Chapter 25

For the first time ever, Tarrin was alone in the house.

Sort of. Forge, Fireflash, and Sandy were there as well, but nobody else was. Jesmind and Mist and Kimmie weren’t there, Anayi wasn’t there, Jula was currently exploring the abandoned island of Sha’Kari, his children weren’t there, he had no visitors. The house was all his, and he honestly had no idea what to do with it.

It was such a strange thing. The house was usually filled with sound and smells, coming from the unusual pack of people who lived here. There wasn’t any of Eron’s laughing, or Tara’s rough voice shouting at someone, or the sound of Rina’s flute as she practiced—which was often the reason Tara was yelling—or the sounds of Kimmie or Mist shouting at Tara to be silent. The house was quiet, only the sounds of him and the animals, and the smells of his family were starting to grow old.

Such was the progress of time, he supposed. Tara and Rina were now firmly in the Tower, and well on their way in the Novitiate, under Jenna’s watchful eye. For the first time in her life, Tara had found something that truly interested her, truly sparked her desire, and the change in her was quite amazing. She was still pushy and quite the bully, but she didn’t argue or fight with any of her teachers, such was her desire to learn what they had to teach. She even showed incredible patience, for she had to progress through the Novitiate first, just like any other student, and she was enduring that delay with surprising fortitude. Rina was happy being nearly anywhere, for that was Rina’s nature. She still was much more interested in Wizard magic than she was Sorcery, but she knew that since she had the gift, she had to learn how to use it and control it, and thus she was quite content with this sudden change in her life. On the other hand, very little upset Rina. His mellow little cub was always quite happy and cheerful, sedate and content, no matter where she was. It was as if she was simply happy to be alive, and that happiness was always enough for her.

If they all could only be so lucky.

Kimmie took the news rather well. She was thrilled that her children possessed the power of Sorcery, and told Tarrin that she’d make immediate plans to move her lab to Suld. While the children were in the Tower, she’d return to studying under her mentor, Phandebrass.

Having the entire house to himself was strange. Until Mist and Eron came back from their meeting the Hierarchs, or Kimmie or Anayi came back from their respective missions, he was all alone. That was the strange part. He was used to being alone, but not at home. He’d been alone for two years when he filled in for Spyder, but that didn’t feel like home to him. He just guessed that he had always associated home, this house, with more than just him, and without the others, it just didn’t feel the same.

Odd that a solitary Were-cat would feel any pangs of loneliness…but then again, Tarrin was not an ordinary Were-cat.

But he was but one jump away from family, and he took that jump quite often. He became quite a regular at the farm where he grew up, spending time with his parents, who were very glad to have him. While they all waited for Allia to have her baby, they were more or less trapped by that fact, unable to start anything that they couldn’t finish within a matter of days. Selani pregnancies were unusual and could be unpredictable, and Allia had warned them all that now, with only a month and a half to go before her time, that there was a chance that the birth may come early. It was a common complication among many Selani females, the tendency for premature birth, and one of the reasons why pregnant females went to their tribe’s permanent settlement once they reached that stage. The Selani life was a hard one, and the constant movement might incite a premature birth. But since Allia wanted them all to meet in Mala Myrr, she was now there, set up in one of the old Dwarven buildings near the arena with Allyn, her parents, and a watchful detachment of ten Aeradalla who had simply showed up when they moved into the ruins and announced that they’d be there to help hunt and watch over the Selani family. Tarrin hadn’t known that the Aeradalla were keeping an eye on Allia, and after a talk with Ariana, he found out that they’d been watching over Allia’s tribe since she returned to the desert. Ariana and Andos owed a great deal to Tarrin, and since Allia was Tarrin’s sister, they always watched from above and afar to ensure that she was safe and all was well. Allia would be furious if she found out, so he quietly kept that information to himself. Allia’s pride would be injured if she found out that the Aeradalla were babysitting her, as she would call it.

They all could do little but wait. Tarrin helped his father rebuild the hayloft floor in the smaller barn, knocking it out and putting in a new one, then they built an addition to the brewhouse, which now took up a sizable portion of real estate along the stream. Eron had quite the business going with his brewing, and had even taken five apprentices to teach them the trade and get some help managing his activities. One of those apprentices was a Were-fox female named Lyri, though the four villagers had no idea she was Were.

That still surprised him a little bit. He could go to Aldreth now and see Fae-da’Nar walking along the Green. Aldreth had become an open village for the Woodkin, where they knew they could come and visit and know that they were accepted, even welcomed. Always before, they sent no more than one or two, and did so with speed and reluctance, outside of the Centaurs, who always sent ten. But then again, Centaurs were an overly nervous and insecure lot, though they were powerful fighters. Centaurs and Were in human form were common sights now in Aldreth, as were Druids and even some of the more exotic races, like Faeries, Pixies, Brownies, Sylphs, Dryads, and Nymphs. The Nymphs caused some problems, but it was nothing that the now-harried Mayor Garyth couldn’t manage. They’d even had a Treant come to the village two months ago, a tree-like creature that was nearly thirty spans tall. He came in and asked if they procure him some special dirt and loam from a plain in Shacè. One of the merchants who had wisely moved up from Torrian to get a piece of this new source of income had agreed to get it for him, and he returned to the Heartwood. A month later, thanks to carrier pigeons and some fast riverboats, the dirt arrived, and the Treant returned. He paid the man with a huge pouch of amber, which was about ten times what it cost to procure the dirt and have it delivered. Amber jewelry was quite the rage on the Stormhaven Isles.

The other strange thing was the magic. Tarrin stayed mostly to himself, but the last time he visited the village to get a barrel of nails from Karn, he was quite surprised to see Karn using a Wizard cantrip to pull stock out of the fire. Karn told him that a Wizard had visited last year and offered to teach them little useful magic tricks for money, and he was very reasonable with his fees. Karn proudly proclaimed that he knew four magic spells, and that one had made forging much easier. He could get the stock exactly where he wanted it in the fire without worrying about burning himself, take it out, turn it over, and move it around without having to use tongs on it, though he still had to hold it down with tongs when he hammered on it. Everyone in the village now knew at least one or two cantrips, except for the children. The mayor had wisely realized that teaching magic to children would be a bad idea, so he forbade it. The parents agreed, the children were furious, and the Wizard did what he was told and refused to teach any children. It seemed that the only people in Aldreth now who didn’t know any magic outside the children were his own parents.

When he asked them why they hadn’t learned any, they just shrugged and said that they’d gone that long without it, so why did they need it now?

He should have expected that answer. His parents were never ones to flout power or authority, and the gods knew the two of them had enough of both.

He was alone for half a month, spending most of his time with his parents, until Miranda showed up on his front porch one fine morning with a large bag dropped to the porch floor and that ever-present satchel over one shoulder. “I hear you have empty rooms,” she winked at him.

“I thought you were staying in Wikuna.”

“I was, but I didn’t want Kerri to think that I was staying forever. I felt it was the right time to go.”

“Good idea. Second floor, any room on the left. The ones on the right are taken.”

“Thanks Tarrin,” she said with a cheeky grin.

