s, the plush furniture and the tasteful portraits and art decorating the walls, but it was the people inside that Tarrin fixed his attention upon.  Sitting in her favorite chair was Janine, a book in her lap, and in another chair near her was his mother, Elke, who was actually doing needlepoint.  Eron Kael was sitting in a large chair by the fire, and Jenna and Janette were sitting on the bare floor off the rug, playing a game with metal jacks and a ball made out of a strange springy substance that made it bounce very high.
	Jenna saw him first.  She gasped and jumped up, startling Janette, and charged towards him.  "Tarrin!" she cried, and he knelt down and let her fling herself into his arms.  Jenna was a tall girl, but she still only came up to the base of his ribcage.  Tarrin picked up his sister and twirled her around, then set her down as Janette managed to stand up.  Elke was already halfway to him, and Janine had put her book aside as Eron struggled to his feet.
	"I see you found it," Tarrin said to his mother as she embraced him.
	"Your directions were lousy," she accused, going over to hug Allia.  "How are you, Allia?"
	"I am very well, kaisha," she said, which was a Selani term for mother.  That Allia would call Elke "mother" was a clear indication of how she felt about Tarrin's parents.
	Tarrin crushed his father in a fierce hug, and Eron winced a bit.  "Still tender, father?" he asked, holding Eron at arm's length.
	"A bit, but at least the Sorcerers fixed my knee," he said.  "I don't limp anymore."
	"Well, at least they're good for something," Tarrin said with a smile.  He pushed his father aside gently and knelt as Janette approached him, almost warily.  Tarrin held his paw out to her tentatively, emotion rising up in him.  "Little mother," he said in a voice of the most profound respect and love.
	She threw herself into his arms, and it was all Tarrin could do to keep from crying.  The little girl meant as much to him as his own parents or sister or Allia.  He enfolded her, surrounding her in his arms the same way she would enfold him in her protective embrace, and the same feeling of peace and security swept over him at her touch as it used to do when he was her pet.
	She looked up at him with teary eyes, and he was amazed at how easily she accepted him as more than just her cat.  She truly was a wondrous little girl.
	"They gave me a new cat, but it's just not the same," she told him in a serious voice.
	"I'll have a talk with it, little mother," he promised with a gentle smile.
	Nanna brought out a plate of sweetmeats, and that gave them all a focal point.  Tarrin folded Janine up in a warm hug as she came over, and she just smiled at him and swatted him on the shoulder.  "I almost didn't believe her, until your parents showed up," she told him in an accusing voice.  "That was a mean trick to play."
	"It wasn't a trick, Janine," he told her.  "I needed the time here."
	"Your parents explained that to us," she told him.
	"I hope I'm still welcome."
	"Tarrin, you may have started as the family pet, but now you're family," she assured him in an uncharacteristically gentle voice.  "You're just as welcome as my own mother."
	"I've heard things about your mother," Tarrin winked.  "That doesn't sound very encouraging."
	Janine laughed.  "Well, you're as welcome as my mother to me," she corrected.  "How Tomas feels about it is another matter."  She looked at Allia, who was busily trying to answer a million questions thrown at her by Elke.  "This is Allia?"
	"Yes, she's like a sister to me, and she's been completely adopted by my family," Tarrin smiled.  "My mother adores her so much she hogs time away from my father and Jenna."
	"Well, I'm sure she'll fit in here just fine," she said with a smile.
	After the initial disturbance was over, everyone sat back down.  Tomas and Janine sat in their favorite chairs, and Eron and Elke sat on chairs to the side.  Jenna and Nanna sat down on the sofa on the other side, forming a box with the fireplace.  Tarrin sat cross-legged on the floor with his back to the fire, and Janette was seated firmly in his lap.  His arms were around her, almost protectively, and she was playing with the tip of his tail.  Allia sat in a similar position beside him.  Tarrin got serious, beginning to explain to his parents and his friends what was going on in the Tower.  He left out a few things, like Keritanima's ideas about what happened to him, but he did make mention of the fact that the fight with the Doomwalker had altered his powers in Sorcery.
