by D. L. Kramer
Reaching out with her nose, she nuzzled his cheek. Paki reached out with his mind to reassure her and was surprised at the urgency she met him with. It was obvious something was wrong. Images of blue cloaks flashed though his mind in a chaotic flurry.
Stroking her neck again, he turned to look at the yard and buildings of the Stronghold. Other than the horse beside him, there was no sign of trouble, though there did seem to be a few more people than usual up and about for this early in the morning. A whistle from the keep's doorway drew his attention and he turned to look at Adie. She motioned to him and he walked over.
"What's going on?" he asked. "One of the boys from the kitchen told me there was a rider from Valin..."
"Come inside," Adie told him. "Aren't you cold?" She made a point of looking at his thin tunic. The top was unlaced and it hung open. Adie held the door for him, then let it swing shut behind them.
Paki looked down at himself and shrugged. "It's not as cold here as it is in the Dwellers' valley," he pointed out. "The horse out there was trying to tell me something's wrong." He followed Adie as she led him towards Mo'ani's study. "But I couldn't understand her very well."
"The rider's already explained everything," Adie said. "Grandfather wanted to talk to you about it."
"Why me?" Paki asked.
Adie shrugged. "He just asked me to find you." She paused to knock on the study door, then opened it.
Mo'ani sat behind his desk, looking at a map spread out in front of him. He motioned for Adie and Paki to come in and close the door behind them.
"You know about the message from Valin Hold?" Mo'ani asked Paki.
Paki shrugged. "Not really. The horse outside was trying to tell me something was wrong, but I couldn't make out what she was saying." He wondered again why Mo'ani would want to talk to him about this.
"How fast could you make it to Bavol Hold?" Mo'ani asked, his voice serious.
"My stallion can't run that far or fast anymore," Paki shook his head. "I'd probably only be able to save half a day or so. Bear and Chase could make it a lot faster."
"Oh, Bear and Chase are going too," Mo'ani assured him. "We'll have to find you another horse. What about the Dwellers' mare the rider brought?"
"I guess," Paki shrugged. He had ridden on the Dwellers' horses with Jerai when the cold made the stallion's bones ache. He was impressed with how fast they could move and how tireless they seemed. "What's going on? Why do we have to go to Bavol Hold?"
Mo'ani exchanged looks with Adie. "The Archbishop is trying to take Valin Hold again," he finally said. Paki's heart skipped a beat at the news. "Adiella and I are taking the army from here and heading out today. I need you and Bear to get to Kile as fast as you can and get the information to him." He pulled out a piece of parchment and began writing on it. "Stay away from the roads; the Archbishop will have men looking for any messengers. If someone tries to stop you, try to outrun them. Once you get within Lord Bavol's borders, his sentries will make sure you aren't followed any further. Now, this is the route we'll be taking and the number of men. Make sure Kile gets it." He finished writing, folded the parchment, then dipped the edges in the well of the wide candle burning on his desk, sealing it. He then poured several drops of hot wax onto the center of the parchment and pressed his signet ring into it. He handed it to Paki. "Gharald should have Bear up by now, go see about the mare."
Paki accepted the parchment, still stunned by Mo'ani's news. He put the folded parchment into his belt pouch and turned to leave the study, urgency making him almost run from the keep. He found Bear outside, saddling Chase. Tiimu sat on the saddle, watching every move Bear made.
"Gharald told you everything?" Paki asked, untying the mare and checking her saddle and bridle.
Bear nodded. "How fast do you think we can make it?" he asked, finishing with the buckle. "I grabbed a heavier tunic for you, too," he added, tossing the heavy wool shirt to Paki.
"As fast as we possibly can," Paki answered, catching the tunic and pulling it on. Seeing the mare was ready to go, Paki pulled himself up into the saddle. Bear had also gotten them a couple of waterskins each, along with travel rations.
Bear picked up Tiimu and put him into one of the saddle bags. Loosely tying the bag shut, Bear swung up onto Chase's back and turned to follow Paki from the Stronghold.
They barely noticed the village as they passed it. The captured church guards were still cutting wood to rebuild the houses and stables while several Mo'ani watched over them. Veering away from the road to Herridon, they set a course taking them straight to Bavol Hold. They kept the same timing Kile had when they traveled to the Wardsman's Woods; riding hard for a few hours, then slowing to a walk or stopping to rest.
