by D. L. Kramer
Valry turned and looked up at him. Rial glanced at her and for a brief moment was struck by something in her eyes. Ancient and deep, he had a sudden vision of Valry standing at the edge of an incredibly deep chasm that contained more understanding and knowledge than was meant for any one lifetime to ever hold. He had an almost violent urge to grab her arm and pull her back from the edge. As suddenly as the vision came, it was gone, leaving him looking at the young girl sitting beside him.
Valry nodded her head slowly as if she knew what he'd seen, then turned to watch Lady Takis disarm the Mo'ani she was fighting. Brijade twisted her sword back around with a surprising speed and press the tip of the blade to his throat. There was a mix of cheers and groans from the others, then an exchange of coins in more than one spot. Lady Takis released the Mo'ani, then turned to Nahtan, pursed her lips and motioned invitingly to the spot in front of her.
Rial noticed a subtle tensing in Valry, then heard her sigh as Nahtan spoke with Sewati, then unsheathed the longsword on Renato's saddle and walked to stand several feet in front of Lady Takis. Rial realized if Valry truly had the ability she claimed, she could very well be the key to their success or failure in the southern villages. For the first time in his life, he felt the beginnings of true loyalty--not to his king, but to the young girl sitting beside him.
Those Mo'ani who had come to protect her would remain within the boundaries of honor, while Rial knew he was not expected to. Quite possibly, his protection of her could be far more crucial--while also being far more subtle and unexpected by any church guards they encountered. Perhaps this princess was the reason he had returned to Herridon himself instead of sending one of his officers with his report.
"Just hold on a minute," Nahtan told Brijade, leaning his sword against his leg while he tightened his wrist brace.
"Oh, I'll take it easy on you," Brijade returned, holding her sword up and turning it so the evening sun glinted across it. "Even though it's taken two months of travel out here in this forsaken swampland to get you out here."
"You don't take it easy on anyone," Bear said from his seat at the edge of the ring. "And we cleared the swampland two months ago."
"It's too bad you don't use bladed weapons, Captain," Brijade smiled at Bear, ignoring his last comment. "It could take our relationship to a whole new level." She adjusted her own right wrist guard and tightened the knot with her teeth as those near her chuckled. "Ready?" she turned back to Nahtan and lifted her sword.
"I don't know why you're insisting on this," Nahtan said, raising his own sword.
"Because you cheated the last time," Brijade returned. "So you owe me a rematch."
"Just remember she disarmed Lord Devayne to earn her cloak," Mo'ani reminded Nahtan from his seat beside one of the wagons. Adie sat beside him, carefully sharpening one of her daggers.
"And I disarmed you and Janec," Nahtan shrugged, then braced himself and twisted his sword as Brijade attacked full force.
There was little noise this time except for the ringing of swords and an occasional curse.
Nahtan held his ground on the defensive for as long as he could. He hoped Brijade would wear herself down with the force of her attacks. Much to his chagrin, she proved as tireless as Valry's Dweller mare Ayita. The curve in Brijade's sword gave her added strength when she twisted it, and more than once he nearly lost his own sword to her. If the longsword hadn't been so heavy, he was sure she would have disarmed him by now.
Nahtan realized she wasn't going to tire anytime soon. He decided to seize the offensive. He blocked her next swing, then launched himself forward. With a yell, he drove his sword downward and towards her side. Brijade barely dodged the swing, twisting her own sword to stop his. She met the full of his attack, not giving him the slightest ground.
Nahtan now understood how she had fought her way to him and arrived able to save him in the Battle of Devayne Field. The sheer force of her attacks combined with her incredible speed and use of her cloak made her a formidable opponent. Nahtan found himself having to remind himself to watch both her sword and her cloak as the woven red wool snapped in and out of her attacks. He knew of no other Mo'ani who utilized their cloak like her, and he was quickly deciding it might be something to consider training them for. Mo'ani's training for them had consisted of how to keep their cloaks from interfering, not using them as an additional weapon.
