But, inevitably, the question came up, tendered by the Keeper. "Are everyone who's going ready?" she asked.
"I'm ready," Camara Tal answered.
"They're almost done packing our things," Keritanima replied.
"I say, I have everything ready to go. I have a few more books, and some new spell components, and a few interesting things to experiment on, but I'm sure I'll find room for it all," Phandebrass answered.
"I think we are all ready to go," Dolanna said, cutting off a person-by-person reply. "We have had all night to prepare, after all." She gave Keritanima a sharp look.
"I'm a Queen, Dolanna," the fox Wikuni challenged. "If I didn't have alot of stuff, how could I be queenly?"
"Alright, then. I'll send porters to all of your rooms and have them take your things to the harbor. Admiral, are you going back with her Majesty?" the Keeper asked.
"Aye, Keeper," he replied in a gravelly voice. "Her Majesty can't go about without proper escort."
"You don't need to inflate her ego any more than it already is, Admiral," Camara Tal scoffed. "She's been strutting around here like she owns the place."
"Give me two years, and I will," Keritanima teased.
"And it'll be a cold day in all nine hells when that happens," the Keeper retorted. "When will you be leaving?"
"We should be leaving now, the tide is about to turn," the admiral announced. "But the tides will be going out for another three hours. We have until then."
"That should be enough time," Keritanima assured him.
"It's going to take them that long to move your things," Dar teased.
"I hope they have enough room for us," Allia mused.
"Will all of you stop picking on me?" Keritanima snapped waspishly. "So I'm a materialistic little spoiled monarch! There, are you happy now?"
"Are we happy, Dar?" Allia asked mildly.
"Yes, I do believe we are," he replied with a straight face.
Tarrin smiled. It wasn't often that Allia participated in humor. Most thought her cold, but they didn't understand her. She had a rich sense of humor, but her honor told her when it was alright to enjoy humor, and when it was not. That made her seem aloof to most, for it was unseemly to laugh in front of strangers. Among Selani, that was disrespectful. But here, now, she was among friends, so it was perfectly acceptable for her to pick on her sister a little bit.
"If you do only have three hours, then it would be best if you left as soon as we're done," the Keeper prompted.
"Are you trying to get rid of us, Keeper?" Keritanima challenged.
"Yes," Triana said flatly. "You have serious business to attend to, Wikuni. Don't treat it like a game. Alot rides on this, and the Keeper is more than right to be pushing you. She understands the penalty if you fail."
That took the wind right out of Keritanima. She knew better than to argue with Triana. Everyone knew better.
"When we finish eating, you leave," she announced. "Anyone who wants to argue about it can come to me."
"Uh, no thanks, Triana," Keritanima said blandly. "I'd like to keep my tail on my butt, where it belongs."
Her tone made Janette snort, and then burst out into helpless laughter, spewing a mouthful of wine all over her plate.
"She strikes as such an eloquent queen, doesn't she?" Miranda said with a cheeky grin.
"If anything, that was a good metaphor," Thean chuckled in reply.
Though Tarrin enjoyed the meal, he sighed quite a bit. Now their departure was set in stone. Anything Triana said was set in stone. He knew he had to go, but he was leaving behind too much to make him look forward to it. He'd talk to his mate and daughters, and even see them, but it wouldn't be the same. Not without him being there, to have Jasana in his lap, hold Jesmind in his arms, be there with an understanding shoulder for Jula.
The time went by much too quickly to suit him, until Triana stood up and said in no uncertain terms that the meal was over. She told all of them to go back to their rooms and make sure they didn't leave anything behind, then meet by the west gate of the fence in ten minutes. She was very graphic about how unhappy she'd be if she had to come looking for anyone, so they were all quite motivated to go look and then meet at the gate as quickly as they could. When that was done, when Phandebrass, who was the last to arrive, ran to the gate holding his robes up to keep them from tangling his legs, exposing a pair of bony knees, they filed down to the harbor in a series of carriages. Tarrin held Jesmind's paw the entire time, enjoying what little time they had left, had Jasana on his lap and Jula on his other side. It seemed likt they no sooner than got into the carriage than it stopped, and they piled out onto a wooden wharf, with a very large, grand Wikuni clipper moored to it. They seemed to be loading the last of the supplies, securing barrels on deck with ropes, and the gangplank was immediately lowered when Keritanima appeared stepping out of a carriage.
They stood on the dock beside the clipper and said their goodbyes. Sarraya was all weepy when she hugged Tarrin's neck, demanding that he find some way to talk to her. He told her to go find a shaeram, and he promised to talk to her when he could. He hugged his little mother goodbye, and accepted warm farewells from Tomas and Janette. He kissed his mother on the cheek and shook his father's hand, then hugged Jenna and told her to take good care of Jula. He didn't shake the Keeper's hand, but he didn't glare at her, either. He was still angry with her, but he could be civil in this situation. He gave his bond-mother a strong hug and a kiss, and endured a long moment of suggestions and direct threats of what she'd do to him if he got himself killed. He then said goodbye to all the other Were-cats one at a time, but thought there was going to be a fight when Rahnee slapped aside his paw, grabbed him by the neck, then gave him a very passionate kiss right on the lips. He pulled away from her in surprise, ready to pull Jesmind off of her, but Jesmind did nothing but watch on with a mysterious look on her face.
Then, as he knew he must, he turned and faced Jesmind. She had tears in her eyes, and she hugged him fiercely, drawing blood from his back with her claws. "I want you to talk to me every day," she whispered fiercely, then she kissed him with all the emotion she was feeling at that moment. "Every day. I'll go crazy if I don't know you're alright."
"Every day," he promised. Then he reached down and picked up Jasana, hugging her tightly. "I want you to be good for your mother," he told her. "Don't give her any more gray hair."
"I'll try not to, Papa," she said diplomatically, sniffling. "Come home soon, alright?"
"As soon as I can," he promised, handing her to Jesmind. Then he turned to Jula, and to her surprise, embraced her. "Listen to Jenna, daughter," he commanded. "And listen to Jesmind. While I'm gone, she speaks with my voice. Obey her like she was your mother."
"I will," she said with a sad smile. "Come home soon. Father."
He smiled and gave her a kiss on the cheek, then looked at the ship. It was grand, clean, luxuriant, everything a ship had to be to carry the monarch of Wikuna. It woudl be his home for the next month, and then on another ship for the journey to find the Firestaff. Try as he might, he couldn't deny that the time had come. It was time to go.
Strange, how things turned out. Before reaching Aldreth, he wouldn't have cared to go, but now he did. Now he had a mate and two daughters waiting for him to come back. Now, he had a family. So much had changed in his life. He had conquered his ferality. He had discovered a daughter he never knew he had, and rediscovered a mate he thought he'd lost. He'd found newfound strength inside him, found new friends, and protected his Goddess from great harm. Too much.