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  "Until we can get the language barrier out of the way, I'll assign those katzh-dashi that have learned enough Sha'Kar to communicate to you to act as translators. Please don't be offended, but your translators may not know which form to use. If they speak to you informally, don't take it the wrong way."

  "We appreciate it, honored one, and don't worry. We fully understand that Sha'Kar is a second language for them, and we will be very patient. May we settle in now?"

  "Please, don't let me stop you," Jenna said with a warm smile. "You know where the Council chambers are?"

  "Yes, honored one."

  "When you get settled in, let me know, and we'll seat both Councils and have a conference. It's going to be nice to speak to you face to face for a change."

  "Speaking in the Heart has its own charm, but there is much to be said for face to face conversation," Ianelle agreed. "It shouldn't take us long to move our trunks into the towers and assign chambers. Two hours, I would say. May I call on you then?"

  "Ianelle, you're the First. You can call on me any time you feel it necessary," Jenna told her calmly. "My door is always open for you."

  "You honor me, honored one," Ianelle said with a curtsy. "By your leave?"

  "You don't have to ask me for permission to withdraw, Ianelle," Jenna smiled.

  "You are the honored one, Keeper," Ianelle said brusquely. "To us, you are a queen. We will treat you as one."

  Jenna fretted. "I was afraid of that," she said. "Well, if that's the way it is, then that's the way it is. You're dismissed, Ianelle. I look forward to getting to know you."

  "And I you, honored one," she said, giving her one more curtsy, then scurrying off to bark commands to the Sha'Kar.

  "Queen, eh?" Tarrin said with a smile.

  "That's right," she said primly, tossing her hair a bit. "So you'd better treat me like the queen I am, or I'll throw you in the dungeon."

  "Yah yah yah," Tarrin retorted, slapping her lightly on the arm. "To me, you're just my little sister."

  "Well, come on then, big brother," Jenna said with a smile as she took his hand. "Let's go in. Jesmind is bouncing off the walls to see you."

  "Why didn't she come out here?"

  "She didn't want to cause a scene," Jenna winked.

  "Is she really that upset?" Tarrin asked nervously. From what he'd heard of Jesmind, she was emotional, short-tempered, and somewhat high-strung. He'd been worrying about meeting her for a while, because he had no idea what she was going to do when he met her face to face.

  "Not really," Jenna laughed. "She just didn't want to bring Jasana out here. She was afraid that Jasana may cause a scene."

  Jenna paused to greet the others warmly, and that told Tarrin that she knew them. Dolanna and Dar bowed to her, reminding him yet again that Jenna was now technically over him, that she was very much different from the little girl that still existed in his memory. Keritanima didn't bow to her, but from the way they talked, it was obvious that they knew each other. Keritanima was a queen herself, and Tarrin wasn't sure what kind of protocols existed for when one monarch met another, and those monarchs happened to be friends. If there were any.

  It was times like this that Tarrin felt his loss of memory most keenly, looking at Jenna, watching her talk to the others. They all knew each other, they all knew so many things that he'd forgotten. How did Jenna come to know Keritanima? When did they meet? Were they friends, or were they just being nice to each other? He saw Jenna hug Allia like a sister, and saw the happiness in Allia's eyes. When did Allia meet Jenna, and why was she so friendly with her? Allia rarely showed that kind of emotion, he'd come to find out. She was a very cool, reserved woman, only showing emotion when she was with him--when her uncertainty and pain over what happened to him was evident in her eyes--and when she was with Keritanima or Allyn. But even then she didn't show much if there were others around. When she was alone with Tarrin, or with Keritanima or Allyn, she acted alot differently than she did any other time. But she would show emotion to Jenna. That meant that she truly favored his sister...but when did they meet? How long had they known one another?

  He wanted to know. It drove him crazy that all those things that had happened were buried in his mind, and it was being denied to him. It was an entire lifetime of experiences and adventures locked away, and even though there were things there that he probably wouldn't want to remember, what he would gain would more than make up for what it would cost him to remember. He felt lost like he was, surrounded by people who knew everything, while he floundered around behind them, depending on them for almost everything.

