by D. L. Kramer
Both boys stood still until Bear nudged Paki.
"I, uh..." Paki's voice trailed off. He didn't know what to say, or how to approach Mo'ani about not wanting to go alone. "I--"
"What he's stumbling over saying, M'lord," Bear interjected. "Is that he doesn't want to go alone. Both the lady and captain are old enough to be his parents--no offense to either of them--but it's no fun going anywhere with your parents."
Mo'ani raised an eyebrow at Paki.
"Is that true?" he asked evenly.
Paki shifted his weight. "It's nothing against either Kile or Adie," he said hastily, wishing Bear hadn't been so blunt. "It's just that...this is the first time I've had friends my own age."
"I see." Mo'ani leaned back in his chair and studied the boys. "Tell me, Paki, how do you feel about the captain?"
Paki shifted his weight again. "He's always treated me very well, sir," he said. "And he's acted like a father whenever something bothered me. He was there with me when the mare died."
Mo'ani nodded his head almost unnoticeably, then turned to Bear. "And you?"
Bear smiled. "The captain is one of the most honorable--"
"Honesty, Sewati," Mo'ani cut in. "Or you'll never see a cloak over your shoulders."
Paki was puzzled when Bear's smile grew. Being reprimanded by Mo'ani should have made him realize the question was serious.
"He would undoubtedly sit on the Row of Elders in my village," Bear answered. "And I would do whatever he asked."
"All right," Mo'ani nodded his head. "Bear, go pack your things and write a letter to your father. I'll make sure a messenger gets off with it as close to your departure as possible. Talk to Tavish about a horse for you."
A thought occurred to Paki. He had two horses and the two year old would undoubtedly cause problems if he were left behind. "Uh, sir?" he asked.
"Yes?"
"Chase really seems to like Bear and if he thinks he could ride him, he'd be more than welcome to take him." Paki ignored the surprised look Bear gave him. He had thought of offering the young horse to Bear, but hadn't been sure of the right time to do so.
"I didn't think he'd been broken in yet," Mo'ani commented.
"Tavish has been working with him for several weeks now," Paki supplied. "Kile said we had a few days, I'm sure Chase would get used to Bear riding him by then."
Mo'ani nodded his head. "All right. Things will definitely be quieter without him jumping every fence in his way. Now you two go start getting ready. You've got your work to do up until you leave, you know."
"Yes, sir," both boys said at the same time, turning and leaving the office quickly.
"See, I told you," Bear said as they made their way back out into the afternoon.
"I'm surprised you didn't get in trouble for talking to him like that," Paki sighed, he'd have never been so blunt to Mo'ani. He found himself envying Bear his confidence.
Bear shrugged. "There's no sense wasting time with 'good afternoons' and all that. We weren't there for his company."
"But weren't you afraid you'd get in trouble?"
"Maybe just a little," Bear admitted. "At least, the thought occurred to me."
"Then why'd you do it?" Paki climbed back onto the corral fence.
Bear was silent as he leaned against the fence and they watched Chase prance around the other horses.
"I guess I figured I didn't have anything to lose," Bear finally answered. "The worst he could do was tell me no and give me extra work."
Paki sighed and turned back to watching Chase.
Chase took quickly to having Bear on his back. By the day Adie was to return to the Stronghold, the stallion and Chase could match each other's paces as their riders raced them along the mountain road. On Tavish's suggestion, they harnessed the two horses to the wagon for their last trip to town. Chase wasn't too sure of the wagon behind him and kept turning to look at it. Soft nudges from his sire seemed to reassure him and he made the trip to town with no problem.
Paki and Bear were just finishing loading bags of wheat into the back of the wagon when the stallion shifted in the harness. Chase, too, seemed suddenly more alert. The stallion only perked up like that when church guards were around, but neither boy had seen any that day.
"What do you think's going on?" Bear asked, tossing a rope over the wheat and pulling it tight. He had noticed the horses' shifting too.
Paki tied off his end of the rope and looked around them. The villagers bustled through their daily routines, with no sign of anything wrong.
