Chronicles of Nahtan Boxed Set #1: The First Three Herridon Chronicles Books: Mo'ani's Way, Halona's Way, Nahtan's Way

by D. L. Kramer

  Five - "I didn't know it was you out here"

  The herd of Dwellers' horses kept pace with no prompting from their owners as the five travelers continued on their way southwest. Paki noticed that the stallion seemed much calmer than he had earlier that day. He didn't know what had made the huge horse so uneasy, but guessed it was the presence of the church guards.

  They rode until late afternoon before stopping to rest. Ahead of them, Paki could clearly see the tall, jagged mountains.

  Paki slid from his saddle and unbuckled it, then waited for Kile or Adie to help him take it off. To his surprise, it was Tosia who came to help. Finally seeing her up close, he was surprised to find out she was actually shorter than he was.

  "Doth thou need some help, Young Master?" she asked.

  "He's too tall," Paki responded. "If I try to pull the saddle down, it knocks me over."

  "Then don't pull it," she smiled. Placing one hand on the stallion's neck, she tapped his near knee. To Paki's surprise, the stallion knelt down. Tosia nodded to the saddle and Paki lifted it from the stallion's back.

  "What name doth he have?" she asked, stroking the huge horse as he stood back up.

  "He doesn't," Paki said. "My master never named him when he bought him, he was just called 'horse'."

  "Thou shouldst name him, then," Tosia continued to stroke his neck, pausing to pick a burr from his mane. "And give him a good brushing," she added.

  "I don't have a brush," Paki said quietly.

  Tosia turned to look at him. "Thy name," she paused. "Why doth thee wear that particular one?"

  "My mother always called me that because I liked to save things."

  "Doth thee not save things anymore?" The Dweller seemed genuinely interested.

  Paki shrugged. "I guess not," he admitted. He hadn't felt the need to save anything in the days since meeting Kile.

  "Then thou, too, need a new name."

  "What do you mean?" Paki asked.

  "Names are like one's clothing," Tosia explained. "Sometimes thou will outgrow one and sometimes thy name fits, but no longer suits thee."

  "What kind of a name?" He had never heard of changing names before.

  Tosia pursed her lips and studied him for a few seconds. "Thou remindst me of someone," she finally said. "But in truth, I can remember not. Perhaps when I do, his name will do for thee."

  "Perhaps," Paki repeated quietly as Tosia walked away. He found he liked the idea of changing his name. The more he thought about it, the more he disliked the nickname he'd had all of his life. He wondered what his birthname was, but if his parents ever called him by it, he was too young to remember.

  After resting, they broke camp and continued towards the mountains. Details on the jagged peaks became harder to make out as night fell. Paki was aware of Kile and Adie quietly discussing something with the Dwellers, but was too tired to worry. He was about to ask Kile if they were going to stop when Adie slowed her horse to walk beside him.

  "How are you doing?" she asked.

  "Tired," Paki shrugged. "Are we going to be stopping soon?"

  "That's what we were talking about," Adie answered. "The path through the mountains isn't far ahead and Kile wanted to try to make it there."

  "Why not here?"

  "He or Jaron can hide it with their flutes so we won't have to worry about any church guards bothering us while we rest."

  "That makes sense, I guess," Paki said. "But I thought there weren't any more church guards around."

  "Nicho's still uneasy, so Kile thinks there might be one or two lurking out there somewhere," she smiled. "He's entirely too attached to that horse," she added.

  Paki paused. "I guess I'm okay to keep going," he finally said. "How long is the path through the mountains?"

  "Another half a day to the Stronghold," Adie said. "We'll be there tomorrow."

  "Kile said the Stronghold was beside a village."

  "It is," Adie nodded her head. "The village is down in the valley on the other side of the mountains. The Stronghold is hidden in the hills above it."

  "Ye all right, lad?" Kile asked, slowing Nicho to walk on the stallion's other side.

  "Yes," Paki said. "Adie was just telling me about the village and Stronghold."

  "A more beautiful sight ye'll never want to see," Kile added his own opinion as Adie rolled her eyes. "Will ye be all right for another hour or so?"

  "I should be," Paki nodded his head. "The mare and colt seem to be okay, too. I think stopping earlier helped."

  "That's what I was hopin'," Kile said. "Let me know if ye need to stop."

