"That's your choice, kitten," she said evenly, betraying no hint of her personal feelings in the matter.

"You've given me a place to start, at least," he grunted. "Not everyone knows about that blood, and it shouldn't be too hard to find out who's been there in the last few days."

"Just don't let it consume you, kitten. You have other things to do."

"I know, Mother," he said, leading her over to the bed and helping her sit down. He, on the other hand, remained standing before her, still with his paws between her hands. "I'm giving myself three days, then I'm leaving. Whether I find my answers or not."

"I don't object to that," she smiled. "I know you know where you're going to go." He nodded, but she cut him off before he could speak. "I know where it is," she said in a cautioning tone, shifting her gaze to the door, and the two Knights that stood beyond it.

"It was the best place I could think of," he explained.

"I agree with you," she smiled.

"Mother, what happened to me when I was turned again?" he asked. "With the potion and all. I feel a little different now than I did before."

"That's to be expected," she said calmly. "Your Druidic powers are stronger now than they were before, because of the irregularity of your turning. You may be a warrior, but your soul is that of a magic-user, and that caused you to strengthen your ties to the All with the second turning. Since you knew it was there, you reached out for it this time much more willingly than the last, and it responded to you. You've reached a level of ability that's going to make it a little more complicated to use. You'll need Triana's instruction, and I suggest you don't use your Druidic talents unless absolutely necessary."

He nodded in understanding, a little surprised. He had managed to strengthen his own Druidic ability? He wondered how that happened, because he certainly didn't remember reaching out to the All… and he could remember every excruciating moment of the process of being turned. Maybe it happened on a level beyone his senses, or maybe the pain had blinded him to what was going on. Either was a reasonable explanation.

"I think I told you once before, kitten, that the Weave and the All are connected. I won't bore you with an exhaustive explanation of what happened, so I'll sum it up for you. Part of what makes you so powerful is that fact that you're both a Druid and a Sorcerer. Each feeds off the other in a way that you can't understand, and your ability to use both forms of magic makes both of them stronger. Without your Sorcery, your Druidic powers would have been only slightly stronger than Thean's, and without your Druidic ability, you would have been only marginally stronger than Jenna in Sorcery. When your Drudic abilities increased, it caused a proportional increase in your powers of Sorcery."

"The Weave is part of the All," he reasoned immediately. "A body attuned to Sorcery would be more receptive to the power of the All, and a person capable of touching the All would have more power to use against the Weave."

"Very well done, my kitten," she said with sincere delight, smiling gloriously at him.

"That's why Jasana is so much stronger than I am," he concluded with a slap of his tail against the floor. "She's a strong Druid!"

"She's strong in both," the Goddess nodded. "But she's not too much stronger than you now. You could easily handle her, because of your experience."

"I could do that before."

"No, you could have handled her before, but only with great difficulty and considerable risk. You never faced her when she used her full power against you, kitten. Even you are going to be very surprised when you finally see it. Now it will be much easier for you to contain her if it's needful."

Tarrin nodded grimly. That was something he'd long worried about, but it was a worry for another day.

"Am I going to lose all this memory?"

"Some," she nodded. "The memory of your lifetime will fade over time until your memory will be as it was before, but the memories you gained from the Weave are branded into you. You couldn't forget them if you tried."

"I wouldn't want to. Is this what Jenna learned from Spyder?"

"Most of it," she answered. "You learned considerably more than Jenna did, mostly things pertaining to Sorcery itself."

"I noticed that. I can do almost any spell any Sorcerer has ever used," he said without any boasting in his voice.

"Jenna is the repository of the order's history and culture. You are now the repository of its magical lore. I want you to teach Jenna absolutely every spell you know that she doesn't, Tarrin," she said, using his name to drive her order home. "I want it done by tomorrow night."

"It will be done, Mother," he said solemny.

She took a hand off his paw and reached over, touching his cheek. He closed his eyes and submitted to that touch, leaning his face against her hand. "I have missed you so much, my kitten," she said lovingly. "I stayed away from you while you were human because I didn't want to interfere. I know how you felt, and I knew my involvement would only overwhelm you. That Tarrin wasn't prepared to handle someone like me."

"I think it would have," he agreed. "I don't think that other me could have managed to be very rational when he realized just who he was talking to." He opened his eyes and looked at her. "You said you wouldn't let anyone interfere with my choice," he told her, his voice just reaching the edges of accusation.

"I said I'd be extremely cross with them if they did," she said. "I never said I'd directly intefere."

"I hate it when you have an answer for everything," he growled.

"I wouldn't be much of a god if I didn't," she teased with a bright smile. "Don't worry, kitten. I am rather cross with the culprit. The extent of my irritation will become apparent to the offending party very soon."

"Then maybe the wrathful bolts of lightning will guide me in the right direction," he mused.

She laughed lightly, a cascade of choral bells, and patted him on the cheek. "I see you're back to your old self," she winked.

"Would you have expected anything less, Mother?"

She grinned. "No, probably not," she admitted. "So, what are you going to do now? There are several people who are very anxious to see you."

"I can imagine," he grunted. "I guess I'll let Triana know I'm alright. I'm not sure I want to see anyone else at the moment."

"Don't be nasty, kitten," she said. "Jesmind and Kimmie are both very worried about you. They love you."

"I know they do, Mother, and I love them," he said in an annoyed voice, "but sometimes love isn't enough. Jesmind was inexcusable in the way she acted, and I'll bet Kimmie would have been the same way if she hadn't been so busy helping Phandebrass with the potion." He did feel a sudden twang. "I hope all that work wasn't hard on the baby," he said in concern.

"The baby is fine," she said. "Kimmie knows her limits. She's also getting noticably thick around the middle. She'll pop in a couple of months."

"So soon?" he said with a sigh. "And I missed so much already. I guess I'm going to miss the baby's birth, too."

"I'm just asking you not to be like them," she said. "You know what I mean."

He sighed. Of course he knew what she meant. To be unforgiving and hold a grudge. "I'll probably settle down once my temper cools off, but it's still too new," he told her, flexing his fingers in an ominous manner. "I intend to remind Jesmind just where she stands," he warned.

"That's all I can ask for, kitten," she smiled gently. "Now, I've held you here long enough," she announced, standing up. "You have a few things to do, and so do I. Oh, kitten, I think an old friend is waiting to hear from you. You should let her know what's going on… and that you might need her."