An Emperor's Fury: Most Favored

by Paul Heisel

  "Iristi, why are you so upset?"

  "Hou is worse off," she said in a huff, "and nothing short of a miracle can bring back the glory of our city. I will do my best to get Hiru's assistance, maybe he will help us, maybe he won't. We are at his mercy. Hou as it exists today will be no longer. That doesn't upset you?"

  Rayu could sense this was going nowhere and he lost his will to debate with her. Iristi was already troubled by the situation and he didn't want to make it worse for her. The death of Wafu months ago had sent her into a period of quiet mourning, and to suppress the hurt, she had thrown herself into her responsibilities as the selected leader of the city. Then the bandits came, and the samurai supporting their city departed, finding other allegiances with more promise. Without their protection and their might, Hou was defenseless except for the standing militia, who were no more than volunteers. To keep the surrounding roads and small villages safe, the council had sent the militia out of Hou and into the countryside. What was left was barely enough to protect the city from harm, and with the mysterious appearance of the horse demon, Rayu couldn't be sure they were safe by any means. The horse demon troubled him without question. Presence of such an evil beast from the world of shadow was terrible at best and as Iristi was right, it had been hundreds of years since a horse demon had been seen. The last time horse demons had come, so had death, destruction, despair, and war.

  Since Wafu's death, Iristi had lived with him here in the center of Hou at the seat of government, where he spent his time assisting the council with all things political. He helped the council with various matters, from checking contracts with merchants to making sure that someone was employed to keep the streets clean and lanterns lit. It was tireless work, as the tasks were never ending for a city of this size. But he enjoyed it, and he reflected it was a better living than being a soldier as he had done in his younger days.

  Rayu stood as Iristi set aside her parchment so the ink could dry. Still he couldn't see what she had been writing, plus his eyesight was failing and he couldn't see small things far away. He wished he could change the subject, but he was at a loss for words now - he wanted to explain why Hiru was oppressing Hou, and he figured that she didn't want to hear it. It was well known that for countless years the people of Hou had tried to split from Hiru. The capital city, Hiru, had ruled over their district for a long time. There had always been whispers of rebellion or conversations in the taverns about Hou becoming their own sovereign province, with or without a Most Favored belt. They didn't need Hiru controlling them from afar. It really came down to if Hou was strong enough to stand alone against the ruling belt. Recent events proved that they weren't. They needed samurai and a dayma. Wafu, who would have been their dayma, was dead.

  "What of our savior? Have his wounds healed? He looked too young to be a samurai of any importance."

  Rayu took a breath, relieved she had found another subject to talk about. "He has departed. I helped him as best I could, but he wished to be on his way."

  She nodded her head slowly, her astonishing and beautiful eyes looking off in the distance. "I feel uncomfortable celebrating tonight," Iristi said. "The horse demon wrought so much destruction. It doesn't seem right to have this feast."

  "It's your decision if you want to postpone the celebration. The council will support your decision to reschedule. We have, though, cooked enough food to feed all that attend."

  "Then we should honor the dead with the feast, not celebrate my forthcoming trip." Iristi stood tall and ran her fingers along the green dress she had put on, caressing the fabric.

  "That dress doesn't compare to the blue one," Rayu said. "You look radiant by the way."

  "You don't need to flatter your own niece! Save your compliments for the ladies at the tavern. You're incorrigible!"

  Rayu looked hurt. "It's not flattery, it's the truth."

  "I'll travel as a commoner until I get to Hiru, it's better that no one around her notices me on the road. I will wear the blue dress when I get to Hiru."

  "You should wear it tonight."

  "No uncle, it's far too valuable. When I get to Hiru."

  "Agreed. The gold spent on that dress was much of our savings, but well worth it. It's a shame you weren't able to use it for its original purpose, your wedding day."

  "At least it's good for something," she said. "I don't want to talk about this. Will you tell the council that we'll honor the dead tonight?"

