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

  Paki smiled faintly, tears coming to his eyes, knowing Tyran had found the stallion's place in his mind. The quiet voice inside him suggested that this horse was meant to replace the stallion, and Paki accepted it.

  Paki, Jerai and Jaron started working with Tyran the next morning. The archers weren't going out that day, so Bear sat on the corral fence and watched, Chase by his side. Chase was keenly interested in what was happening, and kept Tyran in sight at all times.

  Tyran's training and his own practice took most of Paki's time, but he, Bear and Jerai still found a couple of evenings to go down to the village and renew their friendship.

  At the end of a week, the Dwellers' left, returning to their valley. Tavish picked up Tyran's training with Paki, and the young horse took to it quickly.

  Paki's own training schedule increased in late spring when he was officially moved to the level of a second year apprentice. Bear was also excelling, but not as quickly. Paki knew his training with Mo'ani was responsible for most of his skill, since Mo'ani was able to teach him more in-depth tactics. Remembering Kile had been the last apprentice Mo'ani had personally trained, Paki quickly learned why Kile had never been beaten, and had been cloaked when he was nineteen.

  Paki barely noticed as spring passed into summer. The only reminder he had of time passing was Pater Isak's visits each fortnight. Most of the time, his appearances seemed to come close together, though Paki knew it was the same amount of time between them as always.

  He still found himself not spending much time with Rena, and every so often was reminded of her empathy when he caught her looking at him. He didn't doubt she had felt what he did when the stallion died, though she hadn't said anything to him about it. He also remembered that neither Kile nor Mo'ani had been told about her ability. It was late summer when his conscience started bothering him about not telling anyone but Bear about Rena.

  Still not sure what to do, he knew it was time to make a decision. A quick count of days in his head told him Pater Isak wouldn't be coming back to the Stronghold for over a week. The only other person he knew he could speak to in confidence was Meda, but Rena worked in the library with her.

  Paki finally decided to wait until that evening after dinner to go talk with the librarian. He took his time eating, waiting until he was one of the last to leave. He made a quick trip up to the library first, just to make sure Meda wasn't still working. Seeing the lamps were blown out, he went back downstairs and to her room.

  Knocking against the door, he leaned against the wall, feeling like his mind was fumbling over his problem rather than sorting it out.

  Meda opened the door, and she raised an eyebrow in surprise when she saw Paki standing there.

  "Young Master?" she asked. "I do hope you're not hurt again."

  "Not really," Paki shrugged. "But I do have a nasty bruise on my back..."

  "Then lie on your stomach," Meda said. "Anything else?"

  "Actually, I was wondering if you had some time," Paki stood up straight again. "I need to talk to someone, and Pater Isak isn't due back for a while."

  Meda studied him for a moment, then sighed and opened the door wider. Paki came into her room as she closed the door behind him.

  "So what's so important it can't be solved with a sword?" she asked, walking past him to sit on the wooden bench by her desk. A scroll was half-way unrolled on the desk, and an open inkpot sat beside it with a pen. Paki sat in the wooden chair across from the desk.

  "There are a lot of things that can't be solved with a sword," Paki said.

  "Oh, really?" Meda looked surprised. "I was starting to wonder if you knew that."

  "You don't...approve of much that goes on outside the library, do you?" Paki remembered many of Meda's comments to Kile.

  Meda looked at him for a moment. "I just think the captain should stress more than brute strength with his apprentices," she finally said. She turned to put the lid back on her inkpot. "Now, what's bothering you?"

  "Rena," Paki answered. He continued when Meda raised her eyebrow again. "I know something about her that Mo'ani and Kile should be told about, but whenever I think about telling them, I can't."

  "What could you possibly know about Rena that's so important?" Meda seemed genuinely interested all of a sudden.

  "She's an empath," Paki said it without thinking, hoping it would make it easier to tell Meda.

  Meda raised both eyebrows this time. "An empath?" she repeated. "How interesting..."

  "I guess," Paki shrugged. "I know I should tell Kile and Mo'ani, but--"

  "Your mouth freezes?"

