by D. L. Kramer
"Come to your mother," the old priest finished, taking the lead down the narrow hallway.
Nahtan followed, trying to make out details in the dim light. The walls were bare and the only light source was ahead of them. After several seconds, the hallway opened onto a central room. A snow-white altar sat at the head of the room before a statue of Jensina. The walls were covered with more of the strange symbols. Lamps set on posts lit the room.
"What did you mean, 'the serpent's guards'?" Nahtan asked.
"The fallen son of Herridon," the priest answered.
Nahtan raised an eyebrow, not sure if he should point out that the answer was more puzzling to him than the original statement. He briefly wished Bear were with him, his friend probably would have figured it out immediately.
"How long have you been here?" Nahtan asked, walking to the nearest wall and setting his hand over one of the symbols. It was warm, and seemed to pulse against his skin. The throbbing in his wrist nearly disappeared, but returned when he pulled his hand away.
"When the serpent's guards first came," the priest began, his voice almost musical. "She woke me and told me to bar the doors. They pounded on them, and tried to burn them, but She protected Her temple." He turned to the statue. "Dreams came to me, telling me what would come."
Nahtan turned to look at the priest. "I don't suppose she told you if I'll be successful?" he asked.
"No," the priest shook his head and bowed it, as if ashamed. "Three gods aid her son, but one god does not."
"I'm not sure if that gives me a better chance or not," Nahtan mumbled. He touched the symbol again, this time with his other hand. "What do these mean?" he asked, tracing the red line with his fingers.
"They tell of the history of men," the priest walked to stand beside him. "They tell of triumphs and defeats." He took Nahtan's hand and laid it over one of the symbols. "This tells of you."
Nahtan pressed his fingers against the symbol, his hand burning from the heat. "What does it say?" he asked.
The priest tilted his head, looking at Nahtan as if he thought he were being tested.
"Witness," he replied. "You are marked with the same symbol."
"I have one on my back," Nahtan shrugged. "But I was never told what it meant."
The priest paused for a moment, closing his one good eye and rocking on his heels again. "A witness he shall be, to the betrayal of the fallen son of Herridon. A witness to the high honor of those loyal to him. A witness he was to the death of a world."
Nahtan shuddered when he heard the last sentence. This priest obviously saw far beyond the veil separating Zakris' mortal world from the gods' own realm. He let his hand fall from the symbol.
"Jensina talks to you, doesn't she?" he asked. "Not just in prayers or dreams."
The priest opened his eyes and stopped rocking. "She is always here," he stated. "Jensina brought the growling bear's spirit here to be healed when her body was ruined." He reached out and gripped Nahtan's arm with a surprising strength. "The serpent's followers will seek to stop you," he warned. "As they stopped the growling bear."
"What 'growling bear'?" Nahtan pressed. He had no doubt the priest's strange ramblings were the voicing of decades of visions from Jensina. How long had he waited-- hidden--here in this temple for Nahtan to come and find him?
"He will come with a Bear to answer the questions of a death," the priest responded, repeating what he had said outside on the step.
Nahtan felt his heart skip a beat. He was certain the priest spoke of Bear's mother. His mind raced, trying to remember her name.
"Nu-Notaku?" he finally asked, not sure if he was pronouncing it correctly.
"The growling bear's sons seek revenge," the priest continued. "But their own deaths will only follow that path. Turn them from it, lest you bear witness to their defeat."
The priest released Nahtan's arm, suddenly looking exhausted. "She will come for me soon," he said quietly. "When next I sleep, Her footfall will announce Her arrival." Turning from Nahtan, he stumbled towards a narrow door at the foot of the chamber. "Your son has been warned," he continued rambling. "He has come, and he has been told those things you bid me tell him."
Nahtan watched, unable to move, as the priest opened the door and disappeared behind it, leaving him alone in the room. Nahtan walked to the altar and statue, resting his hands on the pure stone and looking up at the sad, gentle eyes above him.
