Tsr Bk 2 Ch 43 45

No explicit content this post, just plot.

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Thank you all for reading along with me so far.

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Chapter 43

The next morning I was greeted by two lovely faces, made threatening by their expressions of anger and worry. Myta and Sati held hands as they murmured with their heads together, seated on folding stools, arms around one another.

Myta was the first to notice that I was awake, and her relief was palpable. As fast as it came, however, it was subsumed by anger, and she immediately got up and exited the tent. Sati followed her lover with her eyes, a bemused expression on her face. Then, she looked at me with a facade of studious calm.

"Good morning," the apsara spoke softly and slowly, and her mild demeanor impacted me far more than her tantrums ever had. "Did you sleep well, Esur? You seemed to settle a few hours ago."

There was no recrimination in her voice, but her point was as sharp as a needle. Myta hasn't gone far, she was lurking just outside of the tent's flap, her emotions oscillating between frustrated rage and giddy relief.

""I'm sorry that I worried you." I began, only to be cut short by Sati's scoff.

"That isn't an apology, and no, neither were the next words coming out of you mouth. Myta already told me that the work you did on your spirit was necessary." The apsara sighed heavily.

"Esur, my father once told me that the temple of Mithal thought of themselves as a family. Is that true?"

"In part," I spoke hesitantly, not sure where she was going with this. "I had no parents but the priests and priestesses of the temple. No siblings but my fellow acolytes."

"I've seen it in the way you've formed this company," and nodded. "You're building a new family here. From the way you watched over Kari as she learned to use her new arm, to the way you gave both Denu and Guta advice as they work through the complicated mess between them. It came to me last night, when you showed me what my father had done. This company is, or at least is becoming, your family."

I had to sit with that observation for a long while, before nodding in acceptance.

"I may not have the best history with my own," she continued, "but I know that trust and support are supposed to be the pillars of any family. You said yourself that you thought even my father was trying to help me, in his own, misguided way. When you dive into this things on your own, you betray our trust, and scorn our support.

"You may not be sick with it, but you show your own arrogance when you refuse to trust us with what you are doing. You didn't think we could help, or didn't even think to ask for help, until the very last moment."

She stood and walked over to where I had sat myself on my own stool. I felt my gut clench with guilt, unable to refute her words. I had risked us all again, based on a hunch and a whim. It may have worked out, but the truth was that I had indeed needed Myta's help. What if she hadn't been able to provide it?

I almost expected a slap when Sati reached me, but instead she sat herself on my lap, wrapping her arms around my neck. I expected anger from her, but instead I felt her deep seated fear and hurt.

"Please, daddy. You and Myta are all I really have right now." She whispered the words in my ear. It wasn't sultry, but vulnerable, and I felt nascent tears prick my eyes. "Don't push us away. Lean on us, the way we lean on you."

I tugged at Myta, a gentle request rather than a command, and she reentered the tent. Coming over to Sati and I sat, she stood, looking lost. I could tell that she held on to a little of her anger, but mostly she was feeling hurt as well.

"I will try to let you know before I do anything risky or foolish again," I said. "It was a mistake not to warn you this time, or have you on hand. One that I won't consciously repeat."

Myta paused for a long moment, struggling with herself before nodding jerkily. Wrapping her arms around both Sati and myself, she nuzzled into my hair.

"As you say, master." I felt some of the tension drain out of her. "At least you were successful. The bond is as strong as it ever was."

"My domain was strengthened," I agreed. "And I understand how to strengthen it more. Our bond was weakened by the damage to my spirit, and my spirit is still just as damaged, so I think our connection will be stronger than ever when I am healed.

"I'm not sure how stable my domain needs to be, but for now I can focus on working with Riona, and the company. What do we need to focus on, to help Clan Ket?" Myta had been talking with Siobhan and Saoirse, and I suspected she'd know best where our efforts were needed.

"There's a great deal to do," my flame answered. "But the most pressing issue by far is their fighting force. Too many of their shifters have been captured. If all of them are corrupted, the Pure will be able to seize a large portion of Metic before their Ootrin allies even arrive in force."

