ored helmet would allow, slapping aside his weapon whenever it made some feeble attempt to attack her while continuing to batter at his shield with her axe.  It was a favored tactic among Ungardt, trying to destroy the opponents shield, and something Tarrin had used against Jegojah in their final battle.
	It was completely one-sided.  When Ulger wasnt wrestling to keep Elke from tearing his sword out of his hands, he was getting pounded by her axe, most of the time never seeing it coming, since she managed to get outside the range of his vision.  Elke systematically beat Ulger senseless with the flat of her axe, striking him on the helmet again and again, until it was obvious to everyone that the Knight was completely defenseless.  Ulger swayed dangerously on his feet, and his eyes, visible through his visor, were dazed and unfocused.  But not even that was enough to make Elke relent.  She stepped back, grabbed her axe in both hands, and then chopped down into Ulgers shield with every ounce of power she had.  The half-moon blade of the axe penetrated the steel shield, its bottom edge just barely missing Ulgers arm, and she yanked to the side, tearing the shield out of Ulgers weakened grip.  With the shield still stuck to the axe head and with a shout of effort, Elke reversed the weapon and slammed axe and shield into Ulgers shoulder and head.  The shield tore free and went sailing over Ulgers head, spinning like a flipped coin, and Elkes axe head penetrated Ulgers helmet, shearing off the front quarter and taking the visor with it.  The head of the axe missed Ulgers forehead by the barest of margins, but the bottom edge cut a furrow across the tip of Ulgers nose.
	Ulger dropped to the sandy ground, his eyes glazed and blood flowing liberally from his nose.
	Elke looked down at him a moment, then slid the axe in her grip until she held it just under the head.  Tell him Im not paying for a new shield and helmet, she announced to the watching Knights, then she turned and marched back to her husband and son.
	That was impressive, Lady Elke, Ianelle said in halting Sulasian.  Ianelle knew the language, but rarely spoke it.
	It was too short, Elke snorted in reply.  Well, son, I need to get home.  Im going to bake Jenna a couple of sugarroot cakes.
	Alright.
	Is that Knight going to be alright? Ianelle asked as the others swarmed around him, and one called for a Sorcerer.
	A few weeks in bed will fix him, Elke answered professionally.  I went easy on him.
	Ianelle gave her a startled look, then laughed delightedly.  I would not have guessed.
	Trust me, Tarrin told her as he motioned for her to step back.  Fireflash hopped over to his other shoulder to continue looking at Ulger.  Mother went very easy on him.  Watch your claws, little one, Tarrin told Fireflash mildly as his claws started sinking into his shoulder.
	Anything you wish me to tell Jenna? Ianelle asked.
	Not really, Tarrin answered.  No, wait.  Tell her to tell Tomas and Janine that Im going to pick up Janette tomorrow morning and take her out.  I have a promise to keep to her.
	I will tell her.  So, I will see you tomorrow?
	I doubt it.  I dont think Im coming here.
	Then I will see you when I see you.
	Put your foot down with Auli, he told her.
	Oh, I certainly intend to do just that, she said in a flinty tone.
	Tarrin chuckled as he wove the spell of Teleportation that would take them home.  And in a wavering flash, Tarrin, Elke, Eron, and Fireflash disappeared.
 
Chapter 14

	That next day turned out to be Tarrins last day of freedom for a very long time.  He did indeed take Janette to see the raker, after contacting Keritanima and having her make sure that the ship didnt leave port during the night.  It was a thoroughly pleasant day, even if Fireflash did terrorize all the seagulls down at the docks by chasing them around all day.  All the gulls gave Tarrin reproachful looks, at least when they werent flying for their lives with a playful, fire-breathing drake about to barbecue the feathers off their tails.  He took her to several other ships, simply because Keritanima made sure that there were quite a few ships available for her to tour.  They toured a Shacan galleon, a Wikuni galleon (one of the few non-Wikuni ships that the Wikuni used), a Wikuni clipper, and Tarrin got his first look at one of the new Wikuni steamships, getting the chance to watch it glide into port, which he later discovered was the first foreign port the ship visited on its maiden voyage.
