by D. L. Kramer
"Ye blasted thing," he said, walking in, his eyes pinned on the colt. When he was only a few feet away, the colt bolted away from Adie, making a run for the far side of the stable. Kile glared, but didn't chase after him again. Instead, he looked in at the stallion and Paki. "How's 'e doin'?" he asked Paki.
"He's almost better," Paki replied. "But I don't understand how."
Kile motioned for Adie to move so he could open the stall door. He unlatched the door, then bent over to look at the knot on the stallion's chest.
"Looks like Halona likes ye," he said, standing up again.
"What do you mean?" Paki asked, not noticing the surprised look Adie gave to Kile.
"Ye offered her ye're largest piece of venison," Kile reminded. "It looks like she accepted it and gave ye some of that good fortune ye told 'er ye needed."
Paki looked back at the stallion's chest. Of course, he told himself, that must be it. He hadn't ever witnessed a miracle before and this certainly looked like one to him.
"Come and get somethin' to eat," Kile suggested. "We'll need to get goin' soon."
"I'll be there in a minute," Paki said quietly. He waited until Kile and Adie had left the stable before looking up at the stallion. If he hadn't seen the stallion so much better, he wouldn't have believed it was possible. Not knowing what to do next, he put his arms around the stallion's neck and just whispered "thank you" several times.
Coming out of the stable, Paki saw Kile and Adie sitting under a tree up near the house. He just now noticed that Adie had found clean clothes to wear. Her clothes from last night were probably stained too badly to be worn again.
Adie had taken her hair out of the topknot and the morning sun made it shine like red fire. Kile had also untied his hair. The slightly curled blonde ends reached several inches past his shoulders. They both sat eating apples. In the distance, Paki could see the farmer and his horse working in their field again.
Nicho, Paki's mare and another horse were tied nearby. Paki made his way up to them, pausing by the horses to stroke the mare's neck. She pressed her nose into his hands and lipped his fingers. Rubbing her nose, Paki stepped away and walked over to Kile and Adie.
"Have a seat," Adie offered, motioning to a spot beside them.
Paki picked up an apple and sat down beside her. "How long are we staying here?" he asked, rolling the apple in his hands.
"We should get goin' by mid mornin'," Kile said, slicing more off his apple.
Paki bowed his head, studying his lap. "I don't know if the stallion should go," he said quietly. "But I don't know if I can leave him here."
Kile and Adie exchanged glances.
"The farmer offered to take ye and ye're horses in," Kile said. "'E seems like a nice enough man and he's got no love for the Archbishop."
Paki looked up at Kile. Staying here would mean saying goodbye to him, possibly never seeing him again. He remembered what his last thoughts were the night before. His life here would be simple and hard, but not bad...and not free. No, he had chosen to follow Kile to Mo'ani's Stronghold and to learn what he could to help break the church's grip when Nahtan came. He would keep that promise to himself, even if it meant sacrificing the stallion.
"I can't stay," he finally said. "I want to go with you to the Stronghold."
"To the Stronghold?" Kile asked, surprised. "Why?"
Paki met Kile's steady gaze. "You said the horses and I were free," he began. "But we're not. Now that I think back, you're the only free people I've known and I want to be like that."
"What about the stallion?" Adie asked quietly.
Paki swallowed. "He was a plowhorse before my master bought him, I'm sure he'd be happy here doing that again." He told himself he wouldn't cry if he had to leave the stallion behind.
Kile and Adie looked at each other again, a silent conversation in their eyes. Finally, Adie shrugged.
"All right," Kile replied. "But I think ye're stallion will make it just fine."
They set out a couple of hours later. The farmer had offered them enough food and water to fill their packs and then some. Kile and Paki had chased the colt for nearly an hour when Adie whistled to him. The colt ran over to her and stood still while she slipped the rope lead around his neck, much to Kile's frustration.
When they finally set out on the road, Paki knew he was doing the right thing. The stallion's steps were sure and strong and he matched any pace Nicho set. Paki was still amazed at how well he had healed and occasionally whispered another "thank you" to the wind.