“And this isn’t an inn!” he shouted after her as she bounded up the stairs.

“You cook, I clean!” she called from upstairs.

Having Miranda in the house actually made it feel less empty. He had someone to talk to, someone to help him clean, and someone to complain about his cooking. There was a slight issue between her and Forge, however. However loyal he was to Tarrin’s family, he was still a Hellhound, a creature of darkness and evil, and Miranda was a holy woman now, a paragon of spiritual might. That made both of them a little uncomfortable with each other. Miranda understood Forge’s discomfort with her, but he could sense her hackles come up whenever the Hellhound padded into the room. So could Tarrin.

“That’s why he gets upset with you, Miranda,” he said sharply one morning as they were eating breakfast, after Forge came into the common room just long enough to get a large bone from Tarrin to take outside and eat. “Every time he gets near you, I feel your power rise up.”

She laughed helplessly. “I sorta can’t help it,” she admitted. “He has an aura of defilement about him that just triggers my power, something of a response to his presence. How can you stand him? I know you can feel that in him too.”

“I know what he is, but I also know what he means to us. He’s a part of my family, Miranda. Get your hackles under control or I’ll send you out of the room whenever he comes in. He was here first.”

“Yes, Master!” she said with a breathless kind of mocking insincerity that made him throw a biscuit at her.

Miranda wasn’t the first to take up residence in Tarrin’s house to await the summons to Mala Myrr. Dolanna arrived three days after Miranda, and she had Azakar and Ulger with her. “We felt it prudent to assemble before we leave, so we can go over our supplies and get a feel for one another,” she explained. “Ulger is new to our group, and thus he might need some time to adjust to our peculiarities.”

“Where are the stables?” Azakar asked him immediately.

“I don’t have one here, we can stable them at my parents’ farm,” he answered. “But we have to care for them.”

“I would rather do that anyway,” Azakar said immediately. “I’ll go get them.”

Ulger laughed. “Zak has a new horse,” he explained quickly. “Kerri gave it to him. It’s the biggest horse I ever saw.”

That made Tarrin and Miranda a little curious, so they went out on the porch and took a look. They weren’t disappointed. Azakar’s horse was a coal black stallion with shaggy fetlocks around its hooves, nearly half again as large as the other two horses, making them look like colts.

“A Brandywine Ro,” Miranda said with a whistle. “Those horses are expensive.”

“He’s bloody huge,” Tarrin remarked.

“They’re bred to be huge,” she answered. “They were originally bred to do heavy work. They’re powerful animals, Tarrin, that monster right there could easily carry Zak, in full armor, at a dead run. They also have a cantankerous disposition, so you have to be careful with them. Some daring Wikuni use them as cavalry horses.”

“Why daring?” Dolanna asked.

Miranda laughed. “Because you need a ladder to get on its back, while the horse is trying to bite off your tail,” she answered.

“That one doesn’t seem too aggressive,” Tarrin said.

“That’s probably why Kerri gave it to him,” she answered.

“Have you got your horses yet, Tarrin?” Ulger asked.

Tarrin nodded. “I have them stabled at my parents’ farm. One for me and one for Mist. I haven’t bought pack horses yet, though. I decided to wait until we’re nearly ready to leave.”

“You should not do that, dear one. We will go to the village today and see if they have suitable horses for an extended journey. If not, we will buy some in Suld.”

“Buy? Phaugh,” Ulger snorted. “The Knights keep a corral full of dependable pack horses. Just go ask Darvon for some.”

“I thought Darvon retired,” Miranda noted. “He was talking about it.”

“Karas won’t let him,” Ulger chuckled. “He can’t retire until Karas tells him he can.”

“When your boss is a god, it’s not easy to quit,” Miranda laughed.

Tarrin poked the Wikuni just under her neckline, where her amulet laid hidden, meaningfully.

“Yeah yeah, I know,” she said with a mischievous, cheeky grin, then she reached up and poked his amulet as well.

“Oh, yeah, that reminds me. Did Kerri ever answer my letter, Dolanna?” Ulger asked.

“She is still considering it,” she answered.

“Considering what?” Tarrin asked.

“Ulger asked if he could get some muskets and a supply of powder and ammunition,” Dolanna answered. “Additional protection.”

Tarrin pursed his lips. “That’s actually not a bad idea. Coming from Ulger, that’s saying something.”

“Watch it, boy,” Ulger said, his scarred face twisting into an evil smile.

“Careful, Ulger, Tarrin might sic his mother on you again,” Miranda said with an outrageous little smile.

“Can we leave her behind?” Ulger asked, pointing at Miranda.

“She’s our only way home, Ulger,” Tarrin told her. “If we leave her behind, it’s a one-way trip.”

“Damn,” he grunted.

Tarrin rather liked having more guests. It meant more cooking, but it just seemed right that there were sounds and smells in the house, even if those voices and scents weren’t the same. Mist, on the other hand, wasn’t all that thrilled with it when she returned home with Eron.

“Why are they here?” she demanded openly, in front of them, when they got back.

“We’ll be leaving soon,” he answered. “They got here early so we could make sure we have everything organized and ready.” He looked to Eron. “How did it go?”

“It went well enough, father,” he answered, cuddling Sandy as the desert foxed licked under his chin. “I’m an adult now. Mother already threw me out of the house,” he said with a laugh. “I’m just here to get my things together.”

“You need to go see the world, cub,” she told him tersely. “See what life has to offer for you.”

“Well, I think we can throw him out tomorrow,” Tarrin said. “I think he needs one more home dinner and a good night’s sleep before he hits the road.”

“As you decide, my mate,” she said demurely.

“Does she heel?” Ulger asked with a smirk.

Mist raised a single finger, which Ulger fixed his eyes upon, then it flashed forward with blazing speed. Ulger staggered back, both hands to his face, as blood started seeping out from between his fingers. “Karas’ hammer!” Ulger gasped. “I never saw it coming!” Then, for some weird reason, he laughed. “That’s quite a trick, Mistress Mist,” he said, taking his hands from a long gash that ran from temple to temple over his eyebrows.

“Teasing Mist is not a healthy pastime, Ulger,” Dolanna chided as she approached to heal the cut.

“I noticed, but the danger makes it fun,” Ulger said with a little chuckle.

“Well, that explains all the scars,” Mist said evenly.

Ulger was a solid, dependable man, good in a fight, and he had an amiable personality, but Tarrin realized that he also had this unnerving habit of saying the absolutely wrong thing at the right time. Making Ulger keep his mouth shut just went up several places on Tarrin’s list of needful things during this expedition.

Tarrin enjoyed his last home meal with his son before he went out and explored the world. There was no telling how long Eron would be gone, where he would go, or what he would do, but that was the point of it. He was taking Sandy with him, which made Fireflash sulk for losing his playmate, spending most of dinner lying on Tarrin’s shoulder.

Well, almost enjoyed it.

“Tarrin!” Allyn’s voice came through the amulet around his neck, sounding quite breathless. “Tarrin! TARRIN!”

“What?” he asked, taking hold of his amulet.

