Stone King - Chapter Four - An Echo

"There, that should keep you warm this winter, Thea."  Thea smiled widely.  Kivi had just given her mother a thick deer pelt to put on their bed.  The other two pelts were still being tanned outside, and would soon provide plenty of warmth during the cold winter months.  Her mother smiled more easily now, and that made Thea quite happy.  She wasn't surprised when her mother wrapped her arms about Kivi's neck and hugged him warmly.  She wanted to do the same, but was unsure of how to do it.  She liked to get close when they were sleeping, but that was common among the Mirri.  This felt different.

"Thank you, Kivi.  I wasn't sure how I was going to provide for Thea this winter, but you've made our lives easier to bare."  He smiled, the first in a long while, and blushed as well.  Thea thought it made him look less frightening.

"I am glad I came.  Those thieves would have pushed you further north, and with no shelter or wood this close to winter, you would not have survived."  Thea laughed and hugged him spontaneously.

"But you made us a home!  Not just a room, but a real home!  And a real bed!  I don't remember sleeping in a real bed before."  Gita hid her tears.

"We've never had much, Thea, and its difficult to make a bed when others keep taking what we make."  Kivi snarled.

"Never again will you have to run from the lands that were given to you!"  Thea smiled, and decided to tease him a little.

"I know, right?  Now that I belong to you, I don't have to go anywhere!"  His eyes went wide.

"I didn't mean....you aren't my slave!"  Thea giggled.

"That was mean, Thea."  Her mother said softly.  She giggled and hugged him again.

"Only teasing, Kivi!"  He smiled, and ran his hand down Thea's back, smoothing her light fur.  Both Gita's and Thea's clothing allowed their fur to be seen.  The backs were open to the middle, and the shirts kept together with lacing.

Kivi had learned that both Gita and Thea liked to be petted.  It was perhaps something tied to their Mirri natures.  They still all slept in the same bed, more for companionship during the warm summer nights, but for warmth in the cold nights.   They took their turns in the middle, and sometimes Thea would be between them, warm and happy, and other times, Kivi would find two female bodies pressed tightly to him.

Even though both Kivi and Thea were approaching the time when boys become men, and girls become women, the Mirri didn't believe in such strict moral guidelines that growing up became difficult to do.  They would get used to adult nudity, and eventually, it would be natural to them.  When it became time, if her daughter and Kivi became mated, then they would have their own bed.  For now, they were a family, and not lovers.

"We need to find some salt, Kivi."  Gita said softly, broken from her reverie when the scents of roasted deer floated up.  She got up from the table and turned the haunch a quarter turn so it wouldn't burn.

"We need salt?"  He asked, and he looked a bit confused.

"Yes, we need salt to preserve the meat.  If its salted, we can preserve it for longer periods, smoke it, which makes it easier to make stews instead of you having to go out and hunt because we had to eat up the meat before it turned."  He smiled.

"I know what salt is used for, Gita.  I use it to help tan the hides.  Didn't you know that there is a deposit just around back?"  She blinked.

"Really?"

"Yeah, mom!  We found it when we went looking for more red stones."  She stood up and picked up a torch.  It was still early evening, but the sun disappeared from the sky much faster in the north this time of year then it did in the south.

"Can I see it?"  Kivi shrugged, and took her hand.  Thea followed them out, and was surprised to see her mother's eyes tear up.  "Its been here all along.  Salt.  Its such a valuable commodity that we could finally get some silver to buy food and seed!"  Kivi looked up at her.  Gita was quite tall for a woman, with a nice figure.  She reminded him of his own mother, Hella, who was also curvy, and muscled.

"It was under a few stones, but it was there."  Thea giggled.

"A few?  This guy knows how to tell bad words, mom!  It was under our house is what he means!"  She reached down and hugged him warmly, and laid her lips on his cheek.

"Kivi, I don't know what we did to deserve you, but you are our blessing from the Creator!"




Kivi felt a little uncomfortable while they ate supper, and both the women could feel it.  Finally, Thea could not stand the tension.

"Kivi?  What's wrong?  You're so quiet."  He lifted his eyes.  They were filled with deep sadness that touched Thea inside.  "Kivi!"  She rounded the table quickly and wrapped her arms about his neck.  That was when the tears started to roll down his cheeks.  Before they knew it, Gita had scooped them both up in her arms and carried them to the bed.  That was not an easy task as Kivi was growing to be a much larger person then she anticipated, however, Gita was a strong Mirri woman.  This kind of strength was not unheard of among her people.  It was said that they descended from the Stone King himself.

Under the cover of soft deer fur, Gita held both Thea and Kivi, while Thea tried to stop the tears from falling.

"My sister, Mena, hated me.  She hated me for taking our mother away from her."  Gita now knew why he had those deep haunted eyes.  "They found me when I was real young, and she loved me, but Mena didn't."

"Did you love her?"  Kivi opened his eyes, then closed them.

"I did.  I loved Jaana, and I loved my father and mom as much as a son should.  I loved Mena because she was the first girl close to my age that I ever saw."  Gita sighed sadly.

"But Mena's hate hurt too much."  He nodded.  "So when I say you are a blessing from the Creator, it sounds like her hatred was so that we could be blessed."  He nodded.  "I understand, little Stone Man.  But look in Thea's eyes, if you please."

"Why?"  Thea smiled.

"Because she wants you to see me."  Kivi lifted his eyes, and he saw only kindness there.  "We both love you.  I'm not jealous of mom because she loves you too.  Everywhere we get pushed to, that is where home is.  Because mom loves me.  She won't stop loving me just because she loves you too.  Mom has a big heart."  Her mother chuckled.

"Nicely said, baby."  Thea giggled.  "I know I haven't called you that in a while, but I felt like it."  Kivi relaxed in her arms, and snuggled in to her ample chest.  He felt Thea curl up behind him, and sighed happily.

"Who is Jaana, Kivi?"  He hid his face.

"A half Mirri girl I found not long after I found mom.  She was starving, and freezing to death, with no one to care for her.  She was Mirri.  I loved her instantly."  Gita smiled, and blushed.

Do you love us too, Stone Man?  I don't really have to ask.  Its in your touch, your hug, and all your actions.  You protect us when no one else will, and our home shows that love you have for us.

Gita was surprised out of her thoughts with his gravelly voice.  It was a bit deeper then when they first met, and it sent a pleasant shiver down her spine.

"Tomorrow, I'm going to expand this house."  Thea snuggled in to him a bit closer.

"What are you going to make, Kivi?"  Both women smiled as he spoke.

"I'm going to make us a home."  Gita wondered, after his story, if he held out hope of seeing his family again, and maybe fixing the bridge between them, or if he really wanted to make a more substantial home for them.

He turned towards her, and ran his hand down her mane, and brought a soft purr from her lips.  All his actions said it was for them, and all his words confirmed it, but there was that niggling doubt within her mind.  Things had gone so badly for her and her daughter for so long, these last few months felt like a dream, or a fantasy.

Maybe Thea is right.  Maybe we are asleep.

There was one thing she know without a doubt.  Kivi had a huge heart for those he loved, and a heart of stone for those who tried to harm them.  All she experienced with this young man showed Gita that he loved them, even if he didn't know that yet himself.  Gita bit her bottom lip, and wondered about an echo of an old memory.

Stone Man?  What about that sounds familiar?





Gita watched him silently all the next day.  His strength made her fearful at times, as those with power seldom used it for the benefit of those around them, and no one had ever used it for herself or Thea.

However, the small stone step in front of the log house had turned into a massive foundation within a day.  It was three times as wide as their current house,  and three times as deep.  He put a short indent into the stone all the way around the edge, and three or four crossing the entire width and length of the foundation.  It didn't become obvious to her what those indents were until he laid the first row of logs.

"Rooms.  He's making rooms!"

Thea chittered happily while she peeled the logs with a knife, then plastered them into place with the mud mix she liked to work with.  Gita was still unsure of how her daughter got the mix almost perfect each time she brought a new plank filled with it to use, but her daughter was excellent assistance for the Stone Man.  She filled each layer not long after he laid it, and tried to keep pace with him, though that proved almost impossible with his strength and skills.

Gita caught herself again and again, her eyes glued to his arms and shoulders, which ignited a hunger within her that she had not felt in many years.  It was no surprise though.  All traces of the boy she saved were gone.

Kivi had matured into a broad powerful man, and to her eyes, he was beautiful.  But she couldn't quiet the echo inside her mind.

Stone Man.

Stone King - Chapter Three - A Helping Hand

It was a small community of Elukka Kansa, half humanoid and half animal, a community that was primarily the Mirri, cat folk who could sometimes easily pass for fully human.  There was no lore regarding the Elukka, how they came to be mixed with animals, or if this was their original state, and those without the blood were the unnatural ones.  The only thing that was certain was that the Elukka were intelligent, had a close knit family structure, and a simple government system made up of responsible and experienced men known as elders.

They had a  nice relaxed trade situation throughout their lands, along with an assortment of farms.  The houses were small, but well maintained, and the farms grew ample produce to feed the inhabitants, as long as some were willing to hunt for the meat they needed.

"What kind of buildings are those?"  Mena asked.  Kivi wasn't sure himself, but Jaana spoke up first.

"Its a mud mix.  Sand, clay, mud and some sort of binder, like grass or straw.  They bake the bricks, and plaster the outside with the same mix.  They then cover the walls with a bunch of wood and light it on fire.  The mud bakes just like the bricks, and it can withstand the worst elements, providing they seal it with something, like tar, or wax."  Mena looked closer.

"They look shiny, so it might be wax.  They have round roofs though.  No parapets like down south."  Mena replied quietly.  She liked the looks of the homes.  They felt homey, and looked well kept.

"They are either flat or round roofs the world over, Mena.  Round sheds the water, while flat allows people to walk on them.  Good to stay cool in the summer heat, and good to hide things on, like wheat behind the low parapet walls."  Kivi looked around.

