"Oh," Tarrin mused, thinking that he understood it. "It sounds like you want her."
She is a good woman, kitten, the Goddess told him. No god turns away from a subject in need, and Keritanima is in need. If she's not careful, she'll end up like her father. Dark, cynical, and obsessed with holding onto her throne. It would be a tragedy to see such potential wasted. She's just like you, my kitten. All she needs is some positive support and a bit of nurturing, and she'll turn out to be a wonderful queen. The kind of queen that's remembered for thousands of years for her beneficent rule.
"She doesn't want to be queen."
We'll see, the Goddess said slyly. I want you to give her the amulet, kitten. Give it to her, and tell her that it's a gift from the goddess of the katzh-dashi. If I'm right, it will give me enough of an opening to speak to her heart.
"That'll probably make her suspicious."
Yes, it will, but it will also make her curious, the Goddess replied. That curiosity may be enough. Keritanima is just like the fox she resembles. She's intensely curious, and once her curiosity has been piqued, she's almost incapable of not satisfying it.
"I noticed that about her."
I rather thought that you did. I've also noticed you noticing some other things about her.
Had he been in his humanoid form, he would have blushed. "I guess it's just curiosity," he replied. "All that fur must itch underneath those clothes."
Look at it from her side. She's never known anything else, now has she?
Tarrin couldn't argue that point.
Just do me my favor, kitten. Try to get it to her as soon as you can. It's rather important.
"I will," he promised. "I have a question."
Go ahead.
"What's going on? I know you know."
Yes, but I can't tell you, she said, almost regretfully. There are things that you have to discover on your own, and the actions you take because of what you know will decide your future. I can't interfere, because they must be your choices, unclouded by nudging and advice. I can't tell you anything you don't already know, but I can clarify some information you already possess.
"If I were to throw out an assumption, would you tell me if it's right?"
Some yes, some no, she replied. It will depend on how correct it is.
"Can you tell me what happened to me? In the Conduit?"
All I can say is that it awakened your true power, she replied. It is a part of who and what you are. They call you a Weavespinner, and they are correct. But they don't understand what that title truly means.
"What does it mean?"
It means that you are the Mi'Shara, she replied cryptically.
Mi'Shara? What in the world did that mean?
"That's not much of an answer."
It wasn't much of a question, she replied whimsically. Time is growing short, my kitten. Do me my favor and give Keritanima the amulet. There will be time enough for talking later. Remember, I do have other things to do, and I'm putting them off to talk to you.
"I'm so sorry to disrupt your schedule," Tarrin said dryly.
The Goddess laughed, a sound that vibrated in his soul, and in the strangest way, pleased him greatly. You are a treaure, my kitten, she told him. We will talk again soon. Until then, be well, and remember that I love you.
And then the sensation of her was gone, leaving inside him an emptiness, and even more questions. And one certainty.
The Goddess had planted that information, just as deftly as Keritanima directed her spies. She was salting him with information he would need for those future choices, information that would allow him to make those choices.
The Goddess also had a hand to play, and she was playing it through him.
Tarrin realized that he was an instrument of the Goddess of the Sorcerers, but he also knew, in his soul, that she cared for him. She wouldn't do something horrible to him. It was a complex relationship, that was true, but he trusted her.
He had faith in her.
Changing form, Tarrin waded through the fountain and carefully, gently slipped the amulet's silver chain off the statue's neck. The smell of the silver rose his hackles, and his pads burned where it touched him, clear warnings to him that the metal posed a danger to him. He stared at the statue for a long moment, taking in its flawless beauty, but his attention was focused on the gentle, loving expression on its face.
He had no idea what mire of intrigue he was thrown into, but he had the feeling that the Goddess would provide, even as he was certain that she was also a player in the game. Tarrin was her trump card, and he realized that he would do what she asked, if only because he trusted her, he believed in her.
She was his Goddess, and he had a duty to obey.
"I do believe," he said to the statue, cupping its lovely face with his paw's palm. "I do have faith. And I don't think I'll ever be alone." He leaned in and, ever-so-gently, kissed the statue on the cheek.
Then he was gone, to find Keritanima, to come to terms with the stirrings of religious contentment he felt inside.
In the empty courtyard, where not even the wind reached, the elegant, beautiful statue was smiling, and its eyes blazed with incandescent white light. The grass and flowers rippled from the power emanating from the statue in cascading waves, invisible bands of pure power that shivered the air itself.
The incandescent blazing eyes of the statue dimmed, and the expression on its stone face was one of joy.
Tarrin caught up with Keritanima just as she broke class for lunch. Tarrin himself was still a bit dazed after accepting the Goddess. It was a strange feeling, but it wasn't entirely unpleasant. Keritanima looked distracted, no doubt because her mind was still engulfed in the teaching of Sorcery. The Wikuni was indeed a natural, he realized. After only days of training she could conjure up very effective illusions. Allia, on the other hand, was still struggling just to pull flows from the strands. After the individual training, then they would all be put back into a class, where they would learn standard weaves, and also learn more about the Tower, the Goddess, and other things that only concerned those who could become katzh-dashi.
"Tarrin," she said in a nasal voice that told him that he was addressing the Brat Princess. "Want to come eat lunch with me?"
"I guess so," he replied after a slight hesitation.
"You forgot something," she flared, her amber eyes flashing.
"Your Highness," he added absently.
"That's better," she said calmly.
"What did you learn today?"
"Oh, I learned lots of things!" she said brightly. The Brat Princess shared Keritanima's enthusiasm for Sorcery. "Lula's such a good teacher. She taught me a weave that chills my milk, and a weave that makes stone become soft like clay, and another weave that warms the air around me if I'm cold."
"It sounds like you're doing very well."
"I love Sorcery!" she beamed. "It's so fun!" She patted him on the arm. "I'll never have to worry about getting dresses the right color, or freezing my tail off in that drafty old castle my father makes us live in, and I'll be able to do all those little things that nobody can ever get right. I can finally make everything just perfect!"
"I'm so happy for you," he said absently. She punched him in the arm. "Your Highness."
They stepped out into the cool autumn air, and Keritanima winced against the bright sunshine briefly. She imperiously glared at him until he offered his arm to her, and she placed her hand within it. He escorted her across the grounds, towards the main Tower. "What did you do today?" she asked idly.