  Paki nodded his head as Kile and Adie moved back up beside Jaron and Tosia.

  It wasn't quite two hours later when Kile led them through a narrow opening in the rocky sides of the mountains. It was so narrow they were forced to ride single file. Kile and Adie led them in while Jaron and Tosia stood by, waiting for all of their horses to follow Paki and the mare and colt. Paki had followed Adie's horse for quite a while when he heard what must have been Jaron's flute behind them. The tones were short and sharp.

  After several minutes of riding in almost complete darkness, Kile led them into a wide ravine. The half moon overhead cast a magical glow as Jaron and Tosia herded the last of their horses through.

  Paki dropped, more than slid, from his saddle. The long days of riding were starting to catch up with him and he was tired through to his center. They made a rough camp and Paki was about to unsaddle the stallion when Jaron appeared at his side, offering to do it for him. Paki thanked him and walked to the camp, laying on his bedroll and falling asleep before eating anything.

  As tired as he was, he woke up about an hour before daybreak. The Dwellers' horses milled around the camp while everyone else slept. Paki got to his feet and wandered among the horses looking for the stallion. He found him several yards from the others, sampling a bright green bush growing along one side of the ravine. Jaron had unsaddled him and turned him loose rather than tying him. Paki now noticed that none of the horses were tied.

  Trying to remember exactly what Tosia had done the day before, Paki placed one hand on the stallion's neck, then tapped his near leg on the back of the knee with his other hand. To his surprise, the stallion knelt down. Smiling, Paki went around to the stallion's head and rubbed his nose.

  "Where'd you learn that?" he asked the huge horse. The stallion's heavy mane flipped wildly as he shook his head and snorted. Noticing more burrs in the long hair, Paki began to pick them out. "I guess you really ought to have a name," he said absently. "But what?" The stallion nudged him with his nose, then stood back up again.

  "I don't know either," sighed Paki, turning back to the camp.

  A scattering of pebbles from above startled him. Looking up the hillside, he couldn't see anything but the trail of dust the pebbles had left. With a feeling of alarm and using the shifting horses as cover, he made his way back to the camp. Finding where Kile slept, he crept over to him. No sooner had he touched his arm than Kile opened his eyes and sat up.

  "What is it?" he asked, seeing the alarm on Paki's face.

  "I don't know," Paki said quietly. "I went to see the stallion and I heard a bunch of rocks slide down the hill."

  Kile picked up his sheathed sword and rolled over. "Show me where," he said, standing up and unsheathing the longsword. He paused to pick up his crossbow from Nicho's saddle before following Paki back over to the stallion.

  "Here," Paki said, stopping below the spot.

  Kile checked the crossbow, then looked up the hill. His eyes narrowed as he scanned the rocky side of the ravine. After several seconds, he stopped on one spot and trained the crossbow on it. "Ye might as well come out," he called. "I can see ye're footprints."

  To Paki's surprise, someone stood up from behind one of the large rocks. He was quite a bit younger than Kile, but the calf-length red cloak over his shoulders was unmistakable.

  "Who the hell are ye and what are ye doin' out here?" Kile yelled, lowering
the crossbow. His voice roused Adie and the Dwellers and Paki could hear them getting up.

  "I--I'm sorry, Captain," the young man called back. "I didn't know it was you out here."

  "Obviously," Kile returned. "Now get ye'reself down here!"

  "What is it?" Adie asked, coming over as the young man scrambled down the hillside in a flurry of rocks and dust.

  "A Mo'ani who can't sneak up on a rock," he muttered. Paki was surprised to see Kile so upset.

  They watched as the young man slid to a stop in front of them. He picked himself up and dusted himself off.

  "The watch heard the flute last night," he tried to explain. "Lieutenant Gharald wanted it checked out, sir."

  "That's enough," Kile scowled. "Who in blazes was in charge of ye're trainin'? Ye never should have approached on a loose rock hillside. Hell, man, ye never should have gotten this close at all!"

  The young man began to say something, then fell silent at Kile's stern gaze. Even Paki felt uncomfortable standing beside him.

  Before Kile could continue, Adie interrupted. "Jayehl," she said simply, calling the young Mo'ani by name. "You were cloaked this spring."