	Keritanima hadnt been sitting on that.  The time since they used the prototype had been spent in intense research and experimentation, and this ship, the Intrepid, was the end result of all that hard work.  The steamship was about twenty spans longer than the prototype had been, but was no wider across the beam--probably to help with its wallowing problem, and theyd redesigned the ships bow and streamlined its sides a great deal.  The paddlewheel wasnt amidships, it was by the stern, there were two of them--one on each side--and each was much thinner than the paddlewheel Tarrin remembered.  It also had a protective casing around the top of those wheels, built into the sterncastle, adorned with the royal crest of Wikuna, and also unlike the prototype, this one had two decks of gun ports, ready to open to reveal the deadly cannons that made the Wikuni the masters of the sea.
	The captain of this vessel was an old face.  It was Jalis, the Wikuni who had commanded the steamship that had carried them to ShaKari.  He looked prouder than the mother of a king, strutting around the vessel in his full dress uniform, tall cap on at a jaunty angle, enjoying the looks of stunned awe that came from the captains and sailors on all the other ships, including other Wikuni ships, as the ship slid perfectly up to the dock without need of any help, moving under its own power.
	A tour was certainly in order.  In fact, Keritanima had had Jalis step up to full speed to get the ship there just so Janette could see it, a kind and thoughtful act on her part.  Or, perhaps, a chance to show off.  Either was possible where his Wikuni sister was concerned.  Jalis showed them every finger of the vessel, from the stern castle to the bilges, from stem to stern, and Tarrin was totally impressed.  The vessel was remarkably well built, surprising given that they must have been working like mad to get the ship built so quickly after it had been designed.  The steam engine in this ship was actually smaller than the one in the prototype, but there were two of them, one for each wheel, and they had been redesigned so they were safer, had fewer moving parts, and required less manpower to operate and maintain.  The twin engine rooms were behind those enclosing cases and paddlewheels, behind steel bulwarks, and Tarrin discovered that the paddlewheel covers were also made of steel.  The two layers of steel provided an armored protective sheath protecting the precious engines.  They needed that kind of defense, because this ship had only one mast, and that wouldnt provide enough sail to let the ship move at anything more than a total crawl.  This ship completely depended on its engines for movement, so the designers had taken steps to protect them if the ship engaged in battle.
	Quite a step up from that cramped rowboat, Tarrin noted as Jalis led showed them his personal office, which doubled as his cabin, complete with a desk facing a stunning array of windows that faced astern, under which he had placed his bunk.
	After we got back to Wikuna, her Majesty locked Donovan and all his engineers in a laboratory for two months and told them to design a steamship that could truly replace a clipper.  This is the result.
	I think they got it right, Tarrin agreed as Janette jumped up onto the bed and looked out the window.
	I think they did too.  Ive put her on her paces for ten days now on the open sea, and shes not once failed to impress me.  Shes fast, stable, agile, she can carry as much cargo as a galleon, and she packs the firepower of a clipper.  And now, if shes outnumbered, she can put her nose into the wind and run, and theres nothing that can catch her.  Not even Zakkite Triads.
	How long did it take you to get here?
	Twelve days.
	Tarrin gave him a flat look.
	Im not lying, my Lord, he chuckled.  Twelve days.  Thats all it took.
	It takes a clipper a month to get here!
	Yes, but a clipper has to rely on the wind.  I steamed at full speed for eight days to test the engines, then dropped down to three quarters after we did some trials.  Ive been on the sea for a month, but Im not counting the days we used doing turning maneuvers and some down time as the engineers inspected the new engines.  If you take out the days when we werent moving forward, it only took us twelve days to get here.  He flinched as Fireflash swooped into the cabin and landed on Tarrins shoulder.  Two thirds is the standard speed the engineers decided wed use, and at that speed, itll take a steamship fifteen days to go from Wikuna proper to Suld.  If they go under full steam, itll probably take about ten.
	Thats insane, Jalis.
	Sometimes this technology frightens me, my Lord, Jalis said seriously.  Next thing you know, someones going to make a machine that can fly.
	If anything this steamship proves, is that almost anything is possible, Tarrin answered him.  Even without magic.
	Tarrin, I have just got to get myself one of these! Janette said in glee, jumping up and down on the bed.  I can run Shou spices to Suld in two months, when it takes everyone else nearly a year!
	These are Wikuni ships, little miss, Jalis told her with a smile.  I dont think youll manage it.
	Ha! she said with a light smile.  My best friend is your queens brother!  I think he might be able to convince her Majesty to sell me one!