His fight with Brijade waged on for nearly ten minutes of traded offensives and defensives. He was starting to wonder if she were tiring when she launched a new round of rapid attacks. He twisted his sword into the first two with no problem. Her third came almost too quickly for him to react and he dropped to the ground, rolling out of the way. He was just regaining his feet when Brijade's boot caught him just below his ribs. The wind knocked from him and nearly exhausted, he couldn't stop her from pushing him back down. Realizing he had no chance of winning now, he coughed and dropped his sword, staying on the ground. Brijade smiled and lowered her sword, offering him her hand.
"I think I'll just stay here for a minute," Nahtan managed, coughing again and trying to regain his breath.
Brijade dropped to one knee beside him. "You put up a damn good fight, Your Majesty," she congratulated him. "And I think you're spending too much time sitting on your arse behind your desk."
Nahtan pushed himself to a sitting position as those around them laughed. "I've got Janec and Adie to keep me in shape, you can keep your personal comments to yourself."
Brijade chuckled as she stood back up. "Anyone else?" she asked the group around her. When there weren't any other challengers, she sighed.
Now that he wasn't concentrating so hard on the fight, Nahtan was aware of the sharp pains in his left wrist and hand. He slowly clenched his hand into a fist, then tried straightening it out again. His fingers moved slowly as he had to force them open each little bit. He sighed, knowing he would get lectured by Yenene. Hopefully in the month they had left before they reached the first real showing of the southern villages, she could get his wrist and hand into some sort of usable shape again.
**********
"The next village definitely knows we're coming," Adie said, pulling Nicho in as she reached Nahtan. Turning around, they fell in step beside Renato. "Their town council has ordered a day off from work so everyone can welcome you." Adie had taken to riding the forward scouting position since her years of experience made her the ideal person to not only keep track of news of their arrival, but also spot any clues that church guards were around. Her age and being a lone female would also make her seem less of a threat, both things that couldn't be further from the truth.
Now over three months on the road, there had been a few unconfirmed sightings, but that was all. As long as they were receiving those hints, however, Nahtan kept his small group traveling on the roads with the most traffic and did everything he could to draw attention to them while in the villages and towns. He had even gone to the point of allowing the Mo'ani to accept exhibition challenges from villagers who wanted to try their sword arm against them. Just to spread the rumors faster, the villagers occasionally won.
"How far ahead is news of our whereabouts?" Nahtan asked.
"I'd guess about three villages," Adie answered. "They should know we're coming in Edgewind by the end of the week."
Nahtan turned to look at the group riding along behind them. "Rial!" he called. After a long moment, Rial nudged his horse forward from the position he'd taken up just behind and to the off side of Valry and Bear.
"Yes, Your Majesty?" he asked, coming up on Nahtan's other side.
"We're about three weeks from Edgewind," Nahtan said. Adie noticed a slight tension in his voice, but didn't say anything. "But the army is probably closer to five. How many villages are there between here and there that we could go through to buy some time?"
Rial leaned back in his saddle, his eyes distant for a moment as he considered it. "If you turn west on the far side of the village after this one," he began. "There are
several small waystations. Nothing that would count as an actual 'town' or 'village'. They're more like gathering places for the farmers who live around there--nothing more than a tavern and smithy really."
"We don't have much choice," Nahtan responded, looking back to Adie. "It wouldn't look very good to show up to a war without your army."
Adie smiled at his statement. "You know, that may be the wisest thing you ever say as king," she said. Even now, she could still see some of Kile's influence in the young king. She turned forward in Nicho's saddle so no one would notice the pain in her eyes at her memory of the only man she had loved enough to die for. And then the bastard had gone and gotten himself killed before she could intervene.
Damn you, Kile, she cursed him silently. Damn you for leaving me here alone to do this. Nahtan's the son we should have had and never took the opportunity for.
