"Alot more than that," Keritanima told him. "The citizenry is very nervous because rumors are flying that the fire was set on purpose, and Jenna's had to go out several times and calm things down because the nobles are too busy jockeying for a shot at the Lion Throne. They all adore her, and she's about the only one in the city right now that can keep that powder keg from exploding. The nobles think it was arson too, no matter what Jenna tells them, and they're all blaming each other."
"How would Jenna know?" Sarraya asked.
"There are any number of spells she could use to find out," Tarrin answered, cutting Keritanima off.
"So, Sulasia's about to fly apart at the seams," Keritanima said off-handedly, "and it's going to get worse."
"How can it get any worse?" Tarrin asked.
"When they try to choose a new king," she answered. "The heads of all four major houses died in the fire. There's going to be little internal wars within those houses to choose the successors, and while they're doing that, the minor houses are going to be maneuvering to get the throne before any of the major houses can get organized. It's so perfect for the minor houses that it really makes me think that someone did set that fire. All the minor nobles houses are chomping at the bit, because they think it's their chance for their smaller, minor houses to get on the throne."
"Isn't there a good candidate among the minor nobles?" Tarrin asked.
"Several, but nobody knows them, brother," she answered. "When it comes to winning the throne, reputation is almost as important as ability. They're not going to put someone on the throne if they're not sure he'll do a good job, because anyone that backs the new king may end up on the wrong side of the sword if it comes out that he's really incompetent, and the rest of the gentry defies him. It's a very unique situation, and I've already warned Jenna that the nobles may start fighting one another. Without one good qualified and well-known candidate, it's going to spread the support out among a number of lesser ones, and you know what that kind of scenario can degenerate into."
"Civil war," Tarrin growled.
"Not quite. More like an internal period of turmoil," she said succinctly. "If I were a betting woman, and I am, I'd put my money on Duke Arren of Torrian. He's a minor noble, but he has one of the best reputations in Sulasia as a fair, just, and kind lord, even if his desmense was what the Suldans would call a backwater town."
"Suldan?" Sarraya asked.
"A citizen of Suld. You can't very well call them Sulasians, can you?" she asked with a toothy grin.
"Arren would never seek the throne," Tarrin scoffed.
"I know, and that's more the pity," Keritanima sighed. "It may be a kingdom-wide affair, but if the citizens of Suld don't accept a new monarch, they don't get the throne. That's why all the heads of the noble houses stay in Suld, no matter where their fief is. It's more than an old saying in other parts of the world that as Suld goes, so goes Sulasia." She grinned. "In Wikuna, we say 'Sennadar marches to Suld's drum.' It's a fairly accurate description of the international politics of the West."
"So you say that more than Sulasia could be affected by this?" Allia asked.
"Sister, the entire world can be affected by this. I don't think either of you understand just how critically important Suld is on the world stage. The person who sits on the Lion Throne wields vast amounts of power, power that extends far beyond Sulasia's borders. Sulasia's the most important kingdom In the West."
"Why?" Tarrin asked.
"Because of the Tower, for one," she answered. "And it's also the most stable kingdom on Sennadar. All the other kingdoms have histories of turmoil and unrest, but Sulasia's been plodding along in domestic harmony for about five thousand years now. Even when there's a change of dynasty, things have always been settled quickly and without much fuss, because the Keeper's always been there to step in and keep things running smoothly while a new king was chosen. All the other kingdoms look up to Sulasia like a big brother. That's why whoever sits on the Lion Throne has a great deal of influence. But this time it's different, though," she mused, tapping her muzzle with a finger as she thought. "Things have never been this unstable in Sulasia before, at least not to Wikuni memory. If the nobles don't find a competent successor and ram him through the selection process, they may very well start fighting among themselves."
"What's the selection process?" Allia asked.
"The same as it is for any other kingdom, sister," she replied. "Someone with a tracable royal or noble bloodline steps up and says 'I'm the King.' Noble houses either support or denounce him. If he has enough support among the noble houses, he's the king. If too many powerful houses denounce him, he's usually exiled. That's why the candidates are always very sure to have their support lined up before they make a claim on the throne."
