 been at that age."
	"That sounds pretty wild," Singer laughed.  "When did you meet a Succubus?"
	"She was in Dala Yar Arak," he replied.  "You'll meet her."
	"I will?"
	Tarrin nodded.  "She's on her way to Suld.  Me and her kind of mended our fences.  I don't really consider her a friend, but she's not exactly an enemy either.  She's bringing Arakite Legions to help defend Suld."
	"How can a Demon control Arakite Legions?" Jeri asked.
	"When she's the Empress," Tarrin replied calmly.  "After I killed the Emperor, she revealed herself and took full control of the Empire."
	"You what?" Kimmie gasped, then she laughed.  "Denthar's tomes, Tarrin, what have you been doing since we left you in Shoran's Fork?"
	"I think a full story is in order here," Thean said with a smile.  "You just managed to get me very curious."
	"Well, we have time, I suppose," Tarrin shrugged.  "I'd rather only go through this once, though, so where are the others?"
	"Nikki should be here any time now," Thean said.  "I don't know about Shayle."
	"They'll just have to suffer," Singer said intently.  "I want to hear the story!"
	"So do I," Ariana agreed.
	"You've heard it," Tarrin told her archly.
	"So?  It's worth hearing again."
	"Alright," Tarrin acceded.  "Where do you want me to start?"
	"At the beginning, of course," Thean told him.  "Where else would a story begin?"
	"There are several beginnings to this story, Thean," Tarrin told him patiently.  Jasana, who had been wandering from Were-cat to Were-cat boldly, padded over and dropped herself imperiously into his lap.
	"Your beginning is the one that matters, lad."  Thean laughed.  "It doesn't seem right calling you that anymore," he admitted.
	"I surely don't feel that young anymore," Tarrin agreed, settling Jasana into his lap and composing himself.  "It all started right here.  Strange that I'd come back here, that this would be the place that I'd tell this story, but this was where I grew up, this was the place I left behind when Dolanna and Faalken arrived in Aldreth."
	And so he told the story.  He was relatively thorough about it, not leaving out things he would usually leave out, mainly because of the company.  They would understand those parts of it, unlike humans.  He didn't delve too deeply into any one part of it, relating the story in a calm, swift manner that related the details yet didn't concentrate on any one part.  There were interruptions, however.  Jeri broke in when he was describing the intrigue at the Tower.  "Why did you bother with that?" he asked.  "I would have marched right into the Keeper's office and dragged the truth out of her.  Or just left, for that matter."
	"I very nearly did that, more than once," Tarrin told him.  "But Allia and Keritanima were also there, and I didn't want to put them in any danger.  If it would have just been me, I would have been gone long before it got serious."
	Thean got involved with it when Tarrin described what happened in Dala Yar Arak, grilling him on the Cambisi and his short interlude with Shiika, and when she drained him.  "She should have known that she couldn't kill you, lad," Thean objected.
	"No, it certainly seemed to surprise her, Thean," Tarrin replied.  "I wondered at first why it didn't, but I think I've figured it out."
	"And what's your solution?"
	"We regenerate," he shrugged.  "That power stems from the Were magical condition, and that magic is drawn from Druidic power.  She couldn't kill me because the energy of nature replaced what she took fast enough to prevent it from killing me.  Not even a Demon could drain the All."
	"That's a logical reason," Thean said after a moment.  "Our powers are at least partially Druidic in nature.  It's why Were-cats all have Druidic ability."
	"At least some of us," Jesmind said shortly.
	"You have talent, my dear, it's just never been realized," Thean told her with a smile.
	Tarrin then told them about the desert, and about the Selani and the desert creatures.  Ariana looked a little uncomfortable when he told them the story of the Cloud Spire, but didn't try to stop him.  Then he finished the story quickly.  "And here we are," he said in conclusion.
	"Here we are," Thean mirrored, taking a drink of the apple wine.  "My, this is really good, Tarrin.  Where did you get it?"
	"My father brews it," Tarrin answered.  "It's one of the few casks left."
	"Then we should savor it, instead of inhaling it," he said, giving Rahnee a glance.