	Shes a nimble little one, Jalis laughed.
	Shes going to be a merchant, Jalis, Tarrin said dryly.  Shes already started learning to use her contacts for her own ends.
	Remind me to sell my stock in Wikuni trading companies in about four years, Jalis said quietly, which made Tarrin chuckle.
	As good of a day it was, it did eventually have to come to an end.  Tarrin did jump over to Amazar and check up on Camara and Koran Tal and their infant daughter before returning home, which was something he liked to do every few days or so, and then it was back home for dinner.  Of course, it wasnt that it was a bad thing to go home.  Jesmind had been downright kittenish lately, Jasana had been behaving, and the twins werent fighting with Jasana or each other as much as usual.  It was that he had a feeling that Triana was going to be coming home soon, and the vacation was going to be over.
	That turned out to be positively prophetic.  Triana was at the dinner table when he arrived, talking with a surprise guest.  Sapphire, who was in her magically granted human form, was sitting beside Jesmind with Jasana in her lap.  
	Tarrin, youre late, Jesmind said crisply, getting up and moving towards the stove.  I saved you a plate.
	Thanks, he nodded.  I stopped in to see Camara and check on my god-daughter, and she tried to feed me that spiced stew her mother cooks.
	That stuff that melts your teeth? Tara asked, then she giggled when Tarrin nodded.  I kinda liked it.
	Sometimes I think she does that just to see if Ill eat it, he said as he sat down.  Im happy to see you, Sapphire, he said.  You should have told me you were coming.  Id have been home sooner.
	It is of no moment, my little friend, she smiled.  Ive set my affairs so they can handle themselves for a while.  Triana told me youll be starting five tomorrow.  That means that its time for you to learn what I have to teach you.  Both of you, she said, looking towards Triana.
	Im looking forward to it, Triana said with uncharacteristic eagerness in her voice.
	Already? Tarrin asked.
	Are you reluctant to learn from me? she asked with a surprisingly winsome smile.
	No.  Afraid, he answered with a straight face.
	You should be, she said sagely, trading glances with Triana.  Any Druid who does not fear the magic should not be learning it.
	Youre saying youre afraid, Auntie Sapphire? Tara asked in an almost challenging tone.
	Even dragons have the sense to be afraid of some things, Tara, she answered bluntly to the blue-eyed Were-cat child.  Only a fool has no fear.
	Well, I wouldnt be afraid of any stupid magic, Tara announced.
	Then you shall never learn from me, Sapphire told her with steel in her voice.
	Jesmind stood.  Well, if this is the last day without any training, then the rest of it is mine, she declared.  The rest of your night is mine, my mate.
	I think I can live with that, he answered her.
	And so, Jesmind took the rest of his free time, and he didnt mind at all.  They went for a long walk around the forest, as Jesmind told him about Jasanas day of learning how to hunt, which had not gone well.  Jasana had decided that learning to hunt the regular way was too slow and boring, so she cheated using Sorcery.  Jasana had a tendency to do that any time she didnt think doing it without magic was either fast or easy enough.  Jesmind read her the riot act and then they started over, and after that, Jasana did quite well.  She would never be as good at hunting as Eron was--Tarrin kept tabs on his son as much as he did on his goddaughter--but shed be good enough to support herself once she was an adult.  Once that news was passed, they just walked around and talked about nothing of importance, which was in itself an important thing for them to do from time to time.  With everything that always seemed to go on in his life, sometimes he felt he didnt give Jesmind the attention he felt she deserved.  She was his mate, and he loved her, but she was competing for his attention with people who did not like to be ignored.  Between Triana and Sapphire and his children and his family and the large number of people he liked to keep track of, sometimes he felt he didnt give Jesmind the time that was rightfully hers.
	Sometimes he marveled at how patient she could be sometimes.  She had a temper and she often pushed him and tested him to see how far she could go, part of the endless competitive squabbling between Were-cat mates as they continuously tested and shifted boundaries, but those were just distractions from the amazing amount of patience she exhibited as she allowed him to spend time and pay attention to others.  No matter how much she complained about it and fussed about it, he knew that she was more than willing to endure those periods for the times when he did give her all his attention.  Kimmie and Jula both had told him some time ago that when it came to him, Jesmind was very much capable of acting out of character, even acting against the basic impulses and instincts that ruled all Were-cats.  It was realizations like that that told him that they were right.
