by D. L. Kramer
He needed to say goodbye to Rena before they left, and wanted to hear his daughter's voice. He clenched his left fist, sending a pain up his arm and down through his fingers, to stop the tears before they could come. He would fully mourn Rena later, when the Archbishop was defeated and their daughter could grow up without fear.
Nahtan opened his eyes and sat up. He put the ribbons back in the drawer and went to get fresh water. Back in his room again, he changed into clean clothes, washed and shaved. He left his armor and sword behind and walked back to Leisl's room. His cloak needed to be cleaned, but he settled for shaking the travel dust out of it. He finished clasping it as he knocked on Leisl's door.
Leisl opened the door almost immediately, a brush in one hand. She was dressed and motioned for him to come in. Nahtan did, closing the door behind him.
"I'm sorry we're not quite ready," Leisl apologized, walking to the chair Valry sat in. She went back to brushing the girl's shoulder length dark hair.
"Nana?" Valry looked at Nahtan with wide eyes, then up at Leisl. Nahtan felt a new stab of pain when he saw Rena's blue eyes. Where he had once hoped she would inherit them, he now wished she hadn't.
Leisl smiled and came to kneel in front of her. "Remember I told you your father would be here soon?"
Valry nodded her head, but didn't say anything, her eyes pinned on Nahtan. She held her doll in her hands, fumbling with the string hair and rag dress.
Leisl picked Valry up and carried her to within a few feet of Nahtan. "Valry," she introduced. "This is your father, Nahtan."
Valry continued to stare at him for a moment, then turned to look back over Leisl's shoulder.
"It's all right," Nahtan said when Leisl tried to turn the girl forward again. "I'm just a stranger to her." He found himself smiling at her shyness. "It's going to take both of us a while to get used to each other." He reached over and touched Valry's hair, surprised he could feel it's softness under his callused hands. "We should get going. The sooner Bear and I get to Herridon, the sooner we can finish this."
Leisl picked up her shawl and a blanket for Valry. They left the keep and headed for the stable. When Nahtan went to get Tyran from his stall, he turned to see Valry standing in the doorway. She looked up at the tall horse with a mix of fear and amazement. Nahtan reached for Tyran's mind and warned him to behave himself.
"Would you like to pet him?" Nahtan asked.
Valry continued staring at the horse, then slowly nodded her head. Nahtan picked her up, holding her even with Tyran's nose. After the weight of his armor and sword, she felt like she barely weighed anything at all. Valry tucked her doll under one arm and reached out to Tyran. He stretched his nose toward her and nuzzled her fingers, eliciting a giggle.
"Are you sure that horse is safe?" Leisl asked from behind them.
Nahtan looked over his shoulder at her. "I know what he's thinking," he said. "If he was going to cause problems, I wouldn't let her near him." He looked back at Tyran. "And I'd box his ears." Tyran turned to snort at him, then went back to nuzzling Valry's fingers. "That's all," Nahtan said, setting Valry back down on the ground. The girl turned and took Leisl's hand.
"I think we'll stay with a mare," Leisl told Valry, picking her up. She carried her back to another stall while Nahtan put Tyran's bit and bridle on him. He saw no need for a saddle on the short ride and knew Tyran preferred going without one.
They left the stronghold a few minutes later. It took them nearly half an hour to reach the site, and Nahtan saw the pile of stones between two trees as they came around a curve in the path. He dropped from Tyran's back and approached the grave, finding a certain amount of peace in being there.
He knelt by the grave, lightly touching the stones. Rena wasn't there, he knew that in his heart. Her body was given to her so she could help him find his destiny. The part that was Rena was back with Jensina and would be able to watch over them. As his tears fell on the rocks, he realized Bear had been right, and her part in his destiny was to give him a child to start his family line. When the child was born, there was no longer a need for her here with the mortals and she had been taken back to her mistress.
He wondered if Halona knew losing Rena would hurt him so deeply. Surely if she did, she would have left her here with him. The heavy pain inside him rose up, and he swallowed it down. A sound beside him caught his attention and he turned to see Valry laying a wildflower on the rocks.
