by J J Moriarty
Silence fell between them and Hyzou kept eating.
“And do you know Archaier Sudgata?” Safia asked.
“I do”, Hyzou said.
He set his jaw once he thought of Sudgata.
“He trains Persimmon. I thought he’d be training me when Aliya passed”, Safia said.
“Instead you have the joy of being trained by me”, Hyzou said.
Safia smiled.
“What’s in the bags?” Hyzou said.
“Food. Clothes. Stuff. They were dropped off to me in the middle of the night”, Safia said. “They’re heavy.”
“That’s why I’ll be carrying them all”, Hyzou said. “You’ll struggle on our journey if you can’t find your Qi.”
“Oh, well, you don’t have to…” She began.
“Wait, where’s your sword?” Hyzou asked.
Safia looked up at him.
“My sword?” Safia asked.
“The long iron thing you use to fight people. You’ve been trained to use one, haven’t you?” Hyzou asked.
“Yes, but I don’t own one. Do I need one? You don’t have one”, Safia said.
Hyzou lifted the grey cloak that hung around his shoulders, it revealed the sword and four daggers that were sheathed by his leg.
“Oh”, Safia said, eyes wide.
“You’ll need one”, Hyzou said.
“Right”, Safia said.
“And you should go now. Go now to the forge and pick up whatever they have there”, Hyzou said.
“Now?” Safia said.
“Yes, now. I can’t believe you were going to leave Uqing without a sword”, Hyzou said, shaking his head.
Safia leaped to her feet and ran from the hall like she had been burned. Hyzou sighed, then stood. He stooped over the bench and began tying their supply bags around his shoulders and waist. That took a few minutes, and then he was ready to go. Hyzou took up both his empty bowl and Safia’s nearly empty one and brought them to the front of the buttery. A young girl smiled and took them off his hands.
Outside, Hyzou sat on the wall and waited for Safia to return. She came back springing, holding a sheathed sword in front of her like a prize, her face red and out of breath.
“Well, tie it around you”, Hyzou said.
She did so.
“And follow me. If you see friends, ignore them, and don’t talk until we’ve left Uqing”, Hyzou said.
She nodded.
Hyzou led the way. He took the western road out of Uqing, which was already getting busy. Safia stayed silent by his side, and she would regularly finger the pommel of her new sword. It was standard, nothing special or elaborate, but Hyzou remembered being similarly enamoured when he had received his first sword.
They went along the western road for a time, before he brought her north. There was another turn west, then a turn again to the north. This was the final path of the mountain, and it was a desolate place. No humans lived here, and the paw prints of wolves marked the virgin snow about the place. They were nearby, Hyzou could sense them.
“Draw your sword. There are wolves about”, Hyzou said.
“Yes master”, Safia said, and she drew her iron blade.
“Do you feel confident fighting a wolf?” Hyzou said.
“There aren’t wolves around Uqing”, Safia said.
“There are around here, humans don’t live along this little laneway”, Hyzou said.
“Master, where are we?” Safia asked.
“This lane ends with the beginning of our journey. We’re taking the Cythet road”, Hyzou said.
Safia looked at him, mouth agape.
“Are you mad? No one takes the Cythet road”, Safia said.
“Sure they do, and we’ll be one of them”, Hyzou said. “And don’t call me master.”
“Will we be safe?” Safia asked.
Hyzou looked Safia in the eye and smiled.
“Of course I’ll be safe. I’m with you”, Hyzou said.
CHAPTER FOUR
The Cythet road seemed identical to any other part of the mountain, at first. It was steep, and shrouded in so much fog that Hyzou could barely see in front of his face. It took Hyzou a bit of time before he realised that he couldn’t hear the wind whistling wildly as he usually did on the mountain. The Cythet road was silent.
He drove against the ice, up a steep path. Hyzou was ok, he had the Qi to guide him. Safia seemed to be struggling, the pain of the climb obvious on her face after two hours.
“Are you ok? Should we slow down?” Hyzou asked.
She glared at him.
