"I'll make it up to him," Tarrin promised. "Arren is a good man, and he was very kind to me. And here I've gone and burned down his city."

"What are you going to do?"

"Well, I don't have time to build things back the way they were, so I'll just give him enough gold to rebuild the entire city, and leave plenty left over to get it started again."

"You can do that?"

"I'm a Sorcerer, Jesmind," he smiled. "Druids can Conjure gold, but a Sorcerer can Transmute any metal into gold. Didn't you know that?"

"No, I didn't," she said frostily. "I thought Sorcerers could just make fire and air and other elemental things."

"That's just one application," he said. "They don't do it often, because if you make too much gold, then it becomes less valuable. They also don't make it common knowledge, because people would be kidnapping Sorcerers to make gold for them. Few Sorcerers even know how it's done, to protect them from their own greed. But in an emergency, a Sorcerer can transmute enough metal to make him rich, if he knows how."

"Is that how the Tower pays for everything?" she asked insightfully. "I mean, they don't really do anything. How do they pay for all the food and clothes and furniture?"

"I really don't know how they do it, but they must have some kind of system," he admitted. "I never paid much attention to those kinds of things while I was there."

"The kingdom of Sulasia pays for the Tower," Kimmie announced as she ducked back into the tent, carrying a large bowl of simmering, sweet-smelling stew and a large loaf of warm bread. "Sorry it took so long. I had to steal the bread from the Rangers," she grinned. "I'll go get the kettle. I figure you'll have that bowl empty by the time I get it back in here."

"Where did you learn about that?" Tarrin asked, reaching for the bowl of stew insistently.

"You read enough, you can learn all sorts of things, Tarrin," Kimmie replied, handing him the bowl. He nearly bit the spoon off trying to shovel the stew into his mouth, then threw it aside and starting eating the stew right from the bowl. "My, he is hungry, Jesmind," Kimmie giggled.

"I'd say so," Jesmind agreed. "You'd better go get that kettle before he starts gnawing on one of us next. Cub, get down before he accidentally eats your hair," she ordered of Jasana, who giggled as she got down from his lap.

Tarrin systematically emptied the entire kettle that was brought in, which had had enough in it to feed four humans, and he did it faster than a human could have eaten the first bowl of stew. The energy that food flushed into him made him tremendously better, better than another day of sleep could have given him. He stretched languidly after setting down the empty bowl, extending his claws and then letting them relax back into his fingers. "You have no idea how much better I feel," he sighed dreamily, patting Jasana on the back as she returned to his lap.

"Well, now we'll have to figure out what to do for dinner," Kimmie grunted, looking at the empty kettle.

"I can take care of that," Tarrin assured her. "I feel much stronger now, and I've got the energy to Conjure. I can Conjure whatever we need."

"It's cheating, but I would like to eat tonight," Jesmind growled.

"I'll make a big meal. We're leaving for Suld tomorrow."

"So soon?"

"There's nothing holding me here now, Jesmind," he replied. "I only stayed with the army to take Torrian. Since that's sorta not an issue anymore, I need to get to Suld. My original mission hasn't changed."

"What mission is that?" Kimmie asked curiously.

"I have the Book of Ages," he told her bluntly.

Kimmie gasped, and literally jumped towards him. She knelt by him and took his paw between both of hers. "Oh, please let me go with you!" she asked in a wheedling tone. "That book is supposed to hold the history of the world in it! I have to read it, Tarrin! I just have to!"

"You'll have to get in line," Tarrin told her. "We need it first. I'll bet that Thean's going to want to look at it, as well as just about every Sorcerer in the Tower. But they're not going to know about it."

"Why is that?"

"There's information in it that will lead us to the Firestaff. That's not information that I want to leave laying around for anyone to find."

"Oh," she said, a bit crestfallen. "I guess you're right."

"Don't get all pouty on me, Kimmie. I said I need it first. After I'm done with it, you and Thean can fight over it. I'll let you two read it, because I trust you. There are going to be some restrictions on it, but I'm sure it's nothing that you two can't handle."

"What kind of restrictions?"

"You'll see when we get there. I may be hurrying back because of the danger to Suld, but that's the important part." He flexed a paw, feeling his strength returning to him. "But the first thing I need to do is talk to Arren."

"Why?"

"There's a spy in his army," he replied with a steady stare. "Those Dals knew exactly what the plan was. They even set a fire to make the Were-kin outside think that I'd done my part of the plan. They had to have five thousand men at the very least garrisoned in the city. We would have been slaughtered if Arren's army attacked them."

"A spy, you say?" Kimmie mused. "If that's so, how did he get the information to them? We moved faster than any messenger's horse."

"Magic," he grunted. "There were Sorcerers working with the Dals in Torrian. There were men in ki'zadun uniforms too. I'll bet that our spy either is a magician or has a magical trinket that allows him to send messages." Thinking back to the battle made his eyes rise. "Ariana!" he gasped, remembering that she was wounded. "Is she alright?"

Kimmie nodded as Jasana answered. "The winged lady? Sathon did magic on her and made her better. She's been coming over every once in a while to see if you were awake."

"That's a relief," he sighed. "What time is it now?"

"Just about sunset," Jesmind replied.

"Alright then. Let me go talk to Arren, then we'll get some rest. I'd better go find Thean and reign him in. We'll be leaving before dawn."

"Oh no you don't!" Jesmind said fiercely. "It's raining out there! There's no way I'm letting you out until I'm sure you're completely well. You may get sick!"

"Jesmind, I'm fine. Really."

"That's what they all say," she snapped.

"If I'm strong enough to Conjure, then I'll be just fine taking a walk in the rain, my mate," he said in a reasonable tone.

"Then you have a choice. You can either go see Arren and watch us all starve, or you can Conjure us something to eat and someone can make Arren come here. Those are your choices."

He gave her a steady look. "And what's to stop me from doing both?" he asked in an ominous tone.

"Me," she snarled, showing him her claws. "I'll put you right back on that bedroll if you don't obey me, my mate. The hard way."

"I think she's serious, Tarrin," Kimmie chuckled.

"You'll find out how serious I am if you try to walk out of here," she growled.

"What happened to this choice I was supposed to have?"

"I just made it," she told him flatly. "Now stop starving your daughter and make us something to eat. Kimmie can go find someone to go get Arren and bring him here. She should be back before she gets too wet."

"This mating is getting more and more one-sided," Tarrin grunted, looking at his vehement mate. She certainly looked serious, and Tarrin wasn't in the mood to fight with Jesmind at the moment. That was something that took most of his energy and all of his attention, and his mind was on other things. He figured that it was the fact that he'd been so weak that made her so protective. Jesmind was anything if not predictable about certain things.

"Think about how I feel," Kimmie chuckled. "I'm suddenly Jesmind's errand girl."