  And if any one thing ate at him more, it was that. Tarrin was a fiercely independent young man, having been cut loose from his parents' watchful eye when he was twelve. They had trusted him to be careful, and he hadn't violated that trust more than a few hundred times. But they'd never caught him. He hated having them hovering around him, but he hated the fact that he had to depend on them even more than that. To someone like him, who was so used to doing for himself, being by himself, managing to make it by himself, being dependent on another was humiliating, aggravating, and intolerable.

  There was very little that could be done right now, but he'd feel alot better after he established a little space for himself. Once he learned his way around the Tower, he'd feel more secure. And he knew that there was a fight coming over it, but he was going to demand his own room. He liked the Were-cats, but their stifling overprotectiveness had just gotten too irritating. It was a big Tower, and he was sure they could find him a room somewhere to himself. And since it was the Tower, they'd have absolutely no reason not to give him that room. It was one of the safest places in the world, the Tower was. He would be surrounded by Sorcerers, Knights, and servants, all of whom would keep him from getting lost and keep a wary eye out for intruders. Triana would have no valid excuse to giving him his own room. And if she refused, well, there were ways around that. He wasn't quite so intimidated by her now. She said she loved him, and he could use that as a weapon against her if necessary.

  Holding Jenna's hand, his sister led him away from the Sha'Kar gathering with the others. Tarrin looked around and saw that though there were Sorcerers and servants standing around the Sha'Kar, there wasn't a large greeting party there. He asked Jenna about that, and his sister chuckled before she responded. "It was Ianelle's orders," she told him. "She doesn't want any fuss raised at all over their arrival. The Council did want to have a ceremony, but Ianelle refused."

  "It's because she's trying to break the younger Sha'Kar of their habits," Keritanima told him. "She doesn't want them getting any idea that they're special or anything like that. Ianelle's even making them carry their own trunks, without using Sorcery or anything," she added with a snicker. "Ianelle can be brutal."

  "She has alot of bad training to undo," Triana snorted. "I'd take a much more direct approach."

  "I think she'd like to keep them alive, Triana," Kimmie said mildly.

  "They can have more," Triana shrugged.

  Jenna led him so fast that he didn't have much chance to take in things. They approached a side entrance of the main Tower and entered into a wide, carpeted hallway that had white stone walls and strange globes of light that seemed to hover in midair just at the ceiling. They gave him a strange feeling, and he realized they were products of Sorcery. Servants and Sorcerers stopped in the tracks and bowed or curtsied to Jenna, who looked a little uncomfortable about it, nodding to them as she led them past. They then reached a huge circular staircase and went around and around and around as they climbed it, so high that Tarrin was starting to feel just a little tired after a while. "Where are we going?" Tarrin asked with a little huff.

  "Out of shape, brother?" Jenna teased.

  "I didn't expect to climb up this far," he admitted.

  "We're almost there," she assured him. "Just two more floors."

  That reminded him of where they were going, and he started getting nervous again. He was going to meet another one
of these Were-cat girlfriends of his, and this one had a daughter by him. A daughter, a child of his own. It was almost unbelievable. He wondered what she looked like, he wondered how she acted. He wondered if he would remember her when he saw her. If he didn't, he hoped that it wouldn't make her cry. He didn't want to upset her. They'd told him that she was as big as a seven year old, even though she wasn't even two. He was curious about that. Thinking about Were-cat children made him glance at Kimmie, whose belly was just starting to expand a little to show signs of her own pregnancy.

  He was so caught up in worrying that he was a little surprised when they stopped before a large, ornately decorated door. Jenna wasted no time in opening it, revealing a large sitting room with a fireplace and three couches. Tarrin was pushed into the room from behind by Kimmie, who just grinned at him, and when he looked back into the room he saw them.

