The Shadow Realm

by James Galloway

  The gangplank was raised, and Tarrin felt the ship begin to move as he and Kimmie went to their cabin. The cabin had been cleaned scrupulously while the ship had been docked, with new linens on the bed and a fresh coat of paint on the walls. After Sapphire landed on the bed and curled up contentedly, familiar with the room and comfortable in it, they unpacked what few clothes Tarrin had, and then he helped Kimmie unpack her many dresses and the few pairs of trousers she kept, just in case. Kimmie's moving in felt more to Tarrin like she was taking over his living space, and for a moment he had the irrational sense that she was some kind of invader. But that passed when he realized that she was just using the space that he wasn't using at all, and hadn't used in the first place. Kimmie only unpacked her clothes, and one of her two satchels and box were stowed in the tiny closet by the bed. The other satchel, the one that held her three spellbooks, was set by the bed carefully. She sat down on the bed and bounced on it a few times, then flopped down on her back, startling Sapphire. "Travelling with you feels almost the same as when I did alone, except you have nicer, richer friends," she chuckled. "I could get used to all this pampering." She looked up at him. "There's something strange I noticed."

  "What?"

  "Keritanima doesn't really have many servants, and that's very odd given her station," she replied. "Unless she keeps them hidden. Every time I've seen her, the only servant around her is Miranda. Most monarchs are attended by a small army of maids, butlers, valets, pages, and generic lackeys."

  "Miranda is Kerri's maid, and she's also the only one that she'll allow close to her," he answered. "Kerri is a very nervous person, Kimmie. She was comfortable here because this ship is an enclosed area. I could smell it all over her when she was in the Palace. She was expecting an attack to come at any moment."

  "She did smell a little uptight," Kimmie agreed, then she snorted in the peculiar way that all Were-cats seemed to do. "Miranda's alot more than a maid," she announced. "I can feel something strange when I'm around her. It's almost like her very presence is, well, disarming. I feel strangely comfortable when I'm around her. It's...it's like she sings to me."

  Tarrin had forgotten about that, mainly because he was around Miranda so much that he'd gotten used to the sense of her. Kimmie couldn't help but notice it, because she was a Were-cat too. She'd probably noticed it months ago, but hadn't said anything to him for some reason. "She has that effect on people," Tarrin said carefully. He knew why she radiated that sense, but he didn't want Kimmie to know. That was a private matter, so private that even Miranda didn't know. "I've never met a single person that didn't immediately like Miranda."

  "I noticed that too," Kimmie nodded.

  There was a knock on the door, and then it opened. Azakar and Dar were outside, holding large trays in their hands, and two of the Wikuni cooks were standing behind them in the narrow companionway. "Can we come in and eat with you, Tarrin?" Dar asked politely.

  "Sure," he answered, waving them in. They put their trays down on the table in Tarrin's room, and then the two cooks did the same. They bowed gracefully and then left without saying a word. The trays were filled with scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, a bowl of porridge, and a small loaf of dark bread with a small pot of butter for it. Tarrin's mouth watered at the smell of it, and he had to shoo Sapphire away from the table before she decided to try to steal something for herself.

  "Why aren't you eating in your rooms?" Kimmie asked them curiously as she broke her loaf of bread in half.

  "Well, it's been a while since we've talked with you two," Dar said. "We're just being sociable, that's all."

  Tarrin looked at them, the analyzed their scents. Dar was being sociable, but Azakar's reluctance at being there was obvious in his scent. Azakar hadn't really felt comfortable around Tarrin since they're been reunited. Tarrin understood the reasoning behind it, and really couldn't blame the big Mahuut. He'd come around once he realized that though Tarrin may seem much crueler and more mean-spirited than he was when Azakar had been kidnapped with Keritanima, he was still the same Were-cat Azakar had once known. In a way, Tarrin was glad Azakar felt that way. It told him that Wikuna hadn't changed his big friend, that he was still gentle, kind, and compassionate. That Azakar had lived as a slave and a gladiator for so long and had never lost those qualities said volumes about Azakar's moral fiber and the strength of his will.

  "And, to be honest, I just had to ask what's going on," Dar added. "At the reception, I almost thought you were drunk, Tarrin. And Kimmie was being just as giddy. What, did the two of you find some catnip in the garden?"

