Honor and Blood

by James Galloway

  "How long do you figure?" Jesmind asked quickly.

  "I'd give her five minutes," Tarrin chuckled. "Maybe ten. Sarraya's a bit more touchy than the average Faerie."

  "What was that about, mama?" Jasana asked.

  "Something you'll learn when you're older, cub," she replied. "The quickest way to keep a Faerie from causing trouble is to offend it. That way it's so busy being mad it forgets to pull pranks and steal things from passers-by."

  "You made her mad on purpose?" Jasana asked in surprise.

  "Of course, cub. Faeries are flightly little annoyances. Were-cats sometimes don't get along with Faeries, so we've learned how to keep them from making us mad. That's how we do it."

  "We keep from getting mad by getting them mad first?" she asked uncertainly.

  "That's pretty much well right, cub," Jesmind chuckled. "You'll understand it better when you're a little older, I promise."

  "Oh. Alright."

  Obviously, they made Sarraya a little more angry than they thought, because she didn't come back. He fretted over that for only a few moments, however. Sarraya was rather flightly, and by tomorrow, she'd probably have forgotten about it. Tarrin remembered the way to Tomas and Janine's house, and it was exactly as he remembered it. The fence, the house, the garden, everything, it was just as it was when he was there last. There was a new addition, however, and that was a pair of armed guards standing at either side of the door. To his surprise, they were Ungardt, two rather large Ungardt in their fur vests and leather breeches and horned helmets, each holding a spear and a shield. Both had their hair in the pattern Ungardt braids, one with red hair and the other with blond hair. Both, he had to admit, were rather handsome men, though they were curiously clean-shaven. That was unusual in Ungardt their age. Most young Ungardt warriors favored the beard. Tarrin approached them with Jesmind holding Jasana, a bit wary of two armed men within striking distance of her daughter, and the two Ungardt seemed to sense the unease of his mate, picking their spears up from where their butts were resting on the ground.

  "Hold and stand down," Tarrin said in Ungardt, holding out his paws. "I come with no malice this day."

  "You know the words and the phrases, and you have the sound of a countryman, but you look like no Ungardt I've ever seen," the redheaded man said dubiously.

  "It's a long story, but my mother is of the blood," he said smoothly. "Why did Tomas hire you to guard his house? No one would want to hurt him!"

  "We were sent by Anrak," the blond said.

  "Anrak Whiteaxe?" Tarrin said in surprise.

  "The very one," the redhead said, in equal surprise. "You know the name?"

  Tarrin laughed. "He's my grandfather!" he announced.

  "You are Tarrin? Daughter of Elke Whiteaxe?" the blond asked quickly. Then he too laughed. "Anrak said you'd been changed, but I thought it was a wine dream!"

  "You are a clansman!" the redhead announced with a sudden bow. "I am Garstad, and this weak woman here is Thale. King Anrak has told many a story of you, Prince Tarrin."

  Tarrin hadn't heard that one before, but he remembered that technically, he was a prince. Anrak, his grandfather, was a clan king, and his mother was a princess. An irregularity in translation made Sulasians think of Ungardt clan leaders as chiefs rather than kings. That was why a Sulasian would call an Ungardt leader a clan chief.

  "I'll show you who the woman is here, Garstad," Thale said in a good-natured manner, striking the redheaded man with the shaft of his spear.

  "Why did grandfather send you here to guard Tomas?" Tarrin asked curiously.

  "You'll have to ask the king, my prince," Garstad said apologetically. "He didn't explain why. He just told us to do it."

  "Of course. I'll ask him when I see him," Tarrin said. "May I pass?"

  "Of course, my prince," Thale said with a bow. "We'd never bar your way. Please, go right ahead."

  "Thank you," he said politely, stepping between them and looking back at Jesmind. "It's alright, Jesmind. They're from my mother's clan. They're friends."

  "Yez-meen?" Thale said in heavily accented Sulasian, thoroughly destroying the pronunciation of his mate's name. "Ya is Ya-saw-na?" he asked, pointing at their daughter.

  "What's he saying?" Jesmind asked quickly.

  "Ya, ya is Ya-sahn-nah," Garstad said, then they both bowed to Jesmind and Jasana, which put a confused look all over his mate's face. At least Garstad got a little closer to pronouncing Jasana's name properly.