“Allia is going into labor! She’s early! Come quickly!”

The table was nearly overturned as everyone around it suddenly jumped up, every voice calling every which way, but it was Dolanna’s strong voice that got everything under control. “Zak, Ulger, gather our things! Eron, go get your grandparents immediately! Tarrin, notify the others right now! Mist, Miranda, help me clean up this food so it does not rot while we are gone! Let us make haste everyone!”

Under Dolanna’s direction, everything was very quickly and efficiently arranged for a hasty departure. Azakar and Ulger collected up what everyone would need as Eron fetched his grandparents, and the females cleaned up the dining table and kitchen to prepare it for extended disuse. Tarrin used his amulet to very quickly and very hastily make contact with everyone that needed to be there, to tell them to stop what they were doing right now and immediately move to find their nearest da’shar friend to Teleport them to the Tower or get ready to have him pick them up, then find Jenna once they were there for those in Suld, who would be Teleporting them to Mala Myrr.

In the haste and urgency of it, he failed to make contact with Phandebrass and Kimmie. It was night-time, and they were probably exhausted from their traveling, so he passed them over for now. He had to get everyone to Mala Myrr, then he’d try again.

Quickly, everything was arranged, and they were on their way. First they had to go to Suld to drop off the horses with the Knights, so someone could care for them. They didn’t join with the group at Suld, however, as Tarrin simply Teleported them directly to Mala Myrr as soon as the horses were being led away, dropped off the others, then jumped over to Amazar and collected up Camara and Koran Tal and his god-daughter, Shal Tal. That was the only trip he had to make, for everyone else was either in Suld or had his or her own way to reach Mala Myrr. That allowed him to go straight to Allia, as the others looked around and marveled at how cold it got in the desert at night, for here it was night, an hour after sunset, where it had been close to sunset in Aldreth and Suld.

She was most certainly in labor. She was covered in sweat, completely nude, sitting in a Wikuni folding canvas chair that rested on a thick bearskin rug he’d given her several years ago in one of the few buildings near the arena whose doors were sized for larger folk, which may have been some kind of trade consulate or something. Selani didn’t believe in lying down during labor, walking or sitting as she was doing now, and she’d have her baby squatting, never leaving her feet. The Amazons did it the exact same way, and it wasn’t the first time that Tarrin noticed subtle similarities between different races on Sennadar. There were a few similarities between the Ungardt and the Selani, and the Selani and the Amazons, and also the Amazons and the Ungardt. But in this case, Tarrin thought it was a simple coincidence of circumstance in this case, for the Selani had very little furniture, being nomads, while the Amazons actively disliked furniture cluttering up their living space. Neither race used a bed, and both races prized individual strength, so it seemed logical that both races would develop birthing customs that had nothing to do with lying down. Kallan and Kaila were with her, as was her husband Allyn, her mother holding one hand and her husband the other as they helped her through the painful ordeal. Judging from how Allyn was wincing, she was putting quite a grip on them. He nodded quickly to Kallan, then got a bright smile from Kaila, who looked quite the handsome woman without all her hideous scars. Not long after Tarrin left the desert, Fara’Nae had relented and allowed the tribe shaman to heal Kaila of her injuries, for she had deemed that Kallan had learned his lesson. She was well and whole now, and she was beautiful.

“Where have you been!” Allia said in a harsh shout, and it immediately made Tarrin laugh. She gave him a truly ugly look, glaring at him, but he only laughed again.

“It’s the labor talking, my friend,” Kaila told him with a wink. “She is actually quite happy to see you.”

“I know,” he chuckled, stepping up and putting a massive paw on his sister’s shoulder gently. She was panting, looking drained and weary, but she did manage to give him a weak smile. She got up and started walking forward as the labor pain eased

“This child decided to come early, and now it seems to have changed its mind,” she complained.

“I told you, daughter, labor can last a while,” Kaila said. “It’s not the baby. It’s your body getting ready to give birth. So if you want to complain or blame someone, blame you.”

Allia laughed weakly. “Not when I have someone to blame who can’t defend itself.”

“You’ve been staying around Sarraya too much,” Tarrin said with a sly smile.

“Are the others here?” she asked.

“On the way,” she answered. “Jenna will have everyone but Sarraya and Sapphire here any minute. They’re getting here on their own.”

“Sarraya getting here on her own?” Allia asked between wheezes.

“She said she would. I’ll believe it when I see it,” he laughed.

Keritanima hastily joined them minutes later, and it completed their family. They would be right there for the birth, taking part in it, for they were the people closest to Allia, and Selani custom required those closest to the mother to be there when she brought a new life into the world. They took turns helping Allia walk around, holding her hands, supporting her in concerned silence as she struggled through the pains of labor. Nobody talked; indeed, nobody had the need. For such things, a look or a touch spoke much more than any word could ever express, as they were all united in their love for one another, a unity that went deeper than any word ever invented in any language could ever express. No matter how they changed, no matter what happened, no matter what, there would always be Tarrin, Keritanima, and Allia. Family, unity, connected by bonds which could never be broken, and it would remain so until the end of time.

The labor went on well into the night, and the ruins of Mala Myrr became more and more crowded, and with some of the most exotic and unique beings in all of Sennadar. Allia’s tribe, who had been staying in the general area, quickly arrived when Scouts sent back word that Allia’s time had come, driving their flocks of sukk with them into the city. Sapphire arrived with her entire clutch, and seven blue dragons looked down upon those waiting by the building where Allia resided as Sapphire assumed her human form and simply barged through them and joined those within to see Allia, then, content she was well and the birth would go without complications, she returned outside to await the birth so as not to disrupt the family intimacy within…not to mention the fact that Sapphire still terrified Allia’s parents. Druids from the desert quietly arrived not long after Triana appeared with Jesmind and Jasana, but Triana inexplicably left once again. A large contingent of Aeradalla swooped in and landed by the arena, led by King Andos and Queen Ariana, also joining the gathering crowd of well-wishers. They even received the Empress of Arak and her brood of Cambisi, as Shiika pushed her way into the waiting group to see Allia’s impending child. And though they couldn’t see them, Fara’Nae, Niami, Karas, Ahiriya, and Neme looked down upon the city in breathless anticipation, waiting for the miracle of childbirth along with the mortals. And since Tarrin was there, the passive eyes of nearly every god were also looking down upon this event, for they always watched him, always kept track of him. Never before had the city of Mala Myrr, either in its prime or in its ruined state, seen such an odd mixture of races and beings, but it had never hosted an event quite as important as this one. A city most famous for the loss of the race who built it now was the scene for the creation of life rather than its destruction, and if a city could have a soul, than that soul would be rejoicing in the miracle taking place within its borders after so many centuries left only with emptiness and the memory of the terrible tragedy which had taken place there.

About midnight, Tarrin sensed that the labor was over, and the birth process was beginning. They helped Allia as much as they could, though it was almost entirely a personal affair dealing with the mother. The best they could do was hold her hands and support her as she endured the pain, but then again, enduring pain was a skill in which Allia was exceptional.