  Paki nodded his head. "What should I do?"

  "Has she given any indication she might use it against one of us?" Meda asked.

  Paki shook his head. "So far as I know, I'm the only one she uses it with regularly, but I shouldn't keep something like this from Kile."

  Meda nodded her head slowly. "Loyalty to the Mo'ani would demand you tell your captain," she agreed. "But what about your loyalty to Nahtan?"

  Paki stopped. "What do you mean?" he asked. He didn't see how that would be so different from a loyalty to the Mo'ani.

  "I know you've read every book in that library on Nahtan," Meda said. "Do you believe them when they talk about his prophesied coming?"

  "Of course," Paki shrugged. "Without the prophecy, we wouldn't know to do what we are."

  Meda nodded. "Do you then believe that when he does come, his actions will be directed by the gods?"

  Paki paused, thinking about it. "No," he said after a moment. "I think the gods will give him the knowledge and power to support any decision he makes, but the decision will be his own."

  Meda smiled. "I knew there was a scholar lurking in there somewhere," she said. "This decision is your own to make, Paki. But examine what you know, and what you feel. Maybe there's a reason why your mouth freezes whenever you try to tell the captain or Lord Mo'ani."

  "Maybe because I'm not supposed to tell them," Paki said slowly, understanding what Meda was talking about. He had been able to tell her, and Bear, and he didn't have a problem talking with Rena about it. "But, why shouldn't I be able to tell them?"

  "Well, what would happen if they knew?"

  Paki shrugged. "I don't know what Mo'ani would do, but Kile would probably send her away." He paused while his mind worked. "So maybe she's supposed to be here for a reason, and the gods don't want me ruining that."

  "That sounds like a very good possibility," Meda agreed. "And it definitely sounds like something Halona would do."

  "I wouldn't know about that," he said. "I don't know her."

  "Well, maybe if you'd start your studying again," Meda hinted.

  Paki nodded his head. "I know," he sighed. "It just seems like I'm so tired when I'm done with everything, I don't want to climb the stairs, let alone climb the shelves to reach books I haven't read yet."

  "Then come in the morning," she suggested.

  "Except I'm tired then, too."

  "Oh?" Meda asked.

  Paki shrugged. He might as well tell her everything. "Probably because I haven't slept all night since I was about eleven."

  "Why not?" Meda's voice was concerned.

  "There's some woman who seems to think I like her humming, and it keeps me awake most of the night," he said. "At first, she only came every couple of weeks, but now it's every night."

  To Paki's surprise, Meda smiled. "Is that all?" she asked, chuckling.

  "Well I don't think it's that funny," Paki said.

  "I'm sorry," Meda apologized. "I just...thought it was something more serious than that." She took a moment to compose herself. "What does she look like?"

  "She's young," Paki said. "With long dark hair and dark eyes."

  Meda thought for a moment, then stood and walked to the small bookshelf behind her. She ran her finger along the books, selected one and turned back to the desk, flipping through the pages. Stopping on one, she turned the book toward Paki.

  "Is that her?" she as
ked.

  Paki looked at the drawing in the book. The woman from his dreams was presented standing in a pose from a dance, each of her finely-shaped hands above her head. Her long hair swirled around in front of her, as if she had just finished turning around. What struck him deepest was how the artist had shown the sadness in her eyes. Her pain was only set aside for a moment while she danced, and she knew it would return when the music stopped.

  "That's her," Paki nodded.

  "Jensina," Meda said quietly, turning the book back around to look at the picture again herself. "She dances for her father, Zakris, at every new season."

  "Why would Jensina appear in my dreams?" Paki asked. "I've seen the statue of her in the cathedral, and it never struck me as the same person I see."

  "I don't know why she appears to you that way," Meda closed the book and set it to one side. "But I've never seen a statue that can show the gods as they should be. The man who wrote and illustrated this book claimed to have seen the gods for himself."

  "Who was it?" Paki asked. Isak said he had seen Jensina once, when she came to help a sick child at a house where he worked.