"Mama," she said, sitting beside him.
Nahtan nodded, his eyes filling with fresh tears. "Yes," he whispered. He rested his hand on the rocks again. "Goodbye, Rena," he said.
Thirteen - "How many men do ye 'ave?"
Nahtan spent the remainder of that day with Leisl and Valry. He and Bear set out for Herridon at dawn the next morning. The autumn sun promised warmth, despite a slight chill to the air. Nahtan didn't feel like talking very much, and he was grateful Bear wasn't pushing him to talk about Rena. He had found a certain amount of peace in being able to say goodbye to her, though the heavy feeling in his stomach was still there. He doubted the feeling would go away anytime soon, if ever.
Valry still wasn't very sure about him when they left, but Nahtan knew it would take them both a while to adjust. He didn't doubt she was doted on by most everyone at the stronghold. There weren't any other children that small living there.
They could see the armies circled around Herridon almost as soon as they cleared the trees. The armies spread far to the north and south and disappeared behind Herridon's walls to the west. As they drew closer, Nahtan and Bear could see the siege engines and towers as their construction was finished.
They reached the edge of the eastern-most army within a few hours and began weaving their way through the tents and corrals, looking for any sign of where Mo'ani and the others were. Finally, they heard Tavish giving orders by one of the corrals and knew they were getting close.
By mid afternoon, they reached Mo'ani's camp where it sat closest to the gates. The archers were positioned to shoot down any church guards who happened into the open on the wall. The ground at the bottom was littered with numerous bodies in wide variations of decomposition, warning those above what fate awaited them. The Mo'ani all seemed to hold an air of anxiety, and Nahtan barely noticed that they readily cleared out of his way. When they reached the front, they pulled their horses in.
Nahtan asked the nearest warrior where Mo'ani was and they were directed to a large pavilion. He and Bear left their horses tied outside one of the makeshift corrals and walked to the tent. Inside, Mo'ani, Kile, Matthios and Evaine were looking over a map.
"You can't even go to a siege without your maps?" Bear asked, resting his crossbow over his shoulder.
"No, we can't," Mo'ani said, looking up at them. He clasped Nahtan's hand when they approached the table. "We were starting to wonder if you were going to make it through."
"After a couple of those waystations, I was starting to wonder the same thing," Nahtan replied. There was a sense of calm control in the tent and he absorbed it. Now more than at any time before, he needed to feel that security.
"Are you all right?" Mo'ani asked him seriously.
Nahtan shrugged. "No," he admitted. "But I have other things to worry about first."
"Rena gave me this for ye, lad," Kile said, handing him a folded, sealed parchment from his pouch. "I don't know why she wanted me to hold it for ye."
"Thank you." Nahtan took the parchment and held it for a moment before putting it in his own pouch. He would read it later, when he was alone.
"I'm sorry," Evaine met his eyes. "We were so surprised to hear."
Nahtan nodded, not trusting himself to respond for a few seconds. He clenched his fist to divert his thoughts. Before turning to the map, something caught his attention. "Are you pregnant?" he asked Evaine. She had definitely gained weight since they'd left, and something about the cut of her dress reminded him of how Rena looked early in her pregnancy.
She smiled and saluted him. "Nice to kn
ow you're still as perceptive as ever," she noted. Matthios only chuckled.
"So much for never having children," Bear grinned.
Evaine turned steady eyes onto him. "Watch yourself, Sewati, or you'll be the first one I call to tend the baby."
"Do you have any idea what I could teach a baby?" Bear asked her.
"Not nearly so much as she can," Matthios returned, nodding to Evaine.
"So what's going on?" Nahtan asked, turning to the map. He needed to divert his thoughts, and this seemed the best way to do it.
Quite a bit," Kile answered. "There's a church lieutenant by the name of Mallin who's been taken into custody. He claims 'e knows ye?" Kile raised his eyebrow at Nahtan.
"Why was he arrested?" Nahtan asked, looking up at hearing Mallin's name.
"Janec caught him lurking through the eastern camps," Mo'ani answered. "So you do know him?"
Nahtan nodded his head. "He's from the first waystation we took apart. He negotiated the church guards' surrender for their families' freedom."