It was nearly anti-climatic, in a way. All those hours of labor built up to a climax that started to end nearly as soon as Allia settled into her birthing position, for the baby started coming as soon as she was settled over a clean fiber mat. Kaila served as midwife for her daughter, helping deliver the baby whose head had appeared. A head full of shock white hair, just like its mother, Tarrin noticed. In true style for Allia, the birthing was fast, efficient, and without an ounce of wasted effort. It seemed that seconds after the baby’s head crowned, it was birthed, laying on the mat as Kaila cleaned it with a soft cloth, then cut the umbilical cord with a wicked-looking knife. Allia remained in her position to pass the afterbirth, but the look on her face was reverent, and there was a glow about her that could only come when a woman truly realized that she was finally a mother.

“Well now,” Kaila said with a smile, turning the baby over on its back. “It seems that we have a boy here, my daughter. You should try harder next time.”

Allia laughed weakly. “I’ll love him despite that flaw, mother,” she answered.

The afterbirth was passed quickly, and then Allia was bundled up in a robe, sitting on a canvas-seat chair that cleverly folded up, with her infant son in her arms. Allyn looked almost silly with his adoration of his son, and Keritanima and Tarrin looked down at their new nephew with gentle eyes. He had Allia’s sharp-faced features, but the soft eyes of his father, and he slept contentedly after the ordeal of being brought forth into the world. “I think he needs a name, Allia,” Keritanima told her.

“His name is Kor,” she proclaimed, tenderly stroking her infant son’s face. “And he is our son.”

Kor was passed to his grandmother, who kissed his forehead, then to his grandfather, who stroked his head full of white hair tenderly. Then Kallan carefully handed the child to Tarrin, a child who could comfortably fit within the palm of his paw. The huge Were-cat took the tiny baby in his paws and smiled down at him, touching him with the tip of a finger that was nearly as large as the baby. It was times like this that Tarrin was most keenly aware of his great size, for he stood head and shoulders above the Selani. He was used to that, but seeing this tiny infant, tiny because he was born early and seeming like but a toy in the paws of the powerful Were-cat, reminded him once again of the vast difference in size between him and most other people. Paws that could tie a steel swordblade in a knot handled the infant with the most exquisite tenderness, however, and then he passed the precious bundle to Keritanima, as Fireflash jumped from his shoulder to Keritanima’s to continue his inspection of the infant. She cuddled the child in the crook of her arm and smiled that toothy grin down at him. “Hello there, nephew,” she said gently. “Boy, do I ever have plans to spoil you rotten.”

“I think you should let the others in to see him now, daughter, before we have a riot,” Kallan said, who was standing by the door, looking out. “They know the birth is complete. I don’t know how they know, but they do. It almost looks as if they’re forming up to assault the door.”

“It’s those damn Were-cats,” Keritanima laughed. “They always know. You can’t keep secrets from them.”

“We keep you honest, sister.”

“It’ll take more than that,” she winked at him.

The doors were thrown open, and Allia let those waiting come in to see her new son. Not everyone could fit into the building at once, so they came in in groups, often wildly mismatched groups, to marvel over Allia’s newborn. Each group was mixed with people Tarrin knew and people he did not, be them Aeradalla, members of Allia’s tribe, or the Druids who had gathered to celebrate the event. Rallix brought little Faalken in to meet his new cousin with the first group, which also held Sapphire, Dar, Tiella, and their two children, and the sober little tiger Wikuni touched Kor gently and noticed how small he was. Shiika managed to barge in with the next group, along with Sarraya and Jula and Dolanna, and she immediately promised a gift for the newborn. Ulger, Azakar, Haley, and Ariana and Andos were among the third group to file through, and Camara and Koran Tal brought a loud and indignant Shal in with the fourth, apologizing about Shal’s cranky demeanor, for it was well past her bedtime. Eron and Jasana were with Mist and Jesmind in the fifth group, and though not a word was said, several very flat and hostile looks were passed between Jasana’s parents, which made her sigh in exasperation and firmly set herself between them, much as she used to do when Tarrin had first returned to Aldreth to find Jesmind and Jasana inhabiting his parents’ farmhouse. Though it took nearly an hour, everyone gathered managed to come in and see Kor, but after the last Selani filed out, and Allia took the baby outside to present to the six blue dragons incapable of taking a human shape to come in and see her child, Tarrin noticed three very blaring absences. In all the excitement, he hadn’t noticed it until after all was said and done.

Phandebrass, Kimmie, and Triana had not come in to see the baby.

It took but a moment to sweep the region with Sorcery to determine that they were not there. Odds were, if Triana wasn’t here, she was probably bringing them, so he decided to start with her. He sent a message into the All for her, which was almost immediately answered.

“That’s why I’m not there, cub,” she answered. “Two rides ago, I lost my sense of Kimmie. I know she didn’t die, I can still vaguely get an impression of her, but I can’t pinpoint her location. Something’s actively blocking my touch on her.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” he demanded immediately.

“I didn’t think it that important,” she answered. “She was going to investigate an area of high magic, and an area of high magic could possibly do what’s being done to block my sense of her. I had a similar problem when you and Kimmie were behind that Ward at Sha’Kari. Twenty days didn’t seem like an outrageous amount of time for them to spend there, cub. You know how Phandebrass is, and Kimmie wouldn’t try to dissuade him unless Allia was about to give birth. I didn’t think much of it until now, when I realized they weren’t here and that you hadn’t contacted them.” There was a pause. “Meet me at your house. I need your Sorcery.”

“I’ll be right there, mother,” he called into the Weave, then he looked to Allia. “I have to go, sister,” he said with obvious reluctance. “We can’t find Kimmie and Phandebrass. Triana needs my help to find them.”

“I’ll go with you, father,” Jula said seriously. Kimmie and Jula were very close friends, and it was only natural to him that she would want to help.

“You’re welcome along,” he nodded.

“I’m a tad annoyed that you’re leaving so soon, my brother, but I understand why. Find them quickly and return to us,” Allia told him, cradling her tiny infant to her breast to nurse him.

“I’ll find them, alright. And when I do, I’m going to throttle Phandebrass,” he growled. “I just know this is his fault somehow.”

“Kimmie sometimes loses her good sense when she’s around that crackpot,” Jula agreed.

“Let’s go, daughter. The faster we find them, the faster I can strangle Phandebrass and get them back here.”

“Or at least one of them,” Keritanima said with a toothy grin.

Tarrin used Sorcery to return them to his house, in his landing point in the library, and Triana was waiting for them just outside the archway. She wasted absolutely no time. “We’ll start from where I last had a good sense of their location,” she said immediately. “In the Skydancer Mountains.”

Tarrin nodded. “Can you get us there?”

She snorted and gave him a flat look.

“Alright, alright, let’s go,” he said in a mollifying tone.

Jula gave him an amused look.

“You do it too.”

“I know, it’s just funny seeing you do it,” she said with a sly smile.

“He’s not stupid,” Triana said with authority, waving them to come to her sides.

