The Shadow Realm

by James Galloway

  The morning was shaping up to be just like any other morning. Kimmie was sitting on the bed trying to sort out her dress--a bed that now fit him, after he used a combination of Sorcery and Druidic magic to alter its dimensions to fit his frame, as Chopstick, Turnkey, and Sapphire growled and snapped at each other as they fought over a piece of long rawhide leather Tarrin kept in the cabin to serve as a chew toy. Kimmie had had issues with the drakes at first, finding their presence disturbing, but had gotten used to them. They didn't sleep in his bed now, sleeping in a cushioned basket Tarrin had placed on the desk, but they did still sleep in the room at night. Now they curled up with Sapphire instead of him.

  Or, more to the point, they didn't start in the bed. But they usually ended up there, nestled in the folds of the blankets between or on top of the two Were-cats. Tarrin thought that that was what irritated Kimmie more than anything else, rolling over and getting jabbed by the small, sharp little ridges and spines that grew from the backbones of the drakes.

  "I know there's an arm in here somewhere," Kimmie growled to herself, holding up the crumpled mass of cloth. "The trick is going to be finding it."

  "You should be more careful when you take it off," Tarrin suggested. "I'm getting tired of stepping on buttons."

  "Maybe I should take it off in my cabin and come over here in a robe," she countered.

  "That would work," he agreed. "Or just bring some clothes in here."

  "No, I won't do that," she said. "I'm not mates with you, Tarrin. We're just mates."

  "Someday I may actually understand the difference."

  "You already do. Hey!" Kimmie snapped irritably when Chopstick bit the end of her tail. Kimmie snapped it around her body quickly and forcefully enough to drag the drake along with it, pulling it out of bed. It dropped to the floor and spat out a mouthful of orange-brown tabby fur, then chirped a couple of times and jumped back up onto the bed. "You bite my tail again, and I'll start biting you, you little creep!" Kimmie threatened the drake.

  "He likes you, Kimmie," Tarrin said soothingly.

  "That's the problem," she growled. "They'd be alot less annoying if they didn't like me." She stood up as she solved the mystery knot into which her dress had become tied, then pulled the garment over her head. It was missing a few buttons on the front, thanks to Kimmie's impatience to undo them. She settled the brown wool dress into place, at least mostly, not bothering to thread her tail through the hole cut into the back of the dress for it. She would only wear it back to her own cabin, where she would wash up and change into something new. "I heard from one of the sailors last night that we should see the coastline of Wikuna today," she told him. "And then we'll travel north for a couple of days."

  "We turned northwest not long after passing TwinflukeIsland," Tarrin recalled. "We can't be too far from the city."

  "I'll be glad to get off this ship," Kimmie complained. "I've never liked them. Something inside me objects to putting myself at the mercy of someone else, where I can't control my fate. But at least this one is spacious, compared to other ships. Once I was on a ship from Tor to Arkis, and the cabin I had was so cramped that I couldn't even lay down on the floor without my ears hitting one wall and my toes hitting the other. I gave up the cabin and slept up on deck with the sailors. At least there, I could stretch out." She chuckled. "And I'm not even tall for our kind. I'd have loved to have seen someone like you or Triana in that cabin."

  "I doubt I'd have been able to get in through the door," Tarrin said mildly.

  "Probably," she smiled in agreement. "What do you think Wikuna is going to be like?"

  "I'm not sure."

  "Do you know that only a handful of outsiders have ever been there? At least recorded visitors, anyway," she amended. "From what I've read, Wikuna's cities are cleaner, better organized, and more advanced than cities in the West. They've even built large, extensive sewer systems, and even have running water in some parts of their larger cities."

  "You know something, Kimmie?"

  "What?"

  "You talk too much," he said bluntly, handing her a glass of water.

  "Call it a personality flaw," she teased, then drained the glass. "You don't have to answer me, you know. Just let me prattle on."

  "You're getting to be as bad as Phandebrass."

  "I could never be that bad," Kimmie laughed. "I'm really fond of him, but he just talks and talks and talks. Sometimes he talks so much he forgets what he was talking about."

  "That sounds like Phandebrass, all right," Tarrin agreed.

  "But you know something? If you listen to him, you'd be surprised what you can learn. I think that man has forgotten more than you or I have ever learned. I learn more about alot of things by listening to him ramble than I do when he's trying to teach me."

  "I think that's the problem. He's learned so much, maybe his brain can't hold it all. It all just leaks out his mouth."

  Kimmie gave him a look, then she laughed delightedly. "It's a pretty bizarre image, but it does make sense. In a twisted sort of way, that is."

  "Phandebrass is a twisted sort of person."

  "No argument there." She tied her hair behind her neck with a bit of leather thong. "I'll see you at lunch?"

  "If you remember to show up," he chided.

  "Blame Phandebrass for that. He gets so wrapped up in teaching me, and I get so wrapped up in his lessons, I forget what time it is. And he certainly won't remember."

  "Try."

  "I will, I promise." She rose up on her toes, but still had to pull his head down. Kimmie was much shorter than him. She gave him a quick, intimate kiss, then adjusted the bosom of her dress. "Alright, see you later," she said in farewell, then opened the door to his cabin and filed out.