"No archer holes."  He said quietly.  Mena looked at him from the corner of her eyes.

"What do you mean, Kivi?"  Jaana asked.

"I don't think these people expect soldiers to attack them.  There are no standard defenses.  No walls, no towers, no murder holes, and nothing to stop cavalry."  Hella closed her eyes.

"Fuck, we're an invasion force."





The soldiers dismounted and got off the wagons that brought them to the site.

"Alright, we find the leader of this place, inform him of the king's decision, and see what happens.  Everyone, keep your swords easy in the sheathes."  It was a familiar order.  Make sure your blade could come out when it was needed, but don't bring it out until it was needed.

"Hella, I don't like this job."  Jaana said softly to her.  She nodded.

"I know, Jaana, and I know they are your people, but we've already soured our relationship with the southern king.  We need to stay cold with this one."  Hella's lips thinned.

"They are not my people, Hella."  She said flatly.  "They would not take me in when I was abandoned because I was half human.  You are my people."  She lowered her eyes.  "Still, this feels wrong."  She lifted her eyes carefully and listened to the one person she felt was their true leader, though he always did so indirectly.

"I feel the taste of the land, and of the men who brought us here."  Hella laid her hand on Kivi's shoulder.

"And what does it taste like, son?"  He smiled and leaned his head against her hand instinctively.

"Worse then the southern king's men did.  This land tastes sweet, and unspoiled."  He heard his sister growl.

"Why can't we just do the job we're paid to do?  Why do we have to listen to your feelings?"  Kivi frowned, and turned towards his sister.

"You would slaughter innocent people for coin?  That doesn't feel like Mena at all!"  She turned towards him, her face contorted in anger.

"What would you know about me anyway?"  She felt she had to attack.  How his hand felt in hers earlier was so foreign to her normal anger that her senses were still reeling.  The only way to win was to attack.

Kivi stepped back in surprise.  Her anger was unexpected as he had felt the stirrings of something important between them.  A shared feeling.  The next few events ripped away any chance for that to progress.

"Leave our town!  We have no part in your king, and your king does not own our lands!"  Her smile was malicious, and full of scorn.

"And now I suppose we'll have to fight for our lives because Kivi doesn't like the taste!"  He blinked.

"You hate me."  He said softly.  It wasn't a question.

"You're damned right I hate you!  I've always hated you!  You stole my mother from me!  You stole Banus, and now you steal Jaana!  They're my family!  Mine!"  Her anger was unreasonable, and it angered Jaana greatly.  She was only part of the family because of Kivi, not because of Mena.

Jaana had no chance to respond to her accusation though.  The next few moments seemed to be mired in muck as soldiers drew their blades, and Banus followed his heart.  Their company struck at the king's soldiers, while the inhabitants fought them both.

Kivi felt his world fall apart.  Arrows slid by his face as though a child threw them, and blades deflected harmlessly off of clothes that should not have been able to shrug it off.  He pulled within himself, disappeared into the small space that was no where, and walked through the soldiers fighting among themselves.  He was a splash of water, a dark shadow that disappeared, and reappeared at will.

He targeted only one soldier.

He moved from place to place, several feet with each step, from one fight to another, barely a glimmer in time.  He slashed an enemy as he passed, ripped arrows out of the air, and moved away from the center, where Mena and Hella faced each other angrily.

"What are you?"  The soldier said in fear as the dark place stopped in front of him.

"My father said he would kill you for your betrayal."  Kivi sliced him quickly, but didn't watch him fall.  He didn't need to as he had sliced him cleanly in two.  "Now he won't have to."  He turned one last time to where his mother and sister argued, then turned away.

"How dare you say that?  Do you know how many times he saved your life?"

"I don't care!  I hate him!"  Hella turned away from her daughter in disgust, and looked for her son.

"Kivi!"  She yelled out, deflected a blade and slid it up into an enemy's lungs.  She pushed the body away, and called out again.  "Kivi!"

"Over there!"  Banus yelled, and pointed to a slender cloaked figure at the side of a raging river.  Hella didn't have any time to cry out, or to stop him.  His face was closed in and empty of emotion as he casually jumped into the torrent.  Just a simple hop, and she watched her beloved son be pulled away to be crushed at the bottom of the raging river that cascaded over a huge cliff.

That was what hurt the most.  He was only a hundred or so feet away, and there was nothing she could do to stop him.

"NO!"  She fell to her knees, and cried out with great sobs.

"Momma?"  Mena reached out with her hand, in just as much shock as Hella, but her mother wouldn't turn her way.  Mena wanted to cry out that she was sorry, that she didn't want to be mean.  She wanted to cry, rant and rage as she watched her brother be washed away.

She couldn't though.  She didn't think of him as a brother any longer.  Her small heart broke into the smallest of pieces as the world she had known was shattered before her.  She looked at her small hand and remembered the strength in Kivi's hand, power he held in check just so he could always be gentle with her.

She watched as her mother cried in agony, and helplessness, and knew that any tears she wanted to shed would be seen as empty.  She had pushed Kivi into that water with her words, and did the one thing she felt her mother would never forgive her for.

With her hatred, she killed her mother's only son.





As Kivi was swept away, the town overwhelmed the soldiers that remained.  They quickly understood that the ones who fought the soldiers with them did not agree with the king's methods.  They also saw the intense grief of one of their members, and took pity on them.

They whispered among themselves while Banus carried Hella into one of the homes they offered for a few nights.

"She is heart sick."  The feline grace was obvious, as were the slightly pointed ears and teeth, but the sympathy was unexpected.  "I hope it does not deal the blow."  Mena turned on the woman in anger.

"My mother will not die!"  The woman nodded.

"Maybe, but when the heart is sick with grief, even the smallest blow can cripple.  She's been heart sick for a long time."  The woman walked away with no other comment, but Mena could hear the whispers, and feel the stares.

In her mind, the stares contained accusations, and weights filled with guilt.  Her guilt.  She knew of her mother's grief over her lost son, and now she had put a spike of hatred in the heart of the son she had left.

Now she hated Kivi more for dying then for living.





"Momma?  Is he okay?"  The girl's mother pulled the limp body out of the river, concern etched in her features.  He felt much heavier then his slender body should be, but she had other concerns right now.  Even the circumstances for their visit to this part of the river faded from her mind.

She seldom followed the river south of their home as that would take them closer to the village of the Mirri, and there wasn't anything left for them there.  Thea had questioned this trip south, but she had been insistent on going further south for the wider part of the river where she might catch fish more easily, but that excuse faded from her mind.

The reason for her trip south was now so obvious to Gita that she didn't need to remember her excuse.  She had been guided there.

Kivi opened his eyes and saw the kindest and softest eyes look down at him.  Gentle hands lifted him from the river's edge.

"I'm not sure, Thea."  She gently laid him down on the grassy riverbank, away from the swirling cold waters, and probed his limbs.  "No broken bones, but the waters can steal your life with nothing but the chill.  We should get him inside where we can warm him."  Thea smiled.

"Thank you, Momma."  She lifted him again, and carried him north along the river bank, then west half a mile to a small sun dried mud hut.  The central frame was swamp reeds woven and tied with long grass, then plastered thickly with mud, clay and dried swamp reeds, but the air had long dried it to near stone like hardness.  It was a simple small home, but when she put him down on the grass mat, he knew it was just that.  Their home.

"Mom?  Why are you taking his clothes off?"  She asked uncomfortably.  Her mother smiled.

"You're getting older, love, so this might feel strange.  In order to warm him, we have to get rid of the cold wet things he wears.  They will dry, but he'll warm up better if its with us around him."  Thea bit her bottom lip and then heard the command she knew was coming.  "Please, take off your clothes and get behind him, Thea.  I'll warm his front."  Her mother stripped off her own clothing and pulled the grass mat over them.

"Momma?  Are you sure we should do this?"

"If we want him to survive, yes."  Thea sighed, and though she was his age, there was something about this boy that made her frightened, and excited.

No animal, or man, ever survived the Stone Falls.  No one.





"Are you hungry?"  Kivi opened his eyes and saw those kind eyes once again.

"Huh?"  A girl giggled and popped within view.

"Momma asked if you're hungry!  We don't have much, but you're welcome to share!"  Kivi looked around the hut, saw the small amount of embers in the middle, and the simple grass mat he had slept on.  It was obvious that they were quite poor.

"I am, but I can't take your food.  Where are my clothes?"  The mother sighed.

"I don't want you to die out there.  Please, eat with us."  He looked into those kind eyes once again, and for the first time since he learned of his sister's hatred of him, he wanted to smile.  He couldn't, but he wanted to.

"Not yet.  Please."  She sighed once again, and handed him his warm dry clothes.  "Thank you for caring for them.  This will make it a bit easier to do what needs to be done."  The woman looked wary now.

"What needs to be done?"





"Ma'am?  This should hold you for a bit."  He knocked on the side of the hut, and waited until she pulled a mat made from reeds away from the door before he stepped inside.  When she let him in, she was surprised to see two plump rabbits in his hands.

"How did a human ever run fast enough to catch rabbits?  You don't even have a weapon to take them down!"

"Momma!  That's not nice!"  Her mother blushed brightly, and he could see the resemblance between mother and daughter.  The mother had pointed ears a bit higher on her head, and her hair ran down her back and spine like a lion's mane, but the rest of her was only covered with a thin down, a very fine fur that didn't keep them warm in the winter.  Thea's eyes were a bright blue with yellow flecks, while the mother's eyes were green with yellow flecks.  There was the slightest upturn to their nose, but other then the long sinewy tail, those were the only visible differences in their appearance.  The tails they tried to keep tucked away from sight.