  "Of course. I'll have messengers spread the word to the citizens of Hou." Rayu departed, traveled downstairs to the third floor. He went to the government offices to make the announcement to the council members and send out messengers, then he went to determine what was required to cremate the dead, to fix the buildings, and to do whatever else needed to be done. The toil was constant, and that's the way Rayu liked it. Busy, yet he could have done without the horse demon, that's for sure.

  #

  Feln tried several times to invoke the transportation, but it didn't work. He used the same hand movements and imagined his monastery, but nothing happened. He repeated it and imagined the gates outside of Borgard Castle; still nothing happened. He wasn't sure what he needed to do to make it work - what he needed was Suun to show him how to use the belt. But he didn't know where she was, or if he was anywhere near where Suun should be. He didn't even know where Hou was! He was alone, and if his instincts were right, he was in danger. It was clear to him that the belt he was wearing marked him as an important person, yet without proper affiliation he would continue to be branded a wandering criminal.

  He had no one to get advice from and time was running out. Rayu would return and discover him not gone. What he had to do was travel to the next village and figure out where he was, then determine where Suun might be. Pyndira was a vast land, though, populated by millions of people. To find one person seemed impossible. Time passed and through the window Feln could see night encroaching. It would be darker soon and he could slip away unnoticed. He wasn't sure what direction he should go, but he had to get away from Hou and the militia. He imagined Rayu changing his mind and bringing the militia into the fold, if captured it would mean disaster for him - telling them that he transported from Malurrion would be met with skepticism and disbelief. It was best if he avoided this entirely. When dusk arrived, he slipped out of the building without being seen. His skin ached from the light burns, but overall, he was intact and healthy. Feln gathered his chi, not wanting to take any chances, and vanished. He didn't reappear until he was safely away from the government office.

  Around him, the city structures continued for many miles. He had underestimated the size of Hou. It was massive and must have contained tens of thousands of residents. Street after street passed, and he was impressed by the number of businesses, homes, and estates. There were temples, clothiers, shoemakers, taverns, inns, restaurants, carpenters, coopers, weavers, butchers, blacksmiths, fishmongers, and tanners. The variety of businesses was normal and expected, what Feln didn't anticipate was the sheer number. He had counted twelve blacksmiths; in Waskhal they had four. He noticed while he was traveling away from the center of town that the residents were heading toward the center. Feln understood from the conversations he heard that there was a celebration tonight, overshadowed though by the attack of the horse demon. As he got farther away from the center, fewer people were on the streets and it was darker. Outside of the city, the darkness gave way to billions of bright stars overhead and twin reddish moons, each casting eerie glows across the landscape. Without cloud cover, it looked like it would never get completely dark because of the shining moons. The land looked cultivated and well-cared for, he believed Rayu's statement that the people here produced many crops. It had to, as there was a massive population of people to feed! Farm buildings dotted the lands, a few were dark, though, and looked abandoned. While he walked, he came across large walled estates that extended for miles on the edge of town. The posted guards paid him no mind as long as he stayed on the road.

  Fa
rther out, just past the edge of the main populated areas, he found where Hou had been building a wall. It was partially complete and made of thick stone, extending far beyond his limited sight. It ended abruptly where he was, and Feln wondered if the construction had ceased for the night or if it had ceased entirely. He wasn't sure. To him it looked abandoned, unfinished. Two towers, one complete, one half finished with shoulder height walls, guarded the avenue he walked upon. There were no soldiers here, though, no gate either. He continued and was intent on finding the next town so he could figure this out.

  The road he traveled upon paralleled a river, and he was traveling upstream - what direction, he wasn't sure. Although he didn't have any food with him, nor did he know where he was going, Feln was determined to figure out what all of this meant. He had to learn the history of his mother and understand who she was. Maybe he would learn who he was as well, and what Suun had been talking about. The belt held a significance he didn't understand, and according to Suun there were hundreds of such belts. So what made his mother's belt so special? Why would they spend so much effort to find one belt?

  As far as Pyndira being his true home, he couldn't imagine anything but the Waskhal monastery being home. Already he missed Owori, his friend, companion, and newfound love. He had to get back to find out what had happened, but how? How was he going to get back? Feln went to the side of the road and made the hand motions and he imagined Waskhal. Nothing happened. He did the same, but imagined Borgard castle's outer gates. Nothing happened. What was he doing wrong?

