The Shadow Realm

by James Galloway

  But there was another problem to deal with. Allia. That was a problem he did not want to face, but he had no choice. If she wasn't awake by now, he'd wake her and throw Allyn out--no, wait. It would be best if he stayed and heard what Tarrin had to say. But he couldn't alienate Iselde. He needed her information, and she was probably frightened enough after Tarrin turned on them when they barged into his room. He'd have to make up that lost ground.

  Moving quickly and deliberately through the Sha'Kar that lined his way, his mind so preoccupied that their scents no longer induced his fury, Tarrin rushed back to the estate that hosted him with a long list of things to do. He had to tell the others about this, get them to work on finding out, but warn them that they were going to be watched the instant they set foot out of his room. So they had to do it carefully. If the Council caught scent of what he was doing, they may take drastic measures to put a stop to it. Though he hated them for what they had become, even Tarrin had to respect their raw power. If they attacked in concert, even Tarrin couldn't stand up to it for long.

  Or could he? All this time, he'd been thinking like a Sorcerer. Now it was time to think like a Druid. Triana taught him how to defeat Sorcery. It could be done to a person, or it could be done to an area. He remembered clearly the fight he had with her in Den Gauche, when shen protected herself from the power of his magic by nullifying it when it tried to come into the space surrounding her. Tarrin could use that same technique, cancel magic in an area surrounding the Council or cancel magic immediately around himself if they were spread out too wide, and that would protect him from them long enough to get close enough to attack them hand to paw. In that situation, they didn't stand a chance. The fact that he was a Druid was the most powerful weapon he had against them, and the fact that they didn't know he was a Druid made it even more potent. They'd never consider it, because of the stricture against a mortal being able to employ more than one order of magic. Tarrin told Iselde they had a long life span, but not that they were effectively immortal. And since Tarrin was a Sorcerer, the Sha'Kar would automatically assume that his powers worked the same way theirs did. That he was a Sorcerer with minor Priest powers, associated with his status, but nothing else.

  Tarrin reached the gate of Arlan's estate faster than he thought he would, and used the same spell that Iselde had used to gain entry. The gate swung open for him smoothly, and he marched right by it without giving it a second thought. The elaborate front door opened for him before he reached it, one of the serving girls curtsying to him fearfully in the foyer, but he didn't even see her. He swished right by her, moving so fast the wind he was causing disturbed her hair, and was immediately down the passageway that would lead to his borrowed room.

  When he arrived, he found Kimmie and Dolanna sitting on the divans, facing each other and talking. Sapphire was perched on the top edge of the inclined side of the divan, preening her scales, and the serving girl sat self-consciously beside Dolanna, picking at her skirts. Dolanna's face looked haunted, an expression he'd seen on her before when she found out the Council and the Keeper had had Tarrin turned, and after Faalken died. Kimmie had obviously laid down the facts for her, and from the looks of it, what she heard had horrified her. That was a good sign. If she was that horrified by what she heard, she wouldn't continue her descent into their decadent lifestyle.

  "Tarrin," Kimmie called after they turned to see who came in. "What happened--"

  Kimmie cut herself off as Tarrin stalked right by them, then stopped. He sent out his awareness into the room and carefully inspected that Ward that he had absently raised not long ago, a Ward that, by some grace of the Goddess, he had set to defeat attempts to spy through the Weave as well as prevent eavesdropping. Its integrity was good, but it was weakening as the charged magic he set into it began to wane. Tarrin reset the weave slightly, spinning a small strand out from the nearest strand and anchoring it to the heart of the Ward in a manner that he had seen around them, a manner he had actually used before. The strand, connected to the core of the weave, would supply it with an endless supply of magical energy. It rendered the Ward permanent.

  Dolanna sensed what he was doing, her eyes speculative as he turned and looked at them. He didn't look at her too long, however, staring at his mate. "You told her?"

  Kimmie nodded solemnly.

  "What do you think, now, Dolanna?" he asked bluntly. "What do you think of the Sha'Kar?"