	"It was you," Tomas said suddenly.  "You scared off the bandit."
	Tarrin nodded.  "I used Sorcery, totally by reflex, because I'd been in cat form so long that I couldn't remember quickly how to change back," he told him.  "That's why the knife was hot.  I burned him with fire, and he ran back out the door."  He looked down at Janette.  "That was when I realized that I couldn't stay here anymore," he added.  "Because I was afraid that I'd accidentally hurt you, or my little mother.  That's something that I'd never forgive myself for, if it happened."
	"While he was gone, I understood what he had been going through," Allia continued.  "They paid me so much attention that I felt very uncomfortable.  Members of the Council would ask about my progress, and they began to watch me at all times.  I do not see how Tarrin endured it.  They were about to drive me mad."
	"Well, at least now you're pretty sure that they want something from you," Eron said.
	"I've known that for a while, father," Tarrin told him.  "But now it's getting serious.  After the fight, and the accident--" he winced and closed his eyes.  The memory of that pain was still fresh in his mind, and he couldn't think about it without shuddering.  "Now that I may not be any use to them, they may decide that I'm not worth the effort."
	"They wouldn't do that!" Janine said in shock.  "This is the Tower we're talking about!  The katzh-dashi!  They've never lifted a hand against anyone!"
	"The Sorcerers aren't what everyone thinks they are, Janine," Tarrin told her.  "They're just as ruthless as any other organization with power, and they'll use that power.  If I'm no use to them, they'll get rid of me.  If only to keep me out of the hands of their enemies.  I'm too dangerous to be allowed to run loose."
	"I think you're jumping the bow, son," Elke said.  "This is all just the Wikuni's conjecture."
	"Yes, but if there's one thing I know about Kerri, it's that her conjecture usually ends up being true.  That's one very smart little Wikuni."  He shoved the tip of his tail into Janette's face, which made her giggle and try to keep the attacking appendage away.  "We're going to be trying to find out what's going on, but it may not be easy."
	"The Wikuni is setting up spies and information gathering," Allia said.  "She seems very adept at it."
	"It's how she survived," Tarrin told her.
	"Hopefully, the actions will pan out for us," Allia continued.  "Without us knowing what is going on, it puts us at a serious disadvantage."
	"Have you heard any rumor about the light?" Tarrin asked Tomas.
	"Some, but it's been mostly just rehashing of how it looked.  I only heard one rumor that it was a bad omen, but there wasn't any real support for it, and they didn't go into detail."
	"Well, something's going on.  It's obvious now," Tarrin said.  "We're doing our best to find out what it is, without letting them know that we know."
	"What can I do to help, Tarrin?" Tomas asked.
	Tarrin felt tremendous warmth and trust in the willowy man now.  "At the moment, nothing," he said.  "But it wouldn't hurt if you always kept a copy of your shipping schedule around.  Just in case."
	Tomas nodded.  "I have six ships now, Tarrin.  They're coming in and out all the time.  I'm sure that any of them could handle a bit of extra passage."
	Tomas understood perfectly.  That was a tremendous load off his mind.  Tomas would get them out of Suld, if it came to having to run.  "You have no idea how comforting that is to me," Tarrin told him.
	"It's always good to keep friends comfortable," Tomas said with a smile.
	"How did you manage to get time to come here, Tarrin?" Eron asked.
	Allia gave Tarrin a smile, and Tarrin laughed.  "They didn't," he replied.  "I gave myself the time off."
	"They'll throw a fit if they find out," Eron laughed.
	"Let them.  Right now, they need me more than I need them.  That lets me really push things."
	"No doubt," Janine agreed.  "Well, if you're playing hookey to be here, let's not waste your time with serious conversation that depresses you.  Why don't we play some King's Castle?  Your mother says you're very good at it, and I'm tired of Tomas losing all our games."