	As they walked out towards Sathons grove, which wasnt very far from the house, Jesmind pointed towards the snow-capped Skydancer Mountains.  I forget how pretty they are sometimes, she sighed, leaning against his shoulder.  He put his arm around her and took in her scent.  Sathon was here earlier today, she told him.  He said that theyve been seeing Goblinoids up in the mountains again.
	Its about time, he answered.  It took them, what, a year to get back down here?
	There cant be very many of them, she mused.  Maybe me and Kimmie and Jula should go up there and wipe them out.
	Down, girl, he told her, which made her giggle like a little girl.  I wonder how many survived Gora Umadar.
	You sank it into a lake of lava, my mate, she scoffed.  A handful would be a large estimate.
	At least the Ogres and Giants survived, he sighed in relief.  They were Goblinoids, but neither race was inherently cruel like the others were.  Ogres and Giants managed to co-exist rather peacefully with humans and Fae-daNar.  Ogres were extremely stupid, and sometimes caused problems, but not because of an evil bent for mischief.  On the whole, they were big-hearted creatures who tried to be nice and do good, but their dim understanding often interfered with their noble intent.  Giants visited Aldreth about once a year, just before winter, to stock up on supplies and occasionally have Karn the smith make them tools or weapons, which they would pick up a month or so after ordering them.  Karn always gave those orders priority, with the blessing of the village.  Not because they feared the Giants, but because they were special individuals who couldnt really go anywhere else, so the villagers wanted to make sure that they had everything they needed before the snows made coming down out of the mountains a dangerous proposition, even for a Giant.  Before being turned, Tarrin had met Giants on four different occasions, and had found them to very polite fellows, always careful and mindful of where they were stepping.
	Oouaff, I hate Ogres, Jesmind grunted.
	Mean woman, he teased.
	You bet, she said with a light jab to his ribs.  How was Camara?
	Frazzled, he answered.  Her daughter has more energy than she does.
	You need to take me down there so I can see her, she told him.
	It seems like everyones starting to have kids, love, he mused.  You started it with Jasana.  Then Kimmie has hers, and Camara has a daughter.  Now Kerris pregnant.  I wonder whos next.
	Probably Dar and Tiella, Jesmind chuckled.  Humans breed like rats.
	It might be a while before Allia has a child, he told her.  Selani females only come in season once every two years or so, and they carry for only six months before delivering.  In that respect, theyre a lot different than any of the ShaKar descendents.
	They do?  Weve known her for two years, she realized.  When was she in season?
	A little under two years ago, he answered.  When we were traveling from the Stormhavens to Dayis.  I, wasnt talking to anyone then, and it came and went without me and her talking about it.
	Oh, so she has to wait a while before she can get pregnant.
	Im not entirely positive, he told her.  She did say that married Selani can come into a brief fertile phase if they make love a great deal, he told her.  Continual sexual contact triggers an out-of-cycle fertile period.
	How often do they go at each other? she asked with a naughty little smile.
	Often enough, Id wager, Tarrin answered.
	The Selani are so different from the other splinter races, Jesmind said.  I wonder how that happened.
	FaraNae changed them, the same way the Wikuni gods changed the Wikuni to separate them from their past.  But in FaraNaes case, she changed them so they could survive the desert better.  Its a brutal environment, love.  Trust me, I know.
	Lets stop gossiping about family, she told him with a chuckle, looking up at the mountains again.  Its going to be like youre not even there again, she sighed.  I know mother and that dragon are going to hog all your time.
	I dont think its going to be that bad, he told her.  Sapphires the one thats going to be doing most of the teaching, and shes not like mother is.  Shell be demanding, but I dont think shell totally dominate all my time.  I know she wont make me carry around boulders, he chuckled.
	I saw some of those rocks, Jesmind grunted.  I dont think I could even lift them.
	You could if you exercised, he told her.
	I dont think Id want to do that, she told him.  I dont really need to carry around those rocks, after all.
	Tarrin chuckled.  At least youd be more of a challenge in bed, he teased.  Youre too easy to push around now.
	Oh, is that it? she asked archly.  You just wait, Tarrin.  Next time were in bed, well see who can wrestle who on his back.
	At least itll be fun.
	I can make it not fun, she threatened insincerely.
