by JC Kang
“She loved me.” Her captor came around the cot and leaned over her, his body heat and musky smell suffocating. He brought his face to her neck. His hand brushed up her thigh. She squeezed her eyes shut and turned her head. No, this wasn’t right. The rope dug into her wrists and ankles as she fought to free herself.
And then the hot weight above her drew away. Jie forced her heavy eyelids open again, and gasped for breath.
Above her, the man wore a sad expression. “You are not her.”
She shook her head, wondering for the millionth time in her life what her mother must have been like.
He slid a finger into her mouth, bringing a touch of sweetness. “Sleep now, my dear.”
Jie fought the fog that settled over her mind, and mumbled one last question. “Who was my mother?”
The sadness of his voice added to the heaviness in her head. “She was—”
And then blackness.
CHAPTER 27:
Last Details
Tian shook his head. The altivorc couldn’t have gotten far, and yet their search proved fruitless. With no other recourse, he questioned the drunken locals for news of altivorc activity over the last several days, only to be greeted by blank stares.
Certainly they would’ve heard about the battalion if it were within a few days’ march. If they didn’t have to worry about a few thousand altivorcs, it was better to take advantage of sleep here, instead of moving to a different location. Especially since Chen Xin would be returning in the morning.
Yet even with rotating watches, Tian slept restlessly, waking at the slightest sound. At first light, he pulled himself off of the cot to prepare for their departure.
The chill morning air greeted him as he stepped out of the inn. With precious little money, he was pleasantly surprised to find the Kanin Rider who’d guided them the day before, waiting by the stables with gifts from his embassy: a month’s supply of Kanin cornbread in backpacks, more feed for the horses, the monks’ clothes they had left behind, and thirty gold kroon.
Just before the Iridescent Moon waned to its fourth crescent, Chen Xin returned. Beside him rode Arvydas, the young king of Lietuvi, with a contingent of twenty mounted guards. Tian scanned the road behind them. Perhaps it was a trap. Perhaps a hundred enemy soldiers waited in the tree line outside the village. It was surprise enough the boy king had come at all. Unless it was to capture the princess. If only she would listen to reason.
Keeping his gaze on the king, Tian bowed. “Your Majesty. Princess Kaiya will be pleased. That you came.”
Arvydas’ mouth curled into a lopsided sneer, the fuzz on his upper lip reminiscent of a caterpillar rearing its head. He spoke with a contrived brashness that did little to hide the insecurity of youth. “Make haste. I have important matters to attend to in the city.”
Tian made eye contact with Chen Xin and tilted his head back towards the inn. The guard nodded and headed in that direction. While they waited, the king and his knights took in the surroundings.
The princess emerged from the inn, walking as regally and straight as if the day before had never happened. Her hair was tied back tightly, and she wore just the leather cuirass of a Kanin soldier. The uniform did nothing to highlight her physical perfection, yet she still carried herself as if wearing silken gowns.
Around her, the imperial guards held their sword scabbards, their free hands never straying far from the hilts. Their eyes evaluated the king’s guards. Tian palmed several biao.
For their part, the Lietuvi guards sat upright, hands on the pommels of their swords. Their gazes shifted between their king and the Hua.
King Arvydas’ jaw remained rigid, though his glare softened when her gaze met his. His lips twitched, and his eyes roved over her with the hot blood of early manhood. He raised a hand, and his knights drew their swords and fanned out.
Oh, no. Though not unexpected. Tian stepped in front of the princess while the imperial guards formed up around her.
Though she wore pants, she gracefully dipped into a shallow, Northern-style curtsey. Her voice remained calm. “Your Majesty, thank you for meeting with me. Please, be at ease.” The last four words warbled like the song of a nightingale, but Tian shrugged off the power of her voice as it rippled over him.
The Lietuvi contingent, however, relaxed in their saddles. The king’s expression twitched again, settling into an obviously forced scowl. His tone was accusatory. “You do realize the risk I am taking to come here? Speak.”
