James Galloway - The Tower of Sorcery

As the Troll Allia felled hit the ground, Tarrin absently reached up and ripped the throat out of the doubled Troll, ending its hideous wailing.

A small formation of armored Knights and cadets came around one of the storebuildings about that time, quickly surrounding the two lamed Trolls and convincing them that sudden pacifism would lead to a longer life. Tarrin was panting as he wiped the flesh and blood off his claws in the grass, trying not to vomit at the overpowering stench of Trolls and Troll blood, which was the core of their awful smell.

"Four Trolls that fast?" Faalken said appreciatively.

"It was almost much shorter," Allia said grimly as she pulled her daggers free of the Troll corpse. "It was like they appeared from the thin air."

"They did," Tarrin said, putting the back of his paw to his face, letting his own scent drown out the stench. "I didn't see or hear them, not even when they attacked."

"Magic," Valden growled. "It had to be. They'd never have gotten onto the grounds any other way."

Tarrin looked up at him. "Someone went to alot of trouble to arrange this," he said tersely, getting his instincts back under control.

A red-robed Sorcerer walked around the building, coming up short at the display. He was a young man, not long a Sorcerer, with sandy colored hair and a rather handsome, full-cheeked face. "My," he said. "Trolls, here? However did they manage to get onto the grounds?"

"We don't know yet," Valden told the man.

"Tarrin, you and Allia go on," Valden said. "We'll take care of this."

"Yes, Master Valden," they said in unison. "I have got to get this Troll-stench off of me," Tarrin told Allia fervently.

Tarrin almost scrubbed off his fur in the baths, then they went for the afternoon meal. Afterwards, Allia went to her room for her private meditation. Tarrin caught up with Dar, and they went out into the garden to talk.

"Trolls?" Dar said, taking the apple Tarrin offered.

Tarrin nodded. "I felt one of them put his foot down. That was the only warning I got." He looked out over the gardens, to the hedge maze. He was still feeling a bit unsettled after the attack, and he desperately wanted to go to the central courtyard, but there were too many people watching him. "We got very lucky. If hadn't have moved, both of us would probably be dead now."

"This is getting serious, Tarrin," Dar said. "Whoever is doing this is starting to bring in harder things to kill. He may pull a Dragon out of his hat next."

Tarrin scoffed. "No," he said. "It probably took them a very long time to get those Trolls here. I seriously doubt that they could do it again. Not any time soon, anyway. If they stay on their little pattern, I have at least a ten-day before they try again."

"I don't see how you can be so calm about it," he said.

"I'm not," he said flatly. "But there's nothing else I can do, so it's best for me not to get myself worked up about it."

"Just be careful, Tarrin," Dar said, putting his hand on his friend's shoulder.

"I intend to, Dar," he assured him. "I, I want to go out tonight," he said. "Can you leave the door open for me?"

"I guess," he said. "Want me to stay up?"

"No, just don't lock the door if you wake up," he replied. "I just want to get out a while without so many people watching me. It's almost creepy."

"I can understand that," he sighed. "Oh, they're giving me the Test next ten-day," he said.

"We already know how it's going to turn out," Tarrin said with a grin.

Dar grinned back. "I know, but it still has to be done," he said.

"Like it matters."

"They give it to you gifted ones too," he said.

"I've already taken it."

"This is a different test," he replied. "It gauges what spheres of Sorcery you're strong in. That way they know how and where to teach you."

"I didn't know that," Tarrin said, sweeping a fly off his back with his tail.

"I didn't until yesterday," he replied. "I managed to get an Initiate to explain it to me."

Tarrin shrugged. "It's still nothing to worry about," he said.

"I know," Dar replied.

The Keeper was walking towards them. "Uh oh," Tarrin said in a low voice. "Trouble off the port bow."

"Man the catapults," Dar quipped. Tarrin had to stifle a laugh. They stood respectfully as she approached, and it was quickly obvious that she meant to talk to them. They bowed as she stepped up before them. Tarrin noticed that the Keeper was only slightly taller than the fifteen year old Dar.

"Tarrin," she said.

"Keeper."

"I have a gift for you," she said tersely. "It was something that we didn't want to give to you until you reached the Initiate, but it seems that you can use it now." She reached into a pocket of her cream colored dress, and withdrew a shaeram , one made of some kind of black metal, but it wasn't steel. Tarrin knew the scent of steel. This was some other kind of metal, one he'd never smelled before. "It's been enchanted," she explained. "It'll let you change form without losing your clothes or anything in your hands. They'll go to some other place when you change, and come back when you change back. The shaeram itself will turn into a little metal collar when you're in your cat shape."

"Uh, thank you, Keeper," he said uncertainly, accepting the black metal amulet. It was surprisingly light, and the metal seemed both cold and warm at the same time.

"Let me help you put it on," she said, motioning for him to turn around.

He really couldn't deny her her request. He turned around and knelt so she could reach his neck easily, and she fastened the black metal chain of the amulet around his neck. He had the most peculiar feeling the instant she fastened it, but it faded so quickly that he doubted he felt anything at all. "Now let's have a look at it," she said, patting him on the side. He turned around and let her inspect the amulet, and then she smiled. "It looks nice on you," she said.

"Uh, thank you, Keeper," he said.

"Let's test it, make sure the weave was made right. Change shape, and then change back."

"Alright." He stepped away from them and willed himself into his other form. There was the customary blurring of vision, then he had a new point of view at the level of their shins. He sat down as the Keeper knelt beside him and put her hands on the delicate black metal collar now around his neck, a collar so close to the color of his fur that it was almost invisible. "No clothes," she told him. "The amulet did that part of its job. Alright, change back." When she moved away, he did so. And he was fully clothed, with the amulet around his neck.

"Excellent," she said, smiling. "The weave is working just fine."

Tarrin looked down, smiling. That solved the one problem he constantly had about changing his shape. It opened entire new levels of sneaking around for him. "Thank you, Keeper," he said sincerely. "This is an excellent gift." He already had plans. Little did the Keeper know, she'd just given him the opportunity he needed to do a little snooping. There were many, many cats on the Tower grounds, there to chase down the rats, or the cats that were personal pets. One more wouldn't attract much attention.

"I'm glad you like it," she said with a smile. "Oh, by the way, don't worry about what happened today. I'm going to see to it that it doesn't happen again," she said with a bit of steel in her voice.

"I won't," he replied civilly.

"Well, I won't keep you any longer," she said. "Enjoy the rest of your day." She looked up at the late afternoon sun. "What's left of it, anyway."

"That was nice of them," Dar said as the Keeper disappeared from view.

Tarrin held the amulet in his paw, looking down at it. It seemed…warm. "It's a welcome gift," he said sincerely. "I don't change form because I'll lose my clothes. This solves that problem. I'm going to have to start wandering around as a cat from now on. That way I won't attract as much attention."