by Fel
"Point taken," he said, shrugging out of his shirt. Allia and him quickly undressed, and they slid into the bathing pool just at Keritanima's feet. Keeping up appearances, just in case someone did manage to spy on them. "I assume that you wanted more than just our company, or am I here to marvel at the perfection of the Royal form?"
She laughed. "Much as I enjoy letting my guard down around you two, no, I'm afraid this is business," she told him. "After what happened to you, the Tower is absolutely abuzz with rumor and hearsay. I've already picked up quite a few little tidbits. Miranda didn't know where to begin trying to repeat it."
"Miranda?" Allia asked.
"The maid," Tarrin answered. "Didn't I tell you her name?"
"No, deshida," she replied.
"Sorry."
"Well, I sat down and picked through most of it, and I've come to a few conclusions," Keritanima continued. "What happened with you and that, creature, had a larger effect than just putting pretty lights in the sky. I don't know why, but it's made several Sorcerers very nervous. I found out that the Keeper's in a rage because it got onto the grounds."
"I can penetrate the Ward, so I figure that it figured out a way to do it to," Tarrin shrugged.
"You managed it?"
"With all that happened, I guess we haven't had a good talk," Tarrin said ruefully. "Yes, I figured out how to penetrate the Ward. It's very easy, truth be told. That Ward isn't half as powerful as the katzh-dashi seem to think it is."
"Good, we'll talk about that in a bit," she said. "That light show you created seems to have set something in motion. I heard a couple of Sorcerers talking about it myself. They tend to speak around the Brat Princess, because everyone believes that she's a complete ditz."
"She is a ditz, Kerri."
Keritanima gave him a wolfish grin. "That's the idea," she said.
"I don't see how you keep yourself separate from that," Allia told her. "It seems unnatural."
"It's acting, shaida," Keritanima told her with a smile. "The Brat Princess is just an image, a front. She has her own personality, but fortunately it's not sufficiently complex that it makes it hard to keep her in character. She's not me, just a face that I show to the world. That's why I always refer to her as she rather than I. It's just a role I play, nothing more."
"Then I bow to your acting skill," Allia smiled.
"I'll take that as a complement," Keritanima said graciously. "Anyway, whatever this event was that got started by the lighting up of the Ward, I have no idea yet. They seemed almost afraid to talk about it. Miranda brought in a little extra. She tells me that alot of Sorcerers expect the King himself to try to do something, and more than one are expecting wars to start all over the continent."
"Wars?" Tarrin asked in surprise. "What on earth for?"
"That's something that we're going to have to find out," Keritanima said. "We Wikuni trade with the humans, but we don't interact a great deal with them. This probably has something to do with human history, or some obscure prophecy or foretelling that we've never bothered to look into." She looked down at them, her eyes blank as she thought, clawed finger tapping the side of her muzzle. "I have the strong suspicion that it involves us, somehow," she said finally. "Perhaps this task that they're obviously trying to prepare us for is somehow involved with the potential political upheaval."
"I don't see how," Allia said. "We hardly have the ability to stop armies."
"No, but you always have to remember that an army marches at the command of one man," Keritanima said thoughtfully. "It's not the army we're trying to stop, but perhaps the king commanding it. If that's it at all."
"What do you mean?" Tarrin asked.
"It's not the potential war that concerns me, it's the reason for starting it," she answered. "Things have been calm in the Western Kingdoms for centuries. The last major war was the Draconian civil war. The kingdoms in the West are all on good terms with one another. Why disrupt profitable trade agreements? It would have to be something of great value, more than enough to make a war profitable. Remember, war is very expensive, and not just in the cost of lives. No kingdom goes to war unless they have a good reason, and there's a potential for profit."
"So, you think all the wars would have the same objective?" Allia asked.