"That's a fairly simplified explanation, but it's pretty accurate given how much you left out," Sarraya agreed. "There's a great deal of maneuvering and jockeying among the nobles to line up that support, and sometimes it can take a while. There are also a bunch of formal ceremonies and such involved with making the claim. And the High Priest of Karas has to at least not openly denounce the candidate."
"I forgot about that part," Keritanima admitted. "But it's not an official rule. In just about any kingdom, if the church rejects a monarch, the people are likely to reject him too. Churches hold alot of power over the citizenry, and the king rules at their suffrage. Especially in monotheseistic nations like Sulasia."
"Mono-what?" Sarraya asked.
"Only worshipping one god," she answered. "We have nine here in Wikuna, so as long as I don't offend a majority of the churches, and the church of Kikkalli in particular, I'm on solid ground."
"I didn't know you have nine," Tarrin mused.
"Oh, yes," she smiled. "Kikkalli is the only name you've ever heard. She's the goddess of trade, ships, good weather, and the seas, and every Wikuni alive worships her. But we also have a god of money and prosperity that's fairly popular, a god of luck, a goddess of bad luck, a goddess of joy, and a god of protection. Denthar, the god of knowledge, and Dragor, the god of creativity, are human gods, but they found roots in our pantheon because they appeal to us, and we also worship Saltemis, the Elder god of the waters and oceans. We are an ocean-going people, after all," she chuckled.
"You have two gods of the ocean?" Allia asked in confusion.
"That way we cover both sides of our butt," Keritanima said with a wolfish smile. "Saltemis is the Elder God, and that means he's the god of all the oceans. But Kikkalli is a patron of the seas too, among other things, and she's much more likely to answer our prayers, because she's the ruler of the Wikuni pantheon. When your entire culture depends on the sea, you don't take any chances that you may offend one of the gods who has sway over it."
"Ah. Why worship a god of bad luck?"
"To keep her from visiting you," Keritanima grinned. "Shaar isn't worshipped out of love, sister. She's honored to keep her from singling you out. A devout Wikuni in search of a little luck first asks for luck from Sheel, then appeases Shaal to keep her from taking that good luck away."
"Sheel and Shaar?" Tarrin noted.
"According to Wikuni myth, Shaar was originally the goddess of beauty. She was in love with Sheel, but he spurned her, so out of spite she became the goddess of bad luck, in order to undo everything Sheel represents. When she became the goddess of bad luck, she became ugly, and a very old legend says that when she turned ugly and we lost a god of beauty, all the Wikuni turned ugly too," she said in a scoffing manner. "According to that old story, that's why the gods turned us into what we are now, to hide our looks behind the faces and fur of animals. I think it's a crock, myself. In fact, I know it is. I remember the story you told about our origins, Tarrin. Our gods changed how we looked to sever us completely from our Sha'Kar origins. To make us our own people."
"I'd say they succeeded there," Sarraya agreed.
"That's an interesting story," Allia mused. "I'd like to hear more about the legends of your g
ods someday, sister."
"Someday when we both have lots of time, I can have every priest and bard in Wikuna tell you everything you want to hear," she smiled. "But that'll have to be later. Right now, there are more important matters, and I've drifted way off the topic here."
"We didn't mind, Kerri. Actually, it was interesting to hear about that," Tarrin assured her.
"Whatever," she said with a toss of her hair. "Jenna's going to project over here sometime today, so try not to go so fast," she teased. "I thought about it yesterday, but you and Allia must have been racing or something. It's too hard to keep up with you."
"Just get ahead of us," Allia told her.
"We can't do that," she answered. "You forget how this works. The Weavescape doesn't match the landscape, so I can't just jump ahead. Ahead in the Weave is different than ahead in reality. If I tried that, I may build my projection inside solid rock. It wouldn't hurt, but I'd be wondering why it was so bloody dark."
Sarraya laughed richly as she landed on Tarrin's shoulder.