"I don't know how to stop Bear and Ke," he said quietly. "I don't even think they know what would stop them." He turned away from the statue, his eyes filling with tears. He knew once things settled into any sort of routine, Bear planned to start searching for information about his mother's death. Ordering him to stay at the camp would be useless, and he doubted Adie would be able to talk any sense into him. Brushing the hair from his eyes, Nahtan knew he would need help to convince his friend rushing into this was wrong.
Nahtan left the temple, closing the narrow back door tightly behind him. He retrieved Tyran and made his way to Liwanu's house. Pausing outside the door, he couldn't help but smile to himself when he heard the sounds of Bear's flute from inside.
He barely finished knocking when Yenene cracked the door. She opened it the rest of the way when she saw him, stopping when she saw Tyran tied beside Chase.
"He is fire colored," she said quietly.
"I told you," Nahtan said, hoping his voice was steady. He followed her into the small house and waited by the table while she once again leaned her crossbow by the door. The music from Bear's flute drifted through the closed door behind them. "How long has Sewati been here?"
Yenene sat at the table and picked up the piece of material she was sewing tiny glass beads onto. A rounded dish made from some sort of shell sat on the table in front of her, filled with the beads. The dish's underside was dark and rough, while the inside was smooth and rippled with the light.
"Only a little while," she answered. "He thought maybe the music from the flute would help the medicines heal Liwanu faster."
Nahtan nodded, remembering how quickly the stallion healed when Kile played his flute for him.
"Has he said anything about his mother?" he asked carefully. Yenene was the one caring for Liwanu, so he was hoping if anything was said, she would have heard about it.
"Not that I've heard," she replied after thinking a moment. "Wasn't she killed before he and his brother left for Lord Mo'ani's stronghold?"
"Yes," Nahtan nodded. "But it's been hard for him to deal with over the years." He paused, hoping he could trust Yenene to understand and to help him. "I'm afraid now that he's back home again, he and Tuketu might try doing something that won't be very smart. Would you help me keep an eye on them?"
Yenene studied Nahtan for a long moment. "You think they might try to avenge her death?" she asked quietly.
"Actually," Nahtan took a deep breath. "I'm afraid they might try to revenge her death."
Yenene paused. "That would be wrong," she finally said, meeting Nahtan's eyes. "There is no honor in such a thing."
"Then would you please help me convince them of that?" he asked, relieved that she understood the importance of the situation.
"Yes," Yenene nodded. "I'll mention it to Liwanu, he should know what their thoughts are on the matter."
"Personally," Nahtan said. "I don't think Tuketu will do anything. It's more Bear that I'm concerned about."
"He does seem the less reserved between the two," Yenene noted.
"Thank you," Nahtan told her.
"I'm here for Liwanu," Yenene pointed out. "If either of his sons got themselves killed doing something foolish, it wouldn't help him heal."
Nahtan smiled, realizing she planned to have Liwanu talk to both Ke and Bear. "Will you still show me Kutci's cave?" he asked, changing the subject. His wrist itched under its wrapping, and he gripped it with his right hand while twisting it, trying to scratch it.
"Of course," Yenene nodded. "I think Sewati wanted to go with us." She watched him fo
r a moment. "You're hurt?" she asked.
"Quite a while ago," Nahtan answered, giving up and letting his wrist drop again. "My wrist just isn't as strong now, so I have to keep it wrapped."
"Let me see." Yenene set the cloth and beads down and held out her hand for his wrist.
Nahtan held it out for her and waited while she carefully unwrapped it. Her fingers pressed against the underside and she felt up through his palm, then several inches up his arm.
"You've damaged the nerve," she said after a moment. "It's been too long, though, the muscles have atrophied." She took the strip of cloth and rewrapped it for him. "It's no wonder you don't have much strength in it anymore."
"That's why it's always wrapped," Nahtan pointed out. The damaged wrist had limited his ability to both handle his sword and throw punches. If he had it wrapped tightly enough, it could support the weight of his sword by itself for a few seconds, but that was all.
"You should try an archer's brace," Yenene suggested, tying the cloth and picking up her beading again. "It would help more. I can show you some exercises to start rebuilding the muscle, but it will take constant work and some time before you start to see the effect."