  Meda opened the front cover again, reading what was written there. "He was a huntsman by trade. His name was Alsynder. Most people thought he was mad, and he disappeared shortly after the book was printed."

  "How long ago was that?" Paki felt a sudden urge to ask Meda if he could borrow the book, but couldn't bring himself to ask for one of her personal belongings.

  Meda scanned the inside cover again, then closed it. "It doesn't say," she replied. "But this book has been in my family for over ten generations." She tapped her fingernails on the book for a moment, obviously thinking. She then picked it up and held it out to Paki. "Maybe it would help the dreams go away if you read what Alsynder had to say."

  Paki tentatively took the book from her. He studied it's worn cover for a moment, then held it back out. "I can't take this," he shook his head. "I don't know when I'll have time to read it, and I don't want to keep anything for that long that's not mine."

  Meda looked at the offered book, then at Paki, making no move to take it. "Then it's yours to keep," she said evenly. "I'll never have a child to pass it onto, so I'm passing it to you."

  "Really, Meda," Paki insisted. "You might have children someday. You're not that old." Paki stopped himself before he said how beautiful she was, and that he couldn't understand why she wasn't married already.

  Meda smiled. "Why do you think I'm a librarian?" she asked. "I can't have children."

  Paki blinked, surprised. "I'm sorry," he apologized. "I--I didn't know."

  "Don't be," she shook her head slightly. "I'm not. I knew from the time I was quite small that I couldn't, so I spent my time learning to read and write instead." She gently pushed the book back towards Paki. "Now keep the book. Maybe one day you'll have a child of your own to give it to."

  Paki looked down at the book, then back at Meda. "Thank you," he said simply.

  "Now," Meda stood up. "I believe it's dangerously close to curfew." Paki stood up, and she walked him to the door. "Don't forget there are more important things than your training," she suggested.

  Paki nodded his head as he stepped into the hall, knowing she wanted to see him resume his studying.

  "Good night," he wished her. "And thank you again."

  Meda nodded after him, then closed the door as he turned to walk down the hall.

  Paki opened the book and read the opening as he walked, knowing it would be too hard to read it in his bunk, and too dark to read it outside.

  When he reached the front stairs, he sat down on them, slowly turning the pages of the book. Alsynder had been a huntsman, and had done most of his hunting in the Wardsman's Woods. Paki found himself drawn in the more he read, finally discovering some of the ancient forest's secrets.

  Alsynder recounted his travels through the woods, and claimed to have met Zakris and each of his daughters while there. He gave vivid descriptions of all three of the gods, and told of each of his hunting trips.

  Paki was interrupted some time later when the main door opened. He looked up to see Janec coming into the keep.

  "A little late, isn't it?" he asked Paki.

  "Uh," Paki shifted, not sure how much time had passed. "I was reading and lost track of time," he said.

  "Obviously," Janec nodded, unfastening his plain cloak and draping it over his arm. "I think you're very lucky Kile decided not to come in with me."

  "So I would've been caught up after curfew," Paki shrugged. He had interrupted Mo'ani in the library once well after curfew, and that had resulted in his being taken as a student.

  "I've noticed they make exceptions for you," Janec noted. He walked over and sat beside Paki on the third step.

  "No, they don't," Paki shook his head and closed the book.

  Janec nodded in return. "They're exceptionally hard on you," he said. "I thought they would have learned their lesson with Kile."

  Paki studied him for a moment. "You and Kile always sort of respected each other, didn't you?"

  "We still do," Janec nodded. "I've never seen anyone handle a sword like him."

  "He was really upset after the fight at Castyl," Paki said quietly.

  Janec sighed. "He wasn't the only one," he said. "At that point, I wanted nothing more than to see him dead. Unfortunately, for some reason, the gods like him too much to have let me win there." He paused. "I do agree with him that those boys weren't ready to take on someone of his skill."

  "That's what bothered him," Paki pointed out.

  Janec nodded, not saying anything.

