The Tower of Sorcery

by James Galloway

  "It's how she survived," Tarrin told her.

  "Hopefully, the actions will pan out for us," Allia continued. "Without us knowing what is going on, it puts us at a serious disadvantage."

  "Have you heard any rumor about the light?" Tarrin asked Tomas.

  "Some, but it's been mostly just rehashing of how it looked. I only heard one rumor that it was a bad omen, but there wasn't any real support for it, and they didn't go into detail."

  "Well, something's going on. It's obvious now," Tarrin said. "We're doing our best to find out what it is, without letting them know that we know."

  "What can I do to help, Tarrin?" Tomas asked.

  Tarrin felt tremendous warmth and trust in the willowy man now. "At the moment, nothing," he said. "But it wouldn't hurt if you always kept a copy of your shipping schedule around. Just in case."

  Tomas nodded. "I have six ships now, Tarrin. They're coming in and out all the time. I'm sure that any of them could handle a bit of extra passage."

  Tomas understood perfectly. That was a tremendous load off his mind. Tomas would get them out of Suld, if it came to having to run. "You have no idea how comforting that is to me," Tarrin told him.

  "It's always good to keep friends comfortable," Tomas said with a smile.

  "How did you manage to get time to come here, Tarrin?" Eron asked.

  Allia gave Tarrin a smile, and Tarrin laughed. "They didn't," he replied. "I gave myself the time off."

  "They'll throw a fit if they find out," Eron laughed.

  "Let them. Right now, they need me more than I need them. That lets me really push things."

  "No doubt," Janine agreed. "Well, if you're playing hookey to be here, let's not waste your time with serious conversation that depresses you. Why don't we play some King's Castle? Your mother says you're very good at it, and I'm tired of Tomas losing all our games."

  "I do not!" Tomas challenged.

  "Then you be partners with Elke," she replied in a sweet voice.

  "I'd rather have a chance at winning, Janine," Elke said, which made Tomas snort.

  "I'll show both of you. Eron, do you hear this slander?"

  "Oh, no, I'm not getting into this one," Eron said. "I'd have a very hard time trying to prove you don't lose by keeping us from losing."

  That made both women laugh, and Tomas gave Eron a blistering look. "Then let's play Tarok," he offered.

  "I hate Tarok," Janine objected.

  "Precisely."

  "You're very close to sleeping in the guest room, dear," Janine said in a dangerous tone.

  "Put your money where your ego is, dear," Tomas said. "King's Castle. If me and Tarrin lose, I'll sleep on the floor tonight."

  "You better make sure you find enough blankets," Janine said with a competitive grin. "Let's give my husband a backache, Elke."

  "I think I can enjoy a bit in Tomas' suffering," Elke said with a nasty grin.

  "That's mean, Elke."

  "I'm Ungardt, Tomas," she told him. "We like being mean."

  "I'll play, but I have other people to visit tonight," he said, giving Janette a telling squeeze. "Before it's her bedtime."

  "Then I'll play for you, Tarrin," Eron said. "You visit with Janette. I'll put Tomas on the floor for you."

  "He wouldn't do that!" Tomas challenged.

  "Tarrin is half Ungardt, and my son, Tomas," Elke smirked. "He likes being mean too."

  "You ruined it, mother. He'd have never known I would throw the game if you wouldn't have opened your mouth."

  "Traitor," Tomas said sourly at him.

  Tarrin just gave him a fanged grin, and that made the ladies laugh.

  "This is cheating," Tomas growled. "I'm surrounded by people who want me on the floor tonight."

  "You expected sympathy from this group?" Janine asked in feigned shock. "You need to wake up, dear."

  "I would like to watch," Allia said. "I have never seen this game played before."

  "I'll teach you the rules, Allia," Elke told her. "It's an easy enough game, if you're paying attention to what you're doing."

  "Are not all games so?" Allia said, getting up as the adults started towards the card table in the far corner of the room.

  "You come too, Jenna, so you can continue the tradition of female superiority in cards," Elke said, slapping Tomas on the shoulder with enough force to send him staggering forward. Sometimes his mother didn't know her own strength.

