"Why can't the gods stop him?" he asked. "And why can't they just destroy him?"
"Because he is a god, Tarrin," she said patiently. "If they face him directly, they could destroy him, but in that battle would come the end of the world as we know it. It is why the Goddess had you claim the Firestaff in the first place, my brother. Think."
She was right. The Goddess told him that if someone used the Firestaff, the gods would have to rise up and destroy him, and the entire world may be destoyed in that confrontation. Confronting Val would be no different.
"Because Val is a child of the Firestaff, it means that all his power is here," she told him. "That gives him a great deal of power dealing with the other gods, whose power is in another dimension. Where they have to work through an icon, he does not. Where they can only devote a portion of their power to the battle, he does not. It makes him as powerful as any Elder God on this world. Perhaps even more so. That is why even the Elder Gods would be wary of confronting him. Even they run the risk of losing their icons. And if that happens, then the world would be in chaos," she said grimly. "The power guiding the forces of nature would be cut off, and the entire world's workings would run amok until the gods could form new icons and regain control. Very little would survive that."
Tarrin frowned. She was being very careful to spell out for him what would happen if the gods started fighting. But why? And that caused him to ask a quesion that, though he had never even considered before, made him wonder why he had never asked it before. "If Val's already a god, why does he want the Firestaff?"
"Because if a god used it, it would cause the god to have his full power manifest in this world," she told him. "A Younger God that used the Firestaff would have all of his power in that other dimension where his spirit resides, as well as an equal measure of power residing right here in this world, and it is a power that does not depend on the faith of the mortals who worship him. It would make a Younger God something even greather than an Elder God, truly immortal and wielding a power that even the Elder Gods would fear. For Val, who is already a child of the Firestaff, it would double the power he already possesses, and that power would make him unstoppable." She looked at him. "Do you know the story of Val, my brother?"
"Some of it," he answered.
"Then you know that he is a god without rules, without constraints. Do you know why?"
Tarrin mulled over that for a moment. "Because he's a child of the Firestaff."
"Yes. He is not a child of Ayise. His power was not granted by her, and it means that he did not have to accept the responsibilities and restrictions that came with that power. He is truly a god without rules, a god that does not care about the Balance. In fact, in his own way, he is a god seeking to destroy that Balance. We call him Val, god of darkness and conquest. The gods have another name for him."
He looked at her.
"They call him Entropy, the embodiment of the force that seeks to unmake all," she said, looking at him. "They fear him more than they fear any other thing." She looked at the army again. "I brought you here to show you what stands between you and your daughter, Tarrin," she told him in a quiet voice. "Now that you see what you have seen and heard what I have told you, do you understand why?"
"To show me what I'm up against."
"To show you that what you intend is impossible," she told him bluntly. "There is no way you can get Jasana back without surrendering the Firestaff to Val. He is a god, Tarrin, and he holds your daughter in the very center of his seat of power. You cannot sneak in, you cannot trick him, and you cannot beat him with either magic or brute force. He will sense you coming from a thousand longspans away, and he will hear every thought that passes through your mind. Any bargain you try to make with him, he will not honor, seeking to kill you as quickly as he can to regain the Firestaff before the appointed day. And if you do face him, he will crush you as if you are nothing and take the Firestaff from you, and there is nothing you can do to prevent it. You intend to rescue Jasana, without thinking about the consequences. And now you know what will happen if you do."
You must be able to make the choices that must be made.
No! Not Jasana! He had chosen his duty, and it had cost Faalken his life! He had chosen his duty, and it had nearly killed Kimmie! He would not make a choice that would kill his daughter. He would not! The entire world did not matter more than his precious child, because the world would not be worth continuing if Jasana was not there to share in it.
In a flash, an instant, a plan formed in his mind. It was a simple plan, an elegant plan, yet a plan carrying flavors of nuance and subtlety that would make Keritanima proud. It was a plan that addressed all the problems of rescuing Jasana without getting her killed, and after going through it in that instant, he realized that it was a plan that would work, no matter if it was a god that would be the one trying to defeat it or not. The simplicity of it made it almost infallible.
He had to be able to make the choices that must be made. In that instant, he made his choice, and that choice was Jasana.
Quickly, he buried the plan in the deepest parts of his mind, submerging it into the Cat, the one place where no one, not even the Goddess, could dig it out. He knew that if she knew what he intended, she would not allow it. She would stop him, and he would not be denied.
If Val wanted the Firestaff, Tarrin would give it to him. It was not worth the life of his daughter.
"If there's one thing that you should have learned about me by now, Spyder," he said in a voice that held absolutely no emotion, "is that the world does not matter to me." He looked at her. "Val has my daughter, and I'm going to get her out of there alive. That's all that matters to me. The world can go to the Nine Hells for all I care."
"Then your daughter will grow up in a blasted wasteland."
"As long as she grows up, I don't give a damn about where it happens to be," he said, looking over the army one more time.
"You are foolish to say that to me," she said, drawing herself up. "I will not permit you to decide the fate of us all, Tarrin."
