The Way to Freedom: The Complete Season One (Books 1-5): An Epic Fantasy Action Adventure (The Way to Freedom Series)

by H. M. Clarke

  “You’re a Wing Lieutenant. Why weren’t you asked to go with Gwidion and Harada?”

  “I’m the wrong person to ask. Anyway, I think it was about incorporating our three newest Flyers into Gwidion’s command. His Company is currently down by three Flyers and now, coincidentally, we have three new Flyers.”

  “But surely that wouldn’t take all day to organize?” Kalena took another large spoonful of stew and mash and shoveled it into her mouth.

  “I heard that one of the other Wings wanted to argue the fact that we were allocated three Flyers in a row when other Wings could do with some new blood.” Oskar piped up with this information across the table from Ben and Kalena.

  “That sounds about right, some of the lower Wings trying to throw their weight around,” Ben replied with a laugh. “No matter. What’s done is done and there is nothing they can do to change it.”

  “I don’t care what happens, I just can’t wait for our Flight Training to start, and neither can Adhamh. I’m going to see him after dinner and we’re going to practice our theory together.” Kalena quickly finished the rest of her meal and pushed the plate to the middle of the table for the Kitchen Kalarthri to clean up later.

  “Kalena, you do realize that reading the books and knowing the theory does not always make you a good Flyer,” Ben said as Kalena slipped out from the bench.

  “We’ll see Ben. We’ll see.” With that passing shot, Kalena left the Dining Hall.

  ‘Adhamh, I’m here.’

  ‘I can see that.’ Adhamh turned as Kalena twitched open the large leather curtain that screened the Hatar’s room from the corridor and poked her head into Adhamh’s quarters. ‘At least you sound in a better mood than you have been all day.’

  Kalena shrugged in response as she let the leather curtain slip away from her as she moved into the room. ‘Food always puts me in a better mood Adhamh.’

  ‘Does that mean you are going to tell me about what exactly happened last night?’ Adhamh rose from his bed in the corner of the room and went to drink from the large water tank that sat in the corner by the entrance.

  Kalena sat on the bench by the other side of the leather curtain and watched as Adhamh’s black feathers caught the light in a glitter of green and blue highlights.

  ‘I’m surprised that Jolar hasn’t told you all the gory details about what happened.’

  ‘I felt you do something – unexpected – last night and Jolar has not mentioned much to me except that the other newcomer had not yet awoken. Whatever that unexpected thing was had you upset for the rest of the night.’

  Adhamh finished his drink and shook the water from his beak like a dog shaking itself after a swim.

  Kalena tucked her hands under her thighs and began to swing her legs back and forth; a nervous habit that Kalena was trying to train herself out of. But the urge to talk and confide in someone was so strong that if she kept it bottled up much longer she would go crazy in the endless circle of her doubts, recriminations and excuses. She could not confide to Gwidion about what happened yesterday. That would involve revealing a lot more truth than she was willing to give. If she could not trust Adhamh who, because of the Krytal, was now an intrinsic part of her for the rest of their lives; then whom can she trust?

  A large sigh escaped Kalena’s lips. If one person is to think her an idiot after she told her story, then Adhamh is the best one to tell it to.

  ‘As you are probably well aware, I did something stupid last night.’

  Kalena glanced up to see Adhamh’s brilliant blue eyes staring at her. He moved gracefully away from the water tank to sit himself comfortably on the floor in the centre of the room. Through all this, the Hatar’s eyes did not leave hers. Kalena knew through experience that this was the Hatar way of giving a speaker their undivided attention, but that gaze when pressed on someone not used to Hatar ways would make them feel they were going to become the next meal of a predator.

  ‘I felt a strange presence when Gwidion and I went to visit the two new Kalar. It was when Gwidion was checking Holm when I felt it first.’ Kalena then went on to describe to Adhamh everything that had happened during her visit to Holm Lunman and then her search that lead Kalena to Kral Tayme. At no point during the telling did Adhamh interrupt her with a question or to criticize her actions. That alone encouraged Kalena to tell everything. Usually the Hatar had the bad habit of criticizing everyone and everything, including herself.

