Their little talk seemed to have had the effect he intended. Sarraya was quiet and thoughtful for a while after Allia returned, dragging a dead juvenile sukk by the leg, and she seemed to be organizing herself as Tarrin and Allia dressed, quartered, and then started roasting the bird over the fire Tarrin had built while she was hunting.
"I don't see any bows," Sarraya noticed, as Tarrin realized she was starting her run. "How did you catch it?"
"The same way we catch anything," she shrugged. "You sneak up on it using the brush as cover, then jump up and run it down." She pulled out her short sword. "This is the only hunting weapon a Selani really needs, Sarraya. The only thing in the desert that can outrun us are inu and kajat, and even they can only do it for short distances."
"I remember seeing some Selani use javelins," she noted. "Remember, Tarrin?"
"Javelins are safer when you're going after chisa or a large flock of sukk," she answered. " Chisa are big, and they'll gather into defensive circles when we attack them. If there are enough sukk, they turn and attack predators in a large group rather than run. Even inu and kajat won't attack a large flock of sukk. Remember the inu we saw a few days ago?" she asked, and Sarraya nodded. "They were stalking that small flock because they knew that a flock that size would run rather than fight." She reached down and picked up one of the severed feet of the big bird, showing Sarraya its very long and wicked talons. "Believe me, Faerie, you do not want to be on the wrong side of these," she said with a slight smile.
"It looks like it would be something of an educational experience," Sarraya noted, which made Allia laugh. "How did the Selani come to tame them?"
"Actually, it's not very hard," she answered. "If you can get a sukk egg, even a wild one, you can tame the sukk when it hatches. It imprints itself to the first thing it sees, thinking that that is its mother. It will follow you around, and you can train it to prepare it for life in the tribe's flock. When it matures and separates from its mother, it remains in the flock. Even if that flock happens to with be a Selani tribe," she said with a smile.
"What about the eggs the sukk lay in your flocks? Do you have to get those too?"
"No, the mother will teach the baby everything she was taught herself," Allia answered. "Once you train one, it will train all its babies. Sukk are actually rather intelligent. That's why they'll turn and attack predators when they have sufficient numbers. They've learned that numbers give them strength." She laughed. "I've seen a flock of sukk attack kajats before," she said. "They confuse and fluster the kajat while they shred its legs with their talons. The kajat never fails to kill one or two of them, but in the end, it's the kajat that comes out on the worse side of the bargain. Once they're incited like that, sukk will actively defend the bodies of dead flock members for days, ensuring that any predator that kills one of their number won't have a chance to enjoy the spoils of its labor. Every kajat learns the hard way that ambushing a large flock is a very bad idea. Look closely at the next kajat we see's legs. You'll see the scars."
"I'm sure it's quite a surprise for it," Sarraya grinned. "Things that big aren't used to being pushed around." She said that while giving Tarrin a sidelong glance.
Allia gave her a knowing smile. "Even the mightiest kajat can be felled if enough rock mice stand together," she said in a cadence that said it was one of the Selani's sayings. But she too gave Tarrin a sly look, which made him snort shortly.
"If sukk defend the dead, how do javelins make it safe to hunt them?"
"They only defend if they're excited into fighting," she said pointedly. "When you hunt a large flock, you kill a sukk from cover. If the flock doesn't know it's being attacked, they won't defend the carcass. Sukk do occasionally die from natural causes, so when you spear one, the rest of the flock thinks it succumbed to some disease or something like that and leaves the body behind."
"Clever," Sarraya said appreciatively.
"After so long in the desert, we've learned how things work," Allia replied with a light smile.
Like that was opening the gates of a city, Sarraya and Allia began to open up to each other a little. Now that she wasn't trying to lace her conversation with barbs and comments, Sarraya was managing to hold a conversation with the Selani. Tarrin quietly withdrew himself from them to let them get to know each other all over again, and to avoid becoming a common target. As was his habit, he climbed the rock spire and sat down at its top, a surprisingly wide top that was worn generally flat by the scouring wind, and looked off to the horizon. It was too far away to see the Cloud Spire quite yet, but at least it would be a relatively easy journey. The land between them was more or less flat, with many rock spires, and there was alot of scrublands. He did remember one expanse of boulder-strewn barrens, but it wouldn't take them more than half a day or so to cross it.
