"Y-Yes, Mother," he stammered slightly, putting two fingers to his lips involuntarily. "I'll go now. I love you."
"I love you too, kitten," she smiled, and then the slightly discombobulated Were-cat managed to turn around and meander in the general direction of the entrance to the courtyard. He vanished into the brush without making too much noise, and the physical form of the Goddess looked on for a moment, then smiled knowingly. She too put her fingers to her lips, but for an entirely different reason than he had.
Her kiss had been for more than love. Or, more to the point, it would serve him well in the trials to come. It was a kiss granted in love, but its effect wouldn't be obvious to him for a long time yet. When that time came, she hoped it would be all he needed to succeed.
With that same light smile, the flesh and blood figure stepped back up onto the raised dais at the center of the fountain, and then shimmered. The star-cloth garment disappeared in that flash, and as it faded, it left behind nothing but cold, white stone. A statue of a breathtakingly beautiful woman, her arms held out in welcome and a gentle, loving expression on her face.
Waiting.
Tarrin could have gone to Kerri's apartment, where most of his friends were waiting, but instead he went back to his own. It was empty and dark, except for a light coming from the room in which Jasana slept, and inside sat Camara Tal on a plush chair near the fireplace, reading from a book. Jula lay on Jasana's bed, covers pulled up and resting comfortably. Tarrin felt a little sorry for Jula, that everyone had forgotten about her in all the craziness following the battle. With Triana exhausted and Keritanima in a similar state, everyone had flocked to their bedsides, had checked on them. But nobody had come to see Jula, or to check on Jula. That seemed a bit unfair to him, but he knew that some of his friends still didn't trust her, still wouldn't accept her because of the history between him and her. Jula was truly alone in the Tower, since most of the Sorcerers wouldn't even talk to her. All she'd had was Triana, and then Kimmie. But Kimmie was with the other Were-cats, not sitting by the bed of her friend.
The Amazon nodded to him as he came in, and he sat down by the edge of the bed and brushed the hair back from Jula's face in concern. She didn't looked out of sorts, like she was sleeping naturally. Tarrin looked down at her and searched his feelings for his bond-child. He didn't completely like her, mainly because of what had happened between them. But she was his daughter, and he still felt duty-bound to watch over her and protect her, nurture her and make sure she was going to be a well-adjusted Were-cat before turning her loose. After she was on her own, even he wasn't sure how he'd feel towards her. But for now, she was still a child, still his child, and he'd care for her just as carefully and tenderly as he cared for Jasana.
"Has she moved at all yet?" Tarrin asked softly to the Amazon.
"A bit," she replied. "I checked her condition. She's just sleeping, Tarrin. If you shook her, she'd wake up."
"I don't think I'll do that," he replied. "She's had a very trying day."
"What happened to her? Jesmind's answer was pretty vague."
"The Goddess took command of us directly," he told her. "Used us to strike at Val when he tried to break the Weave. It was too much for Jula."
"She feels different to my magic," Camara Tal said, putting the book on the chair she just vacated and coming over to them.
"That's normal. Jula became a Weavespinner today," he said with not a little pride. "That causes some physical changes."
"She did, did she?" Camara Tal mused. "I thought that Weavespinners were special."
Tarrin sensed the veiled insult there, but he ignored it. "There are two types of Weavespinners, Camara. Ones like me and Jenna and my daughter, and then there are da'shar. Any Sorcerer can become a da'shar, but ones like me are born with it."
"I'm glad someone finally explained that to me," she announced.
"All you had to do was ask."
"The only one with the answers is Jenna, and she's been too busy with that book to talk to anyone," she grunted.
"I'm surprised you're here," he told her. "I thought everyone forgot about Jula."
"Miranda asked me to watch her," Camara Tal told him. "Given that whatever happened between you happened before I joined you, I think Miranda felt I was a safe choice."
"Probably," he sighed.
Jula stirred, groaning softly, then she opened her eyes. Tarrin smiled down at her gently, taking hold of her paw as her eyes slowly came into focus, then she bent her head a little to regard him. "Tarrin," she said weakly, "what happened? When did I get inside?"
"It's a long story, cub," he said gently, patting her paw. "The short of it is that the battle's over."
"We won?"
"We won," he assured her.
"What happened to me? I, I don't remember anything."
Tarrin calmy and slowly explained what had happened to her, and Camara Tal listened intently behind him. Jula's eyes widened when he explained that she'd crossed over, become a Weavespinner, and that it had been the circling with Tarrin and Jasana that was the main reason it happened. "I guess we won't have to worry about pushing you over the edge again, daughter," he told her. "In a few months, you'll be right as rain and learning how your powers have changed."
"I, I was used by the Goddess?" she asked in disbelief. "She trusted me enough to use her power through me?"
"Of course she did," Tarrin told her. "I'm sure she was a little angry with you at first, but you've proved yourself in my eyes, cub, and I think in the Goddess' eyes too. I don't think she's holding a grudge. Not that I'd presume to know the mind of the Goddess, but that's my opinion," he said quickly.
Strangely enough, that made her start to cry. She wiped at the tears with the back of her paw. "I'm sorry, I must seem like a little baby to you," she apologized. "But I've been scared that the Goddess was going to reject me after I betrayed her trust. I've tried to atone for what I've done, but-"
"That's enough, cub," he cut her off gently, putting his other paw over her mouth. "If you didn't prove yourself to her today, then you never will."
She sniffled a few more times, Tarrin wiping away a tear from her eyes with infinite tenderness, and then she looked up at him. "Maybe the Goddess does care about me," she offered in a small voice. "She had you find me. You've been so good to me, Tarrin, when nobody else believed in me. I can't ever tell you what that means to me."
"I won't lie to you, cub," he said with a rueful smile. "I wasn't very happy about taking you at first. But now, after I have a chance to look back on it, I'm glad I did. You've been a good daughter, even if I haven't been here to teach you what you need to know. Triana told me that you've done very well, and that makes me proud of you."
Jula smiled up at him foolishly. "You mean it?"
"Would I say it if I didn't mean it?" he asked flintily.
Jula looked at him sideways, then she laughed. "I guess not, but I'm not used to hearing people praise me. All I ever hear are nasty insults, when I hear anything at all."
"Silence from Triana is a good thing, cub," he said with a wink. "If she's not berating you, then you must be doing things right."
"I kinda figured that out," she agreed with a sheepish smile. Then she yawned widely, showing off her impressive fangs. "I'm still sleepy," she complained.