"Me? How was it me?"
"Simple, father. You're blood related to the Selani and the Wikuni, you're the grandson of an Ungardt clan king, you were a Druid and a Were-kin, and you were personal friends with the rulers of Yar Arak and the Aeradalla. That allowed you to ask all of those groups for help, and they obliged you because they knew how serious the situation was. I'll bet they didn't tell you that, did they?"
"No, not really."
"Well, I hope it doesn't give you a big head, but you're the sole reason Suld is still here," she told him calmly. "If not for you, the ki'zadun would have taken Suld, banished the Goddess, and they'd probably have the Firestaff right now."
Tarrin thought that she was stretching the truth a bit there, but he said nothing and let her continue.
"After they lost here, everything went downhill for the ki'zadun ," she said. "They probably threw almost everything into this attack. They even revealed themselves to the world, something they've never done before. It was a huge gamble, and truth be told, if not for you, it probably would have paid off. Anyway, since they lost here and got a huge chunk of their army killed, I guess they retreated to one of their most remote and defensible strongholds. Castle Keening, probably. That, or they withdrew all the way to Zakkar."
"Where is that?"
"It's on Valkar, right where it connects to southern Godan-Nyr," she answered. "A very long way off. It's the seat of power for the ki'zadun. Zakkar uses it as an underhanded army to try to rule the world, the same way their skyships try to rule the oceans."
"Isn't that a kingdom of magicians?"
"It more or less is," she affirmed. "But it's always been eclipsed by Sharadar. I think that really rankles their fur. No matter how powerful they get, Sharadar is always so much more powerful that they can slap them down with ease. I think you can say that everything else that goes on with the ki'zadun and such can always be traced back to that one rivalry. Half of what goes on in the world concerns the battle between Zakkar and Sharadar. They've been fighting a clandestine war for over five thousand years."
"Like two stags fighting in a cornfield. They have no idea what they're trampling."
"That's a pretty good description," she nodded. "They don't fight openly, because that would be a war like nothing since the Blood War. Sharadar virtually owns all of Arathorn, and Zakkar has influence over about half of Valkar and much of Godan-Nyr. If they declared open war, there'd be armies numbering in the millions clashing all over the southern continents. It would not be pretty," she concluded with a sniff.
"It certainly sounds a little scary," he said. "So, the ki'zadun was part of Zakkar?"
"One of many parts of Zakkar, father," she replied.
"Why did they want the Firestaff, anyway?"
"The same reason everyone else wants it, father, but with a slightly different idea in mind for its use. Everyone wants it to become a god. The ki'zadun and Zakkar want to get it to free the one they already have."
"I think I remember that part," he said. "Jesmind told me about it. That their god was trapped by some woman named Spyder."
"That's right. He was imprisoned in a statue as punishment, because he was the reason the Blood War happened in the first place. The Firestaff can give him the power to free himself from the statue and use his power in the world again."
"You mean even after he got imprisoned, his people didn't abandon him?"
"No, not really."
"Well, they're faithful to him. I guess you can't fault them for their devotion."
"I guess not," she chuckled.
"It's too bad they had to do it this way. I'm sure if they would have asked for help, someone would have tried to free him."
"I doubt it," she smiled. "That particular god has been nothing but trouble ever since he became one. He started the Blood War in an attempt to take over the world. If they freed him, he'd probably try to take over the world again."
"Oh. Well, if he's just going to do it again, I guess he's better off in god prison."
"God prison. That's a very funny concept," Jula said with a little laugh.
"It all sounds a little too much to believe," he admitted.
"I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't seen so much of it," she said with a smile. She sniffed at the air a moment, then her ears laid back a little. "I'm going to go cut that girl's nose off," she growled.
"Who?"
"That Sha'Kar girl that's been following you around."
"She's here?"
"She's behind us," she answered, glancing back over her shoulder. "Probably around that last bend."
"She's not going to give up easy, Jula," Tarrin sighed.
"She will if I go back there and fix her."
Tarrin wasn't sure what that meant, and something told him he didn't want to know. "Just leave her alone, Jula. She'll give up once she finds someone more interesting. It's too bad really, because I really like her. I miss running around with her and Dar. She's alot of fun to be with."
"I really don't understand why you're avoiding her, Tarrin," she said. "If all she wants is a roll in the sheets, give it to her. That would probably make her go away alot faster that all this avoiding her."
"I'm really not sure why I'm avoiding her so much," he admitted. "Something just tells me that getting involved with her would be a very bad idea."
"Don't you like her?" she asked pointedly.
"I think that's the problem," he said honestly. "I like her too much."
"She is pretty," Jula admitted. "And all those Sha'Kar have those to-die-for bodies. Afraid getting into a relationship with her is going to influence your choice?"
He blinked. "You know, I think that may be one of the reasons," he said with a nod. "If I had an affair with Auli, I think it would make me want to stay human."
"It's not like you're looking at a desert on this side, father," Jula laughed. "Jesmind and Kimmie are probably going to fight over who gets to keep you."
"I know. But what's on your plate is more on your mind that what's in the pot, you know." He threw the heavy braid back over his shoulder. "And besides, all Auli wants is a fun time. I'd want something more permanent, and doing what she wants to do would really make me want something permanent."
"Those rural morals," Jula chuckled. "Sometimes I'm surprised you far-flung villagers manage to have any children at all."
"Girls just don't throw themselves into boys' beds back home," he agreed with a nod.
"But you have to admit it, father. She wouldn't be dragging you kicking and screaming into that bed."
"No, she wouldn't," he admitted with a sigh. "Every time she gets close to me, half of me is thinking about getting away, but the other half is hoping I won't. If she managed to trap me, I don't think I'd put up much of a fight."
"Want to get rid of her?" Jula asked with a smile.
"I don't want to be mean to her or make her mad, Jula," he cautioned. "She is my friend. I'm hoping after she loses interest in me, we can be friends again."