by D. L. Kramer
Kile nodded slowly. "Except Mo'ani's goin' too, so he'd know if Bear were keepin' up with his practice."
"But Mo'ani's not training Bear," Paki returned.
Kile studied him for a minute, then sighed. "I should 'ave stuck ye with someone other than Meda. Ye argue just like she does."
Paki smiled. "If you have to learn something, learn it from the best," he said.
"Aye," Kile nodded, giving in. "I just thought I'd let ye know Mo'ani's leavin' in three days with Jaron and Tosia. Ye'll 'ave to replace ye'reself on the watch schedule, and find someone to do the rotatin' for ye."
Paki nodded. "Aren't you coming?" he asked.
"Not right now," Kile said. "I'm goin' to go pay a visit to Kiril and see if I can keep 'im from findin' the rest of ye on ye're way to the Wardsman's Woods."
"He'll kill you if he catches you," Paki pointed out, surprised.
"He won't," Kile assured him.
"What?" Paki asked. "Catch you or kill you?"
"Either," Kile answered.
"We can get through without you needing to do that," Paki said. He didn't want Kile to put himself in that much danger just for their trip north to the valley. Kiril had caught Kile once before, and taken him to the Archbishop to stand trial.
"I'll be all right, lad," Kile assured him with a hand on his shoulder. "Remember, I've got a few tricks Kiril can't do anythin' about, even if he's expectin' 'em."
Paki sighed, knowing Kile was right. He had his flute, and was undoubtedly a better swordsman than Kiril could ever hope to be. He also had Nicho, and Paki would definitely think twice before standing in that horse's way if he was mad.
"Sorry," Paki apologized.
"It's okay, lad," Kile nodded. "Kiril's dangerous." He smiled faintly. "I'm just a little more dangerous is all."
Paki returned the smile. "Just a little," he agreed.
The next three days passed quickly. Paki arranged to have someone else cover his watches and handle the watch rotations. Bear did as much extra work as he could before they left. Paki was also surprised when Mo'ani invited Rena to come along. Adie wouldn't be going with them this time, and left instead on her usual trip to the other holds.
They set out before dawn on the third day. Kile stayed with them until they reached the village below the mountains, then rode on ahead. Jaron and Tosia rode at the front with Mo'ani, while Paki, Bear and Rena rode just behind them.
The six travelers managed to ride through Herridon with no problems, mostly by sticking to the smaller roads and avoiding any large groups that might attract a church guards' notice. Paki kept his cloak safely folded at the bottom of one of Tyran's packs, making their group even less noticeable. They stayed on the main road out of Herridon, not bothering to take the turnoff for Bavol Hold.
The next few days passed quickly with the group riding for a few hours then resting for a short time. By the time they reached the edge of Kiril's land, there was no sign of any blockades. They traveled carefully now, with someone always riding ahead to watch for trouble. Both Paki and Bear found Kile's scouting lessons coming back as if the captain had just taught them.
Except for a couple of abandoned camps, there was no sign of any church guards in the area. Paki guessed Kile had already ridden through, clearing the way for them, and he hoped he was still all right. Even the blockade at the foot of the hill on the last day to the Wardsman's Woods was unmanned. As they rode passed it, Paki guessed it hadn't been manned since Kile scared off the drunken soldiers who stopped them before. By the time night was falling, they were riding under the first branches of the huge trees in the Woods.
When they were a safe distance back in, Mo'ani stopped them for the night. Seeing Tyran unsaddled and that everyone else was taking care of setting up the camp, Paki excused himself to go look for game trails. He set out to the north first, and it wasn't long before the same feeling of being watched settled over him. There was nothing threatening in the feeling, so he kept his eyes on the ground for any tracks.
Nearly an hour passed with no sign of anything. Paki checked the river where they found the geese before, but even that was deserted. Paki waited several minutes to see if there were any fish jumping, but nothing broke the surface. Giving up, he returned to the camp and broke the news to everyone that they'd have to eat travel rations another night. Bear was still uneasy in the forest, but didn't seem quite as bad as before. Paki guessed having Tiimu with him helped. The little fox seemed to remember his home, and ran around the camp excitedly. Paki realized Jaron and Tosia were even more at ease here than he was.
