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

  The Jurpa had shown no sign of Markai’s claws or teeth. I was sure that it had been my arrow alone that had killed the Jurpa. This rat had wide ragged claw marks running all the way down the side of its body. I hadn’t been sure whether Markai could affect the world around her. After all, I had never even seen her so much as leave a paw print on the ground. But this rat… I hadn’t touched it in any way. This was purely her kill. Apparently, there were things I did not yet know or understand about her.

  I walked back to camp and started building up a fire to roast the huge rat. By the time I had skinned and gutted it, the last of the sun was disappearing over the horizon. The rain had arrived and I was grateful for my dry shelter.

  Soon the roasting meat was making my mouth water. I seasoned it with a little of my precious salt supply. Following a long day with hardly any food, it tasted incredible. After eating my fill, I spread my bedroll, but just as I was settling in, I remembered the Cha’s instructions about his tea. Reluctantly, I fetched myself a cup of it and holding my nose, I swallowed the whole of it down in three gulps. A shiver ran down my back and I had to fight to keep it down. It tasted even worse than the previous night if such a thing was possible. The Cha had not given me any further instruction so I lay down on my bedroll and listened to the rain, waiting for something to happen.

  I heard laughter. I thought I must have imagined it, because I was nowhere near a village. But then I heard it again. I quietly got up and set off in the direction of the sound.

  After a couple of minutes, I caught sight through the thick trees and shrubs of a girl running. “Hey, wait! Who are you?” I asked.

  The only answer I got was more laughter. Without knowing why, I raced to catch up to her. However, every time I thought I was getting close, she disappeared again.

  Oddly, the next time I saw her I could have sworn she looked like an old woman. Determined, I ran after her. She proved as elusive as a faerie. After a few more minutes of chasing with no sight or sound of her, I stopped and listened for a while, but when I could not hear or see any trace of her, I decided to give it up and go back to my camp.

  Looking around I realised that the sun was sitting high in the blue sky above. Perplexed, I turned to start back and almost walked right into her. She was a beautiful young woman with startling golden eyes that seemed to sparkle. She giggled. “You give up far too easily. You will have to learn to do better.” She cocked her head to one side with a mischievous smile playing across her lips. I felt entranced by her beauty, her golden hair and her mesmerising eyes; eyes I could drown in.

  I realised my mouth was hanging open. I quickly shut it with an audible snap. “Oh, how enchanting, he blushes!” she said and gave a melodious laugh. “Well I guess we should get to work. Follow me!”

  She set off into the bushes and I rushed to keep up. She seemed to move in accordance to music only she could hear, her feet hardly seeming to touch the ground. When I caught up to her, my breath was coming quickly. We were standing at the edge of a clearing in the forest. A small stream trickled past at our feet. She sat down and gestured for me to sit as well.

  Between deep breaths, I asked, “What do you mean we have work to do? Who are you?”

  She was looking at me with a thoughtful gaze. Her neat brows pulled into a small frown. “Kadin, do you not know me? You must awaken. You are so intent on looking that you do not see. Have you forgotten about the world beyond the Tretakai or have you simply never considered the beyond?”

  I was not sure if she was trying to be abstruse. She certainly was not answering my questions. She must have seen the confusion on my face and she continued, “I suppose you are a child yet. No matter, we will make a man of you. You have many things to learn. We will start with the basics. You are not Tretakai.”

  I gave an exasperated sigh. Not this again! I shook my head and opened my mouth to reply, but before I could say anything, she cut me off. “This does not mean you do not belong with them, Kadin. In fact, it is quite the opposite.

  “You humans have such short memories. You would have thought that with your love of recording every little detail of your short history, nothing would ever be forgotten.” Her mouth pulled up into an irritated pout. “Humans were not always as prosperous as they are today. People grouse and grumble about their troubles, but they do not remember the time of real troubles. Strife, starvation, war, and not the little scuffles between bordering lands you call war, but real war. The battle between day and night, ultimate good and ultimate evil; the battle that your very existence depended on. The war that has been and will be again.”