  "So," Paki said slowly. "What did happen between you and the Archbishop that you got put in that position?"

  Janec gave Paki a sideways look.

  "I disagreed with his advisor and tried to kill him," he answered evenly. "For some reason, the Archbishop didn't like that very much."

  "I wonder why not?" Paki blinked. Janec had tried to kill Tziyad, and that explained everything. Parts of overheard conversations fell into perfect place in his head. Lord and Lady Bavol had both been quite verbal in their dislike of Tziyad, and his position had obviously worried Mo'ani, Kile and Adie. If the Archbishop's own men had the same dislike for his advisor, he must be worse than anything they'd heard. "What did you disagree about?" Paki asked slowly, not sure if he wanted to hear the answer.

  "I think that's better left where it is," Janec said. "But it put me closer to Nahtan's side than to the Archbishop's, I just didn't realize it then." He pulled himself to his feet. "Kile will be coming in soon, you'd probably better make yourself scarce before then." He stepped from the stairs and turned to walk down the hall.

  Paki nodded and stood up, still holding his place in the book. He debated going up to the library, then decided on the stable instead. It had been months since he had slept there, and the straw in the loft above Tyran's stall sounded more comfortable than his bunk.

  Making sure to avoid the few Mo'ani standing guard, he quickly made his way into the stable. Tyran greeted him with a soft nicker, and Paki paused to scratch his nose. Lighting one of the lanterns, he climbed the ladder to the loft, then made his way back to the area over Tyran's stall. Setting the lantern on an upended crate, he leaned back and began reading again.

  Some time later, he heard someone on the ladder. He sat up and was just about to reach over to lower the lantern's light when Rena appeared at the top.

  "I thought you were still awake," she said quietly, making her way over to him. Her brown hair had been let down, and hung well past her waist. Soft wisps framed her face, making it seem softer.

  "I was just reading," he shrugged, laying the book to one side after noting where he was in it.

  Rena sat beside him when he moved over.

  "I wanted to thank you," she continued. "But it's gotten very hard to find you alone." She pulled her hair in front of one shoulder and twisted it several times.

  "Sorry," Paki apologized. "What di
d you want to thank me for?"

  "For not telling Lord Olorun or Lord Mo'ani about me." She met his eyes for a moment. "I don't really want to be escorted to Herridon."

  "I didn't see any reason to tell them," Paki said with a shrug. "What you do with your ability is up to you, and nothing I say or do could stop you."

  Rena studied him for a moment. "You could stop me," she said quietly.

  "No," he shook his head. "It's your decision on how to use the empathy."

  Rena nodded her head, staring into the darkness of the stable. Below them, Tyran shifted his weight and knocked his head against the stall door. Paki knew the young horse was having a hard time adjusting to the stall, having spent the first two years of his life roaming in Jaron's corrals and in the open valley. Paki felt his own adjusting was almost as awkward. Most of the time, his days and nights seemed to pass with incredible speed. Right now, however, time finally felt like it was moving as it should.

  "I haven't seen you in the library much," Rena said after a few minutes. "That's where I was hoping to talk to you."

  "I guess I should spend more time there," Paki noted, remembering Meda's hints along those same lines. "I used to spend every morning there."

  "That's what I heard," Rena nodded her head. "Meda said she taught you to read and write then."

  Paki nodded his head. "My master didn't know how himself, so there was no way for me to learn until Kile brought me here," he explained. "Meda's probably convinced Kile needs to relearn it himself."

  "I've heard her complaining about him," Rena said, chuckling. "I think it's mostly his accent that bothers her." She paused. "But I guess she's always been a little impatient with things like that. The other day he stopped by for something for Lord Mo'ani and I swear she muttered and grumbled for an hour after he left about all the letters he dropped."

  "That doesn't surprise me," Paki nodded. "She's practically chased him out of there before when I've been there."

  Rena laughed quietly. She fell silent as she looked around the loft again. "It's so quiet up here," she noted.

  "That's why I like it in here," Paki nodded. "I used to sleep in here quite a bit with my stallion."