  "Tarrin?" Jesmind asked in confusion.

  "They're just showing respect for the mate and daughter of the grandson of their king, Jesmind," he told her with a sly smile. "My grandfather is their clan chief. I guess he told them about you two."

  "Oh. Oh, alright," she said, relaxing visibly. "I had no idea what they were about. They don't speak Sulasian, do they?"

  "I don't think so. Most Ungardt have alot of trouble with it," he said absently.

  "With all those yergs and yuns, I'm not surprised," Jesmind snorted, coming up to them calmly.

  Thale boldly reached out and took Jasana's little paw in his large hand and shook it lightly, smiling down at her from her position in Jesmind's arms. "Ya-saw-nah," he greeted her. "Suji Ya-saw-nah."

  "Don't break his fingers, cub," Jesmind warned immediately. "It's not nice to hurt the humans when they're being friendly."

  "I won't hurt him, mama, I promise," Jasana said, smiling shyly up at the Ungardt as he patted her paw. "He's nice, isn't he?"

  "The children of the Family are everyone's children," Tarrin explained as he knocked on the door. "Think of Thale here as an uncle, cub. All my Ungardt relatives are your relatives too."

  "Family? What does that mean?" Jesmind asked.

  "Ungardt custom," he replied with his back to her. "The family of the clan king is the family of the entire clan. That's why we're just called the Family. Jasana is the niece of every clansman and clanswoman. You're the daughter of all of them, just like I'm their son. Mother is their sister, and my grandfather is their father. It's symbolic, of course, but when it comes to a small child, the clan tends to take it seriously."

  "I never knew that about Ungardt," Jesmind admitted.

  "Few outside the Ungardt do," he shrugged as the door opened. It was the maid, the same maid he remembered from his time with them. He wasn't sure what her real name was, but everyone called her Nanna. She was a portly, middle-aged woman in a maid's dress, with a gray bun held with a pair of pins behind her head. She looked at Tarrin's chest, but then looked up at his face and blanched. "Master Tarrin!" she gasped. "You're here! What happened to you!"

  "Hello, Nanna," he said gently, warm memories of the woman flaring in his mind as her scent touched him. "You're looking well."

  "And you're looking tall!" she said in a wondrous voice. "Did you drink some of Deris' miracle fertilizer?"

  Tarrin laughed. "Nothing like that, but I'll tell you the story later. Are Tomas and Janine and Janette home?"

  "Of course they are, what, with all the soldiers around and all," she said immediately. "Please, come in, come in! Oh, and who is your lady friend?"

  "This is my mate, Jesmind, and my daughter Jasana," he introduced as Nanna moved back, to give them room to come in. Tarrin ducked under the door and led his family into the foyer. "Jesmind, Jasana, this is Nanna, the housekeeper. She's a very special friend," he smiled, remembering how she had turned down the opportunity for reward, had known that the Tower was looking for him, but had decided not to turn him in.

  "Tarrin's talked about you," Jesmind told her with a nod as Thale politely closed the door behind them.

  "I'm sure it was all about how I used to slip him food in the middle of the night," Nanna laughed. "Please, come this way. I'm sure they'll be happy to see you!"

  It certainly seemed that way. Janette virtually bolted out of her chair, squealing in delight, when Nanna led them into the parlor, where Janine and Tomas were sitting on their favorite chairs facing the fireplace. The parents stood u
p and called his name, but he didn't hear them. He knelt down and caught Janette as she flung herself into his arms, taking in her lilac-tinged scent, almost being intoxicated by it. Janette held a very special place in his heart, right there with his family, his sisters, his mate and his daughter. She was one of the most loved people in his life, and seeing her again, scenting her, feeling her close, it made the long months since he'd last seen her dwindle away to nothing.

  "What happened to you?" Janette asked when she pushed away enough to look up into his eyes. "You're all grown up!"

