No nation in the world would have been insane enough to make that decision, but the Selani were beings of high honor. Their honor had been stained by the invasion, and they meant to punish the Emperor for his actions. Nine of the fifteen clans left the desert and fell on the western border of Arak like the a tidal wave of destruction. They laid waste to absolutely everything in their path, but, according to their honor, they killed not one civilian. All who did not raise a weapon to the Selani were allowed free passage to safety. Many simply remained behind the Selani lines, for the Selani advanced so quickly that there was no way they could outrun the advance. These were treated as guests of the Selani, and were given tents to live in and food to eat while the Clans eradicated their Empire. Zanak became so enraged and bewildered at the unstoppable Selani that he took command of the army personally and met them on the plains of Dala Ren. The Selani clans met the elite of the Arakite Legions on that grassy plain, and killed them to the last man. The Emperor himself was captured and taken back to the desert, where not a word was heard from him again. Nobody even knew what fate had befell him at the hands of the Selani.
The Emperor captured, the Selani clans simply withdrew, leaving the throne to the Emperor's eldest son, Zanak XVII. The ruined western marches of the Empire blamed the Empire for their loss, and seceeded, becoming the kingdom of Selas. The Emperor was too busy fighting a sudden war on his eastern frontier, caused by the decimation of the Legion reserves, to attend the matter immediately. But once that war was finished, Zanak set his legions to invade what was once his own empire.
The legions advanced to the border, and found three clans of Selani sitting on the other side waiting for them. The people of the new kingdom had managed to befriend the Selani, and the Selani had had council and decided that a nation between the desert and Arak would be better for all involved. So they simply created one. Zanak, fearful of the lethal ability of the Selani, who were clearly allied with his former subjects, decided to sue for peace instead. Arak recognized the sovereignty of Selas, formal peace treaties were drawn up and signed, and everyone went home. Arak was the largest single nation on the planet, and yet even they were no match for the fighting prowess of the Selani. It is a world-wide relief that the Selani have no interest in conquest. So long as they are left alone, they are quite happy to dwell in their desert in perfect contentment. And all of the Selani's neighbors are more than willing to let that happen.
"I wonder what the Selani will be like," Tarrin mused.
"I heard it's a she," Walten said. "A Clan Princess or some such thing. Some kind of noble."
"Who knows," Tarrin said. "I'll be curious to meet her, though. Well, I need to go to the library for a while. See you two later."
"Have fun," Walten said.
"Just be careful, Tarrin," Tiella said. "Some of the other Novices don't like you. Don't let them bully you into a fight."
"Tiella, dear, don't worry about it. Once I kill a few of them, I think the rest will leave me alone."
"Tarrin!" Tiella gasped.
Tarrin laughed as he stood up. "I'm just teasing you, Tiella," he said with a grin. "See you later."
Tarrin spent several frustrating hours in the library after that. There were lots of books on magic, and magical theory, and many other such things, but most of them were written for people who already had a basic understanding of magic. He did eventually find one that explained the fundamental differences between the four orders of magic, but it wasn't that much of a help. According to the book, there were four distinct orders of magic, each one using a different type of it. There were the Sorcerers, who drew energy from the world around them, it said. From something called the Weave, which the author stated was all around the world. The Wizards, or Mages, drew magic from elsewhere. The book didn't say exactly where that was, but it made it clear that Wizardly magic was not of this world. That concept intrigued him. Priests used Clerical magic, they drew their magical power directly from the Gods themselves, beseeching the God to grant the priest the power to work the magic. Tarrin had seen Clerical magic before, when a priest of Karas came to the village to help stop a strange sickness that had spread through the village. The last order were the Druids. The book was very vague about the Druids, and it stated that they were extremely secluded and reserved. The author stated that they drew their magical power directly from the earth itself, tapping the raw power of nature for the magic to cast their enchantments.
"I did not expect to see you here, dear one," Dolanna's voice called. Tarrin looked up, and saw her standing by the table.
"I've been reading," he said as she seated herself across from him. "Haven't been getting very far, though."
"What about?"
"Sorcery," he said pointedly.
"Worry not over it," she assured him. "They will give you that instruction in due time."
"I know, but I have reasons to start thinking about doing it now," he said.
"You worry that much?"
"Let's just call it being safe," he said. "Jesmind is out there, and me being in here makes no difference to her. If I can get in without attention, so can she. She will try, Dolanna. And I'll need every weapon I can get when that happens."
"The Keeper is aware of it, Tarrin," she said. "I do believe that she has already taken steps to find her."
"She won't."
"Give us some credit, young one," she said. "We have more at our disposal than normal spies."
"Be that as it may, I'm not placing my trust in someone I don't know."
She was about to say something, but she held her peace instead. "How was your day?"
"Busy," he said.
"Faalken told me you were on the field. The others were most impressed with you."
"I don't see why. They've seen Elsa, so they've seen me."
"Tarrin, you may not understand this, but you are very fun to watch," she told him with a smile. "You are very graceful, and you move as if you float. When you were out on the field, Faalken said it was like watching a professional dance. He also remarked that you should think of using acrobatics," she said.
"Acrobatics?"
"Tumbles, flips, and such," she said. "You are more than capable of it. I have seen you do such things."
"I'll think about it," he said. "Any word on who my teacher is going to be?"
"Tarrin, that day is some ways in the future," she told him. "There will not be a decision for some time." She stood again. "It is not good for us to be seen thus very often. If I need to speak with you, I will send you a message."
"Alright. Have a good night, Dolanna."
"You too, dear one."
After dinner, Dar and Tarrin sat in the room. Dar was at the desk, writing a series of numbers exercises on a piece of paper, and Tarrin was reading a book he took from the library, a book studying the condition the author called Lycanthropy, which was another name for the condition of the assorted Were-kin. The book named several different species, such as Were-wolves, Were-bears, Were-dogs, Were-boars, Were-rats, and Were-tigers. It also talked about some of the lesser known strains, such as Were-foxes, Were-lions, Were-wolverines, Were-bats, and his own kind, the Were-cats. The book touched on the society of Fae-da'Nar, saying that the Were-kin existed in a very loose association so that there was very little infighting between them. It didn't mention anything about other woodland beings being in it the way Jesmind said they were.