Honor and Blood

by James Galloway

  "What's going on down there?" Thean asked. "It looks like the Tower's Knights have been fighting. And doing it on the grounds themselves."

  "You're right," Kimmie agreed, looking around under them. "How did they get past the fence?"

  Tarrin realized immediately. "The spy," he growled. "The spy must have let them in."

  "Well, judging that the Knights look barely scratched, they must have known they were coming," Thean surmised, studying the movements below them.

  "We'll find out what's going on when we get down there," Tarrin told them, looking down. "It should just be a few more moments. Let's move along now, my friend," Tarrin called audibly. "It looks like we need to get down there quickly."

  That turned out to be a poor choice of words. The Elemental suddenly plunged straight down, tearing a cry from Jesmind and Kimmie both as Tarrin grasped onto his mate and his daughter while frantically telling the Elemental to slow down before they all slammed into the ground. The Elemental didn't really listen to him, and for a moment he thought that the Knights were going to have to dig them out of the lawn. But then the Elemental simply pulled out of its headlong dive, leaving them all standing easily on the grass, well and whole.

  "Don't do that!" Tarrin said breathlessly, holding his chest. That amused the Elemental, causing it to ask if it has further use for it; it was very tired, and it wished to return home, but if Tarrin needed it, it was willing to remain to render aid as necessary. "No, I think we can handle things. You deserve your rest. And thank you," he added as he mentally dismissed the Elemental, which would allow its animating force to return to from whence it came. The Elemental dissipated in a gust of cool wind, and then it was gone.

  Tarrin looked around, and recognized one of the Knights that was quickly rushing towards them. "Ulger!" Tarrin called loudly, holding up a paw. "Ulger, it's Tarrin!"

  Ulger looked out of breath. The tall Knight pulled up with three younger Knights, looking to be barely out of the Academy, then he pulled off his burgonet helmet and laughed as he sheathed his sword. "Tarrin! By Karas' hammer, boy, what happened to you!" he said, looking up at him as he approached.

  "Long story," Tarrin replied, clasping Ulger's wrist firmly. "What in the furies is going on, Ulger?"

  "Well, that's a long story too," Ulger said with a bright, slightly evil smile. "But the short of it is that we've swept all the infidels and traitors out of the Tower. That Wikuni queen is one wicked nasty plotter," he said with an evil laugh. "She set a trap for them, and they walked right into it. We swept this rabble out, and from what I've heard, the Wikuni and the Council has rounded up all the katzh-dashi not loyal to the Tower."

  Tarrin laughed. "That sounds like Kerri, alright," he agreed. "Do you know where they are? I need to find her, and quickly."

  "Not off the top of my head, but I know where Darvon is, and he'll know where the Wikuni is," he assured him. "Well now, this one I remember," he said, pointing at Jesmind. "But who are the others? And who is this adorable little girl?" he asked, giving Jasana a wink and a smile.

  "Ulger, this is Kimmie and Thean," he said, motioning to them. "And this," he said, picking up Jasana, "is my daughter Jasana."

  "Hullo," Jasana said warily, looking at the bearded Knight.

  "Hey there, little cutie," Ulger said with a cheeky smile. "I knew your father when he was this big," he said, holding his hand up over his own head.

  Tarrin gave the Knight a look, then he laughed. "Care to show us where Darvon is now?"

  "Certainly. Come this way."

  The Were-cats followed the four Knights through a lawn littered with bodies, and the vast majority of them were the opposition. They all showed ghastly wounds, from the Knights' favored broadswords and the variety of oversized, lethal weapons commonly carried by the Vendari. Tarrin had thought to hide Jasana's eyes from the carnage, but he reminded himself that she wasn't a human girl. This was part of life, and it was nothing a little hunter wouldn't see when she made her kills. "I see the reputation of the Knights is well deserved," Thean remarked, looking around. "It looks to have been a complete rout."

  "About that," he replied. "They weren't very good fighters. Some of the Vendari are very sulky about not having enough of a fight to satsify them."

  "They must have tried to catch you off guard," Kimmie remarked.

  "They didn't know we were here," Ulger said, looking back at her with a grin. "They expected to overrun an undefended Tower. We're the last thing they expected to see, believe you me."

