"I didn't know there were other Towers. Everyone talks like this one is the only one."

"The other one is all the way across the world," Jenna chuckled. "The Conduit that the Tower was built around comes out of the earth here in Suld, but it goes into the earth in Abrodar. It's on the other side of the world. Dolanna is from the Tower in Abrodar, didn't you know that?"

"No, I didn't," Tarrin said. "Why is she up here?"

"Because the two Towers send Sorcerers between them, so we can keep in touch and so we don't grow too far apart," she replied. "That way our purpose is always the same, even if we're on opposite sides of the world."

"There's alot more to this than I thought," Tarrin admitted. "I wonder what it looks like. That other Tower, I mean."

"I saw an Illusion of it that Alexis made for me," Jenna replied. "It's not even half the size of this one, and it only has three splinter towers, instead of the six we have. This Tower was the main one, Tarrin. Before the Breaking. Think of this Tower as the capitol city of the Sorcerers. It was the largest, and most of the greatest katzh-dashi lived here."

"I didn't know that."

"Not many do," Jenna nodded. "I didn't myself until Spyder gave me all her knowledge."

"Who?"

"Oh, that's right, you don't remember that," she sighed. "Spyder is another Sorcerer, the oldest and most powerful of us all. When we were here at Suld getting ready for the battle, she came to us and taught us some of the old magic. She also taught me about the history of the katzh-dashi, so I could restore it to the order. So we'd know who we used to be and what our purpose is in the world."

"What is the purpose of the katzh-dashi?" Tarrin asked curiously. "I don't think I ever heard anyone say."

"To serve," she said simply. "We served the Goddess, and before the Breaking, it was our duty to watch over the world and make sure that the power of magic flowed seamlessly, and help other magic-users when they needed our assistance. Back then, magic was very powerful, and our primary job was to maintain the Weave. Repair damage caused by runaway magic and keep the Weave healthy. When we weren't doing that, we helped Wizards and Priests create magical objects, since Sorcerers can prepare an object so that it can hold a permanent enchantment. We also spent alot of time helping the common people, providing healing and such for those too poor to afford hiring a Priest and such. The Weave is back to normal now, but most of the knowledge of those ancient magics has been lost, so we may not be called on to do most of what we used to do for a while. Until then, we're going to learn. Learn all about who we once were, so when the time does come that we'll be needed again, we'll be ready."

"You said only Sorcerers can make magical objects?" Tarrin said. "I heard Kimmie talking about some flying device that the Zakkites use. Didn't they make that themselves?"

"Well, I didn't say that exactly," she pointed out. "Wizards and Priests can make magical objects, but it takes them a really long time, and it can cost them alot in terms of money and effort. A Sorcerer can prepare an object in a fraction of the time and cost. What may take a Wizard a year to make, he could do it in a month if a Sorcerer helped him. Wizards and Priests do make objects that they don't want us to know they have, but in the past, for most other things, they'd bring it to us and ask us to prepare it for them. We'd do it for them because it's our duty to support magic in all its forms. Remember, brother, we're the followers of the goddess of magic. All magic, not just the Weave. So when other orders of magic need our help, we give it to them."

"I didn't know that, but it makes sense," Tarrin said after a moment. "If we helped them, why did they cause the Breaking?" he asked. "I mean, Dolanna told me about that. She said that someone killed the sui'kun, and that caused the Weave to tear."

"Nobody really knows who did that," Jenna answered. "Or Spyder didn't. Some people think some renegade Priests did it, some think that Wizards did it, but some think that some other group did it, some group that hated magic. Nobody really knows."

"It's too bad."

"I doubt it'll happen again. Not even the most rabid magic haters would want to cause another Breaking. Not now that they know what would happen if they did."

"Have you written to mother and father lately?"

She nodded. "Yesterday I used magic to talk to them. They're doing fine. Oh, they wanted me to tell you that they're a bit ticked off with Jesmind. She was living in our house, and she rearranged things. You know how mother is."

Tarrin laughed. "I didn't know she was living in our house."

"She was, while we were here in Suld. Mother said that if she comes back, she has to build her own house somewhere in the meadow."

"I wonder how Jesmind is going to take that," Tarrin said with a chuckle. "She doesn't seem like how the others described her to me, but if she really is like that, it's likely to start a feud."

"Jesmind is pretty much like how people describe her, but she loves you, brother," she said. "When you're concerned, she's capable of acting way out of her character. She's already established a pattern of doing that for your benefit."

"Like how?"

"Well, did they tell you about what happened when the two of you first met?" Tarrin nodded. "Okay, well, when you ran away from Jesmind, she was supposed to have to kill you, because you rejected the Were-cats and became a Rogue. But she didn't do it. She kept trying to talk you back, even steal you back a few times, and she wouldn't do what she was supposed to do. She even seduced you, which was really against what she was supposed to do," Jenna giggled. "When she got pregnant and left, she continued to rally for you with her mother, Triana, and that intrigued her enough for her to come and look you over before deciding whether or not to kill you. If Jesmind hadn't been so adamant about it, Triana would have just killed you and been done with it. I think Jesmind's loved you from the minute she saw you, Tarrin. Ever since that first day, she's gone way out of her way for you, in more than one way."

Tarrin was silent a moment as he considered that. And it made him want to talk to Jesmind, get to know her, even more.

"I feel bad that I don't remember her," Tarrin admitted with a sigh.

"I know it's not easy," Jenna said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "But she's here now, isn't she? Just talk to her, brother. Get to know her again. And when you get your memory back, it'll just give you another aspect of knowing her. You have a rare chance here, brother. You and Jesmind have always had a very stormy relationship. Jesmind loves to fight, even with you, and never a day went by when the two of you weren't shouting at one another over something insignificant and stupid. But now you get a chance to get to know her all over again, when she's not going to fight with you. She wouldn't dare, because she doesn't want to scare you or push you away."

"Why were we always fighting?" Tarrin asked. "If we did love each other, why fight?"

"Because of the Were nature," she answered. "Were-cats base most of their society on strength. Jesmind fought with you all the time to establish herself in your eyes, to show you that she wasn't weak. That she was a good mate that would produce strong children. And you fought back to retain your dominance over her, because among the Were-cats, only Triana was over you in their society, brother. You were above all of them but her, and sometimes you had to reinforce that dominance."

"That sounds, bizarre," he said.

"It's very simple, if you remember that you had cat instincts as well as human ones," she told him. "The Were-cats are part animal. Never forget that. Were-cat society is based on strength, first and foremost. And there were none stronger than you, Tarrin," she said proudly. "You bowed to Triana only because you saw her as a mother figure. And since you bowed to her, that put her above you in the eyes of the rest of the society. Don't think of the Were-cats as humans with fur, brother. They're very, very different from humans."