The Time-Stone Clock: The Song Between the Mountains
an excerpt

(Note: this excerpt is not from the very beginning of the NaNovel.)

The sun had set behind the landscape of mountains as the Steam-Stone carriage approached the small village of Turic’Os. The gear-like wheels slotted smoothly into place on the ridged track as they began to descend the steepest part of the hill. The top bags fell forward from the cart section and the Nagondre turned in time to see the three back passengers grab the luggage to hold it back in place.
“Don’t worry; we’ll be there soon.” Errozick, the retired musician folded his arms and relaxed back into his seat. He had been driving for the last two hours, but considering that there were no side-tracks to steer onto, it had been unnecessary for him to use his hands.
“I cannot wait t’ get t’ an inn and bathe,” Thaveresko grumbled, brushing his boots together and leaving large clumps of mud on the floor of the car. “Clearing tha’ section of track back there took longer than expected.” He rubbed his hands together, aware that there was still some dirt in the ridges of his fingerprints.
“At least there’s only one track to follow around here,” Qualtaru the herbalist winked. “It’s difficult to get lost or take the wrong track when there’s only one to take.”
“Yea’, Nagondre,” Errozick said with aggressive amusement. “With Qualatru as navigator, I only ‘ad to turn aroun’ three times. With Thaveresko as navigator, we only went to two or three wrong towns.”
“I told you: t’was an old map! Not all of t’ roads were marked on and I got confused!” Thaveresko cried out indignantly.
“…But with you, Nagondre,” Errozick continued, smile still strongly present. “I must ‘ave seen ‘alf of the bloody Sothien Vale!” Qualtaru and Thaveresko erupted with laughter. Their other companion had yet to say a word since they had left the previous town. “An’ you’re suppose’ to be a bloody cartpgrapher!” Nagondre could feel her cheeks heating with embarrassment and decided to change the subject.

“Did you know that the villagers of Turic’Os and its surrounding hamlets don’t have the word ‘time’ in their language?”
“They don’t?” Thaveresko asked.
“Nope. Instead they have four words: one for past, one for present, one for future and one for eternity. There are also two inflections: one for the past affecting the current or future situation and one for the present affecting the current or future situation.”
“Where did you read this?” Quataru leaned forward to look, brushing aside the map that Nagondre had out and grabbing a hold of her book. The village could be seen right in front of them. Now, not even the cartographer’s poor navigational skills could get them lost. As she pulled it into her back seat, her thumb slipped from the page and the book closed. “Ah! What page was it?” She reopened ‘Traditions of the Sothien Vale’ and began flicking through it a page at a time.
“One hundred and seventy five,” Nagondre said as she rubbed her eyes.

“Are you tired, mine dear?” Thaveresko leaned across their other travelling companion and breathed into her ear. Nagondre tilted her head away in response.
“I am a little, yes.”
“When I get t’ t’ inn, I’ll have them run mine a hot bath. Join me: I’ll take good care of you.” He brushed his hand through her hair and she jolted so far away from him that Errozick could have sworn (quite vibrantly) that the Steam-Stone carriage had lifted up slightly on his side. Nagondre was not a slim woman, but it should not have been possible.
“I’ll be fine, thank you,” she said, keeping tense and remaining out of reach of his touch until he sat back down in his seat. Nagondre did not like Thaveresko; her opinion certainly was not helped considering that she was from a culture that valued moral decency whereas Thaveresko was from what he called a ‘liberated society’. Qualtaru and Errozick felt uneasy every time one of these interchanges took place, and it was blatant that Theveresko was ignoring the obvious signs of Nagondre’s discomfort – even enjoying it, Errozick believed. They wished that Nagondre would stop being polite and tell him to leave her alone but she never did. Politeness prevented them from intervening… but they knew one day that it might have to come to it. The other companion though – the ‘Absolver’ – found the whole situation fascinating and studied it carefully.

Qualtaru found the page that Nagondre had been reading earlier and showed it to her two other back-seat companions:

The mountainous region of Sothien Vale has long provided as a natural border and primary defence for no less than three nations. In the midst of these countries is the village of Turic’Os, a culture and rule all of its own, it is said to ‘be allied to everyone and allied to none’.

Many lengthy wars have taken place in this region, and Turic’Os has seen its fair share of the bloodshed, the first battle taking place on this land well over millennia ago. In this darker, more mountainous region of the Vale, most of the industry is trade with other local villages involving livestock, quarrying and mining. Cut off from practically all of the rest of the world, it is here that traditions and tales are the strongest. A ‘Turic’Ossian’ believes passionately that the bitterness and passion of those that have fallen during the wars surrounding their village has been absorbed into the mountains, allowing the avenged dead and malevolent spirits to take physical form and roam the area as ‘gheists’ and ‘dragkahs’, amongst other things.

The ‘Turic’Ossians’ have many traditions and superstitions built around the ancient and the abstract, ‘time’ being the most different and most likely changed concept you are to come across. In this part of the Sothien Vale, there is no word for time, but instead there are six altogether - four forms with two inflections. The following are all of the time forms with their closest approximation with our understanding:

Dana: Past/Done.
Danaka: The past affecting the current situation.
Rivru: Present/Review.
Rivruka:The present affecting the current situation.
Fhathru:Future/Fate.
Darivrathru: Forever/Repetition. Other interpretations include ‘eternity’ and ‘void’.

Note: ‘Fhathru’ and ‘Darivrathru’ do not have ‘ka’ inflections because the future cannot affect the present or the past and ‘forever’ is seen as constantly affecting and being affected by the past, present and future’.

“And how are we mean’ t’ know when t’ use these?” Thaveresko shook his head and growled, leaning out over the edge of the carriage.
“I suppose we’ll have to listen and see,” Qualtaru shrugged. The Absolver took hold of the book and gently removed from her hands. “Ah, have you seen something you want to read, Aboschi?” The Absolver nodded but remained silent, the hood of its white cloak covering its eyes.

(tbc.)