Exhausted from the constant traveling, everyone turned to their bedrolls after eating. There was no need to post a watch, and they were all grateful for it. Between the unseen Wardsman and the flutes of the Dwellers, the ranks of the church guards believed the Woods were haunted. Of the few church guards who braved entering the Woods, if they were seen again, they were no longer sane.
Paki wasn't asleep long when Jensina's humming woke him again. He rolled over, sighing. He should have known it wouldn't stay away for good, but wished she would have waited until he'd had a good night's sleep. For the next hour, every time he tried to fall asleep, she was there, humming her song to him. Sighing, he sat up.
Motion above him drew his attention, and Paki could make out the silhouette of a large bird in the shadows of the fire. The bird hopped off of the branch he was sitting on and dropped down to land beside Paki's bedroll. The huge hawk blinked at him, tilting his head. Paki stared, amazed, at the bird standing before him.
"I've got to be dreaming," he whispered. The hawk was easily twice the size of any he had seen before. The bird hopped toward him, then reached out and took hold of his tunic sleeve. Pulling on it, he hopped back. "Hey," Paki pulled his sleeve back.
The hawk chirped quietly at him, then spread his wings and flew back up to the tree.
Not knowing why, Paki pushed his blanket off and stood up. He pulled on his boots, then his cloak, fastening it with one hand while he picked up his sword with the other. Swinging the sword over his head and shoulder, he positioned it over his cloak. Pausing to pull one of the travel lamps from Tyran's pack and light it with a twig from the fire, he looked up at the bird.
"All right, show me what you want," he said. "But if it's not worth it, you're our dinner tomorrow night."
The hawk hopped from the branch and flew to the north. Paki pulled the skinning knife from his boot and marked the trees every few yards so he could find his way back again.
The hawk led him to the north for a short distance, then turned to the northwest. Paki wasn't sure how long he followed the bird, but knew that at least a couple of hours passed before the bird finally landed on a branch and wouldn't go any further.
Paki looked around himself, holding the lamp up so it would reveal more of his surroundings. Even then, he saw nothing but overgrown bushes and a couple of deadfalls. He looked back up at the bird, then around him again. There was something familiar about the spot.
"There's nothing here," he said. The hawk cried down at him, then hopped to another branch. Paki turned to look around the small clearing again.
"You haven't looked everywhere yet," came a deep voice from behind him.
Paki spun around, one hand going to the hilt of the sword over his shoulder. Before him stood a middle aged man, his clothes a mismatched combination of woven scraps and leather, all stitched together to make his breeches, tunic and boots. He carried a woodsman's axe, and a line of wire for making snares hung from his belt. The hawk flew to the stranger's shoulder and landed easily. Something about the man brought a flood of images into Paki's mind. Immediately overwhelmed, he caught himself on a nearby sapling as his legs threatened to give out from under him.
Two lions fighting--and fire, but not a normal fire--Paki gasped as a searing pain ripped through every inch of his body. The noise was the worst of all. The lions were locked in mortal combat, one trying to destroy him, the other to save him. A flash of li
ght caught his attention, and the next thing he knew, the two lions lay dead beside him, their heads cut open by a woodsman's axe.
The woodsman came to him, tears falling into Paki's fresh wounds when he saw how badly he was injured. Paki tried to cry out, but the lion's claws had ripped across his throat, taking his voice first. The woodsman scooped him up, cradling him against his chest as if Paki were his own son, and carried him to...here. Paki shook his head, trying to clear the thoughts and images from his mind.
"Maybe you should sit down," the woodsman said, coming over beside Paki and taking his arm.
"Who are you?" Paki asked, his voice shaking and barely a whisper. One hand went to his throat, expecting to feel the deep scratches there.