	"You savor your way, I'll savor mine," she replied flippantly, taking another long swallow.
	"Hello, the farm!" a voice called from across the meadow.  Tarrin looked and saw three horses, all three fidgeting nervously, at the edge of the treeline where the cart track to Aldreth pierced it.  The Were-cats were upwind, and so many predatory scents on the wind were upsetting the horses.  The men riding them were Garyth, Jak, and Karn.
	"Picket your horses where they are and come on, Garyth!" Tarrin shouted.  "The horses will get spooked if you bring them any closer!"
	They did so, leaving them cautiously grazing on the grass at the edge of the meadow and coming over.  Jak and Karn looked a little nervous to be coming into the company of seven Were-cats and a winged creature they had never seen before, but Garyth managed to smile.  "Well, some of these faces are familiar," Garyth said grandly, pointing at Rahnee first.  "I remember selling you a satchel about two years ago, madam.  And I've seen you in the village any number of times, good master," he said, looking at Thean.
	"That smith of yours makes some of the most popular tools in the Heartwood, Master Garyth," Thean said politely, nodding towards Karn.  "We've been in despair since he closed down his forge."
	"Give me a month, and I'll be open again," Karn said in his gravelly voice.
	"And we'll help make sure that happens," Jeri said strongly.
	"It feels, weird, coming to help humans," Singer laughed.  "But we all miss Aldreth.  The Woodkin have been in arms since the Dals took over the village.  Much of the human goods the Woodkin use here in the north came from here.  They're getting tired of having to get things from Arkis."
	"You should have said something sooner, madam," Garyth told her.  "If you'd have been willing to help, we would have pushed them out long ago."
	"We're usually not permitted to interfere in human affairs, Master Garyth," Thean said patiently.  "It's a part of our laws.  But this is a special case, so the laws about that have been suspended."
	"Well, Tarrin, I came to tell you that everything's ready," Garyth said, looking at him.  "The Rangers know we're coming, and they're going to gather outside Torrian.  We have runners going to tell the men of Watch Hill to quietly get ready.  We're going to have to take the garrison there, but once we do, they'll join us on the way to Torrian.  We'll be leaving tomorrow at dawn."
	Tarrin nodded.  "How many men do we have?"
	"About fifty," he replied.
	"And us," Jeri said in a strong voice.
	"We're very happy to have our Frontier neighbors helping us, good master," Garyth said with quiet dignity, nodding to Jeri.
	"Neighbor.  That's a very good word," Thean laughed.  "Aldreth has always been a good neighbor.  We should have intervened long ago.  Sometimes our laws are too strict, I think."
	There was another scent drifting in on the breeze, and it made all seven Were-cats turn towards the treeline.  A human wearing a plain brown robe stepped from the treeline, his hair white and his features curiously ageless.  He was being accompanied by a Centaur and a flitting Faerie.  The Centaur was very big and very nasty looking, with a horse body that had a human torso attached where the horse's head would be.  The horse body was huge, with brown coat and shaggy white fetlocks around the hooves.  The human body was large and muscular, with a face that had curiously wide, almost equine features.  He wore nothing but a bandolier about his chest, but his horse's back had a packsaddle attached to it that held a large bow, quivers of arrows, and a large, formidable-looking battle axe.  The Faerie looked as all Faeries do, a tiny being with bluish skin.  This one had blond hair, and wore a tiny little gossamer shirt with a pair of knicker-like pants.  This one was a male Faerie, though it was hard to see that until he got very close.  The three of them marched across the meadow, through the stream, and reached the gathering of Were-cats, Aeradalla, and humans quickly.  "Laws are laws for a reason, Thean," the man said patiently.
	"Sathon," Thean said in surprise, as all of them came to their feet respectfully.  "I'm surprised to see you here, good Druid."
	"Fae-da'Nar is getting tired of your meddling, boy," Sathon said with an amused look at Tarrin.  "Having Triana annoy us is bad enough.  But to tell Sarraya and Haley to do it as well?  Have you idea how angry the Druids are with you at the moment?"
