"So you say that more than Sulasia could be affected by this?" Allia asked.

"Sister, the entire world can be affected by this. I don't think either of you understand just how critically important Suld is on the world stage. The person who sits on the Lion Throne wields vast amounts of power, power that extends far beyond Sulasia's borders. Sulasia's the most important kingdom In the West."

"Why?" Tarrin asked.

"Because of the Tower, for one," she answered. "And it's also the most stable kingdom on Sennadar. All the other kingdoms have histories of turmoil and unrest, but Sulasia's been plodding along in domestic harmony for about five thousand years now. Even when there's a change of dynasty, things have always been settled quickly and without much fuss, because the Keeper's always been there to step in and keep things running smoothly while a new king was chosen. All the other kingdoms look up to Sulasia like a big brother. That's why whoever sits on the Lion Throne has a great deal of influence. But this time it's different, though," she mused, tapping her muzzle with a finger as she thought. "Things have never been this unstable in Sulasia before, at least not to Wikuni memory. If the nobles don't find a competent successor and ram him through the selection process, they may very well start fighting among themselves."

"What's the selection process?" Allia asked.

"The same as it is for any other kingdom, sister," she replied. "Someone with a tracable royal or noble bloodline steps up and says 'I'm the King.' Noble houses either support or denounce him. If he has enough support among the noble houses, he's the king. If too many powerful houses denounce him, he's usually exiled. That's why the candidates are always very sure to have their support lined up before they make a claim on the throne."

"That's a fairly simplified explanation, but it's pretty accurate given how much you left out," Sarraya agreed. "There's a great deal of maneuvering and jockeying among the nobles to line up that support, and sometimes it can take a while. There are also a bunch of formal ceremonies and such involved with making the claim. And the High Priest of Karas has to at least not openly denounce the candidate."

"I forgot about that part," Keritanima admitted. "But it's not an official rule. In just about any kingdom, if the church rejects a monarch, the people are likely to reject him too. Churches hold alot of power over the citizenry, and the king rules at their suffrage. Especially in monotheseistic nations like Sulasia."

"Mono-what?" Sarraya asked.

"Only worshipping one god," she answered. "We have nine here in Wikuna, so as long as I don't offend a majority of the churches, and the church of Kikkalli in particular, I'm on solid ground."

"I didn't know you have nine," Tarrin mused.

"Oh, yes," she smiled. "Kikkalli is the only name you've ever heard. She's the goddess of trade, ships, good weather, and the seas, and every Wikuni alive worships her. But we also have a god of money and prosperity that's fairly popular, a god of luck, a goddess of bad luck, a goddess of joy, and a god of protection. Denthar, the god of knowledge, and Dragor, the god of creativity, are human gods, but they found roots in our pantheon because they appeal to us, and we also worship Saltemis, the Elder god of the waters and oceans. We are an ocean-going people, after all," she chuckled.

"You have two gods of the ocean?" Allia asked in confusion.

"That way we cover both sides of our butt," Keritanima said with a wolfish smile. "Saltemis is the Elder God, and that means he's the god of all the oceans. But Kikkalli is a patron of the seas too, among other things, and she's much more likely to answer our prayers, because she's the ruler of the Wikuni pantheon. When your entire culture depends on the sea, you don't take any chances that you may offend one of the gods who has sway over it."

"Ah. Why worship a god of bad luck?"

"To keep her from visiting you," Keritanima grinned. "Shaar isn't worshipped out of love, sister. She's honored to keep her from singling you out. A devout Wikuni in search of a little luck first asks for luck from Sheel, then appeases Shaal to keep her from taking that good luck away."

"Sheel and Shaar?" Tarrin noted.

"According to Wikuni myth, Shaar was originally the goddess of beauty. She was in love with Sheel, but he spurned her, so out of spite she became the goddess of bad luck, in order to undo everything Sheel represents. When she became the goddess of bad luck, she became ugly, and a very old legend says that when she turned ugly and we lost a god of beauty, all the Wikuni turned ugly too," she said in a scoffing manner. "According to that old story, that's why the gods turned us into what we are now, to hide our looks behind the faces and fur of animals. I think it's a crock, myself. In fact, I know it is. I remember the story you told about our origins, Tarrin. Our gods changed how we looked to sever us completely from our Sha'Kar origins. To make us our own people."

"I'd say they succeeded there," Sarraya agreed.

"That's an interesting story," Allia mused. "I'd like to hear more about the legends of your gods someday, sister."

"Someday when we both have lots of time, I can have every priest and bard in Wikuna tell you everything you want to hear," she smiled. "But that'll have to be later. Right now, there are more important matters, and I've drifted way off the topic here."

"We didn't mind, Kerri. Actually, it was interesting to hear about that," Tarrin assured her.

"Whatever," she said with a toss of her hair. "Jenna's going to project over here sometime today, so try not to go so fast," she teased. "I thought about it yesterday, but you and Allia must have been racing or something. It's too hard to keep up with you."

"Just get ahead of us," Allia told her.

"We can't do that," she answered. "You forget how this works. The Weavescape doesn't match the landscape, so I can't just jump ahead. Ahead in the Weave is different than ahead in reality. If I tried that, I may build my projection inside solid rock. It wouldn't hurt, but I'd be wondering why it was so bloody dark."

Sarraya laughed richly as she landed on Tarrin's shoulder.

"I can feel it when you're looking for me, Kerri," Tarrin told her. "I didn't feel anything yesterday."

"I didn't really get that close," she answered. "I can feel you moving around from the Heart, brother. That's how much of an effect you have on the Weave now. Anyone in the Heart can feel you moving around."

Tarrin frowned. He didn't know that, and more to the point, he didn't like it. He'd never sensed Spyder like that; perhaps the Urzani had learned to mask herself in some way. If so, that was a trick he fully intended to learn. The idea that any Weavespinner could find him any time they wanted did not sit well with his cautious Were-cat nature.

"Tell Jenna to seek us in the afternoon," Allia told her. "We'll have stopped for the night by then, and she should be able to find us."

"That'll work," she said, pulling up the shoulder of her nightgown absently, only to have it immediately slip down her arm. "Any trouble?"

"Nothing major," Tarrin answered. "We had a close call with a kajat, but it wasn't anything serious."

"How far are you along?"

"We're about seven days from the Cloud Spire," Allia answered. "That's our destination. Tarrin wants to show me the city at its top."

"I'd like to see that too," Keritanima grinned.

"Come over when we get there, and you will," he told her.

"Any instructions or anything you need to pass on?"

"Not really. How are Auli and that human doing?"

"Auli's having a blast," Keritanima chuckled. "Don't worry, deshaida," she's not acting wild. She's just having alot of fun. She has you absolutely pegged, by the way," she winked. "Sometimes even I forget it's not you. The human's doing alot better now than he was before. He has your personality down well enough, but the Illusion wasn't working out as well as we'd hoped."