by D. L. Kramer
"Come on," Paki said as he and Bear both ran for their horses. The current would soon carry the boy out of reach and he hadn't looked strong enough to swim against it.
Paki jumped onto the mare's back and she immediately flew into a gallop. Bear dropped Tiimu into the saddlebag and Chase started his gallop as soon as Bear's feet were off the ground. With Bear and Chase right behind him, Paki urged the mare on until they caught up with the boy. The boy saw them and called for help just before he was pulled under. Galloping further on ahead, Paki dismounted when he reached a somewhat calm spot in the river. It was still deep, and he could see swirls on the surface from the undercurrent, but it was the best place he could see to pull the boy out.
Without saying a word about what to do, Bear tossed Paki the end of the rope again. Paki knew immediately what Bear's intentions were and he tied the rope around his waist while Bear tied the other end to Chase's saddle. With a nod from Bear that he was ready, Paki waded out into the water.
The water was cold, though not nearly as freezing as it would be when winter hit. The undercurrent pulled at him and he was surprised at its strength. Feeling a large rock behind him, he pressed his heels under it and braced his legs against it to help hold him steady. He was only about three feet from shore, and the water already splashed above his waist.
"Here he comes," Bear called, pointing to a spot upstream.
Paki strained to pick out some detail of the younger boy and barely caught sight of his hair before he was pulled under. Guessing by how fast the current was moving against him, he estimated the boy's approach.
A glimpse of the boy's shirt told Paki where he was just before he reached him. Reacting more on instinct than logic, Paki pushed off from the rock and dove for the boy's collar, sleeve or arm. At first he thought he had missed, then he felt woven cloth brush his fingertips. Paki grabbed hold of it with all his strength, then pushed himself upward. He broke the surface for a split second as he reached out for Chase's mind, then he and the boy were pulled under again.
Chase responded by pulling back on the rope and Paki felt his face hit the air again almost immediately. Wrestling against the current for a better grip on the boy, he managed to get one arm around his waist. The boy was still conscious and struggled against both the current and Paki's grip, obviously not able to tell which was trying to help and which was trying to drown him.
Within seconds, Paki felt ground beneath his feet again as Chase continued to pull them toward the shore. A few seconds later, Paki was pulling the boy onto the grass beside the river.
Out of breath and exhausted, he rolled onto his back as the boy gasped and coughed. Bear appeared beside Paki and offered him his hand. Paki accepted it, pulling himself to a sitting position. The cool autumn air bit at his wet skin and he noticed the boy's lips were turning blue.
"That was pretty dumb," Bear said, getting the blankets from Chase and the mare. He gave one to Paki as he untied the rope from his waist, then wrapped the other one around the boy. "If we hadn't seen you jump, you'd have drowned."
"Well," the boy began, coughing. "I figured my chances of surviving the river were better than my chances of surviving my uncle's sword." His teeth chattered as he spoke.
"It doesn't look like you were going to survive either one," Bear commented.
"Why did he want to kill you?" Paki asked, rubbing his arms with the rough blanket.
"So I wouldn't tell Lord Mo'ani and Lord Bavol he was a supporter of the Archbishop's," the boy said.
"He's what?" Paki asked, shocked. If there were church supporters within Valin Hold, there could be a trap waiting inside for Mo'ani and Lord Bavol.
"Wait a minute," Bear sat down beside them. "Who's your uncle?"
"Lord Desan," the boy replied.
"Then you're Lord Rial." Paki said, remembering the name from Mo'ani's message to Kile. He and Bear exchanged looks as the boy nodded slowly.
"Then what's waiting inside the hold for them?" Bear asked.
"Not much of anything," Rial answered. "The Mo'ani who were here were arrested and my uncle tried setting up an ambush for the Mo'ani Captain of the Guard and his men. The warriors got loose and killed the church guards hiding inside the hold. My uncle said it was someone else who let the church guards in, but I saw him open the gate."
"Your uncle was just now trying to kill you?" Paki asked. "Why didn't he try to kill you when you first found out about him?"