They traveled most of the day, stopping only to eat or rest the horses. Just before nightfall, Kile led them off the road to set up a camp. They had no shelters, but Kile and Adie had their own bedrolls while the farmer had given them one for Paki. Paki volunteered to find firewood and wandered away from the camp.
There weren't many trees and it took some time just to find an armful of twigs and small branches. The sun had set and it was almost dark when he made his way back to the camp.
As soon as he got back, Kile started the fire by playing those same three notes on his flute.
After eating dinner, Kile took up a watch position just outside the camp while Adie fell asleep. Paki lay awake, watching the stars overhead. His mind was almost filled with more thoughts than he could sort out. He wished he knew what one of Halona's temples looked like; the next time he was in a city he could go and thank her for saving the stallion. He had seen a few different temples and cathedrals, but didn't know which god or goddess they belonged to.
He remembered one was painted yellow and another had tall, white spires on each corner. His favorite, though, had red symbols painted on the outside. They were different from the symbols on the priests' robes; those symbols were mystical, severe and harsh. These had seemed to flow into each other and Paki had always found peace when he looked at them. He was certain if he could just get inside one of those temples, he would be safe and nothing could harm him. His mind dropping back into that same, peaceful state, he soon drifted off to sleep.
When Paki woke up the next morning, Kile and Adie were already up and had almost finished breaking camp. Kile was refolding the blankets while Adie saddled their horses.
"Good mornin'," Kile greeted.
Paki pushed his blanket off as he sat up. He was surprised he hadn't heard Kile and Adie moving around.
"Why didn't you wake me up?" he asked, pulling his boots on and standing up.
Kile shrugged. "We figured ye could use the sleep," he said. "And it looks like we were right."
Paki came over and picked up the blanket that was over the mare.
"So is it only three more days to the Stronghold?" he asked, shaking it off and beginning to fold it.
"Actually, we were talkin' and we're probably goin' to take a more direct route." Kile set the blanket he was folding on the ones he had finished. "But it doesn't follow any roads, so it won't be as easy goin'."
"That's okay," Paki shrugged. "As long as the stallion can make it. Which way does it go?"
"Mo'ani mapped us our own way to the Stronghold," he explained. "So if the church guards had all the roads blocked, we could still come and go."
"What about that priest you used to be friends with?" Paki asked. "Wouldn't he just tell them where it is?"
"Kiril doesn't know about this one," Kile answered.
"You two going to talk all morning?" Adie asked, coming over. "I've got the horses saddled and ready to go."
"There's just Paki's bedroll," Kile said, taking the folded blanket from Paki. "Can ye eat on the road?" he asked Paki.
"Sure," Paki shrugged. "It'll just take a minute to get my bedroll."
"You find something to eat," Adie said. "I'll take care of the rest." She started to straighten out Paki's bed so she could roll it up. "Kile's got to make sure he can find this 'secret road' of his."
"It's right over there," Kile motioned to the west. He handed Paki an apple from his saddlebag.
Adie raised an eyebrow at him
as she tied the bedroll. "Funny, it was southwest last night."
"Same general direction," Kile shrugged. "Ye'd know where it was if ye spent more time at the Stronghold." He followed Paki to the stallion and helped him into the saddle.
When Paki was situated, Adie tied his bedroll behind the saddle before walking to her own horse. Kile handed Paki the leads for the mare and colt, then untied Nicho and pulled himself up into the saddle.
As they headed out, Paki noted they were heading southwest, but didn't say anything to Kile. He also noticed Adie's smug grin. The stallion seemed even stronger today than he had the day before. Paki had to hold him in and could feel the horse just trembling to break into a racing gallop.
They soon found themselves traveling through narrow ravines and between huge boulders. Just ahead of them, Paki could catch glimpses of several wide, low mountains.