"Maybe I will," Nahtan considered the suggestion, twisting his wrist until it was comfortable in the wrapping again. He watched as her fingers moved deftly with the fine needle. Several minutes passed before the music behind them stopped. A couple of minutes after that, the door opened and Bear and Tuketu came out.
"He's sleeping at least," Bear said, fingering his flute before putting it back in his pouch.
"Something he didn't do very well last night," Yenene commented. "I'm sure he'll be grateful for the rest."
Bear nodded. "I left Tiimu in with him, he didn't seem to mind him." He turned to Nahtan. "We've got two Mo'ani on every hill around the garrison," he told him. "If anything of any significance happens, one of them will leave to come alert the camp."
"Good," Nahtan nodded.
"Why don't we go out to the cave?" Yenene suggested, setting her beading down. "Then Liwanu can rest in the quiet."
"I'll stay here in case father wakes up," Tuketu offered. "I've never really liked the climb up to the cave anyway."
Nahtan nodded and stood up when Yenene did, opening the door for her and Bear then closing it behind them. While he and Bear untied Tyran and Chase, Yenene waited.
"My horse is back at my uncle's stable," she told them. "It's on the way out to the cave, though."
"Here," Bear pulled himself onto Chase's back, then offered Yenene his hand. "Chase probably won't even notice your weight."
"Are you sure?" Yenene asked. "It's a ways out--"
"He'll be fine," Bear assured her.
Yenene seemed to consider the huge horse for a moment, then took Bear's offered hand and let him pull her up behind him.
Following Yenene's directions, they were soon quite a distance beyond the city. The hills grew smaller except for an area to the north where the ground rose steeply overhead. The horses worked harder as the ground beneath them slowly changed to a mix of rocks and sand. Ahead of them, Nahtan could see the huge body of water Bear told him about. It stretched to the end of the horizon, and he could hear the constant rumble and crashing of its' waves.
They passed the last of the low hills and found themselves riding on nothing but white sand. Far out on the water, boats moved slowly back and forth and Nahtan could see men on them pulling in or throwing out their nets. Off to the north was a jumbled pile of rocks, leading up to a wide opening on a rock wall. The smell of salt in the air was easily as strong as the nightly smell from the tiny white flowers and Nahtan was glad to see none of the bushes grew by the water. The mixing of the two scents would be nauseating.
"It's up there," Yenene pointed to the wide opening in the rock wall. She let go of Bear and dropped to the ground.
"We can tie the horses over there," Bear pointed to a large piece of twisted wood wedged under some of the rocks.
Nahtan looked out at the Miltaiye again, trying to comprehend the vastness of the water.
"Brijade would love it here," he pointed out, dismounting and leading Tyran over to the wood.
Bear paused to look out over the water. "I guess she would," he said quietly. "It's a lot cleaner than that lake behind Takis Hold." He led Chase over and tied him tightly to the wood.
"Doesn't smell much better, though," Nahtan commented dryly.
"You get used to the smell out here," Bear assured him. "Eventually it seems to go away."
They followed Yenene to the rocks and climbed up behind her to the cave. Light filtered through the opening, letting them see where they were going as they worked their way back inside. Almost as soon as he stepped into the cave, Nahtan felt the same instant familiarity he felt in the Wardsman's Woods. He paused when he was several yards in, trying to sort out the thoughts in his head.
"Kutci..." he said the name as if he were testing it. "I know you," he whispered, resting one hand on the nearest wall. "You were our healer."
Yenene smiled faintly. "She usually talks to me back here," she motioned to them, and Nahtan and Bear followed her. A little further back in, she sat on a woven rug and lit the small lantern by her side then motioned for them to sit. She gasped suddenly. "She's here." Her breathing slowed and became rhythmic. "She wants to know why you've come to find her after all this time," she said to Nahtan.
Nahtan looked around the cave, trying to feel for just where Kutci's spirit was. He found it was as impossible as trying to find the Wardsman. "I didn't," he said out loud. "I came to destroy the BishopLord and garrison here, then I'm leaving again next spring."
"She wants to know what happened to you," Yenene continued. "You're different now than you were before."