"I don't know," Rial shrugged. "He just kept me locked in my room. When he came to let me out just now, he tried to kill me. I got away from him and not knowing what was downstairs, I ran for the tower doors."
"You should have run downstairs," Paki said. "The Mo'ani still there would have protected you."
"I didn't know who was in on my uncle's plan and who wasn't," Rial continued. "I didn't want to get trapped down in the yard. I didn't know if the few I could trust were still alive."
"I can understand that," Bear nodded, standing up. "We'd better get back, though," he suggested. "You two should get dried off and we have to warn Lord Mo'ani and Lord Bavol." He helped both Paki and Rial to their feet. "Chase won't have a problem carrying two of us," he said to Rial. "So you can ride with me."
Rial nodded his head and let Bear help him onto Chase's back behind the saddle. Tiimu poked his head out from the saddle bag, sniffing at the stranger. Paki pulled himself onto the mare's back, then pulled the blanket back around his shoulders. Riding side-by-side, they made their way back to the woods.
Sixteen - "I fully intended to jump"
By the time they had crossed the river again and reached the edge of the woods, the Mo'ani warriors had begun burning the bodies of the dead church soldiers. Thick black smoke rose from the bonfires as more bodies were thrown into the flames. The few church soldiers who had survived the cavalries' charge, but were badly wounded, were pulled to one side. A couple of Mo'ani moved through them, examining wounds and trying to determine if they would survive or not.
The gates of Valin Hold were open and speaking with Mo'ani, Lord Bavol and Kile, Paki recognized the middle-aged man who was pursuing Rial on the battlement.
"Hold on," Paki said, reining in the mare.
"What?" Bear asked as Chase stopped beside him.
Paki looked through the smoke at the small group of men ahead of them.
"Lord Desan must think Rial drowned," Paki said. "Let's see what's going on before we let them know he's alive."
"He'll try to kill me as soon as he can," Rial said. His teeth had quit chattering, but he was still shivering.
"Let's go get into some dry clothes," Paki suggested. "I don't see Adie or Lady Bavol down here, maybe one of them is back at Lord Bavol's camp."
"Good idea," Bear agreed.
They turned their horses back toward the woods and were soon back at the camp. Not many people had returned, mostly just the few who were wounded in the battle with the church guards. Paki took Rial back to his and Bear's tent to find some dry clothes while Bear went searching for Adie or Lady Bavol.
Both Paki's and Bear's clothes were too big for Rial, but they would do until his own dried. Paki had just finished changing when he heard Lady Bavol's voice as she approached. With Rial following behind him, Paki left the tent to meet her.
"Please tell me Sewati's imagination is running wild again," she said, coming up to them. She still carried her longbow and her quiver of arrows was still on her back.
"I guess that depends on who you believe," Paki said. "But we both saw Lord Desan with his sword drawn, and we both saw Lord Rial jump into the river."
Evaine looked at the young boy behind Paki.
"Your uncle truly tried to kill you?" she asked.
Rial nodded his head. "I threatened to tell Lord Mo'ani he supported the Archbishop. He signed a treaty with the church guards about a week after they arrived. They were planning on setting a trap for Lord Mo'ani's army. That's why he sent a rider with his ring, because I had hidden mine from him and he coul
dn't find it."
Evaine's eyes grew troubled as she listened. "I was there when Lord Desan came out of Valin," she said. "He said you had become hysterical and had jumped from the tower while he tried to stop you."
"I wasn't hysterical," Rial assured her. "I fully intended to jump."
"What about the Mo'ani who were inside Valin?" Evaine asked.
"Most of them were killed when my uncle let the church soldiers in," Rial said. "Some survived long enough to hold Valin and chase the soldiers back out. I don't know if they know who opened the gates. There were still about thirty inside."
Evaine considered everything Rial said, then looked from Paki to Bear. "You two go down with the others. If you get a chance, tell Kile what you've learned from Lord Rial. I doubt you'll get a chance to tell Mo'ani or Matthios, but you might be able to get Kile alone. Lord Rial and I will be down in a bit."