"Ah, now I see why you are out here alone.  She's more human, right?"  Her mother looked carefully at the boy, then nodded slowly.  "I understand.  Your fire is dying.  Where is your ax?  I'll get some firewood."  She lowered her eyes.

"Stolen.  We pick up dead fall, but...."  He nodded only slightly as he already knew the answer.  The trees grew thicker and stronger the further north you traveled.  Wood cutters seldom came this far out, so the stands were almost all old growth forests, with massive trees and roots systems.

"There's not a lot to be found.  Do you know where there are any red rocks?"

"Red rocks?"  She asked, a little confused.

"The red marks iron.  Are there any close by?"  Thea smiled.

"Yeah, right behind our house!  I'll show you!"  She took Kivi's hand and pulled him back outside.  "I'm Thea, by the way!"

"Kivi."  She cocked her head, but tugged him along with her until they were in back of the house.  "Right there!"  He nodded, touched the stone, and nodded again.

"Yeah, this is iron alright."  He put both hands on the stone, and with his fingers, he pulled the iron oxide out of the rock, picked up a few fallen twigs, and wrapped his hands around them.  The carbon from the twigs and iron oxide catalyzed with the air to form a crude iron.  Without a forge, or the time to form it properly, this would be good enough for a basic ax.  Then, using just his hands, Kivi roughly shaped the iron into an ax head.

"How did you do that?"  She asked, her eyes wide in surprise.

"I don't know.  I just do it."  He looked around and found a piece of deadfall, almost as though it was laid there just for him.  "This stick will make an ax handle for a bit, until I can make something better.  Tell your mother I'll be back in a bit with some wood.  If she can get the rabbits skinned...."

"She doesn't have a knife."  He sighed softly, and put his hand over the stone again.  Within a few minutes, a crude blade appeared in his hand.

"This should do."  Thea took the blade and let her tears fall onto it.  "What's wrong?"  He asked her, a little bit concerned.

"Why are you so nice to us?  We're not used to it."  She said softly.  Kivi lifted her chin with his hand.

"I know, but I also know you need kindness now.  Now go to your mother.  I can feel her worry from here."




"A knife?  I don't remember this in his clothes."  Her mother frowned.

"He made it!  Took it right out of the rocks!"  Her mother, Gita, looked at her in surprise, then put her hands on her hips.

"Are you telling the bad words, Thea?"  She shook her head.

"Look at it, Momma!  See where his fingers made marks in the metal?  He made an ax for us too!  He said he would be back with firewood!"  She bit her bottom lip again, which caused Gita to relax a bit.  She wasn't lying.  "Is he for real, Momma?  Are we asleep?"  Gita looked at the knife, the finger marks, and sighed.

"I'll sharpen the blade and skin those rabbits for stew.  The meat will make that stew taste really good now."  She sharpened the knife on a stone she picked up just outside the door, and used a bit of water to keep the blade from overheating.  While she worked the blade, her eyes went wide as Kivi appeared, dropped off a hand cart full of wood just outside the door, and left again.  When the rabbits were skinned, another cartload appeared.  And when she had cut it up, somehow, another cartload appeared.

"Momma, where did he get a cart?"  She shook her head.  She didn't know where he found one, or if he made it, she didn't know how he did it.

He stepped inside, sat down heavily as though his body weighed more then the wood he moved, and closed his eyes.

"Kivi, are you magic?"  He opened his eyes and saw Thea sitting right in front of him, her eyes wide open, and curious.  He smiled tiredly.

"No, little one.  Just different.  I can move fast when I need to, but it costs me.  I need to sleep for a bit."  His eyes closed again,  and once Gita had stoked the fire with the wood she considered a treasure, she lifted him carefully and laid him back on the grass mat they slept on.

She carefully removed his damp clothing, and turned towards her daughter.  Thea had already stripped off her clothes.  She smiled softly.

"You care for him, don't you?"  Thea blushed a bit.

"He's nice to us, momma.  And kind to me."  Gita smiled again.

"Just because he's not mean doesn't mean he's nice to you, love.  Remember that."  Thea smiled and slipped in beside him.  Her tail wrapped around him, and she snuggled in close.

"He could use a bath though.  He really worked up a sweat."  Gita chuckled and finished preparing the stew.  Kivi could rest while it simmered for a bit.

For the first time in months, she had something to smile about.  She wasn't sure how they were going to survive the winter, but with Kivi's gift, the knife and the ax, she just might be able to keep her daughter alive and fed for the winter.

"I hope you stay with us, Kivi.  We really could use all the help we can get."





"Gita, do you mind if I build a shelter next to your home?  To keep the wood dry so its easier for you to burn and keep warm."  Gita smiled, and hid her tears.

"Anything you want to do to help us, Kivi, please, feel free to do so.  Just try not to destroy the small gardens we were able to turn over.  We won't get much from it because of how long it took to turn them over, but we should get a bit more next year.  I might be able to turn more soil over, thanks to this ax you made us.  I can cut some wood and make a simple rake and hoe."  He nodded, and like her daughter, he cocked his head slightly to the side.

"Did you plant too late?"  She shook her head.  "What happened?"  She swallowed a lump, and couldn't lie to him.

"We were driven off our land to the south.  We get the land loosened up, get a home set up, and they expand and drive us away!"  She lowered her eyes.

"I see.  Because there is no man of the house?"  She shook her head.

"Our people don't believe we can really own the land.  The Creator gave it to us, so we work it, and make our home.  We have full knowledge that he may ask us to leave a place, but he will lead us to another place to compensate."  He sighed.

"But the king keeps pushing north, and taking what he wants.  I see."  He looked thoughtful for a moment and said something that made her shiver.  "This is your home, so I will still ask."  It was what he didn't say, the words that were stuck in those intense steel eyes of his that made her shiver.

She didn't have to mention that there were no markets around to buy seeds from, so she had to harvest wild vegetables she found growing in the forests, forage for mushrooms, and berries.  This year would have been the worst so far.  She had only just finished their hut and turned over the gardens, but it was now mid summer.  The wild food she could forage for might keep them alive up to winter, but without tools or weapons, she couldn't get enough to put some aside for the winter months, and the spring when there was hardly anything yet to eat.

Gita watched him for the rest of the day and wondered what he really was.  Large stones moved as though he asked them to, and all he had to do was push a bit.  He built a large flat stone foundation by midday, at which point he had to sit in the shade and rest for a bit.

"Hi!"  Kivi opened his eyes and saw a crude clay cup held out to him.  He smiled a little.

"Hi, Thea.  Thank you for the water."  She smiled back and waited until he finished it, then raced off with the cup.  He wasn't surprised to see her come back with more.

When he felt rested enough, Kivi went off with the hand made cart again and brought back several long thick logs.  Thea watched him as he cut them to length, a clean slice with the ax that should have taken dozens of strikes to chip through the bulk of its thickness, and laid it on the foundation.  He made the notches the next row would lie in, while Thea wondered how she could help.

Three walls, and one with a door opening,  rose from the foundation, which made Thea look at her mother, then giggle and pick up the wooden plank they used to gather river mud from.

"Thea?  What are you doing?"  She giggled again, and didn't answer.  When she came back, the plank was covered in mud, with some moss mixed in.  The moss acted as a binder, while the river mud could be mixed with regular earth and make a good hardy wall.  Her people had used this kind of material for centuries, and as long as they used fire to cure the mix, it would last for decades.  If it was used between the logs, it would need to be replaced every few years, but would do a good job of keeping the winter chill out of the air.

When Kivi had returned with another cartload of logs, he frowned as he watched the girl push the mud into the cracks between the logs.

"What are you doing?"  Kivi asked as he unloaded the freshly cut logs.  He sat heavily on the ground near to where Thea busily worked.  He wasn't unkind, but he sounded strange.  Thea looked at him with hurt eyes.

"Helping.  You can't do everything, Kivi.  It costs you too much."  He held out his hand.  She squealed when he pulled her into his arms and laid his head against hers.

"Thank you."  She smiled, but held up her hands.

"Unless you want to get muddy....!"  He chuckled and let her go back to work.  He watched her with a look Gita could not read, but when his strength returned, he once again set about building something for them.  He would never know how grateful she felt for all the help he provided.





Gita looked around the new structure as it was near the meal time, and frowned.

"Did he leave?"  Thea shrugged.  "Thea, weren't you helping him?"  She nodded.

"I swear, I've been working on the walls, and was only gone long enough to get more mud!  It was only for a few minutes!"  Gita frowned, and saw something far in the distance.  Kivi was at the end of the field, and as soon as he came close enough, she could make out the dead deer on the cart he made.

"How was he able to hunt that down so quickly?"  She asked quietly.





"We haven't seen a thing all day!"  Banus said irritably.  The Mirri hunter frowned.

"This is a pretty normal hunt for us."  Banus grunted.  "Only the elders can tell where the deer will graze, and that's after a lifetime of experience hunting."

"Kivi could feel where the deer were, and point us right to them!  I wondered if he asked them to come for us when they arrived right where we were.  I miss that boy."  The Mirri stepped back.

"Feel?  Is he Hukka?  Wolf Kin?"  Banus shrugged.

"Not sure.  He has no signs of being of one of the tribes of the Elukka.  He found us when he was only two years old.  He saved our lives that day, and Hella became his mother right after it."  The Mirri nodded solemnly.

"I understand.  That is why she is so heart sick.  She lost another like him."  Banus took a quick look at his hunting companion, and slowly nodded.

"Yeah, we did.  Kivi filled the hole our son left, and now its empty again."

"Will she take comfort in knowing that he died quickly on the Stone Falls?"  Banus closed his eyes at the statement from the Mirri.

"Don't ever say that to her, please.  Her only hope is that he still lives.  If he's still alive, she has a reason to live.  If she ever believes that she won't see him again, I know she'll wither and die."  He closed his eyes, like she was now.  "He was her life.  Our life."  The Mirri sighed softly.

