by D. L. Kramer
"I'm afraid it wasn't that simple," Kile said. "He went first to the sons of the King's Guards. When he trained those who wanted to join him, he went to their sons and so on for over three generations now."
"The church must not be very happy about what he's doing," Paki decided.
"They're not," Kile agreed. "They put a price on 'is head more than once. Now they just tell everyone we're apostates, hopin' no one will pay us any heed."
"What are ap--apos--"
"Apostates?" Kile asked, then continued when Paki nodded his head. "They're people who turn against the church and speak out against it," he explained.
"You don't like the church?" Paki asked, remembering Kile's offering to Halona.
"I like the gods fine," Kile answered. "I just don't care much for the Archbishop in control of it now. They've managed to turn the church very much away from what it was. It used to be a church for worshippin' the gods and now it's a church for worshippin' the men who control it."
"And Nahtan will destroy the church?"
"No," Kile shook his head. "The prophecy says he'll simply break the church's grip. Then, it'll become what it was meant to be. Nahtan will be king and servant of the people and whoever he appoints to the 'ead of the church will be a servant of the gods. Which is 'ow it should be."
"You know a lot about this, don't you?" Paki asked. "Did you read it in a book?"
"Some," Kile said. "The rest Mo'ani taught to me while he was trainin' me. He's the best authority on the prophecy of Nahtan."
"Do you think I could meet him?" Paki asked.
"I don't see why not," Kile shrugged.
Kile pulled Nicho to a stop at the top of the hill. Below them, a small village sat in the tiny valley. Smoke drifted from chimneys and outdoor weedfires and sounds of children laughing and dogs barking drifted up to them.
"It's so clean," Paki said quietly as he looked down on the village.
"It has its refuse pile too," Kile said as Nicho began the gentle descent. "But from the looks of how ye've been livin', it is cleaner."
The stallion fell in step behind Nicho, and Paki was suddenly self-conscious of his dirty breeches and stained, torn tunic. As they drew nearer the village, he saw many men and horses working in the fields. Even the horses here were clean and well cared for, making him aware of how dirty and ragged the stallion and mare were.
As they passed nearby one field, the stallion slowed to watch the horse pulling the plow. After several seconds, he snorted and nodded his head, as if giving his approval for the job the horse was doing. To Paki's surprise, the other horse turned and neighed cheerfully at them before going back to work.
Paki smiled to himself as the stallion lifted his head and his feet both a little higher as they followed Kile into the village center.
Three - "Well now, what have we here?"
Their first stop was across from an inn. After dropping from their horses, Kile pulled a small pouch from under his cloak and poured out a handful of copper, silver and gold coins. Counting some out, he dropped the rest back into the pouch.
"Go in and get ye'reself somethin' to eat," he said, handing Paki the coins. "I'll go see about that saddle."
"Don't you want anything?" Paki accepted the coins, closing his dirty fingers over them. He was surprised at how the bunch of them felt against his skin; his master hadn't let him hold more than a single penance coin and that he'd had to put in one of the church's offering pots.
"I'll be along in a bit," Kile answered. "Just tell the keep I sent ye in and he'll take care of ye."
Paki nodded his head and crossed the dusty street to the inn. Pulling the heavy door open, he slipped inside, not prepared for the laughter inside.
The inn was surprisingly clean and well lit. Windows along the back wall were open, letting in the breeze. A bar sat just to his left and the tables were neatly lined up in two rows across the room. A fireplace sat on the far wall, fresh kindling waiting for the nightly fire. A large group sat at one end of the room, laughing and playing some sort of game with coins.
"Looking for someone?" a woman's voice asked from beside Paki.
He turned to focus on a woman sitting at the bar. She was about Kile's age and quite attractive. Her red hair was pulled up into a topknot and freckles dotted her nose, disguising the faint lines under her eyes. Her eyes were gentle and sparkled. Paki was surprised to see a long dagger strapped to her waist by a red sash and a quarterstaff resting beside her stool.