  Tarrin watched her leave, and couldn't help but be surprised how different she had made his life, and also how much it hadn't changed. He had no idea why he'd stressed so much over her.

  Just as he was reaching for the door to close it, he felt a shift in the Weave. That made him smile; Keritanima had finally figured it out. That information was proceeded almost immediately by a scream from Keritanima's cabin, a squeal of delight. Her cabin door was at the end of the companionway, about twenty spans from his door, and the large, surprisingly ornate door opened almost immediately. Keritanima ran out of her cabin, and her eyes locked on him as soon as she looked up from the floor. "I did it!" she cried out happily as he stepped into the companionway. "Tarrin, I got my powers back!" She jumped up into his arms and hugged him tightly. "I did, didn't I?"

  "It's just like before, Kerri," he assured her. "Once you do it once, you can do it again."

  She glanced over her own shoulder, back to her cabin door, and he felt her will push against the Weave. It responded to her, although it was very resistant, and it finally gave up a flow of Air that she wove into a simple spell to close the door. "I can do it!" she said with a laugh, but then she blew out her breath. "But why is the Weave fighting with me?"

  "I told you that it would happen," he reminded her. "I'll teach you a way to get around that later, but for now, I want you to go up on deck and practice, practice, practice. As soon as you're used to the new way to use Sorcery, I'll teach you how to weave without that resistance."

  "As you command, Master," she teased as he let her back down onto the deck.

  "Go," he ordered, pointing towards the stairs imperiously.

  "I want to eat first."

  "Have them bring you food. Go."

  "Alright," she acceded.

  Tarrin took up a place near the mainmast as he watched Keritanima sitting by the bow, weaving spells continuously, weaving many of the spells she knew to see how different it was to weave them without drawing in the power first. He watched her without much interest, just keeping an eye on her mainly, as he recited spell prayers back to Camara Tal. "Pay attention," she ordered. "You just mispronounced thalimasticia. You almost ended up setting your hair on fire."

  "Sorry," he apologized. "It still annoys me th
at I can't figure out this language," he fretted. "It doesn't seem to have any kind of pattern at all."

  "Sages and Priests have been trying since there were sages or Priests," Camara Tal told him calmly. "It works. That's all I know, and that's really all I care about. Now, recite the spell that changes stone into mud."

  "I'll never use it."

  "I didn't ask if you were ever going to use it. I told you to recite it."

  "Alright," Tarrin growled softly, recalling the words of the spell, then repeating them back to her.

  "Good. Now, recite the spell that neutralizes active poison." Tarrin recited that one absently, watching as Keritanima Transmuted a coil or rope into stone. "Alright, recite the spell that causes someone to see you as a friend." Tarrin repeated it mechanically, watching as Keritanima Transmuted the petrified rope coil into water, then scurried out of the way as it splooshed to the deck. "Good. Now cut off your hair and sing the drunken sailor song."

  Tarrin stared at her flatly. "Why don't you try to cut off my hair, Camara?" he challenged.

  "Just making sure you were still paying attention," she said with a wolfish grin. "I don't like it when my students are looking somewhere else."

  "I'm trying to keep an eye on my student, Camara," he explained. "I'm sure she'll be alright, but I can't help making sure."

  "This is my time, Tarrin," she asserted. "You're mine until lunch. Now forget Keritanima and recite the spell that lets you use a pool of water to view a distant area."

  Camara Tal ensured that his attention didn't wander for the rest of her lesson, using barbs, harsh tones, and even poking him whenever his attention wandered to Keritanima. The bell rang announcing lunch, and to his surprise, Kimmie and Phandebrass actually managed to show up. They all sat in the dining room and ate together. The dining room was actually a pretty interesting room. It was above Keritanima's cabin, and had the same large windows across the back wall, showing the sea and the ships trailing the Queen's vessel. It also showed a darkening sky, as it looked that the ship was about to sail into some bad weather. The chefs had prepared a main dish with something called rice, some kind of boiled grain, upon which was smothered a rich tangy sauce with meat and various vegetables. They also had the usual soup, bread, fresh fruit (where they got it was something Tarrin had yet to figure out) and a desert called bread pudding.

  "You're still alive," Camara Tal noted as Kimmie led Phandebrass into the dining room.

  "Not for lack of trying," Kimmie grinned as she sat down beside Tarrin. "I saw the Queen using magic. Did you get your powers back, your Majesty?"

  "How many times have I told you not to call me that in private?" Keritanima demanded. "My name is Keritanima, but you can call me Kerri."

  "Sorry. Old habit," she said mildly.

  "Say it," Keritanima prompted between spoonfuls of the rice dish.

  "Kerri," Kimmie obliged with a light smile.

  "If I hear you call me your Majesty when we're not in public one more time, I'm going to turn your fur green."

  "Temper, temper," Kimmie teased.

  "Were-cats don't have the right to tease other people about their tempers," Keritanima pointed out.

  "Maybe not. But who's going to gainsay me?" Kimmie asked with an innocent look.

