"But what's all this for?" Tarrin asked curiously.

"Ye not be schooled in the art of warfare," Jegojah noted. "All this, it was done to completely isolate Sulasia. With all its neighbors either engaged in wars or in disarray, Sulasia, she can get no support, no."

"But why would they get involved in a war between Sulasia and Daltochan to begin with?" Tarrin asked.

"Because of the Goblinoids, for one, and later other unnatural things," Jegojah replied. "Tykarthia and Ungardt and Shace, they would not interpose in a war between Sulasia and Daltochan, but should forces of Ogres and undead skeletons and Demons and other vile things appear, that would rally forth the the humans of the West to face this unnatural foe. The Dals and the ki'zadun have done well, yes, very well to hide the true numbers of the Goblinoids that aid the army. A few battalions of Waern and Dargu and Trolls are enough to catch the eye, yes, but not enough to raise a general cry. Long was it known that some Goblinoids cooperated with the Dals in limited means. Certain treaties and rules existed, yes, to keep Goblinoid and Dal from eternal warfare in the mountain terrain they share. No stretch, it would be, to see some limited numbers of Goblinoids allied with the Dals to fight a common enemy. But the numbers of these forces the ki'zadun will use, they will raise alarm all through the West, all the way to Yar Arak, Godan-Nyr, and even Arathorn and Valkar."

Now Tarrin understood. Jegojah was right. So far, the rumors of Goblinoids hadn't raised much of a fuss in other kingdoms. But when word got out that there were huge numbers of very unnatural creatures attacking Sulasia, that would unite the humans together in common cause to fight off these unnatural foes.

"I see now, but why such a force?" Tarrin asked. "It wouldn't take something like this to capture a city."

"Suld, she is not an ordinary city, Were-cat," Jegojah replied. "It is a very well defended city, and add to that, yes, that it is the home of the Tower of Six Spires, and the katzh-dashi. It would take an overwhelming army to take Suld, because the ki'zadun knows that if they were to attack Suld, the Goddess of the Sorcerers would rise up and personally intervene."

"If they know that, then why are they bothering to try?"

"Because they have a god of their own," Jegojah replied. "Did ye not know that the ki'zadun seek the Firestaff not for themselves, but to free Val?"

Tarrin was stunned. He did not know that. They were going to use the Firestaff to free Val, the rogue god that the ancient sorceress Spyder imprisoned?

Jegojah chuckled. "Jegojah, he sees that ye did not know," he said. "That is what all of this is about. The ki'zadun, it has long been the dark organization of Val, and its objective is to free their god from his prison. Entrapped, Val is, but he still can wield some power in the world, and that power would be used, yes, to allow the ki'zadun to attack and take Suld. They seek to raze the Tower, for it is the central power of the Goddess and the katzh-dashi. Without the Tower and the Goddess, Val would have no serious opposition to finding the Firestaff."

"The power of the Sorcerers isn't based in the Tower," Tarrin objected.

"It is, yes," Jegojah countered. "All gods, even Val, are represented in the mortal plane by an icon, an object, that represents them here. Destroy that icon, and the god loses contact with the world until he can create another. And that can take centuries. Spyder entrapped Val's godly spirit into his icon, forcing him into the mortal world, which drastically reduced his power. Even an Elder god like the Goddess of the kazth-dashi is restricted in this manner. But in the case of the Goddess, if her icon was to be destroyed, the Weave itself would change, and it would no longer be close enough for Sorcerers to touch. All other magic would still work, but all the katzh-dashi would lose their powers."

Tarrin gave Jegojah a shocked look. Mother, is that true? he had to ask.

It is very true, my kitten, she said seriously. If they destroy my icon, my power will be lost to my Children. That means that all the Sorcerers would be stripped of their powers, and I doubt very many would survive it. The Weavequake it would cause would be catastrophic, akin to another Breaking. Only the weakest of my Children, those least connected to the Weave, would survive the disaster.

"The ki'zadun, they think they know where the icon of the Goddess is, yes. In the Tower of Six Spires."

Tarrin knew exactly where and what it was. It was that statue in the center of the hedge maze. That statue never seemed to be a statue, it had always seemed alive. Well, in a way, it was alive. It was the physical representation of the Goddess, and from it, from her, all magic into the world flowed. The Heart was not in the middle of the center Tower, as many believed. The true Heart was in the middle of that maze. It was merely overshadowed by the Conduit that came up through the center Tower, using it as a diversion, a shield, to conceal the icon's presence.

"So, the strife in the West, it is but a plan to get a large enough army, filled with all manner of powerful and dark creatures, close enough to Suld to destroy it before the rest of the human world rises up to intercede." Jegojah looked at Tarrin. "All of this is, it is being done to banish your Goddess from the mortal world. Yes."

Tarrin was awed, and he was horrified. It was a clever plan, clever and thorough. They could get rid of the Sorcerers, remove Tarrin, and get to the Firestaff unopposed, all in one fell swoop. All they had to do was take Suld. It was a very well-formed plan, he had to admit, looking at it, and had been successful up to that point. The conditions were indeed perfect for what they were doing. Shace was as good as in a state of civil war. Daltochan was well into Sulasia, and Tykarthia and Ungardt were fighting. Sulasia had no allies, no help to beat back an invasion from undead legions, hordes of Goblinoids, members of the Fae-da'kii, or even some Demons. If they could get that force to Suld, then there was a very good chance that they could take the city before the other kingdoms came to their senses and moved to aid Sulasia.

The enormity of it was nearly overwhelming. Had he been standing, Tarrin would have sat down. Hard. "What do we do to stop it?" Tarrin managed to ask.

"Well, a plan uncovered is a plan easily thwarted," Jegojah said. "Unfortunately, Were-cat, we an only warn the Tower, yes. They can take steps, if possible. But honestly, there is little we can do, yes. Little more than warn."

"More than that," Tarrin said, his mind turning. "It seems that the best way to stop them would be to let them continue with their plan, let them get to Suld, and find out that there's a force at hand capable of defeating theirs."

"Risky, but workable," Jegojah said. "If Jegojah commanded, he would ambush their forces some distance from Suld, so that the city itself is not at risk, no. Fighting that kind of battle, it is risky, especially considering the price of defeat. Yes."

Tarrin remembered the terrain around Suld. "It wouldn't work," Tarrin said. "There's a large empty plain between the city and the forest suitable for a battle like that, but the high ground is on the east, and it abuts the forest. That would put the enemy on high ground if we lined up on the plains, or would allow the enemy to hide its forces in the forest if we occupied the ground beside it. Neither are workable."

"Those both, they are very bad moves," Jegojah grunted. "Right, you are, Were-cat, yes."

"And since you can't fight a battle on that scale in the forest, you'd have to pick a defensible area. Unfortunately, the only defensible area would be the city walls."

"Right again," Jegojah nodded. "Surprising, ye are, Were-cat. Intelligence, it is not something they attribute to you, no."