"I--I--" Paki stammered, almost forgetting what he was doing there. "Kile sent me to get something to eat." It didn't occur to Paki that the woman wasn't the innkeep.
The woman smiled, then turned to a door behind the bar. "Benek!" she called. "Kile's sent you a boy to feed!"
The door behind the bar swung open and a burly, snarling man stepped out. His long beard almost hid the apron he wore.
"'E'd better 'ave sent some money with ya," the man growled.
"Y--yes, sir," Paki replied hastily, unaware he had stepped backwards until his back pressed against the door. "H--here." Paki held out his hand with the coins.
"Well, come and get your stew," Benek growled again, spooning something dark into a wooden bowl. He set the bowl on the bar then turned to fill the woman's mug.
Paki cautiously stepped forward, then pulled himself up onto one of the stools. The stew smelled rich and inviting as Paki set the coins down on the bar and picked up the spoon beside the bowl.
"Don't worry," the woman assured him as he began to eat. "Benek's all growl and no bite." Her eyes sparkled viciously. "Course, that's just because he doesn't have any teeth left."
"Watch it, Adie, or you'll find yourself scrubbin' the cupboards."
Adie tilted her head back and laughed. "I haven't scrubbed cupboards since I sat at my mother's knee and I'm not about to go back to it."
"I've noticed you've gotten too big for your skirts," Benek grumbled.
"And it was shortly thereafter I quit wearing skirts," Adie finished, getting in the last word before Benek disappeared back behind the door with a loud "Hmmph". Adie turned to Paki. "So what're you doing with Kile? I thought he was on his way back to the Stronghold."
"He said he was destined to meet me and we're supposed to stay together," Paki managed between mouthfuls. The stew was every bit as good as it smelled. He had never tasted anything like it and didn't want to risk losing a drop. It didn't occur to him that maybe he shouldn't speak so openly to a stranger.
"Slow down," Adie advised. "Kile gave you enough money you could probably buy the whole pot if you wanted." She sat up to take a drink, then leaned back over towards him. "He didn't give you a story about his horse telling him he had to find you, did he?" Adie's blue eyes searched Paki's suspiciously.
"No," Paki shook his head. "He said he was going to take another road and just woke up and took the one where we met."
"At least he's getting more original," Adie muttered, sitting back up.
Paki finished his stew, using his finger to get the last of it from the bowl. Just as he pushed the bowl away, the door to the inn opened and Kile appeared beside him.
"The saddle for ye're horse is in the stable," Kile said, leaning on the bar. "The outfitter'll stable the horses for us tonight, too."
"How's the mare?" Paki asked. He didn't know what sort of problems she could have traveling so soon after foaling, though she seemed to be all right.
"Tired, but she's fine," Kile answered. "I think we actually exhausted the colt too, it's almost enough to make me want to celebrate."
"Just going to ignore me?" Adie asked finally. She hadn't made any effort to draw attention to herself and Paki had almost forgotten she was there when Kile came in.
Kile turned startled eyes on the woman seated beside Paki.
"Adiella?" he asked, his eyes widening. "What are ye doin' here?"
Adie chuckled and swung around to face him. "What's wrong, Kile?" she asked, her voice heavy with sarcastic sympathy. "Day suddenl
y take an unexpected turn?"
Paki sensed something pass between them and shrank back against the bar. They didn't seem to dislike each other, but he wasn't entirely sure they were friends, either.
The silence between them was broken when Adie leapt into Kile's arms with a laugh. Kile swung her around in a circle, a wide smile on his face, before setting her down.
"By Mo'ani's Way, I'm glad to see ye," Kile said, pulling her close to him one last time before releasing her. "Why didn't ye're grandfather send word ye were here?" Kile asked as Adie sat back down on her stool. "I thought ye were still at Takis Hold."
"I was," Adie shrugged. "I was on my way back to the Stronghold and thought I might take the long road back." Her eyes turned serious for a moment. "I heard you left Desan as Valin's governor."
"Aye," Kile nodded. "I couldn't very well leave the boy in charge."
"Are you sure that's a wise idea?" Adie took a swallow from her mug, watching Kile over the rim.
