"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.
Chapter 31
Wake up.
Despite the events of the prior day and the weariness he had felt, that soundless voice caused Tarrin to awaken instantaneously. On two prior occasions, a ghostly voice just like that had awakened him when he was in great danger; once in the inn at Watch Hill right before the fire, and once in Duke Arren's castle in Torrian right before Jesmind attacked him. Tarrin's subconscious remembered those events, and it had literally slapped his conscious mind awake the instant the ghostly voice reached him. He rose up from the bed by his arms and looked around, realizing that he wasn't going to see the owner of the voice, but it was for danger that his senses scanned the elaborately decorated bedroom. His ears and nose detected no invaders, and the light streaming in from the window showed no intruders to his eyes.
Wake up, Tarrin, the voice called again, and he realized that it wasn't the voice of the Goddess, it was the disembodied voice of Spyder, being whispered through the Weave in that strange manner she used. It is time for your first lesson.
"Can you hear me?" he asked in a quiet whisper, not wanting to wake up his mate.
Of course I can hear you, the reply came, lightly amused. Your sister is resisting me.
"Shout. Jenna doesn't like to wake up."
I can see that. Get dressed, and come to me. We have little time.
"Where are you?"
If you can't find me, then you're not worthy of my instruction, came the rather tart response in Sha'kar, so she could convey all of her irritation with his remark, and he realized she wasn't going to speak again.
Grumbling, Tarrin disentangled himself from Jesmind and swung his legs over the side of the bed. It was one of those four-poster beds, with the curtains that could be drawn closed. It was also raised, with little steps leading up to it so short humans could get into the bed without having to climb up the side of it. For Tarrin and Jesmind, it was generally perfect for their height. It was oversized, drastically so, but that meant that it was just large enough for him to fit in it. It was also very comfortable, so much so that Tarrin contemplated stealing the bed once he got back to Aldreth. He'd Conjure it out of the Tower.
"Mmmf, Tarrin, where are you going?" Jesmind asked blearily, reaching out for him and grabbing his tail.
"I need to go talk to someone," he answered her.
"It's the middle of the night!"
"Actually, it's about an hour or so before dawn," he corrected, looking out the window. "This person doesn't keep what you'd call regular hours."
"Blow him off and come back to bed."
"I'd like to, but you don't say no to this person," he chuckled, getting up. "Let go of my tail, Jesmind."
"No," she said indignantly. "Make me."
"You don't want me to do that, my mate," he warned in a teasing voice.
Jesmind kicked down the covers enough for him to get a good view of her, and then she stretched in a most attractive, erotic manner, leering up at him. "Make me," she repeated in a throaty purr.
"That's not going to get me back in bed, woman," Tarrin laughed. "This is something important. I told you that I'd have to spend a great deal of time away from you. This is just the start of it."
Frowning, Jesmind let go of his tail and rolled over on her side, holding her head up with her paw. "Who in the world would call you out of bed before dawn, when you're already going to go have breakfast with all the others?" she asked. "And why didn't I hear it?"
"This is rather special person, love," he told her, grabbing his trousers from the floor and pushing a foot inside. "This is what you may call one of my mentors. She's promised to teach me some things that only she can teach. I don't want to miss it, Jesmind. If I miss learning from her, I'm not going to be able to learn it anywhere else."
"She?" Jesmind said archly.
"You are so jealous," Tarrin laughed.
"I told you I was jealous, beloved," she teased. "I don't like any female getting private time with you, even human ones."
"Well, don't worry. I seriously doubt that this female has any ideas like that. We're not exactly what you'd call compatible species."
"Oh. Well, I guess that's alright, then," Jesmind said after mulling it over a moment. "When are you going to come back?"
"I have no idea," he grunted. "Let's just meet for breakfast. I'm sure one of the others is going to show up, they can take you down there. I'll come and find you when I'm done." He glanced back. "Oh, Jesmind."
"What?"
"What I'm doing is
an absolute secret. You can't tell anyone, and I mean anyone. Not even mother, and especially not Jasana. Alright?"
"Well, if that's the case, then what is it worth to you?" she asked coyly. "My silence isn't cheap, beloved."
"I'm sure we can work out something later," he grinned at her, coming over and kissing her, then raising up and putting on his shirt and vest. "Be assured that I'll be willing to pay your price."