"We should probably assume they are already lost."

"No, master." I was surprised by Myta's objection, but heartened by her certainty. "Ket has told me that she can sense when a shifter from the clan has been corrupted, and less than half of the missing have fallen. She can't find them, however, which she should be able to do with ease."

"Perhaps they found some way of replicating the veils you see on the ancient ruins." I sighed. "I noticed that the ruins under Bani dull even our connection. Not if we're both inside, but if one of us is in and the other outside, the bond is weakened."

"Are there similar ruins here that the Pure could be using?"

I shook my head at Myta's question. "There are ruins like that, yes. But that was exactly what we did, what the Pure did, the last time they were here. Those ruins would be too obvious a hiding place."

"Master..." Myta stared at me with a quizzical expression. "How long ago was it that this happened?"

"Fuck," I cursed, as I took her point. "Maybe fifty years ago? But there were druids and shifters who helped to raid the Pure back then. They, at least, would remember."

"According to my father, most shifters disappear after a mortal lifetime," Sati said, "and the druids see those ruins as sacred. So sacred that they don't even think about entering them. As well as not being able to sense inside them. It's entirely possible that any druids who didn't take part in that raid would discount them as a possibility. The same is true of the spirits who serve as elders."

*Ket?* I began forming a question, only to sense that the goddess was distracted, already consulting with her clan. I left her to it, feeling that my interference would only slow things down.

"Well, we still have weeks to reach Clan Ket territory," I said finally. "If the Pure are hiding in more ancient ruins, I'm not sure that it changes our immediate circumstances. I can ask Riona about what ruins she knows about, and Ket. Myta, will you ask Siobhan?" My flame nodded.

"Other than finding the shifters, and potentially healing them from whatever damage they may have suffeeed, I think the company would benefit from you overseeing their training in sorcery again. I would as well, honestly. We've drilled and practiced as much as we can with what you taught us. Short of engaging in wargames in earnest, our current training is to keep our edge sharp, not sharpen it further."

I nodded at Myta's words, but waited, as she clearly had something more that she was hesitating to say. At my expectant look she gave a frustrated groan.

"There's two other matters." She finally admitted. "The slaves that we recovered from the Pure are asking to be considered full members of the company. They want to join in our training, but they would all be starting from scratch as fighters. And if we want them to truly join us, their spirits need to be tempered."

"I would need to work through both of you for that, but it's still possible." I noted. "But those people are not fighters, and they weren't here by choice. Do you know why they made this decision?"

Myta shook her head, but Sati spoke up instead. "They respect us, practically worship us. Cathel also wishes to join us, and he was a devout follower of the Pre Way. My influence caused him to follow us, but he has gone from willing to devoted, with no other action on my part."

"I'll need to examine them then," I mused. "I want to ensure that they are not suffering from an outside influence. Either from us somehow, or something else. What is the other issue?"

"I'm not sure what it is, specifically, master." Myta sounded more than a little annoyed. "Siobhan wishes to speak to you about a personal matter, personal enough that she won't tell me what it is."

"Hmm," I grunted in thought. "Saoirse told me that her sister might consider me an appropriate candidate for lover, as she doesn't yet have an heir. I've never gotten the impression that the Metic chiefs are particularly shy about that though. Even when they choose longtime partners, for personal or political reasons, they still often take other lovers to increase their chances of children. It's a practical matter for them, not really a personal one.

"Still, I can't imagine what else she might be talking about. Just in case, do either of you have a concern about me... serving as Siobhan's breeding stud?"

Myta just shook her head with an amused smile, but Sati was staring at me with a expression of abject shock. I was more that a little confused, honestly, as she had implied that her father made similar arrangements. The bond confirmed her surprise, however.

"I'm guessing that's a no then," I commented, as the apsara remained silent. "It shouldn't be an issue, I didn't get the impression that Siobhan would turn against us over something minor, and this should be fairly minor. You've talked with her more though Myta, what do you think?"