They stopped just past midday to eat and rest the horses. The shade from the huge red boulders protected them from the rising heat as they ate a small lunch. The horses seemed glad for the rest, except for the stallion. He pulled at his tied lead and pawed the ground impatiently. After they had eaten, Kile looked over at the stallion.
"How's he ridin'?" he asked Paki.
Paki shrugged. "I think he really wants to run," he guessed. "But he's never acted like this before."
Kile frowned slightly and stood up. He walked over to stand next to the stallion's head, placing one hand on his shoulders. Paki watched him for several seconds before looking at Adie. She was looking away from the camp, her eyes concerned.
"What's wrong?" he asked her.
"Shh," she held up one hand.
"Adie?" Kile asked, not turning from the horses.
"You'll hear them before I will," she said, still looking away.
Several long seconds passed before Kile walked away from the horses. After taking several steps, he pulled his flute from his belt and began playing slow, almost painful notes on it. Almost immediately, another flute answered him. Paki was surprised to hear it and looked from Kile to Adie to see their reactions.
Hearing the response, Kile turned to Adie. "Dwellers on their way to trade 'orses," he said evenly. "But they're bein' stalked by church guards."
"How far are they?" Adie asked, standing up and brushing herself off.
"Just to the west," he answered. "There's two of 'em with thirty horses." He walked back over to stand beside her. "They think there's six church guards, but can't be sure."
Paki listened to Kile and Adie with interest. It was obvious Kile had discerned the information just from the music he had heard from the other flute, but Paki had no idea how.
"Are we going to help them?" Paki asked.
Kile looked down at him. "I don't know about the 'we'," he began.
"Let him come," Adie advised.
"Are ye crazy?" Kile asked, looking at her.
"Let him come," she repeated.
"I don't want to be in the way..." Paki said quietly. "But I don't want to stay behind either."
Kile looked from Paki to Adie. "I think the sun's gettin' to both of ye," he muttered, turning and walking to Nicho. Untieing him and pulling himself up into the saddle, he looked down at them. "Well, come on," he finished. "We'll pack up the camp later." Pulling his cloak from behind his saddle, he swung it over his shoulders and fastened it before checking his sword and crossbow.
Paki smiled, feeling something new surge up inside him. It was obvious Kile expected a fight with the church guards and even though Paki didn't have a weapon, he wanted to go. Adie helped him into the stallion's saddle before swinging up onto her own horse. With Kile in the lead, they followed him away from the camp. When Kile spurred Nicho into a gallop, the stallion and Adie's horse matched his pace. It was only minutes before Paki saw a herd of horses ahead of them.
As they neared the herd, Paki could see two people waiting to meet them. Kile pulled in several yards away and dismounted. Leading Nicho, he walked up to the man and woman.
Adie motioned for Paki to pull in and wait with her while Kile spoke with the two Dwellers.
"Let him find out what help they need," she suggested.
"Who are they?" Paki asked, trying to get a good look at them. The woman's hair was almost white blonde and she was quite a bit shorter than the man. The man was almost Kile's height, but with a huskier build. Both of them wore horsehide vests and breeches.
"They're called Dwellers," Adie said. "They live in the hills and valleys to the north. They breed a very strong, intelligent horse." She turned to look at him. "Nicho's a Dwellers' horse."
"He's not like any horse I've ever seen," Paki commented. "Why would the church guards be after them?"
"For their horses," Adie answered. "True Dwellers' horses are very rare and very intelligent. The Dwellers don't sell them to just anyone."
"So the Dwellers trade them?"
Adie studied Paki for several seconds. "Actually," she said slowly. "They trade them for protection."
"From who?" Paki asked, curious. He hadn't heard of trading for anything like that.
"They trade their horses to Mo'ani for protection of their breeding ranches and their people," she explained. "Nicho was a special gift from the Dwellers' lord after Kile sacrificed his last horse to save one of their families."
Paki turned to look at Kile and Nicho. They seemed so much like they were always a part of each other, it was impossible for him to imagine Kile with another horse.
"What are they talking about?" he finally asked.
