Tarrin Kael Firestaff Collection Book 3 - Honor and Blood by Fel ©

by James Galloway (aka Fel)

  "Zak is fine. Binter and Sisska stayed in Wikuna."

  "Why?"

  "Sisska is pregnant," she replied calmly. "There was absolutely no way I was going to permit her to travel. I have a new Vendari bodyguard named Szath. He's pretty unimaginative and not very bright, but at least he gets along with Zak. I guess that's all that matters."

  "Only one?"

  "I thought the same at first, because of Sashka's nearly fanatical insistence that I be well protected. But I have Zak, who's turned out to be an equal to a Vendari in a fight. The fact that Szath is the biggest, strongest, toughest Vendari I've ever seen in my life may have something to do with only having one sent to replace Binter and Sisska."

  "He's that big?"

  Tarrin, he lookes like a mobile tree," she said in a sudden voice. "He's a salt-water Vendari, and they have brown scales. He's a head taller than Binter, and about half again as wide. He could probably knock down a house with his bare hands. He can't even fit through the door to my cabin, so he stands out in the hall. Nobody can get around him when he does, so the staterooms past mine are empty."

  "Wow."

  "Wow indeed. As soon as Sisska lays her eggs, they'll be coming back. Her clan will care for the eggs while they're here."

  That surprised him, but it should not have. Vendari were related to reptiles, though they were warm-blooded. It was only logical that they were egg-layers. "How long will that be?"

  "Sisska should be putting down her brood in about a month, and I'll have them on the fastest clipper in the fleet as soon as she feels ready to move. That'll probably be the day after."

  "You going to be alright with this Szath?"

  "He's a Vendari, Tarrin," Keritanima chuckled. "He may not be very bright, but his honor and devotion to duty are unswerving. I've already sworn him to secrecy about those things I don't want to spread, and he'll keep his word. He'll take those secrets to his grave. If he even remembers them, that is," she added with a rueful grunt. "How are you doing?"

  "On schedule, more or less. I'm about two days from a place called Cloud Spire, and the Selani clans are gathering there for their yearly meeting."

  "I didn't ask where you were, I asked how you were doing," she said archly.

  "I'm alright, sister," he replied calmly. "I'm well and whole, at least right now."

  "You're being evasive, Tarrin," she accused.

  "I know. Things have happened to me here that I don't want spread around. They'll see it soon enough in a while."

  "You won't even tell me?"

  "I'd love to, sister, but unfortunately I have no idea how many other people I'm talking to at the moment."

  "Alright, I get the point," she sighed. "I take it that it's going to apply to where you've been and what you've done?"

  "More or less. I can tell you that I'm travelling with a pair of Selani, but I'll be leaving them behind once we reach the Cloud Spire. That's half the reason I'm going that way."

  "What are they like?"

  "Nothing like Allia," Tarrin chuckled. "Var is reserved, but he's a little stiff. That's because I still don't really like him, so he won't be himself around me. Denai is another matter."

  "Uh oh," Keritnaima giggled. "I take it she's a handful?"

  "Imagine Sarraya with no reservations."

  Keritanima laughed. "She can't be that bad."

  "She intentionally threw herself off a longspan-high cliff just to impress Var," he told her. "She's worse than Sarraya. She has absolutely no fear. Not of the desert, not of me, and not of just about anything. She's old enough to be an adult, but young enough to be stupid."

  Keritanima was howling with laughter, and it took her a moment to get back under control. "Well then, I imagine that your nerves are pretty much well shot."

  "Not really. I finally found a threat gruesome enough for her to believe. She's been pretty tame the last few days."

  "Sounds like you like her."

  "Why do you think that?"

  "You have a soft spot for fearless little girls. Besides, if she's not afraid of you, if she's like you say she is, she probably flaunts the fact that she's not afraid of you in your face."

  "She's done it a few times," he admitted. "Not lately, though. I frightened her pretty well after that stunt at the cliff."

  "What's she like other than that?"

  "She's a typical teenager. She talks too much, she's combative, competitive, devious, manipulative, and she thinks she knows everything."