	Tarrin gave the small man a surprised look.
	"We know all about what's going on, Tarrin," the druid Sathon said calmly.  "Fae-da'Nar has met and discussed the problem.  We've decided that it's a problem so serious that we must supsend the laws of isolation and help.  If the ki'zadun succeed in their plan, they will destabilize the entire world.  We cannot permit that."
	"What are you talking about, honored one?" Singer asked.
	"When the Aldreth humans march south, they won't just have the Were-cats with them," Sathon said.  "The Centaurs and some of your Were cousins are gathering in the village, and others are moving this way as we speak.  When the humans go, Fae-da'Nar goes with them."
	"Though we detest your kind, Were-cat, we will agree not to kill you while the Druids lead us," the Centaur said in a powerful voice.
	Tarrin did not appreciate saying such a thing, especially when the Centaur was standing on his home soil and saying that in front of his daughter.  "You watch yourself, Centaur," Tarrin said in a flat voice.  "You're standing in my territory.  I don't care what you think about me, but you'll speak and act with proper respect while standing on my land.  Do you understand?"
	"Your territory?" Jesmind objected hotly.  "Our territory!"
	The Centaur didn't look very impressed, but the Druid turned and motioned towards him sharply.  "My apologies," he said stiffly.
	"Save it," Tarrin snapped.
	"An Aeradalla!" Sathon said in surprise, coming over to where Ariana had been sitting quietly.  Tarrin saw that the Aeradalla looked a little uncomfortable being surrounded by so many strange beings, but the gentle smile and warm hand Sathon extended to her seemed to make her relax.  "It's been ages since we've seen any of you, my lady.  We of Fae-da'Nar miss you.  Would you tell your rulers that Fae-da'Nar still offers your people their ancestral place among us?"
	"Ariana, good Druid.  We still remember Fae-da'Nar," Ariana smiled.  "Unfortunately, the way of things makes us stay where we are.  But I'll be sure to tell our King for you."
	"Very good, my dear, very good," Sathon smiled, patting her hand warmly.  "Alright then, my children, we have things to do and not much time," Sathon said crisply, clapping his hands.  "Jesmind, are you going with us or staying here?"
	"Me and Jasana are going, good Druid," Jesmind said respectfully.  "Tarrin needs us to be near him right now."
	"Alright then, all of you, let's help them get their den ready to be left empty for a while," Sathon instructed.  "Thean, you and Rahnee help patch that barn.  Jeri, you and Kimmie get to work on that building over there.  Singer, I want you to inspect the roof and make sure it's in good repair.  Mistress Ariana, I'd appreciate it if you'd help her.  Now hop, all of you!"
	Tarrin blinked.  Just like that, Sathon had asserted his authority over them all, and he saw that all the Were-cats moved to obey him.  That surprised him, but the quiet elation he felt at Sathon's presence made him very, very relieved and very, very hopeful.
	Fae-da'Nar was going to join the effort.  And not just the Were-cats.  They'd have a force of Woodkin as well, Centaurs, other Were-kin, and other beings Tarrin probably wouldn't even be able to imagine until he saw them.  Tarrin's relief at that thought was tremendous.  Now the taking of Torrian and the liberation of the Sulasian army from its trap was virtually assured.
	Things were starting to look very good.
	"What are you two standing around for?" Sathon said sharply, looking at Tarrin and Jesmind.  "Put out this fire and hide that wine before we end up with a bunch of drunken Were-cats!"
	Jesmind picked up Jasana as Tarrin chuckled.  "Did it occur to you, Sathon, that you don't have to order us around?" Tarrin asked.
	"I know, but sometimes Were-cats need a boot to the tail to get them going," Sathon smiled.  "I know about you, Tarrin.  I respect your authority here.  You are a Druid on your chosen ground, and it's not my place to usurp your domain."
