"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. Nothin
g, 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 co
uld 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."
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