	"I do not!" Tomas challenged.
	"Then you be partners with Elke," she replied in a sweet voice.
	"I'd rather have a chance at winning, Janine," Elke said, which made Tomas snort.
	"I'll show both of you.  Eron, do you hear this slander?"
	"Oh, no, I'm not getting into this one," Eron said.  "I'd have a very hard time trying to prove you don't lose by keeping us from losing."
	That made both women laugh, and Tomas gave Eron a blistering look.  "Then let's play Tarok," he offered.
	"I hate Tarok," Janine objected.
	"Precisely."
	"You're very close to sleeping in the guest room, dear," Janine said in a dangerous tone.
	"Put your money where your ego is, dear," Tomas said.  "King's Castle.  If me and Tarrin lose, I'll sleep on the floor tonight."
	"You better make sure you find enough blankets," Janine said with a competitive grin.  "Let's give my husband a backache, Elke."
	"I think I can enjoy a bit in Tomas' suffering," Elke said with a nasty grin.
	"That's mean, Elke."
	"I'm Ungardt, Tomas," she told him.  "We like being mean."
	"I'll play, but I have other people to visit tonight," he said, giving Janette a telling squeeze.  "Before it's her bedtime."
	"Then I'll play for you, Tarrin," Eron said.  "You visit with Janette.  I'll put Tomas on the floor for you."
	"He wouldn't do that!" Tomas challenged.
	"Tarrin is half Ungardt, and my son, Tomas," Elke smirked.  "He likes being mean too."
	"You ruined it, mother.  He'd have never known I would throw the game if you wouldn't have opened your mouth."
	"Traitor," Tomas said sourly at him.
	Tarrin just gave him a fanged grin, and that made the ladies laugh.
	"This is cheating," Tomas growled.  "I'm surrounded by people who want me on the floor tonight."
	"You expected sympathy from this group?" Janine asked in feigned shock.  "You need to wake up, dear."
	"I would like to watch," Allia said.  "I have never seen this game played before."
	"I'll teach you the rules, Allia," Elke told her.  "It's an easy enough game, if you're paying attention to what you're doing."
	"Are not all games so?" Allia said, getting up as the adults started towards the card table in the far corner of the room.
	"You come too, Jenna, so you can continue the tradition of female superiority in cards," Elke said, slapping Tomas on the shoulder with enough force to send him staggering forward.  Sometimes his mother didn't know her own strength.
	"Well now, it seems that I've got a certain little mother to catch up with," Tarrin told Janette, tapping her on the nose with the tip of his tail and making her giggle.  "I've missed hearing all about your dolls, Janette."
	"You don't care about my dolls," she challenged.
	"I care about everything about you, little mother," he told her, pushing her off of his lap.  "Now then, there's only one way that I can really visit with you."
	"How is that?"
	Tarrin reached under his shirt, and withdrew the small wooden toy that had been the main plaything in their many games.  He dangled it from the end of its string, giving her a gentle smile, and then handed it to her.
	"Oh, Shadow wants to play," Janette said with a beaming smile.
	"Shadow does indeed," he told her with a gentle, loving smile, then he hunkered down and shapeshifted into his cat form.
	Laughing, Janette dropped the scratched, battered wooden figure on the floor, and Tarrin pounced on it, feeling all his cares and worries melt away in lieu the pure simple joy of the game.