He wondered how Jesmind and the others were doing. By now, Mist had to be going stir crazy, and was probably becoming something of a threat to the Sorcerers in the Tower. Jasana was probably still being punished, and Jesmind and Triana both had to watch the girl like a hawk to make sure she wasn't trying to weasel out of it. He still regretted not seeing his children and saying goodbye, but things had been rushed, and Jesmind had taken up what little free time he'd had, and Jasana was still being punished. He doubted that Eron would particularly care if he said goodbye or not; Eron was a typical Were-cat child. His mother was the only thing that truly mattered to him, the absolute center of his very young life. Tarrin wasn't angry or sad about that, because he understood it. Besides, Eron liked him and had shown some affection, and in a Were-cat child, that was the most for which he could ask. And the unusual circumstances of the situation probably made it very hard for Eron to rationalize showing love to a human. Eron had never seen his father as a Were-cat, and Tarrin had a feeling that that would make a significant difference in how the child behaved towards him.
He felt a familiar surging in the Weave that immediately centered on him; it was Jenna, and Jenna could find him much faster and more efficiently than Keritanima. She locked in on him almost instantly. He looked to where he felt Jenna's will exerting itself against the Weave, where flows pulled free of the strands and quickly wove themselves into a perfect image of her young, attractive appearance. The eyes of that projection opened, and she smiled down at where he was sitting. "Brother," she said grandly, walking over to him. "That's quite a view," she said. "I didn't know the desert was this pretty."
"Some parts of it are breathtaking," he said calmly as she sat down beside him. "Kerri told me what happened. How has it been?"
"Don't even start about that," she groaned as she had her projection sit beside him. "It's a nightmare, Tarrin. A nightmare! They dumped a mountain of problems on me from before, and the nobles are all starting to get combative and sneaky, and if that wasn't bad enough, the people in the city keep wanting to riot," she said, blowing out her breath. "Some fanatic out there is whipping them into a frenzy in the main square every day, and I have to go out there and break things up to stop it. I actually had to break them up with Sorcery today," she growled. "They can't catch the inciter, and Goddess I wish they would. I intend to peel off his skin in little tiny strips."
"I've had a bad influence on you," he teased with a smile.
"I guess you have," she grinned in reply.
"How are Jesmind and Mist?"
"Mist is getting cranky," Jenna frowned. "Triana's been splitting her time between us and Jula, and she spends most of the time with us keeping Mist from killing people. Jesmind's been a little short-tempered, at least a little more than usual. I think that's because of Jasana," she mused.
"What's she doing?"
"Moping and crying alot," she answered. "Whatever Jesmind and Triana did to her had a big impact. I think Jesmind's upset at what they did to her, and it's making her waspish."
"Typical mother sympathy," he sighed. "She sees Jasana suffering and wants to stop it, but she can't because she's the one causing it. So it makes her short-tempered."
"I think that's about right," she nodded.
"I guess I'm part of that too," he grunted. "She knows I'm angry with her. She hasn't even tried to talk to me through the amulets yet. I think that's just piling things onto what's going on with Jasana."
"Probably."
"How is Kimmie?"
"She's doing fine," she answered, then she laughed. "She's getting bigger every time I see her. Jesmind said that's normal, but it's almost eerie. She's eating enough for four people, and she's been an absolute sweetheart. Triana told me that pregnancy signficantly mellows out a Were-cat, and it's really showing on her. Kimmie's always been friendly, but now she's like a grandmother."
"Maybe Jesmind should get pregnant, then," Tarrin mused.
"That's your department, not mine," Jenna winked.
Tarrin let that pass. "Are things calm, other than that?"