Adie shrugged. "Who knows?" she said. "Kile spent a lot of years up north helping protect their ranches. For all I know they're talking about a harvest celebration from fifteen years ago."
As if in response, Kile turned and motioned for them to come and join them. Adie shrugged at Paki and they dismounted, then led their horses over.
"Paki, this is Jaron and Tosia," Kile introduced the two Dwellers. "Ye two already know Adie."
Jaron bowed his head to Adie. "Thy reputation hath preceded thee once again, Lady Adiella," he said.
Paki was surprised to hear them refer to Adie as a "lady". She had given no indication that she was nobility. He blinked at her when she returned the bowed head.
"Thank you," Adie said simply. "I do try to keep the reputation reined in though, so I hope it wasn't too far ahead of me this time."
"Nothing the darkest of nights and sharpest of daggers doth not confirm," Jaron responded. "You know my younger sister, Tosia."
Tosia stepped forward and curtsied. "Lady," she said simply.
Adie nodded her head to Tosia as Jaron turned to Paki. He studied him for several seconds before speaking.
"Young Master," he said, bowing his head again.
"Uh," Paki began. "I'm not anyone's master," he said, not noticing the surprised look Tosia gave him.
"Merely a name of respect," Jaron bowed his head again. "Thou art using the name...Paki?"
"That is my name," Paki said, confused. He looked up at Kile for reassurance. Kile only nodded his head to him, but didn't explain anything.
"Now," Adie said. "What about these church guards?"
"We last saw them three hours past," Tosia said, her voice quiet. "They were to the north."
"They killed two of the horses last night trying to steal them," Jaron added. "We were hoping to outrun them, but haven't been able to."
Kile turned to Adie. "Between the four of us, there shouldn't be a problem," he said. "But I don't want Paki left here alone."
"He shan't be alone," Tosia interjected. "There are thirty of our finest horses here to keep him company."
"I'll be okay," Paki added. "I could go back and pick up the camp and get the mare and colt."
"Do you know the way?" Kile asked.
"East," Paki answered. "I promise I won't go anywhere else."
Kile studied him for several seconds. "All right, but ye come right back 'ere and stay with their horses, understand?"
Paki nodded his
head. Kile and Adie pulled themselves back into their saddles while Jaron and Tosia ran to their horses. Paki hadn't seen any weapons on either of the Dwellers, but as they rode by, he noticed strange swords strapped to each of their saddles. The blades were curved outwards, narrow at the base and ending in a wide, odd curve at the point. He watched the four as they headed north, then separated and spread out in their search for the church guards. When they were quite a distance from the Dweller's camp, Paki sighed. Using a nearby rock as a step up, he managed to scramble into the stallion's saddle, then turned him back towards the camp where the mare and colt waited.
It didn't take him long to clean up the camp and get the mare and colt. The trip back took a bit longer since the colt couldn't match the other horses' gallops. Even being slowed down, Paki still made it back to the Dwellers' camp before any of the others.
It was only a few minutes later that he heard approaching horses. Making his way through the herd, he was glad to see Kile, Adie, Jaron and Tosia returning.
"Did you find them?" he asked as they pulled in and dismounted.
"Lurkin' just to the north," Kile confirmed. "Probably waitin' for nightfall to try stealin' a couple of 'orses." He looked at Paki. "Did ye get everythin'?" he asked.
"Yes," Paki said. "The colt got a little warm on the trip back, but I think he's okay now."
"We thank thee," Jaron said to Kile as Tosia led his horse away. "I see thy reputation still precedes thee into the church guard ranks," he added, smiling faintly.
"Oh, please," Adie said, rolling her eyes. "Don't stroke his ego anymore, he gets unbearable."
"Yes, we thank thee," Tosia returned to her brother's side, extending her own gratitude. "I fear we would have lost many of our horses had thou not been here."
"Ye know," Kile said. "We're headin' for the Stronghold ourselves. Why don't we travel with ye, having extra people around might discourage any other church guards from wantin' ye're horses."
"We'd be honored," Jaron said, bowing his head.