 
Chapter 15

	Tarrin and Allia returned to their room just before dawn.  They had slept over at the house, Allia in the extra guest room, Tarrin at the foot of Janette's bed, and Tomas on the floor in the parlor.  The sense of peace and calm of the house was still with him as they crept into their own rooms just before the other Initiates began to stir to prepare for the coming day.  It had been very good for him, a night without any worries or cares, surrounded by the people that he truly trusted.  He met Socks, his replacement, and had a long talk with the black cat with white paws about what was correct and proper, and what was not.  Because Tarrin was Were, the cat listened to him, and would obey.  Tarrin couldn't force obediance, but housecats held Were-cats in very high regard.  Socks would behave now.  He also got to see his family and Allia interact, and he was surprised.  Allia fit in with them perfectly, and it was as if she filled the only missing piece.  She was Tarrin's older sister, Jenna's confidante, and his parents saw her as the one child they had lost.  Tarrin had had an older sister, named Alexa, but she had died in infancy, two years before Tarrin was born.  Allia became that lost daughter, filling the only true hole in the hearts of his parents.  And what suprised Tarrin was how totally comfortable Allia was with being adopted into Tarrin's rather unique family.  Elke was a very strong woman, powerful, willful, and wise, and Allia respected her tremendously.  Eron was a bit more laid back than his wife, easygoing and with a wit, a bit quiet and always speaking to the point, but he had a quiet calm strength that seemed almost unshakable.  Eron was the rock from which the family built its foundation, and Allia had immediately understood that.  Jenna was mystified by the ethereally beautiful Selani, and Allia had began to teach her the forms of her people more suitable for her small frame.
	It was a reminder of what he had lost, and a goal which now stood before him.  Tarrin would have his family.  They would all live together in peace, and want for nothing.  When all the craziness was over, when he and Keritanima and Allia could come out of the desert without fear, then he would live as close to his family as he could.  The bad taste he had for the Tower meant that it wouldn't be in Suld.  Tarrin would rather return to Aldreth, where his non-human nature wouldn't be so serious, and where he could use his non-human status to help the village with the other non-humans that drifted in from the Frontier to trade.  It was what he wanted, it was what he decided he was going to have, and by the gods, it was what he was going to get.
	But there were other things to attend to, and that was what occupied his mind as he descended the stone stairs to the baths, scenting the passage of the Novices mingling with the smell of cloth and mineral-rich water, of heat and steam, and of the rock itself.  Tarrin had developed the habit of bathing when there were the fewest people in the baths, because his presence still caused a bit of commotion with Novices, and even Initiates.  The fights he'd had and the rather gruesome things he'd done to his assailants had terrified most of the other students, and they would have nothing to do with him.  They were, after all, only children.  Tarrin couldn't really blame them for it, but it hurt to see the fear in their eyes as he passed, to hear the whispers that they didn't realize his sensitive ears could pick up.  But if luck was with them, then the Novices wouldn't be scared of him much longer.
	It didn't take him long to find Tiella.  She was in the cooler water, and she had her knees bent so the water covered her to the neck.  Even after months, Tiella was still so modest that she couldn't stand bathing with others.
	The area around Tiella cleared immediately when Tarrin slipped into the pool, holding a bar of soap, and approached the pretty former villager.  "You missed a spot," he told her absently.
	She turned around, and then smiled.  "Tarrin," she said warmly, standing up in the water.  When the move lifted her breasts above the surface of the water, she blushed furiously and sank back into the water.
	"Tiella," Tarrin sighed, "I think that you shouldn't worry about that with me.  I've already seen them.  It doesn't make any difference now."
	Her face turning red, she stood up quickly, water splashing, and she glared at him.  Then she realized what she did, and then blushed even more and laughed ruefully.  "Alright, I give up," she told him.  "But if you stare, I'm going to pull your tail off."
	"Let me make it up to you," he said, going around her and lathering her back with the bar of soap.
	"Well, alright, but I wouldn't let anyone else do this," she said, allowing him to wash her back.  "How have you been?"
	"Busy," he said.
	"I heard.  Are you alright?"
	"I've healed up, but there have been some side effects.  Sorry if I don't go into them right now."
	"That's alright.  Did you know that I'm almost done with the Novitiate?"
	"No.  That was some quick work."
	"The training I got from Gerin really helped," she said.  "He was alot more than a herbalist.  He was very interested in the world, and he taught me alot of it.  I was allowed to skip over alot of classes."