Jula looked very much the child when she joined the two towering Were-cats, but the impression of them lasted but a second, as Triana used the Druidic spell that Tarrin had created to Teleport them nearly five hundred longspans to the north and east. Jula gasped and flinched as they appeared within a blinding spray of snow driven by a stiff wind; it was very early into winter, and though it had been very warm down in Aldreth, the mountains were already filling up with snow. “Where did the snow go?” Jula called over the loud wind, looking down at the perfect circle of bare rock beneath their feet.

“Sorry, cub, but it’s melting in your library,” Triana told him, raising her voice over the wind. “I tinkered with your spell a little to reduce the chance of fatal accidents.”

“We’ll worry about cleaning it up when we find Kimmie,” he answered her. “What do you need me to do?”

“Use that spell that tracks scents,” she answered. “I don’t have the time to whip up a spell to do that, and I know Kimmie passed through here. Oh, and call up one of your Elementals, I don’t want to wade through snow!”

Both Jula and Tarrin set their wills against the Weave and wove the spell of Air and Divine which would summon forth their Elementals. Two distinct swirls of air with glowing eyes appeared before them. “Jula, you ride yours, and mine will carry mother. I can get along fine myself,” he said absently as he brought forth his wings of fire, flaring them out and then willing himself into the air, then he instructed his Elemental through their mental communion to carry Triana. After the two Elementals surrounded the females and lifted them off the ground, Tarrin wove the spell that Keritanima had created, the spell that made a scent track visible, and he pumped a tremendous amount of power into it. He knew Kimmie’s scent intimately, but he was trying to raise a scent that was twenty days old and covered with snow. He almost began to sweat with effort as he bridged up into High Sorcery and amplified the spell by several degrees when it failed to raise a visible scent, until he finally started getting a visible reaction. He altered the spell slightly so that glow became nearly incandescent, bright enough to illuminate the snow over it, creating a hauntingly beautiful glowing line under the snow that extended up into a sheer, narrow pass between two peaks, glowing through the dark, windy night to lead the way.

“Good work, cub, now let’s follow it!”

“You realize that if they’ve had twenty days to get ahead of us, we might be trailing along behind them for days?” Jula called.

“Do you have a better idea, cub?” Triana asked her sharply.

“As a matter of fact, I do,” she answered. “I can follow the spell’s effect through the Weave to where it ends, and it has to end where Kimmie is. She’s probably staring at the glowing line behind her right now,” she told them. “I can use its terminus as a lock and tell you how far away it is.”

“Distances are distorted in the weave, cub,” he reminded her.

“I’ve been studying that, father,” she answered. “I’m a lot better at dealing with the inside of the Weave than you are, because you’ve been too busy to practice. I can find out exactly how far away she is, right to the finger.”

“The cub has a good idea,” Triana announced. “Let’s do it her way.”

Tarrin had to agree. Jula’s Elemental put her down, and she quickly sat down in the circle of cleared rock. “May I have a strand please, father?” she asked. Tarrin nodded, and used his power to create new strands to spin forth a new strand that passed directly through his adopted daughter. She nodded and bowed her head, closing her eyes, and he felt her consciousness quickly and effortlessly leave her body and enter the Weave.

“How long will it take her?” Triana asked over the wind.

“Knowing Jula, probably seconds,” he answered. “She’s very good.”

“She’s quite a girl,” Triana admitted with a slight smile.

Seconds was a fair estimation. Within a minute of closing her eyes, she opened them again, her face uncertain and upset. “I found the end of her trail. I projected out so I could see, but it was pitch black. I think I was projecting into a solid object. I’m a little worried, father,” she said seriously. “I sensed around, but I didn’t feel anybody, living or dead. Kimmie’s scent ends there, but she’s not there.”

“How far?” Triana asked immediately.

“Only about thirty longspans just west of north,” she answered.

“Let’s go see what happened,” she ordered. “Cub, get this thing moving!”

Thirty longspans was just a short hop when one flew through the bitterly cold mountain night, a cold that none of them really felt, for all three had ways to insulate themselves from the cold, and Air Elementals were immune to temperature. The wind kicked up clouds of snow as the three figures hurtled through the winter night, but night-sighted Were-cats easily navigated between peaks and along valleys as Jula led them to where she had found the end of Kimmie’s trail.

After about twenty minutes, they arrived. It was a very narrow box canyon, and Jula had been right about being in a solid object, for there were signs that there had been an early avalanche that had covered the bottom of the narrow gorge. Tarrin looked around and had a nagging sense that the place looked a little familiar, but he was more concerned about what had happened to his former mate than he was at the vague sense that this place was familiar.

“Cub, get rid of that snow,” Triana ordered, and Tarrin nodded as his wings suddenly flared with bright light as he reached for High Sorcery. He used a simple weave of Water, but on a massive scale, affecting several tons of icy snow and causing it to move, pushing it out towards a canyon into which the box canyon opened. The snow slid away with a strange squealing sound as compacted snow turned to ice scraped against a floor of solid rock, ripping away frozen mud with it as he pulled away.

It took nearly three minutes to clear the snow, but when it was gone, Tarrin’s nagging sense that he knew this place hit him like a hammer. He did know this place, because he’d been there! Jula and Triana were looking down at the floor of the canyon, but they were looking where the glowing trail of Kimmie’s scent ended, right at the foot of an ancient stone ring filled with glowing, swirling bluish energy.

This was the canyon that held the gate. And Tarrin realized immediately that they’d found it, but the avalanche had forced them to flee through it!

“A gate!” Triana said with a gasp. “Kimmie went through that gate! No wonder I can’t sense her the way I should, she’s in another dimension!”

“She could be anywhere!” Jula said, putting her paw to her stomach, looking a bit sick. “Why did she go through it?”

“The avalanche, cub,” Triana said grimly. “They came in here, but there was an avalanche. Odds are, they ran through the gate to save their necks. I won’t blame her for that.”

“Are you sure?”

“Cub, Kimmie would never do something that insane unless her life depended on it,” Tarrin said in solemn tones. He was pretty sure that that was what happened. Phandebrass might have come here with the ulterior motive of going through the gate, but Kimmie would never have done so willingly, not unless her life depended on it. It troubled Tarrin a little that Phandebrass might have discovered the location of the gate on his own and used subterfuge to get Kimmie to come along. It was just a bit too much of a coincidence that the path Phandebrass had chosen just happened to go right by the gate they would use to reach that other world to begin their search for the lost children of the Goddess and the Dwarves. Despite that concern, he was more worried now about them because they did go through the gate. If they were but two steps ahead of an avalanche, they—no, there were bodies, no dead horses. They had managed to get through with everything that they had with them, so at least they had supplies. He just hoped that they were smart enough to just sit down on the other side of that gate and wait for them to get there.

Like it or not, Kimmie was stuck on this journey now. They couldn’t get home until Miranda arrived, because Miranda was their only way home.

It made Tarrin furious, but not in a way that made him lose himself to rage. The idea that Phandebrass couldn’t wait just one more month, just had to run out and do it himself, made him angry, but now he had involved Kimmie in it, and quite against her will. No matter that this had been an accident—

Or was it? Could Phandebrass had intentionally set off that avalanche to force Kimmie to go with him? The idea seemed a bit outlandish, because Phandebrass truly cared for his pupil, and he knew the kind of savage retribution he would get from Tarrin if that indeed was what happened.