“No. Definitely not”, she said.
“Have you tried a marathon yet?” Hyzou said.
“Every season”, Safia said, panting.
“Really? Without the Qi?” Hyzou asked.
“Are you impressed?” Safia said.
“Not many can do that without the Qi”, Hyzou said.
“I may struggle to reach my Qi, but I’m a Servant in every other way. Not that it makes me a… Wow”, Safia said.
The fog had parted and now Hyzou could see all around them. He felt his stomach drop.
“The Cythet road”, Safia said, shocked. “It’s not a road, it’s a bridge.”
She was right. It was a small construction that stood alone in the middle of the sky, nothing but miles of empty air beneath them until they reached a valley.
Hyzou walked to the edge of the bridge. A large eagle flew just metres from Hyzou’s head.
“How could someone have built this? Where does it go?” Safia said.
“It’s a bridge between two mountains”, Hyzou said.
“Two mountains”, Safia said. “How?”
“This wasn’t built by humans”, Hyzou said.
“Who else could have built? Wait, you’re not saying that… That this was built by the gods?” Safia asked.
“That’s exactly who built it”, Hyzou said. “And that must be why no one is allowed to walk along this road.”
Hyzou glanced at the valley below them. He wondered how long he would fall for, were he to jump. Hyzou could make out the vast snowdrifts beneath them, and the tall forests of valleys deep within the mountain ranges.
“Hyzou. We must turn back. The gods won’t like this. They’re gods”, Safia said.
“It’s fine. No gods will bother us”, Hyzou said. “Or, I don’t think they will anyway.”
“How can you know that?” Safia asked.
“Because we’re going to meet a god”, Hyzou said.
“We’re what?” Safia asked.
“That’s why we’re on this road. There’s a god along here somewhere who is expecting us”, Hyzou said.
“You cannot be serious. I’m going to meet a god?” Safia said.
“Not one of the bigger ones”, Hyzou said.
“What does that matter? Who is it?” Safia said.
Hyzou looked around. He supposed that he was out of the surveillance of whoever had been scaring Aliya.
“Eanno”, Hyzou said.
“Eanno. The God of Prostitution?” Safia said.
“Yes. She’s really nice actually”, Hyzou said.
“You know her?” Safia said.
“This is a long story. But yes, I know her. Not very well but I do know her”, Hyzou said. “Aliya knew her too.”
“This is crazy”, Safia said.
“Come on. Let’s keep going. And stay in the centre of the road, I don’t want to fail Aliya. I told her I’d train you, and I can’t do that if you die”, Hyzou said.
“Charming”, Safia said.
But she heeded his advice anyway. It made sense for her to stay in the centre of the road, because she didn’t have Hyzou’s balance.
They continued that way for a while, silenced by the view. Vertigo wove its way through Hyzou’s mind all the time. He didn’t feel the blind terror he should have on such a height. Much the same as the wind didn’t whistle as it should have while they were up here, and there weren’t feet of snow, Hyzo
u also wasn’t as afraid of being this high as he should have been.
“You know”, Hyzou said, after a while. “I’m not sure how to instruct you.”
“Really?” Safia said.
While they spoke, their breath fogged before them.
“I’ve never taught anyone your age before. And I don’t know anything I can show you that Aliya couldn’t”, Hyzou said.
Safia looked at him.
“Aliya told me you could do things no one else could”, Safia said.
“But… I mean, what’s your problem? Why aren’t you a Servant yet? You’re still young obviously, but Aliya thought you were powerful”, Hyzou said.
“I can’t find my Qi”, Safia said.
Hyzou breathed deeply and owned his envy. He slipped into his Qi. He felt his Qi, melded to his own will, and forced it outwards, towards Safia. His Qi brushed against her, and he sensed who she was. He felt it, her Qi. It burned against the confines of her mind. She was strong.
“You’re strong”, Hyzou said.
“Did you just?” Safia asked.
“Yes”, Hyzou said. “And your Qi, it’s just below the surface. It’s almost like you’ve used it before.”