My flame smiled, and took Sati's hand. "No, master, I don't think it would be an issue."

"There, Siobhan will be off limits, ok?" Rather than being relieved, Sati's state of shock seemed to deepen, I paused uncertainly, and then hugged her a little tighter. "Are you alright, little flower?"

"Yes." Her voice was a little uncertain at first, but gained strength as she spoke. "You do not need to restrict yourself on my account. I'm fine, better than fine. I'm better now than I have ever been."

Chapter 44

I tried to ask Sati what had set her so off kilter, but she deferred my questions, and I didn't press. Once her shock had passed I could tell that she was, in fact, happy, and so I tried not to worry over the issue too much. Instead I set out to speak to Siobhan immediately, and set that particular issue to rest as soon as possible.

Leaving my vas to handle our belongings, I passed quickly to Clan Ket's portion of the camp. Their group was already awake and packing up, and they eyed me warily, though not with the hostility they'd held not even a week ago. I was glad, as we still had just over two weeks to make the journey to their home, and who knew how long we'd be spending in their company after.

"UnKet." I nodded to Siobhan, who wasn't exactly hard to find. The group was gathered around a small fire to prepare a morning meal of gruel and preserved meat. "Are we not sharing food?"

I had been under the impression that the company's cooks were feeding our Metic allies. Siobhan, however, gave me a chagrined smile and shook her head.

"I raised the ire of your quartermaster, and she cut us off," she replied with a wince.

"I can speak to her about..." the clan leader was already shaking her head before I finished my thought.

"It's fine. I don't entirely blame her. She's a proud woman, and I'll accept her judgment as a show of my respect. It's only for a few days in any case."

I wasn't sure that I loved Peta doling out judgements like that, but if Siobhan wanted me to stay out of it then I would, for now. It wasn't relevant to my visit anyway.

"I heard that you wished to speak to me. Something about a personal matter?"

She nodded. "Would you walk with me?"

Leading me well away from the campsite, the tall woman took a deep breath, clearly nervous. It was an odd look on her, she clearly wasn't used to not being in control of every situation, so I decided to ease her mind a little.

"Your sister told me that you would be obligated to 'consider me'." I offered. "If that's what your concern is, I'm neither offended, not opposed. You're a formidable, and attractive woman."

"No, Esur." She smiled, and laughed a little. It wasn't a mocking laugh, but surprised and warm. It visibly eased her tension, which at least meant that I'd achieved my goal. "I appreciate that, but I suspect we wouldn't be compatible. That does mean that Saoirse likes you, which is a good sign."

"I rather thought she hated me?" I was surprised, and curious where this was going.

"She hates everyone, except me" Siobhan's voice was completely serious. "Our mother suffered through some of the Pure's experiments. It damaged her spirit, badly. When we were born, it affected us as well, and shortened her life.

"Saoirse suffers from constant pain, her spirit is unstable, and I wasn't exaggerating about her hating everyone. We've never been able to determine if her anger is due to her pain, or a separate symptom, but her temper is legendary across Metic."

I would normally have taken her final statement with a grain of salt, but her tone was dour, rather than proud. The Metic were notoriously hot headed, and the clans heavily valued what they called 'a fighting spirit'. If Saoirse had anger issues to the point that it was seen as a negative thing, then she'd have been before a judge anywhere else.

"And you?" I asked, after I'd taken a moment to digest that information.

"My spirit is weak." Siobhan replied flatly. "I've nae talent as a shifter or a druid, and when we were born the druids claimed we couldnae be sisters. We all thought Saoirse would lead the clan, until her issues didnae pass." Her accent got thicker as she spoke, and though her expression remained fixed, I could practically feel the heat of anger coming off of her.

"You were twins?"

"Aye." She took a slow breath to calm herself. "They said we looked too different, that only one of us could be mother's child.

"I can understand," I offered gently. "It isn't about your physical appearance, some twins do appear different. And it's not exactly the strength of your spirit. It's your aspect. Twins are normally always born with the same aspect. If they aren't, one or both die in the womb.