I must make sure we send some food north to our lost sister.  The Creator must be unhappy with us for being so heartless.





"Momma, he doesn't stop!  He tricked us when he said he wanted to build something for the wood, and it ended up being a house for us, but then he did build a shelter for the wood!"  She shook her head.  "Why did he not take down our old home?"

"I don't know, baby.  He says it felt wrong to take it down, so there's some use for it still."

"And he got us fresh wood to burn, and the whole field is turned over for next year!"  Thea kept chattering away, unable to calm her excited heart.  No one had ever been so nice to her, or her mother.  Even when they were attracted to her mother, it wasn't nice words they used.  Gita hugged her daughter, and sighed happily.

"He is a blessing from the Creator.  We just have to believe that, Thea."  She had to believe that herself, otherwise, she would die of fright.  His strength was unheard of, and everything he could do just had to come from a blessing.  It just had to.

Kivi put a stone beside the newly built door.  He intended that it would be used as a seat, and a place that anyone could use to sharpen tools.  The look in his eyes was cold, and almost frightening in its intensity.

"Gita, listen carefully."  She frowned.  When he walked in through the door, she felt secure, and safe in his presence.  Just like she used to when her husband was alive.

"What's wrong, Kivi?"  Now, she felt unnerved.

"Listen very carefully to what I say.  There is a group of men coming up over the hill.  Armed."  She closed her eyes and tears started to fall.  "I see you are aware of who they are.  Listen!"  He said firmly.  She opened her eyes in surprise.  "Whatever you do, listen to what I say.  Okay?"  She nodded.

"Alright, Kivi.  I will listen, but...."  He pinned her with his eyes again.

"Do not abandon hope.  Just listen to what I say, okay?"  She nodded, and watched him turn to Thea.  "Thea, you as well."  He then looked at them both.  "Only respond if you feel it is necessary.  Otherwise, keep silent.  I don't want to give them any reason to look away from me."  She nodded and bit her bottom lip.

"I trust you, Kivi."  Her simple words soothed his intensity, and he began to relax.

"Good.  Stay at the doorway, and only go inside if I tell you."  He held his hand to Thea's cheek, and smiled.  "They will not harm the ones who keep me warm."  She blushed, and smiled shyly.

Seconds turned into minutes, and dragged along at an agonizing pace.  They expected the men with swords, but she hoped they would stop coming north.  There wasn't much further they could go before they were at the border.  They couldn't cross the northern border.  Ever.

After nearly an hour of waiting, three men in light leather armor with bows and swords, and on horseback, made their way up the hill, smirks on their lips.  This made Kivi stiffen.  He wasn't afraid.

He was now angry.





Kivi stood at a new foundation to a structure he had barely started.  It was at the top of the hill.  In Kivi's mind, his hill.  The same hill the horsemen now trod upon.

He could feel the darkness rolling his way, and it rose some base emotions in him.  The thoughts were easy to read.

Another easy victory.  All the help the women could manage was an unarmed boy.  Kivi seethed inwardly, though outwardly, he appeared calm and unshaken.

"Stranger, we're here to tell you that the king has decided to develop the lands you now stand on.  Leave or...."  He lifted his eyes, and cut them off.

"The king has no claim on my land.  Leave now.  You will only get this one warning."

They started to laugh, and in only the briefest of seconds, Kivi moved from his position at the foundation.  In that blink of an eye, one of the men was on the ground, his body twisted in unnatural angles.  They watched in stunned silence as he walked back to the foundation, and tied the bridle of their comrade's horse to a post.

 The remaining two looked at each other uncertainly.  Should they draw their weapons?  He nodded, and both started to unsheathe their swords.

"Your lands?  We know for a fact that the whore cat woman and her brat are squatters....."  The second horseman lay on his back, the light of life now gone,  and his horse led off just like the previous one.  He moved so quickly, he looked like he stepped from one space to the next, though they were separated by several dozen feet.

"These are my lands."  He said dangerously.  "Do not dare to say such vile things about them ever again!  The girl is mine!  She cleans the house, along with her mother.  If you move to....damned fool."





The boy moved impossibly fast.  Before the leader could get his sword up to attack,  he was disarmed, and his sword casually walked back to the foundation.  His men were already laid on the ground, their bodies twisted and broken.  He had no way to win, other then to try his bow and keep this thing at a distance.

"What kind of devil are you?"  Kivi dodged the only arrow to become notched, unseated the lead rider, and stood over him with the new sword in hand.

"I thank you for the bows and swords.  I shall make good use of them.  I believe your horses know the way back to your camp.  I'll keep one for the family to use, and take all your provisions.  If you return here, I'll be forced to kill anyone who comes."  Kivi looked down at the man with so much naked hatred laid bare, the soldier tried to scurry away like a frightened rabbit.  He had never seen such hatred, let alone the glimmer of power now lighting the boy's eyes.

"And just so you know that I'm serious...."





"Kivi, am I your servant?"  Thea asked softly while kneeling beside him.  She didn't know what it meant to belong to him, but her mother said that maybe he meant a servant.  She trusted him, so had no cause to doubt.  Her mother couldn't quite quell a disquieting notion though, not until he explained himself.

Kivi laid down on the skins to try and rest, and they proved to be a comfortable mattress, but they didn't have enough yet to make a blanket.  Thea's tail and her mother's feet would stick out a bit from under the mat whenever they laid down.  Since Gita had just finished cleaning the food prep area, she could casually watch their personal interactions.

"No, little one.  They knew they could push you around, and force you to leave.  They now think that you belong to me, and that your mother works for me.  That means...."  Thea laughed delightedly.

"That they would have to push you off the land!"  He smiled.

"You got it, little one."  Gita laid her hand on his shoulder.

"Not that we aren't grateful, Kivi, but what did you do to him?  He was screaming as though he was tossed into a pot of boiling water!"  Kivi closed his eyes.  It wasn't far from the truth, but what happened to him was not physical.  His scars would be buried deep within his soul, and there was no known method to heal that kind of damage.

"A trick I once learned long ago.  Unnerve your opponent, and make them think that something worse would happen.  If ever I'm not around, he won't be the one to return."  She frowned.  It sounded like the truth, but why did he avert his eyes?  Was it something much worse?  Then another thought tugged at her mind, and she quickly dropped that subject.

"Wait, are you leaving?"  He shook his head.

"No, but there might be times I have to go hunting, or go to a town for some food.  I can't leave you here unprotected, so I took a few steps."  She sighed.

"I understand."

"If ever I have to leave, I know I can't be gone for long, so always remember that I will return."  Thea slipped in close and molded herself to his front.  He could feel the curves of her body pressed tightly to him, and now knew he had a reason to return.  Thea confirmed it.

"Make sure that you do."  She whispered in his ear.  "I would hate to sleep in our bed without you there."  Gita frowned slightly as she approached their sleeping area.  As her clothes hit the floor, she noticed that his feet stuck out from the edge of the deer skins, like her own did when she didn't curl up a bit.  Thea wasn't anywhere near as tall as she was, and as far as she knew, Kivi was Thea's height.

Has he grown larger since he woke up this morning?  Kivi, just who are you?  Why do you feel familiar, like I somehow know you?  Not just you, but I know your soul.  And why do I feel this way at my age?  I've already had a child, but you make my heart beat faster every time your hand touches mine, and every time your fingers run through my mane!

You should be Thea's mate, but why do I feel sad when I think that I can't love you too?

The Stone King - Chapter Two - The Broken Bow

Hella looked around the fire at the new faces in their company.  Its been barely a year since they found Kivi in that field, and up until then, it was a struggle just to keep food on the table.  Since that day, except for the odd times when the world wanted to take what they had, their actions felt blessed by a higher power.  Or the lower power that cursed their steps had been turned away from them.

New faces meant more swords on their side, and more bows to watch their backs.  The cutpurses left them alone, as Kivi always seemed to notice when they were being watched.  She remembered the first time they walked through the streets with all that gold from the sale of that stone.

"Fast hand."  Kivi cried delightedly.  Banus looked down where Kivi had pointed and saw the sack being gently removed from his belt.  He broke the teen's fingers for trying to steal from him.

The forest felt restless tonight.  A palpable shadow lingered in the air that she couldn't place, but it might also have to do with the exhausted child strapped to her back.  His exhaustion could have affected her, but she wasn't sure of much when it came to Kivi.  When he was tired though, she felt the weight of that exhaustion just as surely as he did.

"What's the job this time?"  Jaana was deadly with her bow, Stelhand, and fiercely loyal to Kivi. After his gift of the bow that he shaped with his own two hands, she stayed as close to him as possible.  Even now, she sat beside Hella and gently rubbed his back, and neck.  It was like petting a kitten, and something the Mirri did naturally.  She loved Hella, Banus, and Mena, but shared a special bond with Kivi that frustrated and angered Mena.  Her daughter wanted to be the center of everyone's attention again, even if that meant she had to grab it away from her brother.

Hella commanded the archers, which were primarily women, while Banus ran the swordsmen ragged, though Kivi seemed to find his way into the middle of any group, or fight.  They couldn't keep him out of harms way either.  No matter how often they told Mena, or even had Jaana watch him to keep him safe, he always managed to find his way to the battlefield.  Their fear of those instances always proved to be unfounded.  The soldiers never targeted a child, and they always regretted it.

He threw a stone larger then himself one time, and crushed a soldier who targeted Jaana, while a small stone he threw went through the visor of a fully armored knight.  He had turned on Hella, and her arrows couldn't punch through his plate armor.  The stone took out one eye and gave Jaana enough time to aim Stelhand and punch through his helm.

He was a deadly enemy to have, even if he didn't seem to understand that it wasn't playtime.

"Its not a mop up job this time.  We're to go in, disrupt their supply lines, cause some chaos, and sweep back out again.  That will allow the bulk of the king's army time enough to hit their lines hard, and reduce the casualties on their side."  Jaana grunted.