  "That does sound like the Wikuni," Jesmind said, giving Tarrin a smile. "I remember her. The little mouse has more guts than a Were-cat."

  "You don't mess with Kerri, that's for sure," Tarrin agreed with a chuckle. "Or my sister Allia. Both of them will make you pay for it."

  Ulger led them into the Tower proper, into the entrance hall through which all visitors entered. Darvon was standing near the back of it with another Knight and two Vendari, and there were both Vendari and Knights dispersed through the hall either talking among themselves or keeping guard to defend the Tower from whatever might come through the doors. The Lord General of the Knights was an aged, nearly elderly man, but it could only be seen in his face, for he wore the same plate armor as all the other Knights, and he wore it with an ease that told anyone that beheld him that the old man was still a formidable force to be reckoned with. His hair had not fallen out over the years, giving him a bushy mass of white over his wrinkled face, with a white moustache and a little blood on his armor. Darvon had been right in the middle of it. "Lord General, look who decided to join us!" Ulger announced as he brought them up to him. Ulger seemed to have become much more jolly since the last time he'd seen him. "Only two years gone, at that!"

  Tarrin handed Jasana off to Jesmind and remembered to bow to Darvon as the aged commander stepped up to them. "My Lord General," Tarrin said respectfully.

  "Well now, I know quite a few that are going to be bouncing off the walls when they see you, my boy," Darvon grinned. "Am I really that old, or are you taller?" he asked, squinting at Tarrin.

  That made Jesmind chuckle. "Do they all start with that, my mate?" she asked curiously.

  "Usually," Tarrin said with a rueful look. "Yes, I'm taller, and it's a long story," he said brusquely. "What happened here, Lord General?"

  "Well, the katzh-dashi got wind that someone in the Tower was a traitor," he began. "They found out that the traitor was planning to infiltrate the Tower with brigands to attack the katzh-dashi by surprise while the Knights remained split from the Tower. Well, Queen Keritanima came to me and explained what was going on, and convinced me to move the Knights back onto the grounds. In secret, of course," he grinned. "She brought some of her Vendari in as well, and then she managed to find out exactly what the traitor's plans were about attacking the Tower. We took the appropriate countermeasures while still managing to conceal ourselves. We stopped them, and from what I've been told, they've managed to capture the traitor and all her sycophants."

  "Who?" he asked. "Who was the traitor?"

  "They haven't told me yet," he replied. "But we're wasting time. I'll send a runner telling them that you're here, and we'll go up so you can see them."

  "I'd really appreciate that, Darvon," Tarrin said sincerely.

  "Fine. Page!" he called, and a young man wearing armor started trotting towards them.

  But he didn't get far. The door beyond Darvon opened, and Tarrin saw a dark-haired petite form explode from the doorway. His sense of the Weave began to pull in the direction of that form, and he realized that it was Jenna. Only Jenna could cause that kind of an effect in the Weave. Just behind her, he saw his parents step into the entrance hall, and it took them only a moment to spot him among the Vendari. Tarrin opened his arms as Jenna appeared behind Darvon, and she literally jumped up into his embrace. Tarrin held his sister gently, spinning her around in a circle and laughing delightedly as she hugged him. He took in her scent, reveled in the sense of her presence, and it reinforc
ed solidly to him the fact that he had finally come back to them. He held her back so he could get a good look at her; seeing her through the visage of the possessed Illusion simply didn't seem the same, and at that time he'd been a little too worried about her to really get a good look at her. She was fifteen now, growing tall and gaining a similar buxom, curvy figure as her mother. Jenna's youthful face was filling out, gaining a little bit of a sharp cast that actually made his little sister quite lovely. Jenna was going to break some hearts, of that he was certain.

  Jesmind took a step back as Tarrin set Jenna down, then hugged his mother and father in turn, greeting them warmly. They both looked very well; the travelling seemed to have been good for them. His father had lost the slight pudginess about his middle, and his mother was sleeker than ever.

  "It's so good to see you, my son!" Elke laughed as she hugged him. "Did you just get here?"

  "Only just," he chuckled. "I should have known that Jenna would feel me coming."