"I don't--," he paused when he saw a couple of cloaked figures disappear into the shadows beside one of the houses. "Over there," he motioned toward the house with his head.
Paki checked the rope while Bear glanced at the figures.
"I've never seen them in the village before," Bear said quietly. "They sure don't look like they belong here."
"No, they don't," Paki agreed. He pushed the back of the wagon up and both boys walked around to the front. Paki climbed onto the seat while Bear thanked the farmer for the wheat. "Let's go in case they get the same idea about us," Paki said as Bear climbed into the wagon. He took the reins and turned the horses toward the mountain road.
They kept looking behind as they wound their way up the mountain, but saw no sign of the cloaked figures following them. With no word from either Paki or Bear, the stallion and Chase picked up their pace, the fully-loaded wagon not holding them back.
They arrived back at the Stronghold with no problem and took the wagon around to the kitchens. As they helped unload the wheat, Paki looked up to see Adie coming toward them.
"I thought you weren't going to be here until later," he said, pausing to wipe the sweat from his forehead.
"I rode straight through the night," she replied, coming up to sit on the back of the wagon. "Kile tells me you two are going north with us."
"Mo'ani agreed to let Bear come so I wouldn't be all alone," Paki explained, handing another bag of wheat to one of the cooks. "I hope that's okay."
"That's fine," Adie smiled. "You'll probably enjoy the trip more that way." She glanced over at Bear, then back at Paki. "What's wrong?" she asked Paki.
"There were a couple of strangers in the village," Paki said. "I don't know if they were church guards or not, but they didn't look like they belonged there. The horses didn't seem to care for them."
"What did they look like?" Adie asked, her blue eyes serious.
"We couldn't really see them," Paki handed off another sack of wheat. "They were both wearing cloaks and hiding in the shadows of a building."
Adie's brow creased with concern. "Have you told Mo'ani or Kile yet?"
"No," Bear answered. "We were going to after dropping this off."
Adie considered both boys. "Which of you saw them the clearest?" she asked.
Paki looked over at Bear. "I guess I did," he said after a few seconds. "Bear just caught a glimpse of them after I pointed them out to him."
"Come with me," Adie stood up from her seat. "Do you need someone else to help you finish this?" she asked Bear.
"No, it's almost done," Bear responded. "Nothing I can't finish." His smile was fleeting and Paki wondered if it had even been there to begin with.
"Good," Adie smiled at his sarcastic tone. "Let's go find Mo'ani and Kile." She turned to Paki and led him towards the training yard.
Paki gave Bear a deliberate look over his shoulder, then followed after Adie.
Kile and Gharald were both at opposite ends of the yard, each helping an apprentice buckle on breastplates and shields. Paki leaned against the fence with Adie and watched.
After several minutes of checking buckles, the two apprentices took out their dulled swords and approached each other. It was obvious they weren't use to the weight of the armor and moved slowly and clumsily. Finally noticing Paki and Adie, Kile and Gharald left the young men to bash at each other with their classmates to cheer them on.
"Welcome back," Kile greeted, leaning on the i
nside of the fence.
"Yes," Gharald agreed. "Are the numbers growing as rapidly as your messages indicate?"
Adie nodded her head. "Bavol Hold has seen nearly two hundred applications for students," she answered. "Takis and Devayne are growing twice that fast and Garyn and Corydon are increasing as well." She looked at Kile. "Valin is still working on keeping on its' feet, but they had almost sixty applications."
"Valin'll keep 'er feet," Kile assured her. "I wouldn't 'ave left if she couldn't."
"You'd think what the Archbishop did would make them want to apply," Gharald noted.
"Except 'e chased all the villagers out first," Kile reminded. "When they all come back, they'll be the first in line."
"We can only hope," Adie sighed. "We might have a problem closer to home though."
"What?" Kile asked.
"Paki and Sewati saw a couple of cloaked strangers while in the village," she answered. "They couldn't tell if they were church guards, but Paki said the horses didn't like them."
"Chase doesn't like anyone," Gharald noted. "Though he does seem to get along with Sewati."