"I can feel it when you're looking for me, Kerri," Tarrin told her. "I didn't feel anything yesterday."
"I didn't really get that close," she answered. "I can feel you moving around from the Heart, brother. That's how much of an effect you have on the Weave now. Anyone in the Heart can feel you moving around."
Tarrin frowned. He didn't know that, and more to the point, he didn't like it. He'd never sensed Spyder like that; perhaps the Urzani had learned to mask herself in some way. If so, that was a trick he fully intended to learn. The idea that any Weavespinner could find him any time they wanted did not sit well with his cautious Were-cat nature.
"Tell Jenna to seek us in the afternoon," Allia told her. "We'll have stopped for the night by then, and she should be able to find us."
"That'll work," she said, pulling up the shoulder of her nightgown absently, only to have it immediately slip down her arm. "Any trouble?"
"Nothing major," Tarrin answered. "We had a close call with a kajat, but it wasn't anything serious."
"How far are you along?"
"We're about seven days from the Cloud Spire," Allia answered. "That's our destination. Tarrin wants to show me the city at its top."
"I'd like to see that too," Keritanima grinned.
"Come over when we get there, and you will," he told her.
"Any instructions or anything you need to pass on?"
"Not really. How are Auli and that human doing?"
"Auli's having a blast," Keritanima chuckled. "Don't worry, deshaida," she's not acting wild. She's just having alot of fun. She has you absolutely pegged, by the way," she winked. "Sometimes even I forget it's not you. The human's doing alot better now than he was before. He has your personality down well enough, but the Illusion wasn't working out as well as we'd hoped."
"Why not?"
"The tail never moved," she said with a slight frown. "It wasn't Dar's fault, though. He put the tail on, but unless he was there to make it move, it didn't do anything. One of us had to be with him all the time to make it convincing, or at least that was before."
"How did you fix it?"
"Jenna fixed it," she answered. "She used a spell I've never seen before, a spell I didn't even think was possible. She Transmuted him!"
"She what?" Allia asked.
"She changed him, sister," she said in wonder. "Right now, he looks, moves, and even smells like a Were-cat. She even put a lingering weave in him to mimic Tarrin's strength. I don't know what Jenna did, but I can't even tell the difference now. It took the boy a little time to figure out how to move the tail and control the claws, but he's more than a mirror image of you now, brother. I just want to know where she learned how to do that!"
Tarrin knew exactly which spells she used to do that. Actually, it was a rather clever idea. "I taught it to her," he answered. "I taught her all the spells I learned when I was turned. I see she's already putting them to good use."
"And you didn't teach me?" she protested a bit indignantly.
"We'll have all the time in the world for that later, sister," he told her.
"I'm going to hold you to that. It's the least you can do for running out without saying goodbye."
"We were on a tight schedule," he said contritely.
"I know, I'm just teasing," she winked. "How is the desert?"
"Hot," Sarraya said in a grumble. "Hot and sandy."
"I'd say that about describes a desert," Keritanima laughed.
"Me and the Faerie have been having a running disagreement about whose home is more perfect," Allia said with a sly smile. "So far, I'm winning."
"So you say," Sarraya retorted.
Keritanima looked behind her. "Well, I'd better go. Miranda's tugging on my tail for some reason. Kinda stupid for me to look, isn't it?" she added with a wry smile. "I can't see anything but scrub and strone."
"It's a reflex," Tarrin assured her. "Make sure you pass on the message to Jenna."
"Will do. Come visit us in the Heart, brother. It would be nice to see you."
"If I think it's safe enough," he replied.
"I can't ask for more than that. I have to go. You three be careful."
"We will," Allia assured her.
"Bye deshaida, deshida. I love you both. Oh, bye Sarraya."
"I love you too, and be careful, sister," Allia warned.
"I love you too, sister. Keep an eye on our imposters," Tarrin added.
"Well thank you so much for remembering me," Sarraya huffed acidly.
"Being the second helm isn't very fun, is it?" Keritanima said with a wolfish, toothy grin, and then her image vanished.