	That made the Centaur's eyes widen.  It surprised Tarrin as well, for he often forgot about that.  Tarrin was a Druid, and though he was a Sorcerer, to Fae-da'Nar, the fact that he was a Druid was much, much more important.  A Druid's chosen ground was considered holy ground, a place where no Woodkin would start or participate in a fight.  Since Tarrin had chosen his home as his chosen ground, that made his farm and it surroundings a place of peace, and it gave Tarrin absolute authority over anyone who entered his chosen ground.
	"That's alright, Sathon.  I forget about that sometimes," Tarrin admitted.
	"I humbly beg forgiveness, good Druid," the Centaur said with surprising humility.  "I did not mean to give offense to you here."  Of course, the way he said it, giving Tarrin offense somewhere else would be perfectly acceptable.
	"Forget it," Tarrin told him bluntly.  "You don't like me, I don't like you.  That's fine.  It shouldn't stop us from being able to work together when it's needful, however."
	"Truly," the Centaur agreed with a nod.
	"I hope you don't mind me going over your head that way, brother," Sathon said contritely.  "But I could see that things needed to be done, and you weren't getting to them."
	"It's alright, Sathon," Tarrin told him with a wave of his paw.  "I don't consider myself to be much of a Druid."
	Garyth, Karn, and Jak still stood where they were, being very quiet and watching what was going on with a slight wildness in their eyes.  Tarrin looked at them and laughed.  "Alright, I'm sorry we sort of forgot about you three," Tarrin told them with a rueful smile.  "Sathon, may I present Garyth Longshank, mayor of Aldreth.  Jak Longbranch, Garyth's bodyguard, and Karn Rocksplitter, the village smith."
	"It's a pleasure, gentlemen," Sathon said with a smile.  "I'm Sathon, the Druid who lives closest to your village.  At least I used to be," he said with a smile at Tarrin.  "I think you should return to your village, good mayor.  Any moment now, a large complement of Centaurs and human-looking Were-kin are going to march into the village.  Your calm words will prevent a panic."
	"They're not going to be able to get into the village, Sathon," Tarrin said with a laugh.  "I put up a Ward that will keep out anything but humans and Were-cats, to protect it from any Dal Goblinoids that may try to come in while we go down to free Torrian.  I didn't think that others would be trying to come there."
	"Well, that's alright, Tarrin," Sathon chuckled.  "We can camp outside the Ward's boundary.  There's plenty of open space around the village.  And I'll have Mikos leave a herd of his Centaurs here to help protect it from any attack."
	"It will be done, Sathon," the Centaur, Mikos, said immediately.  "I vow that no Dal or Dal ally will come within a thousand paces of the village while my herd defends it."
	"Very good, Mikos.  I suggest you go now, so you can tell the others about the Ward, and see to the dispensation of the group."
	Mikos banged his fist against his chest and immediately galloped off towards the cart track.
	"I think we should go as well, Tarrin," Garyth said.  "I'm sure that that Centaur is going to cause a row."
	"Alright.  I don't know if I'm staying here tonight or if we'll be moving into the village for the night, Garyth."
	"We're staying here," Jesmind said firmly.
	"Well, there's my answer," Tarrin smiled.  "So I'll see you in the inn before dawn.  Alright?"
	"We'll be waiting, Tarrin."
	"I'll be coming with you, Garyth," Sathon told him.  "The Woodkin there are going to need a Druid.  They're not used to humans.  My presence will calm them."
	"We'd be happy to have you, good Druid," Garyth said respectfully.  "I'll send messengers if anything important happens, Tarrin."
	"That's fine," Tarrin told him.  "You'd better get going."
	"Tomorrow, then," Jak said with an extended hand.  Tarrin took it warmly, and it reminded him that before they both had changed so much, Jak had been one of his best friends.  He hoped that after it was all done, he and Jak could be so again.
	"See you in the mornin', boy," Karn growled in his gravelly voice.  "We'll be ready."
	"Garyth, why don't you take a couple of casks of my father's wine to Aldreth with you?" Tarrin asked.  "I think it would help everyone relax a little right now."
	"There's still some left?"
	"We hid the entrance very well this time," Tarrin said with a laugh.  "We have enough left to give those that want it a taste."
	"I haven't had a glass--of course!  Let's go get it!" Garyth said exuberantly.