"Probably," she replied. "If every kingdom in the west is suddenly going to attack their neighbors, then there has to be a unifying goal behind it." She blinked, then pulled her hair back away from her face. "But that's a worry for another day," she said. "We have more pressing problems right now. Miranda heard that they're going to step up our training. I'm sure that fits in with everything else going on around here, and it proves that we do indeed have something to do for the Tower. I think that the fireworks two days ago was a wake-up call for them. We should expect things to move fast."
Tarrin looked down at the water, then leaned up against the side of the bathing pool and stared at Keritanima's feet. "I, think we're going to have a problem," he said softly.
"What? What's the matter?" Keritanima asked.
"The fight with that Doomwalker, I never told you how I beat it."
"I heard that you burned it to ashes," Keritanima replied. "They found you half char-broiled. The Sorcerers think you lost control of yourself, because one said you were nearly Consumed."
"That did happen," he said, "but it happened because the Doomwalker bulled me into the Conduit that runs through the core of the Tower."
Keritanima stared at him. Allia came up and put her hand on his back.
"The reason the Conduit lit up was because I made it happen," he told her. "I had to, or they would have found two piles of ash. It was the only thing I could do to avoid getting incinerated. But the Conduit, damaged me. I can't use Sorcery now, not without it getting away from me. I can't control it."
"Are you sure?" Keritanima asked.
He nodded. "I almost killed myself more than once trying to figure out a way around it, but I can't," he replied. "If I touch the Weave, it's like the Weave tries to grab me, and it's like it tries to fill me with all its magic all at once. I can't stop that flood, and it happens too quickly for me to even try to let go."
"How long were you active? Half a day?" He nodded. "Maybe you just need more practice, and it will come to you," she offered.
"No, this is, different," he said after a moment. "I can feel it. Whatever is happening, it's not coming from me. It's coming from outside, and there's nothing I can do about it."
"We'll have to wait and see. They've already started teaching me how to weave spells," she said. "I've managed to get single-flow weaves down without having them blow up in my face. They're going to start teaching me multiple-weave flows in a couple of more days, after my instructor feels I refine my control a bit."
"Is it easy, shaida?"
"As easy as trying to tie a triple-hoist knot with your tongue," she said sourly. "I've learned that doing Sorcery takes practice. I've been practicing on my own after class."
"I thought that was forbidden," Allia noted.
"It is, but I've never been one to follow rules that don't suit me," she said with a faint grin. "How have you been doing?"
"It is still, difficult," she sighed. "I can feel it out there, but I can't quite manage to find it."
"Open your eyes," Tarrin told her.
"What?"
"Open your eyes," he repeated. "Try to look for it. That's what did it for me. Given your eyesight, it may help you focus yourself better."
"I'll have to try that," she said after a second. "I've been keeping my eyes closed."
"I'd like to have all three of us able to touch the Weave before we start with the plan," Keritanima said. "Because if we can arrange some private tutoring from Dolanna, I want her to be able to teach us as fast as humanly possible. That means that she won't have to go over the basics."
"When did you want to start?"
"In a couple of ten-days," she replied. "There's enough buzz going around to where we don't have
to incite it, so let's capitalize on that while we can. Oh, Tarrin, I think you know my new next-door neighbor."
"How do you mean?"
"They moved a new Initiate into the room by mine."
"I thought your maid had that room."
"The other side," she elaborated. "He's a young Arkisian named Dar."
"Dar!" Tarrin said, memories of his Novice friend flooding through him. Then he laughed. "He made good time."
"How do you know him?"
"We were roommates in the Novitiate," he told her. "He's a very nice young man. I like him a great deal."
"He's tolerant, I'll give him that," she said with a wolfish smile. "I unleashed the Brat Princess on him, and he was exquisitely courteous."
"He's the child of a merchant family," Tarrin told her. "They taught him a great deal."
"Yes, they did," she agreed. "Anyway, we need to get in touch with Tiella," she said. "Since Novices and Initiates aren't really allowed to mingle, we'll have to do it in here, when she's bathing. Do you think you can arrange to be in here tomorrow? I'll find out when her floor bathes for you."