“Your Majesty, these are words privy only to your royal ears. Please, walk with me, alone.” She sang the last three words, power radiating from them.
The king’s brash façade melted. Motioning for his shocked guards to stay behind, he joined her in a stroll toward the river’s shoreline.
The princess turned to Tian, her silent order clear: do not follow us.
Foolish. All it took was for the king to resist her voice once, and she’d be alone, defenseless against him. Tian fought the urge to trail them, and just watched as the two descended to the riverbank. He pulled Chen Xin away from the semicircle of knights. “Did you deliver all the messages?”
Chen Xin shook his head. “Our compound was completely surrounded, so I went to the Kanin embassy and spent the night there. Their ambassador pledged to send supplies to the princess.”
The embassy. Hopefully, Jie was there, safe behind the compound walls. “What about the Golden Phoenix?”
Chen Xin frowned. “Rumors say she has gone out to open sea.”
“Out to open sea? How could they leave the princess behind?”
“She ordered the captain to return to Hua, even if it meant leaving us behind.” Chen Xin sighed.
Selfless, but ill-advised. It was Tian’s turn to shake his head. “And you let her?”
“When has she ever listened to us?” Chen Xin threw his hands up. “I went behind her back, but I couldn’t convince the captain to disobey her order.”
Tian sighed. Stubborn girl. Noble, stubborn girl. There was no point in blaming Chen. “Did the Teleri take the city?”
“This morning, the Teleri captured the eastern gate and occupied much of the eastern portion of the city. The Iksuvi army puts up a valiant resistance in the city center, but it’s only a matter of time before the Iksuvius is completely occupied.”
Tian lifted his chin at the king’s twenty knights. “And so the Lietuvi agreed to meet. I don’t trust them.”
Chen followed his gaze. “Give the princess more credit. She may be stubborn, but she has manipulated older and more experienced rulers than young King Arvydas.”
Perhaps. Tian looked down towards the river, where the princess and the king talked, just out of earshot. “Let us hope she finishes her parley soon. We need to stay ahead of the news coming out of Iksuvius.”
The early morning sun danced on the ripples of the lazy river, while small white birds floated on the light breeze. Standing by the sandy riverbank beneath the weathered seawall, Kaiya scrutinized the king.
Younger than her by two years, and having just taken the reins of power after years of being a puppet king, King Arvydas took long strides with his chest puffed out. His own insecurities, youthful ardor, and brashness would make him soft clay in her hands.
His lips were pursed. “The First Consul sent a message to his allies, saying that you have committed crimes against the Teleri Empire. He offered a substantial reward for your capture. I wondered what offense would warrant such a bounty.”
Kaiya flashed her most disarming smile. “I wonder as well. I am just a girl, defenseless and far from home. There is little that I could do to the great Teleri Empire.”
He jabbed a finger in her direction. “You fled the city, so you must be guilty of something. Tell me, or our discussion is over and I will deliver you to the First Consul’s bedchamber myself.”
Kaiya tilted her head and placed her hand over her heart. “I did nothing more than defend myself. Perhaps the First Consul cannot accept that he was best
ed by an untrained girl a third his size.”
Mouth agape, Arvydas lowered his hand. He looked at her, his eyes appraising more than her curves. He snorted. “So…why did you ask to meet me?”
She looked up through her lashes. “I wish to discuss your new alliance with Iksuvi.”
His mouth again hung open for a few seconds before he burst out laughing. “Why would I ally with those weasels? They tried to set up their own puppet to usurp my throne. That snake Evydas will receive his comeuppance soon enough.”
“I think you will rethink your position after you hear about an even greater betrayal.” She edged closer and lowered her voice. “My informants have told us that the Teleri have made several deals aimed at conquering the Nothori region. While your troops move into the south of Iksuvi, the altivorcs guarding your border with Rotuvi have abandoned their post and have left your rear unguarded. Rotuvi has made a deal with the Teleri to invade you from the south, while you are preoccupied with your invasion of Iksuvi.”
