by D. L. Kramer
"Won't the rebuilding take a long time?" Paki asked, motioning around them. The hold itself was the only thing left standing, everything else was completely destroyed.
Kile picked up Nicho's reins again, wrapping them around his hand. "There's plenty of people here to 'elp," he said. He glanced over his shoulder at the sky above the forest. "Everyone'll be up soon to start, so don't stay out 'ere too long."
"I won't," Paki promised as Kile turned Nicho around and headed back for Valin Hold.
Paki sighed and reached over for the mare's reins. Turning her to follow Kile and Nicho, he nudged her into a walk. For a brief instant, as the sun appeared over the treetops, he saw Valin as one of the symbols of Nahtan's army. The blackened ground and destroyed buildings around her disappeared, and he saw her for the glory she held. Valin had never fallen, and he knew then that she never would.
Halona's Way - Book 2
Prologue - Rial jumped from Valin's tower
Paki knew the exact day his life changed. It was the morning the stallion trampled their master to death. The mare had been about to foal and their master was beating her. While Paki watched, unable to move, the stallion lashed out in a fit of rage, sending their master flying with his huge hooves then galloping over him--twice.
Paki had lived with the cruel trapper since his parents sold him at the age of three. In the seven years he lived and traveled with him, Paki and the trapper's horses endured much abuse together, forming a bond of their own that would last throughout their lives.
It was shortly after his master's death that Paki met Kile, one of the Mo'ani warriors. Not knowing how to help the mare, Paki had gone to the nearest road in search of help. Kile was the only one traveling on the road that morning. He followed Paki back to his camp and did what he could to help. When the mare was able to travel, Kile invited Paki and his horses to go with him, promising Paki his freedom.
Paki soon learned that freedom was elusive, and under the cruel tyranny of the Archbishop, there was no such thing. He also learned there was an army being trained and had been for over three generations. The Captain of the Guard to the last king, Lord Mo'ani had been preserved by the god Zakris to train the army for the prophesied coming of Nahtan; the man who would defeat the Archbishop and claim the throne. These warriors had taken Mo'ani's name for their ranks, and were scattered throughout many allied holds.
Also among Mo'ani's allies were the Dwellers, living far in the north and the Mowik far in the east. Two years after coming to Mo'ani's Stronghold with Kile, Paki accompanied him north to the Dweller's valley. He didn't realize the two years he spent with the Dwellers would play so large a part in his future. Learning to understand the horses, and bonding with his own stallion, soon became so much a part of him that he wondered how he had lived before. He and his best friend Bear also became good friends with Jerai, the only son of the crippled Dweller lord.
Soon after their return to Mo'ani's Stronghold from the Dwellers' valley, word came that a siege force of church guards was attacking another of the allied holds. Forced to leave the stallion behind because of his age, Paki was lent Ayita, a Dwellers' mare, and he and Bear were sent with the message to Bavol Hold, another of Mo'ani's allies. From Bavol Hold, the two young men accompanied Lord and Lady Bavol as they called out the Bavol Mo'ani and began the journey south to Valin Hold. Mo'ani left with his own men a day before and between the two armies, they hoped to free Valin from the siege force.
The church guards attacking Valin stood little chance of withstanding the highly trained Mo'ani armies. The Archbishop's forces were quickly defeated, but not before they could decimate the land and village outside Valin's walls. Sent to the far side of the river to watch the battle, Paki and Bear were soon confronted with a dilemma of their own.
Before their eyes, Rial, the young lord of Valin, jumped from Valin's tower into the fast-moving river below. Pursuing the boy had been his uncle, Lord Desan. Thinking the boy had been pulled under and drowned, Desan made no effort to alert the guards to the danger Rial was in after jumping. Paki and Bear saw the boy struggle against the current and were soon racing him downstream, looking for someplace to pull him from the water.
Relying on the strength of Chase, Bear's horse, Paki tied a rope around his waist, then waded into the river. When the young lord reached him, Paki jumped the rest of the way in, grabbed Rial by the collar, then called to Chase's mind to pull them out.