  "You can't hide from me, brother," Jenna teased, taking his paw and gripping it warmly.

  Eron had been the first to see the whole picture. "I take it that this lovely little girl here is your daughter?" he asked mildly.

  Tarrin looked back to Jesmind, who looked decidedly anxious, holding Jasana tightly. "Who told you?" he asked, then he chuckled and waved his paw at them absently. "Nevermind, stupid question," he laughed as Triana and Jula came in through the same door. "Mother, father, Jenna, I'd like you to meet my daughter, Jasana."

  Jesmind set Jasana down, and the little girl padded over shyly to her grandparents and aunt, trying to hide behind Tarrin's leg. Tarrin reached down and scooted her in front of him, and she looked up at her father's parents, not exactly sure what to say. Elke Kael solved her problem by reaching down and picking her up boldly, nuzzling the little girl. "Well, it's good to finally see my granddaughter," she told her gently, in that nurturing manner that would set any child at ease. "I've waited a very long time to meet you, susa." Susa was an Ungardt term of affection used when addressing small children.

  That seemed to put Jasana immediately at ease. She giggled and patted Elke on the shoulders, then held her arms out to Eron Kael as he took her from his wife. She giggled again when his father's beard tickled at her cheek as she hugged him. "Papa and mama talk about you all the time," she told them. "Papa loves you, and mama really thinks you two are good humans. She put all your stuff in the barn and keeps it clean for you when you come to get it."

  "Yes, Triana told us that Jesmind moved into our house," Elke said, giving Jesmind a slightly flinty look.

  Tarrin didn't see Jesmind's reaction, because Triana had reached him. He saw that he stood eye to eye with her now, and he embraced her warmly, greeting her with tremendous love and respect. Triana was his other mother, and he thought of her that way in his heart. "I see you finally made it, cub," she said, giving him an uncharacteristic smile. "Have any trouble?"

  "Yes and no," he replied. "You look well. Soft living suits you."

  "Bah," she snorted. "I'm going crazy in here." She looked towards Jesmind. "Well, don't just stand over there, cub, come here and give your mother a hug," she commanded. "And why are Kimmie and Thean standing way over there?" she said, looking where the two of them were talking to a Vendari. She hugged her daughter, then gave a shrill whistle that made every head in the entrance hall turn in her direction. Thean responded instantly to that whistle, breaking off from the Vendari and dragging Kimmie along with him.

  "How did you get here so fast?" Eron asked curiously. "The last Kerri told us, you were in Torrian."

  "We were," he replied. "I used a magical creature called an Elemental to get us here as quickly as possible."

  "A what? Oh, teach me, teach me!" Jenna said excitedly.

  "I will, I promise," he told her. "I'm going to teach you a whole lot of things while I'm here, Jenna. Now that we're finally together."

  "I waited for you in the Heart day after day," she said accusingly, "but you never came!"

  "I've been very busy, Jenna," he said defensively. "The Goddess should have told you that."

  "She did, but it still doesn't excuse you," she said with a wicked little grin.

  "Well then, I guess you don't need to learn anything from me," he said airily, waving a paw at her.

  "Papa, that's mean," Jasana accused.

  Kimmie and Thean joined them, and Tarrin waited while Triana gave Thean a hug and kiss that made it abundantly clear how she felt about him. It looked kind of strange to see a woman so much taller than her mate, but Thean didn't seem to mind all that much. "Kimmie, Thean, I'd like you to meet my family. This is Eron Kael, Elke Kael, and this is my sister, Jenna Kael."

  "We've heard a great deal about you," Kimmie smiled, stepping up and taking Elke's hand. "From both Tarrin and Jesmind."

  "Is that so?" Elke asked, looking at Jesmind directly as she did so.

  Tarrin looked at Jula, who seemed to be completely lost and overwhelmed in the company surrounding him. She stood well at the edge of their group, and looked about ready to flee into the crowd at the first sign that anyone noticed her. Tarrin held out a single paw to her commandingly, and she bowed her head and obeyed him. He could literally smell Jesmind's sudden flash of jealousy as Jula put her paw in his obediently; she still remembered and considered him to be her bond-father, and her obedience to him was reflexive. "And this," he said, motioning towards Jula while looking at Kimmie and Thean, "is my bond-daughter, Jula."

