by D. L. Kramer
Paki sighed and followed her between two buildings. He didn't think he'd ever understand. He had noticed that Kile seemed to be the only one in the Stronghold who had one of the flutes. Most everyone seemed surprised when he used it with the colt, though they obviously recognized what it was.
Adie showed him the barracks for the students and the smaller bunkhouses for the apprentices. After seeing them, Paki understood what Mo'ani had said about him being too young. The youngest of the students were four or five years older than him and the youngest of the apprentices were seven or eight years older.
Adie told him that each of the barracks housed almost two hundred students, though Paki could only guess at how many there were. One building was set aside for the boys and few girls who one day hoped to be taken as students. Until then, they worked in the stables, the kitchen, or the library. Adie pointed out which room he was going to be sharing. The room was clean, with four beds in it. Each bed had its' own desk and washstand and there was a common wardrobe set against the far wall.
Next, Paki was shown the great cathedral. Rows and rows of pews filled the room. At the front of the room, statues of one god and two goddesses stood behind an altar.
"Who are they?" Paki asked quietly. He was almost overcome with the reverence in the cathedral. He imagined this is what it must feel like in the temples he had seen.
"The god in the middle is Zakris," Adie explained. "He's the creator of all things. The two goddesses are Jensina and Halona, his daughters."
"Kile told me Halona is the Goddess of Good Fortune," Paki said. "Who is Jensina?"
"Jensina is the Goddess of Desires," Adie answered. "You can go look at them closer if you want."
Paki cautiously walked to the front of the cathedral. He stepped onto the raised dais, then stepped around the altar. He noted absently that no blood stained this altar, unlike so many he had seen out in the open in some of the villages. The top of the altar was black from numerous fires, but that was all.
Standing in front of the three statues, he was almost overcome by the feeling of tranquility that swept through him. Zakris' stone eyes looked down on him with nothing but gentleness and love. Halona's eyes were equally gentle, but seemed to laugh gaily. It was Jensina's eyes that held his attention. So sad and gentler than either her sister's or her father's. But hidden beneath that, Paki could feel a determination the other two statues lacked.
"She's beautiful, isn't she?" Adie asked, coming up behind Paki. "Jensina's always been my favorite."
"Why is she so sad?" Paki asked.
"Well, legend has it she wanted to have a baby more than anything," Adie began. "But her father's powers were checked by his brother Zared's, so he couldn't create one for her. I read one story that a lion knew about her wish and brought her a baby he found. She was happy for a while, until she couldn't keep the baby anymore."
"Why couldn't she keep the baby?"
"The story says Zared was jealous because he was in love with Jensina and wanted her to love him like she did the baby," Adie continued. "Fearing for the baby's life, she gave it back to the lion, but he couldn't take care of it and finally had to leave it."
"What happened to the baby?" Paki was interested. He hadn't heard stories like this before. Perhaps when he could read, the librarian could show him where more of the stories of the gods and goddesses were written.
"I don't remember," Adie shrugged. "It was in a book of children's stories I read a long time ago. I wasn't much younger than you, as a matter of fact," she added.
Paki turned back up to the statue of Jensina. The same sad but determined eyes looked down on him.
"Jensina," he whispered the goddess' name. "Is Zared stronger than Zakris?" he asked, turning back to Adie.
"No," Adie shook her head. "They're perfectly matched," she paused. "Or perfectly opposite, I guess, depending on how you want to look at it. They can counter whatever the other does, but they have to act before the other one is finished." She smiled. "Come on," Adie took his arm. "I'll finish showing you around. The cathedral is never locked, so you can come in whenever you want." She led him from the room, closing the cathedral doors behind them. "Mo'ani has a priest who opposes the Archbishop who comes once a fortnight. I'm sure he'd answer any questions you might have," she finished as they made their way back to the keep.
Adie finished showing him the Stronghold, then left him to explore on his own before the cooks rang the supper bells.
Paki wanted to go back to the cathedral, but before he got there, he saw Mo'ani and Kile go inside. Not wanting to disturb them, he turned back to the corrals.
