Basiyr: Chronicles of Nahtan: Book 6 (The Herridon Chronicles)

by Kramer, D. L.

  Basiyr

  by: DL Kramer

  Copyright © 2015 by D. L. Kramer All Rights Reserved

  Cover Art Copyright © 2016 Roman Hodek

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Published in the United States of America

  The complete list of Herridon titles available from D.L. Kramer:

  Mo'ani's Way - Book 1 Chronicles of Nahtan

  Halona's Way - Book 2 Chronicles of Nahtan

  Nahtan's Way - Book 3 Chronicles of Nahtan

  Edgewind - Book 4 Chronicles of Nahtan

  Olorun - Book 5 Chronicles of Nahtan

  Basiyr - Book 6 Chronicles of Nahtan

  Herridon - Book 7 Chronicles of Nahtan

  The Second Sentinel - Book 1 Chronicles of Mehlis - (Mature themes and content) -coming soon

  The Kamiri Born - Book 2 Chronicles of Mehlis - (Mature themes and content) - coming soon

  Nahtan: A Character Study (short)

  Other titles available from D.L. Kramer:

  Bloodlust

  Son of the Despot (short story)

  Contents

  Prologue - "What was her fate before?"

  One - "A message from Lord Mo'ani"

  Two - "How doth thou even map that?"

  Three - "No distractions"

  Four - "What would your hero have done?"

  Five - "That does change things"

  Six - "A hunter"

  Seven - "They were going to try to take my wall"

  Eight - "But I know she's devastated"

  Nine - "I don't think this is going to end well"

  Ten - "I believe she's ready"

  Eleven - "How did you get in here?"

  Twelve - "Ye put on a hell of a war"

  Thirteen - "He has his moments"

  Fourteen - "I'm not a lady"

  Fifteen - "Where's my daughter?"

  Epilogue - "You fought him before"

  Prologue - "What was her fate before?"

  Rena knelt before the crumpled figure, lightly laying her hands on the woman's shoulders. There was no movement, and the soul's presence felt oddly empty.

  "Who was she?" she asked, looking over her shoulder at Jensina and Halona. There was no mistaking the calm compassion in Rena's voice, or the gentle sympathy in her expression.

  "One of Zared's priestesses," Halona answered. "He had no further use for her, so he abandoned her soul when she died." Rena had found the soul here, cast out and unresponsive, and called to the two goddesses when she'd realized that the woman didn't bear a mark for any of the gods.

  Rena bowed her head, her long, dark hair obscuring her face as she turned back to the discarded soul, gently turning her over. She gasped when she realized how young she had been when she died, and how beautiful.

  "She will eventually fade into oblivion," Halona continued. "Leave her to her chosen fate now. She is not the first he has cast out, nor will she be the last. There is nothing we can do for them, they are of his calling."

  "But--" Rena turned back to look once more at the goddesses. She was obviously upset at hearing what awaited this soul.

  "No, Halona," Jensina shook her head at her sister before the older goddess could state her insistence. "Rena's compassion is what makes her who she is." Jensina paused as Zakris appeared with them. "I would not change that even if I could." She looked back at Rena. "But she cannot be saved now, Rena. She accepted Zared's chosen priesthood and surrendered her fate in doing so."

  Rena nodded her head slowly, leaving it bowed as she looked once more at the young woman who lay before her. With tears on her cheeks, she brushed the woman's brown hair back from her face. "I don't understand why he would abandon her like this," she finally said.

  Zakris watched silently for a moment before coming to Rena's side and kneeling with her next to the woman. "Zared sees little use for someone once they have served his purpose," he told her. "While my daughters welcome those of their chosen priesthoods into their realms once they die, my brother sees no need to do so."

  Rena nodded once more, more tears coursing down her cheeks. She had felt Zared's cold grip on her own being once, and it had taken Zakris' intervention to save both her and Valry.