"Well, if it's a seller's market, I'm sure I'm going to have to fix quite a price tag to what you're interested in buying," she said with a wink and an arch little expression.
"So long as it doesn't interfere with what I have to do here, love, you can name your price," he told her with a smile, reaching down and taking her paw. She pulled him down forcefully and wrapped her arms around him, then gave him a very deep, lingering kiss, one of those kisses that never failed to scatter his thoughts to the four winds. Then she pulled away and playfully bit at his neck--playfully for a Were-cat meaning that the bite wounds she created healed over almost instantly. Tarrin had come to discover that Were-cats didn't do that with casual mates. Jesmind had never nipped and bit at him like she did now until after they professed their love for one another. He'd found out last night that the biting was intimate, even sensual in a way, for the tiny shocks of pain only made the pleasure that much more enjoyable. The passing of blood could pass a bond, even unintentionally, so two Were-cat mates didn't bite one another--aside from being in the throes of passion--without reason. Between close mates, the biting and passing of blood was not something to worry over, since they were so close in the first place. The idea of taking Jesmind's bond had crossed his mind more than once, and it was something he certainly wanted to do before he left. Having her bond would allow him to find her, no matter where she was, and it would let him know she was alright.
The force of her bite was apparent when he rose up from her, for she had a thin trail of his blood on the corner of her mouth. He smiled down at her. "Now then, let me go take care of this, and I'll see you at breakfast," he told her.
"Alright," she sighed. "I'll be waiting for you."
He wiped the thin line of blood from her chin with a finger. "You have no idea how happy that makes me," he told her, then he stood up and looked towards the door. "I'd better go before I get chewed out for being late. I'll see you in a while, love."
"Remember, beloved, you owe me," she called in a smug little tone as he walked away.
"I'm sure the haggling will be very, fun," he said over his shoulder as he went out the door.
Out in the sitting room, Tarrin stopped and closed his eyes. Spyder had to be relatively close, and that meant that she would have an affect on the Weave that he should be able to sense. The proximity of the main Conduit did dull his senses a little, drowning out the tiny shifts in the Weave he would usually be able to sense, but it couldn't hide the Urzani woman's powerful effect on the Weave. She was above him, well above him, from the sense of it, either on the top floor or the roof of the Tower itself.
He'd come to understand that Spyder didn't think in what one would call linear terms. Given the choice between the top floor and the roof, Tarrin would guess that she was on the roof. It just fit in more with what he understood of her. Stepping out onto the balcony, Tarrin wove together a quick spell of Air, forming a platform which would lift him up to the roof. He stepped up onto it, then caused it to rise, carrying him up to the top of the roof.
As he expected, the utter blackness of that strange black cloak she wore was visible on the other side of the roof, back to him, standing on the elegantly sculpted ledge of the Tower and looking out towards the east, towards the impending sunrise. Tarrin had never been on the top of the Tower before, and he was surprised by what he saw. Instead of emptiness, there were several small buildings, what looked like sheds or standing closets, scattered across the pristine white marble rooftop, which was perfectly flat. The dominating feature of the rooftop was the pyramid-shaped crystal cap that stood over the center of the Tower, where the Conduit that passed through the Tower was. The Conduit passed through that crystal skylight, through its exact center. The crystal showed no signs of being worked or shaped, it was perfectly smooth, unmarred, as if one massive crystal had been found and carefully cut down and polished into that final form. It was also fairly large, more than three times his height at its apex; after all, it covered a hole some forty spans across.
As soon as Tarrin put his foot on the ledge and stepped onto the rooftop, the Urzani woman turned around to face him. She was on the opposite side of the rooftop, which put a few hundred spans between them. He started walking towards her, feeling more and more the powerful effect she had on the Weave, so strong that even the main Conduit seemed to want to pull towards her. He glanced at the crystal pyramid as he passed by it, noticing that though he could see the main Conduit clearly, it cast no reflection against the crystal.
"Your sister is late," she said in that crisp, exacting manner of hers, but she was speaking Sha'Kar.
"She's a slow starter," he replied cordially, also in Sha'Kar. "Once she's fully awake, she'll start hurrying. She doesn't want to miss this."