They didn't see any sign of any church guards and only saw a few signs of farmers. Hopefully their passage would remain undetected.
Both horses wanted to run more than they wanted to rest, the mare knowing the urgency of the matter and Chase sensing it. The mare set a good pace and though Chase was easier the stronger of the two horses, the mare had greater stamina.
It was early evening of the second day when they galloped past the first of Lord Bavol's sentries. Not a half an hour later, the bleak fortress of Bavol Hold loomed ahead of them.
Paki and Bear pulled their horses in to wait for someone to come meet them.
They had only sat for a few seconds when the gates opened. Lady Bavol, escorted by one of her husband's sons, galloped up to meet them. Paki recognized Tonek's size almost immediately.
"What's happened?" Evaine asked, pulling her horse in when she reached them. Her blonde hair hung loose over her bare shoulders and her eyes showed her grief over the loss of Jayehl. The loss had obviously affected her as much as it had the rest of the family.
"We have to talk to Kile," Paki said. "The Archbishop is mounting another attack on Valin Hold."
"Come." Evaine whirled her horse around and she and Tonek led them back down to the gates.
Leaving their horses with the stablemaster, Bear pulled Tiimu from the saddlebag as he passed it, putting the fox on his shoulder. Evaine led them up to the library they had first met Lord Bavol in.
A fire burned in the fireplace, but it didn't warm the room. Lord Bavol sat before it, staring into the flames, while Kile stood beside the mantle, head bowed. The gold embroidery on Kile's cloak glowed in the firelight, seeming to come to life.
"Matthios," Evaine said, coming to stand before her husband. "Mo'ani has sent Paki and Sewati with a message."
Kile looked up at the two road-weary youths as they stood just inside the doorway.
"How many 'orses did ye kill gettin' 'ere?" he asked.
"They were still breathing when we left them down at the stable, sir," Bear answered.
Paki pulled the parchment from his pouch and handed it to Kile.
"A rider came in from Valin Hold yesterday before dawn," Paki said. "The Archbishop is attacking again."
Kile broke the seal on the parchment and read Mo'ani's plans.
"It could be a trap," Lord Bavol grumbled, looking up. "Trying to flush out Mo'ani."
"No," Kile shook his head. "The rider had Desan's ring."
"Not Rial's?" Evaine asked, sitting on the arm of Lord Bavol's chair. She rested a hand on her husband's shoulder. Lord Bavol didn't seem to notice her.
"I doubt Rial knows where his ring is," Kile handed the parchment to Matthios.
"He should go around to the southeast for his approach," Matthios mumbled, looking over the parchment.
"Who was the rider?" Kile asked Paki.
"I don't know," Paki shrugged. "I woke up and the next thing I know, Mo'ani's got me in his study telling me to bring this to you."
"All I know is Lieutenant Gharald woke me up and told me to get Chase ready to go with him," Bear nodded to Paki.
Matthios stood up from his chair, still studying the parchment. "What on earth is he planning?" he muttered. He walked to one of the shelves and pulled a rolled map from a shelf
. Spreading it out on a table, he bent over it, studying it closely.
Evaine walked to stand beside him, looking at the map.
"What is it?" she asked.
"If Mo'ani takes them in the way he says he is," Matthios said, "He'll trap them in the marshes."
"We built a 'ard path through the marshes before I left," Kile mentioned. "Ye're map won't show it. He may be plannin' to take 'em across that."
"But why?" Matthios demanded. "It'd be better to take the higher ground to the north."
Paki looked at Bear, who shrugged. Paki returned the shrug with one of his own.
"Come 'ere ye two," Kile motioned to Paki and Bear as he walked to look at the map with Matthios and Evaine.
Paki walked to the other side of the table, followed by Bear. The map was an extensive rendering of the land south of Mo'ani's Stronghold. Quite a ways from the Stronghold was a drawing of a tower and the words "Valin Hold".
"How long does it take to travel there?" Paki asked.
"About three weeks," Evaine answered. "Depending on how many people Mo'ani picks up, it could take as long as four."
"There's still the men in Valin," Kile reminded. "And Desan was building up the stores when I left, so he should have enough by now for a long siege."
