Honor and Blood

"That'll be handy. Alright, I know you're up there, brother, so get yourself into the courtyard," she ordered. "Let us handle this for you. You just keep the Goddess company, and keep her safe."

"Alright," he said. "Is Kerri there with you?"

"Right here," she replied.

"Tell her no heroics. I'm going to the courtyard, just as soon as I pick up my mate, daughter, and Jula. If anyplace in this city is going to be safe, it's going to be the courtyard."

"Good luck."

"You too," he said, then he turned towards one of the staircases.

It was tense, waiting for the sunrise, but it did eventually come. It was the dawn of a fateful day, a day whose outcome wasn't entirely certain.

Tarrin stood near the fountain, fidgeting uncomfortably, looking through a magically created window in nothing he had made. An image within it showed the enemy army, massing up and preparing for the assault. Jula stood beside him, watching in nervous worry, and Jasana sat on the bench at the foot of the fountain, playing with the doll Triana gave her and chatting idly with Miranda as Jesmind paced near the tent, and Phandebrass' drakes chased each other through the air around the fountain. Everyone else was out there. All his friends and family were out there, out in the danger. His sisters, Triana and Thean, Kimmie and Dar, Azakar and Phandebrass, Camara Tal and Sarraya, they were all out there, all ready to fight. Keritanima had forced Miranda to seek refuge in the courtyard with Tarrin, knowing that it would be the safest place in Suld. Miranda had bristled at the command, but she couldn't argue about it for long. This would be a battle fought primarily with magic, before the magic broke down and it turned into a melee. Miranda was not suited for fighting either kind of battle. Miranda was suited for wars of rumor and messages and looks and plans, not spells and swords and muskets and blood. The little mink Wikuni needed to be out of harm's way. Phandebrass had left Chopstick and Turnkey with Tarrin as well, leaving him a note to kindly watch after his pets, and not discount how useful they may be in his serious task to defend the last line. Phandebrass had managed to say as much in only a page and a half. That was rather brief for the long-winded mage.

Right about now, Tarrin regretted not having Keritanima tell him what was going on. He sca

"When's it going to start?" Jula asked, with a quivering voice.

"I don't know, daughter," he grunted in reply. "I wasn't sitting in the pla

"I should be out there."

"I need you here," he told her. "If they get this far, then it's up to us to stop them. You, me, and Jasana."

"I know, but it feels… cowardly, hiding here in the courtyard. I know about them, I should be out there helping."

"You're not a part of them anymore," he reminded her. "You're one of us now."

"I know, but after what Kravon did to me-" she cut herself short, closing her eyes. That was still a very raw wound for her. "I just wish I had him right here. I'd show him how it feels to be a lab rat!"

"You may get your chance," Tarrin said absently, seeing that the ki'zadun had finished forming up their lines. Now, they were just waiting for the sun to rise, so it would put the light of the sun in the faces of their enemies. Tarrin watched, and he considered what one of them would have to go through to get to him. The katzh-dashi at the walls, and the combined forces of some four kingdoms, complete with a large number of ca

All that protection, yet in the face of the countless numbers arrayed against them, Tarrin did not at all feel as confident as he did a few days ago.

The sun finally managed to peek over the eastern horizon. Tarrin knew that they'd wait just long enough for the sun's light to cause a problem for their advesaries, and then they'd attack. He explained that to Jula, who growled in her throat. "The cowards," she snapped.

Something was happening. Tarrin saw it on the corner of the image, and mentally moved it. He adjusted it to include sound, and the sound that greeted them was a massive, hideous tearing of the earth. Tarrin watched in mute fascination as a great thing clambered out of the soil of the earth, leaving a massive crater behind, and that fascination turned to utter awe as the thing stood up. It was absolutely immense! He could actually see the very top of its head in the distance, towering over the buildings and the city wall. It had to be a hundred spans tall! What power had summoned up something so huge?

When it turned to face the inhuman armies sieging Suld, Tarrin realized what it was. It was an Earth Elemental, and its size meant that it was a druidic Elemental. That was Triana's work!

Goddess! All this time, Triana had had that kind of power, to summon forth something so absolutely massive that it defied rational explantion? And he'd never known!

"What is that?" Jula gasped, making Miranda leave Jasana's side and come over to look.

"It's an Earth Elemental, a Druidic one," Tarrin replied. "Triana summoned that thing up. It should take a big bite out of Kravon's army."

"Then we're right on schedule," Miranda mused.

"You know the plan, don't you, Miranda?" Tarrin asked.

"Of course I do," she said with a cheeky grin. "It's easy to miss me, you know. I don't think they even realized I was there. And if they did, they certainly didn't think I was paying attention."

"I've been standing here mulling all that over, and all I had to do was ask you," he said in disgust.

"I can't help it if you forget things like that," she teased.

"It's been a while since I've seen you, Miranda," he said defensively. "Given your attributes, it's easy to forget how smart you are."