"I'll ride back up and wait for you just outside the village," Adie said a moment later, carefully controlling her voice so no one could hear the emotion behind it. Old enough to be the mother of most of the Mo'ani in their group, she didn't want them to see her tears. Even now, losing Kile still hurt like the day Kiril had come to tell them.
When she was far enough ahead, she slowed Nicho to a walk. Kiril had taken her back to Olorun so she could see where Kile had been born and lived before his father took him to Mo'ani's Stronghold. Even though Kile was Olorun's rightful lord, he had only spent a handful of days there as an adult. Now his signet ring and Olorun officially belonged to his cousin, Asher, an honest and dependable man that Adie had no doubt was as dedicated to Olorun's well being as Kile had been dedicated to Nahtan.
Though never officially made a part of the kingdom, Olorun and the nearby hold of Basiyr had also fallen prey to the Archbishop's cruelty. Adie's visit there shortly after Nahtan's coronation had brought out a compassion in her she had thought long dead. The Lord of Basiyr had refused her help, but Asher had welcomed her and encouraged her to tell them what she was willing of Kile, so the citizens of Olorun would know him better. For all the years he had spent as Olorun's governor, not once had he forgotten that Kile was her true lord.
Even after the private meeting where Adie gave him Kile's ring and told Asher of his wishes, he had insisted Adie talk about Kile and tell as many stories as she could. She had to admit that in some way, it had helped her begin to heal. It hadn't, however, eased the aching loneliness in her soul.
Hearing the approach of the caravan, she hurriedly wiped her eyes and cheeks, then turned Nicho to the side of the road to wait for them to reach her before beginning the ride into town.
**********
Arlend waited patiently while the scouts moved out ahead of the army yet again. In the months they'd been traveling south, they had made very good time with little or no delays. Even the few small bands of church guards they'd encountered had not slowed their progress for longer than half a day.
The condition of the church guards' uniforms and persons had been poor, though, and one band had sat waiting for them on the road, surrendering to the first scouts to come across them. Several had offered to join Nahtan's army if their lives were spared and they were protected from any church officers they came across. Not quite willing to trust them on their word alone, Arlend allowed them slightly more freedom than the other prisoners, but still kept them under close watch.
They were now just over a week out of Edgewind and their rendezvous point with Nahtan. After settling the army in their camp, they would wait until one of the Mo'ani traveling with Nahtan came to confirm Nahtan's arrival and they could coordinate their movements so the march on Edgewind would begin. Lord Valin had assured them that the town was the center of the slave traders' operation here, though he couldn't guarantee they would find the men currently running it there. Arlend didn't like leaving that much to chance, so he was taking the extra hours each day to send out additional scouts not just to look for church guards lurking in the woods, but to listen for any rumors of the slave trade.
The reports were scarce at first, but in the last two weeks they had become more frequent and more reliable. Arlend kept detailed notes, and had already begun planning the system of attacks that would spare as many civilians' lives as possible while stopping the church guards and slave traders.
Fifteen - "Keep an eye on Rial for me"
Nahtan twisted and pulled out the last nail, freeing the loose shoe from Ayita's foot. Patting her neck, he let her foot drop and handed the bent nail and shoe to Valry.
"There you go, the first shoe she's lost as your horse," he said. Valry accepted them, giving her father a tiny smile.
"We've got three more with loose shoes and Chase has completely lost two somewhere along the way," Bear said, walking over from his inspection of the line of horses at one end of the camp.
"And two on this side," Tosia added, approaching from the other direction. She looked at Bear. "Were it just thy horse, his hooves are hard enough to travel the remainder with no discomfort. Those who are not of his breeding, or Dwellers horses, would have a rough time of it, though, I fear."
"We're still five days from Edgewind," Nahtan said, shaking his head. "The Dweller horses can't go that far with loose shoes either, let alone the regular horses. We're going to need them in top condition and cracked hooves aren't going to help."
"The other town squares have had smithies," Bear said. "According to Rial, the next one should too. We're only a few hours from there."