	Tarrin led the humans towards the big barn, and to his surprse, the Faerie was following him.  He had been silent up to now, flitting along beside him, and he reminded him of Sarraya for a moment.  "It's good to meet you," he said in his tiny voice.  "I've heard alot about you, Tarrin."
	"You have?  From who?"
	"My wife, Sarraya," he smiled.  "She visited the colony a while ago and asked me to come plead her case to Sathon personally.  My name is Alix."
	"Well, it's good to meet you, Alix," Tarrin said.  "Sarraya is one of my best friends."
	"She says you're a stubborn pain in the butt, but she loves you anyway," Alix laughed.
	"That's Sarraya, alright," Tarrin chuckled.  "How was she when you saw her?"
	"Tired, but alright," he answered.  "Why are they staring at me?" he asked, pointing at the humans.
	"They've never seen a Faerie before, Alix," Tarrin said calmly.  "Garyth, Karn, Jak, this is Alix.  He's a Faerie."
	"It's good to meet you," Alix said politely.
	"Uh, it's nice to meet you too," Jak said uncertainly in reply.
	"Don't worry, I'm just the first of many shocks waiting for you three," Alix said with mischievious little grin.  He was a Faerie, alright.
	"Actually, I think the first shock was seeing Tarrin's friends around the fire," Garyth admitted with a laugh.  "Who was that winged woman?"
	"She's an Aeradalla, a very rare race that lives in the desert," he replied.  "She's going to be our eyes in the sky."
	"I hope the village is ready for this," Karn growled.
	"They've dealt with the Woodkin before, Karn," Tarrin said patiently.  "It'll be a little different than before, but I think they'll be alright.  After the initial shock wears off, anyway."
	"It's all very strange," Jak said quietly.
	"That about defines my life since leaving home, Jak," Tarrin said with a rueful look.
	"No, I mean them coming out of the forest.  They don't have any real interest in what's going on, do they?"
	"Of course we do," Alix cut in.  "The real threat isn't here, it's in Suld.  We know that Tarrin has to attack Torrian, and we'll help with that.  But as soon as that's done, we're going to Suld.  That's where the real battle is going to be."
	"What battle?"
	"Why, the battle, of course!" Alix said in excitement.  "They've brought together all the Goblinoids and alot of the Fa-da'kii, and if they take Suld, the entire balance of nature is going to be disrupted.  We can't allow that, so we're going to step in to preserve the Balance."
	"The what?" Jak asked.
	"The balance of nature," Alix replied.  "The clock around which we all revolve.  Without the balance, the world would be chaos."
	"I'll take your word for it," Jak shrugged.  "I'm more interested in what I can see."
	"And what can you see?" Alix asked.
	"Dals," he growled, his face turning hard.
	They retrieved four casks of his father's ale and apple wine, then Tarrin hauled one of the wagons out of the big barn for them.  It was a bit weathered and creaky, but it was servicable.  Tarrin Conjured the harness they needed to hitch two of the horses to the wagon, then they loaded the casks aboard.  Sathon decided to ride with Garyth and Jak, who were driving the wagon, climbing into the back and seating himself.  "You keep them busy, Tarrin," Sathon said with a grin.  "This is your chosen ground.  Don't let them order you around."
	"I'm not that bossy, Sathon," Tarrin smiled.  "At least not about things that aren't important."
	"Do you know the spells of sending, lad?"
	Tarrin shook his head.  "Sarraya never got a chance to teach them to me."
	"What do you know?"
	"Conjuring and Creating, mainly," he replied.  "I learned a few little tricks outside of that, but I never really learned anything else.  I can use Sorcery for anything I need.  Druidic magic is just something of a hobby, truth be told."
	"That's a very poor attitude, lad," Sathon said disdainfully.  "You have respectable talent as a Druid.  It's a crime for you to ignore your potential like that."
	"I'm sorry, but I always seem to have something more important to do than learn Druidic magic," he apologized.  "Given how long it takes."
