The others were getting on board. Tarrin stayed behind to say goodbye to his bond-mother and her two daughters, and to Thean. They stood near him, accepting his goodbyes warmly, either hugging him or taking his paws. Triana's stony mask broke a little when he kissed her on the cheek and thanked her for all she had done for him, and her eyes actually looked a little misty.

"It was my pleasure, cub," she said with a warm smile. "And I have one more surprise for you."

"What is it?"

"Me," a tiny, piping voice announced.

He hadn't scented her until she blurred into view, sitting on Triana's shoulder. Sarraya sat there sedately, looking at him with a quirky little grin.

"Say hello to your new shadow," Triana said calmly. "Sarraya has agreed to go with you, to help."

"Why?" he asked.

"Because you can't control yourself, cub," she answered flatly. "You have no control over your Sorcery. All it would take is one moment of weakness, and you'd try to use it. If you do that, you'll kill yourself. Sarraya here is a Druid, a strong Druid, and she has the power it takes to keep your power under control."

"And I like you," Sarraya said with a grin.

"That too," Triana smiled. "She can be very useful to you, Tarrin, for obvious reasons. Not only is she a Druid, she also has the magical powers of her kind. And I know both of you are clever enough to find ways to use them wisely."

"Well, I guess I can't stop you," Tarrin sighed, "and I know you'll just forbid me to go if I say no."

"You're right," she said flintily. "I've already taught Sarraya how to throttle you, so don't worry about it. Just try not to test her, cub. I put too much time and effort into you for you to just incinerate yourself in a moment of distraction."

"I'll try not to, mother," he assured her.

Sarraya flitted off of Triana's shoulder, and then landed lightly on his. Her weight was barely more than a ghostly feather on his shoulder, but her scent told him that she was there.

"Don't worry, Tarrin," Sarraya said. "I think we'll get along fine."

"Dolanna's going to love this," Tarrin grunted.

"She'll be happy to have the help," Triana said. "Now you have a couple of Sorcerers, a Priest, and a Druid along. That's alot of magical firepower, and I have the feeling you may need it not too long from now."

"I hope not," Tarrin said fervently.

"Don't hope for what you can't have, cub, it's a waste of time," she snorted. "I taught you better than that."

"Tarrin, lad!" Renoit boomed from the ship. "The tide, she is turning! We must be on our way!"

"I have to go," he told Triana with wistful eyes. "I'm going to miss you, mother."

They shared one more fierce embrace, and he took in the powerful scent and feel of his bond-mother one last time. She had been everything that he had needed, right when he needed it. A mentor, a guide, a friend, and someone to depend on. She had relieved him of more than one burden, and because of her, he felt more hopeful for the future. He also felt that now he had something to live for, something much more tangible than the hazy thoughts of his life after his mission had been completed. She had brought a new focus into his life, had allowed him to see past the moment and look into the future, gave him hope that there would be a life for him when he returned from his mission. He didn't know if he'd ever see her again, but he was certain that she had changed his life for the better.

He let go of her reluctantly, then turned and clasped paws with Thean one more time. "Thanks alot, Thean, you really helped me," he said sincerely.

"Any time, cub," Thean smiled.

"Goodbye, Nikki, Shayle," he said to Triana's daughters, then he rose up on his toes and kissed his bond-mother on the cheek one more time. "I love you, mother."

"And I love you," she said in a trembling voice. "Now go on, cub. They're waiting for you."

"Come on, Tarrin, it's time to go!" Sarraya said in a voice full of anticipation. "Travel, adventure, monsters, intrigue, danger, and scary things await us! Let's go!"

"Let's go," he said under his breath, giving Triana and her family one last wistful look. If only he could be among them.

Maybe someday, he could. But not now. He had a job to do.

Adjusting the manacle on his wrist, he turned and padded up the gangplank. It was time to get back to reality.

GoTo: Title EoF

Chapter 12

The rain fit her mood perfectly.

Keritanima stood on the deck of the Sailor's Pride, the personal flagship of the Eram noble family's private fleet, staring out over rain-roughed seas, her short, boxy muzzle scrunched up into a perpetual snarl. The air was surprisingly cool for so late in the spring, and the rain had come down for two straight days, wetting down sails, dripping below decks, and making things miserable for everyone in the huge convoy of ships that escorted the clipper as it sailed west, back to Wikuna. The rain didn't bring lightning or wind, however, making the going very slow and very soggy for all the ships involved, weighing down on the morale of the men.

Twenty-seven ships. That was how many escorting ships there were. Ten clippers, two Wikuni rakers, twelve frigates, and three Dreadnaughts, huge ships that were brand new to the Wikuni fleets because their sides were plated with sheets of steel. Those ships formed a teardrop formation around Keritanima's vessel, keeping it solidly in the middle of their formation to prevent anything from reaching her. They had taken extravagant measures to protect her for the voyage home, from a small fleet of ships to the Marines that stood on many of them, ready to board enemy vessels and take the fight to the enemy up close.

The morale of the men was another issue for the cagey Admiral Therak, one of her father's oldest and most experience officers. The old raccoon Wikuni was missing his left ear and had scars breaking up the continuity of his fur in many places, and he paced nervously whenever she could see him. To put it plainly, Keritanima-Chan Eram absolutely terrified his crew. She terrified anyone who looked at her, looked at the expression of utter fury that had not left her features since her capture. Many of them had seen what she had done to the Wikuni Colonel who had been right there when she was initially captured. This was not the vapid little fool that they had heard about. This was a Sorceress, someone who commanded magical power, and had demonstrated her willingness to kill with it. They knew that the King had ordered her captured and brought back, but many of them wondered if that was a really wise thing to do.

Keritanima pulled the cloak around her a bit tighter, staring out into the sea. It was better now than it had been before. After they had dragged her onto the ship, seeing Tarrin laying there in a pool of his own blood, not knowing if he was alive or dead… it almost drove her mad. It frightened her that she had grown so powerfully attached to anyone, but the truth of it was there in her heart. Tarrin and Allia were her brother and sister, her family, and seeing Tarrin like that had nearly destroyed her. It deeply pained her that they weren't close to her, there to laugh with her or cheer her up, or just be close to her. She felt lost and alone, so very alone, and that loneliness brought with it a strange, acute pain that she had never experienced before. Dear Miranda and Azakar tried to help ease her fear and her suffering, but their friendship just wasn't enough to fill the huge void left in her heart, or comfort the dread terror she felt whenever her mind conjured up the image of Tarrin laying on the dock. Her eidectic memory had saved her many times, but for the first time in her life, she had vigorously cursed it for burning such a starkly vivid memory of her injured brother into her memory. It was an image she would never forget, to her deathbed.