  "I find it hard to believe that it happened, dear one," she sighed forlornly. "Had Zarina not been here to confirm it, I would not have believed it to be. But I cannot deny the truth. I think that not all Sha'Kar are like that, but still, it is something that I cannot condone."

  Tarrin was inwardly escstatic. At least Dolanna had seen the truth, and for one, she wasn't willing to explain away or try to defend the Sha'Kar for that heinous act. Dolanna was with them. That was one. Now, they had to convince the other two. Tarrin continued on with relief evident in his voice. "You may be right," Tarrin admitted. "But I'm not taking any chances now. Not after the talk I just had with the Council." Tarrin told them about his meeting, how they had shown little concern of the two Druids, and then the bombshell that Tarrin had quite accidentally dropped among them. "You should have seen how they reacted to that, Dolanna," he told her earnestly. "I thought they were going to faint! When I see Phandebrass again, I'm going to kiss him for his nitpicking ways. If he hadn't have been prattling on about that, I wouldn't have said it to the Council."

  "I don't think he'd like a kiss from you, Tarrin," Kimmie teased with a grin. "But if this is that serious, then we need to find out what really happened to the other Sha'Kar. If we do, and the Council knows we know, they may suddenly get very cooperative."

  "That's exactly what I was thinking," Tarrin told her with a nod. "But now that they know that I know something about it, I think they're going to watch all of us like a hawk. They're not stupid. I think they know that I saw their reactions when I mentioned that. They'll suspect that I suspect something, and they're going to watch us very carefully to make sure I don't follow up on it. If I were them, I wouldn't lay off until was convinced that the explanation I gave for it was completely believed."

  "You have a suspicious mind, dear one. Not everyone is like that. But in this case, we cannot be too careful," Dolanna admitted with a serious look.

  "And whatever we do, we'd better do it fast," Tarrin said. "Somehow, I get the feeling that the Council isn't going to sit on this for long. The instant they get a whiff that I'm not completely content with their explanation, they very well may come after us. We need to keep them from knowing what we're doing, but because it is so serious, we'd better find out quickly. The longer it takes, the more dangerous it's going to get for us." He looked at the nervous girl. "Are you well, Zarina?" he asked her.

  She jumped a bit. "I am well, Master," she replied instantly.

  "I have much work with her ahead," Dolanna said, glancing at her. "But there is hope for her."

  "I hope you don't mind me dropping her in your lap, Dolanna, but I couldn't think of anyone else better suited to help her than you."

  "A appreciate your confidence in me, dear one. And your trust," she added with a sober look. "I know she is important to you."

  "Her and that redhead are the two greatest treasures on this island. Probably even greater than the Firestaff. At least from a Were-kin's point of view."

  "There's another one?" Kimmie asked in surprise.

  "The redhead that serves in this house," he replied with a nod. "I haven't claimed her yet because she's right where I can keep an eye on her. But this one, this one needed to be where I could keep her safe," he said, reaching down and lifing Zarina's chin with a finger. She stared up at him with wondrous eyes, shocked that anyone would think she was worth anything.

  "Do you think it was wise to tell the Council what she is?" Dolanna asked.

  "What can they do?" he shrugged. "They're happy I'm taking them with me, and I think that since they're not trained
, they don't feel they're a threat. Syllis calmed right down when I told him I'm taking them back and they need to be properly trained. I think he thought I meant that they had their power already before I said that."

  "Possibly," Dolanna agreed.

  "They can figure out that this one is the first, but they don't know who the other is, so she's safe," Tarrin continued. "All things given, though, I think I'll be tracking Arlan down today and telling him he's losing a servant. I think it'd be smart to put them under our wing now, so they're not wandering around out there with wolves stalking them." He withdrew his finger from Zarina's chin, but she continued to look up at him with those fawn-like eyes. "We need to tell the others what's going on," he told them. "I'll leave that to you, Dolanna. I, need to go see Allia."