  "Well now, it seems that I've got a certain little mother to catch up with," Tarrin told Janette, tapping her on the nose with the tip of his tail and making her giggle. "I've missed hearing all about your dolls, Janette."

  "You don't care about my dolls," she challenged.

  "I care about everything about you, little mother," he told her, pushing her off of his lap. "Now then, there's only one way that I can really visit with you."

  "How is that?"

  Tarrin reached under his shirt, and withdrew the small wooden toy that had been the main plaything in their many games. He dangled it from the end of its string, giving her a gentle smile, and then handed it to her.

  "Oh, Shadow wants to play," Janette said with a beaming smile.

  "Shadow does indeed," he told her with a gentle, loving smile, then he hunkered down and shapeshifted into his cat form.

  Laughing, Janette dropped the scratched, battered wooden figure on the floor, and Tarrin pounced on it, feeling all his cares and worries melt away in lieu the pure simple joy of the game.

  Chapter 15

  Tarrin and Allia returned to their room just before dawn. They had slept over at the house, Allia in the extra guest room, Tarrin at the foot of Janette's bed, and Tomas on the floor in the parlor. The sense of peace and calm of the house was still with him as they crept into their own rooms just before the other Initiates began to stir to prepare for the coming day. It had been very good for him, a night without any worries or cares, surrounded by the people that he truly trusted. He met Socks, his replacement, and had a long talk with the black cat with white paws about what was correct and proper, and what was not. Because Tarrin was Were, the cat listened to him, and would obey. Tarrin couldn't force obediance, but housecats held Were-cats in very high regard. Socks would behave now. He also got to see his family and Allia interact, and he was surprised. Allia fit in with them perfectly, and it was as if she filled the only missing piece. She was Tarrin's older sister, Jenna's confidante, and his parents saw her as the one child they had lost. Tarrin had had an older sister, named Alexa, but she had died in infancy, two years before Tarrin was born. Allia became that lost daughter, filling the only true hole in the hearts of his parents. And what suprised Tarrin was how totally comfortable Allia was with being adopted into Tarrin's rather unique family. Elke was a very strong woman, powerful, willful, and wise, and Allia respected her tremendously. Eron was a bit more laid back than his wife, easygoing and with a wit, a bit quiet and always speaking to the point, but he had a quiet calm strength that seemed almost unshakable. Eron was the rock from which the family built its foundation, and Allia had immediately understood that. Jenna was mystified by the ethereally beautiful Selani, and Allia had began to teach her the forms of her people more suitable for her small frame.

  It was a reminder of what he had lost, and a goal which now stood before him. Tarrin would have his family. They would all live together in peace, and want for nothing. When all the craziness was over, when he and Keritanima and Allia could come out of the desert without fear, then he would live as close to his family as he could. The bad taste he had for the Tower meant that it wouldn't be in Suld. Tarrin would rather return to Aldreth, where his non-human nature wouldn't be so serious, and where he could use his non-human status to help the village with the other non-humans that drifted in from the Frontier to trade. It was what he wanted, it was what he decided he was going to have, and by the gods, it was what he was going to get.

  But there were other things to attend to, and that was what occupied his mind as he des
cended the stone stairs to the baths, scenting the passage of the Novices mingling with the smell of cloth and mineral-rich water, of heat and steam, and of the rock itself. Tarrin had developed the habit of bathing when there were the fewest people in the baths, because his presence still caused a bit of commotion with Novices, and even Initiates. The fights he'd had and the rather gruesome things he'd done to his assailants had terrified most of the other students, and they would have nothing to do with him. They were, after all, only children. Tarrin couldn't really blame them for it, but it hurt to see the fear in their eyes as he passed, to hear the whispers that they didn't realize his sensitive ears could pick up. But if luck was with them, then the Novices wouldn't be scared of him much longer.

  It didn't take him long to find Tiella. She was in the cooler water, and she had her knees bent so the water covered her to the neck. Even after months, Tiella was still so modest that she couldn't stand bathing with others.