Kile turned to Paki.
"Can ye tell us anythin' about 'em?" he asked.
Paki shrugged. "They were both about the same height and build. We couldn't see their faces."
"What about their cloaks?" Gharald asked.
"Plain brown," Paki answered, trying to remember any specific details. "They seemed awfully heavy for autumn heat though. They looked more like winter cloaks."
Kile and Gharald exchanged looks.
"It'd have to be," Kile stated.
"Or else anyone could hear them leaving," Gharald added.
"Church guards?" Adie asked. "But their winter cloaks are blue too."
Kile turned back to her and Paki.
"If a guard abandons 'is post, he certainly doesn't want anyone to hear 'is chain clinkin'," he explained. "I've heard sometimes they use 'eavy merchants' cloaks to muffle the sound."
"What if they didn't abandon their posts though?" Paki asked. "What if they just want you to think they left."
Kile raised an eyebrow at Paki.
"A possibility, I suppose," he said.
"I think this ought to be checked out," Gharald advised.
"Definitely," Kile agreed. He turned to Paki. "Do ye think ye could pick 'em out again?"
Paki shrugged. "I don't know. They tried to stay where they couldn't be seen."
"Go get Bear and we'll take a trip to the village," Kile instructed Paki. "The two of ye take the wagon like ye're goin' back for another trip."
"Okay," Paki pushed off the fence and broke into a run. He saw Bear leading the horses and wagon to the stables and whistled for his attention. He didn't want to have to catch them and hitch them up again. "C'mon," Paki said, jumping onto the wagon beside Bear. "Kile, Lieutenant Gharald and Adie want to go back to the village to find those men we saw. They want us to go with them."
Bear paused to look up at the mid-afternoon sun. "You realize we won't be back until after dark, don't you?" he asked Paki as he pulled the horses in.
Paki caught the gleam in Bear's eye. "And look who we'll have with us," he reminded. "I think they'd notice if we disappeared." Mo'ani kept strict curfews and any youth caught outside the Stronghold after curfew stood a good chance of losing his opportunity of becoming a student. Paki knew it was only a matter of time until Bear tested those rules, too. He just hoped his friend didn't get caught when he did it.
"Oh, all right," Bear sighed and turned the wagon away from the stables.
Kile, Adie and Gharald were by the corral, saddling their horses. Kile swung onto Nicho's back as the wagon stopped beside them. Chase snorted at Kile and pawed the ground, but made no attempt to bolt.
"Just so ye know," Kile said to the two boys. "Ye two are goin' after 'im if he gets loose and runs." He motioned to Chase with his head.
"Yes, sir," Bear said, then smiled. "What if someone lets him loose and he runs?"
Kile gave Bear a deliberate look while Adie and Gharald swung into their saddles.
"Ye get to chase 'im down then, too, so don't get any ideas in that head of ye're's."
"Wouldn't think of it, sir," Bear said, making a show of handing the reins to Paki.
"Thanks," Paki muttered as they turned to leave the Stronghold. "Now if he gets loose, they'll blame me."
Bear shrugged and leaned back on the wooden seat.
As they made their way down the mountain, Adie and Gharald kept in the woods to either side while Kile rode behind the wagon. Paki let the stallion pick the speed and they made good time to the bottom. Kile pulled up beside them while Adie and Gharald moved up to the rear.
"Won't this look a little suspicious?" Paki asked after several minutes. "We never have anyone with us when we go to the village."
Kile paused to look behind them. "Adie's already disappeared," he pointed out. "Gharald'll be doin' the same in another few minutes. I'll stay with ye until just outside the wheat fields, then I'll go on ahead."
"What do you want us to do if we see them again?" Bear asked.
"One of us'll have ye in sight all the time," Kile explained. "If ye see 'em, go check the stallion's harness." He paused for a brief second, considering who he was speaking to. "If ye touch Chase's harness, we'll figure ye want to take 'em on by ye'reself and we'll leave ye be," he added, pretending not to notice Bear's smile or Paki's sigh.