  Kimmie laughed, putting a paw over her mouth so as not to lose her mouthful of bread. "You could say that," she said after she swallowed. "Should we tell them, Tarrin?"

  "May as well," he shrugged. "They'll find out sooner or later. In a couple of months, you wouldn't be able to hide it anyway."

  "True enough," she said with a smile at him. "I'm pregnant, Dar," Kimmie said calmly.

  "Really?" Dar said, as Azakar finally broke his silence, saying "that's wonderful!" The Mahuut looked at Tarrin, then averted his eyes and reached for his fork again.

  "We just found out yesterday," Tarrin said. "We didn't want to reveal it at Keritanima's wedding. We didn't want to take anything away from her."

  "That was kind of you," Azakar said to him in a hesitant voice. "Congratulations."

  "Yes, congratulations," Dar smiled. "How far along are you, Kimmie?"

  "Days," she replied. "Triana's the one that told us I'm pregnant, but Tarrin confirmed it with a spell."

  "Triana? How on earth did she know when she's in Suld--or was--and we're here?"

  "Triana has a very long arm, Dar," Tarrin chuckled.

  "I would say so!" Dar exclaimed in agreement. "It must feel like she's always looking over your shoulder."

  "Actually, I feel rather safe knowing that Triana is always watching me," he replied honestly. "If I ever get into serious trouble, she's always there for me." He chuckled. "I really need to learn how she can travel halfway across the world in a few hours."

  "It must be handy," Dar agreed. "So, did Triana tell you if it's a boy or girl?"

  "No, she didn't," Kimmie said, "and I don't want her to. I want it to be a surprise."

  "I guess that means that you don't want me to peek," Tarrin noted.

  "Absolutely not!" she said adamantly, staring right at him. "If you know, you'll find some way to blab, so you keep your spying spells out of my belly!"

  "Yes, Kimmie," Tarrin said mildly, going back to his eggs.

  The ship slid out of the harbor on the receding tide, a rather strong one, since it was the tide governed by the Twin Moons, and the ship raised all its sails and turned south. The wind blew from the west, out from the land, forcing the ship to quarter the wind as the crew crowded every finger of sail they could manage on its five masts. The air was warm and muggy, and there was a dark bank of clouds creeping in from the west, the wind obviously a forerunner of a storm system preparing to move in from the interior of the Wikuni homeland. Tarrin gave Kimmie a kiss after breakfast and let her go to her studies with Phandebrass, warning her not to overexert herself. Sapphire resumed her rulership of Chopstick and Turnkey as the three drakes flew up into the rigging, and Tarrin decided to spend the day at the rail watching the land go by, and keeping an eye on that weather system.

  Dar and Azakar spread the word, so he had a procession of friends come up to him and congratulate him over the day. Allia was a bit put out with him that she didn't tell her immediately, but when he explained that he didn't want to take anything away from Keritanima's day, she understood his reasoning. He was rather happy that they didn't dwell on it, they simply congratulated him, interrupted Kimmie's lessons when she and Phandebrass came up on deck and concentrated more on her. He watched as she laughed and bantered with the others, patting her belly and making some comment that Tarrin didn't hear. He was glad that it was Kimmie that was getting the attention. She deserved it. After all, she was
the one who was pregnant, after all.

  Miranda took Kimmie aside after lunch, and the two of them disappeared for a while. He hadn't really talked to Miranda much since they'd been reunited, since his attention had always been taken up by other things, other people. He did know that Miranda was rather fond of Kimmie, and that the two of them did talk quite a bit. He knew that because Kimmie told him all about all the talks she had with Miranda. Kimmie and Miranda seemed to be fast friends, the same way Kimmie and Jula had been in the Tower. Kimmie had once been a human female, so she had a need about her to be around other women. She lacked that isolationist attitude prevelant in most other Were-cat females. In many ways, Kimmie was most certainly not a normal Were-cat.

  Azakar came up on deck about midafternoon, as Tarrin finished another of his lessons with Camara Tal over Priest magic. Azakar looked a little uncomfortable for some reason, and that became more apparent when he came over to the rail where Tarrin was standing and looked over the sea, towards the land still visible to the west. The cloudbank was now almost directly overhead, and Tarrin could see that it was raining at the coastline. They'd get wet in about half an hour. Azakar's scent was hard to make out since the wind was so brisk, but it was obvious that he looked a little worried over something.