  "This spring?!" Kile asked, turning to look at Adie, then looked back at the young Mo'ani. "Jayehl?!" It was obvious he suddenly recognized the young man.

  "Yes, m'lady," Jayehl answered, trying not to look at Kile.

  Adie looked up at Kile. "You've been gone from the Stronghold for nearly three years," she reminded. "Jayehl was a second level apprentice when you left for Valin Hold."

  "Second level--" Kile studied the young man in front of him. "Whatever possessed ye to approach this close to the camp?" he demanded, his tone still stern, but no longer as angry.

  Jayehl took a deep breath, then looked up to meet Kile's eyes. "A band of church soldiers stole a herd of Dwellers' horses two months past and no one's seen them since. Lieutenant Gharald wanted to make sure they weren't trying to sneak in using the horses as cover."

  Kile raised his eyebrows. "And ye thought ye could keep all the rocks from giving ye away, so ye decided to climb on 'em?"

  "A tactical mistake," Jayehl admitted. "I would be more than pleased to ride on ahead and let Lord Mo'ani know you're returning."

  Kile narrowed his eyes at Jayehl. "I'll remember this," he said simply. "And after informin' Mo'ani, ye can inform Gharald that I'll be expectin' my quarters exactly as I left 'em, so 'e can start movin' out now!"

  Jayehl snapped a salute to Kile before turning and sprinting up the ravine. A few seconds later, Paki heard the clatter of hooves as a horse galloped away.

  "You're getting old," Adie told Kile. "You used to know the names and faces of every first level apprentice and on up from there." She paused. "And you've known Jayehl since he was born."

  Kile sighed and looked at her. "I'm not gettin' old," he argued, turning back to the camp. "I'm astounded by the sheer foolishness of that boy. His father'd have 'is head if 'e knew what he'd just done."

  Paki stood where he was by the stallion and watched them return to the camp. Kile hadn't said anything about being a captain, only that he was a Mo'ani. He supposed it made sense, the Mo'ani were an army. He also didn't realize Kile was capable of such anger. Paki had felt it emanating from him just while standing beside him. It was also obvious that Kile didn't let his anger control his actions. Just a few reasonable words from Adie were enough to keep him from tearing Jayehl to pieces over his mistake.

  They broke camp soon after and Kile led the way further along the ravine. Both Jaron and Tosia had heard of the theft, but neither knew any details. Using the trick Tosia had taught him, Paki was able to saddle the stallion without any help. When Kile came over to help him up, he surprised him by already having it done.

  Stopping only to rest or water the horses, they made their way along the ravine quickly. At the narrowest, they had to lead their horses, at the widest, they could ride spaced well apart. For the most part, the ravine followed a gradual incline, only occasionally getting steep.

  After several hours, Paki could see a divide ahead of them. Kile led them to the right and the ravine began twisting and turning tightly. Finally, they rounded a curve and almost immediately, Paki could see a huge stone wall that spanned between two close-set jagged mountain peaks looming ahead of them. It was a formidable site, and he could easily understand why it was called the Stronghold.

  "Is that it?" he asked Adie.

  She turned in her saddle to look at the wall. "That's it," she confirmed. "Not much farther now."

  They had barely begun the short descent down to the Stronghold when the gates opened. Three men on horses filed through the gates and began riding towards them. Kile kept them going forward, not seeming to have noticed the men. With still several yards between them, he finally pulled Nicho in and waited for the approaching riders. As they neared, Paki could see that the leader was an old man. Paki guessed his age at somewhere around sixty, but he couldn't help but think he was wrong. Of his two escorts, Paki recognized Jayehl while the other was close to Kile's age. The leader's hand was steady on the reins as their horses pulled up in front of Kile's. Paki could see the sharpness in his eyes. The ailments of age had obviously spared him.

  "Kile," the man greeted, clasping Kile's hand strongly. His voice was just as strong and had just a hint of an unfamiliar accent. Next, he turned to Adie. "Adiella." Adie leaned over from her saddle to kiss his cheek.

  "Grandfather," she greeted.

  Kile nodded to the old man, then to the older of the two escorts.

  "I expect my quarters are the way I left 'em, Gharald?" he asked, smiling faintly.

  "Even the dust has been replaced," Gharald answered, his tone deep, but calm.