  There was no doubt who was who, since they'd been described to him in detail. The tallest one was Jesmind, and he was amazed at how pretty she was, looking like the graven image of a younger Triana. She was her mother's daughter, that was for sure, but she had a thick mane of very wild red hair, poofing up at the top of her head and tumbling down her back in massive waves, and her fur was white. She was even taller than he was, wearing a simple white linen shirt and canvas breeches like what sailors wore,and her expression looked intent, but he wasn't quite sure what it meant. The smaller one was Jula, his--what did they call it?--bond-daughter. She too was rather pretty, with a sharp chin and a pert little nose, but her fur was black, and her blond hair was tied behind her in a single thick tail. She wore a sleeveless doublet of sorts and a pair of black trousers, and her expression was very guarded. The child had to be Jasana, and if Jesmind was the image of Triana, then Jasana was the image of her mother. She hugged her leg shyly, a darlingly adorable little girl with white fur like her mother and strawberry blond hair, wearing a vest-like half-shirt that left her midriff bare and tattered leather breeches that had been given the rough side of her claws.

  Dislodging her daughter, Jesmind charged across the room before Tarrin had much chance to get past the door, and Tarrin found himself swallowed up in her arms, face crushed against upper chest as she literally picked him up and squeezed the air out of him. She was half a head or so taller than him, and he was a very tall young man, but she seemed much bigger when she hauled him off the floor with absolutely no effort, threatening to break his ribs.

  "You're going to break his ribs, girl!" Triana snapped quickly. "Ease off!"

  "I'm sorry," she said in a strangled tone, setting him down and putting her paw-like hands on his face, his chest, his arms, feeling him for injury. "I'm so relieved you're back, my mate," she told him with her heart in her eyes. "Even though you come back to me a little indisposed. Any word from that crazy Wizard yet, mother?"

  "Give him time, daughter," Triana replied. "This isn't an easy problem to solve." She came over and put a hand on his shoulder. "Tarrin, as you may have guessed, this is Jesmind. My daughter, and one of your mates. Do you remember anything?"

  Tarrin looked at her, and he did recognize her. This was definitely the woman who attacked him in Torrian. He didn't feel any fear, however. They told him that it had been that collar controlling her, and he remembered the collar. He'd noticed she was pretty then, even while he was trying to avoid getting killed. Seeing her with clothes on and not infuriated drove the fact home that she was very pretty. But outside of that, there was no memory, only a short flash, seeing her in the kitchen back at home, if that was possible. The pang of pain that accompanied that made him wince just a bit, which made her put her paws to his head, like a mother checking a scrape on a child. He felt like a child, looking up at her like that."I remember her," Tarrin said. "But only from Torrian."

  "It's a start," Triana grunted.

  Tarrin felt a tugging at his belt. He looked down, and realized that Jasana had crept up on him and was tugging to get his attention. He looked down at her and marvelled at how cute she was, but he couldn't remember her. There was a flash, though, looking down at the top of her head as she turned the pages of a book in her lap. "Are you my papa?" she asked in a tiny voice.

  "They tell me I am," he told her in a serious voice, kneeling down and looking into her eyes. "Did they tell you that I'm not like I was before?"

  She nodded. "Mama said you lost your memory and that you were changed into a human. I think you look stupid like that, papa," she said seriously, looking him up and down. "You need to be you again."

  "I guess I do look a little strange to you," he chuckled ruefully. He struggled to remember this darling child, anything at all, but he drew nothing but a blank. Only that one flash of memory, obviously looking down on her from behind as she was reading from a book. But despite not knowing her, just knowing that she was his daughter did make him feel something for her. A protectiveness if not a love, at least not yet. This was his child, and even if he couldn't remember her, he had a duty to her. Even if he couldn't remember her, even if he was an entirely different species now, he was going to try to be a father to her.

  "Do you really have to be human?" she asked. "Mama said not to bite you, or I'd get in big, big trouble. Doesn't that mean that if I did, you'd be alright again?"

  "No, he won't, cub," Triana warned. "He needs to get his memory back before we can change him back. If we changed him back before that, he'll get sick. You don't want him to get sick, do you?"

  "No," she said hedgingly.

  "Then remember, cub. No biting. You bite him, and you'll be in so much trouble that you'll forget what it was like when you weren't. Do you understand me?"