  She shook her head. “I am getting ahead of myself. Suffice to say that you may not be Tretakai, but the Tretakai were meant for you.”

  My head was reeling. “Us humans? You say that as if you are not included in the ‘us’?” What did she mean with the Tretakai were meant for me? I wondered.

  She sat staring at me, an unreadable expression on her face. I looked away under the force of that gaze. When it was clear that she was not about to answer me, I changed my question. “Who are you?”

  I looked back at her and was startled to see that I was sitting next to an elderly woman. My eyes found hers and they were the same golden sparkling ones as before. She gave me an enigmatic smile. “I have many names, but for you I will be Quiniewa: teacher.”

  “So before we continue on your path of Moirai, your walk of destiny, you must know who and where you are now. Tell me Kadin, who are you?”

  It seemed a strange question and I was not certain how to answer it. I took a long moment to compose my thoughts. “Well, I guess part of me is a hunter, part of me is a son, a brother, but also at the same time, an adopted orphan. I’m an outsider.”

  She looked at me with narrowed eyes. “You clearly missed out some important parts there. What do you know of your father and of your mother?”

  “All I know of him is that he was a stranger in my mother’s village. I don’t even know where he was from or what his calling was. My mother, well, I know she was of the village of Merandal.” I looked down and started fiddling, pulling up grass around me. With the words seeming to twist my tongue, I added, “I know they both gave their lives to save mine.”

  She nodded. “Perhaps this is where we will start then as we are all part of our parents. Your father chose your mother very carefully. He loved her to be sure, but he would have married her even if he did not. She was a descendant of the Pheagrea people. Power, passion and greatness runs in their blood. They played a vital role during the Severance. If it were not for them, humans may not have survived. Your father knew he needed to find a descendant of the Pheagreans if this world were to stand a chance. The powers of the Pheagreans have been lying dormant in their descendants for the past thousand years, but combined in you with your father’s innate abilities, they have been reawakened. Your father is a descendant of the Ribaen people, the Protectors.”

  I was fascinated to learn all these things about my parents, but her words were leading to many more questions than answers. She looked at me with those golden eyes that seemed to look much deeper than any before. “Have you not considered that part of the reason you feel so out of place with the Tretakai may have more to do with you than with the odd disapproving look you receive from the Kichwa?” she asked. “Tell me, have you told anyone of Markai? Your Masters perhaps? No, of course not. Moma? Your brothers? What do you think they would say if they learned of your secret?”

  I was taken aback that she even knew about Markai. “They have no need to know of her,” I said, feeling defensive. “I don’t even fully understand what she is or where she comes from or why indeed she comes.”

  Her face contorted in mock confusion. “Yet, you do not ask the Masters? Surely they must have come across the like before?”

  Her face turned serious. “No, Kadin, you have not told anyone, because you know this is at the very least… unusual shall we say. You are so desperate to be part of the Tretakai that you do not w
ant anything to taint their view of you. This is something that must stop. You are not Tretakai. No, do not shake your head. Listen. The Tretakai, the Navitas, the Hunt, the Seeking, all of it was preserved through the ages, passed on from one generation to the next. Never taught to anyone from the outside and this for the sole purpose of keeping these gifts secret and away from dangerous eyes and ears. The Tretakai may have forgotten what their purpose is, but the Guardians will never.” A fierce note crept into her voice at the end and her golden eyes had the look of granite in them.

  I was trying to make sense of what she was saying. At risk of sounding the fool, I asked, “Do you mean to imply that somehow I was meant to learn their secrets, but something different has happened with me.”

  She shook her head, golden eyes sparkling. “Not something different, something more. Much, much more. It was your mother’s final gift to you. Do you not see, Kadin? Her gift to you was the Talent of Charming. Because of this, you drew Markai to you. I know you were wondering whether your Navitas shaped her, but it did not. She is of the Fae. Your Navitas combined with the gift of Charming simply called her. She, and others like her, are creatures of great power and Markai is bonded to you for life now. She is a mighty ally and before the end you will come to realise that you could not accomplish what must be done without her.”

