"You're not fighting her the right way, brother," she giggled. "I've learned a bit about Were-cats from Triana. If she starts shouting, kiss her."

"That's not a bad idea," he said approvingly after a moment of thought, as they disappeared through the choked entrance of the courtyard.

The impending explosion he had been expecting didn't come when he got back, mainly because Jesmind wasn't there. She had taken Jasana somewhere, probably to visit with Triana, and that suited Tarrin just fine. It had been a very long time since he'd worked the way he did the night before, and it didn't hit him how totally exhausted he was until he got back to his apartment and sat down a moment on the couch. Then it just rolled him under like a gardener planting a new flower. He felt buried in weariness, and his entire body began to ache. Sorcery was as much physical exertion as it was mental control, so whenever one practiced with Sorcery it inevitably left one both physically and mentally exhausted. After sitting down on the couch, he struggled to get back to his feet, and then dragged himself straight to bed. Never had a bed looked so inviting to him as it did at that moment, as he struggled out of his clothes and gratefully sank down into the soft feather mattress, letting its comfort drown him in delightful sleep.

But Tarrin was surrounded by those who made the day their time of activity. He had no idea how long he'd been asleep when sounds in the common room disturbed him, but even that wasn't really enough to wake him up until the scents of Keritanima, that massive Vendari Szath, and Allia invaded his dreams. Those scents were a part of his deepest memories, and their presence was enough to rouse him from slumber. He managed to open his eyes just as his two sisters filed into his room, and he paused a moment to take stock before moving. He couldn't smell Jesmind or Jasana, but he did smell Jula. He hoped they realized that if Jesmind caught them sneaking into their apartment without anyone's permission, she'd get very cross with them. To a Were-cat, entering a home uninvited was the same as challenging the owner's claim on that territory. He told himself to make that point clear to them before they left. It would be very unpleasant for him to have to break up a fight between his mate and one of his sisters.

But then again, Jula seemed to understand that, and she was objecting about every three seconds as they came into the room. "Do you realize what Jesmind's going to do to us if she finds out we came into their apartment without knocking?" she declared. "You don't just use magic to get past a locked door when you're dealing with Were-cats!"

"Well, I knew he was in here, and he wouldn't answer the door," came Keritanima's defensive reply. "Besides, it's just Tarrin. I can come into Tarrin's rooms any time I want."

"It's not just Tarrin anymore!" Jula snapped at her. "Jesmind would rip off your tail if she knew you came in without being invited!"

"Who's going to tell her?" Kereitanima said pugnaciously, and the sound of her voice told him that she had her hands on her hips, and was probably glaring at the Were-cat female. "Jesmind is the sort that kills the messenger, Jula. You brave enough to go up to her and say 'oh, by the way, we just snuck into your apartment without being invited in'?" She huffed. "Besides, this is important."

"It better be," Tarrin said wearily, rolling over and sitting up in the bed. "Listen to my daughter next time, Kerri. If I don't answer the door, odds are I have a good reason not to. And when you invade a Were-cat's home, you're issuing a very personal challenge to them. I suggest playing by the rules from now on."

Jula gave Keritanima a victorious look, crossing her arms beneath her breasts and assuming an erect posture, her tail lashing behind her. Allia ignored them, sitting on the edge of the bed and putting her hand on the side of Tarrin's face. "You look tired, deshida," she said to him. "Are you well?"

"Well enough," he said dismissively. "Me and Jenna have been practicing Sorcery. I think we just overdid it a bit last night, that's all." He looked towards the window, which was covered by drapes. "What time is it?"

"About noon," Keritanima replied. "We needed to talk to you, brother."

"I can see that," he said, swinging his legs over the bed and scrubbing his face. He hadn't felt this tired after waking up since the last time he'd been injured.

"You want to put on a robe or something?"

"Why? It's not like any of you haven't seen me naked before," he shrugged.

"It's not like you mind flaunting yourself, either," Keritanima said with a sly wink.

"Well, if you have something to tell me, tell me. I'd really like to go back to bed."

"Well, if you want to be curt, then fine," she snorted. "I just got in some reports from the Aeradalla. They've reached Darsa, and they're about eight or nine days out."

"I know," he said absently. "Have the Selani arrived yet? They should be here any time now."

That made Keritanima stare at him. "How did you know about that? They only just reached the city wall!"

"I'll explain some other time," he said woodenly.

"You certainly will," Keritanima bristled. "There are a few people who've been screaming to see you, brother. Sarraya, for one. And uh, Var and Denai. I wanted to say 'Dar'," she chuckled.

"You woke me up to tell me about that?" he asked, his expression a bit tart. "They could have waited until I got some sleep."

"I didn't know you were asleep," Keritanima said defensively. "Besides, that's only half the reason we're here."

"What's the other reason?"

"Well, we've been talking about what you said, about Were-cats and Sorcery, and also about what the Goddess told you to do. We thought that you and Jula should try to see if you can circle. If you can, then you and her can stay here in the Tower and act as a second line of defense in case anything gets past us at the walls."

"I know we can circle," he said dismissively, waving a paw at her. "I've circled with Jasana."

"You didn't mention that before."

"As a matter of fact, I did," he told her shortly. "You just weren't paying attention."

"I do not remember you saying that, deshida," Allia agreed.

"Then you weren't paying attention either," he accused.

"Or you think you told us when you didn't," Keritanima said smoothly. "That's always a possibility."

"Maybe," he acceded.

"Is it any different than before?" Jula asked professionally.

"Not that I can tell," he replied. "Then again, I never circled as a human. I have no idea if it's different or not."

"Good point," Jula said mildly.

"We've already worked out a plan for when they get here," Keritanima told him. "Me and Allia are going to go to the walls with Jenna, the Council, and thirteen of the most powerful Sorcerers in the Tower. Jenna's a Weavespinner, just like you, so we think the circle we can build with her leading it would be something to even make the Demons hesitate."

"Probably. Just make sure you have about ten Vendari with you. Mother will fight that idea to her last breath, so you'll need a wall of Vendari to assure her that Jenna won't get hurt."

The three of them looked at each other, then laughed. "You know your mother very well," Allia told him. "That was exactly what it took to convince her that we could keep her daughter safe."

"I'm surprised she agreed to it at all," Keritanima admitted.

"Mother may be protective, but she's also pragmatic," Tarrin shrugged. "She knows that Jenna's magic is a foundation of the defensive plans you've made. We need her. Mother can understand it, but her heart won't allow her to let Jenna go out and fight without extreme measures taken to make sure she's safe. Remember, Jenna is only fifteen."

"That's easy to forget sometimes," Keritanima said. "Here lately, she's been acting, well, mature. Your mother thinks it's the stress of all this. Says she's proud of her."