	Then what fun would that be? he said, which made her laugh.
	At least now I can appreciate how human females feel, she admitted.  Im not used to a mate stronger than I am.  Its weird.  Not altogether bad, but weird.
	When Im five hundred years old, maybe Ill be as wise as you, he continued to tease.
	My, youre plucky today, she grinned, jabbing him in the ribs.
	Just enjoying my freedom, he told her.  I know that tomorrow Ill go from an adult to a little kid.
	Jesmind looked at him, then laughed richly.  I see.  Triana and Sapphire?  How intimidated can someone who isnt a thousand years old get?
	He nodded.  Id better get my impertinence out of my system.
	Thats the truth.
	What are you doing tomorrow?
	More hunting lessons, she answered.  Im teaching Jasana how to track.  Shes not big enough to bring down big game yet, but youre never too young to learn how to track it.
	Good.
	I met someone today I think you know, she told him.  Audrey.
	The Were-wolf?  I remember her, he answered.  Dark hair?  Dangerous eyes?
	Thats the one, Jesmind nodded.  She was at Sathons.  I stopped in there for lunch, since we were just a little ways off from the grove.
	I wonder what she was doing there.
	Who knows?  Shes a Were-wolf.  Its not like I really care.  She asked about you, you know.
	Why would she do that?
	Who knows?  Maybe she wants to know where youll be, so she can bring her pack and try to kill you.
	I doubt that, he told her.
	Shes a Were-wolf, Tarrin, Jesmind chided.  Shed kill you in a heartbeat if she thought she could get away with it.
	She knows shed never get away with it, he told her calmly as they turned and walked down a short rise, towards a small stream that had deeply worn down into its banks, so much so that there was an eight span cliff from the edge to the waters surface.  Tarrin stopped and sat on the edge, feet dangling down towards the water, and Jesmind slid down beside him, leaning back on her paws and looking over towards him.
	How much longer is your training going to take? she asked.
	Im not sure, he answered.  Not long, I hope.  Its already coming onto a year.
	Not quite a year, love.  More like seven months.
	It feels like ten years, he grunted.
	It does for us too, she told him.
	They were quiet a long moment.  Jesmind.
	What?
	Why did you stop playing the lute? he asked.
	A look of sincere pain flashed across her face, and she rose up and drew in her legs, wrapping her arms around them.  Remember when I told you I had a mate once, about eighty years ago? she asked in a quiet, subdued tone.
	I do.
	I told you he died, in a fire, she continued.  His name was Arrick, but he always wanted to be called Snake.  Well, what he loved most about our time together was when I played the lute for him.  He always said it showed the beauty of my soul, she said in a joking manner, but her voice was strained.  Hed sit there for hours and do nothing but listen to me play.  Well, I never told you that I was there when he died, she told him.  Lightning struck a tree by our cottage and it caught fire, and it dropped embers into the thatch.  We were asleep at the time, so it caught us by surprise.  The whole cottage was filled with smoke by the time we woke up.  We got separated.  I managed to squirm out of a hole in cat form, but Arrick never made it.  I think the smoke killed him before he could get out.
	After Arrick died, there just wasnt any joy in it for me anymore, she told him, sniffling a bit.  Every time I tried to play, all I could think of was him.
	Tarrin put his arm around her, and she leaned against him.  Even after eighty years, she still grieved for a lost love.  It showed the power of Jesminds emotions, and it explained a great deal about her personality to him.  Jesmind was a woman of extremes, who always threw everything into everything she did.  It was apparent to him now that she loved with the same intensity, and losing a love was devastating to her.   It was more devastating in that she had trouble letting go, did not want to let go.  Instead of healing over time, her emotional wounds remained open, and she buried them deep inside and erected defenses around them to keep from feeling that pain.  That was why she stopped playing the lute, because it brought forth memories that hurt her.  Instead of coming to terms with that grief and moving on, she instead refused to let go, refused to forget, refused to give up her grief, which caused the pain of loss to become locked inside of her.