"We 'ad a long talk before I left," Kile nodded. "I think he'll keep 'is ideals where they're supposed to be." He turned when Paki wiggled further back against the bar. "And ye didn't even introduce ye'reself, did ye?" he asked Adie. "Lad," he said, turning to Paki. "This is Adiella--an old friend of mine."
"We've met," Adie said, then turned to her mug again, giving Kile a sideways glance. "'Woke up and took the road to meet him,' eh?"
"Don't ye go insultin' my instincts," Kile warned her before turning to Paki. "If ye want to go check on the horses, I'll see to gettin' us rooms for the night."
"I can't sleep with the horses?" Paki asked. He felt uncomfortable between Adie and Kile and didn't want to intrude on their conversation. It had obviously been a long time since they had seen each other and he figured they'd probably want to talk alone. If he slept with the horses, he wouldn't be in their way.
"I suppose ye could if ye really wanted to," Kile said with a shrug. "A room would be more comfortable, though."
"I want to stay with the horses," Paki decided. "I'll stay with them until you come and get us in the morning." He slid from the barstool, then out the door, nodding at Kile's instructions on where the stable was located.
Night fell quickly on the small village. As Paki made his way back across the street, people hurried past him on their way to their homes or the inn. He found the stable behind the outfitter's, just like Kile told him it would be. Pulling open the door, Paki slipped into the darkened stable. A soft nicker from one side told him where the stallion was. Feeling his way toward the sound of shifting hooves, he soon felt a familiar nudge against his shoulder. Before going to the stallion, he looked into the nearby stalls, finding the mare and colt across the walkway. Seeing they were fine, he went back to the stallion.
"Hello," he greeted the big horse. Pulling up the latch to the stallion's stall, he let himself in, then reached through the slats to re-latch it. Paki nestled down in the warm, dry straw and was soon fast asleep.
He woke with a start some time later. The stallion shifted nervously from foot to foot as Paki pulled himself up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. The stable was nearly pitch black and Paki could hear muffled voices outside. Patting the stallion reassuringly, Paki crept to the stall door, let himself out, and then latched it again.
Moving cautiously, he felt his way to the stable door. The voices were right outside and if he pressed his ear against one of the cracks in the wall, he could hear everything they said.
"We saw the Mo'ani and the boy come into town," a gruff, deep voice said. "So don't lie to me and tell me he's not here."
Paki realized they were talking about him and Kile. He crouched down on the floor, careful not to make a sound.
"I swear, M'lord," a second voice responded shakily. "I don't know where they are. The Mo'ani came to me for a saddle, but that's all."
"You lie!" the first voice declared. "Mo'ani like this one don't need saddles." There was a pause and a shuffling, followed by the sound of a sword being drawn.
"N--no," the second voice stammered. "You don't--"
Paki winced at the sound of a body being run through. Something heavy fell against the outside of the stable wall, then slid down to the ground.
"Saddle indeed," the gruff voice muttered.
Paki scrambled back to the stalls when he heard footsteps approaching the stable door. He latched the stallion's door tightly just as the stable door was pulled open. Peeking through the slats of the stall, Paki recognized the blue cloak the man was wearing. He wondered why a church guard was interested in the horses if he was looking for Kile. The church guard carried a lantern as he walked into the stable and began checking each of the stalls. He glanced briefly at the mare and colt, but moved past them. Paki pulled back into the far corner and held his breath when the man stopped at the stall beside the stallion's.
"Saddle indeed," the man repeated. The horse in the other stall neighed and Paki recognized it as Nicho. "Horses like you don't need saddles," the guard said, watching Nicho.
The stallion snorted in that direction and shifted his weight again. Paki reached up to rub one of the stallion's legs and was surprised to find him trembling.
"Well now, what have we here?" the man asked, coming to stand in front of the stallion's stall. Paki shrank further into the corner, hoping the remaining darkness would hide him.
"The stallion is mine, Captain Janec," a female voice called from the stable doorway. Paki immediately recognized Adie's voice. "As are the mare and colt."