"But it won't reduce our danger one bit.  We are the first strike.  They won't be prepared for us, as we don't operate the same as an army, but they will regroup quickly.  We'll lead them into the forest, lose them, and draw them back out again.  That should give the army enough time to set the field to their advantage."  Kivi snuggled in to Hella's neck, as he was being held to her back by a shoulder strap.

"This forest?"  Jaana asked.  Banus nodded.

"Aye, this one.  We'll draw them here and make them pay for it.  Those were the instructions we were given by the commander."  Kivi sniffed the air, and frowned.

"Bad smell."  He sniffed again.  "Black.  Thick."  He laid his head down again.  "Bad."  Banus frowned, while Hella closed her eyes thoughtfully.

"Bad?  Black and thick?"  Her eyes opened quickly.  "Oil!"  She looked around quickly, and pulled some leaves away from the forest floor.  It was cleverly poured among the roots of some trees, and covered with leaves to hide it.  The commander who ordered the oil poured here knew that they wouldn't light a fire near to the trees.  Only a fool would put a fire near so much fuel.

"Bloody hell, we're in a field of fire!"  Banus slid his new sword out of its sheathe.  It was a gift from his son after their last battle, in spite of Banus's protests, and he had never hefted its equal.  The steel was strong enough to retain an edge after many hours of sparring, and had very few nicks after a hard battle.  It absorbed the impact of other blades, and stole the force of the strike.  It was also why Kivi could barely raise his head.

The cost of this blade was the energy he needed to operate for the week.

"Shh!  They don't know we're aware of it yet!  They expect us to attack, then retreat to this area!  Since they didn't inform us of this plan, I think they plan not to pay us for our work!"  Mena watched her mother's face close in anger.

"Momma?  What's going on?"  Hella looked down at her daughter, and sighed sadly.  She was only to be a support for the mainline swordsmen.  Mena was deadly with her bow, but she was still only thirteen, and had not yet matured into a young woman.  She still had a naivety that made her frightened for her, just in case they got separated.

"Its a trap."  She closed her eyes.  "This wasn't for them alone.  It was for both of us."  She hissed.  Jaana notched an arrow.

"Ambush?"  Hella shook her head.

"Why pay gold when you can take out your enemy, and not have to use your army either?"  She pinned Banus with a glare.  "I told you we shouldn't have accepted work from this king!  He's a double dealer!"  Banus looked a little embarrassed.  He thought it would be easy coin, but that plan has gone to hell.  Then he looked thoughtful.

"So?  What's the plan then?  Do we have one for treacherous kings and generals?"  Mena bit her bottom lip, then smiled.

"Light and  run?" Kivi lifted his head.

"Mena smart."  He was extremely tired, so that effort was unusual.  Jaana smiled and pulled her into a warm hug.

"Good idea, little one.  It will spring the trap faster, and alert the king's enemy.  Then the king's army will attack, and find an enemy that hasn't been weakened.  Nice plan!"  Kivi smiled at his sister, then lowered his head to Hella's neck, and snuggled into the softness of her hair.

"That will leave us vulnerable within that bastard's cities once again, but not dead.  There is always gold to be had from merchant guilds for guards."  Kivi inhaled Hella's scent, which brought him a scowl from Mena, his sister.

"I think we should go north."  Jaana said, and after she noticed a few glares from the rest of the group, she sighed.  "They don't know our group in the north, and these two kings here in the south seem to want to annihilate each other.  There are more Mirri up north too."  She turned away.  The fact that she was half Mirri didn't sit well with some of the other soldiers, but she was now family.  No one would ever chase her away.  "We go north, wait until they've pounded each other down, then go back to mercenary work after the winter passes."  Hella smiled softly at the young woman.

"Well done, Jaana."  Jaana blushed lightly, a little bit in awe of Hella and Banus, and how they treated people.  They took her in during the coldest part of the previous winter, when she was starving, and treated her like an older daughter.  The slightly pointed tips of her ears, and larger oval shape of her eyes told them enough, while the thick hair that ran down the nape of her neck resembled a mane, just like other Mirri who were full blooded.  Jaana thought she was maybe half, but she wasn't quite sure.

Her mother was abandoned by her father when she was born, and her mother died of a broken heart a few years later.  She knew what it was like to not have a family, but now that she had one, she would protect it with utter ruthlessness.

"So, what do you all think?  Get ourselves north until things cool off, and work some small jobs to carry us through?"  The looks were a little bit dark until she laid it out for them.  "Either that, or we all split up and go our separate ways.  Our larger company has the attention of the king, but smaller pockets will evade him.  You guys can go your way, and hope to not be noticed, but you'll be on your own from here on out.  If you do, you'll get your cut, and we'll wish you well.  If you stay, you'll still get your cut that you're owed, but we'll all help you stay alive."

In the end, only three of the swordsmen left, and one of the archers who was attached to a soldier.  Otherwise, their group stayed a good size, with a few returning to their home to retrieve their gear, and anything valuable.  Hella assigned the most loyal and nimble fingered of their number to do that.

"Jaana, we'll meet up with you a day's journey north of this battlefield.  Be safe."  She hugged her, and watched while the woman leaned down and hugged Mena.  She then leaned in and laid her forehead against Kivi's cheek.

"Be well, little one."  Kivi lifted a hand and laid it on her cheek.  She felt her body grow warm, and fill with familiar energy.  Her eyes grew wide in shock.  The voice that had spoken to her within her dreams since she was a small child rumbled from another's lips.  It was clear and not so childlike.

"Come home safe."




"I'm beat!  How are you able to run so quickly and for so long?"  Her friend asked her.  Jaana sat quietly on the stump of a tree and chewed on a piece of dried meat.  She thought back to the warm hand on her cheek, and the ages old look in that child's eyes.

"I don't know."  She looked up for a moment.  "Wait here.  Recover and be ready to move."  Jaana didn't wait around to give her an explanation.  She moved silently and faster then she ever could while trying to be silent in the past.  Whatever Kivi had done, it gave her the speed she needed to enter their home, grab what they needed, and leave again, and all before the guards entered.  When she was out the window, she watched them cave in the front door, and begin looting it.

On their way back to their company, her companion quietly voiced her thoughts.

"I'm glad we are with Hella and Banus!  Any other company, and we'd all be dead right now!"  Jaana nodded, and thought back to the small brown haired boy with steel gray eyes.

Just what kind of person can destroy a golem all on their own, mold metal like it was clay, and give her enough energy to make this journey and not feel tired in the least?

Come home safe.  A man's eyes hidden behind a child's body.  Steel grey eyes that flashed with power.  And a voice that rumbled from her dreams for over a decade.

A dream of a stone city ruled by the Stone King of the Elukka.  A king with steel grey eyes.






"You've made it!"  Hella said, her voice hushed, and a worried look in her eyes.  "We weren't sure you got in and out safely!"  Jaana sighed, relieved to be back within their company, and that they were safe.

"It was close, but we got in and out before they started to loot our home."  Banus came up to her side.

"The king betrayed us from the start then.  I'll have to remember to send him a souvenir of our journeys."  Jaana smiled, her eyes hard.

"Steel with feathers attached."  Banus laughed lightly.

"Aye, that it will have.  Go look in on Kivi, will you?  He was quite restless after you left, but can't open his eyes.  Its like he went through a war of his own."  Jaana silently thought about that information, and the dark look in Mena's eyes.

That girl loves and hates him.  Poor confused child.  Better see what's going on with the little guy.

She followed Hella into the tent she occupied and found Kivi laid on his belly, growling in his sleep.

"He's been like this since you left.  He won't wake up, no matter how I try to rouse him, and he won't stop growling!  He's angry about something!"  Jaana laid down beside him, barely aware of Mena's presence in the tent, and softly touched the boy's cheek.  Jaana wasn't quite sure how old she was, but she was nearer to fifteen winters, and had no siblings, or children of her own.  When she looked at Kivi, she wondered what life would have been like if she had been human, fallen in love and had children, like other humans.

"Kivi."  She called softly.  He opened his eyes, smiled softly, and closed them again.  He slept on, but stopped growling.

"Ugh!"  Mena said in a huff and stomped out of the tent.  Hella looked at her, a frown on her face.

"Why did he calm down for you, Jaana?"  Jaana stood up and sighed.

"He was worried when I left.  He felt the danger I was going to walk into, and didn't like it.  He's something else."  Hella relaxed when she turned her gaze to her.  "I'm glad he has you, Hella.  No one could love him more."

"He's my only son.  No one will take him from me without a fight."  The words were hard, but the look in her eyes was soft.  She didn't even consider that Jaana might try to wrestle control of the child from her.  She was that confident in her loyalty.  And to her surprise, Jaana felt Hella's arms come around her shoulders, and hug her gently.

"You're family too.  Never forget that."  Jaana sighed, but smiled as well.

You never have to worry about me, Hella.  I will never take away your family.  I am just a little jealous of the attention you give to them, but not much.  You have more then enough love to go around.

"Why does he look so sour this morning?"  Jaana asked Kivi's mother.  Hella chuckled softly.

"He wants to make me and Mena a bow.  She won't let him, mostly from spite I think, and I will not allow him to use his energy up like that."  She closed her eyes, and Jaana could see the worry upon her brow.  "It costs too much.  He....ages."

"I know.  Its only been a couple of years since he made me Stelhand, but after he made his father that sword, he grew older, and stronger."  Hella lifted her eyes.

"And harder."

"I didn't want to say it, but you're right.  He sometimes says strange things I don't understand.  Wind whispers?  Tasting the air for emotions?  And he says that the stone tells him things."

"I think I understand the wind whispers part."  Hella calmly replied.  "He is teaching me how to listen, and hear things I didn't know were there.  I don't know how he tastes the air though.  He's not talking about smells, like a snake, but actually flavors that people radiate by their moods."