  When Kalena finished her telling, she watched as Adhamh tapped a fore claw on the ground in thought. His eyes still stared at her, but Kalena knew his mind was elsewhere. She could hear the fast echo of his thoughts as they buzzed around them but she could no more catch their meaning than she could a diving falcon.

  ‘I think Kral Tayme gave you the answer to who the identity of the searching mind is.’

  “He did?” Kalena was so surprised at Adhamh’s words that she spoke aloud. It was an act of rudeness to speak aloud while in conversation with a Hatar unless you were translating to a non Hatar Kalar.

  ‘Yes he did,’ Adhamh replied ignoring Kalena’s breech in etiquette. ‘And deep down, you yourself heard his answer, though I doubt the boy himself knew what he was doing.’

  ‘I’m sorry Adhamh. I don’t understand what you are trying to tell me.’ Kalena stopped the swinging of her legs, more than a little miffed at Adhamh’s remark that she should know who the searching mind belonged to.

  Adhamh’s triple set of eyelids blinked in surprise.

  ‘Kral Tayme is the owner of your searching mind and that means he has the same ability that you have of being able to hear and be heard by other human minds. But he was telling a truth when he said that you must have followed his dreams. I think this skill only awakens in him when Kral Tayme sleeps and dreams. The fact that he seems to have no knowledge of what he had done to call you testifies to the fact that the Gift lies dormant when he is awake.’

  Kalena stared incredulously at Adhamh. ‘You got all that from my telling?’

  ‘What you describe sounds very similar to the Dal’lemarden. It is a very rare condition that occurs in hatchlings. Normally the hatchling would be considered as mute – unable to communicate to other Hatar through mind voice, but when they sleep something unlocks within their mind that allows them to broadcast to all and sundry. Usually either a dream or a subject that has been weighing on their mind during the day.’ Adhamh stretched out a feathered wing as he spoke to relieve a cramp in his shoulder.

  ‘Is there something we can do to help him?’ Kalena felt a thrill go through her as it dawned on her that there was someone else with the same ability in the world.

  ‘Kalena, there is not much that can be done. In Hatar, this is usually corrected before they mature out of the hatchling phase. If for some reason this was not corrected before the Hatchling reaches adolescence, then the only option is to Shield its thoughts so that it will not intrude or affect the minds of others.’

  ‘But Kral is human, not Hatar.’ Kalena stated. There was a hint of desperation in her voice. ‘One day he will broadcast in his sleep and find a mind that will not like what it feels and he might end up in the position that we ourselves are trying to avoid.’

  ‘I’m surprised that that hasn’t happened as yet, and that leads me to suspect that the Krytal has enhanced an ability that was not strong in him in the first place.’ Adhamh started tapping his fore claw again and its click-click on the floor seemed to beat out the rhythm of his thoughts.

  ‘Does that mean we can help him?’ Kalena jumped from the bench and moved to sit cross-legged next to Adhamh on the floor. Absently she stretched out her hand and gently stroked Adhamh’s shoulder feathers. They felt cool to the touch and flowed underneath her hand like soft silk.

  ‘We cannot. But Kral’s partner Trar can.’

  Kalena’s hand suddenly stopped its stroking. ‘How?’

  Adhamh cocked his head and twisted it to get a better view of her with his closest eye. ‘Trar will be able to p
lace a type of Shield round Kral’s sleeping thoughts to stop them being heard by others.’

  ‘But you said that it could be corrected.’

  ‘Only if the mind has not matured into adolescence. Human minds are not that dissimilar to Hatar ones. Damage can occur very easily in an adolescent mind if someone not familiar with the proper techniques starts poking around.

  Adhamh’s eye narrowed as he spoke and Kalena got the distinct impression that he was warning her off of doing anything irresponsible.

  ‘Never fear Adhamh. After what happened last night I don’t think I’ll ever try to experiment again.’

  ‘Good. I’ll have Trar start setting up Kral’s Thought Shield straight away and we better start revising the theory of paired flight.’