  "Sounds like a typical teen to me," Keritanima chuckled. "It's good to see that certain age qualities are universal across races. I guess it gives us all common ground."

  "Maybe. Have you talked to Allia?"

  "Yesterday. They're doing alright. Allia's getting a little restless, sitting in the Tower. Dolanna, Camara Tal, and Sevren are trying to find the traitor in the Tower, and Dar is getting a little aggravated with Allia, because she follows him everywhere he goes. Phandebrass hasn't come out of the library yet, and Triana is still here, training Jula."

  "Did Allia tell you why Jula attacked the Keeper?"

  "She did. It seemed that they were having a discussion, it turned into an argument, the Keeper tried to take Jula's amulet, and that set her off. From the sound of it, Jula and the Keeper never really got along, and it's alot worse now. Jula is a pariah in the Tower. None of the Sorcerers want anything to do with her, because she betrayed the order. There have been a few attempts to have the Council and the Keeper throw her out. None of them are crazy enough to attack Jula directly, though, so they have little choice but to try to go through Tower politics."

  "I can imagine."

  "It's more than that. It turns out that being a Were-cat makes Sorcery stronger. Jula's power has increased significantly since she got to the Tower. She's more than a match for anyone in the Tower. Add in those claws and her Were gifts, and she's nearly as dangerous as you."

  "Huh. I didn't know that."

  "Some of the Lorefinders are studying Jula to try to find out why," Keritanima told him. "So far, it's been a mystery."

  "I can't think of why," he mused to himself, thinking about it. And he really couldn't. "That happened to me too?"

  "They can't tell, because you got there after you were turned. They never got to see your power when you were human. Jula's abilities were well known before, so they have something to gauge her against now." There was a pause. "Jervis just came in, Tarrin, and he's carrying a sheaf of documents. I guess it's time to go to work."

  "Work? I thought that you had someone doing that for you."

  "Sashka handles running the day-to-day operation of the kingdom, but he always sends the important issues to me through the priests. I've been getting a steady stream of documents since I left Wikuna. I've been managing the kingdom from my stateroom since we left. I make the decisions, and Sashka makes sure they're carried out. Anyway, I have to go now, Tarrin. Work calls. Don't be a stranger, alright? Try to contact both of us at least every few days. We worry about you."

  "I'll try, sister. Go on and do your Queen thing. It's about time for us to move anyway."

  "Do the Queen Thing," Keritanima chuckled. "I like the sound of it. Bye Tarrin. Safe journey."

  "Be well, sister," he replied, then he let go of his amulet.

  Well, that explained some things. He'd been wondering what happened to Jula, when Triana didn't contact him again. Triana was like that sometimes. If she didn't deem it important, she didn't pass it on. The problem was that she thought it trivial, where he did not. It sounded like things in the Tower were under control, and Keritanima would soon be there as well. All he needed to do now was get there himself.

  He happened to glance up in time to see three winged figures pass overhead, high in the sky. Their form and shape reminded him instantly of Ariana, and he was positive that they were the same race. Aeradalla. Their large wings cutting the air, they soared high overhead, moving back towards the canyon some ten days behind. At least on foot. For them, it was probably
a day's flight. Even running at full speed, he could never hope to keep up with them. They were the first Aeradalla he'd seen so far, and he wondered why. Var and Denai said that they were a common sight in this region. Perhaps the Gathering had upset them a little, and they all decided to stay at the top of the Cloud Spire instead of being seen by the gathered Selani.

  If they were flying towards the canyon, he guessed that they were out for food. There was certainly enough of it down there. He was certain that their flight down through those winds would be challenging.

  Sarraya flitted up and landed on the stone in front of him. "You look all happy. Talk to someone?"

  "Kerri," he replied. "Look at that."

  "I saw them," Sarraya said. "It looks silly for them to have wings like that. They must be cumbersome."

  "Wings are wings."

  "Really," Sarraya scoffed. "Different wings mean different flying styles. Those Aeradalla are slow and ungainly in the air. They can't hover, they can't change directions quickly, and it takes them forever to get up to speed. My wings are far superior."