  The area around Tiella cleared immediately when Tarrin slipped into the pool, holding a bar of soap, and approached the pretty former villager. "You missed a spot," he told her absently.

  She turned around, and then smiled. "Tarrin," she said warmly, standing up in the water. When the move lifted her breasts above the surface of the water, she blushed furiously and sank back into the water.

  "Tiella," Tarrin sighed, "I think that you shouldn't worry about that with me. I've already seen them. It doesn't make any difference now."

  Her face turning red, she stood up quickly, water splashing, and she glared at him. Then she realized what she did, and then blushed even more and laughed ruefully. "Alright, I give up," she told him. "But if you stare, I'm going to pull your tail off."

  "Let me make it up to you," he said, going around her and lathering her back with the bar of soap.

  "Well, alright, but I wouldn't let anyone else do this," she said, allowing him to wash her back. "How have you been?"

  "Busy," he said.

  "I heard. Are you alright?"

  "I've healed up, but there have been some side effects. Sorry if I don't go into them right now."

  "That's alright. Did you know that I'm almost done with the Novitiate?"

  "No. That was some quick work."

  "The training I got from Gerin really helped," she said. "He was alot more than a herbalist. He was very interested in the world, and he taught me alot of it. I was allowed to skip over alot of classes."

  "Congratulations," he told her.

  "Thanks. What's the Initiate like?"

  "I really haven't been in it long enough to form any opinions, Tiella," he told her. "So far, it's been just like the Novitiate, except without all the silly rules. We can eat when we want and bathe when we want, and our time outside of classes is our own."

  "That sounds almost dreamy compared to the schedules," she said sourly. "I'm tired of living by the clock."

  "Well, just buckle down," he told her. "When do you take the final test?"

  "In five days," she replied. "I've already been told that I shouldn't have any trouble passing it. Then I'll move to the Initiate."

  "Hmm," Tarrin said. "This may change some things."

  "What do you mean?"

  "Do you still clean the Keeper's office?"

  "Yes," she replied. "Every day."

  "Then I want you to do me a favor," he said quietly. "But it may get you in trouble."

  "What's the favor?"

  "If you see anything about me, or hear them talking about me, or about what happened to me, could you pass that along?" he asked. "Anything that sounds like it'll affect me."

  "I guess so," she said after a moment. "Why do you want to know that?"

  "Something's going on, Tiella," he told her. "They want something from me, or want me to do something for them, but they won't tell me what it is. Well, I want to know before they ask me to do it. I want to know what I may be getting myself into."

  "Oh," she said after a moment. "I can do that for you, Tarrin," she said. "I think I've already seen some things, and I know that the Keeper asks how you're coming along almost every day. When you were missing, she was almost in a constant rage."

  "I know," Tarrin said quietly. "What did you hear?"

  "Well, they were trying to get the Wikuni to give them a clipper and a crew," she said. "It sounded awfully important, but the Wikuni are mad at them for some reason, and won't do it. They keep talking about someone's education. It's a really big thing. The Keeper and that stupid-looking rabbit Wikuni were even shouting at each other yesterday."

  "I know what that's all about," Tarrin grunted. "What about the ship? Did they say why they wanted it?"

  "I think I heard the Keeper tell him that they needed it to get somewhere," she said. "She was flattering the Wikuni with how his people were the best sailors, and they'd need that skill."

  "They are," Tarrin told her absently. "But she never said why?"

  "No," she told him. "Just that they wanted one. Maybe they want to send some Sorcerers to the Stormhaven Isles or something."

  "Maybe it's important, maybe not," Tarrin said. "Anything else you can remember?"

  Tiella was quiet for a few moments. "Not really," she said finally. "They really don't talk around us that much, Tarrin, and we're only in there for a couple of hours at the most."

  "Well, that may change," he said. "What time do you clean her office?"

  "After lunch, every day," she replied.

  "Well, do me a favor and keep your ears open," he told her. "I have the feeling that the Keeper may be very talkative for the next few days."

  "Why do you say that?"