  I frowned. “What must be done, Quiniewa?” I looked over to her and saw that she was once again a young girl, her golden hair blowing in the breeze.

  She smiled her enigmatic smile. “That is a lesson for another day. Come, you must rest now.” She stood up and set off. I started to follow when mighty thunder cracked across the clear sky.

  I sat up with a start and looked around in confusion. I was sitting in my bedroll in my camp. It was still full night outside and a storm was raging. Exhausted, I fell back into bed and was asleep within moments.

  CHAPTER 4 – Sunder

  I woke the next morning with my head once again feeling thick and foggy. The sky had cleared and the sun was already higher than I expected. I empty stomach asserted itself with a loud grumble. I dug through my saddlebag and started chewing on some dried meat. I had a drink of my water and poured some over my head in an attempt to clear it.

  Memories of the previous evening were trickling in. It couldn’t have been a dream. It hadn’t felt like a dream. The implications of what Quiniewa had told me were still a bit unclear to me. She seemed to imply things that could not be. I must have misunderstood.

  After a while of sitting there gathering my thoughts I decided to move on. I saddled Balder and set out once again in an arbitrary direction. I enjoyed the quiet rhythm of riding through the trees, listening to the birds and catching glimpses of small animals scurrying for cover as I approached.

  Eventually I came upon a clearing in the forest at the edge of a large stream and decided to go for a swim. After unsaddling my mount, I undressed and waded in. The water was cold but refreshing. Lacking any sort of soap, I scrubbed myself down with some sand then waded over to the shallows. Prea had shown me how to tickle fish. Although I had only been moderately successful at it, with my stomach still rumbling I decided to try. After many frustrating attempts, I managed to catch a sizeable tench.

  I made camp next to the stream. I gathered firewood and once my fire was going, started cleaning and gutting the tench, putting it over the fire to roast. I was itching to sketch Quiniewa, but as I had only been allowed to bring what I was given, I had none of my materials. I was lifting the fish off the flames when the feeling of being watched crept over me. Balder was whickering and snorting, raking at the ground with a hoof. She turned around sharply and cantered away.

  A prickle ran down my back like cold water, making the hair on my body stand up. I set the fish down and stood up looking all around me. A soft growl rumbled out from the surrounding forest, then two more.

  I snatched up my bow and nocked an arrow. Two wolf-like creatures appeared from the brush, teeth bared and snarling. Two more appeared at their flanks. I had seen some drawings of wolves during my natural studies with Master Freahy, but these only vaguely resembled those. Their heads looked too large for their narrow grey-speckled bodies and they had shaggy manes surrounding their heads making them appear even larger. I could see a forked tongue dashing in and out between massive fangs. Their short black tails had the same bushy look as their manes.

  My heart was hammering in my chest. They were only about forty paces away and I had no doubts about how quickly they would cover that distance with their powerful legs.

  I was about to reach for Navitas when to my right a huge hulking figure came crashing out of the brush, screaming indiscernibly and brandishing a massive metal staff. He smashed the staff into the side of the lead wolf. With a yelp, the wolf flew several feet through the air. He swung his weapon in a wide arc over his head and with a loud cracking sound smashed it into the jaw of the second beast. The first one was staggering up, it gave an angry growl, but turned tail and ran off with the rest of the pack following.

  Once they had vanished from sight, the huge man turned toward me. He wore his beard in an odd fashion with his chin clear of hair. His thin lips pulled into a grin and there was laughter in his light eyes. “Ye almost had yesself a bit of a situation here, now didn’t ye?” he said.

  I realised I still had my arrow nocked and with shaking hands I put it back into my quiver and slung my bow over my shoulder. I tried to give him a smile. “I must admit I was getting a little nervous. Thank you for your help. What were those things anyway? They did not look like any wolves I had seen before. I mean, not that I have seen a wolf. I mean I’ve seen a drawing of a wolf.” I realised I was babbling. Not wanting to sound like a scared child, I clamped my mouth shut.