"I can manage it," he replied. "Dolanna's a bit lenient as far as punctuality goes."
"This will also have to be how we exchange information with her," she added. "It's the only place where a Novice and an Initiate talking won't arouse suspicion. Mainly because there's no uniform to distinguish them when they're both naked."
"I'm a rather striking person, Kerri."
"Yes, but Dar isn't," she said bluntly. "If we're going to do this, we need at least one person that doesn't stick out like a cannonball on a banquet table. That means that we have to find someone we can trust. Do you trust Dar?"
Tarrin answered immediately. "Of course," he replied. "He's a very good friend, and he's already keeping quite a few secrets for me already."
"Then you should have a talk with him," she said. "Explain things to him, but leave me and Allia out of it. Just tell him you want to relay information between Tiella and you, and that the information may be sensitive. Make sure he understands it could get him in trouble. There's no need to send him off without understanding the danger."
"He'll do it for me," Tarrin said confidently.
"Good. After we leave here, I'm going to have to be careful. Jervis is here, and he's already setting up his spy network. Our meetings like this are going to have to be only for important matters. I've already set up mine, so we're going to be sneaking around each other for a while."
"How do you manage spies without letting them know who you are?" Tarrin asked.
"Miranda," she replied with a wink. "From the way everything looks to someone outside the loop, it's Miranda that protects me, not me protecting her. There have been any number of attempts on her life, so that tells me that our ruse is very effective. Miranda is a very clever young lady who does a remarkable job being my puppet."
"You dishonor her to use her so, shaida," Allia said disapprovingly.
"I don't use her, sister," Keritanima replied. "We have what you may call a friendship within a business relationship. I pay her quite handsomely for her service, and she and I are very good friends. She helps me keep my identity secret, and I repay her by making sure that she'll never want for anything when I pension her. She's very good. I almost don't have to instruct her anymore. She'll make a killing as a spy or head of intelligence when I release her. If she doesn't simply retire, anyway."
"Well, that's different then," Allia said. "You do honor her in her task, and you respect her for the danger she faces in your stead."
"That I do," she agreed sincerely. "Anyway, since you can penetrate the Ward, I want you to leave your calendar open ten days from tomorrow night," she continued. "Both of you. We're going on a field trip."
"The Cathedral?" Tarrin asked.
She nodded. "No doubt the priests have a cache of very useful information over there, and I find myself curious to see what they've managed to find out."
"Why so long to wait?" Allia asked.
"Because it'll take me that long to arrange a way for me to disappear for that long without being noticed," she replied. "Jervis is good, so I can't just walk away any time I feel like it anymore. I'll have to carefully set up my free time."
"You give this Jervis much honor," Allia said.
"He's the best," Keritanima said bluntly. "If I can beat him, then it'll prove to him, and my father, just who the best really is," she said with sudden fierceness. Then she blinked and looked down at them. "Well, I think you two will want to expand your minds. That means you need to start visiting the library."
"What are we looking for?" Tarrin asked.
"Anything that may hint at some specific weaves that the Ancients used to use," she told him. "Anything that may give us an edge."
"I don't read the human words very well, shaida," Allia admitted. "It's an ugly writing. It looks like two rock lizards fighting in a sandcrawler's web."
"I'll appreciate what you can do, Allia," Keritanima replied. "I can't ask for more than what you can give."
"We'll time our revolt with the excursion," the Wikuni mused. "We can start revolting after we're back from the Cathedral. That will give us some extra time to look over what we find."
"That's a good idea," Tarrin agreed.
"It also means that I'll have to flaunt my friendship with you over the next few days. Jervis hasn't been here long, and you've been mainly out of sight, Tarrin. Best to club him over the head with it now, before he starts looking for information. That way, he won't give us speaking too much attention. We could probably slip in all sorts of things that way." She looked at Allia. "You too," she smiled. "You'll just have to come up with a reason to like the Brat, Allia." She thought about it so quickly that Allia didn't have a chance to reply before she spoke again. "Actually, let me handle that. You're exotic, and the Brat is attracted to exotic things. She'd tone her attitude down if it meant being friends with someone unusual and exotic. The only thing even close to academics that the Brat pursues is geography, so she'll use that to break the ice with you. The Brat Princess is strangely fixated by it. It gives her a bit of depth."