"Families?" Matthios asked. "They don't have families at the waystations."
"They do now," Nahtan looked at Lord Bavol. "Either that or the BishopLord was recruiting some very young and unfit apprentices."
"Lady Adiella can verify it," Bear supplied. "Every waystation out in the wilderness had families in it."
"Unfortunately, they're not here yet," Mo'ani said, his words thoughtful. "Lieutenant Mallin's secured in a tent towards the north a ways. There are four guards watching him." He turned to look fully at Nahtan. "I'll let you talk to him and see what you think."
Nahtan nodded. Mallin had promised they'd meet again, but which side he'd be on remained a question.
"How many men do ye 'ave?" Kile asked
"I think our count leaving Takis had us just over a thousand," Nahtan answered after looking at Bear, who nodded in agreement. "Lord Devayne kept some there with him, but most followed us. We met Aralt four days ago."
"They should be here in the next day or two then," Kile figured. "Tamnor stayed behind?"
"Yes," Nahtan nodded. "Brijade insisted on coming, as did Liwanu and a Mowik healer and soothsayer named Yenene."
"A soothsayer?" Mo'ani asked, his tone uncertain. "Are you sure?"
"She saw Jensina and all the souls of everyone killed in the battle at the garrison while she was in the temple in Bear's village," Nahtan answered. He didn't mention Tuketu's death to them. There was no reason to bring it up right now. "She also talks to and hears the spirit in the cave by the Miltaiye."
"Kutci talks to her," Mo'ani stated more than asked, nodding his head.
"Is it that important?" Bear asked.
Mo'ani nodded his head. "I've developed a certain respect--and dread--of soothsayers," he explained. "Ever since I figured out what the last one I spoke with meant when she said 'honor will bring Nahtan to his army'."
Nahtan turned to Kile, and couldn't help but smile. "It seems it was more than a hunch telling you to take that road to Castyl," he pointed out.
"Aye," Kile nodded. "I just wish I'd 'ave gotten some warnin' of ye're situation."
"Sorry," Mo'ani apologized. "But she didn't go into any specifics."
"This was the soothsayer who masqueraded as a minstrel, wasn't it?" Matthios asked.
"Yes," Mo'ani nodded his head. "The one who disappeared two hours after I spoke with her."
Nahtan sighed, remembering the old priest's ramblings as he left Nahtan alone in the temple. "I wish Yenene had been able to tell me what to expect here," he said.
Mo'ani studied him for a moment. "Maybe she knew, but was told not to tell you," he suggested. "You should count yourself lucky she doesn't talk in riddles that take nearly a century to figure out."
"No, the priest in Jensina's temple did that," Nahtan said with a slight shrug.
"What priest?" Mo'ani asked.
"In Bear's village," Nahtan answered. "I left wildflowers on the back steps for Jensina, and he opened the door and led me inside. He told me what the mark on my back means, and told me about Bear's mother."
Mo'ani and Lord Bavol exchanged looks. "There hasn't been a priest in that temple since the Archbishop took the throne," Mo'ani said, turning back to Nahtan.
Nahtan shook his head. "He said Jensina woke him and told him to bar the door because as long as it was barred, the 'serpent's guards' wouldn't be able to destroy it. I guess he'd been in there ever since."
"'Serpent's Guards'?" Evaine asked. She looked at Matthios with a raised eyebrow. "That's the first time I've heard him called that."
"It's sort of fitting," Matthios nodded his head after a moment. "Especially if he was talking about Tziyad."
"I'm still not sure exactly who he was referring to," Nahtan shook his head. He looked at the maps spread over the table. "So what did we interrupt?"
"Well, we think we found a way to get people inside," Mo'ani answered, turning to the table. "Then if they could get the gates open, we wouldn't need to waste more time on breaking our way in."
"Where?" Nahtan asked, his eyes scanning the map of Herridon.
"The river," Evaine answered, pointing to a spot by the west gates. "There's a canal dug from it that goes under the walls. There's a gate on each side underneath the wall. We just have to figure out a way through to get it unlocked."