"Probably double that with the shape of the horses," Nahtan figured, glancing around the camp. He noticed Rial watching Valry and his skin prickled. "But I don't think we have much choice," he finished. He leaned over and picked up his daughter, not wanting her walking past Rial by herself. Nahtan had noticed Rial becoming even more withdrawn than before and had caught him staring at Valry more than once with an intense look in his eyes.
"Let's let them rest another hour or so," Nahtan said. "Then head for the next village." Making sure Rial saw him holding Valry, he walked back to where Brijade waited by the wagon Leisl and the other children were riding in.
"Keep an eye on Rial for me," he said after motioning her out of Leisl's earshot.
Brijade raised an eyebrow at him and smiled faintly. "I take it he did something you aren't too happy about?" she asked. "And there so many unlikable things about him, too."
"Papa, he won't hurt me," Valry interrupted.
"You just don't worry about it," Nahtan told her, then looked back at Brijade. "If he takes one wrong step near Valry and has either of his daggers on him, kill him," he ordered, his tone cold. He would not allow Rial to threaten his daughter, and would rather have the inconvenience of appointing a governor to Valin Hold than run the risk of him endangering her.
"This isn't like you," Brijade noted. "You're usually the one telling me not to kill anyone."
"He's an exception," Nahtan replied, turning and carrying Valry to the wagon and setting her down inside it.
"But, papa--"
"I said don't worry about it," Nahtan repeated, cutting her off. "I swore if you came with us I would do everything in my power to keep you safe, and if that means taking extreme measures, then I will."
Valry sighed and slumped back. Nahtan brushed a few stray hairs off her forehead then turned to walk back to where Bear and Tosia waited with Mo'ani and Adie.
With their pace slowed by the horses, they reached the next village square in just under six hours. Night had fallen a couple of hours before and the road was dark except for the lamps tied to the horses. While the Mo'ani began setting up the camp for the night, Nahtan, Bear and Valry walked up to the smithy. The doors were closed, but they could see lamplight from the living quarters in the rear. Two lamps hung from nails on either side of the door, casting a flickering pool of light around them.
Bear banged on the outer door with his fist while Valry waited patiently, leaning against her father's leg. When no one answered the first knock, Bear banged again.
"You have
to go around to the back if you want him to hear you," a voice said from behind them. They all turned to look at a young man of about sixteen or seventeen summers. He had broad shoulders, and his chest and arms promised to match his shoulders with maturity. His dark hair had been cut short in back, but the front was just long enough to hang in his eyes. He brushed the hair aside almost absently and shifted the sack he was carrying. "Once he closes the shop, he won't answer this door until morning."
"Thank you," Nahtan said, nodding to the boy.
"Actually, I'll just go ahead and let you in," the boy said, motioning for them to follow him. Valry came over and took Nahtan's hand as they followed the boy. "Papa's kind of funny with soldiers," the boy continued. "Maybe if I tell him I saw you all with the king's group he'll talk to you."
Nahtan and Bear exchanged glances but neither said anything as they walked to a door in the rear of the smithy. The boy knocked once, paused, then three times before turning the latch and pushing the door open. He motioned them inside the room and set the sack on a table. The room was sparsely furnished with only a table, bench and three chairs, making it seem larger than it was. A small fireplace sat in the far wall beside a second door, a fire crackling and sizzling in it as grease dripped off a spitted hen suspended just out of the flames' reach. The smell filled the room, and reminded Nahtan they would have to find fresh food before they set out again for Edgewind. No sooner had the boy turned towards the inner door when it opened and a man in his early sixties or so came out.
He was easily as muscular as Bear and Nahtan, but his hands were larger and heavily callused. His dark hair was grey at the temples and through his beard, and his eyes were immediately suspicious as he looked from the boy to Nahtan, Bear and Valry, then back to the boy.
"Who is this, Garren?" he asked, his voice serious.