	"Congratulations," he told her.
	"Thanks.  What's the Initiate like?"
	"I really haven't been in it long enough to form any opinions, Tiella," he told her.  "So far, it's been just like the Novitiate, except without all the silly rules.  We can eat when we want and bathe when we want, and our time outside of classes is our own."
	"That sounds almost dreamy compared to the schedules," she said sourly.  "I'm tired of living by the clock."
	"Well, just buckle down," he told her.  "When do you take the final test?"
	"In five days," she replied.  "I've already been told that I shouldn't have any trouble passing it.  Then I'll move to the Initiate."
	"Hmm," Tarrin said.  "This may change some things."
	"What do you mean?"
	"Do you still clean the Keeper's office?"
	"Yes," she replied.  "Every day."
	"Then I want you to do me a favor," he said quietly.  "But it may get you in trouble."
	"What's the favor?"
	"If you see anything about me, or hear them talking about me, or about what happened to me, could you pass that along?" he asked.  "Anything that sounds like it'll affect me."
	"I guess so," she said after a moment.  "Why do you want to know that?"
	"Something's going on, Tiella," he told her.  "They want something from me, or want me to do something for them, but they won't tell me what it is.  Well, I want to know before they ask me to do it.  I want to know what I may be getting myself into."
	"Oh," she said after a moment.  "I can do that for you, Tarrin," she said.  "I think I've already seen some things, and I know that the Keeper asks how you're coming along almost every day.  When you were missing, she was almost in a constant rage."
	"I know," Tarrin said quietly.  "What did you hear?"
	"Well, they were trying to get the Wikuni to give them a clipper and a crew," she said.  "It sounded awfully important, but the Wikuni are mad at them for some reason, and won't do it.  They keep talking about someone's education.  It's a really big thing.  The Keeper and that stupid-looking rabbit Wikuni were even shouting at each other yesterday."
	"I know what that's all about," Tarrin grunted.  "What about the ship?  Did they say why they wanted it?"
	"I think I heard the Keeper tell him that they needed it to get somewhere," she said.  "She was flattering the Wikuni with how his people were the best sailors, and they'd need that skill."
	"They are," Tarrin told her absently.  "But she never said why?"
	"No," she told him.  "Just that they wanted one.  Maybe they want to send some Sorcerers to the Stormhaven Isles or something."
	"Maybe it's important, maybe not," Tarrin said.  "Anything else you can remember?"
	Tiella was quiet for a few moments.  "Not really," she said finally.  "They really don't talk around us that much, Tarrin, and we're only in there for a couple of hours at the most."
	"Well, that may change," he said.  "What time do you clean her office?"
	"After lunch, every day," she replied.
	"Well, do me a favor and keep your ears open," he told her.  "I have the feeling that the Keeper may be very talkative for the next few days."
	"Why do you say that?"
	"Just trust me," he said with a chuckle.  "I can't come and talk to you ever morning.  That'll look very suspicious.  So I'm sending someone.  You remember my roommate in the Novitiate, Dar?"
	"The cute Arkisian?" she asked as she rinsed herself off and turned to face him.  Tarrin noticed that she was blushing.  "Yes, I remember him."
	"Good.  He's the one you'll need to talk to.  If you have anything you want me to know, tell him, and he'll give it to me."  He gave her a look.  "You like him."
	She blushed deeper.  "Well, he is cute, Tarrin, and he has nice manners and he's been nice to me when we talk.  And I have to stand here and talk to him while I'm naked as the day I was born."
	"He will be too, so it's not like you're not on even ground," he reminded her.  "I'll tell him to be very friendly to you.  If it looks like you two are sweet on each other, it won't look unusual if you're talking in whispers."