"He often knows when I'm down, even when I hide it."  Jaana looked uncomfortable.  "He says its because I stare at him, but I wasn't even looking in his direction!"  Hella smiled.

"Were you thinking about him?"  Jaana blushed.  "You were.  Remember that though he's my son, he also is not my son.  He's a boy, but not a boy.  You've seen his eyes?"  Jaana's gaze jerked upwards and locked on her own.  "You have then.  Steel grey eyes."

"And old. Who is he, Hella?"  She asked in a small quiet voice.

"He's my son."  She said simply.  "Until he says otherwise, it would be prudent to treat him as such.  Learn all you can from him, Jaana."  Hella captured her chin and forced her to look up into her eyes.  Hella was a large framed robust woman, and nearly as tall as her husband.  The angle felt more pronounced since Jaana was lean, lithe, and of average height.

"My son is fond of you."  She shook her head free of Hella's grip.

"He's fond of Mena."  She said a little bit defiantly.

"Mena's a girl.  You're a woman."

"And he's a boy."  Jaana responded, though neither of them believed it.

"Oh, is he?"  She pointed out the window to where her son sat quietly in the shade.  When he believed no one watched him, he picked up a stone larger then himself, shaped it with his hands as though he wielded a hammer and chisel, and sat upon the fresh shaped surface.

No boy could do that.





"Its been a few years since we've been back here."  Banus growled lightly under his breath.  "Why did I agree to accept this job?"  Hella put her hand on his arm.

"Things are lean up north right now.  The guilds are finished fighting among themselves, so there are no offices to put back on track."  He grumbled.

"You mean put back under their control.  I still don't like what I'm hearing.  New power?  Magic?  This doesn't bode well for common men."  Jaana sighed sadly.

"How are they doing it?  And what is magic?"

"Its not magic, Jaana."  She frowned and looked to her side.  Kivi sat on the cold stone of the floor and looked more comfortable then she did sitting on a chair.

"What do you mean, Kivi?"  He turned towards her, and she was reminded, for only a few seconds, of the steel in his gaze.  As far as she could tell, it appeared at random, and when she least expected it.  Jaana pursed her lips slightly.  Whenever she thought about this boy, she grew confused, and felt like a small girl again.

He was no longer the boy she first met five years ago.  He had aged nearly twice as fast as a normal human male, and now looked around twelve.  But he was no child.

"Magic is what people dream of.  Doing impossible things.  These people are different then us.  Their power is in their body, and they learn to use it over the course of years.  But its dangerous, both to the user, and to the target."

"How is it dangerous to the user?"

"If you want fire, you need to figure out how to make it.  Fire can appear in nature when things are really dry, and the sun focuses on that dry spot.  The spot grows warm, then hot, and there are flames.  They can use lenses to focus their heat, not quite sure how, and the lens focuses the power.  It creates a burst of fire, or lightning, depending upon what powers it up.  Improper use, or preparation, can make it backfire.  Also, its quite limited.  Only one type of energy per person, and it takes a lot out of them to even use that charge."  Jaana sighed.

"How do you know this?"  He lowered his eyes.

"I was only young when I first saw them try it, so things might have changed a bit, but the overall memory is there.  The guild had developed a new weapon.  A new power."  Banus grunted.

"Maybe we should acquire one of these lens apparatus.  Figure out what they accomplished, and if it could benefit or harm us.  But one thing is certain.  We need the work."  Kivi lowered his eyes again.

He couldn't agree, or disagree with that assessment.  Things felt strange right now.  He was used to a base knowledge of how things should be, and how they would go.  But now, the very air around him felt heavy.  Tense.  Like a bow strung far too tight.  When that happens, the bowstring will eventually break, and cause harm to the archer.

The question wasn't how long it would take for the string to break.  The question was would the string break, or would the bow?

"We're almost there."  The tired soldier said wearily.  A small company of mercenaries had just been sent to reinforce their unit, and they looked quite battle hardened.  He didn't know much about them, but they all stood out, except for one.  He seemed to blend into the background, and didn't appear to be special in any way.  One half of the company were fast moving archers, while the other half were straight head on fighters.

"Where are we headed?"  One of the archers asked.  She didn't appear too interested, but the question was a necessity.

"The edge of the king's lands.  The inhabitants have avoided swearing their fealty to our king, so they are being given one last chance to do so."  The young man who blended turned his way, but it was one of the female archers who questioned him further.

"I wasn't aware that this area was under the king's command.  I thought it belonged to the beast folk who roam the mountains and meadows on the fringes."  Mena sounded a little saucy, so Kivi reached out and took her hand.  She looked his way in surprise.

"My sister is a smart woman."  He said quietly.  She looked away, and tried to regain her anger.  She didn't want to admit how right it felt to have her hand in his, so she snatched it back when her mind could focus.  Once his fingers were gone, she felt colder, and more alone.

"True, but the king recently annexed this area, and wants to turn it into farmland to feed his army."  The company looked a bit more interested now.

"Did the king tell the Elukka that?"  Hella asked pointedly.  The soldier shrugged.

"Does it matter?  With no titled ruler, or army to protect their lands, he can take it without their permission."

"But the reason there's been peace for so long is that the Elukka agreed to leave our people alone, if we would do the same.  Its been a spoken treaty for hundreds of years."

"You've been hired to do a job!  Not to question the king's orders!"  The whole company turned to Banus and Hella respectively.

"We wait."  Hella said firmly.  The archer placed her hand on her shoulder.

"Are you sure?"  She nodded.

"Until motives and actions match."  The weary soldier shook his head.  He couldn't understand the undercurrents within the company of soldiers, but they came highly recommended by the merchant's guild.  They could get the job done even when it appeared impossible.  The only caveat was that things had to be fair, legal, and without corruption.  The problem was that when you deal in politics, all of those things were out the window.

Peasants were jailed, lands confiscated, and bribes given to local leaders for information needed to secure the area.  As long as they did what they were paid to do, things would go well.

If they didn't do their job, he had his instructions.

"They smell sour."  Kivi said softly.  The guard looked at the boy with a frown.

"What does he mean by 'sour'?"  Banus turned his way.

"Mind your own business."  He said harshly.  "And remember my words.  If I find a blade of yours turned our way, you'll not make it back to your king to make your report.  Are we clear?"  The soldier shrugged.

He's been threatened more times then he could count, and it always worked in his favor.  They never got the chance to make good on their threats.  But his own thoughts began to mirror the boy's.

"This whole job feels sour."

The Stone King - Chapter One - Daughter of the Mirri

"Run, Mena!"  The older woman yelled to her daughter.  Hella watched in horror as the stone behemoth launched itself into the clearing.  It had rumbled down the hill and into the clearing they just entered.  The small family didn't even have the time to sit down to rest, or start a small meal before they continued the hunt.  The tides hadn't been particularly good to them this year, and when that happened, they had to hunt to make up the difference.

Hella liked to stay outside the walls of any city or town, as she felt more at home among the trees and dark forests.  Her youth had been spent in such forests further south with her parents, and now she traveled with her husband, and adopted daughter, Mena.

"Where did this thing come from?"  She asked herself.  She had no real answer either.  She launched another arrow at the stone golem, but knew it would be ineffective.  The hunter's camp had been abandoned for decades, and any shelter they could hole up in had long since crumbled to rot and ruin.  Not that logs would stop something ten feet tall and thicker then any oak tree.

Mena, her daughter, had just seen her twelfth winter, but she was far from defenseless.  Hella had trained her in the use of a bow the last few winters, and her eye almost as deadly as her mother.

"I won't leave you!"  Her dark hair flowed down her back, her face streaked with dirt and sweat, and she stood her ground not far away.  They had tried to outrun it, but for something so large and heavy, it moved incredibly fast.  They heard a growl to their side.  Mena smiled widely.

"Father!"  A large man covered in metal plates and leather rushed at the lumbering behemoth and struck his ax against its stone skin.  He had only left them a few minutes ago, intent on the wood they needed for a fire.

The result was what you would have expected.  The giant stone golem didn't look like it had been human at one time, or carved by human hands.  It was just a large pile of stones that formed a body, with long heavy limbs.  How it was held together, he couldn't even remotely begin to guess.

"I need a hammer!  The ax won't do any damage!"  He grunted and jumped backwards as it swung its large stone arm in his direction.  It deflected off the metal plates, but Banus felt it nonetheless as he was thrown.

"Neither can I!"  Hella tried again and again, but the arrows only bounced off, or shattered.  She even tried to aim at the normal weak points on any enemy.  The neck, the head, eyes, or leg joints.  Nothing but broken equipment.

"Can we outrun it?"  Hella shook her head.

"Its like a stone rolling downhill!  It keeps picking up speed the longer it runs!"  Her daughter saw someone just in behind the towering golem.

"Momma?  Who's that?"  Hella followed her girl's finger, and felt her face drain of warmth.

"Its a child."  She whispered.  "Banus!"  The golem sensed the boy and turned its attention to him.





The boy gurgled and laughed as he walked unsteadily towards the creature, and he laughed delightedly as it turned towards him.  His tattered clothes were nothing more then rags wound about his body, but he didn't have any baby fat on him at all.  He was nothing but skin and bones.

"Stone Man!"  He yelled and laughed again.  He was completely oblivious to any danger.  Just like any other toddler not familiar with the big wide world around him.





"That poor child!"  Banus said, and knew he had no chance to reach him.  The golem felt neither bow or blade on its stone body so there was no chance to redirect its attention.  Mena gulped as the behemoth swung its right limb in an overhead attack, and saw the child disappear from sight.

"Momma?  Is he dead?"  Hella closed her eyes for only a few seconds, and held her hand over her belly.  She knew what it felt like to lose a child.

