Tarrin nodded. "I think that's one reason why I went so easy on the Keeper. I should have killed her. But whoever has been trying to kill me has an agent in the Tower, and I don't relish letting that continue. I may reject the Tower, but I am a Sorcerer. I have friends there, like you, Sevren, and I can't just let this enemy run loose. She may have someone I care for killed, just to spite me."
"It won't be easy to expose her," he said. "The only one with the kinds of resources we'd need to expose her would be Ahiriya, but she can't be trusted."
"Why not?" Darvon asked.
"Because the traitor is a woman," Miranda said calmly. "Any woman in the Tower is a suspect, no matter what position she holds. But I can narrow it down for you, Sevren."
"I'm listening."
"You're looking for someone in a position of authority," she told him. "It doesn't have to be an office, only an experienced Sorceress with ties in the Tower and respect, but someone in an official office would have a better chance at remaining undiscovered. She'll be careful and meticulous, and may have mannerisms that mirror that part of her personality. Look for someone who is compulsively neat, and always preens herself to look her best in any situation. She'll also be very careful, and most likely will eliminate anyone she feels is getting close to her. So I can't stress how carefully anyone searching for her will have to tread."
"That does not excuse them for turning Tarrin Were," Allia said savagely. "They still must be punished. Among my people, an eye for an eye is our motto. Tarrin should have bitten her."
"No," he said with a shudder. "I will never put someone else through what I've gone through, sister. There are some punishments that are too severe."
"But this does open things," Dolanna said. "I have heard the story of the Firestaff. If the time of its activation is indeed drawing close, it explains the chaos I have seen over the last few months. Anyone with knowledge of the legend will be trying to find it. If it is dangerous as Tarrin says, then we cannot allow it to be used. A war between gods would devastate the world." She looked at him. "I cannot help but feel partially responsible for all this. But that is not the reason I will go with you, my dear one. You are a friend, and you have been charged by the Goddess for a task. I will support you, for I too am a true child of the Goddess. What she wills is what I support. I dare believe that she has given us all a choice, else she would have directly ordered us to go. In my case, my choice is with you."
"Count me in," Azakar said. "Tarrin is my Sorcerer. I can't protect him if I'm not near him. I don't much like the idea of having to go back to Yar Arak, but I have my duty."
"I don't think I want to go back to the Tower after what I just heard," Dar said with a shudder. "If Dolanna will teach me, I'll go with you. That way I don't miss anything."
Tarrin looked at Allia. "Brother, my place is always by your side," she smiled. "So long as we can continue together, I do not care where we go."
"Kerri?"
She gave him a fuming look. "This is not what I wanted to do to get away from my father, Tarrin," she snapped at him. "Going to Yar Arak means a ship, and that's my father's domain. It'll be suicide. But if Allia is going for this insanity, I guess I don't have much of a leg to stand on."
"My place is at her Highness' side," Miranda said calmly. "I hope you have room for me."
"I can help you in that regard," Tomas spoke up. "The Star of Jerod is in port right now, being loaded for a trip to the Stormhavens. They had a poor harvest, and Queen Derienne has been buying up food for her people to live out the winter, and she's paying a sum that makes braving the ice worth the risk. After dropping that off, they're travelling to Den Gauche, and then on to Dayise to pick up goods that'll be brought back up in the spring. I can arrange for a few cabins to be left available. When you get to Dayise, you can find a ship going anywhere in the world."
"I really appreciate that, Tomas," Tarrin told him sincerely.
"Brother, you are driving me crazy," Allia said finally.
"What?"
"Take those things off!" she demanded.
Tarrin looked down at his arms, at the heavy manacles on his wrists. And when he saw them, his eyes turned hard. "No," he said grimly. "They aren't coming off."
She gave him a hot look, a look that promised that she was far from done, but said nothing further on the matter.
"So, we go to Yar Arak," Faalken said. "I've always wanted to go there."
"It's not what you imagine," Azakar said with a sharp closing of his eyes.
"It will make finding a pearl in a barrel of beads an easy task in comparison," Dolanna sighed. "Dala Yar Arak is the largest city in the world. To find a single book there will be an impossible task."
"And we won't be the only ones looking," Miranda reminded in a calm tone. "We may have to take it from someone else who finds it first."
"Yes," Dolanna agreed.
Tarrin looked down, his curious numbness beginning to wear thin. He would have to face what he had done, very soon. And now he had an extra burden to bear over and above the stark truth of what he had done, what he had become.
What he was.
"I can't thank you enough," he said. "I don't really know how to do this. I'm no crusader or hero. I'm nothing like that. I'm just a villager."
"Tarrin, everyone comes from somewhere," Faalken said with a smile. "Trust me. If your Goddess didn't think you could do it, she wouldn't have asked you."
"You will not be alone, young one," Dolanna smiled. "We will be here to help you, no matter the circumstances."
"If you're going on my ship, you have to get ready," Tomas said. "It leaves at dawn. Captain Kern won't wait around."
"Yes, we should prepare. Do we have monies for an extended trip?"
"The Knights will open the coffers for you, Dolanna," Darvon told her. "I think we can support the activities of Knights sanctioned by the Lord General. You'll leave with enough to get you to Yar Arak and back in comfort." He leaned forward. "And while you're gone, I think the Knights will start entrenching themselves in the city. If Erick is trying for the Firestaff, we may want to be in a position to stop him if he actually manages to get his hands on it."
"Darvon, that is treason!" Faalken gasped.
"It'll be worse if that ass uses it," Darvon growled. "Erick doesn't make a very good king. He'd be a horrible god. The Knights are sworn to uphold the land, not her ruler. If Sulasia is better served by getting rid of Erick, then it's the duty of the Order to carry through with it." He looked at Tarrin. "And this city will always be open to you, Tarrin. You're a Knight, and we are all One Under Karas. We'll always be here for you if you need us. Just call."
"That makes me very very secure, Lord General," Tarrin told him. "If not for you, I'd still be imprisoned. I can't ever pay you back for that."
"You don't have to. The Knights look after their own."
"I'll do what I can for the Tower, Darvon," Sevren said. "Koran Dar is a friend of mine. I'm a little mad at him for agreeing to what they did to Tarrin, but I'll have a little talk with him. So please don't burn your bridges with the kazth-dashi just yet."
"I won't," Darvon agreed. "But until we feel that the Tower is secure, we won't be there, and no Knight will escort any female Sorcerer. You'll have to come here to talk with us."