No. He’d give Phandebrass the benefit of the doubt for now. What happened had to be an accident. But accident or not, now Kimmie was trapped in that other dimension, she was trapped over there with no way home until they arrived, separated from her children, isolated and alone in a way she’d never been isolated before. In that other world, she didn’t know anyone, didn’t know the geography, the history, didn’t even know what was edible and what was not. She and Phandebrass were in great danger. Between them, he figured that they could take care of themselves, with their magic and the fact that Kimmie was a Were-cat. If the Goddess was wrong and they had their full powers in that other world, then very little was going to hurt Kimmie, or even have the chance. She could protect Phandebrass, from himself if needs be, and the need would definitely be there from time to time. Protect him until Tarrin could get there and wring his neck for dragging Kimmie along with him.

“Don’t worry too much, cub,” Tarrin said quietly. “This is the gate we’re going to use. Kimmie and Phandebrass went to where we’re going. So she’s not lost forever. When we get on the other side, we’ll have to find them.” Tarrin was quiet a long moment. “I’ll need a damn good tracker to pick up a month old trail. Mist would never let Eron come, I don’t want to bring an outside female like Shirazi if Mist’s coming, and I don’t think either me or Haley would be up to it. I think I’ll need Forge.”

“That Hellhound? Why?” Triana asked.

“He may be a Hellhound, but he’s still a dog, and he’s got a nose on him better than anyone else’s, except maybe Eron’s or Shirazi’s,” he told her. “I’d rather have him along than try to do it myself.”

“Ah, yes, you said that you can’t depend on the fact that you can use magic on the other side,” Triana said with a nod.

“Kimmie wouldn’t wander, Tarrin,” Jula said. “She has to know that we’d find out what happened and come get her.”

“I know, but there might not be enough on the other side to hold them over for a month, cub. That gate might lead to a barren desert, or a mountain range. We can’t count on the idea that she’ll be standing there waiting when we go through. We have to plan for the possibility that we’ll have to go track her down.”

Triana nodded in agreement. “So this changes the plans a little.”

He blew out his breath. “We’ll have to leave as fast as possible. Tomorrow, maybe. We can’t let them get any further ahead of us.”

“Well, you’ll have to find someone else to care for Fireflash, father,” Jula said adamantly. “If Kimmie’s in trouble, I’m going to help find her.”

“No, you’re staying here,” Tarrin ordered bluntly.

“Why?” she demanded hotly. “I’m an adult, father! I can take care of myself!”

“Because Tara and Rina will need you,” he told her bluntly. “Their mother’s missing, and their father’s going after her. They need someone that’s family to be around them, and you’re it. They’re still just cubs, Jula, even if they’re in the Tower. I want you to take Fireflash and go to the Tower and take care of them.”

“But—“

“But nothing!” Triana snapped. “Tarrin makes sense. You know Tara’s going to get violent when she finds out. Do you want her running loose in the Tower without someone there who can calm her down? Do you want your sisters to be alone? I have my paws full with Jasana, girl, I can’t take on any more responsibility. Think!”

Jula might occasionally cross swords with her father, but she wasn’t stupid enough to challenge Triana. She lowered her eyes and slumped her shoulders, displaying her surrender to the powerful Were-cat matriarch’s will. “Alright,” she sighed. “But I don’t like it.”

“Hate it all you want, but you will do it,” Triana said in a voice that absolutely raked Jula’s defiance right out of her.

“Yes, Triana,” she said meekly.

“Cub, take us back. We have to tell the others what happened.”

Tara’s reaction was predictably hostile. “What?” she screamed after Tarrin rather tersely and briefly explained what they’d found out. Everyone in the room, however, didn’t look at Tara. They were all watching Tarrin. Tarrin still had his wings out, and the play of color and light within them betrayed the simmering anger inside him just as much as his stiff body language and flat eyes. Tarrin was angry, and everyone in the room took quiet note of that fact so as not to set him off.

“Sit down,” Tarrin said in a low hiss at his adolescent cub, who gave him a startled look and immediately put her backside back in the chair that was one of many surrounding a large table that Triana had Conjured for this meeting. All of his friends were there, as well as Kallan and Kaila, Andos and Ariana, and Alexis Firehair.

“Why in the world would Kimmie do that!” Tiella objected. “Couldn’t she have just used magic to save them?”

“Wizard magic doesn’t work the same way as ours,” Keritanima told her. “The stronger the spell, usually the longer it takes to cast it. She’d have had to hold back an avalanche, Tiella. I don’t think they would have had the time, even if she had a spell capable of it.”

“Oh,” she said, biting her lip and flushing.

“Trying to figure out why is pointless,” Triana snorted. “That’s in the past, and it doesn’t matter. What matters now is getting her back.”

“That leaves Kimmie alone with Phandebrass,” Azakar said. “We should leave as soon as we can, but we might be too late. Kimmie may have already killed him by now.”

Sarraya laughed. “Kimmie’s a lot more tolerant of that dingbat than we are, Zak.”

“We leave as soon as we can,” Tarrin told them in a grim manner. “I won’t abandon Allia immediately after she gave birth, so—“

“You have met Kor, deshida,” she said simply. “And Kimmie and Phandebrass need you to go to them as quickly as possible.”

Tarrin gave her a single look, filled with all his indecision and anxiety. He was worried for Kimmie, desperately worried, and concerned about Phandebrass. But, on the other hand, he was leaving Tara and Rina without any parents at all, only Jula, and he was abandoning her before he had a chance to get to know his new nephew, before she recovered from the birth. He felt that he was abandoning part of his family to rescue another. But her look was filled with understanding and resolve. Her eyes told him that he had to go, he had to find Kimmie and Phandebrass, and that she would not be angry with him for leaving. She understood his tenuous position, having loyalties and obligations which were now directly confronting one another, and she was gracious enough to free him of his obligations to her.

“How are we going to find them?” Ulger asked. “They’ve had a month’s head start.”

“Oh, I’m sure me and Tarrin can pick up the trail,” Haley said dismissively. “I’m a passingly good tracker, and I know Tarrin’s good. His father was a Ranger.”

“I’m taking Forge,” Tarrin announced. “He’s better than both of us.”

“Ah, dear one, do you think it wise to take a Hellhound on this journey? If the locals of that other world have any experience with Demon-kin, they will react to us in a hostile manner.”

Tarrin affixed Dolanna with a flat stare, but Dolanna was one of the very few around him who had absolutely no fear of his temper. “I am afraid I must insist,” she said in a strong voice, her eyes steady. “The Hellhound could pose a greater potential risk than an asset.”

“It will be fine, Tarrin,” Haley told him. “I’m a good tracker. And in my wolf form, I’m just as good a tracker as Forge would be.”

Tarrin considered a challenge of wills against Dolanna, but that part of him who perceived her as a dominant crumbled under the weight of that idea, and he succumbed to her with a single, eloquent nod. Had Haley not assured him of his tracking prowess, he probably would have challenged Dolanna on that point, however.