"More or less," she nodded. "There was a mass exodus after Kerri left with the fake you. Every inn and boarding house was overflowing before, but now the merchants actually have somewhere to stay. It's just as well. With what happened with the king and Regent, it's best right now to get all the extra bodies out of Suld."
"Good point," he agreed. "How did Grandfather take it?"
Jenna laughed. "Actually, he didn't have any complaints at all. He was happy to help out, and he really liked the idea of the possibility of a little warfare. I had to convince him not to allow them to invade Ungardt."
"You shouldn't have bothered," Tarrin chuckled. "I feel sorry for any ship off Ungardt's coast. You know they'll be attacking anything afloat that's not Wikuni."
"I didn't think of that. This may be a bad time to be a merchantman," she giggled.
"Eh, it'll keep them on their toes. A little exercise now and then is good for you. Kerri's mad at you, you know. Well, at me actually."
"About what I did to Fox?" she asked, and he nodded. "I told her I'd teach her that."
"Have you talked to mother and father lately?"
"Yesterday," she nodded. "I told them that it may be a good idea to disappear for a while, so they agreed to pack up and go visit a few old army friends in Torrian."
"Torrian? They rebuilt it?"
"They're in the process," she said delicately.
"I guess they would. It's been, what, three months? Four?"
"About four," she affirmed.
"How far along are they?"
"They're doing rather well," she answered. "The army's been sent there to help out, and between them and the citizens, things are going up pretty quickly. They're taking this chance to rearrange things a little bit. You know, give the city a little better layout. And Arren wants to put up a stone wall this time."
"Oh, that reminds me. How much can you influence the nobles about a king?"
"Who did you have in mind?"
"Arren."
"Ooh, that's a good choice," she said with an enthusiastic nod. "They're not going to like it, but I might be able to ram him down their throats. They're all thinking they have the best chance. That's what's making this all so messy," she growled. "No house wants to support a potential from any other house. And without that, there's no way any one man can get enough support to get the throne."
"You may have to take steps," Tarrin warned.
"I think you're right," she said thoughtfully. "If I don't step in and do something, I'm going get stuck with it, and I hate it. I'll be regent over a kingdom torn apart while the nobles all fight with one another."
"You may have to step on a few people."
"Then I'll wear some iron-shod boots," she grinned. "I've learned how to step on people, brother. The first thing I learned was that they're going to hate me no matter what I do, so I may as well do things my way."
"Kerri taught you that, didn't she?"
"She didn't have to," she told him. "I learned that the first time I butted heads with the Council, and they hinted that my power extended as far as they'd allow it to go. I wasn't about to let that happen, so I let them have it. I think that shocked them, to see this little girl come in there and bite their heads off. I think that was when they realized that I didn't think that the appointment was for show. It took me a while, but I finally got them under my heel. I can do the same thing to the nobles. After I make a few ugly threats, then threaten to keep the crown for myself, they'll probably be amenable to my choice for the throne."
"Think you can get away with that?"
"Probably. I'm pretty popular in the city right now, so they'll all probably think I have a chance of winning the people over. If you can win the people of Suld, you have a good chance of keeping the throne, no matter what the nobles think. They know that any monarch that sits on that throne does it because the people of Suld are content with him."
` "Kerri said much the same thing," he nodded.
"I'll need to get a good running start at it," she mused. "Have some people drop a few stories and rumors here and there."
"What for?"
"To get the people of Suld thinking about Arren," she answered. "It won't matter how much I want him on the throne if the people won't accept him. I have to make sure they've heard about how kind he is and how devoted and caring he is for his people, and how good a job he's doing overseeing the rebuilding of the city. Did Kerri suggest Arren?"
"She did mention him, and I happen to agree," Tarrin affirmed. "You know, you picked up on this pretty fast, Jenna. Making all these clever plans and being political and all. You sound like Kerri."
"I should. She had to teach me alot about politics," she laughed. "Her and Alexis. I still make way too many mistakes, but at least I can keep things from becoming a total disaster."