"Why does the Archbishop want Valin so bad?" Bear asked. "If he just wanted to attack a hold besides the Stronghold, Bavol and Corydon are closer."
"He wants the river," Matthios growled. "As long as Valin controls the river there, he can't use it to ship supplies to his soldiers further south."
"I'd probably better get goin' so I can catch up with 'em," Kile said.
"We aren't going to sit by and let him take Valin," Evaine said. "You're not going alone."
Lord Bavol rolled up the map again. "The Archbishop's closest army is here at Herridon," he stated. "They haven't moved out of here yet, so all he's got against Valin now is the army from the garrison just east of there."
"That's still over three 'undred men," Kile said. "Valin doesn't 'ave that many trained, let alone cloaked. Adie's last count put them at just over one hundred cloaked Mo'ani, the rest are just students and a few apprentices."
"Mo'ani's taking enough men to outnumber him without what's at Valin," Matthios said, shoving the map back onto the shelf. "And I'm going to make sure there's enough cloaked warriors there to hurt the Archbishop. They'll burn the whole damned garrison and BishopLord's manor down."
Paki and Bear exchanged looks.
"We can't start any wars right now," Kile said calmly. "We can't risk it."
Matthios turned, angry eyes pinned on Kile. "The Archbishop should have considered that before he killed my son," he growled. "You should have considered it too, before you let Jayehl take your place." Tossing the parchment onto the table, Lord Bavol left the study, slamming the heavy door behind him.
Paki looked at Kile, aware of the pain in his eyes, though Kile showed no other sign of being affected by Lord Bavol's anger.
"He'll come around," Evaine said quietly, tears coming to her eyes. "Jayehl was the youngest and the most like his mother." She turned to look at Paki and Bear. "You're welcome to go find your brother, Sewati," she said to Bear. "But I'd like to speak with Paki for a moment." Bear looked at Paki, who only shrugged, then he left the study, closing the door quietly behind himself. "Congratulations, Paki," Evaine said when Bear was gone.
"For what?" Paki asked.
"Being accepted as a student," Evaine smiled at him. "Mo'ani mentioned it in his letter." She motioned to the parchment. "I doubted Sewati knew yet and I didn't want to make him jealous."
Paki nodded his head, understanding. "It's not really that important," he said.
"It is, lad," Kile assured him. He walked to stand beside the mantle again. "I was the last one Mo'ani taught himself."
Evaine turned sly eyes onto Paki. "And that was well over thirty years ago," she said. "Lord Mo'ani must see something special in you."
"I don't know what," Paki said.
"I guess we'll find out," Evaine smiled at him again, though her eyes were still sad. "I suppose I should go convince Matthios he can't take every Mo'ani from here. It would probably kill him to come back and find Bavol Hold gone."
"We should be headin' out shortly after nightfall," Kile said as Evaine left the room. He looked at Paki. "Common sense tells me ye should stay 'ere or go back to the Stronghold, but my instincts tell me ye should go with to Valin."
"I wouldn't do much good there," Paki said. "But there's probably not many people left at the Stronghold. I guess I could stay here."
Kile sighed. "Lord Bavol won't leave many people here either," he said. "We'll have to stop at Corydon Hold to have them send men to watch Bavol."
"Wouldn't it be easier to leave men here and just get more from Corydon to take to Valin?" Paki asked.
"Aye," Kile nodded. "But Matthios is angry and so are Evaine, Arlend and Tonek. He wants the men and women from Bavol to avenge Jayehl's death, not those from Corydon."
"I guess that makes sense," Paki shrugged. "I suppose I could stay at Corydon."
Kile nodded. "We'll see 'ow it goes. Let me think about it." He walked back to the table and picked up the parchment. Folding it slowly, he tucked it into his belt. "Why don't ye go find Bear and Tuketu? Just don't leave the hold, I don't want to have to tell Mo'ani ye got ye'reself killed just after he agreed to teach ye."
"I won't," Paki promised. He left the room, leaving Kile alone with his thoughts. He hadn't known Kile was the last student Mo'ani himself had trained.
Paki found Bear and Tuketu in the stable, brushing their horses. Tuketu had grown considerably in the two years since Paki had met him. He had built up quite a bit of muscle, as well as growing several inches.