As he climbed up onto the side of the corral, the stallion and mare both came over to him. He rubbed their noses as they nuzzled him. Someone had already brushed the mare and her coat was almost three shades lighter. Her gentle eyes met his and she leaned against him, almost pushing him off the gate. If she hadn't pinned his legs between the posts and her side, he was sure he'd have fallen over.
Another boy about his age came over and stood beside him, his arms resting on the fence. The boy's face was intense and his skin dark. Long black hair hung below his shoulders. He wore plain breeches, but his vest was woven with brightly colored strips of cloth.
"Hello," he said. "These your horses?"
"Yes," Paki answered, trying to push the mare off his legs.
"I saw what the colt did," the boy said. "I've never seen a horse bother the captain like that before."
"Well," Paki shrugged. "Kile helped the mare when she foaled, maybe the colt thinks he's part of his family."
"Or maybe he just doesn't have any good sense."
Paki paused, thinking about it. "I guess that could be it, too," he decided.
"I'm Sewati," the boy offered his hand to Paki. "But everyone just calls me Bear."
Paki raised an eyebrow at the boy. He wasn't much bigger than Paki, if at all, and Paki saw nothing about him that compared to a bear.
"Bear?" he asked, clasping the boy's arm. His grip was surprisingly strong.
Bear shrugged. "Sewati means 'curved bear's claws' where I'm from. Mo'ani shortened it to 'Bear'," he explained with a shrug.
"I'm Paki," Paki offered, despising his name even more. He paused. "Where are you from?"
"About three months ride to the east," Bear answered with a smile. "What about you?"
"The village I was born in is called Edgewind," Paki said. "But my parents sold me to a trapper when I was three, so I've traveled all over."
"Sold you?" Bear's face was shocked.
"If parents can't afford to feed their children, they sell them to masters," Paki explained. "They stay with the masters and learn a trade. When they've reached their fifteenth year, they can leave."
"I think I like the Mowik better," Bear stated. "They wouldn't think of selling any of their children. When they have more, they put more water in the soup or plant more wheat in the spring."
"Why are you here?" Paki asked. "Do you want to be a Mo'ani?"
"Of course," Bear laughed. "It's all I've wanted."
"Kile's the first one I met," Paki admitted. "I'm just here to learn to read."
"So, stay around, maybe Mo'ani will take you as a student in a few years."
Paki shrugged. Before he could respond, a loud clanging came from the keep. Almost immediately, everyone in the yard dropped what they were doing and began heading for the building.
"Come on," Bear grabbed Paki's arm and pulled him off the corral. "If we don't hurry, all the good spots at the tables will be gone."
Paki landed on his feet and broke into a run behind Bear. Bear was soon quite a ways ahead of him. Not knowing where the dining room was, Paki followed everyone else.
The dining room was huge and long tables ran across it in rows. People filed to either side, where they were handed plates and their dinner dished up for them before they went to sit down. At the end of either food table, fires burned in large stone barrels. Paki noticed that occasionally people put
some of their food into the fire before they sat down. He remembered Kile explaining about the offerings to Halona and how Halona had helped the stallion after Paki put some of his venison into the fire with Kile's.
Almost immediately after entering the room, he was grabbed and pulled to one side. Bear handed him a metal plate.
"The best food line's over here," Bear said. "They give you more to eat."
Paki followed Bear along the food table and was given hot meat with thick gravy, biscuits, fresh corn and a small cake. As he reached the end of the table, he paused by the crackling fire, considering. He wanted to thank Halona for what she had done and wasn't sure what to put into the fire.
"I'll save you a spot over there," Bear said, nodding to a table a few rows in. Several other boys and a couple of girls were already sitting there. Bear dropped his corn into the fire, then turned away.
"I'm coming," Paki said, deciding he would offer Halona what he would like the most from his plate. Dropping the cake into the fire, he followed Bear over.
The other boys and girls all welcomed Paki at their table. Most of them were greatly impressed with Paki's horses, especially the colt.