“You need one of us along,” Andos told them. “An aerial scout could prove invaluable.”

“I can take care of that, Andos,” he said, jerking a thumb over his shoulder at one of his fiery wings.

“They stand out, my friend,” Andos laughed. “Our wings are much less flamboyant.”

Without even moving a muscle, Tarrin’s wings went from their usual bright reds, oranges, and yellows to a dark, cool blue, nearly matching the color of the sky. “How’s this?” he asked. Then, to everyone’s amazement, they turned snow white, the color of clouds. “Or this?”

“That’s quite a trick there, my friend,” Andos laughed. “I’ve never seen you do it.”

“There are lots of things you’ve never seen me do, Andos,” he answered curtly.

Andos gave him a curious look, but said nothing more.

“I believe we should limit the, ah exotic membership of our party,” Dolanna said. “Miranda might be hard to hide if that world has no Wikuni, but a voluminous robe and cloak with a deep hood will do if the needs demand it. The Were-kin can hide behind a human form. But an Aeradalla’s wings would be impossible to conceal, even under the largest cloak.”

“You do have a point, mistress Dolanna,” Andos said with a nod.

Tarrin gave his friend an impressed look. Obviously, Dolanna had put a great deal of thought and planning into this journey, thinking of things that Tarrin had considered as well, but had dismissed more readily than she had.

“We should leave in the morning,” Dolanna instructed. “But there are many things left to do, I fear. Some of us will not be sleeping tonight.” She turned to Ulger. “How fast can the Knights put together a pack train for seven people, carrying everything that we might need for a protracted journey into territory where we might not be able to resupply?”

“They’ll be done before you brew a cup of tea, Dolanna,” he grinned.

“I know that Tarrin has also prepared a few pack animals. You need to go get them and take them to the Knights.”

“Just the packs,” he answered. “I haven’t bought the horses yet.”

“Speaking of money, we’d better put in a supply, if it turns out me and Tarrin can’t Conjure there,” Haley said. “But not our coin. We should go with gold and silver nuggets, and some gems. Generic stuff that we can sell.”

“I have already prepared for that, Haley,” Dolanna told him. “I have a large case at the Tower filled with gold nuggets, gold dust, and assorted cut gems.”

“Always one step ahead of me,” he said with a smile.

“Each of us have things we would like to take. I suggest we all return to our homes and prepare them immediately.”

“Mine’s in a saddlepack sitting by my front door,” Haley chuckled.

“Mine’s in my room at Tarrin’s house,” Miranda grinned. “We kinda figured we’d be leaving immediately after we got back from here, so we just got it ready early.”

“Well, I feel unprepared,” Ulger laughed.

“You always are,” Azakar murmured.

Tarrin crossed his arms, feeling a little better. Dolanna’s steady wisdom had calmed him somewhat, and he was silently overjoyed she was going with him. She always seemed to know what to do, even when he didn’t. Though he was a powerful Sorcerer, Druid, Wizard, Priest, even god, he was still only twenty-six years old, and lacked some of the experience that his older friends possessed.

“What should we pack, Dolanna?” Azakar asked.

“Just take what you took when we explored the Wikuna interior,” she answered. “This journey is very nearly the same as that one was.”

“Oh. That’ll be easy, then.”

“With Allia’s permission, we should begin,” Dolanna said. “I apologize for cutting this joyous event short, my friend.”

“That is quite alright, Dolanna,” Allia said. “I am safe. Kimmie may not be. She is who is important here.”

“There’s only one thing wrong here,” Camara Tal grunted.

“What?”

“I’m not going,” she growled.

“Can we go momma?” Shal asked her in Amazon. “Me and poppa can go with you!”

“No, Shal,” she answered. “And I told you to speak Sulasian. Not everyone here understands our language.”

“How do you think I feel?” Sarraya said hotly. “I don’t have anything holding me back, but I can’t go either! And I want to!!!”

“Only your slow, agonizing death,” Haley murmured lightly. “Maybe we should let her come, Tarrin,” he said with a sly look.

The Faerie gave him a withering look, then snapped her fingers. From over his head, a huge bucket appeared, then it flipped over in midair and drenched the Were-wolf with a torrent of icy water. Haley spluttered a little, then he laughed and used his Druidic magic to make the water disappear.

“They wouldn’t be ready for you anyway, Camara,” Miranda said with a wicked little smile. “Being introduced to woman of your, ah, staggering qualities.”

“If she were a smaller woman, she’d be staggering,” Ulger snickered.

Camara fixed him with a cool look, pointing at her very large bosom. “At least I was graced by Neme with something impressive. Too bad your god gave you such a small—“

“Children!” Dolanna said sharply. “I know that some are disappointed that prior obligations prevent them from going, but let us not start snipping at one another. We have much to do, and we must hurry. We cannot let Kimmie and Phandebrass get any further ahead of us than they are now.”

“Sorry, Dolanna,” Camara said without any hint of remorse.

“He’s going to be a problem, deshida,” Allia whispered in Selani to Tarrin.

“I know. I’m contemplating a muzzle,” he answered.

“He’s good in a fight, though,” she added.

“Now then,” she said, standing up. “Azakar, Ulger, Haley, you will come with me. We will go to Suld and organize our supplies. Tarrin, take Mist and Miranda back to your home and get your things ready, and meet us in Suld as soon as you are able. We will leave as soon as we are ready.”

“Why not tomorrow?” Ulger asked.

“Because by the time we are ready to go, it will probably be tomorrow,” she told him steadily.

“Then I think it time to move this gathering to Suld,” Sapphire announced. “Or at least those of us who matter. We can continue to celebrate the birth of Kor there, and we can also help you get ready to go. If we all work to complete the task, we might get it finished before dawn, to allow you time to rest.”

“As you see fit, Sapphire,” Dolanna said with a nod.

“I do see fit. Now then, my little one, take us to Suld,” she told Tarrin.

It didn’t take them very long to get ready.

Tarrin and Mist already had what they wanted to take organized, and they had to pack it. Tarrin brought up the packs he had in his library and they looked them over to make sure they had everything that they wanted. Clothes, the items they would need to live out of doors like tents and bedrolls, small items they needed to make living a bit more comfortable, it was all there. Tarrin’s enchanted bow was resting on his dresser, and the barrel of arrows he intended to take as well as the two bags holding the supplies he would need to make more were also present. He made sure to pack his Gnomlin Traveling Spellbook, and the small satchel that Kimmie gave him that held the material components he would need to cast many of the spells in that book. The concept of needing material components amused him, but he knew that he had to have them. Mist added a few extra knives, some rope—rope was always useful—a couple of tanned leather hides to fashion into any number of useful items if needs be, and she also put on her magical belt and her Cat’s Claws. Miranda already had her things together, so she had but to pack her clothes in it and she was ready.

