own, and Sapphire in the one beside his. He Conjured up a small map of the area of Gora Umadar, which consisted of little more than a square surrounded by a large circle. But it geographically correct and to scale, since it was a Conjured creation. "This is Gora Umadar," he told them.
Jenna whistled. "They're holding Jasana there?"
He nodded. "It's a big pyramid built on the tundra," he told Sapphire. "Spyder told me about it. Val's icon is in the pyramid, and that's where the Demon took Jasana. I can get her out, but it won't be easy." He traced a finger around the circle. "This line is where all the snow is melted," he told them. "They must be using some kind of magic to keep the area warm, because they've got a few hundred thousand Goblinoid and human soldiers surrounding the pyramid."
Jenna frowned. "That must be where all the survivors from the battle here went."
"As well as their armies from probably every stronghold they have here in the West," he added. "I went to the place where they had Jegojah's Soultrap, and the place is completely empty."
"Where is that?" Sapphire asked.
"A castle overlooking the Petal Lakes," he answered.
"Castle Keening," Jenna told them. "Sitting on the road leading out of the Iron Pass."
"Well, it's empty now, and I'll bet Val's recalled all his troops that were within marching distance to Gora Umadar. Val's also been raising Demons by the hundreds to add to his army, and that's what Spyder and the gods are getting involved to stop. You know that all of this is about the Firestaff," he told her.
She nodded. "They took Jasana to make you give it to them," she said.
"I'm going to use that to get her back," he said. "The Firestaff only works on day every five thousand years, and I'm going to make sure I get to Gora Umadar on that day. The immediacy of the situation is going to give me a bargaining chip. It's the only time I think I could get that close to Val and face him directly."
"Why is that so important?"
"Because I want his attention on me," he told her. "I'm taking Jesmind with me. While I'm holding Val's attention, Jesmind is going to get out of there with Jasana. Only after they're clear will I pretend to be willing to give him the Firestaff, and that's where you're going to come in."
"Us? How?"
"At that moment, I'm going to need a huge distraction," he said dryly. "I think something along the lines of a powerful army arriving to do battle with Val's forces will qualify. With a little luck, I can escape in the chaos. Val has turned Gora Umadar into a void, but I know I can do other kinds of magic. I'm going to have Triana teach me some way to escape from Gora Umadar with a Druidic spell. That way, after Jesmind gets Jasana out of there, I can get out myself."
"Why not just go alone and use the same trick to kidnap Jasana back?"
"Because me being in the pyramid is going to distract them," he told her plainly. "You're going to need that kind of a distraction, sister. Val is a god. Don't forget that. If he catches you before you can get a chance to set up, he'll slaughter your army. But if all his attention is on me, you have a chance to get there and set up before he can respond."
"Besides, little one, I doubt that they would let Tarrin get that close to his daughter," Sapphire added. "They know he is a powerful magician. They will take no chances that he has a little surprise. And Val would be a fool to allow Jasana to leave without Tarrin remaining behind, so he must have someone with him to help him. But why Jesmind? Kimmie or Triana would be better."
"Jesmind is Jasana's mother," he said. "She will obey Jesmind without question. She won't even do that for Triana. And at that point, Jasana doing exactly what she's told could mean the difference between life and death."
"You have a point," Sapphire acceded.
"The only sticking point I have right now is how to get them out once they get out of the pyramid," he admitted. "There's going to be a hostile army between them and freedom, and they'll attack as soon as Jesmind comes out."
"I can take care of that, little one," Sapphire said. "Sandwing is very young, and his youth gives him both speed and brashness. And he a very small dragon yet, so he won't be so large as to cause any undue trouble."
"One of yours?"
"My youngest," she nodded. "The one that took so long to get word to me. He is as small to me as a baby is to you." Tarrin considered that, realizing that Sandwing was probably only about a hundred spans long, where Sapphire was five hundred. A much smaller, sleeker, and probably faster and more agile dragon, but still a dragon. Something not even the most fanatical Troll would dare to cross.
"That will work," he nodded to her. "The timing is going to have to be perfect, and your child may have to think on his feet, but it can work."
"Sandwing is a very clever dragon," she told him confidently. "He will do fine."
"Well, that takes care of the only real hole I had," he said.
"What's the rest of the plan?" Jenna asked.
He got up and started to pace. "Timing is going to be everything in this," he told them. "I asked Phandebrass to draw me up a chart so I'll know exactly when the conjunction happens. I have to get there before that happens, but not so late that it does happen while I'm there. I want Val watching the clock every second, desperate to get the Firestaff from me before the conjunction occurs. That's going to be the only window where I'll be able to extort demands out of him. With me right there and the Firestaff within his grasp, I'm confident he'll let Jesmind and Jasana leave as long as I stay behind. That's what matters. After they're out of danger, then I'll get out of there. Val and the others know I can do other forms of magic, but they don't know how strong I am with Druidic magic. With the void, I'm fairly certain they'll assume that they're preventing me from escaping using magic. I want that to be a nasty shock for them," he said with a grim smile.
"It is a plan with possibilities, little one, but it has a fatal flaw."
"The tundra," he nodded. "I know. There's nowhere to hide out there, and no way an army can approach without being spotted days before they arrive. That is where I'm hoping that Mother can help. She said the gods themselves were going to directly involve themselves in this. I think the best thing that they could do is use their power to transport t
he army right onto the battlefield. Their sudden appearance should create a nasty shock in our enemies, and if they're set up for attack before they leave, they can literally throw themselves at the enemy army before they so much as get out of their tents." He gave a dry, hollow chuckle. "If the Sha'Kar can Teleport several hundred people, I think the Elder Gods can Teleport an army."
"You are correct," the voice of the Goddess sounded from thin air, and then her animated icon appeared behind Jenna's chair. With her was the black-cloaked Spyder, and the two of them looked the unusual pair. Jenna immediately got up and offered the Goddess her chair, the chair of the ruler of the Tower, and she accepted it with a warm smile and a pat on Jenna's cheek, seating herself with Jenna
standing to the left of her chair and Spyder to her right.
"Divine One," Sapphire said, standing up and giving her a surprisingly graceful curtsy.
"I'm not much one for ceremony, Sapphire," she smiled. "And call me Mother. It pleases me."
"As you wish, Mother," she said with an eloquent nod.
"That's a fairly cunning idea you have, kitten," she continued with a light smile. "It certainly would have a good effect for our side. The sudden appearance of the army and the sense of presence the Elder Gods would have over them will definitely get Val's attention, and that will give you the chance you need to escape. Let's not forget the element of surprise that will give us an immediate advantage. And I find that the rest of your plan has merit, kitten. It relies a little too much on luck, but for you, it's a remarkably well thought-out plan."
Tarrin flushed slightly.
"I know, it's a very tricky problem, and sometimes problems like that require a little unconventional thinking. The idea to transport an army right onto the battlefield is clever, my kitten. You've just revolutionized warfare. It's the ultimate surprise attack!"
"And it lets us amass our army wherever we wish," Sapphire added. "Suld may not be the right place for it. There are too many eyes here."
"There's no need to mass the army anywhere," the Goddess told the dragon. "If we do what Tarrin suggests, we can assemble elements of it wherever they may be, then bring them all together right before we move them to the battlefield. That way the disappearances of entire armies don't raise any suspicions, we don't strip any friendly kingdoms of all its protection while we're borrowing their armies, and we can get them all assembled and set up before we transport them to Gora Umadar. All we need to do is assemble the command staff in one place and let them work out the battle strategy. The common soldier rarely knows the full plan anyway. He merely goes in the direction his officers lead him."
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