Paki nodded his head and turned to untie the mare while Bear retrieved Chase. They led their horses to the edge of the woods, then rode them down onto the field.
By the time they reached the scarred land outside Valin, the last of the bodies were being piled onto the fires. The stench from the fires made Paki's stomach turn, and he tried not to breathe too deeply. Paki asked one of the Mo'ani where Kile was, and the man pointed toward Valin, telling him he had gone inside with Mo'ani, Lord Bavol and Lord Desan.
Riding their horses through the gates, Paki and Bear exchanged looks when they saw what was left of Valin. At least a dozen more dead church soldiers were piled against one wall, waiting their turn for the bonfires outside. The wooden buildings within Valin's walls were destroyed and several dead horses were laying to one side of the stables. There were more buildings further away, but they couldn't see what shape they were in.
"It's almost worse in here than out there," Bear commented.
Paki nodded his head in agreement. There weren't many people in the yard and the few they could see were obviously servants from the hold.
"It could take us hours to find Kile in here," Paki said, turning to look at the many small buildings around them.
"Maybe not." Bear took his flute from his pouch and began playing it. Paki could hear little difference between Bear's playing and Kile's, though he was sure there had to be some. Bear hadn't finished when Kile's flute answered them from the south. "That way," Bear indicated, putting his flute away.
They had passed by the stable and several toppled buildings before they saw Kile, Gharald and Adie. They were working with several others to support a sagging roof on what looked like a smithy. Nicho still wore his barding and waited nearby.
"What did ye need?" Kile asked Paki and Bear, helping Gharald steady the beam so it could be secured in place.
"We need to talk to you about something," Paki said. "Lady Bavol sent us." He figured telling him they were on an errand for Lady Bavol wouldn't raise questions when they spoke to him alone. Paki reached out for Nicho's mind and asked him to express the urgency to Kile.
Kile looked at them for a second, then glanced over at Nicho. Finally, he nodded his head. "All right, just give us a second. I'll meet ye up by the stables."
Paki nodded his head and he and Bear returned to the stables. They both avoided going near the dead horses and stopped on the other side. Several minutes later, Kile led Nicho from between two of the buildings.
"What's goin' on?" he asked.
Paki told Kile about seeing Lord Rial jump from the tower and what he had told them after they saved him. Bear added in what Rial had told Lady Bavol.
"Where's Rial now?" Kile asked when they were finished.
"With Lady Bavol," Bear answered. "She said to find you first, then they'd be down in a little bit."
Kile nodded his head. "We can't come right out and accuse Desan of anythin' without proof," he finally said. "We'll either 'ave to find that treaty, or we'll 'ave to get 'im to incriminate 'imself."
"How can we do either?" Paki asked.
"He probably sent the original treaty back to the Archbishop," Kile guessed. "But 'e might 'ave a copy somewhere around 'ere." He paused, looking at Bear. "I think ye're a little more connivin' than Paki, why don't ye see if ye can come up with where 'e might 'ave hidden the treaty." He looked back at Paki. "They're meetin' up in Desan's office. When Evaine and Rial get 'ere, we'll head up. I want them to wait outside while we go in to talk."
"Okay," Paki said.
"He might not have a copy of the treaty," Bear pointed out.
"But if 'e does, I'm sure ye'll find it." Kile nodded at him. "Paki, let's go get Adie and Gharald."
Paki led the mare with him while Bear tied Chase securely to one side of the stable. Bear then turned and broke into a run for the keep.
Paki waited while Kile spoke quietly with Adie and Gharald. After several minutes, Kile came back over to him and took Nicho's lead.
"They'll be along," he said. "Let's go meet Evaine and Lord Rial."
"You don't seem too surprised," Paki noted as he fell in step beside Kile.
Kile shrugged, then sighed. "I've never been too fond of Desan," he said. "He always seemed a little too eager to take sides with whoever he thought would win. But when Lady Valin and her husband were killed, Rial was only five or six summers. Someone 'ad to take over until 'e was old enough and Desan was 'is closest relative." He shrugged again. "I sort of expected it, really. I hoped it wouldn't 'appen and I'd misjudged him, but ye can't deny those gut feelin's."