The king frowned and waved a hand. “Preposterous! Why would the Teleri double-cross us? They have nothing to gain, nor the resources to fight a war on two fronts.”
Kaiya chose her words carefully to avoid offending Arvydas. “I am only a girl, with no mind for military strategy, but I wonder why the First Consul set your alliance for just two years instead of five. After they conquer Iksuvi, who will be next? How long would it take them to conquer your kingdom if you weakened yourself by dividing your troops between occupying Iksuvi and defending your southern borders from Rotuvi?”
Arvydas paled, though he still spoke with bravado. “You are just a girl. Old Gunvydas is a coward. But if Rotuvi does attack us, we have enough soldiers in the south to repulse an attack. Why are you telling me this now? What do you have to gain from us joining forces with Iksuvi?”
At least he was entertaining the idea. Her real reason—to cover her own escape—would remain unspoken, replaced by a half-truth. “I do not care to see the Bovyan scourge sweep through the Northwest, for that will put them at Cathay’s border. Iksuvi and Lietuvi standing together have a better chance than either one alone.”
King Arvydas cast a sly smile. “Are you so confident in your information that you would be willing to come back to our embassy?”
Diplomatic words spilled off her lips on reflex. “I am confident in our information, but not so assured in the safety of returning to Iksuvius, even under your protection. The Teleri are bringing a sizeable force, and could easily surround your embassy if they learn of my presence there. It would be unfair of me to put you in that situation.”
The king’s peach fuzz danced back and forth as he visibly pondered her words. “What do you plan to do now?”
Of course this question would come. She’d prepared more half-truths to gauge King Arvydas’ trustworthiness. And protect them if he decided to betray her. “I am heading south to winter in Kalenai City, as far away from the invading army as possible. I do not care to share a bed with Bovyan soldiers. Come spring, my father will send warships to press the Teleri for my safe return.”
The king shook his head and offered a smug grin. “You are cornering yourself. You do not realize how quickly a Teleri army conquers. The only way out of southeast Iksuvi is either across the river into Teleri itself, or through altivorc tunnels in the Wilds. You should turn west at the highway crossroads and head toward Laramies.”
Right where his armies were heading. Kaiya nodded her head and smiled coyly. “Thank you, Your Majesty. I defer to your military mind. I have no eye for strategy or map-reading.”
Arvydas beamed. “Laramies is close to the border of my kingdom. You will find safe haven with us.”
It was too fast a change in attitude. Still, it was better to play along and preempt his next suggestion. “Thank you for your kind offer. We do not know the way. Would it be impertinent to ask that you send one of your men with me as a guide?”
Surprised satisfaction flashed across his face, as evident as the sun on a cloudless day. “We are pressed for able-bodied soldiers in these times of uncertainty. Nor can I give the Teleri the impression I am helping you.”
She raised an eyebrow. “And what about your alliance with the Teleri?”
His feral grin returned. “If your information is wrong, then I will tell the First Consul where you are headed. If it is right, then we still have two years to prepare a defense against them.”
Kaiya curtseyed again. “Then we will both be safe. For the time being.”
Tian appeared at the top of the seawall. “Dian-xia,” he said in the Hua tongue. “We must make haste. A swifthorse relay messenger just passed through. Iksuvius has fallen. Bovyan scouts are headed this way.”
CHAPTER 28:
A Journey of a Thousand Li Begins With Trouble
Once they passed the exodus of refugees on the first day, Tian knew his plan would work—as long as they stayed ahead of the news from the north. The altivorc column coming up from the south would have no reason to stop a small patrol of Kanin Riders if they didn’t know about the disguise.
The first three days of the journey went smoothly, with sunny weather and unseasonable warmth for early autumn. The highway ran along the river through pastoral farmland, passing through several villages and a few small towns. Farmers and townsfolk afforded them only an occasional curious glance. Even the usually pessimistic Li Wei seemed to be less gloomy than usual.