"That's all we can really ask for, Jenna," he said thoughtfully, looking out over the plain, which was now colored red from the setting sun behind them. The stones out in the scrub caught the light better than the plants, making the plain look like there were small pools of blood around the plants, like the plants were bleeding. "It's all so different now, isn't it?"
"Yes, but I'm not sad things turned out this way," she said sincerely. "I may not like some of my duties as Keeper, but in a strange way, it feels like I belong here."
"I do too, about being a Were-cat. Almost like I was born into the wrong family."
"Well, then, I'm very glad someone messed things up then," Jenna grinned. Then she sighed. "It's almost over, isn't it?"
He knew exactly what she meant. "Not quite yet, so don't let your guard down. I'm not going to relax until afterwards. I think I'll sleep a few months-at least as soon as the Goddess tells me what to do with the Firestaff-and then do absolutely nothing for at least ten years. Well, the doing nothing will come after I get my house built."
"Where?"
"Out in the Frontier, in a nice meadow with a little stream running through it," he answered. "I used to go there alot when I wandered the forest. That's going to be my new home, and I have no intention of leaving it for about ten years."
"Then all the excitement will be gone," she sighed. "I'll have my boring duties, and you'll be lounging around out there in the Frontier avoiding all this work."
"I think I've done my part. Now it's your turn," he said shamelessly.
She laughed. "I guess so. Well, I'd better get back. Goddess only knows what kind of mischief they're getting into without me there to babysit them. You have anything you need passed along?"
"Not really. Just tell Jesmind, Kimmie, and Mist that I'm alright, and I'm thinking about them. Tell my children I love them, and try to keep them out of trouble."
"That's not easy," she giggled. "But I'll do my best. I'll talk to you tomorrow, alright?"
"Alright. Good luck."
"I think I'm going to need it," she fretted. "Bye Tarrin. Talk to you tomorrow."
"Have fun."
She gave him a slightly hostile look, and then her image vanished as he felt her consciousness retreat back into the Weave at the unimaginably fast speed of thought itself. She was re
turning to her body, where it sat, physically connected to a strand of the Weave, and probably under guard.
Things sounded a bit dicey in Suld, but if there was one thing he'd learned about Jenna during his amnesia, it was that she was a very capable young lady. She may think she made alot of mistakes, but the truth was, Keritanima and Alexis had trained up a young but gifted Keeper. He had no doubt that she would handle things, and she would do it smoothly and efficiently. Between what she had learned from Keritanima and Alexis, and the maturing information that Spyder had put in her head, Jenna was a remarkably detail-oriented and organized ruler, with a maturity and intelligence to handle these kinds of problems, and the cool, level-headed training she received from her parents only helped those things along. She would make good decisions, because she wouldn't rush into them, she would look at a problem from several sides before deciding on the most practical and efficient solution, and she knew when to ask for help from advisors. She had the perfect balance of confidence and a willingness to accept aid that made her an excellent ruler.
He felt confident that before Gods' Day, Arren was going to be sitting on the Lion Throne of Sulasia. And he didn't once doubt that they couldn't have chosen a better man.
They had no trouble at all as they continued to move, shifting to a more southeasterly direction the day after he talked to Jenna. The plain made it easy to see the more dangerous predators well before they got close enough to be a threat, and they moved through a strange void of Selani. They saw a few Scouts from a distance, but that was all. The Scouts were ranging out to find the best grazing for the animals, and their presence meant that tribes would be moving in to take advantage of the scrub bloom around them within a matter of days, if that. They saw several signal fires built atop rock spires during the nights, beacons to guide the tribes to good grazing.
Tarrin relaxed more and more as they moved towards the Cloud Spire, as any signs of a possible pursuit didn't materialize. Jenna had everything under control in Suld, Keritanima had everything under control in Dusgaard, and they had everything under control here. Things seemed to be going even better than he hoped they would, and he couldn't find any reason within himself not to relax just a little and enjoy the advantage of it while he could.
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