Once they were safe on the riverbank, Rial told them he had jumped because his uncle was trying to kill him. Desan had signed a treaty with the Archbishop and Rial had threatened to tell Mo'ani.
Knowing Mo'ani and Kile should be warned about Desan, Paki and Bear took Lord Valin back to the camp of Lord Bavol's army. Leaving him in the safety of Lady Bavol, the young men went down to the battlefield and into Valin Hold, looking for Kile. Deciding to confront Desan about Rial's supposed death in the river, Kile and Paki went to the office where Desan was talking with Mo'ani and Lord Bavol.
Desan seemed to be the ally that he appeared, until Lady Bavol appeared with Rial. After Rial told his side, Paki's recounted the events at the river, and the two combined led to Desan's downfall.
Lord Mo'ani and Lord Bavol outlined Rial's options for him and Rial finally decided to let the loyal Valin Mo'ani have a say in Desan's sentence. Each of the few remaining warriors were allowed to read the treaty and say what they would either for or against him. In the end, every one of them declared Desan guilty. With a steady, even voice, Rial sentenced his uncle to death, then promised the rebuilding of Valin Hold would begin the day after Desan was hung.
A month later, Lord and Lady Bavol and all of the Bavol Mo'ani left. Mo'ani's army shouldered most of the work and Kile found a wide variety of jobs for both Paki and Bear. All the work he assigned them was for one purpose: he wanted to build their strength and stamina as much as he could in the next couple of years. Paki's training as one of Mo'ani's students began that year, while Bear hadn't yet been taken as a student.
One - "Who do you think that was?"
Paki could feel his hand and arm trembling from exertion, sweat dripping onto the table. He and Bear matched each other early on this round of arm wrestling and now it was a matter of who tired first. They had both worked all day getting the foundation finished on the last building, and Paki was starting to think they were equally exhausted. His attention broke when Mo'ani sat beside them. Bear slammed his hand down onto the table.
"Ow!" Paki said, rubbing his knuckles.
"You shouldn't be so easily distracted," Mo'ani smiled.
Paki pushed his dark hair out of his eyes. "Normally I'm not," he said. Now sixteen summers, he could easily look Mo'ani in the eye as he sat across from him.
Mo'ani nodded, still smiling, then turned to Bear. "I've been watching you," he said evenly.
Bear shrugged. "You've been watching me for years now," he stated.
"True," Mo'ani agreed. "But before I was watching you because you like to cause trouble."
Bear looked surprised, his black eyes almost too innocent. "Me, M'lord?" he asked, absently pushing his long black hair behind his shoulders. It fell in silken strands, the ends reaching his elbows.
"Yes, you," Mo'ani nodded. "Except you haven't caused nearly as much trouble as you used to."
Bear looked at Paki, who shrugged. "A temporary lapse, M'lord," he said, turning back to Mo'ani. "I promise to cause all sorts of havoc in the near future."
"Good," Mo'ani said, standing up. "I was starting to think something was wrong." He started to walk away from the table, then paused as Paki and Bear put their other elbows on the table and locked hands. When the veins on their arms started to bulge, he walked silently back, putting one hand on Bear's shoulder. Bear kept his concentration and his hand stayed locked against Paki's. "I've spoken with Kile, once winter comes, he'll start your training as a student."
Paki felt Bear's concentration lapse and he grabbed the advantage to slam Bear's hand down on the table
as hard as his own had been.
"Ow!" Bear said, giving Paki a dark look.
Paki nodded matter of factly at him. "Now we're even," he said with a shrug.
Bear paused, then looked up at Mo'ani. It was obvious he was speechless about Mo'ani's offer.
"A simple 'thank you' is usually what's warranted," Lord Valin said from his seat at the other end of the table. He hadn't bothered to look up from the book he was reading. Pushing the tail of Bear's pet kit fox off the book, he turned the page. Now fourteen, Rial was growing quickly and would soon be able to look Paki eye to eye. His build wasn't nearly as muscular, though, but he moved with a deliberate grace, and most of the time without making a single noise.
Bear shot another dark look toward Rial, then turned back to Mo'ani. "Thank you," he said. "My father won't think I'm so useless now."