"A friend," the woodsman replied. He looked around them. "I haven't been here for some time, but I think the doorway was right over there." Leading Paki, he walked towards one of the overgrown bushes. Taking his axe in his free hand, he swung it from side to side, clearing away the branches and revealing an empty doorway. He helped Paki through and found a toppled piece of square cut stone for him to sit on.
Paki accepted the seat gratefully, looking around at the ruins of what was once a grand house. All that remained was the crumbled stone of the lower walls and the first seven or eight steps leading to an upper level. More images flew through his thoughts, but he could sort none of them out.
"Are you feeling any better?" the woodsman asked. He took a small waterskin from his belt and offered it to Paki.
Paki shook his head, still trying to sort things out.
"The things I see," he managed. "Jensina's baby--the lions--"
"That was you," the woodsman returned the waterskin to his belt and sat on another piece of stone across from him. "I'd recognize those eyes anywhere, at least, when your hair's not in them."
Paki brushed his hair from his eyes.
"I don't understand," he shook his head.
"I brought you here," the woodsman explained. "After I'd found the two lions fighting, I couldn't tell which one tried to kill you, so I killed both of them. This was the only house I knew of, and I was hoping they could help you."
Paki shook his head again, everything muddling together in his thoughts.
"But, that's all just stories, myths," he insisted.
"True stories," the woodsman said.
"He speaks the truth, Nahtan."
Paki turned, recognizing Rena's voice immediately. She stepped through the doorway, her hair loose, and flowing around her. She seemed to shine with her own light, but when he blinked, it was gone. "Alsynder brought you here, and my mistress begged her father to hide you from Zared. He chose a place among the mortals for you, and Halona wrote your destiny." Rena paused.
Paki shook his head. "What are you talking about?" he asked her. He'd have stood to walk to her, but wasn't sure his legs would support him. Instead, Rena came to him. Kneeling in front of him, she took his hands in hers and met his eyes.
"Jensina only wanted you to become one of her priests so she could still see you in her temples, but Halona had loftier ideas," Rena said quietly. "Myself, and two of Jensina's other servants, offered to become mortal so we could watch over you for her. Halona chose destinies for us that put us where you would need us to be."
Paki pulled his hands away, his heart pounding. He was certain he was dreaming.
"I--I don't--" his voice trailed off as a burning pain tightened his throat. He closed his eyes against it, and Jensina's humming seemed to settle around him. He felt Rena stand up and move to his side, sitting beside him.
"Don't fight it," she said quietly. "This is what's supposed to happen. You couldn't know who you were until you were strong enough."
"I couldn't know what?" Paki managed, keeping his eyes closed.
"That you're Nahtan," Rena answered. "My mistress chose that name for you before Zakris took you to heal your soul."
Paki's eyes opened slowly when he heard his name. The burning in his throat disappeared and his shaking slowly stopped. Alsynder still sat across from him and Rena beside him. He wanted to scream his denial at them, but deep down, he knew they were telling the truth. The images in his mind were too vivid, too real to be anything but his own memories from another lifetime.
"I can't be Nahtan," he said evenly, looking at Rena. "Nahtan is--something I'm not." He knew his argument was weak, and could almost see Meda's raised eyebrow if he'd said that to her. They would be where he would need them. "Meda?"
Rena nodded her head. "She loves you very much," Rena said. "She was the one who convinced us to come with her to watch you."
"Who else?" Paki asked. Everyone he could think of seemed to be following their own paths, and hadn't been around him for some reason that wasn't their own. Everyone except--"Isak." He said the name before Rena could answer him.
Rena nodded her head again.
"I'm not a king though," Paki insisted. "And I'm not a great warrior."
Alsynder only chuckled. "You will be," he promised.
Fifteen - "So much happened here"
For the first time in what felt like hours, Paki's breathing was steady. Rena set her hand on his arm and he turned his dark eyes up to her, meeting her gaze with ease. He didn't know exactly how much time had passed since the Wardsman brought him to Alsynder, but he suspected it wasn't nearly as long as he thought.
