"I can see that," he said, swinging his legs over the bed and scrubbing his face. He hadn't felt this tired after waking up since the last time he'd been injured.
"You want to put on a robe or something?"
"Why? It's not like any of you haven't seen me naked before," he shrugged.
"It's not like you mind flaunting yourself, either," Keritanima said with a sly wink.
"Well, if you have something to tell me, tell me. I'd really like to go back to bed."
"Well, if you want to be curt, then fine," she snorted. "I just got in some reports from the Aeradalla. They've reached Darsa, and they're about eight or nine days out."
"I know," he said absently. "Have the Selani arrived yet? They should be here any time now."
That made Keritanima stare at him. "How did you know about that? They only just reached the city wall!"
"I'll explain some other time," he said woodenly.
"You certainly will," Keritanima bristled. "There are a few people who've been screaming to see you, brother. Sarraya, for one. And uh, Var and Denai. I wanted to say 'Dar'," she chuckled.
"You woke me up to tell me about that?" he asked, his expression a bit tart. "They could have waited until I got some sleep."
"I didn't know you were asleep," Keritanima said defensively. "Besides, that's only half the reason we're here."
"What's the other reason?"
"Well, we've been talking about what you said, about Were-cats and Sorcery, and also about what the Goddess told you to do. We thought that you and Jula should try to see if you can circle. If you can, then you and her can stay here in the Tower and act as a second line of defense in case anything gets past us at the walls."
"I know we can circle," he said dismissively, waving a paw at her. "I've circled with Jasana."
"You didn't mention that before."
"As a matter of fact, I did," he told her shortly. "You just weren't paying attention."
"I do not remember you saying that, deshida," Allia agreed.
"Then you weren't paying attention either," he accused.
"Or you think you told us when you didn't," Keritanima said smoothly. "That's always a possibility."
"Maybe," he acceded.
"Is it any different than before?" Jula asked professionally.
"Not that I can tell," he replied. "Then again, I never circled as a human. I have no idea if it's different or not."
"Good point," Jula said mildly.
"We've already worked out a plan for when they get here," Keritanima told him. "Me and Allia are going to go to the walls with Jenna, the Council, and thirteen of the most powerful Sorcerers in the Tower. Jenna's a Weavespinner, just like you, so we think the circle we can build with her leading it would be something to even make the Demons hesitate."
"Probably. Just make sure you have about ten Vendari with you. Mother will fight that idea to her last breath, so you'll need a wall of Vendari to assure her that Jenna won't get hurt."
The three of them looked at each other, then laughed. "You know your mother very well," Allia told him. "That was exactly what it took to convince her that we could keep her daughter safe."
"I'm surprised she agreed to it at all," Keritanima admitted.
"Mother may be protective, but she's also pragmatic," Tarrin shrugged. "She knows that Jenna's magic is a foundation of the defensive plans you've made. We need her. Mother can understand it, but her heart won't allow her to let Jenna go out and fight without extreme measures taken to make sure she's safe. Remember, Jenna is only fifteen."
"That's easy to forget sometimes," Keritanima said. "Here lately, she's been acting, well, mature. Your mother thinks it's the stress of all this. Says she's proud of her."
Tarrin knew that it was more than just the situation that had changed Jenna's outward personality. The information that Spyder had given her had had a dramatic effect on his little sister. He suspected that that knowledge had been what made Jenna seem more mature. Wisdom, either earned or imparted, couldn't help but have an effect on the recipient.
"Was there anything else?" Tarrin asked impatiently.
"My, I never realized he was so cranky in the morning," Keritanima said to Allia with a roguish grin.
"Only when he is awakened from sleep he needs," Allia replied easily. "Usually, he sleeps for sleeping's sake."
"I noticed that we don't really need much sleep," Jula told him. "Not half as much as I needed as a human."
"Cats like to sleep," he told her.
"I noticed that too," she chuckled. "Any time I feel bored or indecisive, I want to take a nap."
"I still have not gotten used to these," Allia told him, picking up his arm and grabbing a handful of fetlock. "But at least the manacles are gone."
"Looks like he traded one decoration for another," Keritanima chuckled.
"I think they make him look distinguished," Jula said appreciatively.
"If he stands up, he'll be distinguishable enough," Keritanima laughed.
"If you're done making fun of my appearance, you can let me go back to sleep," he told them. "Unless you have something important to tell me?" he said in a challenging tone.
"Well, not really, no," Keritanima said. "We kind of summed everything up already. But if I think of something, I'll just run on down here and be sure to tell you, even if I need to wake you up again," she teased.
"Wake me up again for no reason, and you'll find out how cranky I can get, sister," Tarrin threatened her, pulling his legs back into bed and laying down. "Be sure to lock the door on your way out," he told them, pulling the covers back up and snuggling in.
"I think we've been dismissed," Keritanima laughed.
"That's alright. I want to go find Kimmie," Jula announced, her voice changing, telling him that she turned away from him.
"No respect, I tell you," Keritanima sniggered after Allia kissed him goodnight, and they left him. "It's like I don't have a crown at all, I tell you, sister. Nobody around here treats me with the respect I deserve."
"Act like a queen, and we may treat you like one," Allia said as she closed the door to his room.
"And miss out on all the fun? Never!" Keritanima announced in reply, but he dropped off into sleep before hearing anything else.
He slept peacefully for some indeterminate amount of time before being shocked awake by something hitting him on the face, something that got to him so quickly that it had no scent. He sat upright so quickly the covers flew, his heart racing and adrenalin surging through him to prepare to fight off this surprise attacker. But then the scent reached him, at the same time as a high-pitched, tinny little voice that squealed in delight.
"Tarrin!"
It was Sarraya. She had gripped him firmly about the neck, hugging him in her own fashion, and it took him a moment to make out where she was and what she was doing. His adrenalin eased at that realization, and it was replaced by a kind of relieved happiness, so relieved that he didn't even get mad at her for waking him up. He pulled her off his neck and held her in his paw, smiling down at her. "It's about time, bug," he told her gently. "What took you so long?"
"What took me so long? Have you ever tried to herd a pack of Selani through hostile territory? It was a nightmare!" she told him, sitting down on his palm. "They kept wanting to wander off and kill things!"
Tarrin chuckled, warm memories of the time they spent together fleeing Dala Yar Arak returning to him. "They're not that bad."
"Oh yes they are. The entire clan wanted to chase down every Dal scout! They even wanted to kill all the mosquitos that fed off Dal blood! I spent half my time showing them which way to go, and the other half rounding them all up so we could keep moving in the right direction!"