  "And your wings wouldn't be able to lift that much weight, even if you were their size," he told her pointedly. "Dragonfly wings are suited for little people."

  "Since I'm not that size, that's not an issue, is it?"

  "No, but you'll always have to live with the fact that they can fly much further than you, much faster than you. You can't glide, and those little bee's wings can't muster up much speed."

  "You take all the fun out of being superior," Sarraya said sourly.

  "As soon as you think you're superior, someone will come along and prove you're really an idiot," he said absently. His mother used to say that quite a bit.

  "Hmph," Sarraya snorted, turning her nose up. "So, what did the fur-face have to say?"

  "She's on the way to Suld," he told her. "She got everything settled at home. She'll probably be there in fifteen days or so."

  "That's good. That devious snake should make things go more smoothly."

  "You've never met Kerri."

  "No, but I've heard what she's like from you. If she's not a devious snake, I'm really a Troll."

  Tarrin actually laughed. "She's a Queen, Sarraya. She's supposed to be devious," he admitted.

  "See?"

  Tarrin smiled benignly at her. "I love her anyway, despite her faults. Just like I love you, despite your uncountable faults."

  "Well!" Sarraya flared, putting her hands on her hips. "I didn't come up here to be insulted!"

  "Probably not, but I'm pretty sure you came up here to insult me."

  "Tarrin! I wouldn't do such a thing! At least not planned, anyway." She gave him a mischievious grin. "You just bring out the worst in me, that's all."

  "Right. And I haven't heard you practicing your insults when you think I'm asleep."

  Sarraya's face turned a lovely shade of purple. That was what happened when red blood flushed blue skin. Sarraya was blushing furiously, and she could only look up at him with timid eyes. "A girl has to keep in form," she said with a sudden grin.

  "Right," he said mildly. Then he looked away from her, towards the north. That sensation was still with him, with him all the time now. Whatever it was, he just had to see what it was, what it really did. It was driving him batty. "There's something we need to check out that way," he said, pointing. "It's a magical object, so strong that I felt it way back at the Great Canyon. I don't know what it is, but I think we'd better find out."

  "You think it may be the Firestaff?"

  He shook his head. "I seriously doubt it'd be that easy, Sarraya, but it is possible. This object is certainly strong enough to be the Firestaff. If it's not, it has to be some other ancient relic like the Firestaff, something with tremendous power."

  "You know where it is?"

  "Not yet. I just know it's north of here. I think as we get closer, I'll get a sense of its location."

  "You said that you felt it back at the canyon?" Tarrin nodded in agreement. "Tarrin, how could you feel something so far away?"

  "Because it's so strong," he said with a shrug. "That's the only thing I can think of."

  "Possible, but you said that your power was growing, quite a while ago," she said. "You haven't even tried to use your power for days, yet it seems to be still growing."

  "That was before I fought the Sha'Kar. Before I was changed."

  "I don't think that makes a difference," she said, tapping her chin with a tiny finger. "You wouldn't have been able to sense something so far away after the Sha'Kar forced you to come into your full power. You're still developing your power, Tarrin. Maybe that's why you weren't able to use it."

  "Maybe," he said. "The Weave has been feeling more and more, clear. Lately, anyway. I've been feeling strange little pulses in it. I haven't figured out what they are yet, but they're something I didn't notice before."

  "Sorcery isn't like other abilities," Sarraya mused. "It's a natural ability, just like Druidic talent. Since your power was altered, maybe it's taking your body some time to adjust to it. I'll bet that inside another ride, you'll be able to use magic again," she said with a bright smile.

  "We can hope so," Tarrin said absently. "I've come to discover lately that I don't need it as much as I thought, though. In a way, it's a good thing I lost my power. It gave me a chance to see what Druidic magic was like. If I still had my power, I probably would have never learned to Conjure so much as a strip of bark."

  "Probably," Sarraya smiled. "It was certainly fun teaching you. You're a quick student."

  "You know that Triana's going to kill both of us."

  "Yeah, but what fun is it to get in trouble if you don't have company?" Sarraya said with an outrageous smile.