"Yes, Mena."  She looked intensely at Banus.  "If we don't find a way, we'll all be dead!"

"My ax doesn't even make a dent, Hella!  How are we going to.....beat...that thing?"  His words got lower and lower as he spoke, his eyes glued to the now still golem.

The boy stood on top of its shoulders, and held a small glowing stone in his hand.

"Stone Man!"  He laughed and gurgled as the golem fell apart.  He hopped off the crumbled pile of stone, and rolled while he laughed like a child who was at play.  He stopped when he reached Hella's feet, and looked up at her from his back.  He reached up with his arms, at which point, Hella felt something tug at that empty place within her.  She smiled, and reached down to pick him up.

"Soft."  He said.  His eyes closed while she held him gently in her arms.  Mena looked up at him, a scowl on her face.

"Banus, what is he?"  She asked quietly.  The big man shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't know, Hella, but he saved our lives.  Lets keep it quiet for now, okay?"  He reached out and pulled the small glowing rock from the child's hand.  "There's probably a bounty on this thing.  We should turn it in.  Get a small place to sleep, and some food."  She lifted her eyes, which had a familiar look in them.

"Split the bounty?"  He nodded.

"As we always do, Hella.  I think four ways this time.  Little Mena got off a few shots too, if I'm not mistaken."  Mena lost her scowl and smiled.

"Thanks, father.  I tried.  How did he hurt it when we couldn't?"

"The stone is the core, I think.  I have no idea how he knew that though."  He looked at Hella.  "Should we look for his parents?"  Hella clutched the boy to her chest, and looked at him in displeasure.

"Look how thin he is!  They let him wander out here alone, with no homes for miles around, and he hasn't eaten in a while either!"  She growled slightly.  "Look at these rags!  If we do find them, it won't be to return him to their not so tender care!"  Banus held up his hands and backed away slightly.  Never get between a mother and her child, even if they had only just met.

"Alright, Hella.  But what is his name?  What do we call him?"  She smiled down at his sleeping face and smiled.

"What's the old word for stone, Mena?"  She asked softly.  She thought for a moment.

"Kivi?"  Hella nodded.

"Good girl.  His name will be Kivi.  A son of the stone."  He snuggled in to her chest, and sighed as her soft hug held him close.  "Sleep well, little Kivi."  Mena felt the stir of jealousy when her adoptive mother kissed Kivi's cheek.

"Eeek!"  Mena squealed.  Banus laughed heartily as he lifted her up into his arms and placed her on his right shoulder.

"Don't be jealous, Mena.  She can't carry you around like that anymore, and she misses it."  Hella glared at him.  "Um, yes, shall we get back to camp?  We can set off first thing in the morning for the closest town.  I'm sure either the steward at the keep, or the guild will pay well for this little stone."





"That's more then I expected, Banus."  Hella looked at him closely.  He nodded.

"Yeah. The guild was either the source of it, or wants the source of its power.  They also want us to keep it quiet."  He looked at the heavy bag in his hand again.  "Gold has a habit of doing just that."  She turned away, unable to block the disquiet in her heart.

"Whatever.  Lets just get a place secured so we can settle in for the winter.  If we can get a few jobs this winter, or get in some hunting, we should be fine without too much bother.  Its been a while since we could say that."  Banus nodded.

"Aye, you're right there.  Go to the inn and check with the owner.  I'll look about town and see if I can find something that will work."  As he started to turn away, he looked back.  "Outside the walls, right?"  She nodded.

"Ever since....well, walls may look safe, but they can also be a cage."  Mena tugged on her sleeve after Banus left.

"Momma?  Are we gonna be okay?"  When her daughter took on that small girl tone, it tugged at Hella's strings.  She wrapped an arm about her shoulders, and sighed softly.

"Yes, we are, Mena.  Thanks to your new brother, I think we're going to be okay."  Mena frowned, looked at the only one she competed with for her mother's affection, and sighed heavily.  He did save them, and the stone he ripped out of the golem had provided lots of gold for them.

She wanted to be angry with him, but the good that came their way because of him made that difficult.




"Kivi, be silent.  We're trying to hunt a deer for food."  He was strapped to Hella's back while Mena gave him dark looks for gurgling and playing with her hair.

"Food?"  He said, then he pointed.  "There.  Deer."  Hella turned her head in the direction he pointed, and her mouth fell open.  A large deer, probably an older buck that was close to weakening, and having his herd taken from him by a younger and stronger buck, walked into the clearing.

"I don't believe it."  She said quietly.  "Now don't move, Kivi."  He gurgled again.

"Deer for momma."  She frowned slightly, and he touched her shoulder with the flat of his hand.  "Wait."  She took a long slow breath, and sure enough, the deer turned side on to them.

"Its going to run, mom!"  Mena said urgently.

"No, momma.  Wait."  She nodded, and waited.  The deer turned towards them again,  walked to within fifty yards, and turned side on again.  "Deer for momma."  She lifted her bow and aimed for the heart.  It was the cleanest shot in the sweet spot she's ever had.

"Good momma.  Kivi tired."  Just before his eyes closed, Mena could have sworn she saw steel gray eyes turn blue.





"Lets finish off this cartload of wood, Hella.  We can come out again once the snow stops."  Mena watched as her mother lifted her eyes from the log she dragged.  She always studied the speaker before she replied, but Mena wasn't sure why.

"Agreed.  It will snow for the next few days, but we have enough wood for a couple of weeks."  She looked around the clearing, and frowned.  "Where is Kivi?"  Mena opened her eyes wide and looked around her.

"He's gone?  He was just here."  She spoke quietly, then looked up at her mother's thunderous look.  She was in a pile of it now, and for that, her anger for her brother grew.





"Its so cold!"  A young woman said softly as she tried to warm herself at an outside brazier.  It provided light for those on the way into the town, but for a homeless woman, it provided essential heat.  She even had to sometimes touch the hot metal to drive the cold out of her hands.  She needed her hands to catch any small animals she came across.  While not appetizing to those within the town, food was food to her.

"Pbbttt!"  She looked around quickly when she heard a strange noise.  A young boy emerged from the bushes not far away.  He walked unsteadily along the roadway, and right towards her.

"Who are you?"  She asked, curious, but cautious.  Children also meant parents not far away, and she didn't want to tangle with anyone right now.  Her nature prodded her to consider the cold and the child, who must be at least as cold as she was.

"Yay!  Pretty eyes!"  Her mouth dropped open in surprise, and watched as the child stumbled towards her.  He wrapped his arms around her legs, and to her utter horror, he climbed her like she was a tree.  He held on to tattered fabric and pulled himself upwards until he was right in her bosom.  He smiled up at her.  "You cold."  She frowned, but those baby blue eyes changed to a steel grey, and she felt a warmth surge through her body.

"Kivi!  There you are!"  She watched as an enormously tall woman darted out onto the roadway, quickly appraised her, and saw that Kivi was in her arms.  She stopped and frowned.  "Who have you found, Kivi?"  He gurgled delightedly, and his eyes went back to a baby blue.

"Girl cold!"  He snuggled in to her chest and held firmly onto her ragged shirt.  He sighed softly as he inhaled her scent, and her arms encircled him protectively.  "Like smell."  Hella smiled softly, and appraised her again.  Her large dark brown eyes that were far too large for a normal human, along with slightly pointed ears, and thick copper colored hair that clung closely to her head and neck, told her all she needed to know.

This girl was of the Mirri.





"Here you go.  This should fill your belly."  The large man put a warm bowl in her hands, but she had a hard time holding on to it.  The cold still seeped from her limbs, but that was not the only reason.  Small gentle hands ran through the hair on the back of her head and down her neck.

"Pretty fur."  Then he gurgled again, and laid his head against the back of her neck.  "Girl cold."  As soon as his fingers touched her neck, another surge of warmth flowed through her.  "Girl hungry.  Girl eat."  He sighed softly, and snuggled in close.  "Kivi tired."  Banus kept his thoughts to himself, but his wife was not so silent.

"Kivi has taken a liking to you."  She said gently.  She looked up at her fearfully.  "What is your name, child?"  She closed her eyes.

"Jaana."  Hella cocked her head, and the expected question came at her.

"You're of the Mirri."  It felt like an accusation, but there was no malice in her tone.  "Eat your stew, and please, stop looking at me like that.  I won't hurt you."  She slowly sipped at the stew with a wooden bowled spoon, and glanced left and right while she ate.  She stopped when the big man stood up again.

"Tell me who hurt you, Jaana, and they won't live to see another day, but please!  Please, stop looking at us with those looks!  We won't hurt you."  He said, and lowered his tone slowly.  It did hurt him to feel that fearful gaze upon him, but the other look was unexpected.  Kivi lifted his head and looked up at him.  Then he growled.

"Kivi?"  Hella looked at him in surprise.

"Be nice."  He said, then lowered his head again.  "Jaana hurt."





"How did he know?"  She asked cautiously.  Hella gently pulled the tattered shirt away from bruised and damaged flesh, and simmered with rage.

"I'm not sure myself.  That child surprises me at every turn."  She slowly cleaned her wounds, and bandaged them as gently as she could.  "Who whipped you, Jaana?"  The girl turned quickly, and fearfully.

"I.....I didn't do anything wrong!  I was only picking up apples that had already fallen off the trees!  I was starving!"  Hella grimaced, while Banus tried hard to get his anger under control.

"And so they whipped you for stealing."  She lowered her eyes and nodded.  "I see.  Who was it?"

"A guard.  Said he had to make an example."  Hella finished bandaging her wounds, then looked at her husband with only a glance, but it told him all he needed to know.  Find the one who hurt this girl, and make him regret the day he was born.

"This shirt has seen better days.  Let me see.  I think there is a shop in the town that sells clothing."  Jaana turned her head to look up at her.

"I don't have any coins."  Hella smiled gently.