	"Nonsense," Sathon snorted.  "I'll take care of that, lad.  I'll teach you some of the things Sarraya didn't bother to show you.  You understand the workings of Druidic magic, so teaching you the spells won't take long."
	"I'll be guided by you in that, Sathon," Tarrin shrugged.  "If you think I'm capable of using them, then I'll learn them from you."
	"You're easily as strong as I am, lad.  Anything I can do, you can do," he said confidently.  "This is what happens when you have a Faerie as an instructor, you know."
	Alix sniffed loudly.
	"Truth is truth, Alix," Sathon grinned.  "Your kind can't hold a thought long enough to get it across to other races."
	"Well, I don't go around talking about how big and fat and ungainly humans are," Alix said flippantly.
	"Well, it was Sarraya or no one, Sathon.  Besides, I'm not that disappointed in how she did.  Sarraya was actually a good teacher."
	Alix beamed at Tarrin.
	"She taught you the basics, but she ignored your advanced education," he said insistantly.
	"Blame Triana for that," Tarrin told him.  "She told Sarraya not to go beyond the basics.  She did anyway, but I think that threat kept her from teaching me much more than she did.  Sarraya would have alot to answer for if I got to Suld and could do a great deal of Druidic magic that I wasn't supposed to know."
	"Oh, I see now," Sathon said with a laugh.  "Well, Triana never told me not to teach you," he said with a sly smile.
	"It's your neck, Sathon."
	"Triana's an old friend of mine, lad.  She'll trust that I won't get you killed."
	"Pardon me, good Druid, but we really need to go," Garyth interrupted politely.
	"Yes, yes, of course," he said with a nod.  "Tomorrow then, lad.  Sleep well."
	Tarrin waved them goodbye as the wagon rumbled around the bend and out of sight.  Tarrin sighed, crossing his arms and watching them go, his expectations rising by the moment.  With the Centaurs and the Were-kin, Torrian was as good as taken.  If they could move fast, they could reach Suld before the ki'zadun did, and play a major part in the defense of the city as well.  It made him feel very good to know that Fae-da'Nar was going to come off the fence, finally, were going to take a stand and commit themselves to the defense of Suld.  With the katzh-dashi, the Knights, the Selani, the Arakite Legions, Shiika and the Cambisi, Keritanima's Wikuni, Vendari, and gunpowder, the Ungardt, the Sulasian forces that would be available, the Rangers, and now a large force of Woodkin, Tarrin had a very good feeling about the battle to come.  It may not number as highly as the force opposing them, but the numbers they did have were widely varied and universally powerful.  Just knowing that the Vendari, the Selani, the Ungardt, the Knights, and now Woodkin would take the field on the same side gave him a very relieved feeling.  It would be a force that not even the Demons numbering in the armies of the ki'zadun would care to face.
	All they had to do now was get there in time.

	The realization that Tarrin was a Druid on chosen ground sank in after Sathon left, and he dealt with his Were-cat friends, sisters, and mate afterward.
	They kept asking him what they were supposed to do next.  Even Rahnee, which surprised him to no end.  It was almost as if Sathon's appearance had reminded them of custom, and now they were deferring to him.  He found it to be very irritating.  So irritating that he told all of them to start acting like they weren't still tied to their mother's tail and do for themselves.  The only one that didn't defer to him was Jesmind, but he knew that that would happen just as soon as someone reached up and pulled down one of the moons.  Regardless of the fact that he was a Druid on chosen ground, she wouldn't accede to him unless it suited her.  Being his mate exempted her from that custom, or at least so he thought she believed.