  Dolanna's expression darkened. "She does not know yet?"

  He shook his head. "As strangely as she's been acting since we got here, I'm not sure what she'll do, Dolanna. If she loves that Sha'Kar boy enough, she may turn against us."

  "That would be unthinkable!" Dolanna gasped. "She is your sister, Tarrin! Think about what that means to her!"

  "What it means to a Selani," he corrected. "She hasn't been acting like a Selani, Dolanna. She's been acting like a Sha'Kar."

  That put a worried look on her face, and she nodded.

  "Bring the others in, Dolanna, and explain things to them," he told her. "Make sure you do it here. Remember, the instant you set foot out that door, you're going to be watched. Everything you say out there is going to be on the Council's table before you take in another breath."

  "If that is so, is it wise to tell Allia where it can be overheard?" Dolanna asked.

  "They already know why I was so outraged, so it's not a secret, Dolanna," he said. "They also seem to know about Allia and Allyn, so again, it wouldn't be a stretch that I would confront her over this." He blew out his breath and clenched his fists. "I can't put it off any more," he announced. "I'll be back soon. Pray I don't come back alone."

  Tarrin left the room, grim and foreboding. The fact that he had no idea what was going to happen worried him more than anything else. Before coming to the island, Tarrin could have predicted exactly how Allia would have reacted to such news, almost predicted exactly what she would say. But things were so crazy now. She was so...so taken with Allyn, and he'd affected her behavior so severely, it was like she was a different person. Not knowing his sister's mind was the one thing that worried him more than anything else. More than the Firestaff, more than the Council and the Grand, even more than Kimmie's safety. Allia could be extremely volatile if she was approached the wrong way. Tarrin prayed fervently that she hadn't changed that much.

  He found her in the room she had been given, and as he expected, she wasn't alone. She and Allyn were still in bed, sleeping, when he opened the door without knocking. Again, another indication that Allia was not herself. The Allia he knew would have been awakened instantly the moment he put his paw on the door handle. But she still slumbered peacefully, splayed out on the bed with Allyn's arm thrown over her chest. He looked at them, then remembered that the Elders were watching, so he laid a Ward over the room that would make their conversation a private one, then he stepped inside to get it overwith.

  Tarrin felt his heart pounding in his chest. He didn't want to do this. Allia was happy. Despite what he knew, despite everything that was going on, Allia was quite happy with Allyn. And now he had to try to drive a wedge between them, and that pained him. She had always been there for him, always supported him, even in his darkest moments. He didn't want to have to do this. He didn't want to have to tell her the truth. But he just couldn't leave this alone. Allia had to know, had to decide for herself how she wanted to see it.

  Tarrin took in a deep breath.

  "Allia."

  Her eye snapped open, and she whipped up to a sitting position with all the speed and reflex of a desert-born warrior. Those beautiful sea-blue eyes focused on him, and then she did the one thing he never expected.

  She laughed.

  "Tarrin!" she said in relief. "I haven't been startled like that since I was a sand-eared child! What brings you to my door this early in the morning?"

  Her light mood vanished when she saw the grim look on his face, the stiffness of his posture. The fact that his tail was stock still behind him and his ears were partially back told her much. Tarrin was extremely uncomfortable, and that drained away her smile.

  "Mmff," Allyn groaned, his hand seeking Allia out. "Come back to bed, my heart. I can't sleep without you near me."

  "Get up," Tarrin said in a nasty voice, his ears laying back as he regarded the Sha'Kar male.

  That got Allia's attention. She gave him a penetrating, slightly hostile look as Allyn sat up in bed and saw the Were-cat, his expression slightly startled. "Oh, honored one!" he said. "I didn't know you were here. How can we serve you?"