“I have. I just can’t get it to stay”, Safia said.
Hyzou sighed.
“Can we go through the steps then? The steps you take to find it”, Hyzou said.
“Yes. Sure”, Safia said.
“Begin to breathe deeply”, Hyzou said.
Safia did so.
“Close your eyes”, Hyzou said.
She looked all around her.
“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure you don’t fall off the bridge”, Hyzou said.
She closed her eyes and slowed her walking slightly. She stepped warily.
“Continue to breathe deeply”, Hyzou said.
She did.
Hyzou reached out with his Qi and tried his best to sense Safia’s emotions.
“You must own your envy. Do you understand?” Hyzou asked.
“Yes”, Safia said.
“But begin by belonging in the present. Breathe deeply, eight seconds to breathe in and eight seconds to breathe out”, Hyzou said.
She did so.
“That air is cold. Imagine it filling you, and then emptying out again. Imagine only that”, Hyzou said.
Hyzou sensed her relax.
“What do you want?” Hyzou said.
“To own my envy. To find my Qi”, Safia said.
“Good. You must be honest with yourself. Understand your motivations and your actions. Accept them, own them. The positive and the negative. The altruism and the envy”, Hyzou said. “Why do you want to own your envy?”
“To become a Servant”, Safia said.
“Imagine Safia, that you have just died. You approach the underworld, and Thanatis, the God of Death stands at the entrance. He tells you the meaning of life, that you will be reborn, and live the exact same life again that you lived. No difference. What’s your response?”
“That I want everything to happen, exactly as it happened. That I’d make the same decisions I made all my life again”, Safia said.
“Good. Good. Accept who you are, and why you do what you do. How do you feel?” Hyzou said.
“Nervous”, Safia said.
“Why?” Hyzou said.
“I’m going to meet Eanno”, Safia said.
Hyzou pressed his Qi against Safia’s mind, felt the flickers of thought beneath them. Hyzou couldn’t interpret them, but he could sense Safia’s mood.
“Something else is making you nervous”, Hyzou said.
“The heights are”, Safia said.
“No. It’s me”, Hyzou said.
“What?” Safia said.
“I’m making you nervous. Why am I making you nervous?” Hyzou asked.
Safia shuffled awkwardly and began to murmur.
“Well it’s not that you’re making me nervous…” Safia said.
“Own your envy Safia”, Hyzou said.
“The things they said you can do. Can you really control other people? Control their minds”, Safia said.
“Yes”, Hyzou said.
“It’s… Frightening”, Safia said.
“I can sense it. Your Qi. It lies just beneath your thoughts. Access it now, you’ve owned your envy. You’re ready”, Hyzou said.
Safia screwed her eyes up, she seemed to be concentrated. Hyzou waited for her Qi to come to life, for her powers to become manifest.
They didn’t.
“What happened?” Hyzou asked.
“I don’t know. It won’t come”, Safia said.
“That’s strange. Your Qi is there, ready for you to accept it. Do it!” Hyzou said.
“I can’t”, Safia exclaimed.
“Ok. You can open your eyes”, Hyzou said.
Safia did so.
“It’s strange, but your Qi really is just there for you. I don’t know why you can’t…”
Hyzou stopped.
“What is it?” Safia asked, looking at him.
“Draw your sword”, Hyzou said.
She did so, forming the Servant’s fighting stance of an open torso.
“I knew humans weren’t the only ones who could come up here”, Hyzou said.
Then he saw it. A lonely wolf, creeping its way towards them.
“That beast, it’s huge”, Safia said.
And she was right, it was a big wolf.
“It’s hungry, and it’s lost. This bridge, there’s some sorcery about it, the air outside can’t get in. That’s why it’s not windy up here. He can’t smell anything that’s not on this bridge, and so he’s lost”, Hyzou said.
“How do you know it’s a he?” Safia asked.
“I can sense it”, Hyzou said.
“You haven’t drawn your sword”, Safia said.
“Because I’m not going to use it”, Hyzou said.