  "Tarrin," he finally said. "I wanted to apologize."

  "For what?" he asked calmly.

  "I've been avoiding you," he said. "I'm sure you know that."

  "I know. And I know why."

  Azakar bowed his head. "I was wrong about that," he admitted. "I thought you'd become completely--you know. Keritanima explained all that to me, and when I saw how you were back in Suld, I thought you'd gone completely feral. I was actually afraid of you."

  "It's an understandable reaction, Zak," he said gently. "I know how you are, and I don't blame you for acting the way you did. I'm actually rather glad you did, because it told me that though I've changed, you didn't. Wikuna is a hard place, and you managed to stay just the way you are despite everything they could throw at you. I'm very proud of you for that."

  Azakar flushed, looking at the rail. "It wasn't really that hard," he admitted. "Kerri more or less protected me from most of that kind of thing."

  "Well, either way, I think now you see that I may be hard and unforgiving, but not when it concerns friends. Go talk to Dolanna. She can explain it all alot better than I can."

  "I'll do that," he promised.

  "And I want you to do something for me."

  "What?"

  "As you know, Kimmie is pregnant," he began. "She's a Were-cat female, Zak, so she doesn't need to be coddled or waited on. But she's devoted to her magic, and that may make her extend herself in ways that she doesn't need to be extending herself."

  "What do you mean?"

  Tarrin explained Triana's rather vague warnings about Kimmie being exposed to too much magic. "Triana's not entirely sure how this pregnancy is going to go, because Kimmie is turned, and I'm turned, and we're both magicians. Were-cats are very magical creatures, and she's afraid that exposing a baby with such an unknown factor in its parents to so much magical energy may be harmful."

  "That's not an unreasonable fear," Azakar said after a moment.

  "I know, that's why I agree with Triana," he affirmed. "So I want you to keep an eye on Kimmie. Don't follow her around or coddle her or wait on her, but do make sure that Phandebrass doesn't push her into things she shouldn't be doing, and make sure she doesn't push herself too hard. If you think she's overexerting herself, don't try to stop her, just let me know. I'd really appreciate it."

  "I can do that, Tarrin," he said with a nod and a smile. "Actually, I'm rather glad I have something to do. With Binter and Sisska back, Kerri doesn't really need me to be her bodyguard like she did when she only had Szath. Outside of training with them and Camara Tal, I really don't have much to do."

  "Well, watching Kimmie won't consume all your spare time," Tarrin chuckled. "She's got a level head on her shoulders, and I really don't think she's going to push herself too hard. Were-cat females are extremely protective over their babies, and that includes when they're pregnant. Her instincts are going to keep her from going too far, but sometimes instincts can't stop us when we're really focused on something."

  "The way Kimmie focuses on her studies."

  "Exactly," Tarrin nodded. "So just do me a favor and keep an eye on her."

  "I'll do that. And if it looks like we may run into some danger, I'll make sure I'm always somewhere close to her. She may be a Were-cat female, but I think you won't mind if I make sure nothing gets close enough to her to do her any harm."

  "Zak, you just read my mind," Tarrin chuckled. "And I would very much appreciate that. Thank you for offering."

  "I'm a Knight, Tarrin. I'm not happy unless I have someone to protect," he smiled.

  "Then feel free to protect away. But don't step on Kimmie's toes."

  "I can protect Kimmie without having to follow her around like a puppy," Azakar told him confidently. "She'll never know I'm there unless something endangers her. Then it won't get a finger closer."

  "Zak, you're a good man," Tarrin said, patting him gently on the shoulder. "I'm glad you're here."

  "I'm just doing what I can, Tarrin," he said modestly. "With the likes of you and Kerri and Phandebrass around, we unmagical people have to fit in where we can."

  "You're just as important as any of us, Zak. Even me," Tarrin told him seriously. "Don't forget that."

  "I'll try not to," he smiled as the first sprinkles of rain began to fall.