	They sat there for a while, as Jesmind tried to get over bad memories, and Tarrin considered what he had learned about his mate, until the shadows of the forest began to deepen.  It was getting late, and it was time to go home.  Instead of walking, Tarrin Teleported them home, and then tenderly tucked his mate away in bed for a while so she could be alone, and then went out and cooked dinner.  The whole time he thought about Jesmind, and what he could do to help her, help her permanently heal the wounds in her heart and move on.  It distracted him all during dinner, as he was nonresponsive to his children and his friends, and retired to his underground library to ponder the problem a bit longer after he got Jasana into bed.  He kept turning over the axe of the Dwarven king in his paw over and over again, absently studying the Duthak runes upon it as his mind pondered more immediate problems.
	After a while, he felt he had a good solution.  He put down the axe and shapeshifted into his human form, then Teleported himself to Suld.  He left the Tower quickly and without anyone noticing--few recognized him in his human form--and rushed down to the festhall that Haley owned.  It wasnt sunset quite yet in Suld, and that meant that the streets were filled with a mix of people still going about their business and people on their ways to taverns and festhalls to celebrate the end of a days labor.  Haleys festhall was just off a square notorious as a working area for harlots, but it was also heavily visited by people of all economic backgrounds.  Well-to-do taverns and festhalls were on one side of the square, and seedier establishments faced off against them from the other side.  There were distinct boundaries here, though they werent visible, as the richer folks stayed on one side and the poor on the other, with the harlots in the middle hawking a good time to the men on both sides.  Haleys festhall was solidly on the invisible boundary between rich and poor, and that meant that his establishment saw clientele from both sides.  Tarrin had the feeling that Haley did that on purpose, or had specifically chosen this particular festhall to buy for that particular reason, for it meant that not only was he always busy, but Haley enjoyed access to the information that circulated among the rich as well as the poor.  Tarrin hadnt come here before, but he had the feeling that Haley knew everything that was going on in the city of Suld, from the gossiping and wars of intrigue and status of the rich to the location of every fence in the city, as well as who was who among the figures of the underworld.
	The place was busy, and it was huge.  Tarrin stopped at the front entrance and found himself staring at a warehouse-sized building with a grand porch and a balcony above it, supported by wooden columns that were carved to resemble Knights of Karas in their armor.  There was a large table on that balcony with six people sitting around it, lords and ladies wearing expensive gowns or fine doublets or tunics and hose.  The balcony faced the square, and the square itself was on something of a rise in the central section of the city, meaning that whoever sat on that balcony would get a good view of the square, as well as be able to see the harbor over the roofs on the opposite side.  The air was a bit cool, but that didnt seem to bother the diners above, and Tarrin realized that that had to be one of the most expensive tables in Haleys establishment.  Much to Tarrins surprise, a Wood Giant was standing by the door, his fifteen span tall, barrel-chested burly body dressed up in a tailed waistcoat and wool breeches, eyeing everyone who came in the door with his saucer-sized green eyes.  Tarrin realized that the Wood Giant was Haleys bouncer and enforcer, and an intimidating mountain of muscle like that would keep everyone on his or her best behavior.  Tarrin walked past him with a nod, which was returned in a dignified manner, and Tarrin stepped inside.  The interior was a cavernous common room of sorts, an immense open area with booths lining three walls, a huge bar taking the right half of the far wall, and a grand stage that was built up in the far left corner of the room, where a quintet of musicians played a variety of instruments.  The floor in the back half of the huge room was empty, an area for dancing, perhaps, but there were tables on the floor on the side of the hall closest to the door.  The hall extended up to the second floor, where a palisade of sorts ringed the common room, holding more booths, and with its supporting columns dropping down to anchor between booths built underneath them.  Quite cleverly, Tarrin saw, the booths on the right side of the palisade were built up against the rail, letting the people on that side get an unobstructed view of the musicians on the stage.  The booths on the other two walls that Tarrin could see from the entrance were built back and away from the rail, using the space between the rail and the booths as a walkway where serving wenches and men in waistcoats carried trays of food and wine and stronger spirits.
	The festhall was packed.  Men and women wearing ruder clothing sat at the tables and at the booths on the ground floor, while the richer folk sat at the booths on the ringed second floor.  Haleys serving staff scurried quickly yet elegantly between tables, out of the doors on the right side of the bar, in the corner, and up two staircases which were directly beside the double-doors on the far wall leading back into the kitchens and on the right wall just steps from the kitchen doors.  Tarrin saw that the staircases were put together like that to keep serving staff from crossing in front of the stage or across the middle of the open area, preserving it for whatever uses it had.  Even the 