  "But--" she paused to swallow. "She was so young, so pretty." She looked up at Zakris, then back at Halona. "Please, what was her fate before?"

  "She would have married," Halona replied after a moment. "Bore three sons. One would have become a Mo'ani, the other two craftsmen. Those souls have now moved onto other families to carry through their fates."

  Rena sighed and bowed her head. "Isn't there anything we can do?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper, though she knew all three gods would hear her.

  "She is one of Zared's chosen," Zakris explained gently. "Her place among the other souls was sacrificed when she pledged her soul to him. There is no longer a realm for her soul to go to, which is why it was abandoned here."

  Rena closed her eyes tightly, her sympathy for the lost young woman tearing her apart. It only took her a moment to make a decision.

  "Give her my place," she whispered, then turned to look at Jensina. "I have served you, Jensina, and I have been blessed to spend some few years as a mortal and bear a daughter to Nahtan. Let her take my place now at your side, so she may learn what life can be."

  "Rena--" Jensina's voice was quiet. "It cannot be done. Thy place at my side was foreordained upon thy creation. It is not as a fate that another can assume."

  "Your soul would be lost then," Zakris told her gently. "And you would be lost to Nahtan and Valry as well."

  Rena nodded her head, letting Zakris know she understood the implications. "But I cannot bear the thought of her being lost to oblivion without knowing what there was to live for--instead of only what Zared would teach her." She turned to search both Halona and Jensina's faces. "Thou hath the hand to rewrite a fate," she said to Halona. "Can thou not also write a new one?" She turned to Zakris next. "'Twas thy hand, Father Zakris that did heal and bend Nahtan's own soul that he could be born of this world, just as it 'twas thy hand, Halona, that wrote a fate that would hide him from Zared and make him king."

  "But she sacrificed her fate," Halona tried explaining again. "It no longer exists, and therefore cannot be rewritten. Nor can she be reborn to write a new one."

  "Someone please!" Rena turned away from them all, her head bowed and hair hiding her face once more as new tears came. "Don't make Zared's victory over her complete," she barely whispered. "Spare her his final judgment and the fate he would force upon her."

  A silence settled over the small group, broken only by the sounds of Rena's crying. Neither Halona nor Jensina moved, knowing they could do nothing to help the discarded soul. After a long moment of silence, Zakris reached over to put his hand on Rena's chin, turning her to face him.

  "You would have given your soul to oblivion to spare her," he stated, his voice calm and reassuring. "And would have sacrificed your own place at my daughter's side. But there is no place for her here among the servants and priesthoods of either Halona or Jensina." He paused to wipe the tears from Rena's face. "Dry your eyes, child, and know that this soul shall not be lost. As I have held your being within my hand to save you and your daughter from Zared's will, so will I hold this one." He reached over and picked up the woman's soul, cradling her closely in his arms as they stood. He looked at Halona next. "Write for her a new fate," he instructed her. "An ascended o
ne's fate. For as Zared would banish her to oblivion, so I shall call her into my own service."

  Temah stirred, aware that something was--different. It took her a second to realize her eyes were closed but she also knew she lacked the ability to open them at that moment. Alone, in the dark, it occurred to her that perhaps her eyes were already open and this was what was left after--

  With a start, she sat upright, her eyes opening and a cold fear gripping her. No, no darkness, but something else seemed to surround her. She was in a room, filled with a light that seemed to come from the walls themselves. There was a gentle peace in the room, and a feeling of security.

  "Gently, fallen one," a voice said, as a figure slowly appeared before her. She recognized the image instantly and shrank back from it, fear and dread evident in her eyes. "You have not recovered your strength," Zakris said, coming over beside the bed she was laying upon.

  "B--But, I'm--Zared--" Temah continued to look up at Zakris, suddenly afraid and unsure of everything. Without being aware of it, she started to tremble in the god's presence.