  That word caused Tarrin's back to coil. Serve. His fury with the Sha'Kar was starting to get to him again as he looked at Allyn. Had Allyn ever punished a servant like that? Did he know what went on? Did he approve of it? Allyn's reaction to what Tarrin was about to say was almost as important as Allia's, for his reaction would influence hers. He was sure of it. If Allyn was indifferent to the actions of his bretheren, it may make Allia more hostile towards him. If Allyn was also outraged, then perhaps this wouldn't be as bad as Tarrin feared it would, and it may give him hope that maybe not all Sha'Kar were as bad as he thought. But if Allyn denied it, then Allia might believe him, and that was where things might get very unpleasant.

  Tarrin's hostile posture was not lost on the Sha'Kar youth. He leaned back and clutched the blanket with one hand, as his other sought out Allia's and clasped it.

  "What troubles you, my brother?" Allia asked in slightly worried concern.

  Her calling him brother made him wince. Was she truly his sister now? In a few moments, he was going to find out.

  "What troubles me isn't easy to say, Allia," he said in a flat voice, glaring at Allyn. "It's not something you'll want to hear. I'm sure of it."

  "Then it's best not to dance around the issue," she said calmly.

  She was right, of course. So he did. Without emotion, Tarrin related her the tale of finding Zarina, and going back to her estate to have a talk with her master for the abuse they were inflicting on her, and then he watched her eyes carefully as he quite callously described the torture that the male had inflicted on the girl.

  Tarrin was taken aback. There was no reaction.

  "I don't see what's wrong with that," Allyn yawned. "Sometimes a servant needs to be punished. It's not like it does them any permanent harm. It's just a spell that induces cooperation."

  Allyn had no idea how close he came to death in that moment. Tarrin's eyes exploded into their unhly greenish aura, the visible mark of his anger, and he reflexively extended his claws and opened his stance, his feet trembling to send him forward to rip off the boy's head. Allia saw that quick and extreme shift in Tarrin's mood, and quickly rose up on the bed, standing nude between him and Allyn, arms out wide.

  "What has gotten into you, brother?" she demanded in Selani. "The use of pain as a teaching tool is an accepted practice among us. You know that! If the spell did the girl no true harm, then there was no harm done!"

  He couldn't believe it. His eyes drained away of their aura as he stared at Allia in abject shock. But then his anger returned in full fury, and to his horror, now it was directed at Allia. "You would protect those who torture?" he demanded. "You would protect people who use the gift the Goddess gave us to inflict harm like that?" he hissed. "It's the first rule, Allia! Never use Sorcery to harm another except in self defense!"

  "It's not as if you haven't done much worse with your own power," she shot back. "Should we count the number of people who have died at the hands of your Sorcery, brother? Fifty? A hundred? A thousand? Ten thousand?" She glared at him. "I supported you and loved you because you are my brother. But can you stand there and a
ccuse in moral purity when I know how much worse you are than them?"

  There was nothing she could have said that could have been more devestating to him. The wounds that those actions had inflicted on him had never healed. They were raw, open, they still plagued him, and Allia knew it. She had struck at him with words that were like daggers, seeking to tear him apart. She knew him so well...so she knew exactly what to say to inflict upon him the most harm.

  Tarrin's eyes blasted back to their green radiance, and he bared his fangs at her. Her attack on him in his most sensitive area had caused his fury to boil out of him like the volcano not far away would boil out lava and ash. How could she? How could she say that to him, when she knew how much that hurt him? How could she have changed so much in three short days? He glared at her viciously, her protected status in his mind degrading more and more by the moment. His sister would never have said that to him. The woman he loved would never have been so cruel! Who was this woman? Whoever she was, it couldn't be Allia!

  "Leave, Tarrin," she said coldly. "When you can come back and see things rationally, as they truly are, instead of how your past flavors them, we'll talk about it. But until then, leave us."

  Tarrin hissed in a furious voice, his injured soul bare on his face, twisted by his mask of suppressed rage. "I will not leave!" he said in a tight, deadly voice. "Who are you, sister?" he demanded with hot eyes. "My sister would never have said that to me! The woman I know and love would not shrug me off like my opinions and concerns didn't matter!"