  "Well, it's nice to see that me and Tarrin aren't exactly unique," Kimmie said lightly, reaching out to the nervous Were-cat and taking her paw from Tarrin. "We have one more in our exclusive little club," she said with a wink. "I was turned too."

  "Triana spoke about you alot," Jula said in a quiet voice, unable to look at Jesmind. Tarrin was certain that she could sense the hostility coming from his mate.

  "Well now, you and I are going to have to talk," Thean told her gently. "It's almost impossible to get Tarrin to discuss Sorcery, and I've heard that you're quite an accomplished Sorcerer on your own. Maybe you can fill in the blanks that Tarrin left behind."

  "I'd, I'd be happy to do that, Thean," she said quietly.

  "Has she been much trouble, mother?" he asked.

  "Not after I beat that rebellious streak out of her," Triana snorted. "She'll obey you immediately, but I had to teach her that I'm just as bad as you." Triana crossed her arms beneath her breasts. "But all in all, I'm pleased with her. She's come a long way, and I feel certain that Fae-da'Nar will accept her."

  "That's all that matters," he nodded, putting his paw on Jula's shoulder. "Now that I'm back, I'll take her back from you. She's still my daughter."

  "You don't exclusively own her anymore," Triana said with light eyes. "She's both yours and mine now. And if you ever need someone to babysit her while you're busy, don't hesitate to ask me. I've actually grown a bit fond of her."

  "Triana!" Jula said indignantly. "I'm not a baby!"

  "Yes, you are," Triana told her flatly. "Until Fae-da'Nar comes here and judges you, you are very much a child, and you'll be accompanied by an adult. You forget the grave risk you pose to Tarrin. Anything you do won't be held against you, it will be held against him."

  "Yes, Triana," Jula sighed. "I remember."

  "Good," she snorted. "I'm glad you remember something."

  "Triana!" Jula said plaintively.

  "Alright then," he said, turning Jula so she had to look Jesmind face to face. "Jula, this is my mate, Jesmind, and over there being tickle-tortured by my father's beard is my daughter, Jasana. Jesmind, this is Jula."

  "You forget, my mate, we've already met," Jesmind said with an edge in her voice, looking down at the smaller female.

  "Not formally," Tarrin told her. "And you'd better get used to her, Jesmind. She's my daughter."

  The way he said it seemed to smack the hostility out of her. She relaxed visibly, and then offered her paw to Jula. "I'm sorry," she said contritel
y. "But if you didn't notice, females get defensive about mates. Tarrin's the kind of male you don't let slip away."

  "It's alright," Jula said, a bit more confidently. "Triana explained everything about that to me. I understand it."

  "You should thank her, cub," Triana said. "She's the one that found the traitor, about a step ahead of that Demon."

  "Really? Jula, that's great." Tarrin told her gently. "I'm proud of you for that."

  "I'm sorry it took so long," she apologized.

  "It's not how long it takes, it's whether you succeed," he told her. He looked up at Triana. "Who was it?"

  "Some woman named Amelyn," Triana replied. "Right now, your Wikuni sister, the Keeper, and that Demon are down in the dungeons interrogating her with that icy-eyed redhead, Ahiriya."

  Amelyn! Of course! She was the Mind Seat, and she was a member of the Council! They'd told him that it would have to be someone in power, or possible someone with formidable grasp of mind weaves. It only made sense that it was both. Tarrin had never liked Amelyn, she was arrogant and annoying, and in a way he was glad that it turned out to be someone he didn't like. Tarrin realized that Amelyn was going to be in for a very rough time of it. The entire Tower feared Ahiriya, and nobody wanted to be on the receiving end of one of her interrogations. And if she wasn't bad enough, Shiika was a Demoness, and was capable of all sorts of awful things. She was getting what she deserved, though.

  Eron set Jasana down, and she padded over and grabbed Jula by the tail. Jula looked behind her in surprise, and found Tarrin's daughter looking up at her. "Are you my sister?" she asked curiously.

  "Something like that, little one," Jula replied gently.

  "I never had a sister before."