They had just about finished eating when Mo'ani entered the room. The voices quieted as he made his way to stand at the front of the room.
"As most of you know," he began. "Kile returned from Valin Hold yesterday afternoon. I'd like to let you all know that soon after he arrived at Valin three years ago, the soldiers were able to drive off the church guards and keep Valin Hold from the Archbishop."
Paki was startled when a cheer went up from each student, apprentice and Mo'ani hopeful in the room.
Mo'ani held up one hand after they had cheered for several seconds. "He would have returned immediately, but stayed to help them rebuild the hold and to help the families there settle back in. He also started the training for a new round of apprentices from the neighboring keeps."
Another cheer rose, which Mo'ani again quieted with just his hand. "Also, as some of us were entertained by the antics of a certain colt this afternoon," Mo'ani paused to wink at Paki. "I thought you'd like to know his master is among us." Smiling, Mo'ani walked to stand behind Paki.
"This is Paki, the colt's owner," Mo'ani set his hands on Paki's shoulders as the kids around him stifled laughs. "So if the colt gets into trouble around any of you, you'll know who to take him to," Mo'ani paused. "Provided you can catch him, that is," he added.
Laughter echoed through the dining hall and Paki felt his neck grow hot. Mo'ani patted his shoulders, then walked back to the front of the room.
"Now that the captain is back, he'll be going through the reports of every student and deciding who to offer apprenticeships to." Nodding his head, he stepped away from the front of the room as the students began murmuring among themselves. He paused by Paki again. "Tavish and Adie tell me you're going to drive one of the wagons," he said.
"Yes, sir," Paki said, not looking at him. "Unless you don't want me to."
"I think it's fine," Mo'ani replied, then turned to Bear. "Do you want to go with him until he learns the routes?"
Bear smiled. "I'd love to, M'lord," he replied eagerly. "You know I'm always willing to give my respects to any church guards in town."
Mo'ani pursed his lips. "That's one of the few things that scares me, Bear," he said, patting both boys on the shoulders. He sighed. "You can take a wagon afternoon after next," he instructed. "The wheat farmers have several bushels for us and we've got six head of cattle that need to be brought back."
"I'll show him where everything is," Bear said.
"Good," Mo'ani turned to leave, then stopped to lean over by Bear. "And the whole purpose of the offering is to give Halona something of personal worth to you," he reminded. "Not as a way to get rid of the vegetable you won't eat." Mo'ani turned and walked away as Bear's cheeks turned red.
Seven - "How did you get here?"
Paki's first trip to the village went well. Bear showed him where each of the farms were, as well as the smith, the trader and the mercantile. The village was huge; much larger than any Paki had ever seen before. The stallion took to the load in the wagon easily and they tied the cattle to the back of the wagon for the trip home.
They were nearly three quarters of the way back up the hill when Bear pulled in the reins and set the brake. Paki was apprehensive about letting him drive the stallion, but Bear quickly proved he could handle horses well.
"What'd you stop for?" Paki asked.
Bear stood up on the seat of the wagon. Shading his eyes, he looked out over the valley.
"If you look out there," Bear pointed to the northwest. "You can just make out the edge of Herridon."
Paki stood up beside him and followed Bear's finger. "What's Herridon?" he asked.
"That's where the castle and Grand Cathedral are," Bear said. "That's where Nahtan will kill the Archbishop." He jumped off the seat and sat back down again.
Paki gazed at the faint shadow marking the walls of Herridon. After several seconds, he also sat back down. "How big is the kingdom?" he asked. His master had paid no heed to country boundaries. Paki couldn't remember when he first started seeing the bright blue cloaks. They always seemed to be there.
"I don't know exactly how big it is," Bear picked up the reins and released the brake. The stallion kept the wagon from slipping and started back up the hill. "I know my people have what's called a Row of Elders for our villages, they make all of our laws. The Dweller's have a Lord named Othon who sees after them." Bear shrugged. "I've never heard of a king, just lords and governors."