  Keritanima looked at her, then laughed. "You're probably the most interesting Were-cat I've ever met, Kimmie. I don't think any of them have a sense of humor."

  "Were-cats have a sense of humor, Kerri. It's just not the same as most other people's," Kimmie said calmly, picking up a spoon with an oversized handle. "I was turned, so I have a better understanding of the nuances of human personality. Wikuni may not be human, but they're similar enough," she added.

  "That's almost an insult," Keritanima grinned.

  "Centuries of contact between two peoples can cause them to act similarly," Dolanna observed. "Besides, Keritanima, the Wikuni truly are not that much different from the human race. Your society and culture is indeed similar to some human cultures, especially in the West."

  "I say, that's an interesting observation," Phandebrass said. "I should study it, I should."

  "How would we be similar?" Keritanima asked, a bit tartly.

  "Your culture is very similar to the kingdoms of the West," Dolanna told her. "The Wikuni personality is dominated by greed, which is a common human trait. And you wear clothes," she added with a smile.

  "Wear clothes? How is that a commonality?"

  "Think about it, Kerri," Dar told her. "All Wikuni are covered in fur, or feathers. Why do you need to wear clothes?"

  "Because we'd be naked if we didn't," Keritanima said.

  "Yes, but since you have fur, who's going to see it?" Camara Tal pressed. "I'd just see some fur-covered curves. Not anything that would matter."

  "We're not that covered, Camara Tal," Keritanima said.

  "Yes, you can see the important parts," Miranda said with a grin at Keritanima. "A woman's nipples aren't covered in fur, or else she couldn't nurse. And neither is--"

  "That's about far enough. Tarrin wears clothes," Keritanima interrupted.

  "That's a practice mainly for your benefit, Kerri," Kimmie smiled. "When we're alone, it doesn't matter if we wear clothes or not."

  "Of course it's not for you two. I've seen you sneaking into Tarrin's cabin lately," Keritanima winked.

  "I'm talking about all Were-cats, Kerri," Kimmie said, unperturbed. "Were-cats have learned to wear clothes as a nod towards strange human customs, and it's a practice that's more or less caught on. But some Were-cats won't wear clothes when they're not in human lands."

  "Which ones?" Tarrin asked curiously.

  "Shirazi is one you'd know," she replied. "She says it doesn't feel right to hunt wearing clothes."

  "We're drifting off the point here," Camara Tal said. "What it comes down to, Kerri, is that the Wikuni don't need to wear clothes, but they do. That shows a similarity between humans and Wikuni."

  "Well, alright, I'll give you that," Kerri admitted. "Maybe there are some similarities between us and the humans."

  "Maybe we should give up clothes," Miranda chuckled. "It would save me a fortune on my wardrobe."

  "You're welcome to give them up any time you feel like it, Miranda," Keritanima told her acidly.

  "It would be a liberating experience, I think," Miranda mused.

  "I wouldn't want to be jiggling in the wind, that's for sure," Keritanima grunted.

  The tone of her comment caused everyone at the table to laugh.

  "Jiggling isn't for the weak," Kimmie said with a grin. "It took me a long time to get used to that part of Were-cat culture."

  "Jiggling?"

  "Nudity," she replied.

  "I keep forgetting you're like Tarrin," Keritanima admitted. "You're alot different from the other Were-cats I've met."

  "I'm more or less unique," she replied. "I managed to keep most of my human mannerisms after I was turned. It drives the others crazy," she laughed.

  "I saw how they acted towards you," Allia said, finally speaking. "It was almost dishonorable."

  "I'm used to it. I'm the black sheep among the Were-cats. Triana respects me, Jesmind likes me, and Mist loves me. That's all I really care about."

  There was a rumble of thunder. "Well, looks like we'll be staying below decks the rest of the day," Keritanima said, looking out the large windows.

  They finished up lunch, and then Tarrin went with Keritanima when she went back to her cabins. To his surprise, Dolanna, Allia, and Dar also came along. "We need to learn about your powers, so we can better understand them," Dolanna had told him by way of explanation as she seated herself on the bed with Allia, and Dar sat on the cushioned chair in front of the desk.

  "Well, I guess it won't matter much," he said. "Kerri's not the kind to get distracted. I think she actually does better when people watch."

  "Our sister likes the attention," Allia pointed out with a slight smile.

  "You mean she's a ham," Dar laughed.
>
  "I'm a Queen. I'm supposed to thrive under pressure," Keritanima said tartly.

  "You should have been born a performer, Keritanima," Dolanna told her.

  "And miss out on all this luxury? No thank you," Keritanima replied.

  Tarrin was confident that Keritanima was fully used to Weavespinner ways, so he sat her down and explained, in fine detail, the give and take nature of true Weavespinner magic, that in order to have the magic obey her, she had to give back to the Weave. "You make it sound like a religious experience," Keritanima accused.

  "It is a religious experience, Kerri," he said firmly. "Using Sorcery is a way we worship the Goddess. You have to show her your love when you use her power. When you do that, the power will obey you completely. If you don't, it fights you and makes Sorcery much more demanding."