“But it might attack us. Please Hyzou, I don’t have the Qi. I don’t know if I can fight it”, Safia said.
The wolf was speeding up now, coming closer, within a minute it would be able to attack them. The wolf saw that Hyzou and Safia were bigger than usual prey, but he was so hungry he didn’t care.
“Safia, when you became Aliya’s pupil, did you promise to follow her teachings?” Hyzou said.
“What? Yes, Hyzou, I did”, Safia said.
“And I suppose that your vows are transferred over to me?” Hyzou asked.
“Yes”, Safia shouted.
She was flustered, prepared for the wolf to reach them. The wolf was just feet away and preparing its jump. He was going for Safia, was closer and the more dangerous of the two of them. From the wolf’s perspective anyway.
Hyzou raised his right hand, and the wolf skidded and crashed into the cold ground, unable to move. It slid along until it landed at Safia’s feet. Safia fell into a heap, knocked off balance by the collision with the wolf.
Hyzou stepped forwards and kneeled beside the wolf. Safia scrambled to her feet, forming her fighting stance.
“Relax, he’s harmless now”, Hyzou said.
Hyzou rubbed his hands through the wolf’s matted fur. The animal stared up at him, terror alive in its eyes. He couldn’t understand why he couldn’t control his body.
“What happened?” Safia asked.
“I used that power you mentioned. I used my Qi to invade this poor animal’s mind and control his nervous system. I can make it move however I want. I can make it do anything I want”, Hyzou said.
“I can’t believe it”, Safia said.
Hyzou looked up at her.
“You said you were nervous around me. Well, I took a vow, just like you. I took a set of them when I was made a Servant, and then another set when I was made an Archaier. I swore to serve Uqing in everything I did. As part of that I swore to promote the welfare of whatever pupils I took on. My vows are everything to me. I’d die before I saw you harmed Safia”, Hyzou said.
She was staring at him.
>
“Do you believe me? I would never hurt you”, Hyzou said. “It would take a beast much angrier than this wolf for you to be unsafe with me. Uqing is my life, and that means that your safety is my life too.”
“I believe you”, Safia whispered.
“Now, I want you to kill this wolf”, Hyzou said.
“Kill it?” Safia said.
“Strike it down with your sword”, Hyzou said.
“It’s harmless”, Safia said.
“The moment I release my Qi, he will attack us. There’s no other food for it. Either we kill him, or he kills us”, Hyzou said.
The wolf began to whine loudly. Safia hesitated.
“The Servant always crushes her enemies. Do it. You must”, Hyzou said.
Safia grimaced, then jabbed. Her blade pierced the wolf’s throat, and the beast let out a wild howl. Safia had been trained well, the blow was true, and it just took seconds for the wolf to die.
“Do you understand why you had to do that?” Hyzou asked.
Safia nodded.
Hyzou stood up.
“Let’s leave the carcass there for whatever animal gets lost up here again”, Hyzou said.
“If you think it’s best”, Safia said.
And they walked onwards through the rest of the day. Hyzou spent the time pondering Safia’s inability to use her Qi, and a simple silence held sway over them long into the afternoon. They began to small talk again as evening fell, just mindless gossip about goings on at Uqing.
Finally, night fell, and Hyzou, after taking off the bags crisscrossing his torso, slept where he lay. There was no shelter on the Cythet road, and no need for it either. Safia slept in the centre of the road, but Hyzou slept right at the edge. On his side, as he drifted off, Hyzou had the perfect view of the valley lying miles below.
CHAPTER FIVE
“Do you see that?” Safia asked.
She interrupted herself mid-sentence to point it out.
“I sensed it a while ago”, Hyzou said.
“You can sense a building?” Safia asked.
“No, but I can sense the person that’s inside”, Hyzou said.
“Are they a danger?” Safia asked.
“It’s Eanno”, Hyzou said.
Safia looked at Hyzou, wondering whether he was serious.
“I can’t believe I’ll actually meet her”, Safia said.
“Hopefully we get to leave this place too. It’s tiring me”, Hyzou said.