  Kalena groaned but gave Adhamh a reluctant nod of agreement. Study was now the last thing on her mind and even the thought of Ben Ocbar being proved right about flying theory getting you nowhere did not improve on that. As Adhamh started to inform Trar about her new partner, Kalena slowly got to her feet and retrieved the books they would need for their study from Adhamh’s worktable.

  Chapter nine

  The Grand Tour

  The next morning Wing Lieutenant Bessal bought Kalena the news that today was a Free Day. Gwidion also gave Kalena a warning. “Even though today is a Free Day, I don’t want you moping about near Holm Lunman. He just needs time to adjust himself to the Krytal Crystal and the feel of having the link to Motta…”

  As the Wing Lieutenant spoke, Kalena felt a brush of his surface thoughts against her mind. ‘I’m hoping that Motta will help him wake, if not then we’ll have to find some of that Sardom Lily bulb that the Pydarki use to try and heal the crystal.’ Kalena quickly threw up her mental shields so that Gwidion could not detect her eavesdropping.

  “…Kral Tayme on the other hand is, in my opinion, healthy enough for you to harass him. Just don’t get him into trouble.”

  As soon as the Wing Lieutenant was gone, Kalena grabbed her black cadet jacket and left her room with a quick goodbye to Kala. Kalena rushed to the end of the corridor and knocked hurriedly on Kral Tayme’s door.

  After a few moments of anxious waiting Kalena heard the clicking of the door handle being turned and she pushed herself though it before it even had a chance to open properly.

  “What the..?”

  Kalena looked back in time to see Kral stumble away from the swinging door, his surprise clear on his face.

  “Sorry about that,” she said in embarrassment.

  Kral closed the door and finished pushing his arms through on the jumper that hung around his neck. “Don’t worry about it.”

  “The Wing Lieutenant just told me that we have a Free Day today and I thought that maybe I could show you around and introduce you to some of the other members of First Wing.”

  “Can we have breakfast first?” Kral asked as he sat in a chair by the door and pulled boots over his socked feet.

  “Of course. It was going to be our first place to go. Have you been to the Dining Hall yet?” Kalena’s words tumbled out of her mouth infected by her excitement. A Free Day was not often given to the Hatar Kalar and Kalena was thrilled that she might be able to spend it with someone near her own age.

  “No, this room is all I have seen of the barracks since the Krytal. Not that we got to see very much in the Children’s Quarter either.” Kral muttered this last statement but Kalena clearly heard it.

  “I wasn’t in the Children’s Quarter long enough to see much of it. As soon as the Free Officers knew what I could do, they made me a Hatar Kalar to take the Gift away.”

  “What could you do to make them want to do that?”

  “I could read and talk to other peoples’ minds whether they held the talent for it or not. Some of the officers, Captain Jerant especially, did not like it.”

  “Captain Jerant is a nasty little prig of a man isn’t he,” Kral said as he lifted his black jacket from its wall hook.

  Kalena felt her smile before she realized it was there. Someone else who did not like Captain Jerant!

  “Yes he is and that’s why I try to avoid him at all costs. The Captain gives me the impression that he’s always watching me. He makes me uncomfortable.”

  “He and his lap dogs are enough to make any sane person uncomfortable,” Kral replied as he shrugged himself into his jacket.

  “Aren’t you going to ask me the usual question?”

  “What is the ‘usual question’?”

  “Whether I can still read others thoughts?”

  “If you could still do that then you would know that I am starving and would like to be shown where the Dining Hall is and would not be here taking with me.” A smile took the sting out of Kral’s words and reassured Kalena that her and Adhamh’s secret could stay safe. For some reason deep inside her, Kalena did not want to start this friendship off with a lie.

  “Let’s go then.”

  Kalena spent most of the morning showing Kral around the Hatar Kalar Quarter. First on Kalena’s tour was the Dining Hall. The Hall was nearly empty as the two cadets had arrived after the main breakfast hour. The Free Day looked to have drawn everyone away to their own pursuits. The first four wings of Second Flight shared this Dining Hall; Kalena showed Kral the First Wing table and pointed out the tables that belonged to the other Wings.

