Book of Remembrance: The Forgotten Gods: Book One Read online

  Thank you to my wonderful husband for your encouragement, belief, and all round internet wizardry.

  Thank you to my beautiful sister for your interested ear, even with three children running around our feet, and your discerning feedback.

  Thank you to my dear friend, NOF! You were the first to share this story and I am ever grateful for your motivating words

  Book of Remembrance

  Book One of The Forgotten Gods Series

  By

  Tania Johansson

  Copyright © 2012 by Tania Johansson

  First published January 2012

  All Rights Reserved

  All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is strictly coincidental. The scanning, uploading and distribution of this book via the Internet or any other means without the permission of the author is illegal, and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

  Table of Contents

  PROLOGUE – His Beginning

  CHAPTER 1 – The Hunt

  CHAPTER 2 – From Hunting to Seeking

  CHAPTER 3 – The Teacher

  CHAPTER 4 – Sunder

  CHAPTER 5 – Moving On

  CHAPTER 6 – Leaving

  CHAPTER 7 – Whip Warrior

  CHAPTER 8 – Ambush

  CHAPTER 9 – Hunting Watchers

  CHAPTER 10 – Alliance

  CHAPTER 11 – Direction

  CHAPTER 12 – Hunter

  CHAPTER 13 - Another Piece To The Puzzle

  CHAPTER 14 – South

  CHAPTER 15 – Surprise

  CHAPTER 16 – Arriving

  CHAPTER 17 – Planning

  CHAPTER 18 – Old Friend, New Enemy

  CHAPTER 19 – The Joy, The Pain

  PROLOGUE – His Beginning

  She was hardly aware of her burning lungs, bloody feet and thumping heart. She had to continue, for him. He was their only hope.

  She stopped running for a moment and listened for pursuers, but could hear nothing for the rushing of blood in her ears.

  The pain was becoming unbearable, yet she pushed herself on. She had to get as far away as possible, but she had been running for what felt like days and her weary legs could not carry her much farther. She looked at the rise and fall of the landscape around her. Dusk was already setting in and she to find shelter before full dark.

  Stumbling on, she saw an opening in the cliff and hurried over to it. She kept glancing over her shoulder for the men who – she was sure – must still be following. She peered in before pushing herself through the narrow entrance. The cold rock scraped her arms and the sides of her swollen stomach. As she sat down, the exhaustion that she had kept at bay overwhelmed her. The black of the night threatened to consume her, but she shook her head. Alert… she had to stay alert.

  The contractions were starting to come in quick succession. Blood and sweat drenched her clothes. Dark thoughts crowded her mind while fear asserted itself into the pit of her stomach as she contemplated her situation. She was alone in a cave and about to give birth. The pain in her shoulder was bad, the sorrow over her loss even worse. She gritted her teeth against despair. There were no other options. This was how things were and she had to deal with it.

  She put a shaking hand to her shoulder. She was aware that she was losing too much blood and somewhere in her clouded thoughts, she knew she had to try to staunch the flow, but the thought fled as consciousness briefly slipped away.

  ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

  In a surreal memory, she could see the old man in the market again. She had not noticed him making his way over to her through the milling crowd. With more strength than his frail arms seemed capable of, he grabbed her wrist and held it.

  His face was pale and drawn. Dark rings circled blue eyes that appeared to look right through her. It was as if they could see the child in her womb.

  The old man placed a hand on her stomach and said in a rasping tone, “A sacrifice is required for him. You must do it. He must survive. He will save us all.”

  A chill ran down her spine at his words. He fixed his gaze on her belly and his voice became more intense. “It is not safe here. You must leave this place. Today. Your son is the one they have spoken of. You are in grave danger.” He lifted his ice blue eyes to meet hers. Dread was writ large in them. His look froze her soul.

  “Run. Now!” he pleaded, before he let go of her arm.

  As abruptly as he had come, the old man turned and disappeared back into the crowd. “Wait,” she said. “Who are you? How do you know this?” She scuttled after him, but he had disappeared into the bustling market.

  Apprehension engulfed her as she looked up into the clear, blue sky. The hot sun mocked her cold fear.

  Until that day, she had not come across anyone with eyes like her husband. Who was he?

  ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

  A strong contraction brought her back to full awareness. The stark cave roof replaced the sky. This was it. Time to push, but she felt so weak.

  Her head snapped up at a noise from outside. Footsteps. Someone was approaching. Her whole body tensed. What if they’ve found me? she thought.

  She reached for her bow as someone called, “Hello?”

  An old woman peered in. Her bushy white hair hung down to her waist. “Do you need help in there?” she asked. After waiting for a response that did not come, she said, “I saw you go into the cave and it seemed like you were hurt. I can help you. I’ve delivered a baby before.” Her smile was reassuring and her voice sincere.

  The young woman lay her weapon back down beside her. There were no other options. “I think he is coming now. I think I have to push,” she said, her words halting. She was startled at how weak she sounded.