Sarraya threw her hands up in the air and flitted off, muttering to herself.
"She's having a bad day, isn't she?" Allia asked with a laugh.
Although she pouted for a while after Keritanima disappeared, Sarraya's temper improved during the rest of the day. She became less and less combative, and by sunset she was actually starting to make jokes. She hadn't been doing that before--at least not what was usual for her--and it was something of a good sign.
Tarrin had a feeling that he knew what had been bothering Sarraya. He knew his little friend rather well, and he had the feeling that she'd been just a little intimidated by Allia. That, and she was a little intimidated also by how close he and she were. He realized that she was starting to feel like she was both not needed and not wanted, and for Sarraya, that was somewhat intolerable. It was why she'd been so snippy lately. The first time they'd gone through the desert, he had absolutely depended on her. They traded barbs alot, but they were very close. Sarraya had had that relationship disturbed by Allia, who, she had found out, was not just another Denai. It wasn't that Var and Denai hadn't been competent, but Tarrin's relationship with them had been very distant at the beginning. Even though they were with them, Tarrin still only talked with Sarraya. She'd gotten used to that. And now here was Allia, who had quite literally taken over their group, and in Sarraya's eyes, had stolen Tarrin away from her. Tarrin talked with Allia, and joked with Allia, and all of Sarraya's attempts to interject herself had met with miserable failure. The Selani woman had proved to have a sharp wit that quickly turned the Faerie's barbs and comments, her normal method of starting a conversation, back on her.
They decided to stop early that afternoon, just in case Jenna was looking for him, and Tarrin decided to deal with this little situation. They found a good spot nestled on the leeward side of a rock spire, a rather short and stubby one. After Allia left them to go hunting, Tarrin sat down with his back to a large wind-roundedstone and motioned for Sarraya to land on his knee. "I think you're being just a little silly," he told her.
"What do you mean?" she asked in her high-pitched voice.
"We don't think you're a fifth wheel, you silly woman," he told her with a light smile. "I know that's bothering you."
She flushed slightly.
"And Allia being here doesn't change the fact that we're friends, d
oes it?" he asked.
"What do you mean?"
Tarrin fixed her with a hard look.
She blushed, and laughed ruefully. "Alright, I'm jealous," she admitted, patting his knee. "You're always talking to her, and I can't seem to get a word in edgewise. And I don't know how to talk to her."
"Just talk to her," he said pointedly. "If you try to fence with her, you're going to lose, friend. I think you've discovered that."
Sarraya gave him an indignant look, then flushed and laughed. "She's quite different from what I expected," she admitted. "I thought she was always that quiet and reserved."
"She acts like that around strangers because it's what her honor demands," he told her. "Think about Var. He acted much the same way until he got to know us, if you don't recall. Selani consider it unseemly to laugh or show humor in front of strangers. That can lead to misunderstandings, and that's the last thing two Selani clans or tribes want to have happen. And Allia's a clan princess, Sarraya. She doesn't take her title seriously, but it does require her to act with a measure of dignity. The honor of her entire clan is on her, and she has to live up to it."
"Denai was nothing like that," she mused. "She was so open and bubbly."
"She was also very young and rash," he told her. "Denai is an exception. Var is the rule."
"I understand," she said thoughtfully.
"Now that you've seen the Allia I know, you understand why I like her so much," he smiled. "She's nothing like what she seems to be in company."
"That's no lie," Sarraya laughed. "I never dreamed she had such a sharp tongue."
"You've never seen her in action," Tarrin grinned. "She can cut you in half with it. To my memory, I've never won an argument with Allia."
"Never?"
"Not once," he answered honestly. "She submits when she knows I'm being very serious and when it suits her, but when it's a point of contention that didn't go into those areas, she won every single one of them." He chuckled ruefully. "She's not afraid of me, so my usual techniques for winning arguments don't work on her."
"I think I just may see just how good she is," Sarraya said in an oddly professional manner, flexing her fingers in a predatory manner.
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