"Come," she invited, standing from her seat beside him and taking his hand. "I'll show you what remains of the mansion." She leaned over to pick up the still-lit riding lantern to help them keep from tripping over hidden stones.
Paki let her pull him to his feet and noted absently that Alsynder was gone. Rena stepped around the square stone and into the room behind the crumbled wall.
"This was the dining hall," she said, stopping near the center. She motioned to another crumbled doorway. "Over there was the kitchen and just beyond that the dried storeroom." She smiled at long-distant memories. "The kitchen servants used to preserve autumn's peaches in honey for Jensina to eat through the winter."
Paki nodded, letting her explain what she would. The room held no familiarity for him; he'd never been in it. She led him back to the entryway and around behind the stairs. There was little left of the walls here, and the few that remained fought the undergrowth for visibility.
"Down here were the servants' quarters," Rena continued. "Upstairs were Jensina's private bath, her private reading room and--"
"Her bedchamber," Paki interrupted. He stepped away from her and walked down the hall, Rena behind him. When he was almost to the end, he stopped and looked up. "It was right above here."
"Yes," Rena nodded and smiled, amazement in her eyes. "You remember it?"
Paki nodded, the room clear in his mind. "The draperies were gold, with white flowers embroidered on them. The chair by the window," he paused to turn in the direction where the chair had sat. "Was red with gold trim." He wished the upper level was still intact, wanting to see the room again. He turned to look at Rena. "What else?"
"Down here there's just the front parlor left," she said quietly. "That's where Meda brought you to Jensina when Alsynder found you."
Paki took her hand again, knowing which room she was referring to. He led her back to the entryway, then off to the right. Nothing remained of the parlor, even the stone underneath was covered by forest grass and centuries of fallen leaves. He remembered this room vividly and squeezed Rena's fingers as they stood in its center. Rena stayed silent, letting him feel what he would, and he was grateful.
Besides his own emotions, he had been aware of the three gods'. Jensina was heartbroken, Halona deeply angered and Zakris both shocked and saddened. It was here that Halona decided his destiny while he lay helpless in Zakris' arms. The damage to his small body was absolute and he was unable to cry out to them for help. Too weak to struggle, he listened while they spoke, talking of hiding him among the mortals.
Weakness overcame him and their words soon drifted together and apart, often ma
king no sense to him. Things faded quickly after that and he had no memory of leaving Jensina's mansion with Zakris, let alone remembering what Jensina had named him at her sister's prompting. He had no memory at all of how he had gone from that world to this one.
Paki finally turned back to Rena, squeezing her fingers again. Other memories flirted with him, not quite showing themselves. He knew they would come to him, but didn't know when.
"So much happened here," he said quietly.
Rena nodded her head. "The only thing we never knew," she paused to search his face. "Was where you came from. You weren't a lost mortal soul, and you weren't one of the gods. You were different from both."
Nahtan paused, then slowly nodded his head. "I don't remember how I got here," he told her. "Or where I came from, but I do know I chose to be here and I chose a form they could see me in." He paused, not quite grasping a memory as it fled from him, then shook his head.
Rena watched him for a moment, then sighed quietly and nodded her head, understanding.
They left the mansion, walking hand in hand back to the camp. Paki still felt unsure about being Nahtan, but couldn't deny the other thoughts. They reached the tied horses outside the camp a short time later. Paki smiled when he saw Nicho among them, relieved Kile had made it safely into the woods.
As they neared the camp, a cleared throat told them they'd been spotted by someone who was awake. Paki turned to see Kile leaning against a large maple, his cloak pushed behind one shoulder.
"Probably not the wisest idea ye've ever 'ad," Kile advised. "Although I'd rather 'ave ye running off in this forest than any other."
Paki sighed and looked at Rena. "I'll see you in camp in a few minutes," he promised.
Rena nodded and slipped her hand from his. As she passed Kile, she nodded to him then stepped behind a pair of aspen, extinguishing the lantern as she entered the camp.