  "Yes, Gramma," she sulked.

  "I'll have your word, cub," Triana said in a blunt tone. "I know you too well to trust a statement like that. Promise. No biting. I want to hear it."

  Jasana actually glared at Triana for a long moment, then she lowered her eyes. "I promise I won't bite papa," she finally said, though it was very reluctant.

  Tarrin was surprised. Was this little girl that dangerous? So dangerous that Triana forced a promise out of her? Tarrin knew what promises meant to Were-cats, so making her promise was setting it in stone that she wouldn't do it. Would she really have tried?

  Then he realized that she was just a child. Children had a much different concept of the world than adults did. She would probably be more than capable of biting him if she felt that him being as he was was wrong.

  "We're not there yet," Triana said. "No letting your spittle or your blood touch him in any way, and no touching any cuts or open wounds your father may have. Promise."

  With another short glare, Jasana promised not to do any of those things. Tarrin could see the defeat in Jasana's eyes with those promises. Triana had just cut the legs out of from under any plan Jasana may have had to change him back. He was a little surprised that she would have thought of it, but Triana's words told him that it was in her character.

  The other Were-cat, Jula, stepped up to him. He stood up and was surprised when she gave him a gentle hug, patting him on the back. "It's good to see you again, Tarrin, even if you are like this," she smiled.

  "You're Jula, right?"

  She nodded. "Your bond-daughter. I take it you don't remember me?"

  "I'm sorry, but no," he said with a sigh. And he didn't. Not even a flash of memory, nothing at all.

  "Well, don't worry about it," she smiled. "I'm sure they'll find a way to get your memory back. Until then, I'd be happy to get to know you all over again."

  For some reason, that statement relaxed him quite a bit. He felt much more comforatable with Jula than he did with that penetrating gaze that Jesmind was giving him.

  "Well, I'm sure we can make you at home, Tarrin," Jesmind told him. "I--"

  "I'm sorry," Tarrin told her. "No offense, Jesmind, but I'd like to have a room to myself until I get my memory back. I hope it doesn't offend you."

  Jesmind looked a little taken aback, but then she seemed to understand. "You do
n't remember us at all, do you?" she asked with sad eyes.

  "I'm sorry, but no," he admitted.

  "Well, we can put you in Jasana's room," Jesmind said. "She can sleep with me."

  Tarrin screwed up his courage, rising up to his full height, and then said it. "I want my own room," he said firmly. "Like not in this apartment."

  That got a reaction. Both Jesmind and Triana snapped at him almost at the same time that there was no way that they were going to let him out like that. "No way you go around without someone watching over you," Triana grated as Jesmind rambled "you think you're going to wander around in this condition, you're crazy!"

  But it was Jenna who rescued him from having to shout at the Were-cat females. "I think Tarrin does need a little space," she said calmly, but in a brisk tone that brooked no argument. "You want an apartment like this one, brother?" she asked.

  "Nothing quite this grand," he replied calmly, relieved that someone was going to side with him. "Just a room somewhere."

  "There's an empty chamber beside mine," Dar offered.

  "It is just down the hall from me," Dolanna added. "I assure you that I will keep an eye on him for you, Mistress Triana."

  "Well then, there we go," Jenna smiled, then she fixed Triana with a very stern look. "Dar, why don't you take Tarrin down and show him his new room? In fact, why don't all of you drop off your things in your rooms, then we can all go get some lunch."

  "You mean breakfast," Dar said.

  "Lunch," she said with a smile. "Remember the time difference, Dar. It's noon here."

  "Oh. I forgot about that."

  "I would like to get something to eat," Keritanima agreed. "I haven't had a thing to eat all day."

  Both Triana and Jesmind looked a bit put out that the subject had been changed on them so quickly. "I'm not letting Tarrin roam like this," she said flatly. "In this conditon, he's all but helpless."

  That caused Tarrin's pride to rise up. "I can do for myself, Jesmind," he said with a short look. "I'm sorry to break it to you Were-cats, but I'm not helpless, and I don't need protecting."