	Tiella blushed furiously, and gave him a murderous look.  Tarrin realized that Tiella had a crush on Dar.  That was almost perfect.  He could orchestrate a bit of matchmaking easily.  Dar needed a girlfriend, and there weren't many girls out there better than Tiella.  Tarrin would make sure that Tiella was well rewarded for her risk, and giving her the object of her affection seemed a very appropriate gift.
	No friend of Tarrin's went hungry.
	"You'll do it for me?" Tarrin asked seriously.
	"I'll do it," she almost fumed.  "But I'm mad at you."
	"What for?"
	"Making me whisper and get close to Dar?" she said.
	"Don't worry," Tarrin said with a wink.  "He'll be very receptive.  Even if I have to grab him by the neck and shake him."
	"Tarrin!" she gasped.
	He only smiled at her.  "I'll see you when you're in red, Tiella.  Good luck."
	"That's it?  You're leaving?"
	"I'm skipping my morning class," he said with a wicked smile.  "I figure they'll find me in about ten minutes.  I don't think you want to be around me when they catch up with me."
	"Uh oh," she laughed.  "Are you going to be nice?"
	"No," he said in a flat voice.
	She laughed again.  "Then I think I want to be out of here," she agreed.  She reached up and patted him on the cheek.  "I'll keep my ears open for you, Tarrin," she promised.
	"I appreciate it," he told her.
	"Now, I think it's time for us to go," she said.  "It's almost time for my breakfast, and I don't want to go to class hungry."
	"I should find a quiet place, so my yelling doesn't raise a fuss," he winked.
	"You do that," she laughed.  "Now turn around so I can get out of the pool."
	"You are such a wimp," he teased, going to the edge and pulling himself out.  He shook himself to get rid the excess water, then picked up a towel from a chair.  "See you later," he told her, walking over towards his clothes.
	Five days.  It wasn't that much time, and it may not do him much good, but Tarrin could fix that.  So, the Keeper raged.  Tarrin's mother also raged, and the one thing he knew about her was that when someone is in a rage, it's nearly impossible for them to keep quiet about why they're so upset.  Tarrin would make sure that the Keeper was very talkative when Tiella and the other Novice workers arrived to clean her office.  If Keritanima was right, they'd come find him in a tizzy, and would send him somewhere for him to work on fixing his problem.  The worst thing he could do to set the Keeper off was refuse to go.
	That was easy enough.
	After drying off and dressing, Tarrin started back upstairs.  He'd eaten before coming to the baths, and that book on the Weave was unfinished.  It was a fascinating book, and he'd already sent Keritanima off to get her own copy that morning.  He would probably finish it by lunch, and there was an entire library of interesting books there waiting for him.
	He was met at the top landing by three Sorcerers.  One of them he identified as Amelyn, the Mind Seat.  She had a very perturbed look on her face.  "Where have you been?" she demanded.  "You didn't show up for class today!"
	"My instructor told me that until she got advice, all my classes were cancelled," he said smoothly.
	The woman seemed to turn that over in her mind several times, looking for something which she could use as a basis to scream at him.  "You will address a katzh-dashi as Mistress or Master, Inititiate," she said in a cold, hostile voice.
	"I will address you in a manner of respect when you prove you deserve it," Tarrin said in a dangerous voice, eyes narrowing as he came up the last few steps.  That put his head well above the three of theirs, and he used that height to intimidate the small woman.  "Now get out of my way."
	"You will come with me," Amelyn said with a glare.  "The Council is going to try to help you overcome this problem."
	"No."
	"What?"
	"I said no," he hissed.  "I'm not going to do anything until I can go visit my parents.  My father was hurt, and I want to see him.  That means that you're going to lower the Ward so I can go to them, because I'm not going to have them put themselves at risk of another attack by coming here to see me."