Across the river, which narrowed to about a li in width, lay several Teleri towns and villages. Yet from what Tian could see, life went on as usual, with no hint of the war that raged to the north. Fleet, regularly rode ahead to scout, coming back with reports that all remained calm in the south. More importantly, there was no sign of the altivorc army.
They stayed in the swifthorse highway lodges, though the message relay system had ground to a halt in the last week after horses started falling ill. As a precaution, Tian insisted on paying farmers to stable their own horses, away from the swifthorses. Despite that inconvenience, easy access to food and soft beds made their journey feel more like an outing than an escape.
The change in terrain matched the transformation Tian saw in the princess. Now out of immediate danger, she seemed happy as she rode side-by-side with Brehane.
The two exchanged hairpins, declaring themselves sworn sisters. They chatted and giggled like farmers’ wives with few cares in the world. The Mystic frequently spoke of the son she so missed, while the princess provided empathetic encouragement. She began to actually resemble the girl from his youth. But on occasion, the princess caught him looking at her. She would lift her chin and turn away, dispelling any illusions.
Around noon on the fourth day, they arrived in the river town of Kalenai. The friendly faces from previous towns and villages gave way to suspicious glares, and the townsfolk refused to sell them food or feed.
Fleet frowned as they came to a stop in the middle of the town. “I’ve been here many times and have never received such a cold reception.”
Tian tapped his chin. They were riding well ahead of the news out of the north. “No one could possibly know. That we’re being pursued. And even if they did know… The people of Iksuvi wouldn’t help the Teleri.”
“You!” a loud, unfriendly voice called out in Arkothi.
Tian turned.
A burly town constable approached, pointing at them. “You there, what business do you have in Kalmies?”
Tian had prepared a story before they’d even set out, just for these occasions, and had rehearsed the long sentence over and over again in his head. He gestured towards Sameer and his friends. “The Kingdom of Tomiwa has asked these Southerners to investigate a haunting at our villa in Kalenai.”
The constable regarded him through narrowed eyes. “You’re going to have to come with me.”
Tian frowned. “Sir, we cannot be delayed.”
“You are foreigners on Iksuvi soil—"
Brehane chanted a string of guttural syllables,
while crushing some flower petals in her hands.
The constable’s expression softened, and he beamed with outstretched hands. “My friends! Forgive me for my rude behavior just now. These are unsettled times.”
Brehane smiled back at him. “My companions have said this town was always warm and hospitable; but today, we get nothing but suspicious stares. What has happened?”
The constable shook his head sadly. “I’m so sorry. An altivorc came to our station yesterday. He said that a party of seven Kanin Riders might pass through. He also said that Iksuvi would soon fall to Teleri, and that whichever town captured the Riders would be spared the Mating indefinitely. An entire squad of my men are coming to detain you. You must flee now. Be careful. There’s a rumor of a large regiment of altivorcs heading north along the highway.”
Tian gritted his teeth. How could their escaped prisoner have spread the news so fast? “Thank you. Tell your comrades that we fled. North along the highway.” He then turned to his companions. “We must move quickly.”
As they cantered through the streets and out of town, the locals whispered and pointed. They didn’t pause until the town was well in the distance, and the next village was just within sight. With tired horses, hungry humans and a famished madaeri, they left the road, descending to the Alto River bank to break for lunch.
The river flowed lazily north, its glittering ripples reflecting the sun high above. Birds flew south against the flow of the river, heading toward their winter nesting grounds. For the first time since the onset of their journey, they had to eat some of the Kanin corn bread. An uneasy silence hung over the group.
Akolyte Cyrus broke the silence. “Brehane, our own mission is in jeopardy now. We must split and go our separate ways.”
Tian would do the same if their roles were reversed. He kept his voice measured. “We won’t find the pass into the Wilds. Not without Fleet’s help. You’ll be condemning the princess to capture.”