  Zakris watched her for a moment, then slowly nodded his head. "Zared cast your soul to oblivion, no longer wishing you within his realm," he told her.

  Temah nodded her head slowly. "It was cold," she said slowly. "I only remember being afraid when I realized he wasn't going to let me return to my body." She looked up at him, still frightened to be in his presence. "Or is this my judgment?" she asked him.

  "Zared cast his own judgment upon you," Zakris stated, his voice reassuring. "But mercy for you was pleaded for by one of my daughter's servants." He paused for a moment, his gaze catching and holding hers as a single thought passed between them.

  Temah's eyes widened slightly at Zakris' offer. "Why?" she asked him, her voice barely a whisper.

  "Because I do not believe you are worthless," Zakris told her. "And the pleas for your soul were very sincere and convincing."

  "But--" Temah hesitated, confused and still frightened. "What would you ask of me?"

  Zakris considered her for a moment before responding. "You have been betrayed as my brother has betrayed so many others," he told her. "I offer you the opportunity to now serve me as a chosen servant and return to the world in a mortal form. Halona has a chosen one's fate prepared for you, if you accept the calling."

  Temah looked down, suddenly ashamed of the things she had done for Zared. She realized that Zakris knew everything within her heart and mind--including what she had done that had angered Zared to the point of killing her. She also knew it was impossible to lie to one of the gods.

  "I--I don't think I can serve you as one of your chosen," she said quietly, her words telling Zakris she understood that she had committed unforgivable acts against him and his daughters. "I don't know how to be other than one of Zared's and I don't deserve any forgiveness or mercy for that. The things I've done--I've killed innocents, lied, hurt so many..."

  "Temah." Zakris said her name gently, his voice alone commanding her to look back up at him. "You have been taught no way other than Zared's," he told her. "But I can teach you that there is far more to an existence than what Zared offers to his priests." His thought once more passed between them and Temah found herself unable to look away from him.

  She realized what he was offering her was a salvation from oblivion. He would not tolerate the deceit and scheming that occurred regularly within Zared's priesthood, but he also would not abandon her soul. It would not be an easy choosing to accept, but Zakris would also know where each of her doubts and struggles were. Perhaps there was a reason to hope after all.

  "All right," she said finally, her lips barely moving. "I accept your choosing."

  "Very well," Zakris nodded his head a single time. He took her hand and gently pulled her to her feet. "I think you will find communion within light much more appealing."

  "What am I to do afterwards though?" Temah asked him.

  Zakris smiled down at her as he led her from the room. "Halona has written a new fate for you," he reminded her. "As she writes for those of our servants who visit the world within the mortals' time. She has found a place for you, where you will find redemption, solace and acceptance." Zakris led her into another room, where she recognized the snow-white altar at the end. "Your communion will be short as there is no longer a fate to clear away."

  Once a place she had regarded with contempt, she now felt a welcoming presence in Zakris' cathedral. Zakris led her forward to the dais and motioned to the low, padded mat before the altar. Temah hesitated for only a moment before kneeling down on it and bowing her head, unsure of what to expect.

  Almost immediately, she felt a warmth over her neck and back of her head, then it slowly spread down her arms, body and legs until it encompassed all of her. She gasped at the purity of it, and realized it was washing away the last traces of Zared's touch within her. Slowly, her memories of the fallen god faded to the back of her mind until they were barely recognizable to her. She could recall them, but only vaguely and if she chose to no longer look at them, she knew they would eventually fade from her entirely.

  Slowly, the warm feeling faded, pulling itself into the center of her being and finally settling there as a new part of her soul. Temah realized she was crying as she opened her eyes and looked once more up at Zakris. She'd had no idea how it felt to be encompassed in such a pure thought and realized how different and more promising it was from what Zared offered. She understood now that Zakris had chosen her to save her soul, not to serve his own purposes as Zared did.

  "Everything inside of me that it touched--it's burned Zared away," she managed.

