"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."

"I promise, she won't hate you afterwards, father," she smiled. "If you want to really get rid of her, then let her trap you."

"What?"

"Let her trap you somewhere, give in to her advances, and then do everything wrong."

"What do you mean?"

"Be a total disaster in bed," she said with a twinkle in her eye. "Do everything wrong, and make it a complete chore for her to make love with you. It won't matter how eager you are afterwards. She'll avoid having you back in her bed like you were carrying the plague. You should try to get her back in bed yourself a few times after that, until she gives you the immortal 'let's be friends' speech. Then you agree, and you're friends again. And she won't even think of seducing you again."

Tarrin thought that over, then he laughed heartily. "Jula, that's wicked! It's funny, but it's totally evil!"

"You just have to approach these kinds of problems the right way, father, and they can solve themselves."

"How do I know if I'm doing it wrong, though?"

She looked at him. "I forgot, like this, you're mentally a virgin. If it won't offend you too much, I can tell you what to do to make sure Auli never tries to seduce you again. But I warn you, it's going to be graphic."

"It can't be any worse than some of the things Triana and Jesmind have said to me," he said calmly.

"Probably not," she chuckled in reply. "And remember, I'll be teaching you the wrong way. I don't want to hear your next girlfriend complaining, understand?"

He laughed, and to his surprise, he didn't feel embarassed at all. "You can explain it, and if I find myself pinned by Auli, I'll try it your way," he told her.

"It's the least I can do, father," she said with a gentle smile, as they turned the corner on the border of the hedge maze. They walked along the path with patches of beautiful multicolored flowers on one side and the hedge wall on the other, and Jula began teaching Tarrin how to get rid of Auli.

Neither was aware of the eyes following them.

Tarrin felt rather reassured after his talk with Jula. He'd gotten to know her alot better, and she actually had quite good advice when it came to dealing with Auli. He thought that she had quite a good idea there with acting the dunce. It probably would make Auli lose interest in him faster than anything else. He just hoped he'd have presence of mind to try to do it.