  The cooler night air woke him, and despite the fatigue from traveling and the battle with the horse demon, he pressed on, determined to get to the next town. There had to be another village not far away. He would figure out what he needed to do once he arrived and had time to sit and think. Feln walked for two more hours, then decided he needed to rest for the night. He couldn't continue along the road any longer as he was exhausted, spent. He found a stand of trees on the edge of a field where cows were sleeping. It smelled terrible if the wind was gusting in the wrong direction. Still, he collapsed, there was nothing more he could do - he had to rest - he had to regain his strength before traveling again. Borgard and Owori seemed so far away, and so did the Accord of the Hand. He would figure out how to get home when he found Suun. If he found Suun. Before bedding down, Feln adjusted his clothing and the magic belt so it was looser. He made a quick bed with nearby plants, the best he could do. Curling up, Feln closed his eyes. He hoped it wouldn't rain.

  #

  The shrill, bone-chilling cry woke Feln with a start. It was dreadfully dark, the reddish glow from the moons gone. There were no stars overhead. The forest denizens became silent except for something breathing heavy a moderate distance away, perhaps a hundred feet. Snorts and sniffs filled the stands of trees, and a breeze came, bringing with it a stench of rotten meat. Crash! Snap! An enormous creature was smashing the trees with great force. Slipping away, Feln scooted toward what he thought was the road. The monk moved through the darkness, his hands groping ahead of him for trees and branches. The beast must have heard him, because more trees came crashing down and the breathing came closer. Feln had the overwhelming sense that this creature was huge. It was getting closer and showed no signs of stopping.

  Feln gathered his chi and used the magic to disappear. He became another tree in the forest, steady in the breeze, unnoticeable in the starless night. Taking a deep breath, he held it, concentrating on staying undetectable. The cloud cover gave way, the stars shining down across the forest. The beast came by, Feln could see it trampling trees and snapping them into kindling. It was fifty or sixty feet long, and had an odd gait. It stopped fifty feet from him and began sniffing and snorting again. Feln still held his breath, unwilling to breathe. His lungs burned. The creature whipped to the side and bounded away quicker than a horse, heading out of the forest. The red moonlight came back and Feln caught a glance of the beast retreating. It was serpentine and had red scales that glistened against the complementing glow of the moon. Small sails lined the back, and there were huge wings.

  It was a dragon!

  Feln crept forward and took a breath, maintaining his chi, and stayed invisible. The dragon trampled the forest and broke into an open field. Feln followed in the direction of the beast, stepping through the shattered trees with as much care as he could muster. The air filled with moos of the cattle, then he heard hooves pounding on the ground as the animals fled. He came to the field in time to see the dragon snatching a cow in its mouth. The beast twisted the cow and crunched it with razor teeth. The cow's scream died when the dragon gulped it whole; the remaining herd thundered to safety. The dragon took to flight, wings pushing the air. It flew low, close to the ground, circled the area two times, and shot high into the air with amazing strength. It streaked across the twin moons and disappeared into the night.

  Releasing his chi, Feln let out a sigh and gasped for air. He turned, using the moonlight to guide him back to his makeshift camp. The forest, flattened by the dragon, looked as if a war had taken place. Feln sat down, his heart pounding hard. He put his head down with hopes of drifting off to sleep again, but the adrenaline dictated otherwise.

  #

  The next morning he awoke hungry, and he foraged for berries and nuts, but found little to sustain him in this area. He could see that the dragon had destroyed hundreds of trees with its bulk, crushing the underbrush as well. Fortune was with him, for the dragon could have killed him had he not moved toward the road.

  Feln followed the highway for a while, hoping to encounter people. The road was empty this early, and after an hour he went to the river and drank water, filling himself up for the rest of the morning. He hoped there was a village close by so he could get information. Feln figured if he stayed near the river and the road, then he would find people and the next town. Every so often he found himself taking deep breaths, taking in the Pyndira air, still not believing he had arrived at the land he had only dreamed of. It had a different feel, as did any new destination, however this was unlike any environment he had experienced. The trees, plants, and fields were so vibrant and extensive. By comparison Malurrion looked spent and desolate. It made him curious; was all of Pyndira like this or was he in the middle of the more exceptional parts of the land?