"As if I couldn't see that from your clothes, child.  Don't worry.  Things will work out.  Can you use a bow or sword?  I know the Mirri are naturally gifted when it comes to the bow."

"I'm only half Mirri, and I don't have a bow."  Kivi picked up his head from the blanket he had curled up on.

"We'll have to do something about that."  Hella turned and looked at her son when he yelled.

"Red Rock!  Red Rock!"





"Is this what he means?"  Jaana asked as she guided Hella to a broken cliff face.  She clutched the wool poncho to her neck to stay warm as the wind still bit her hard.  She was used to the cold, but not the kindness shown to her.

The cliff was stained with streaks of red, gold and copper, which brought a wide smile from Kivi.

"Red rock!  Red rock!"  He jumped out of Hella's arms with little regard for how he would land, flopped awkwardly onto his bottom, rolled to the side, and popped up like nothing had happened.  He ran over to the cliff face, ran his hands along the surface, and smiled.

"Father!"  Banus smiled.  "Stick!"  Banus looked around in amusement, then found a small twig.  Kivi growled.  "No!  Big stick!"  He chuckled.

"Alright, son, just a minute."  He walked from his place, swung his ax at a young sapling and took off a limb.  "Don't know what.....shattered stone!  What are you doing?"  He watched as his son placed his hands onto the cliff, closed his eyes, and began to pull something from the stone.  Kivi then took a large lump of red rock, dropped a small piece of golden metal that came out of the cliff with it, and held the branch and rock together.

"Its....steel!"  Hella's mouth dropped open as she watched, then looked down into steel grey eyes.

"Momma!  Bow!"





"Father?  This came out with the metal."  Banus took the piece of metal from Mena, and shook his head.

"How was he able to do this?"  He mused quietly.  He handed the metal to Hella, and pointed to Jaana.  She understood immediately.  It was so the girl would no longer be destitute.

Then they watched Kivi for nearly an hour, unsure, and slightly frightened.  He molded the metal into the rough shape of a bow, then ran his hands over Hella's bow, and frowned.  He picked up his bow, and shook his head.

"Heavy."  He clipped one end shorter, then ran his hands over the length of the steel, stretched it to thin out the metal, curled an end, pinched around the handle, and reshaped it over and over.  Banus was speechless, but Mena was not.

"No Kivi!  Too thick there!  It needs to be thinner so it can flex!"  Kivi frowned, ran his hand over Hella's bow, then his own.  Then he gurgled and nodded.

"Mena smart!"  He reshaped it, and almost an hour to the minute after he began, that crudely shaped bow took on a mastersmith's form.  Hella quickly went through her belongings and found a bowstring she kept as a spare.  The leather was still supple, and would easily last for the whole season, even if it was used every day.

"Momma!"  His eyes opened wide.  "Momma got string!"  He handed her the bow and watched as she fit, and adjusted the length of leather cord, then tried to bend it.  Her eyes focused, and she had to put a bit more power into bending the metal then she thought she would.

"The strength is amazing, Kivi."  She said softly, and let the loop fall into place.  Then she released the bend and felt it go taut.  "Here."  Kivi shook his head.

"For Jaana!"  Hella smiled.

"I know, son, but I think you should give it to her."  He smiled, held out his hands, then walked unsteadily over to the young and shocked Mirri girl.  Hella couldn't help but notice that he wobbled more with each step.

"Jaana!  Jaana's bow!"  He held it out, and watched the tears roll down her cheeks.  He smiled shyly, as she reached out for it.  "Jaana take bow."  His words began to trail off, and as they watched him fall to his bottom, he spoke again.  "Kivi tired."





"She won't leave his side."  Banus said quietly.  Hella smiled softly.

"That is the first real nice thing anyone has ever done for her, I bet.  I think she needs some clothes though.  Mena?"  She looked up at her mother.  "We need to go into town, don't you think?"  Mena bit her bottom lip, and hid her frustration.  She was used to being the center of attention, so it was quite a difficult time for her.

She not only had to share her family with Kivi, but also with Janna now.  Considering what she had just seen, and the damage done to the poor girl's body, she found it difficult to justify her anger, and selfishness.

Still, she couldn't just dismiss it either.

"I....."  Her mother gripped her shoulder.

"Be kind, Mena."  Her mother's voice was firm.  "I've given you lots of love, and have never stopped.  If you can't share your family with those who have none, how can I be sure you've learned anything from me?"  Mena lowered her eyes.

"Sorry, momma."  She lifted her eyes, and they sparked with her barely hidden anger.  "Lets go shopping for Jaana today."




"The only time she's left his side is when she needed to relieve herself.  Other then that, she held him while she ate, and she even gently dribbled broth into his mouth."

"Has he woken up yet?"

"A few times, but only barely.  That metal trick sapped his strength."  Hella leaned back into her husband's front.  It wasn't often that she let herself soften around others, but she always had a yearning for his touch.

"Jaana?"  She lifted her head when she heard her name.  "We'll try out that bow of yours tomorrow.  See how balanced he made it."  She smiled, then blushed.

"If its unbalanced, he can fix it."  The blush was unexpected, but the confidence in her son's ability was just as surprising.  "Why do you seem so familiar, metal man?"  She asked.

"Not metal man, Jaana."  She looked at Hella.  "Son of the Stone."  Her eyes popped wide open, then looked down at Kivi.  Her surprise was slowly replaced by one of awe.

"Kivi."  She whispered.  "The Mirri word for stone."

Are you him?  Are you the lost Stone King, Kivi?  The King of all the tribes of the Elukka?  Have you come home at last?

Chapter 1 - Appearances

Another new book idea.  Not sure the name yet, or even if this will be the first chapter.  Most likely it will be a later one, but I had to start somewhere.  Early bronze age style fantasy, however, I might just turn it around and make it a post apocalyptic age.  Whatever will work as the story progresses.

As always, there is a hero type, but he's not what he seems, nor are his companions.  And there is always a price to be paid for power.




"Master!  There are traders at the gate!"  A guard called out from his post.  A window opened in the great stone keep.

"I'll inform him right away.  Make sure to relate our laws!"  A female voice called out.

"Understood, Steward."  He motioned for the gate to be raised, and watched as a wagon drawn by a mule was led into the courtyard.  He growled slightly when some of the other guards drew their swords.  "What are you doing, you fools?"  He called out.

"They're....they're....ferals!"  The guard shook his head in disgust.

"You know our laws!  If you don't put your sword away, the Master will run you through!"  The guards looked reluctant.  "I apologize for my companion's actions.  The Master has only three laws.  If you attack, you will be attacked.  The only food he accepts are fairly hunted, grown, or traded goods.  And treat others fairly."

The being in front of him lowered its eyes.  He had no way to know it if was male or female as the gender was hidden by loose robes.  Their massive maw, however, led many normal humans to attack them on sight.  Large sharp teeth, dead black eyes, long forked tongue, and a sunken nose told him all he needed to know.  These beings used to be human long ago, but were somehow twisted into this hideous reminder of what happens when you tinker with the Creator's designs.

Whether it was magical, or done through some other means, that information was no longer available.

"Un..der...stood."  The being spoke with a clear voice, but struggled to form the words.  Their own language was more based upon body, facial, and eye movements, along with different clicks and hisses.  It was a complicated language, but he was told it revealed more about emotional state then a simple spoken language.

"The Master does not accept cow, lamb, or other domestic meats.  Only fairly hunted meat."

"Yesss.  Have.  No stand kills."  The guard cocked his head, then smiled.

"Ah, I understand.  The Master will be pleased.  And here he comes now."  The Master was an imposing figure, but wore strange clothing at all times.  Hoods, a lower face mask, armored gauntlets, and plated chain mail greaves and cuirass.  He was always in armor.  He was also half a head taller then anyone the guard personally knew, and indescribably fast.

"We....sss....heard...."  The Master waved his hand, and the being closed its mouth.  Another simple finger twist and wrap around made it nod.

"Any meat you wish to sell will be paid for, as long as it is hunted fairly."  His voice was loud, but there was a strangeness to it.  A background echo, as it were.  The being got down on its knees.

"Stand, Jakta Luhta."  The guard frowned.

Men of the Swamplands?  Were these creatures actually men?

"I know your people, and their hearts.  You are welcome to trade here, and to buy property, if that is your wish."  The guard's eyes betrayed his surprise.

"Master?  Without knowing them, or their intentions?"  His employer turned towards him.

"I know him, and his people.  I can read their intentions from their movements.  As I can read yours and the other guards.  Remind them to never pull their swords without a threat first."  He nodded quickly.

"Understood, Master"  He watched one of the most dangerous men he has ever known walk away without checking on the cargo available, or warning them to be cautious with their new guests.  Instead, he gave the newcomers permission to enter, and leave at their discretion.

He turned to look at the one who spoke to his master, and saw him gesture to one of his companions.  A curious set of signals, followed by a quick excited nod.  His companion raced out the gate, and returned a few minutes later with another of his race.  They were carrying a stretcher, and on it was a badly wounded human woman.

"MASTER!"  To the guard, it was obvious why they didn't bring her in until they knew the situation.  They would have been attacked, and as he watched his fellows pull their swords, he knew that blood would be spilled in the next few minutes.

The roar from the keep told him that his Master had heard the steel sliding from its leather sheathe.

He turned his back to the men of the Swamp, and pulled his sword, standing between them, their charge, and his comrades.  An old proverb ran through his mind as his friends turned on him in anger.

Don't judge a man by the dirt on his cheeks, or under his fingernails.  Judge him by the dirt on his tongue.

"Because appearances can be deceiving!"  He saw a shadow approach as swift as a ray of light, but look like death itself.  Death black eyes, razor sharp teeth, wickedly long claws, and familiar chain mail armor stirred the dust into a storm as he passed.

His Master was angry.