  "Just trust me," he said with a chuckle. "I can't come and talk to you ever morning. That'll look very suspicious. So I'm sending someone. You remember my roommate in the Novitiate, Dar?"

  "The cute Arkisian?" she asked as she rinsed herself off and turned to face him. Tarrin noticed that she was blushing. "Yes, I remember him."

  "Good. He's the one you'll need to talk to. If you have anything you want me to know, tell him, and he'll give it to me." He gave her a look. "You like him."

  She blushed deeper. "Well, he is cute, Tarrin, and he has nice manners and he's been nice to me when we talk. And I have to stand here and talk to him while I'm naked as the day I was born."

  "He will be too, so it's not like you're not on even ground," he reminded her. "I'll tell him to be very friendly to you. If it looks like you two are sweet on each other, it won't look unusual if you're talking in whispers."

  Tiella blushed furiously, and gave him a murderous look. Tarrin realized that Tiella had a crush on Dar. That was almost perfect. He could orchestrate a bit of matchmaking easily. Dar needed a girlfriend, and there weren't many girls out there better than Tiella. Tarrin would make sure that Tiella was well rewarded for her risk, and giving her the object of her affection seemed a very appropriate gift.

  No friend of Tarrin's went hungry.

  "You'll do it for me?" Tarrin asked seriously.

  "I'll do it," she almost fumed. "But I'm mad at you."

  "What for?"

  "Making me whisper and get close to Dar?" she said.

  "Don't worry," Tarrin said with a wink. "He'll be very receptive. Even if I have to grab him by the neck and shake him."

  "Tarrin!" she gasped.

  He only smiled at her. "I'll see you when you're in red, Tiella. Good luck."

  "That's it? You're leaving?"

  "I'm skipping my morning class," he said with a wicked smile. "I figure they'll find me in about ten minutes. I don't think you want to be around me when they catch up with me."

  "Uh oh," she laughed. "Are you going to be nice?"

  "No," he said in a flat voice.

  She laughed again. "Then I think I want to be out of here," she agreed. She reached up and patted him on the cheek. "I'll keep my ears open for you, Tarrin," she promised.

  "I appreciate it," he told her.

  "Now, I think it's time for us to go," she said. "
It's almost time for my breakfast, and I don't want to go to class hungry."

  "I should find a quiet place, so my yelling doesn't raise a fuss," he winked.

  "You do that," she laughed. "Now turn around so I can get out of the pool."

  "You are such a wimp," he teased, going to the edge and pulling himself out. He shook himself to get rid the excess water, then picked up a towel from a chair. "See you later," he told her, walking over towards his clothes.

  Five days. It wasn't that much time, and it may not do him much good, but Tarrin could fix that. So, the Keeper raged. Tarrin's mother also raged, and the one thing he knew about her was that when someone is in a rage, it's nearly impossible for them to keep quiet about why they're so upset. Tarrin would make sure that the Keeper was very talkative when Tiella and the other Novice workers arrived to clean her office. If Keritanima was right, they'd come find him in a tizzy, and would send him somewhere for him to work on fixing his problem. The worst thing he could do to set the Keeper off was refuse to go.

  That was easy enough.

  After drying off and dressing, Tarrin started back upstairs. He'd eaten before coming to the baths, and that book on the Weave was unfinished. It was a fascinating book, and he'd already sent Keritanima off to get her own copy that morning. He would probably finish it by lunch, and there was an entire library of interesting books there waiting for him.

  He was met at the top landing by three Sorcerers. One of them he identified as Amelyn, the Mind Seat. She had a very perturbed look on her face. "Where have you been?" she demanded. "You didn't show up for class today!"

  "My instructor told me that until she got advice, all my classes were cancelled," he said smoothly.

  The woman seemed to turn that over in her mind several times, looking for something which she could use as a basis to scream at him. "You will address a katzh-dashi as Mistress or Master, Inititiate," she said in a cold, hostile voice.

  "I will address you in a manner of respect when you prove you deserve it," Tarrin said in a dangerous voice, eyes narrowing as he came up the last few steps. That put his head well above the three of theirs, and he used that height to intimidate the small woman. "Now get out of my way."