  The old woman slipped into the cave, looking her over with surprising assuredness. “With your next contraction I want you to take a deep breath and push as hard as you can.”

  Obediently, she sucked in a deep breath. “I’m ready,” she said, her pulse racing.

  She was losing her fight to stay conscious, dipping in and out of awareness between contractions. The baby came. She was barely aware of its crying. The temptation to let go was becoming overwhelming. She wanted to relax, to let blessed darkness take her, but no. She had to pass on the foretelling.

  With her breathing becoming shallow, each word was an immense effort. "Must... listen,” she paused, gasping for air. “He is... important... prophecy... saves us... he must survive."

  The elderly woman clutched the new mother’s hands. “Rest assured that I will take care of him.”

  As though set free by these words, she exhaled slowly. For a moment, it seemed that her eyes focused on something at the cave entrance and then she was gone.

  CHAPTER 1 – The Hunt

  17 Years later

  This was the day. This was what I had been training for, what the village elders said I would never be able to do. They had made it abundantly clear to me that as I was not Tretakai. It was forbidden for me to learn their secret of the Navitas. Therefore, I would never be allowed to partake in the traditional induction. Of course, the more they blew and blustered about consequences of breaking their rules, the more my curiosity was piqued.

  Even unravelling what the Navitas was, turned out to be an enormous task. When I was seven, I had ended up sneaking after a group of older boys who were in training. By paying close attention to what the masters told them, I found out that the Navitas was not only a way to raise
your awareness of your surroundings, but it actually enhanced all your senses! I could not believe what my young ears heard. I’d run home and in my great excitement gushed out all my questions to Moma, earning me the biggest hiding I’d ever received.

  Even so, I was not perturbed and from that day on, I had been single-minded in my pursuit. Although, I had learned the hard way to keep my ambitions to myself.

  When they started training my brothers – my four friends who’d become my family – there was simply no way that I was going to be left out. I quizzed them endlessly about what they were learning and practicing out in the forest.

  When it became clear that I would not be able to learn to focus my Navitas on my own, I started following them to their training every day. I was determined not only to learn the Navitas, but also to be better than any of them.

  To escape discovery, I would watch and listen from a distance while the masters taught them. Each day, I would stay behind for hours after they left to practise on my own. Once I felt I had a good grasp of the principles, I stopped following them, as I knew someone would begin to notice my absences during those particular times. Instead, I would sneak off into the forest whenever I saw an opportunity.

  The first exercise was to clear your mind of all thoughts. You had to let go of who you were, and pour your soul into your surroundings, become a part of everything around you. You had to shift your entire awareness from an internal to an external focus. It heightened your perception of the texture of the ground under your feet, the whisper of the wind through the leaves, the soft rush of the distant waterfall. It sharpened all your senses. It was a discipline that I did not easily achieve. I was too easily distracted, but I was determined. Time and time again, I would still myself and attempt the seemingly impossible only to find my thoughts drifting off to trivial matters.

  My persistence paid off. The first time I achieved Navitas, my consciousness floated far and wide. The tether between my body and my awareness seemed so strained and faint. I started fearing I would not be able to find my way back. Of course, the instant that thought crashed into my mind, my consciousness recoiled into my body. It felt as if I had been doused with ice-cold water. I was shivering and shaking all over, completely drained.

  After many hours of disciplined practice, I eventually mastered my Navitas and I moved on to focusing it on what I wanted to achieve. The first few attempts failed miserably. As soon as I tried to focus my Navitas on a single point, it all collapsed back on me.

  During one such attempt, I noticed a very peculiar thing. Out of the corner of my eye, I thought I saw a large sleek animal stalking out from the nearby underbrush. As soon as I turned to look at it, my focus collapsed and the all too familiar wave of chills washed over me. I jumped up and looked around, but could find no evidence of a creature of that size having passed where I thought I’d seen it.

  After that, each time I achieved Navitas, I could see this creature lurking. I was not sure whether the beast was a manifestation of my Navitas or whether focusing my Navitas enabled me to see what was already there. Either way, I soon discovered that I could not simply look at it; when I tried, my Navitas would crumble. So this became another exercise in dividing my awareness. I still let it float out, yet retained a small part of it, enough for me to be able to study the creature from the glimpses that I caught. It felt like trying to contain water in a leaky bowl.

  However, as the strength of my Navitas increased over months of practising, I noticed that it appeared increasingly…well, solid, as if it gained more substance. It was a huge animal with a feline look about it, but so unlike any cat I had ever seen that I did not know what to call it. It had two huge canine teeth protruding from its mouth. They curled back and ended in viciously sharp points. Its sleek body was as black as night, thickly muscled and it moved with a simple grace, like flowing water. Its long forked tail flicked from side to side like a whip. This creature became my companion during the long hours of practising Navitas. It seemed to be observing me, perhaps deciding whether I was friend or foe. I named it Markai.