  Tarrin laughed. That statement held so many truths. She would never fully know how correct it was. "It's a very long story, little mother," he told her gently, picking her up with him as he stood. "If you're good, I'll tell it to you." He looked to Tomas and Janine. Tomas was a bit thinner, had a little more gray hair, but still looked spry. Janine was even more statuesquely beautiful, wearing a very expensive green silk dress that went well with her brown hair. Her hair was tied up in that severe bun, an exterior mark of her polar personality. Janine was a very regimented woman, strict and proper. Tomas was much more laid back than his wife, with a keen sense for business and a charming personality that many found appealing, and also happened to help him get the better of more than a few business dealings. Janette, their daughter, resembled her mother, but had softer features. She had the same dark hair and dark eyes, but Janette's eyes were much more lively than her mother's, a mark of her youth. Janette was about ten now, maybe eleven, and had all the hints in her form and face that she was going to be a real beauty.

  "What did happen to you, Tarrin?" Tomas asked curiously as they got up, and he embraced each of them in turn.

  "A long story, Tomas," he repeated. "I'll tell you later. But right now, I have some people I want you to meet."

  "That has to be Jesmind," Janine said to Tomas. "And the little girl is your daughter?"

  "My parents had to have been here lately," Tarrin laughed helplessly.

  "Just two days ago," Janine replied.

  "This is my mate, Jesmind. And this is my daughter, Jasana."

  "It's a pleasure," Jesmind said honestly, letting Tomas take her paw, which was about three times larger than his hand. "Tarrin speaks very highly of all of you."

  "He should, he's the family pet," Tomas said with a twinkle in his eye. "I've heard quite a bit about you, Mistress Jesmind. At first, Tarrin's parents hated you. Now they can't stop saying good things about you."

  "Well, that's encouraging," Jesmind said with a faint smile and a light flush. "I wasn't sure if they accepted me or not."

  "I think we could all do with a spot of tea," Janine said brusquely, assuming the role of hostess. "Nanna, would you be a dear and bring us some tea?"

  "Of course, madam," Nanna said with a short bow. "Deris just took some scones out of the oven. You know how good they are when they're warm."

  Tarrin set down Janette, and Jesmind put down Jasana, and the two little girls met for the first time. Janette was taller than Jasana, but the little Were-cat looked up at the human girl with steady, slightly shy eyes. "Wanna come up to my room?" Janette asked boldly. "Mother just got me a doll house. Wanna see it?"

  "Alright," Jasana said with a sudden smile.

  "Can we be excused, mother?" Janette asked.

  "Right up and right down," Janine told her sternly. "It's impolite to ignore our guests, and I'm sure you'll want to visit a while with Tarrin."

  "Of course I do," she said with a smile.

  Jesmind fixed Jasana with an icy stare. "Remember what you were told, young lady," she warned.

  "I know, I know," Jasana said glumly. "Don't break anything, and no horseplay. I may hurt someone."

  "Good girl. Now go on," Jesmind said with a nudge of her head.

  Jasana followed Janette out of the room, and Janine had everyone sit down. Tarrin and Jesmind sat on the sofa beside the fireplace, which was moved from the other side of the parlor since the last time he'd been there. "She's lovely, Tarrin," Janine said appreciatively of Jasana. "How old is she?"

  "About two," Tarrin replied, and then he cut off the scoffing remark. "She's not human, Janine. Were-cat children grow much, much faster than human children."

  "I guess so, but it seems almost unnatural," Janine bristled.

  "For you, it would be," Jesmind said mildly.

  "Alright, now spill it, Tarrin. What happened to make you so tall?" Tomas asked impatiently.

  Tarrin dutifully repeated the story for Tomas and Janine, and then he caught up with them over a cup of Nanna's excellent tea. The children returned from upstairs after a little while, and Tarrin enjoyed having them both on his lap as he listened to what had been going on in Suld, both or the family and for the people in general, getting a point of view from the common citizen. "Everyone's really nervous," Janine sighed. "Everybody knows there's an army coming, though the regent won't admit it. The Knights told the army, the army told the Watch, and the Watch told everyone else. We've been getting ready for it."

  "Yes. I've put all my holdings on my ships and sent them to the Stormhavens," Tomas added. "I'm not sure what to do about the house. I don't want to pack it up, but I don't want to lose what's inside it either."

  "I doubt it'll get this far, Tomas," Tarrin told him. "I'm privy to some of the higher-up information. We have enough soldiers on hand to repel an invasion, if it comes down to it. If there is any damage, it's going to be mainly in the areas of the city near the walls. This house should be safe, since it's behind the Tower."