"I would think not," Spyder said, slightly amused. "Can she speak the True Tongue?"
"I don't think so," he replied. "Only a handful of us can. Almost all of my close friends can, just to warn you. Don't say anything in Sha'Kar you don't want them to know if we ever happen to be with them."
"I doubt that will be an issue," she shrugged. "If I mean to say something only you will hear, I will whisper it."
He knew immediately what she meant. "How do you do that?" he asked immediately.
She smiled. "Patience, youngling. Let's wait for the child. I only want to teach it once." She pulled the cloak around her absently. "I'll have to teach the child the True Tongue. I feel uncomfortable passing knowledge outside my native language."
"I take it you know a way to do that quickly?"
She nodded. "Usually it would be impossible for me to use such a Mind weave on someone not my race, but my age and my intimate understanding of the human mind allows me to surpass that boundary," she explained. "You, on the other hand, are quite beyond me."
"That's alright, I already know it," he said urbanely.
"True, but there are some things I will teach Jenna through Mind weaves that I can't teach you. You'll have to learn them from her. Quickly."
"I'm a pretty fast learner," he assured her. Then he connected what she said to what they were doing quickly. "You're not coming back, are you?" he realized. "This is our only lesson, isn't it?"
She looked at him, a deep, penetrating look, and then gave him the slightest of smiles. "You are quick," she complemented. "Mother said you were much smarter than even you realized. But you are wrong, Tarrin Kael. I can grant simple knowledge, like a language, through Sorcery. But passing on a skill, something you have to practice to master, would be foolish to do. To have the knowledge to do something but lack the skill to do it is a very dangerous combination. It would be like a smith's apprentice trying to forge a ceremonial sword. He knows how it is done, but lacks the skill and experience to perform the task."
He worked that out in his mind, and understood that she was right. "What kind of things are you going to teach Jenna through Mind weaves?"
"Obviously, only knowledge," she replied. "I intend to teach her the history of our order. The true history. It will be one of her tasks to set that history in writing and allow the other Sorcerers to read it. For too long I have been the repository of our history and culture. That burden is now Jenna's."
"Why is that important?"
"To understand where one should go, sometimes one must know from where one came," she told him evenly. "To know our history will allow Jenna to guide the katzh-dashi in the proper direction." She gave Tarrin a slightly sorrowful look. "After today, your sister will be a different person, Tarrin," she warned in a compassionate voice. "Just as your own trial caused you to mature too soon,
what I will teach Jenna will mature her as well. She will still be your sister, but she will carry a wisdom and knowledge beyond her years. That can't help but change her."
He sighed, for he knew she was right. But Jenna would still be Jenna, and that was all that mattered to him. With her newfound knowledge, Jenna wouldn't help but have a different outlook on life. He only hoped that it would change her for the better, where his own trial had, at least at the beginning, changed him for the worse. "She'll still be my sister, and I'll still love her," he said calmly.
"Indeed," Spyder said with a slight smile. "She is coming."
"I can feel her. It seems she thinks you're on the top floor," he realized. She was approaching from the interior of the Tower.
"She'll learn she's wrong when she gets there and finds I'm still above her," Spyder told him lightly. "She'll come up from that stairwell there," she said, pointing to one of the tiny closet-like doors, which he realized were the tops of stairwells.
They waited in silence for only a moment, and then Jenna burst out of the opening door. She looked a little dishevelled, with her dress buttoned up the wrong way, her hair wild from where she'd slept on it, and one of her shoes in her hand rather than on her feet. She spotted them immediately and hurried over to where they were standing. "I'm sorry, I couldn't find my shoes!" she panted breathlessly.
"You are out of shape, girl," Spyder said critically. "You must exercise. A strong body is critical to strong magic."
"I will, I promise," she said, getting her breath back. "I don't get much chance to do much here in the Tower. Where are we going to start?"
"Brusque, is she not?" Spyder asked conversationally to Tarrin.
"When she's interested in something, she tends to forget custom and courtesy," Tarrin chuckled in reply.
"Well then, since you are so ready to begin, then let us begin," the Urzani said, stepping up to the smaller human adolescent. "I can tolerate not the ugliness of the Sulasian tongue," she stated flatly. "I will teach you the True Tongue, so we can speak without sounding like a pair of clucking chickens."
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