"Kile told me there were kings a long time ago," Paki recalled. "The Archbishop took the throne after the last one died."
"The Archbishop's a snake," Bear spat. "His church guards tore down the altar to Jensina in my village's center. They told us we couldn't ask for her blessings anymore and instead of our offerings being from our fields, we had to offer blood. Then they made the men in my village build a new altar."
Paki's heart skipped a beat. He remembered the darkly stained public altars. He hadn't realized before that they would be spread so far throughout the kingdom.
"Anyone who's been in the cathedrals knows Jensina doesn't like blood offerings," Bear continued. "The Archbishop says that's what Zakris wants, but I think he worships something evil."
"I'm sorry," Paki said quietly, not sure what else to say.
Bear shrugged. "That's why I want to be a Mo'ani," he said. "I want to stand beside Nahtan when he cuts off the Archbishop's head." Bear paused, then smiled faintly. "Matter of fact, I'll hand Nahtan his sword."
Paki kept silent the rest of the way back. The blood sacrifices bothered him and it obviously outraged Bear. After seeing the wheat in the wagon delivered to the kitchen, the cattle taken to the slaughterhouse and the stallion seen to, Paki slipped into the cathedral.
The three statues stood patiently behind the altar, their open hands welcoming any into their holy place. Paki walked to the front pew and sat down in it. He tried not to think about what Bear had told him, but his mind kept going back to blood stained altars. He didn't know how many he had seen, but there was at least one in every village and market his master had taken him through, regardless of size.
He didn't know how long it was, but eventually tears started coursing down his cheeks. He felt what Bear had talked about; none of these gods wanted blood spilled in their honor. Whatever had prompted the Archbishop to demand blood sacrifices had to be dark and evil.
Paki jumped when someone laid their hands on his shoulders.
"It's all right, son," a calm voice said behind him. The hands moved and the man came around to sit beside Paki. He wore a priests' robe, but unlike the other priests Paki had seen, his was plain with no markings on it. The front of his scalp was also unshaved, his dark hair peppered with grey. "Cry your heart out to them. They'll listen and cry with you."
Paki wiped at the tears and looked at the stranger. "What if they don't kno
w what's wrong?" he asked.
"They know," the stranger nodded his head. "They know whenever you're happy or sad and they know why."
"How?" Paki asked.
The priest smiled. "They're gods," he explained. "Their minds are different than mortals'. They know everything."
"Who are you?" Paki asked.
"My name is Isak," the priest said. "I come every so often to hold the religious services for Mo'ani."
"Adie told me," Paki looked back up at the three statues. "Which one do you worship?"
"All three," Isak answered, also looking at the statues. "They are each different in their own way."
"I think Jensina's the prettiest," Paki said quietly. "But Halona healed my horse when he was shot by a crossbow."
"You should be very grateful," Isak noted. "Halona is sparing with her blessings."
Paki sighed as he studied the statues. They looked so wise and so loving. If he were one of them, he would probably like to visit the temples and cathedrals. He wondered if anyone in the temples had ever seen them.
"Have you ever seen them?" he asked suddenly.
Isak paused. "I have seen them as they want me to," he answered. "I have seen a rose bloom in the middle of winter, or a nest of baby robins survive being pulled from their branches by a cat. Who's to say which of them caused these miracles, but I know it was one of them."
"But you haven't really seen one of them?"
"Would it make any difference to you if I had?"
Paki slouched down in the pew. He knew in his heart that Halona had healed the stallion, but he supposed it would cement his belief in them if he could find someone who had actually seen them. "I don't know," he shrugged.
Isak fell silent for several seconds. "I have seen Jensina," he admitted quietly. "In a house where I worked for a brief while."
Paki's eyes were wide as he looked up at Isak. "Really?" he asked.
"She came to help a sick child," Isak finished, then stood up. "Come, you can help me set the altar for services this evening." He led Paki behind the dais. From below the stones behind the altar, he pulled a white cloth with red and yellow stitching. "Drape this around the top," he instructed, handing it to Paki. "Careful not to get it too close to the fire pit."