  Zakris reached down to take her hand once more, helping her back to her feet.

  "Zared's hand is no longer within you," he explained to her. "But I did not take your previous life from your thoughts." He paused for a moment before continuing. "Because I believe they may yet serve you in the fate Halona has prepared for you."

  Temah nodded her head slowly.

  Zakris escorted her once more to the doors of the cathedral. "You are being given another life," he continued. He stopped and turned to look down at her. "The one who pleaded for your life felt such pity for you that she offered her own place at my daughter's side," he told her. "It quite nearly broke her heart to know that you had never known a true lover's touch, or felt the simple innocence of standing in the rain just to feel it on your skin."

  Temah swallowed as Zakris spoke. She knew what this servant had offered to sacrifice for her, and could not comprehend how she could have done so.

  "Who would offer so much for me?" she asked. "I have done nothing but betrayed any of your servants and priests."

  Zakris smiled at her. "Rena's compassion is both her strength and her weakness," he replied.

  Temah's eyes widened slightly. She knew very well who Rena was--all of Zared's chosen did. Sent to Nahtan's side as his wife, she had given birth to his daughter, sacrificing her own mortal life to do so. Of everyone who she had betrayed and wronged, Rena should have rejoiced at her judgment by Zared's hand.

  "Rena--" Temah barely whispered the name, almost afraid to speak it out loud. She bowed her head, unable to meet Zakris' gaze.

  Zakris put a hand under her chin and raised her face to look at her once more.

  "What repentance and redemption you seek now is of your choosing," Zakris told her. "I have washed clean your soul of Zared's teachings and you have accepted my choosing of you to my service. Your life begins anew this day, with your return to the mortal world with your eyes opened to the truth."

  Temah nodded her head slowly. "I will prove myself worthy of Rena's compassion and your mercy," she promised him.

  Zakris only nodded his head a single time, smiling at her as the air around her seemed to shimmer more brightly, then slowly faded into darkness. There was no fear of the dark this time, however, as she knew when she awoke next it would be back in the mortal world.

  One - "A message from Lord Mo'ani"

>   Nahtan watched as the combined Mo'ani and Olorun armies rode out on the road from Olorun Plateau heading toward Basiyr. Renato pawed the ground restlessly, eager to gallop ahead and take their place once more at the head of the army. The big Dweller's warhorse touched Nahtan's mind, urging him to go back to the front of the procession. Nahtan touched his mind back, assuring him they'd be leaving soon. The giant falcon sitting on the front of his saddle shifted his weight, turning his head and watching the army.

  "That horse likes 'is spot at the front," Asher noted from beside him.

  Nahtan nodded. "Yes, he does," he said. His eyes looked across the men and horses moving past them. Brijade and Jedrik were up nearly a half league ahead also watching the soldiers move past. He could see them talking, and Brijade shook her head and laughed. He was glad to see Brijade still wearing the new armor and carrying the new sword Jedrik had given her. He'd wondered if she'd go back to her old armor and sword after the battle below the plateau.

  Olorun Plateau was several leagues behind them, the wall of the hold visible even from here. It had taken them three days to burn the dead church guards and bury their own dead. Even then the ground below the plateau was still stained red and black from the battle. Everywhere one of the returned soldiers had fallen from Nahtan's touch had been marked by an angry scorched mark on the ground.

  Nahtan had started at the head of the procession that morning, but one of the things Mo'ani had taught him was to take to the side every so often through the day as the army marched. It allowed him to keep an eye on anything that might be out of place in his army, but also allowed his soldiers to see him, and remind them who they were following and where they were going. Nahtan had expanded it to include those his army knew were his closest allies and officers and usually rode at the front with him. He would usually space everyone out a half league or so apart on either side of the column in groups of two or three. After a short watch, they'd ride back to the front to continue leading the army. It put more eyes on the army looking for people who didn't belong, and let the soldiers see more officers and nobles to keep them in line.