  Tarrin laughed. "Have you told her yet?"

  "No, but she knew," Sarraya sighed. "Triana's got ears everywhere. She's already promised any number of ugly things she's going to do to me for teaching you."

  "It's not your fault," he protested. "I needed to know."

  "True, but I get the feeling that Triana wanted to be the one to train you," she told him. "Triana's attached to you. I think she sees you as the son she could have had. Laren disappoints her anew every time they meet."

  "He'd better hope he never meets me," Tarrin growled. "I don't like him."

  "He's just like that, Tarrin. You get used to it."

  "I won't."

  "Then he'll avoid you."

  "He'd better."

  "Down boy," Sarraya teased. "Woop, it looks like our sleeping prince and princess are waking up," Sarraya said, looking down the rock spire. Tarrin leaned over and looked, and he saw the two Selani coming out of the nittle nook, stretching. Denai looked around, then closed in on Var and leaned over his back as he put on a boot. Tarrin couldn't hear what she said to him, but his reaction was immediate and certain. He whirled around and stood up, then looked around furtively. Then the two of them retreated back into the niche. Tarrin had no doubt that Denai had invited Var to a little competition of her own devising, one best contended when Tarrin and Sarraya were off somewhere else.

  Sarraya laughed evilly. "Maybe I should go down there," she said. "If I time it right, I can catch them right as--"

  "No you won't," Tarrin interrupted. "Leave them alone. I want them to be distracted when we reach the Cloud Spire."

  Sarraya glanced at him. "I take it we're going to leave them behind?" Tarrin nodded. "Pity. I like them. Denai is fun, and Var tells funny jokes."

  "We can't take them with us, Sarraya. This is their home. Best to leave them at the Gathering. I'm pretty sure we can make it the rest of the way without their help."

  "They were helpful, though."

  "I'll give them that."

  "How long do you think we should wait?" Sarraya asked with a wicked little smile.

  "Denai is young, but Var isn't. I'd say about an hour. She'll probably have worn him out by then."

  Sarraya gave him a look, then laughed so hard she nearly fell off the spire.
"Alright. We'll give them privacy. But it'll be fun to run them afterward. It'll give us an idea of how much stamina they have."

  "You're wicked, Sarraya," Tarrin said with a little smile.

  "I know. I have a good teacher," she said with a coy wink. "Now then, let's eat while we're waiting. I'm hungry."

  "You're always hungry."

  "We have to be something," she shrugged as she bent to conjuring up lunch.

  To: Title EoF

  Chapter 14

  Var and Denai made no indication that they had expanded their relationship, but Tarrin wasn't all that worried about that. His mind was on other things right now.

  It was sunrise the next morning, and his attention was captivated by what stood before him. It was a huge cloud, hanging on the northern horizon, blurring in the great distance. But it was apparent what it was. A massive cloud that obviously gave the Cloud Spire its name.

  He didn't realize that they were so close to it, but the sudden emergence of Selani scouts should have hinted that they were very close. They began to see them yesterday afternoon, standing on rock spires, hiding in the denuded scrub that marked the passage of the Selani herds, perched on boulders watching the desert for possible dangers. None of them approached them or tried to talk to them, and that made sense. Selani from different clans didn't often go out of their way to talk to one another. They were forbidden to fight among themselves, but the clan mentality made Selani from other clans potential enemies, so there wasn't a great deal of communication between them outside the Gathering. They passed through them without incident, making camp in a small cave eaten out of the side of a rock spire by the scouring wind. Tarrin was atop that spire, eyes shielding from the sun coming up on his right, staring at the cloud bank intently.

  It had to be magical. Clouds couldn't form out here because there wasn't enough moisture. And if there was, the sun would burn them away with its intensity. It was very possible in his mind that the cloud that gave the Cloud Spire its name was an effect of that magical object he was sensing, because as soon as he saw the cloud, the distance and location of that object seemed to click in his mind. He saw an immediate relationship between the object and the cloud, and had realized that the odds were, the object made the cloud. Or the cloud hid the object, one or the other.