  The weather reamined rainy for several days as the ship trekked southward, the sailors working through the rain to keep the wet sails catching the wind. Their diligence paid off as the ship sped towards its destination, and Keritanima was happy to estimate that they were going to arrive in Vendaka a full day early. Tarrin spent those rainy days in quiet rest and relaxation, feeling a calmness that he hadn't felt since before he'd been turned. They were completely safe skirting the coast of Wikuna, with only two military clippers and a vessel called a schooner escorting them, and his days weren't filled with learning or exercises or stress. It was almost like a holiday, and he took full advantage of it by lounging around and doing nothing of any importance whatsoever. He almost got bored after a few days, but every time he started feeling unsettled, he reminded himself that everything would be an unknown once they got on the new ship, and he may not have time to just lay around and do nothing. So he took complete advantage of the lull to rest up and enjoy his free time.

  He had plenty of company during those days. He rekindled his friendship with Miranda by having breakfast with her every morning, and he caught up on all the things that went on in Wikuna and the Tower before he arrived, getting the whole picture from the mink. She didn't leave anything out, especially those part too embarassing for Keritanima to repeat. He played stones with Azakar a few times a day, as well as playing chess with Sisska or Binter, and there was always his time with Allia. Tarrin talked to Jesmind and Jenna and Jula and Jasana right after lunch, a lunch usually shared with Azakar and Camara Tal, who were just finishing their sparring about that time, and then he went on to give Dolanna and Keritanima their lessons in Sorcery. Dar sat in when Tarrin taught Dolanna and Keritanima about Weavespinner magic, as he taught his former teacher the spells to summon Elementals, and guided her as she did in fact summon her first Elemental, a Water Elemental. His teaching of his sister and mentor didn't really seem like work, because they were both so dedicated to the craft and easy to teach. It felt more like an informal gathering of friends, when they just happened to talk about Sorcery. The time after those lessons belonged to Allia, as they spent their time together, and the

  The nights belonged exclusively to Kimmie. Now that he knew how she felt about him, he did his best to honor those feelings by paying her a great deal of attention and being very responsive to her needs. They started off as great friends, but Kimmie's trust in him and devotion to him only increase
d day after day, as she saw how he had responded to her admission, and saw that he was being everything that she imagined he would be. Though he didn't love her the way he loved Jesmind, he did care for her a great deal, and he'd do what was needed to make her happy. And besides, it wasn't like it was a serious chore. Kimmie was easy to please, and he liked pleasing her. She wasn't as demanding as Jesmind, and certainly wasn't nearly as tempermental. Kimmie was a very mellow, laid-back Were-cat, and that attitude made her easy to please. All she really wanted from him was his attention, and he gave it all to her. Tarrin couldn't help but feel closer and closer to Kimmie as the days passed, and though his love for Jesmind didn't waver in the slightest, he found himself starting to think of Kimmie in many of the same ways he thought of Jesmind. Kimmie was a good mate, and he enjoyed his time with her. Living with her was just as easy as he thought it would be, requiring very little adjustment for either of them, and he found the time with her to be both enjoyable and rewarding.

  Of course, he simply couldn't forget about the baby. Every time he looked at her, it was always on the forefront of his mind. Kimmie was carrying his child, and he couldn't suppress the wave of pride and joy that brought to him. Tarrin wasn't sure how Jesmind was going to take it, but he didn't intend to let Kimmie get very far away once they returned. He would return to Jesmind and be her mate, as he promised, but he didn't want Kimmie going very far. He wanted to be there for the baby, wanted to be involved in its life, he wanted the chance with this new cub that he didn't get with Eron or Jasana.

  The time just flew by, so it seemed like it was only a couple of days when the ship turned southwest, following the coastline, and the rains only got harder. Keritanima explained that it was the monsoon season in the southern marches of Wikuna, when it would rain for months at a time, but it also happened to be the end of the season, so the rain was expected to break before long. It didn't break when the forests and grasslands visible off the ship's rail became dense jungle, and the temperature of the air got higher and higher as they neared the equator. The interior of the ship became very hot and very stuffy, so much so that even the heat-dwelling among them like Camara Tal and Dar began to complain. Miranda, who was both from a cold climate and had a full coat of fur, suffered the most, resorting to having Keritanima use Sorcery to keep their cabin cool and the air dry. Kimmie was a Were-cat, and cats liked heat, so the heat didn't really bother her. Tarrin was immune to heat, so it didn't bother him at all, but everyone else did seem to be quite uncomfortable.