"The druids told us," she nodded. "But parroting the common wisdom was just insulting. Only Riona would even admit that we were sisters, and she was there for our birth. Just because something is normally one way, doesn't excuse them calling a clan head a liar. Why would she even lie about a thing like that?"

"People don't like to be wrong, especially those who usually know the most." I shrugged. "Do you mind if I examine your spirit? It may feel odd."

She waved her hand in assent, and I began to look her over with my spiritual sight. I'd taken only a cursory glance at her before, but my closer look revealed some peculiarities right away. Siobhan's presence was nearly nonexistent, even less than what a healthy unawakened adult should have. Her anima however, was incredibly dense and refined in comparison. The effect made her appear as though she were a sorcerer of moderate power, who had just recently exhausted herself.

I wrapped her in my own presence, so that I could examine her spirit more closely. Her anima, while strong, had inconsistencies that reminded me of scars, holding Ket's bloody aspect in thick, clearly defined streaks. I'd rarely seen anything quite like it. Even when integrating a new aspect as we had done with the company, it would spread relatively smoothly through one's anima. The process might be slow, but the aspect would either be rejected, or steadily diffuse.

I put a small amount of pressure on her with my presence, and she grimaced in discomfort. But that proved the strength of her spirit, as an unawakened person would have collapsed. Next I peered into the sea, looking for connections, and signs of more Pure meddling. If she had even the smallest connection to the sea, then I might be able to examine her more closely, without having to damage her anima.

It turned out that she had far more than a minor connection. I found her inner world, no, her domain, immediately. The UnKet shared her domain with Ket, as did the Clan Ket shifters. The goddess welcomed me into her realm immediately, so I knew that she was watching, but she didn't say anything as I examined what was happening.

Ket's domain was a dark forest, reminiscent of Metic. But the shadows seemed alive, each of them whispering of unseen threats, and blood flowed from the trunks of the redwoods. I had known that Ket's aspect touched on fear, darkness, and blood, but her domain brought it clearly into focus. She was a night terror, an unknown threat that could claim even the bravest and most skilled warrior. Causing them to disappear into the darkness, and leaving behind nothing but uncertainty, and perhaps a splash of blood.

As impressive as Ket's domain was, I wasn't visiting for the view. Shaking off my reverie I looked for Siobhan's connection to this realm. It didn't take long to find, but I didn't understand it immediately.

A great redwood, carved all over with Ket's image, bled from those carvings in large streams. Those streams led off into a number of pools, each of which I guessed was a shifter who was bound to her. But when I found the pool that represented the clan chief it was distorted and wrong. Rather than a circular pool like the others, this one was lopsided and uneven, and it churned as though something was thrashing or fighting in its depths.

Given what I knew, it didn't take much for me to realize what was happening here, but the let my fingers trail in the crimson fluid just to confirm. I managed to pull my fingers back before I was hurt, grunting in thoughtful dissatisfaction.

"Well, I know the basics of your issue, and your sister's," I told Siobhan after refocusing on the physical world. She squinted at me in evident disbelief.

"Just like that?"

"Just like that," I confirmed. "You and your sister are linked, you share mana, but she is pulling it away from you and twisting it. Making it worse."

"If that's true, she's nae idea that she's doing it. And she doesn't have the skill or patience for such a thing." While skeptical, she didn't sound angry, for which I was grateful.

"That's not surprising," I nodded. "This is due to the Pure's experiments, no doubt. I have no idea how, but whatever the did to your mother got passed to your sister, and you are bound to her. I'll know more when I can look more deeply, but I need to heal my spirit first. It would kill me to check right now."

Siobhan's face was a stoic mask, but if I had been in her place I'd have been buried in conflicting emotions. Suspicion that a stranger had the answer to her lifelong problem, relief and hope that there might actually be an answer, impatience that it was deferred. To her credit, none of that showed in more than the trembling of her hands as she clenched her fists to steady them.

"We've waited this long. I suppose we'll last a wee bit longer." The false cheer in her voice was obvious. "Let me know if there's anything I can do to help you along."