	"How dare you--"
	In a heartbeat, she was against the wall, her slippered feet dangling about two spans off the ground.  She held onto Tarrin's wrist, her eyes wild, as his paw full of silk dress kept her suspended above the floor.  "I dare alot when it's my parents who were hurt, and I have no idea how they are," he said in a steely, low voice.  "I don't know who you people think you are, but you keep forgetting that it's my life you're trying to control.  I've had as much of that Ward as I can stand.  I want to see my parents, and I want off these grounds, and I want it now.  You're not keeping me caged anymore."
	"You will not make demands of us!" she snapped at him, though it was plain she was almost terrified by the hostile look in his eyes.  She had alot of guts.  Tarrin could respect that.
	"I'm not making demands," he said, letting go of her.  She got out to arm's reach of him, and smoothed her rumpled blue dress, seemingly unconcerned by the rough treatment.  "I'm telling you this simply.  Either you lower the Ward and let me go visit my parents, you'll let me go see my parents whenever I want to do so, and you'll let me off the grounds when I need to get away from this place for a while, or I stop everything.  I will not go to classes, I will not learn, and I'll break the left arm of every Sorcerer you send to my door.  I want the same privileges and rights as other Initiates.  There is no negotiation in the matter.  Those are my terms, and I won't accept anything less.  I'm not living in your damned cage anymore."
	"But you'll be opening yourself to attack!  You may be killed!"
	"Better to die in an alley in Suld than live one more day trapped in this prison," he said with enough fervor to make Amelyn's two companions take another step away from him.
	"This, isn't something that I can approve right here," she said hesitantly.  "Only the Keeper can make that kind of decision, and she's at the Royal Court this morning."
	"Then tell her when she gets back," Tarrin told her calmly.  "Because I'm not doing anything until I see my parents, off the grounds."
	"And if she declines?"
	"Then you'll be feeding me for nothing," Tarrin said flatly.  "I'm not afraid of you, Amelyn, or your Council.  You can't hurt me, you can't use your Sorcery on me, and if you get nasty, I'll just start killing people until you stop.  I figure that you'll give me what I want, because I'm not asking for anything outrageous, and I'll be very dangerous to keep on the grounds if you don't.  Now if you'll excuse me, get out of my way."
	"I haven't excused you, Initiate," Amelyn said in a hostile voice.
	She squeaked once when he backhanded her in the shoulder, then it turned into an explosive loss of breath when she slammed into the wall.  The other two Sorcerers stared at him in utter shock, totally dumbfounded that he would actually strike a member of the Council.  He didn't hit her that hard, only hard enough to get her out of the way.  "Now I'm excused," Tarrin said flatly, walking past the winded Mind Seat, and having the other two hug the walls to get out of his way.  "And Amelyn, don't ever get in my way again," he warned her as he walked away. "I wouldn't shed a tear over spilling your guts on the floor."
	All in all, that went as he expected.  He established his demands, made the consequences clear, and also made it plain to them that he wasn't afraid to fight the Council.  Either verbally or physically.  They didn't know if he was stable.  He'd take advantage of that.
	Tarrin stalked away, looking to them like he was one step from a rage, but they didn't see the smile on his face.

	Tarrin spent the time after confronting Amelyn as far away from everyone as possible, so he took his book, changed form, and crept into the courtyard in the middle of the maze.  With the statue of the Goddess watching on, he reclined in the grass near the fountain, surrounded by smells of grass and trees and flowers, letting them distract him from reading the book.  The garden, and the maze, were warm and comfortable, and that was an aspect of the magic that saturated the grounds.  Long ago, he'd learned, the Ancients wove powerful magic that kept the gardens warm all year round, permanent magic that always ensured that the Tower would have green trees and vibrantly colored flowers.  The magic had also infused the plants, making them bloom all year round in a perpetual spring.  The air outside the garden was cool, almost crisp, and the late autumn sun carried a magical warmth that made it feel like it was early summer.  It was but one secret lost to the modern katzh-dashi, lore locked within books that nobody could read, driving the Lorefinders crazy with its tantalizing proximity.
	There was no going back now.  But then again, he knew that there was no going back 