"Are they now." Janec turned from the stallion's stall, his gruff voice curious.
"Yes." Adie's voice was now right beside Janec's, even though Paki hadn't heard her move through the stable.
"I'm afraid you can't protect Kile this time," Janec said coldly. "A caravan of priests saw him heading to town and one of our own guards saw him here at the inn."
"Kile was bringing the three horses and the boy to me. He didn't hurt any of the priests or your men."
"He's still here and he's wanted for murder, tell me where he is and I'll see to it none of my men are too rough with you before your own trial."
Adie laughed, ignoring his threat. "And I suppose the outfitter just happen to fall on your sword?"
"Hiding a wanted criminal is punishable by death."
Adie's laughter stopped suddenly and her voice took on a chill note. "So is murdering an innocent shopkeeper."
Paki swallowed when he heard the captain draw his sword again. The sounds of booted feet outside circled the stable, heading for the doors. Janec chuckled as several of his men entered the stable. "I'm afraid you're just a bit outnumbered," he said confidently.
Adie's shadow from Janec's lantern circled toward the far wall as she moved. "You won't get me alive," she said. "So I'm afraid I won't be of much use to your men."
Several sharp hisses cut the air as Janec's men drew their swords. Peeking through the slats again, Paki had no idea how many guards there were, but it was definitely more than he had fingers for. Most carried swords while a few carried crossbows. Adie was circling around to get the opposite stall doors to her back. One hand rested on the dagger on her sash while the other easily held her quarterstaff.
Paki's attention was drawn to the stallion when the huge horse shifted his weight yet again. In the spare, flickering light of the lantern, he could see the stallion's eyes as they flashed hatred toward the man standing outside his stall. Paki's mind jumped to what the stallion had done to their master. Perhaps...if only Kile were here, he could ask the stallion to do the same thing to this man.
Concentrating as hard as he could, Paki imagined himself unlatching the stall door and the stallion lashing out with his huge feet to kick Janec. He doubted the stallion understood him, but it was the only thing he could think of.
Moving carefully, he reached up, slid his fingers through to reach the latch, and then pushed it up. When he felt the latch clear, he pulled his hand back and rolled to the ground just as the stallion's rear hooves shot out
the door, landing square on their target.
Captain Janec was taken completely by surprise and was sent flying over Adie's head to the back of the opposite stalls. His body hit with a solid "thud" and a low moan was all they heard from him. It was only by luck the lantern dropped and didn't break.
The stallion turned and leapt from the stall, galloping toward the other guards. Most scattered out the stable door, desperate to not be trampled by his huge hooves. A few, however, jumped forward, determined to attack Adie. Immediately, they found their way blocked when Kile dropped from the rafters, his sword drawn and ready for their attack, his cloak flashing angrily in the light of the dropped lantern.
Paki huddled against the side of the stall, wishing he could make himself smaller every time a crossbow bolt whizzed past him. The sounds of swords clanging against each other continued, as well as the solid "thunks" of Adie's quarterstaff. After what seemed like hours, there was a final ring of swords, then silence. Paki picked his head up, almost afraid to look out, but knowing he had to.
Kile was down on one knee, one hand resting on Adie's quarterstaff, the other resting across his raised knee, still grasping his sword. Adie stood beside him, also holding onto her staff, and seemed to be waiting for something.
Paki wanted to crawl over to be with Kile, but a voice in his head told him to wait. Something had happened in the fight, but he didn't know what.
"Children," Kile finally said quietly, almost mournfully. "They're barely older than the lad." His accent lent itself to punctuating his emotions.
Adie reached down and put her free hand on his shoulder. "The Archbishop has heard rumors of the Mo'ani numbers. He's desperate for men to equal it," she explained.
"Mo'ani doesn't let children this age pick up a sword, let alone learn to fight with one." Kile sighed and bowed his head for a few seconds before pulling himself to his feet. Turning towards the stalls, his eyes settled on Paki.
"Ye'd better go get ye're horse," he advised. "He was mad enough to chase 'em all down and trample 'em."
