James Galloway - Weavespinner

She looked at him, then laughed in utter delight. "My son, right now they couldn't possibly be angry with you, no matter what," she told him. "Now, I can't say that's going to hold true after Jesmind calms down and thinks things through, but for right now, just enjoy the moment," she winked. Then she looked towards the gated entrance. "Well, Triana just arrived, so I guess we can trot you out and let them fall all over you," she announced.

"Triana? Where did she go?"

"The Council of Hierarchs, something of the ruling body of the Druids, summoned her, and she couldn't disobey," she answered. "They wanted to see Jula, and get some answers, so she took Jula with her. I sent word to her about what I did here, and she basicly cursed out the Hierarchs for making her come and immediately started back. She was in such a hurry that she forgot Jula."

"She didn't!" Tarrin gasped.

"She did," the Goddess laughed. "Jula's patient, kitten. I told her just to hang tough, and I'd come and get her when I had the chance."

"I can't believe that she did that!"

"Triana's not perfect, kitten. She'll be the first one to tell you that. I'm going to go collect up Jula as soon as I rest up a bit from restoring you. She'll be back by tomorrow."

"That's good."

"Well, kitten, I must admit, I'm very impressed with you. I never thought you'd think of using a Soultrap."

"I'm just surprised it worked," he chuckled ruefully as he felt the tingling completely subside. He sat up in the soft bed the Goddess had made for him, feeling weirdly weak and strong at the same time. "I never thought that weave I put in the cat statue was going to hold for three months. I figured it would have unravelled long before now."

"Don't sell yourself short, kitten. You're not just a power spellweaver," she smiled. "You've got some very formidable skill in the subtle art of delicate spellcraft. You're a very well-rounded Sorcerer. And as soon as you adjust to your new body, you will be again."

"You said I was the same as I was before."

"You are, but it's going to be like breaking in a new pair of boots, kitten," she said with a wink. "As soon as you get used to it, as you break yourself in, you'll be back to your old self in no time. In fact, you may be better than you were before. I wasn't about to let a chance like this go."

"What did you do?"

"Oh, nothing," she said with an insincere look of innocence, putting her hands behind her back.

Tarrin laughed.

She giggled and gave him a wolfish smile. "Honestly, I didn't really do anything, but think about it, kitten," she said seriously. "You were a god. It may be lost to you now, but your soul remembers, and it has changed you. In time, as your soul grounds itself into this new body and feels as comfortable in it as a soldier in an old pair of well-worn boots, you may start to exhibit certain, abilities, that you didn't have before. You were once a god, Tarrin, and though your divinity was destroyed, there may very well be some faint traces of it left in you that gives you powers beyond what you already possess. They would barely be more than a pittance in the reckoning of a god, nothing that would make even the weakest Younger God worry about you trying to usurp his position, but in the mortal world, they might be significant. But only time will tell if that comes to pass. We had to inventa new term for you, kitten. Darian is calling you a demigod, a mortal with traits that are decidedly godly. I rather like the term. You're something like an Avatar now, kitten, but an Avatar of your own creation."

Tarrin had never considered that, but in all the other information swirling in his mind, he gave it very little weight or importance. That would be something to worry about when, or if, it became a tangible issue. "If I don't like it, can you take it away?"

She nodded. "But I may not want to, and you may not either," she answered. "Having someone like you around may be handy, kitten. There may come a time when Spyder needs some assistance in her role as Guardian, and I know she'd like to take a vacation. You could fill in for her when she needs to take a little break. Besides, you've proved that you're a formidable guardian in your own right, and we have something that we need you to protect."

"What?" he asked uncertainly.

With a smile, she held out her hand, and a black metal shaeram appeared in her hand. Instantly, he recognized it. It was his.

"H-How-" he gasped, but she cut him off.

"It turns out that this metal is quite a bit more indestructible than we believed," she smiled. "Both your amulet and your sword survived. Don't ask me how, because even we don't understand exactly how, but they did. The Firestaff is still inside the amulet. Ahiriya thinks the Firestaff protected itself from destruction, and I'm rather inclined to agree. We've tried to destroy it before, but it just won't die. I think the Firestaff took steps to defend itself from your suicide attack, and it must have caught up the sword with it when it moved to protect the amulet. The conjunction was still taking place, and though it had already used its power on you, it did still have access to some pretty powerful energy. The Firestaff does seem to have a kind of sentience about it, and it must have realized what was about to happen, and took steps. So, we seem to have an opening for a Guardian of the Firestaff, my kitten. Think you're up to the job? You only have to do real work about once every five thousand years or so. The pay's lousy, but at least you have good hours."

Tarrin laughed, laughed long and hard. All that work, thinking he'd destroyed Val and he was also taking the Firestaff with him, and the damned thing managed to survive! How ironic!

Still laughing, he reached out with his paw, and the Goddess reached down and placed the shaeram on his smooth pad. She put her other hand underneath it, and he closed his paw around the shaeram and her hand both. He looked deeply into her eyes, those glowing eyes, and he just knew that he saw the love for him there, and could feel nothing but love for her in return. She was his Goddess, his Mother, and he would do anything she asked. Not because he had to, but because he loved her.

"I am your mother now, kitten," she said richly. "I made this body, and I held your soul inside me when I took it from your Soultrap and placed it and your memories inside you. In a way, I bore you into this new life, and that makes you as much my son as you are Elke Kael's son. So when you call me Mother, I want you to know that that's how I will always feel when you say it. You are my son, and I love you. And I will always be here for you."

"I love you, Mother," he said simply smiling up at her, still holding onto her hand, swallowing it up in his huge paw. "And I can't think of any honor greater than you thinking of me as your son."

"You and me, we share a special bond, now, my kitten," she smiled. "You were once a god. For a moment, you were my equal. How does that make you feel?"

"It makes me glad that I can't remember it," he said honestly. "I don't think I have any business remembering what that was like, or you wouldn't have sealed away some of the memories I gained when I was turned."

"Such a wise kitten," she smiled. "Now then, let's get you dressed and let you get out there and keep everyone from going crazy with anticipation," she announced. "There are quite a few people who are very anxious to see you, my son. Let's not keep them waiting."

She pulled her hand free, still holding the shaeram, and then gently and meaningfully took hold of the chain. He bowed his head, and she slid it over his head, settled it around his neck, putting it back where it belonged. It felt immediately right for it to be there, and he reached up and touched it fondly with a single finger. She reached out, and his black-bladed sword appeared in her hands. She offered it to him, and he took it from her carefully, so as not to cut her by accident. In the instant of that touch he felt something… different about the blade. It seemed no different, but there was something lurking within it, something powerful, something that defied his ability to make sense of it. He looked to the Goddess sharply, and she only smiled.