"My soul was nearly destroyed by a fallen god," Nahtan explained. "To save me, I was born a mortal of this world. But I'm remembering who I was--who we all were."
Yenene was quiet for several minutes. "Your wife was with child when you left to journey here," she finally said. "Kutci knows what the baby is."
Nahtan and Bear exchanged looks.
"What?" Nahtan asked.
Yenene was quiet again, then smiled faintly and looked at Nahtan. "You have a daughter," she said. "She's been named for your mortal mother."
Nahtan looked at Bear, feeling a sense of relief.
"Valry," he said quietly.
Seven - "Any elder could answer his questions"
Nahtan had barely knocked on Liwanu's door when it opened and Yenene pulled him inside. Bear and Tuketu had both left the camp before dawn, and when they hadn't returned, Nahtan had gone looking for them, coming to the most obvious place first. Not even Adie had seen them leave, something that surprised him.
"I was just looking for Bear and--" He stopped when he saw Kanatu sitting by the hearth, Tiimu laying beside her on the stones. "I didn't mean to interrupt," he finished.
"I only came by to visit Liwanu," Kanatu said. "I don't get this close to the Miltaiye as much as I used to and it's been some time since I've seen him."
"Sewati and his brother came by earlier, but only stayed a moment," Yenene told him. "Something's wrong, Nahtan. Sewati's eyes--" she shuddered.
"Like coals still in a fire?" Nahtan asked. When Yenene nodded, he sighed. He'd seen the look in Bear's eyes before. Shortly after they'd first met when they were sitting in the cathedral waiting for Pater Isak to begin services. Bear had been talking about his mother's death.
"You can stop my sons?"
Nahtan turned towards the deep voice that came from behind him. In the doorway to the other room, a tall, elderly man stood. He held himself up with a crutch and Nahtan could see his chest and one forearm and hand were tightly bound. His black hair was peppered with silver and his eyes determined.
"If I know where they are," Nahtan said, knowing this was Bear's father. He could see some resemblance in his face to both Bear and Tuketu. "Did either of them say anything to you?"
&nbs
p; "Sewati asked where Notaku was buried," Liwanu answered, moving slowly into the room. Yenene moved to take his other arm and helped him to one of the chairs. "But they may not be there any longer, it was over an hour ago."
"Where could he find information about her death?" Nahtan asked, meeting Liwanu's steady gaze.
"Any elder could answer his questions," Kanatu said, exchanging looks with Liwanu. "But not all of them would be willing to tell him."
Nahtan sighed a second time. Bear wouldn't let that stop him. "What happened?" he asked. "If I'm going to stop him, I have to be able to get ahead of him."
Liwanu studied him for a moment. "You should sit," he offered. Nahtan took the seat across the table from him while Yenene moved to stir the fire in the hearth. "Notaku was never one to leave well enough alone," Liwanu began after a moment. "When the BishopLord ordered the row of elders slain, she quite literally stood in his path. When she killed one of the honor guard who tried to move her, he put a price on her head."
Nahtan nodded, remembering Mo'ani's comment about Notaku and her daggers.
"Some generations before," Liwanu continued. "A Mowik by the name of Anawuye had traveled to the west. Her descendant is your Lord Mo'ani, who had come back here once to teach his granddaughter some of her heritage. Fearing for our sons' lives, we arranged to send them to him and he would hide them with one of his allies. Before they could leave, the BishopLord destroyed the altar to Jensina in the village to the south, building the one there now to replace it." Liwanu's voice faltered for a moment and Nahtan waited patiently for him to continue. "To protect us, Notaku had left the house, hiding in a cave by the Miltaiye. When she left for fresh water one morning, the BishopLord's guards were waiting for her." Liwanu's eyes filled with tears and he turned away.
Yenene laid a hand on the elder's shoulder.
"Notaku's sacrifice christened the new altar," Kanatu finished, meeting Nahtan's eyes. "They left her body in a wheat field by another village."
Nahtan swallowed as a heavy weight settled in his stomach. If Bear learned this, there was very little that could stop him.