"He never thought that, Sewati," Mo'ani said, using Bear's birthname. He looked over at Paki. "Good luck, you two," he said, then looked down at Rial. "And good luck to you, too, Lord Valin," he finished.
Rial glanced up at him. "I'm staying put, Lord Mo'ani," he responded. "You're the one traveling through the Archbishop's land. I think you're the one who needs the luck far more than me."
Mo'ani chuckled. "You may be the youngest lord Valin Hold's ever had," he said. "But you also may be the smartest." He nodded one last goodbye to Paki and Bear, then left the study.
The rest of their evening passed quietly, with Bear more contemplative than usual. Paki knew this was one of the things Bear had wanted for almost his entire life. Kile wanted to train them together and now it looked like he was going to be able to. Bear would easily be able to catch up with the training Paki had received so far.
Despite Mo'ani's promise of Bear's training starting with the first snow, Kile began the next day. He kept Paki and Bear outside as long as he could each day, stressing they build their strength and stamina more than they already had. Especially when Paki decided he was most comfortable with a two-handed sword. It didn't take Bear long to realize he much preferred using a crossbow or longbow to a sword and Kile turned that part of his training over to Adie--Mo'ani's granddaughter, and a better archer than himself.
The first snow came early, with more only days behind. Within weeks, they were buried under several feet of snow, limiting their activities to the indoors.
During breaks in the snowfall, Paki and Bear spent their free time pushing snow from the walkways and off the roofs. They had just finished clearing the snow away from the smithy's doorway when Bear threw a handful of snow at Paki to get his attention. Paki looked up, about to retaliate, when he saw what his friend was motioning to. A couple of buildings away, Adie and two Mo'ani were escorting an elderly woman and a young man and woman about their own age into one of the small cottages.
"Who do you think that was?" Bear asked.
"Beats me," Paki shrugged. "They weren't dressed for the cold though."
Paki tossed another shovelful of snow to one side as Adie and the two Mo'ani came out of the house. She spoke with the Mo'ani for a moment, then turned to Paki and Bear as the two warriors walked off.
"Can you two go keep an eye on them while I get Lord Valin and Kile?" she asked. A few stray flakes of snow had fallen into her red hair and it hung in damp strands from her topknot. Paki realized the white snow brought out the white hairs she was getting.
"Sure," Bear shrugged. "Who are they?"
"Lady Gian and her children," Adie said evenly. She looked at Paki. "If you're feeling sorry for them, they could probably use a fire."
"I can't really say I feel sorry for them, but I guess I'll take care of it," Paki said slowly as he and Bear exchanged looks. Kile had killed Lord Gian when he was at Valin Hold nine years earlier.
"I shouldn't be very long," Adie turned to leave while Paki and Bear tucked their shovels under their arms and made their way to the cottage.
Bear waited outside, pushing the new-fallen snow back from the pathway, while Paki went inside to light a fire in the hearth.
The woman sat to one side of the room, her son standing nearby. Paki guessed her son was only a year or two older than him and was quite thin. Paki knew he'd have no problem holding him down if he tried anything rash. He didn't see the woman's daughter at first, then saw her faint outline beside the hearth. She was about his age and was watching him as she knelt, slowly piling kindling for a fire.
"I'll do that," Paki said. He set his shovel to one side of the door and came over to the hearth, keeping an eye on the girl's brother.
"I can manage," she said evenly. She turned back to the hearth.
"Let the peasant do it," the boy said. He tried to make his voice imperious, but failed miserably.
Paki turned and shot a black look at the young man. He was inwardly pleased to see him shrink back.
"In the first place," he began. "I'm not a peasant. I could walk out of here and leave your mother to freeze if I really wanted to." Paki took a step towards him and the young man shrank further behind his mother. "But I happen to know what it feels like to need someone else's help to survive. You've obviously forgotten whose doorstep you've come to asking for help. Here, you don't even have the rights of a peasant." He turned back to the hearth, surprised to see the girl looking at him with wide eyes. "I'll take care of that," he finished, his tone firm as he offered her his hand.