"I would say so," Tarrin said. "It also hints to others that she's not a total airhead."
"Yes, but it was a defense I designed a while ago, just in case someone started thinking I was more than I showed to others," she replied. "It also gave me a very good excuse to be in the library."
"Alright, so tomorrow, I talk to Tiella, talk to Dar," Tarrin said.
Keritanima nodded. "I'll be busy getting into Allia's good graces, and resuming our friendship."
"Then I guess we have a plan."
"For now. Did you talk to my cat?"
He nodded. "He'll come find me if you tell him to."
"Good." She brought her bushy tail around her body and began combing it out. "Now then, there's just one more thing."
"What?"
"I need my back brushed," she said with a toothy grin. "Be a dear and smooth my fur."
To: Title EoF
Chapter 14
There were a great many things to do, and it was starting to feel to Tarrin that they were running out of time.
He was sitting in the small training chamber, nervous and uncertain, waiting for Dolanna to arrive. He had no idea how it was going to go. Perhaps a day of staying away from the Weave had corrected the problem he was having, but he wasn't so sure about that. He had tried to find Tiella before coming to the chamber, but she hadn't appeared in the baths, nor did he see her in the hallways as he wandered about. Novices had set schedules, so it was certain that she was somewhere specific, and that she would be there again tomorrow. Keritanima said she would find out where she was, and that made Tarrin a bit uncertain. How would an Initiate with no direct contact with Tiella be able to find her? True, she was a Princess, and she was good at finding things out, but he wasn't so sure that she could find Tiella in a day, and not leave tracks that she was asking.
He'd been so
intent on finding Tiella that he didn't get a chance to talk to Dar. That would be handled after class, because Dar would be easy to track down. Initiates were given much more freedom than Novices but still only had so many places that they were allowed to go, and since Tarrin was Dar's friend, it wouldn't arouse suspicion if he asked around to find him.
Tarrin was still a bit unsure about Keritanima's ideas. He'd never seen spying and intrigue, so he had no idea how she was going to manage all the things she said she would do. He did like her plan, however, so that told him that she must know what she was doing. But he had trouble conceiving of something that he couldn't see or touch. That was an aspect of the Cat growing to hold a position in his mind, and he knew it, but he didn't have much choice in the matter. It was either give the Cat some room, or have it drive him mad. It wasn't altering his imagination, but it did have the effect of, as Dolanna put it, grounding him in his senses. Anything he couldn't see, couldn't smell, couldn't experience, they seemed misty and intangible, and it was a struggle to overcome the Cat and ponder them.
But fortunately, pondering Keritanima's plans wasn't necessary. Not with Keritanima there to carry them out.
The door opened, scattering Tarrin's thoughts, and Dolanna entered. To his surprise, she wasn't the only one. Ahiriya, the Fire Seat, filed in behind the diminutive Sorceress, dressed in a red robe that set off her pale skin and fiery hair. That set Tarrin's mind whirling, and one of his paws began to tremble. To have to perform for Ahiriya was one thing, but it would become very clear very quickly to her and the Council that he was hampered. If he was still injured inside, or whatever it was.
"Good morning, Tarrin," Dolanna said pleasantly. "This is Ahiriya, a member of the Council. Often, they prefer to sit in with an Initiate and his instructor to ensure you are receiving proper instruction."
"Dolanna, this is not a good idea," he said quickly, almost desperately. "I didn't--"
"That's Mistress Dolanna," Ahiriya said in an icy tone, glaring at him.
"Don't push me, woman," Tarrin said to her in a cold voice that promised violence.