"How wide are the spaces in it?" Nahtan asked.
"About fifteen inches square," Kile answered. "We were wonderin' if Tosia might be able to make it through."
Nahtan nodded. There was certainly no way any of the Mo'ani could fit through a square that small. Tosia was exceptionally small and limber, and if anyone could do it, she was the one.
"There would have to be people ready to go under right after she got it open," Bear pointed out, setting his crossbow on the edge of the table. "And they'd have to be good enough to survive a fight without armor."
"That was another problem," Matthios nodded.
"I can," Nahtan said after a moment. "My armor just slows me down anyway. Brijade's never fought with armor, so she wouldn't have a problem either." He and Brijade fought well together, and he trusted her at his back as much as he trusted Bear or Kile.
"Jerai and Jaron only wear leather armor, they shouldn't have much trouble going without it," Bear added. "And there's always Lady Adiella."
"That should be enough to hold the ground and get the gate open," Evaine said, looking at Mo'ani. "We could concentrate the siege engines and towers on the east gate and when they're almost through send Nahtan and the others under the walls on the west side."
"Then fight our way to the middle," Kile finished.
"What about the citizens?" Nahtan asked.
"Most left a month after we got here," Mo'ani answered. "They were warned what could happen if they stayed. Last we saw of them, most were living in tents in the plains to the north."
Nahtan nodded, glad they wouldn't have to worry about them. He hoped they'd be willing to come back to the city when the Archbishop was gone.
"Sounds like the best plan to me," Mo'ani continued. "We'll get the siege engines moved into position and working tonight."
Evaine nodded. "I'll pass along word to the Dwellers on our way back to our camp."
Mo'ani looked at Nahtan. "Are you ready to claim your throne?" he asked him.
"I'm still having a problem with that part," Nahtan admitted. "Let's just take this one step at a time."
Kile chuckled. "Ye may not 'ave a choice, lad," he pointed out. "Most everyone out 'ere is already callin' ye their king."
Nahtan sighed, nodding his head. He was hoping everyone would at least wait and see how his confrontation with the Archbishop ended before they started calling him that.
They continued looking over the maps for another hour, then broke for the evening. Nahtan adjusted his cloak over his sword as he and Bear left the pavilion.
"I want to go see what's going on with Mallin," Nahtan decided. He was afraid if he spent too much time with n
othing to occupy his thoughts, he'd start thinking about Rena.
Bear nodded. "It's not like we have much of anything else to do," he said.
Nahtan nodded and turned to the north, Bear falling in step beside him.
The tent holding Mallin was easy to find; it was the only one with a guard on each side. Nahtan recognized Liyol standing by the entrance and nodded to him as they approached.
"Everyone seems to think they know you," Liyol said. "Even the church guards are claiming it now." He didn't bother moving his one hand from where it rested on the hilt of his broadsword and ran the other over his close-cropped hair.
Nahtan smiled faintly. "Unfortunately, this one does know me," he responded. "Mo'ani wanted me to come talk to him."
Liyol nodded and turned to untie the tent flaps. "You know, I still owe you one," he mentioned to Bear as he finished and stepped out of their way.
Bear smiled at him. "Then come out on the archery range sometime," he invited.
"No thanks," Liyol shook his head. "I've seen what you can hit with that longbow."
"He can also hit harder now than he could then," Nahtan added, pushing aside the flap and stepping into the tent.
The tent was bare except for Mallin. His hands were bound behind his back and tied to a post in the center of the tent. His tunic was dusty, and torn on one sleeve, but Nahtan could see no sign that he'd been beaten or ill-treated.
"I told you we'd meet again," Mallin said, focusing on Nahtan in the dim light.
"Now do I want to know what you're doing here?" Nahtan asked.
Mallin managed a shrug. "I'd heard rumors that several church guard units were heading this way, I wanted to confirm it for myself."
"Units from where?" Nahtan asked. "Why didn't you just tell Mo'ani or Kile?"
"I did, they didn't believe me." Mallin met Nahtan's eyes, and Nahtan sensed the same sincerity the church lieutenant had shown while negotiating his waystation's surrender.