  After one particularly frustrating afternoon, I gathered up my things and set off back towards town. I was tempted to go and see Prea to find out how their training was coming along. Suspecting Moma would be wondering where I had been, though, I decided to go straight home. She was waiting by the door for me. A stern frown creased her brow and her mouth pulled into a thin line when I met her gaze. “Kadin, we need to talk.”

  I tried to keep my face blank and unconcerned, but I was dreading what was coming. “Is all well?”

  She took me by the arm and all but dragged me into the house. “Sit down, Kadin. The council members are meeting. They know you have been attempting to learn the Navitas and they are in uproar. They came here looking for you, demanding an explanation.”

  My stomach was in a knot. They knew what I had been doing. They knew and now the consequences I had been warned of will come to pass. I was certain that they would exile me. The Tretakai had strict rules governing their ways and it was not unknown for members of the community to be banished. How much more easily would they throw me out? Moma was clearly displeased with my deceitfulness, but underneath that, I could see anxious worry on her face.

  “The Cha is supporting you in this,” she said. “He will try to quell the anger that you have provoked in the council leaders. I just hope that he succeeds. Otherwise… well, I don’t know what they will do with you. Why did you take this risk? You knew you are forbidden to learn the Navitas.”

  I was well aware that what I had been doing was not permitted, yet I also felt that it was one of the most important things that I had done in my life. Somehow, I was convinced that I was meant to learn the Navitas or even that the Navitas was meant for me. Even so, it pained me to see the anguish I had brought on Moma. She had given me everything and I had always tried to make her proud of her decision to take me in. “I’m sorry, Moma. It is as you say, but it was as if the Navitas called to me. I thought that if I managed to master it, the council leaders would accept it as meant to be.”

  As soon as I said this, I knew it sounded naïve, childish. Moma opened her mouth to reply, but a loud knock came at the door and I heard her suck air in through her teeth. She opened the door to the Cha and gave a respectful bow. “Great Cha! You honour us. Please come in. Our home is yours.”

  The Cha did not come to you. If he had reason to see you, he would summon you. He walked in and stood before me, his face a blank mask. I bowed low to him, my heart racing. “You have caused quite a stir in town, young man,” he said, his voice rasping as though he had been speaking for a long time. “Quite a stir.” He stood staring at me before continuing. “I told them this was inevitable. Destiny does what destiny wills.

  “The council leaders wanted to call for your expulsion.” Even though I had expected it, hearing the words still felt like a physical blow.

  He sighed. “I have managed to calm the situation down. I’ve been trying to explain to them that no matter what they or even you did, the Navitas would have found you one way or another. It was always within you. I would watch you before you could even speak, I felt the pulse of the Navitas surrounding you. This is unknown. Even among the Tretakai. The Navitas is elusive; it takes intensive training to achieve. You have always been different. You seemed to attract it like flowers attract bees. That is why when they forbade the Navitas to you, I knew something like this would happen.”

  My head was reeling and an overwhelming sense of relief flooded through me; they were not banishing me, yet. “What does all that mean?” I asked. “Why am I different? I would have thought that because I am not Tretakai, I would have less affinity for the Navitas, that I would have to work doubly hard at attaining it.”

  The Cha had a far off look on his face and he was silent for a long while. “I always knew that there was a divine purpose for my vision of your birth. A reason why we had to save you. I do not know all of it. I have searched long and far for answers
. I do know some few things. I know you will be of great importance, Kadin. I know that you will be a powerful man one day and I now know that you must, no matter the cost or consequences here, learn the Navitas and succeed at the Seeking. However, your ultimate purpose still eludes me. I can speculate, but I will keep those thoughts to myself until I have more substantial proof.”

  He sank down in the chair by the window. Suddenly he looked much more his age. He seemed more than tired, he seemed exhausted. “They have decided to tolerate you my boy,” he said, peeling his eyes away from the window to look at me, “but they will not do this gladly. All this has unsettled them and some are in open defiance of the decision. I feel I have managed to subdue them sufficiently so that they will not try to do something impetuous. There will however, be no more wandering off on your own into the forest to practise. Starting tomorrow, you will be taught by the masters alongside your brothers.”

  I nearly leapt up out of joy, but propriety would not allow such an exuberant display, so I settled for grinning from ear to ear. This was what I had wanted from the beginning, a chance to prove myself. “Thank you Great Cha for speaking for me,” I said. “I will make sure that your confidence in me is not misplaced.”

  The Cha’s face remained grave. “Before long we will all pray that is true.”

  ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

  After all that, I poured my heart and soul into each practice session. With the help of the masters, my progress was swift. I quickly outpaced my brothers. It turned out that I had been trying to focus my Navitas much too early. I had to take some steps back to become familiar with the feel and limits of my Navitas before moving on to the focusing of it.

  Once I felt like achieving Navitas was as natural as breathing, the masters moved me on to attempting to focus my Navitas on a single point. By this time, Markai was also present more consistently and becoming ever more substantial. Focusing my Navitas was still out of my reach, but I could feel I was moving closer to achieving it.