"Was he in charge when you left here before?"
"I'm the one who put 'im in charge," Kile nodded. "I'd 'ave preferred someone else, but there wasn't anyone."
Paki nodded his head, understanding the predicament Kile was in. It was obvious someone had to take care of the keep and lands when the lord couldn't.
"Does someone take care of your lands for you?" he asked.
"I 'ave a cousin who looks after things," Kile answered after a moment. "He's a good man, and 'e and 'is wife take care of the people like they were 'is own family. A couple of times a year he sends me news of what's happenin'."
"Don't you ever want to go back?" Paki asked. Kile rarely, if ever, spoke of Olorun.
Kile stopped just inside Valin's gates. "I was twelve the last time I was there," he said. "The people who live there wouldn't recognize me. I doubt many of them even know my name."
"Married to your destiny," Paki said quietly, remembering what Kile had told him when they first met.
Kile nodded his head. "Maybe when I'm too old to sound the cavalry's charge I'll go back," he said.
"You'll never be too old for that," Lady Bavol's voice sounded from the other side of the gate. She stepped around the opening, Rial right behind her.
"How long were ye standin' there?" Kile demanded.
"Long enough to listen to you talk about Olorun Hold," Evaine smiled at him. "You never answered my questions when I was a child, I figured I couldn't possibly pass up the opportunity now and I'd get some of the answers by eavesdropping."
"We never could break ye of that habit," Kile sighed, then nodded to the boy behind Evaine. "Lord Valin," he greeted. "Are ye all right now?"
"Well," Rial paused. "I'm alive, which I might not have been earlier."
"This one is Paki," Evaine nodded to Paki, introducing Rial to him. "He's one of Lord Mo'ani's students." She smiled at Paki. "You and Sewati forgot to introduce yourselves."
"Sorry," Paki apologized, realizing she was right.
"Tell me, Evaine," Kile said. "Before you shoot someone with that longbow of yours, do you ask permission first just to be civilized?"
Evaine smiled back at him. "Not when they've made me angry," she said evenly. "I figure if they can't hear the arrows whistling, they deserve to get hit."
"And get 'it they did," Kile nodded. "Everyone's up in Desan's office. Paki and I will go in first, Adie and Gharald should be along shortly after. We'll see what Desan says when we ask about Rial. Evaine, you bring him in whenever you think appropriate."
"All right," Evaine nodded her head, then slipped her arm into Rial's. "Where is Sewati?" she asked as Kile led them towards Valin Keep.
"He's on a treasure 'unt for me," Kile answered. "If there's a copy of this treaty with the Archbishop around, I figure he's probably the one who'll find it."
"Along with any other secrets," Evaine added.
Kile opened the heavy door to the keep for them, then led them across a large, open central room before going down a long, wide hall. About half way down, he stopped outside a closed door. Evaine and Rial stepped back so they wouldn't be seen, then Kile knocked loudly and opened the door.
Lord Desan, Lord Bavol and Mo'ani sat around a large table, maps spread out in front of them. Desan's desk sat against the far wall and was almost bare.
"I checked the river," Kile said, closing the door behind them. "There was no sign of Lord Valin."
"I was afraid of that," Lord Desan said, shaking his head. "No doubt he panicked all the more in the water and drowned."
"Are you sure there was no sign?" Mo'ani asked Kile.
"Nothing," Kile assured him. He motioned to a chair for Paki, then sat beside him.
"And who is this?" Desan asked, looking at Paki.
"This is Paki, one of my students," Mo'ani answered, then looked at Paki. "Where's Bear?"
Paki shrugged. "Probably looting bodies," he said, surprised at how casual the lie sounded. "We got separated when we came to find Kile."
"Someone should keep an eye on him," Mo'ani suggested.
"Leave him alone," Lord Bavol said gruffly. "If Sewati wants to search through what's left, let him."
"He shouldn't be left to just wander," Desan said. "The buildings here are too unstable."
Paki couldn't be sure, but Lord Desan sounded a little uneasy about someone poking around inside Valin's walls.