  "What do you mean?" Janine asked.

  "That's the target of this attack," Tarrin told her. "The army wants to crush the Tower and destroy the katzh-dashi. If they get into the city, they'll go right for the Tower. Since this house is between the Tower and the harbor, it'll be out of the direct path of the attack."

  "Well, that's almost a relief," Janine said. "Why are they after the Tower?"

  "The Firestaff, Janine," he told her. They knew about it; they'd been in the room when he told the others he'd been charged to seek it out, so long ago. "The katzh-dashi is close to finding the Firestaff. This attack is meant to stop them from getting it by destroying them before they can do anything about it."

  "You mean you are close to the Firestaff," Tomas reasoned.

  Tarrin gave him a rueful look. "I'm closer than I was when I left Suld, but I'm still a long way from it," he replied. "But I'm closer than my enemies are, and that's good enough for them to do anything to stop me. Even attack Suld."

  "What is this Firestaff, Tarrin?" Janette asked him curiously.

  "An old artifact that's very, very valuable, little mother," he told her. "It's so valuable that people are willing to fight over it."

  "That seems silly, fighting over some old piece of junk," she fretted, taking a scone from the tray and biting into it.

  "Some people are like that," Jesmind told her. "Some can't see what they have, they can only yearn for what they don't."

  "That's very well said, Mistress Jesmind," Tomas said with an approving nod. "Is that more or less everything, Tarrin?"

  "Pretty much," he replied. "I don't really sit in with the high-ups. It's not my style. Besides, I have my mate and daughter, and they require alot of attention."

  "Better you spend your time with me than with them," Jesmind said bluntly. "At least you don't leave me in a tizzy like you do when you're around them."

  "Mate? Is that a term for a wife?" Janine asked. She would, being so straight-laced.

  "Loosely," Jesmind told her. "Me and Tarrin are a couple until we can't stand each other anymore, then we'll part ways. It's a Were-cat peculiarity. We can't settle down with one mate like humans can. We'd wear on each other to the point where we'd be fighting every day." She looked at him. "As long as he's my mate, the other females know to stay away from him. When we part ways, they'll probably start circling him like vultures. Tarrin is very popular among the females."

  "Kimmie says he's smart, and he's kind, an
d he has a nice--"

  "That's enough, cub!" Jesmind warned. "No talk like that around the humans!"

  Janine looked about ready to have a fit. Jesmind had cut Jasana off, but it was pretty apparent what Jasana was about to say, and it was a word that no two year old child should understand. It was no word that any morally responsible twenty year old human female should understand. There was an uncomfortable silence, and then Janette burst into a fit of giggling that nearly made Janine's eyes pop out of her head. Tarrin realized that Janine was having a tiff in her mind trying frantically to figure out if Janette was giggling because she did understand what that word meant.

  "I say, you must have a much different culture," Tomas said to Jesmind with a slight grin, which Janine couldn't see.

  "We don't hide things from our children, Tomas," she said evenly. "We're part animal, so that means that we accept all things natural as they are, without assigning the same importances to them that humans do."

  "Ah. A very logical explanation," he said. "Would you like more tea?"

  "Please," she said, holding up her cup.

  Tomas rather artfully steered the conversation to inane, little things, giving his wife the time she needed to regain her composure. Janine managed to engage Jesmind in a talk about music, then she agreed to play her harpsichord for them. Tarrin had heard her play that keyboard instrument before, with its haunting, sharp sounds, and Tarrin used that time to catch up with Janette. He laid on the floor by the fire with her and Jasana, listening to her as she told him all about everything that had happened to her since he'd last seen her, all those things that were important to a child, yet had little meaning to an adult. The time and the talking let him reestablish the strong bond he had with the little human girl, the girl whose love for him had sustained him through many hard times, had caused him to make many of the decisions that had brought him to where he was. The hectic pace of his life didn't often let him lay back and enjoy the simple things in life, or appreciate what he indeed did have. Then again, here lately, he had so many of his friends and family around him that he couldn't seem to find the time to spend as much time with each and every one of them as he should. He always felt like he was neglecting one to pay attention to another.