  Kalena then showed Kral the Training Hall that stood next to their barracks. The Hall was large enough to train Human and Hatar together with the large classrooms lining the central open training arena where Hatar Kalar pairs are taught to act together as a fighting team. She then showed Kral the Armory that was on the far side of the Training Arena. The room was locked up tight as the Training Sergeant kept the keys but there was one iron barred window set to the left side of the door that allowed the two to look within the room.

  As soon as Kral Tayme laid eyes on the Hatar Lances and the large compound horn bows he could not contain his excitement.

  “Look at how large those lances are, and the bows; I wonder what poundage they are?”

  “These are only used in training here in the hall. Wing Lieutenant Bessal told me that these are all various weights and draw strength to help strengthen and accustom cadet muscles to be able to use the standard combat lances and bows.” Kalena stepped back from the window as Kral pressed himself closer to the iron bars to try and see further into the room. “There are swords, spears and quarter staves in there as well. They are the only weapons that I’ve been allowed to train with so far. Did you get to use any before the Krytal?”

  Kalena’s fast flowing descriptions and questions did not distract Kral’s attention from the Armory. What could be so interesting in looking at stacks of wood and metal?

  “Holm and I were working with swords and quarter staves but not spear. We had also started to train in hand to hand combat as well.” Kral slowly stepped back from the window. “Have you started to learn hand to hand yet?”

  “I’ve learnt some basic hand to hand, along with the other weapon forms. But the bulk of my training since my Krytal has been in getting my academic standard up to scratch.”

  After leaving the Training Hall, Kalena showed Kral where the Hatar Barracks are. Understandably these were empty as the Hatar themselves took advantage of a Free Day. Kalena knew that Adhamh and a few of his neighbors had found a nice warm stretch of sand near the Flying Field to have a nice long dirt bath. It was supposedly good for getting rid of ticks and mites that decided to make a home among the Hatars’ feathers. Kalena did not understand why dirt was good for this, but she did not have to deal with the upkeep of feathers of her own – so what would she know.

  Trar, Kral’s Hatar partner was fluffing herself in the sand as well, so it was decided that they both go to the Flying Field to visit with their friends. On the way Kalena pointed out to Kral the Provost Marshall’s office and the Flight Administration office. Both were shut up tight. Once they came pass the Flight Office, the thoroughfare opened up to
a huge flat area of hard packed earth that was entirely bordered by the usual white washed rocks.

  “This is the Flying Field,” Kalena said as she marched onto the field closely followed by Kral. “This is where the wings form up for missions and assignments. Also, this is the only place where Hatar Kalar are allowed to fly from and land.”

  “Why is that?” Kral asked as he looked about at the emptiness around the field. The Flying Field is located on the edge of the Darkon encampment. “The Hatar can land and take off from anywhere where there is room enough for them to stand. If they are on important business then they should land as close as possible to where that business is.”

  Kalena let a smile touch her lips though Kral could not see it from his position behind her. “The Freemen do not like us, and they especially do not like the Hatar’le’margarten Kral. They prefer to keep them as far away from their area as possible. They also say that the Hatar scare the life out of their horses – which they do. Though if the Justicars did not keep a one man office here, the Provost Marshall would be a little more relaxed about that rule.”

  The Justicars are the enforcers of the law and values of the Empire of Suene. All of which have been carefully scribed into the Great Book that holds all the precedents for the nations many legal codes. The Justicars are a grim group of Freemen who strut around pompously in their long black robes and they have a large chip on their shoulders about the Hatar Kalarthri. The idea that a subservient class should be held in such high regard in the eyes of the Royal Family really sets their class snobbery on edge. As yet Kalena had not had a run in with Darkon’s Justicar but she had heard plenty of stories about them from the other Flyers.

  They had not yet walked halfway across the field when they saw a flash of color coming from the sand hills at the far edge of the Flying Field.