	But things did calm down.  Rahnee and Singer hunted up an evening meal of deer for them, and it was roasted over the firepit as the Were-cats and Ariana sat in the blooming night and traded stories.  Tarrin listened calmly with Jasana taking turns sitting in his lap and Jesmind's as Thean talked about his travels in Tor and the Free Duchies, and he heard about Rahnee's latest scrape with a small pack of Were-wolves.  He listened while Singer described the Ogre she had found in the Heartwood; Ogres and Giants were the only Goblinoids that the Were-kin wouldn't kill on sight.  Ogres were larger than Trolls, but were actually quite gentle and amiable beings.  Giants were very intelligent, showing a range of emotions and attitudes similar to humans.  Singer described helping the lost Ogre, who was little more than a child, find his way back to the mountains which were his home range.  He listened as Jeri spoke about his first trip into the city of Tor, and he heard the youthful exuberance and wonder that he himself had once felt when he had seen Torrian and Suld for the first time.  Ariana described the flight over from the desert, and the Aeradalla's impressions of Suld and the humans, and their flights over the land and the sea to watch for signs of invasion.  Kimmie talked about Mist and Eron, using words full of love and compassion, showing Kimmie's feelings for her bond-mother and Mist's child, who she considered all but a brother to her.  Tarrin found that more interesting than anything else, for Kimmie's descriptions of Mist were much different than the haunted, paranoid Were-cat female he remembered.  The Mist Kimmie described was a vibrant, content woman with a great deal of energy and a mountain's worth of patience for dealing with her very rambunctious cub.  From the sound of it, Eron was going to be just like Jasana.
	"I wonder whatever happened to Nikki and Shayle," Thean said, gnawing on a bone absently.
	"Maybe they went to Aldreth instead of coming here," Jeri offered.
	"It's possible," Thean agreed.  "All of you but Rahnee went to Aldreth first."
	"So did you," Rahnee pointed out with a smirk.
	"Because I knew they'd go there," he said calmly.  "I've been here before, Rahnee.  My den isn't far from here."
	"Mine is too," she pointed out.  "I've been here before too.  I used to lay in that tree right over there and watch Tarrin and his family," she said, pointing towards the Heartwood.  What Tarrin called the Frontier.
	"Mist brought me here once," Kimmie said.  "To show me what I used to be."
	"My mother brought me here too," Jeri added.  "I watched a man with a limp plow that field right there.  His wife was this very tall woman with a blond braid, and she had a baby and a little boy."
	"Tarrin was that little boy," Rahnee told the young male with a grin.  "The baby was Tarrin's sister."
	"Jenna," he informed her absently.
	"I didn't know that was you, Tarrin.  How did you end up Were?"
	"I thought all of you knew how that happened," Tarrin said in surprise.
	"He's young, Tarrin," Thean said with a smile at Jeri.  "The young ones sometimes miss the news.  They're too busy running around."
	"I happened," Jesmind told Jeri.  "Someone used a magical object to control me, and they set me loose on Tarrin.  We found out later that it was the katzh-dashi that did it, and only to make Tarrin Were."
	"They did that to you?" Jeri said in shock.  "I would have killed them!"
	"I almost did," Tarrin told the young male.  "But it turned out that they were just following their own orders.  I don't think I'll ever be able to forgive them for what they did to me, but at least a part of me understands why it was done."
	"Something like that wouldn't be easy to forgive," Thean said sagely.  "Well, it's getting late," he announced.  "We all have an early morning, and I can guarantee that Sathon's going to get us almost all the way to Torrian by tomorrow night.  So you all had better get some rest."
	"Where are we going to sleep?" Jeri asked.
	"We have that big barn right over there, Jeri," Thean told him with a smile.  "It's a good thing we patched it up, isn't it?"  Jeri laughed.  "I'll Conjure any bedding any of you may want, so don't worry about sleeping on the ground tonight."
	"We have one spare room," Jesmind announced.  "Who wants it?"
	"I've seen your house, Jesmind, and I don't think I could fit in there very well," Ariana declined.  "The barn over there has a nice large loft, so I'll sleep there tonight."
	"I think I'll invite one of these handsome men here to spend a night with me," Rahnee said with a leer.  "I don't think you want all that noise in your house, so I'll pass."
	"Well, if you're asking, I'll take you up on that, Rahnee," Jeri said with a bright smile.
	"I guess Thean should have it," Kimmie said.  "He's the elder."
	"That's alright, Kimmie.  I know how you dislike sleeping rough, so why don't you take the room?"
	"If you and Singer don't mind," she said demurely.
	"Not at all,