Talon (The Astor Chronicles Book 1) by Amanda Greenslade Page B

mouths to feed, perhaps they sucked the rivers dry!’
    ‘By the nine! Do you think the Zeikas are further upstream than the village? That would mean they are in the realm of Jaria.’
    He made a hushing motion with his hand. Other customers were jostling each other to get to him.
    ‘Maybe. I don’ really know. But here’s your fish anyway.’
    I had to wrap both arms around the bundle to carry it away. I belatedly wondered if Rekala would make me haul it all the way back to Jaria myself.
    ‘I’ll carry it for you,’ she said sneakily, from afar, ‘in my belly.’
    By the time I got back to her she was in horse form again, ready to travel. I fastened the saddle onto her back and rested the right saddlebag on a nearby stump to make room in it for the fish. There was a text from the Holy Scrolls in there that I hastily switched to the other saddlebag. It was far too valuable to allow it to become fishy.
    Despite the role of the Rada in the Realm Wars, many of our sacred texts had been burned because of the banishment of the Tanzans. Those that remained were valued not only by Kriites, but also by scholars, and nobles who liked to hoard historical artefacts.
    ‘Why did the Holy Scrolls become contraband?’ Rekala asked.
    I stroked her neck as I thought of the historical tale, as I knew it. Decades ago, people from the two rival nations, Reltland and Tanza used to visit Telby regularly. The Tanzans were almost all Kriites and the Relts were almost all Zeikas, two of the most powerful religions ever to exist on Chryne. Kriites believe that all people are fallible, yet can be redeemed through faith. Zeikas believe that all who do not bow to their gods deserve enslavement or death.
    As you can imagine there was often conflict when the two groups interacted. In the year 677 a fight between them resulted in the death of the king and queen of Telby, their elite guards and a number of important nobles.
    The Tanzans believed that the Relts had orchestrated the entire thing to implicate them and reduce the standing of Kriite beliefs in Telby. The Relts claimed it was the fault of the Tanzans being too hot-headed and defensive of their religion.
    When the heir to the throne, the young Prince Aabyn, took over, he swept into leadership like an eagle at prey, banning the Relts and Tanzans from Telby. At the time, neither realm had the desire or the manpower to resist the might of Telby. They’d already depleted their forces fighting each other. Aabyn forced them to sign to their own exile, vowing to stay out of Telby until such a time as the ban was lifted.
    After they were gone, Aabyn put out a decree to destroy all Reltic and Tanzan literature within the realm of Telby and he forced every resident associated with either group out of the realm. His armies, which included Jarian warriors back then, drove the Tanzans and the Relts away.
    Despite being a different nation, politically, the Tanzans shared many ancient texts with Jaria, as both were Kriite cultures. Shameful though it was, Jaria had assisted Telby in driving out a fellow Kriite nation.
    Their departure was a catalyst for the Realm Wars. With the Relts and the Tanzans out of the picture, King Aabyn turned his attention to neighbouring realms like Tass, Ravra, Duuryn and Irin.
    ‘Did both Jaria and Lyth send warriors to help King Aabyn?’ Rekala queried.
    ‘Just Jaria,’ I replied, ‘and it was one of the few times in history that the two wild Rada nations haven’t stood together. Thousands of Jarians died for the cause, not because they weren’t formidable warriors, but because of the dire situations they were sent into. Every Rada pair is arguably worth a dozen ordinary warriors because they can change shape to suit the circumstances of the fight. Like all Kriites, Jarians prefer peace, but when called to war, our warriors are adept at killing. As for the Rada-kin, even if they do not slay an enemy outright, animal bites often lead to death later on.’
    I