Somewhat surprised, she took his hand and stood up. Paki gently pulled her to one side, then knelt and took his flint and tinder from his pouch. With a few strikes and some gentle coaxing, a small fire started and grew quickly within the kindling. As he stood up, the door opened, letting in Kile and Lord Valin.
The girl gasped, obviously recognizing Kile, while her brother scowled at him.
"Murderer," the boy hissed.
"Jorrin," the woman said, her tone saying she expected to be obeyed. Jorrin closed his mouth, but continued to scowl at Kile. Kile folded his arms and leaned against the closed door. "I have come to beg for your mercy, M'lord," the woman said, looking directly at Rial. "Since my husband's death," she spared Kile a glance, though Paki couldn't read anything from it. "Our support from the people of this land has waned, finally leaving us with nothing."
Rial looked at the woman, then her son and daughter. "I don't remember the problems between your husband and my father, Lady Gian," he said, his young face serious. "But I've seen what those corrupted by the Archbishop's power will do. Why should I trust you?"
"You speak beyond your years," Lady Gian said. "You have no reason to trust me, but I beg you to have mercy on us."
"What about the church guards at the BishopLord's manor?" Kile asked. "Or did they abandon ye too?"
"They were a part of the siege force trying to take Valin Hold," Lady Gian said. She studied Rial, then Kile for a few seconds. "There's to be a new BishopLord appointed to Valin to replace my husband. I do not know his name, or when he'll arrive, but when he does come, we will be turned out."
"It's been nine years since ye're 'usband challenged me," Kile said. "What kept 'em from sendin' one sooner?"
"Because the Archbishop couldn't find one dumb enough to come down here to face the Mo'ani," Lady Gian's daughter stated. Paki looked at her with a raised eyebrow. She returned his look with one of her own before turning back to the conversation.
"You're a liar, Rena," her brother said.
"Am I?" she asked. "I've read the letters from the neighboring BishopLords. I've listened to their conversations. I know why no BishopLord wants to live in Valin."
"That's enough, Rena," her mother said, then looked back at Lord Valin. Moving deliberately, she pulled a ring from her finger and held it out to him. Rial accepted the ring, then looked at her questioningly. "As a token of my honesty," she explained. "You may keep the ring stating my affiliation with the Archbishop and church while we are here."
Rial looked down at the ring, then at Lady Gian. Next, he shifted his gaze to Jorrin, who was looking at his mother's ring with a disquieting
eagerness.
"Paki?" Rial asked.
"Yes?" Paki turned his attention from Rena to Lord Valin. When she'd looked at him, he'd discovered she had the most brilliant blue eyes he'd ever seen.
"Would you mind holding this for me?" Rial asked, offering him the ring. "I wouldn't want it to fall into the wrong hands and I know what lengths you'll go to protect something."
Paki stepped forward to take the ring, dropping it deliberately into his pouch with the church pendant Mo'ani had given him. "I'm not jumping into the river to save it," he stated quietly. "I just want you to know that."
"Understood," Rial nodded, then turned serious again as he looked back at Lady Gian. "You can stay until spring," he said. "For your own safety, you should stay here instead of in the keep. I'll have someone bring bedding and food down to you."
"Thank you," Lady Gian bowed her head, obviously relieved.
"You'll understand if someone watches your every move outside this building," Rial continued. "Just so there are no problems."
"Of course," Lady Gian nodded her head. "I'd expect nothing less."
Kile stepped away from the door, then opened it. He held it for Rial, then motioned Paki to go ahead of him, finally closing it behind them. They all pulled their cloaks around them in the cold air.
"Thank you for coming with me," Rial said to Kile.
"I think I'll be hangin' around pretty close for the next little while," Kile said. "Somethin's up with those three."
Paki waved to Bear, letting him know he'd be over to help finish with the snow. He then looked at Kile. "They didn't seem too surprised to see Lord Valin instead of Lord Desan," Paki said.
"Aye," Kile nodded. "But the guards we let go might 'ave gone back and told 'er everythin' that happened."
"Why did you let them go?" Paki asked.
"They were just followin' orders," Kile explained. "That's why we wanted the officers; they were the ones givin' the orders."