  Mo'ani sighed. "I trust you had no problems getting here?" he asked.

  "Nothin' we couldn't handle," Kile said. "Though we did happen on a couple of things we're not sure what to make of."

  "Come rest and eat," Mo'ani turned his horse and Gharald and Jayehl followed him. "Tell me about it when we reach the Stronghold. We're all anxious to hear your news from Valin." Mo'ani paused, looking at Paki as if he hadn't noticed him before. "Good day, Young Master," he greeted him with a nod of his head before turning and leading the way to the Stronghold.

  Paki decided he would have to find a new name soon if everyone was going to keep calling him that.

  They reached the Stronghold quickly. The tower and walls Paki had seen surrounded the buildings of the Stronghold but weren't attached to them. The area inside the walls was huge. People worked, played or rested just about everywhere Paki looked. A huge stable and a large corral ran along the length of one wall and the keep sat off to their right. Barracks and a fenced training ground sat at the opposite end from the keep. Archery and jousting targets were set up at one end of the training yard and looked they had been put to good use recently.

  Jaron and Tosia took their herd of horses and followed Gharald to the corral. Mo'ani led the others to the near end of the stables.

  Boys about Paki's age appeared out of the stables and waited for them to dismount. Paki hesitated, wanting to stay with his horses, but Kile put an arm around his shoulders and steered him towards the keep.

  "Ye're horses are in the best of hands 'ere," Kile told him as they entered through the huge metal and wood doors.

  "I guess you'd know," Paki said with a faint smile, still in awe at the size of the Stronghold.

  "After ye eat, ye can go see to them if ye'd like."

  Paki nodded his head, suddenly realizing how tired and hungry he was from the trip.

  Mo'ani led them into a comfortable room where a table was set in anticipation of their arrival. Bread, a large cut of roasted venison and bowls of fruit waited for them. As they sat down, Paki realized he wasn't sure if he was more hungry or tired.

  "Tell me about Valin," Mo'ani said, sitting in a chair beside Kile's.

  Kile took a slice of bread from a loaf and began breaking it into bite-sized pieces. "The
Archbishop sent close to four hundred men to take it," he said. "Obviously, they couldn't breach the walls. By the time I got there, the church guards 'ad lain most of the land to waste and were just waitin' to starve 'em out of the hold."

  "But you didn't take any Mo'ani with you," Jayehl said.

  Kile shrugged. "I didn't need to," he said simply. "There were still three hundred Mo'ani inside the hold. Besides, Adie was there and we all know 'ow useless church guards get when they lose their generals. Without their direction, it was fairly easy to take care of the rest."

  Paki looked at Adie, his eyes curious. Adie leaned back in her chair, cutting a chunk of meat into smaller pieces and eating them. Paki watched how she moved her knife. The quick twists of her wrist, the way she held her fingers on the hilt. A cold chill ran up his back when he recognized the same subtle, quick movements he had used to skin animals.

  Mo'ani, too, looked at Adie. "You told me you'd given that up," he said quietly.

  "It was three years ago, grandfather," she said. "Since then I have given it up." She glanced at Kile. "Besides, I'm not the one wanted for murder."

  "I know," Mo'ani turned solemn eyes onto Kile. "Our messengers tell me it was self-defense, but the Archbishop is screaming murder. Which is it?"

  Kile leaned forward to cut a piece of meat. "Both," he finally said. "The BishopLord wanted to kill me as much as I wanted to kill 'im. I won."

  Mo'ani sighed. "I was hoping you'd outgrow these little conflicts," he muttered.

  "Maybe when I'm ye're age," Kile responded with a shrug. "I'll move from murder charges to all of the treason charges ye've earned."

  "Just watch yourself in town," Mo'ani warned. "The Archbishop's got people looking high and low for you and doesn't care that the village is part of my hold." He paused to turn considering eyes onto Paki. "And what about the Young Master here?"

  Paki shifted in his seat when he realized everyone was looking at him.

  "I found 'im after he'd had a bit of a bad mornin'." Kile understated. "His mare was about to foal and it looked like 'is master had abandoned 'im. He didn't 'ave anyplace to go, so I figured ye might be able to find some work for 'im here and maybe teach 'im to read." Kile winked reassuringly at Paki. "He even expressed an interest in becoming a Mo'ani."