He felt her power build up, felt the terrible might of it even though both of them were working through projections. But he ignored her, keeping his back to her. "I'm not going to go out and intentionally destroy the world, fool woman," he said with a snort. "But I won't abandon my daughter. If it would have been anything else, anyone else, I would have let it go. But not Jasana. Not one of my children. I'll find a way to get her back. I'll do my best to keep the Firestaff away from Val. But if it comes down to it, I'll hand it over to him without hesitation."
"Then you doom us all."
"Then we all die," he said grimly. "That doesn't matter to me in the slightest."
"Then you leave me little choice, my brother," she said with terrible finality. He felt her power immediately build up to its peak, felt her half a world away, probably doing the same thing he was doing, sitting somewhere in a small room in a nice comfortable chair, projecting herself out across the vast distance between them.
"Go ahead," he told her without emotion. "Let's just get it all out of the way now, woman. It doesn't matter to me anymore. Nothing matters to me anymore except my daughter," he said in a dead tone. "Strike at me, Spyder, and I'll tear the Weave. I know how it's done. Try to stop me, and I'll cause another Breaking. You won't have to worry about Val destroying the world." He turned on her, and there was awful burning fanaticism in his eyes that took her aback. "If you deny me the chance to save my daughter, I'll destroy the world myself!"
There was a shocked silence from Spyder, her eyes wide and her mouth agape. "Mother!" she gasped in consternation. "This cannot be!"
I cannot interfere, the voice of the Goddess touched them both, a very subdued, serious voice, nothing like the voice he was so accustomed to hearing. You understand the rules, daughter. I cannot directly interfere. I cannot demand. I can only ask. If Tarrin decides to defy me, I can do nothing but deny him his powers. And he does not need Sorcery to tear the Weave, daugh
ter. He's a strong enough Druid to do it. It will kill him, but he can do it.
"What must I do, Mother?"she asked in confusion. That was something he never thought he'd see. Spyder was at a loss as to what to do.
I suggest you withdraw your threat and release your power, she replied dryly. If my kitten is this determined, then I say give him his chance. He has proven again and again that he can find ways to accomplish his goals. We must all have faith that this time will be no different.
"I do not like it, Mother. It takes an awful risk."
I don't like it either, she said with a rueful chuckle. But if there's one thing I've learned about my kitten, Spyder, it's that once he truly sets his mind to accomplishing a goal, he finds a way to succeed. Just as he has faith in me, now I must show faith in him. I won't interfere, kitten, she told him directly. I disagree with what you're doing, you must know that. I love Jasana too, but I can think of no way to safely get her out. But I'm going to trust you on this, Tarrin. If you believe with all your heart that you can get her back without giving the Firestaff to Val, then I'll support you, and I'll do everything in my power to make it happen.
"I can do it, Mother," he said confidently. "I swear it."
Then that is good enough for me, she said simply. All you need to do is ask, Tarrin, and I will help you as much as I'm allowed. Because of what Val is doing, he is forcing us to directly interfere anyway, so I'll be able to help you alot more than usual.
"What is he doing?"
"The Demons, Tarrin," Spyder said. "He is Conjuring Demons by the dozens every day. He already has a force of nearly a thousand, and they grow by the hour. The gods themselves must take steps now to prevent another Blood War. It is why I am here. It's why I've shown you what's before us. I am the Guardian, and now I am summoned to execute my duties. To defend our world against incursion from hostile extra-dimensional invaders. That is my purpose."
The weight of that was not lost on him, no matter how adamant he was about rescuing his daughter. The possibility of Val getting the Firestaff was only one of the dangers presented in this very delicate situation. If Val raised enough Demons, he could threaten the entire world whether he was freed or not. And now that the Weave was restored, he would bet that the same lack of magic that kept the dragons trapped in the form of drakes was keeping Val's icon rooted to his spot. The Goddess was animating her icon now, moving it around. Val couldn't move it around the way she did, but he could move. He'd be at least as mobile now as any other living thing with arms and legs.
Even if they kept the Firestaff away from Val, they were going to have to deal with him and the army he had amassed.
"You already have a force at hand to deal with Val," Tarrin told them both absently. "I think the battle at Suld showed how effective it is to bring the Wikuni, Ungardt, Knights, Selani, and Arakites together. Assemble them again in greater numbers, and you'll have an army that even Val is going to fear."
I already realized that, kitten. I'm already starting to make some arrangements with their gods. The Younger Gods have a stake in this too, and they'll help. They rule as patrons of the mortals, so it is through them that we must act. Karas, Dallstad, Kikkalli, and Fara'Nae have already pledged their children to the cause. I'm even asking Neme for her Amazons and for the outworlder god that commands the Wizards to release them to my charge. Every Elder and Younger God both are going to be devoting a block of their priesthood to the cause to serve as magical assistance along with my Children and the Wizards. We may even get assistance from the Druids and Fae-da'Nar, this is so serious. I've yet to approach Shiika over her Legions, though. Because the Arakites really have no one god that could force such a large empire to mobilize, it forces me to deal with their Demon Empress. Tarrin could sense the intense distaste present in her voice.
