Honor and Blood

It was a very long time in coming. Tarrin reached out and embraced his sister, holding her soul in his arms the same way he would have held her body, and he felt the core of her close to him. Topmost in that sensation was the love they shared, the deep co

"Tarrin, I've missed you so much!" Je

"I've missed you too," he returned, revelling in the sensation of finally being near to a member of his family again.

Their embrace was a long one, but they eventually pushed out so they could look at one another, Je

"I'm glad you made it," he told her. "This doesn't tire me out like projecting does."

"You'll have to teach me how you do that."

"I already did," he smiled. "Now then, why don't you tell me all about what happened in Ungardt? And not just what happened with magic. I want to hear all about your visit there."

For quite a while, Tarrin listened to Je

Je

After Je

"You mean that ugly dead thing was being forced to do it all along?" Je

Tarrin nodded. "But he's free now, and he's going after the man who enslaved him. He won't bother you again."

"I used to have nightmares about it," Je

"Well, that's something you never have to worry about again," he told her gently. "If you do ever see Jegojah again, he'll be there as a friend, not as an assassin. He asked about you, you know."

"It did?"

Tarrin nodded. "He wanted to be sure that you were alright. He was worried that he may have hurt you."

"Well, that was nice, I guess," she said after a moment.

Tarrin felt a distant sensation. Sarraya was tugging on his ear. "Sarraya wants me for something, Je

"I don't want to go," she sulked.

"Je

Je

"Well, I guess you won't, but I can contact you with the amulet," he told her. "I could contact you and tell you to come home. You'd know that means to come to the Heart."

"Why not just tell me?"

"Speaking through the amulets isn't secure," he told her. "But talking here is."

"Oh. Alright."

"I have to go," Tarrin said. "Sarraya's about to pull my ear off. I'll see you soon, Je

"Goodbye, Tarrin. Good luck," she called as Tarrin withdrew from her, and then sent his consciousness back to his body.

Tarrin opened his eyes and winced as Sarraya wrenched his ears. "What?" he demanded in irritation.

"It's your watch!" she growled at him. "I'd like to sleep sometime tonight, you know!"

"It's that late?"

"You've been off chasing dragons for nearly four hours!" she said hotly. "Now I'm going to go to sleep. Try not to go back to zombie land, will you?"

"Well, go on," he told her, standing up. "I'll keep watch."

Sarraya frowned at him, then buzzed over to the tent and slid inside. Tarrin sat down on a rock, looking out into the darkness, and he smiled. It was good to be with his sister again, to really be with her. The Heart was just as real as reality, but it wasn't her body he'd spent time with, it was her soul. That made it that much better. It made it seem nearly holy, to hover there in the Heart and catch up with his sister, dealing with her soul to soul.

It put Tarrin in a very good mood. He felt much better now that he knew Je

He felt much better.

He looked out into the desert, towards the mountains, knowing that tomorrow would be the last day he'd spend in the Desert of Swirling Sands. They'd reach those mountains by afternoon. They'd reach them, and his time in the desert would be over. The lessons he had learned in the desert, however, would stay with him, be a part of him for the rest of his life. They were important lessons, needed lessons, and he now fully understood why the Goddess had sent him here.

The harshness of the desert had taught him that he was his own master. The demons within would always be there. They would always be part of him, and he would always struggle against them, but now he knew he had the strength to conquer them.