Shortly after Paki found them, Arlend came in with the stablemaster. They walked down the rows between the stalls, taking out every horse save the oldest, youngest and weakest. As the stablemaster led the horses out, Arlend stopped behind the boys.
"The captain said you two are coming?" he asked Paki and Bear.
"He said he'd have to wait and see what happened," Paki answered. "I told him we could stay here or at Corydon Hold."
"He must have waited long enough," Arlend said. "Because now he says you're going." He looked at Tuketu. "Lord Bavol says you can come if you want, but you'd better make sure you're up to it."
"Yes, sir," Tuketu bowed his head. "I think I should be all right coming."
Arlend nodded his head and walked from the stable. After finishing with their horses, the boys led them from the stable. Leaving them tied with the other horses, they went to help where they could.
Within an hour, cloaked warriors and their horses started streaming through Bavol's gates. Paki was surprised there were so many. He knew many Mo'ani lived in the surrounding villages and towns and quite a few lived in the mountains around the Stronghold, but he would never have guessed there were so many around Bavol Hold. It seemed to him that every man in the area must be a Mo'ani.
Before long, the men began assembling outside the hold. Kile appeared among them, checking ranks and formations while Lord Bavol sat by and watched, his eyes intent on the numbers of men massing at his hold. Paki was surprised when Evaine appeared wearing the same leather breeches and woven tunic Adie preferred. A red sash was tied around her waist and an archer's brace was on her left arm. She carried a longbow that was easily half a foot taller than she was and a full quiver of arrows.
"Wait'll you see how far she can shoot that thing," Bear said from beside him. "She's better with that longbow than Lady Adiella is with a crossbow."
Paki raised his eyebrows at his friend. He remembered the deadly accuracy with which Adie handled Kile's crossbow.
"I'm just trying to get over seeing her in something other than a velvet dress," Paki admitted.
"Lady Evaine likes surprising people," Tuketu said. "Almost as much as she likes outsmarting the Archbishop's followers."
"Are ye
three almost ready?" Kile asked, leading Nicho over to them.
Bear picked Tiimu up and set him on his saddle. "Yes, sir," he said.
"Almost," Paki said, adjusting the mare's saddle again. She kept complaining to him of it pinching. He looked over at Nicho. "You know," he said. "You Dweller horses are sure funny about your saddles."
"What's her problem?" Kile asked, handing Nicho's reins to Bear and coming around beside Paki.
"She's says it keeps pinching," Paki pulled on the blanket under her saddle, adjusting it again. "That better?" he asked the mare. Shaking her mane, she nickered her approval.
Kile patted the mare's neck as he took Nicho's reins back.
"The three of ye stay toward the front with me. Once we're outside Bavol Hold, I'll start teachin' ye how to scout." he said. Pulling himself onto Nicho's back, he moved to talk with Lord and Lady Bavol as they mounted their own horses.
Shortly after, with Lord Bavol in the lead, the army took to the road. They turned off the road to Bavol Hold before reaching the main highway to Herridon, taking a little-used path to the south.
Fifteen - "I've never seen a hold built like this one"
Lord Bavol kept his army moving through both the day and night. Kile rode ahead with Paki, Bear and Tuketu, teaching them what to look for while scouting. By the end of the first week, he had them scouting in pairs and able to spot possible signs of trouble. Thrown horseshoes and wagon tracks alerted them to heavy traffic on the nearby roads, and littered campsites told them if other travelers were church guards or merchants.
Just past the middle of the second week, Lord Bavol sent Tonek and three other Mo'ani off toward the southwest. Paki was riding beside Kile when Lord Bavol made the decision to send his son and the other three to Corydon Hold. They would relay a message from Lord Bavol, then accompany the Mo'ani from Corydon back to Bavol. Lord Bavol didn't say it, but Paki guessed he was making sure to send at least one of his sons back home so there would be an heir.
They continued the journey south for another week, then turned to the southwest. A few days later, they came upon a wide, slow-moving river cutting through a grassy plain. More scouts were sent out before they moved the army through. When they were sure the surrounding trees were safe from an ambush, Kile took the lead onto the plain. They rode alongside the river for about half a league, then crossed where it was shallowest.