  He gave a bark of laughter and sat down next to my fire. “Ay, no wolves they weren’t. Ancient brother of Wolf, they are called Dyrrendrel. I have not known them to come this far east. Folklore says Dyrrendrel are no mere beasts, but slaves to a master. Who their master is and how he came to be master of such creatures varies from tale to tale.”

  Seeing the look on my face his grin broadened. “Of course, ye realise that these are stories told rand cook fires to scare small children. Frightful they are, ay yes, but no more’n beasts.” He held out a massive hand to me. “I’m Grer. Pleased to be meetin’ ye.”

  I smiled and gripped his hand. “Kadin. Not as pleased as I am! You will of course share my meal with me.”

  Nodding, he said, “Ay, I could do with some food in me belly and that does smell good.”

  I shared out the fish between us. Between mouthfuls, he looked me over. “Ye don’t look like ye’re from rand here. What’re ye doing on yer own out here?”

  As I was not to speak of the Seeking to anyone, least of all to an outsider, I gave a shrug. “I just reached a point where I needed to leave home. Discover a few things on my own. I guess I will just see where the road takes me.”

  “Ay, don’t us all.”

  “So how about you, Grer? What are you doing out in the woods?”

  “I’m the Keeper of the King’s forest. Me calling is the wild. I’ve a home in Hefrnea, but most of me time I’m out ‘ere. I keep track o’ the numbers of animals in the area and I keep them safe from poachin’. We had some trouble with the sort. Can ye believe talk has travelled of our Jurpa here and some ignorant outlanders have come ‘ere specifically to hunt them and take their horns as trophy! O’ course they run into some trouble with actually killing the Jurpas, but they be devious and somehow found a way, a weapon or some such that’ll do the job.”

  I was aghast. “Killing Jurpas for sport? For some trophy? For blood’s sake, they are bringing curses down on themselves. It’s unheard of. What weapon could they have that can penetrate the Jurpa’s hide?”

  He lifted his eyebrows and pulled his mouth into a tight line. “Ye would be surprised what evil men can do if they be driven by their greed or need for glory.”

  We fell into a comfortable sil
ence. My thoughts circled back to the Dyrrendrel. If Grer were the keeper here, he would certainly know if creatures such as these did not belong. “Where do the Dyrrendrel come from, Grer? You said they don’t normally come to these areas.”

  “Ay, that they don’t. Their natural prey is waterbuck and such and we don’t really have dem here. Dyrrendrel have been known to follow a migrating herd of bucks, but I ain’t seen no unusual bucks rand here.” He shrugged. “Could be the numbers of buck up north has shrunk. Maybe they be out looking for something new to hunt. Looked like they liked the smell of ye!” He gave a roar of laughter. “I wouldn’t worry. Once they have recognised ye are too strong for ‘em they leave ye be. Not all too brave, but clever they are.”

  We spread our bedrolls out. I poured myself another cup of the Cha’s tea. Holding my nose, I tried to gulp it all down without tasting it. It didn’t work. The foul bitter taste made it feel as though my mouth was contracting. I retched, but managed to keep myself from being sick.

  I became aware of the amused grin on Grer’s face. “Ye poisoning yesself boy?”

  I gave him a sickly smile. “Just some tea our Cha prepared for me. Settles my stomach.” We lay in our bedrolls chatting about nothing. I was awake long after Grer started snoring.

  I realised with some relief that he had fallen silent. I rolled over, thinking that I would finally be able to sleep when I noticed Grer was not there. Neither was his bedroll. I was looking around for where he could have gone when some movement caught the corner of my eye. I just saw him going into the forest.

  Curious, I got up and followed calling out his name, but he didn’t answer. I hurried after him. I walked to the edge of the trees. The moon was full, but even so I could not see very far under the thick canopy of the forest and tracking would be impossible. I turned back and was startled to see someone hunching over my saddlebags.

  I started running back. “Get away from my bag!” I said.