Before they left, Tarrin took one more walk around the house. He wouldn’t be back here for quite a while. It had been many things in the seven years he had owned it, but it had never failed to feel like home. This was where he belonged, and though he was leaving for a while, he knew he would be back. He hoped that it would be soon. If they were lucky, Kimmie and Phandebrass simply set up camp on the other side of the gate, and they’d be there waiting for them when they arrived. If they were truly lucky, the Dwarves and the Ancients that had gone with them had settled very close to that gate, and they, or their descendents, would be only a few days away. With great luck, he could recover Kimmie, strangle Phandebrass, learn what happened to the Dwarves and the Ancients, and be back home by the end of the month. He might even be bringing some of them home, if that was what they desired. He hoped that they did. Sennadar was the home of the Dwarves, and they belonged here. And those Ancients that might still be alive should come home, should return to the Goddess.

He went from room to room, reliving some of the more eventful memories that had happened there. This bedroom, it was where he had imprisoned Jesmind after she and Mist had fought. And this had been Eron’s bedroom, and he could still see his cub from when he was a child, sleeping in his bed soundly as Tarrin looked in on him. That was Jasana’s room, where many a dirty plot had been hatched, and the twins had shared that room there before they got older and each took her own room. He remembered the many talks he’d had with assorted females in the kitchen, the time Jesmind had seduced him in the pantry, and there were too many memories to ponder involved with the common room. The bedroom had been his haven, his one quiet place before he built his library, and his most treasured possessions were still there. The black metal cat statuette, the place where his sword had once hung on the wall, the chest at the foot of his bed which held things that nobody in their right minds would want to bother with, at least before he built his library and moved it all down there. There had been nights spent in passion in this room, nights in peaceful, joyous contentment, nights of gentle love, and through it all was the sense of family. First with Jesmind, and now with Mist, he always felt that there was a sense of family here. Mates and children, happiness and contentment, they were what this house had meant to him.

But now it would be empty. His mother and father would look after the place, he was sure, but until he returned, it would stand empty. Jula would be with the cubs in the Tower. Eron was gone, Jasana and Jesmind were with Triana, and Fireflash and Forge would be with Jula. Until he returned, this house would probably stand empty, abiding until they returned and filled it once again, until they made it the home that it had once been.

Take the axe, kitten, the voice of the Goddess touched him. You may need it to convince the Dwarves of where you come from.

He nodded, looking to the door that led to his library. He…he didn’t want to go down there. It was the most intimate part of the house to him, and to see it would weaken his resolve to leave now. So he simply Summoned the axe to his paw, and then, after a little juggling with items in the elsewhere, he got it situated on a second belt, slung in a loop on the now-vanished loose-fitting belt. He took stock of the items in the elsewhere, just to be sure. His Ironwood staff was there, in his right paw, and his sword was in his left. The Firestaff was also there, with a thong tied to each end and slung over his shoulder; he had to do that to clear space when he started carrying his sword and staff in the elsewhere with him. The axe was in a loop on a belt there, and his human clothes and shoes also hovered around him, ready to change places with his Were-cat clothes if he shapeshifted.

Everything was in order.

Mist came in, putting her arm around him and leaning against his side. “It’s not easy to leave,” she admitted. “But you won’t be alone, my mate. I’ll be there with you.”

“I’m glad for it,” he admitted.

“You were never meant to be alone, Tarrin. We understood that. That’s why the three of us arranged things the way they are. You need a female who loves you watching over you. You get into too much trouble if you don’t.”

He looked down at her. “Love, eh?” he asked with a smile. “That’s never an emotion that anyone would associate with you, Mist.”

“I don’t love you like they do, but I do love you. After a fashion,” she admitted.

He put his paw on her shoulder, pulling her against him. “I’ll take what I can get, Mist. Whatever you give is good enough for me.”

“There’s only one problem here.”

“What?”

“I’m tired of my head falling under your armpit.”

He laughed. “There’s not much to be done about that, I suppose.”

“Phaugh,” she snorted. “I’ll fix it.”

“How are you going to do that?”

“You forget, cub, we’re shapeshifters. Just like you seal up those holes in your back with skin, I can put on a span or two of height. I was small because I liked to be small. When all the other Were-cats my age grew, I resisted it, kept it from happening, stunted my growth. I can un-stunt myself easily. Then I just have to wait and let it catch up to me.”

“How long will it take?”

“A month or so.”

“It’s going to hurt.”

“So?”

He chuckled. “Well, if it makes you happy, I’ll be there for you.”

“I’ll need to make new clothes,” she said.

“That explains the hides.”

She nodded. “I won’t be able to go back to being small, but I don’t think I need it anymore.”

He looked at her curiously, at her luminous green eyes, but she only gave him a shy smile.

“I certainly hope you don’t. I’d like to have someone in bed that didn’t feel like a child,” he said with a sly smile, but it hid the true happiness he felt at that moment. Mist had stayed small as a defense mechanism, an aspect of her feral nature. If she was ready to abandon that, to grow to be the size she should be, it was a brave step towards facing the rest of the world. The diminutive Were-cat stayed small as protection, easier to hide, easier to be overlooked, easier to escape…or so she believed. Her coming into her birthright, her proper height, was another step in the long road she had traveled to recover from her extreme ferality.

She reached up and put her paw on the back of his neck, digging her claws into his skin, forcing him to lean down. She rose up on her toes and kissed him lingeringly. He grabbed hold of her and picked her up, and she leaned back and grinned at him like a little girl, her feet dangling under her. “You just wait, Tarrin,” she said breathlessly. “I’ll be able to do this with my feet on the ground.”

“Just don’t get taller than me,” he teased in reply. “I’m not used to looking up at anyone.”

“Oh-ho, now it’s a challenge,” she said with a short giggle, then she kissed him again.

The Knights were very efficient. When Tarrin brought Mist and Miranda and added their supplies to the mix, the cadets got to work. By the time Tarrin returned from a short detour to his parents’ farm to get the three horses he’d bought so far, they had four pack horses outfitted with packsaddles; two of them completely packed, one being loaded, and one more waiting. There would be seven of them and four packhorses, a troupe of eleven horses that they’d have to care for. Four of them had experience with that kind of thing, and that was more than enough to handle the horses. From the looks of it, one pack horse was loaded with their camping supplies, tents, bedrolls, pots and pans, that sort of thing, and the other three were carrying extra goods and sundries, food, and their personal effects. Dolanna inventoried their supplies, checking them off against a list, nodding at their progress.

She had sound reasoning. They were taking one ride’s worth of food. They reasoned that if they could not find outside food sources in one ride, Miranda would use her magic to return them to Sennadar, they would resupply with enough to last longer, and then go out again. They would end up with a virtual caravan if they tried to take enough food to last them for a month, and that would slow them down. It was something of a gamble, but they needed speed, and the more horses they added to the pack train, the slower they would go. They had to face the possibility that they would have to catch up to Kimmie and Phandebrass, and that meant that they couldn’t be loaded down like they were settlers moving into unclaimed territory. They had three Were-kin along, and Were-kin were outstanding hunters as well as quite versed in foraging for food. If there was anything edible out in that unknown new world, they would find it.

The Knights and cadets handled the packing, so after