"Shiika's actually not bad for a Demon," he said in defense of her.
"Truth be told, I have an odd fondness for her," Spyder admitted. "At least she is old enough to understand me."
I hate Demons, the Goddess said with a shudder in her choral voice. I still say it was a mistake for us to allow her to remain on Sennadar.
"You know, I remember Allia and Camara Tal saying the same thing about Jula," Tarrin said pointedly.
There was a startled silence, then the Goddess laughed, a symphony of silvery bells. Point taken, kitten, she said. We should break this up. Were I not shielding us, Val would be hearing every word we say with us so close to him. I think it's time for us to withdraw and start making plans for what's to come, outside of his earshot. As it is, he knows we're here, and you can bet that he knows that we didn't come just for the view.
"As you say, mother. I will come visit you in Suld presently, my brother," she told him. "What comes requires my direct intervention. When the army marches, I will march at its head."
"I'm looking forward to seeing you," he said in a grim tone. "And Mother, thank you for your confidence in me."
Ayise and the other Elder Gods are going to thrash me over it, but it was long ago decided that in this particular area, my word is absolute. I accepted responsibility for this, and it also allows me to act with absolute authority. Not even my parents can gainsay my decisions. So don't worry about Ayise or Shellar coming along behind me and unmaking my decision for me, kitten.
"Thank you," he said again. He felt much calmer now. He needed to think about what had to be done, and the need to destroy that army would change his plan around a little bit, but everything was still more than workable.
He was glad they were going to help, but he didn't need it. He had been deadly serious when he threatened to destroy the world. He would do it to get Jasana back. He would sacrfice anything to recover his daughter, his precious child, and nothing was going to stop him from his goal of her safe return.
She was all that mattered.
It took him a while for him to open his eyes.
The room was silent, empty, and he could tell that Mist, Jesmind, Allia, and Eron remained in the room. Talon's scent was also present, and he heard his son giggling slightly, along with the inu 's throaty growls. He did open his eyes and turn his head towards that sound, seeing the inu playing with the Were-cat child, nuzzling him on the belly with a foot holding him down while the boy laughed. The inu was tickling him!
"Tarrin!" Jesmind said quickly, standing up from the couch in which she'd been fidgeting.
Tarrin pushed himself to his feet without ceremony, looking down at them. He knew what was coming, and he knew it wasn't going to be easy on any of them.
What was coming was a war, a war of a magnitude not seen since the Blood War. Val's endless hordes of Goblinoids and his force of Demons had to be stopped, no matter what happened with the Firestaff. But their presence was going to interfere with his own plan, and it meant that he was going to have to make certain arrangements with those who made the plans.
Maybe it was good that Val and the armies were at Gora Umadar. That way, the battle wasn't going to threaten any cities or centers of population. That barren tundra was uninhabited by men, not even by the small tribes of barbarians that were common in the empty lands north of Ungardt.
He took Jesmind's paw, then allowed her to embrace him. He put a paw on her shoulder and took in her scent, but inside there was too much turmoil for his love for her to establish itself.
"Did, did you find anything?" she asked, looking pleadingly up into his eyes, a look that said to him that even if it was a lie, she wanted to hear good news.
"I know where she is," he told his mate. "It's going to be… difficult to get her out. But it is possible. I'm going to need help to do it."
"Then you will get it," Allia said quickly and sincerely, clicking her tongue a few times. Talon disengaged from the Were-cat child and stalked over to her, lowering her head.
"You're going to help me a different way, Allia," he said. "The only one I'll need to help me recover her directly is Jesmind."
She looked up at him with shimmering eyes. "What can I
do to help?"
"Go with me," he told her. "When the time comes to get Jasana and get away, I'm going to need you. Nobody else can do it but you."
"I'll do anything to get my daughter back," she told him sincerely.
Tarrin was silently glad to hear that. When the time came, her declaration was going to be sorely put to the test.
He put his arms around her and then explained what he'd seen, and revealed some certain exhchanges he'd made with Spyder. "Val is summoning up an army of Demons," he concluded. "We're going to have to put a stop to that. The Goddess has already started assembling an army to face them, and she'll need help from the rest of us, and she'll need all of us when the time comes to start fighting."
"What will I do with Eron?" Mist asked in worry.
"I don't expect you to fight, Mist," he told her. "Your cub is still too young, and I want you to stay with Kimmie. She's going to push herself too far with her magic if someone doesn't stay with her and reign her in, and that may harm the baby. So you have two children again."
"I don't find that idea to be totally repugnant," she said with a slight smile. "I know Kimmie, and she won't disobey me. I'll keep her on a short leash for you."
"Is Triana here yet? How long was I out?"
"Nearly an hour," Allia answered.
Tarrin brooded about that. It certainly didn't seem like an hour. Then again, time seemed to work a little differently within the Weave. It was not as absolute there it was in reality, moving at the same pace everywhere. In some places it moved swiftly, in some places ponderously. He guessed he must have crossed a boundary into an area where time marched quickly, making a substantial chunk of time in reality seem like only a moment to him there.
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