Well, the easiest way, he saw, was to simply change form and stand on a rooftop for a moment, then hide again. If Ariana herself didn't see her, he didn't doubt that word of him would spread through the city like wildfire. Somehow, he got the idea that visitors up here weren't exactly commonplace, seeing as how the spire's architecture went to such lengths to discourage visitation. The bad side of that idea was that it could possibly spawn an intense hunt for the intruder, and he may get caught in cat form by some zealous crossbow-wielding sentry.

Another idea was to let himself be seen by only a few. They would spread the rumors, and that would bring Ariana to him. The good side of that was that since only a few would see him, it probably wouldn't spawn a frenzied hunt for the invader. The bad side was that it would most likely take Ariana a long time to hear the rumor and then come to investigate. And he couldn't hang around and wait for her to get wind of the rumor.

Those seemed to be the only two options available to him. One would bring Ariana immediately, but it was very dangerous. The other may bring her in days, maybe rides, but it was much safer. Neither seemed very palatable to him, because his reaction to crossbow-wielding strangers would probably be violent. He wanted to avoid putting himself in the position where he may have to kill. The only way to do that was to get stuck up here for days on end, when he didn't have the time to waste.

There is always another option, a voice echoed in his mind, and what got his tail twisted was that it was not the Goddess. It was female, but the voice was heavier, huskier, more rugged. It contained the same power as the voice of the Goddess, but it wasn't as strong.

"Who's there?" he demanded in the manner of the Cat. For a second, he thought that the voice had come from outside of him.

You know who I am, koshida, the voice called. It took him a second to realize that the voice was speaking Selani. And it called him koshida, which loosely translated to dear family friend, such as one would address the best friend of a child.

It was Fara'Nae!

Holy Mother! he thought in his mind, then he bowed his head. He had no idea how he was supposed to act towards Fara'Nae. He was used to the very informal ways in which his Goddess demanded he act towards her. "Please forgive my outburst, Holy Mother," he said contritely in the manner of the Cat. "Allia never taught me the proper way to address you."

I'll have to speak to her about that, the voice echoed within him, slightly amused. You have done well, my son. I am proud of you.

"What do you mean?"

I have sent the trials of the desert against you, to try to break you, and you have stood strong. You have even conquered the demons within you that seek to make you heartless. When you healed the enspelled Cloudracer, for no reason other than you felt it wrong to leave him unwhole, you proved yourself to me. Gladly I now call you my son, my child, and deserving of my love and guidance.

Tarrin didn't know what to say to that. He simply closed his eyes and bowed his head.

Your humility becomes you, my son. You are one of the most powerful beings in this world, and yet you see yourself as nothing more than any other. That is a very healthy view on life. My brands are honored that you wear them.

That made him feel even more foolish.

Fara'Nae chuckled within his mind. You have done well, my son, and it is time you reaped the rewards of your labor. Stand up. Follow my words, and I will guide you to the one you seek. There will be no danger or waiting for you today.

"As you command, Holy Mother," he said immediately, displacing Sarraya as he stood.

"Mmmph," Sarraya groaned. "Tarrin, what's wrong? Where are you going?"

"To find Ariana," he told her. "Come along."

Sarraya caught up with him as he followed the voice of Fara'Nae, who guided him along the twisted alleyways, telling in when to turn and which fork to take. It felt, odd, taking commands from another god than his own, but he had accepted long ago that the brands on his shoulders meant that he had vowed to obey Fara'Nae. Tarrin didn't take vows lightly. He had vowed to obey her, and he would do exactly that, no matter that she was not his goddess. He walked among Aeradalla who walked along the streets rather than flew, and they didn't seem to pay him very much attention. The encounter with the drake had showed him that the Aeradalla kept pets, and the black metal collar on his neck probably made him look like a pet someone had flown up to the city. He picked his way through them carefully, trying not to attract attention to himself, but that didn't seem to matter. It seemed that he wasn't worth their attention… and that suited him just fine.

The voice of the Holy Mother of the Selani led him to the edge of one of the tiers that were such a common feature in the city, and he looked down on an area that was much different from the small, rather ramshackle stone houses which occupied the tier upon which he stood. It was a tier of large warehouses and large buildings, the highest of the tiers that marked the district of merchants. It was a major boundary, so the tier wall was one of the high ones that marked those boundaries.

"Uh oh," Sarraya said from her invisible position. "Are we going down?"

"We are," he said after the voice of Fara'Nae confirmed it.

"How do you know where we're going? You figured out a weave to find her?"

"Something like that," he hedged. He wasn't sure if he should tell Sarraya that he was getting outside assistance. Not that it boosted his ego for her to think he could find Ariana, but that he didn't want her to get loud. He'd tell her after they were safely under a roof.

"Alright then, flawless guide, how do you get down?" Sarraya asked. "That's a forty span drop."

The answer to that seemed rather simple. He reached out with his senses and attuned himself to the Weave, then subdued it into doing his bidding. After he had the flows to heel, he wove together a small weave of pure Air, then jumped off the ledge.

"Tarrin!" Sarraya said in a strangled tone, and then he heard her wings buzz angrily as she sought to follow him. The weave of Air formed below him, forming a gentle net of pure air that slowed his descent without making it too obvious to any watching Aeradalla that the little black cat was doing something unnatural. He landed on the ground with respectable force, but nowhere near as hard a landing as it would have been had he not cushioned his fall with air.

"Tarrin, are you nuts?" Sarraya demanded in a harsh whisper. "You almost gave me a heart attack!"

"Sorry," he said dismissively. "We go this way."

"Warn me next time! I can't feel anything when you use magic that way, so I had no idea you magicked yourself!"

"You can't feel anything?" he asked curiously.

"Nothing!" she snapped.

"Just like how I couldn't feel anything from the Sha'Kar," he noted clinically. "Curious. Neither Sorcery nor Druidic magic can detect Weavespinner magic."

"Save the analysis until after I finish yelling at you!" she said furiously.

Loud, isn't she? the voice of Fara'Nae remarked dryly in his mind.

"You have no idea," he grunted under his breath in the manner of the Cat.

"Did you just say something?" Sarraya demanded hotly.

"Not to you," he said pointedly, then he walked away from her. Sarraya stuck her tongue out at him, which he couldn't see because she was invisible, then flitted along behind.

He moved along those scruffy paved streets, between warehouses and large buildings, wondering idly how they managed to get any large items up to the city, large enough to require warehouses. It was something of a puzzle, but the voice of Fara'Nae interrupted his thoughts whenever she intruded herself on his thoughts to give him directions. She led him far out onto the tier, very nearly to the next tier wall, then told him calmly that he was at his destination. It was a large building that had a sign of a winged lion outside of it, and the sounds and smells that came from within were of food and drink. It was a tavern!