When Paki looked behind them a few minutes later, Gharald was gone. As soon as the first wheat fields came into view, Nicho sped into a gallop and Kile was soon far ahead of them.
"Why do you do that to them?" Paki asked Bear.
Bear shrugged. "If you can't have a sense of humor about things, what's the use of living?"
"Because there isn't that much to laugh at," Paki observed. For as long as he could remember, he couldn't think of anything lighthearted in his life. All he remembered about his parents' house was being hungry all the time. The auction master he and his sister were taken to was a loud, angry man. His time at Mo'ani's Stronghold was the closest thing to peace he had ever felt and even there the feeling of impending war was evident everywhere.
"You need to find something," Bear observed. "You have your horses."
"The mare's gone," Paki reminded.
"What about the stallion and Chase?" Bear asked.
Paki looked at the two huge horses ahead of them. "I used to hide underneath the stallion when my master wanted to beat me," he confided. "And Chase was foaled after the stallion trampled my master to death." Paki was surprised at how easy it was to talk about his master's death with Bear. He remembered being unable to tell Kile.
"What about your sister?" Bear asked. "The one you said was sold the same time you were."
"I don't really remember her," Paki shrugged. "I know she had brown hair and I remember her being tall, but I was only three, so I don't know for sure."
"Hasn't anything really made you happy?" It was obvious Bear couldn't believe his friend's life was so ill fated.
Paki shrugged again. "I've been happier at the Stronghold than anyplace else," he admitted. "And the only thing people there think about are Nahtan and the Archbishop." He looked at Bear. "What about you?"
"I can always think about my father or brother," Bear paused. "Or even my mother."
"But your mother was killed."
"But I remember what she was like before that," Bear told him. "Mo'ani's right when he tells me if I dwell on her death too much it'll take away my soul. If I spent all my time thinking about what she looked like when the Elders brought her body back to us, I wouldn't care about anything."
Paki nodded his head. He had seen Bear's anger and want for revenge whenever he spoke too much about his mother's death. Mo'ani kept a close eye on Bear and Paki had heard him remind Bear more than once that revenge and bloodlust would never get him the cloak he wanted.
"I just make myself think about other things, or what she was like when she
was with us," Bear continued.
"What was she like?" Paki asked. He didn't remember his own mother and found himself envying Bear the memories of his.
Bear smiled faintly. "Her name was Notaku and she was one of the most outspoken women in my village. If the Row of Elders did something she thought was wrong, she'd walk in and tell them so. If she could prove they were wrong, she liked it even more.
"Everyone liked her. She'd be the first in the fields in the morning the last one home at night." Bear paused. "She'd have given her life for anyone in our village...and I'm afraid that's what happened."
"You think she died to protect someone?" Paki asked.
"I don't know," Bear sat up on the seat again. "She was killed soon after the Archbishop's men ordered the new altar. My brother and I think she tried to oppose it." He leaned over and took the waterskin from the floor. Taking a drink, he offered it to Paki, then capped it again when Paki shook his head. "But I just think about how happy she was when my brother learned how to fish. Or how she looked when our village celebrated the New Moon Festival. You know, times when we were all together and happy."
"I wish I had memories like that," Paki said, just a hint of sadness evident. "I don't even remember the names of anyone in my family," he sighed.
Bear's eyes flashed with the wicked glint Paki had seen only briefly before. "But one day I'll find whoever killed her," he said quietly. "And they'll wish for as slow a death as she had."
"Mo'ani's right," Paki observed. "If you think about that too much, your soul does go away."
Bear's eyes cleared. "Sorry," he apologized. "I just have to make useless threats to the wind like that sometimes. I doubt I could bring myself to do that to someone."
The two fell quiet as they entered the village. It was nearing late afternoon and everyone was getting ready to head to their homes. Kile, Adie and Gharald were nowhere to be seen.
"What do you think we should do?" Paki asked, pulling the horses in.
"I'm glad you boys remembered to come back!" An old man appeared from the shop across the street. "You might as well come on in to wait. I don't have those barrels quite finished yet!" He waved them over, then disappeared behind his door.