  The road was void of traffic until midday, so after traveling four hours he estimated he was at least another four or five hours away from the next town or stopping place. There were farming villages along the way, but nothing he would consider large enough to offer supplies. The first caravan he encountered consisted of merchants heading to Hou to sell their wares. He inquired about the next large town along the road, which turned out to be a place called Tero. It was a smaller village, with an inn, a store, one blacksmith, a butcher, and it served many farmers, families, and the local laborers who lived in the area. Feln questioned one of the merchants who seemed eager to talk with anyone, and at last he found out useful information.

  Hou, where he had come from, was the largest city in the area and was a center of trade, government, and culture. It was also home to many of the wealthier families, and the man claimed their estates were rivaled only by the ones in Hiru. Around Hou were dozens of small towns, created because of the farming in the area, and plots of land owned by samurai. Feln learned that he was headed north into what was wilderness and ruins, with only a few populated areas. The next town, Tero, was on the edge of the wilderness and there were a few larger cities several days travel farther north. The traveler told Feln the road along the river through the wilderness was fraught with peril, and for him to stick to the road that angled toward the Black Mountains.

  The inquisitive merchant had asked Feln if he was a monk on a pilgrimage. Feln had responded that he was and would keep the merchant in his prayers, which had made the merchant overjoyed. This false pilgrimage would be a better story than one of him being a lost stranger from another land that was only rumored to exist. Feln reflected that Tero would hav
e to suffice for him to get food, shelter, and supplies.

  He also learned he was in Emesia. Emesia was one of six provinces in Pyndira, to the west and south if his memory served him correctly. The seventh area was known as Daiwer-dar, where the Emperor lived. Now he knew Hiru was the capital of Emesia and the seat of power, to the north, toward where he was traveling. Feln wished he had his journal with him so he could write all of this down. Perhaps the merchants in Tero would have paper, quills, and ink.

  Along the road there were other caravans and travelers, and handfuls of soldiers as well. The soldiers, Feln noted, looked more like militia. A few questioned him, he thought because of his katana, while others ignored him. He found out that the militia were from Hou and they were charged with protecting the roads and villages. The merchant traffic, the flow of goods and money, seemed to be important to these roving patrols. A thought occurred to Feln that dampened his spirits. He had no currency. He didn't even know what was used for money. How was he going to buy supplies or food?

  Throughout the afternoon additional travelers passed by, all headed to Hou. This area was lush; Feln could see well-tended farms stretching throughout the hillsides, paved roads and pathways as well. There were orchards and vineyards for as far as he could see, workers were tending to the crops in the warm sun. Hunger caused his stomach to rumble. Feln took one of the paths, walked a good distance in the unattended orchard, and as he neared he called upon his chi. He disappeared into the trees and began borrowing apples. He was certain they wouldn't miss a few, not from the bountiful harvest they were experiencing. Still, he hurried and got back on the road, as Tero was ahead.

  #

  Rayu woke the next morning after the feast. He felt sore from the battle with the horse demon, though he wasn't sure why he should - the stranger had killed the beast. Now that a night had passed, Rayu wondered if he should have taken Feln captive. He could have used him to collect a reward, or perhaps he could have held him for ransom. That's what they did with ranan, wasn't it? He would have been wealthy if he found the right person, if he had found a wanted criminal. No, it wasn't worth the trouble he told himself. He shrugged off the foolish notion, remembering the swiftness of Feln's blade and the way he had obliterated the horse demon. It was just as well that the wanderer was on his way. Any attempt by him to take Feln captive could have resulted in his death. Being older made him appreciate what he termed as 'unintentional wisdom.' The risk was not worth the reward, and his thoughts this morning confirmed it. But it was a great fantasy, taking a rogue samurai prisoner, bringing him to justice, and collecting the reward. It sounded much more exciting than his safer, mundane duties.