by JC Kang
Tian yanked his spear from the dirt. He feigned worry, letting his eyes widen and his hands tremble. Yet to himself, he smiled. The Teleri’s confident grins told him they’d fallen for his act. With the versatility of Hua spear techniques and the element of surprise, there was little doubt who’d win.
After saluting his opponents, who returned the gesture, Tian held his spear one-handed and let the point drop to the ground. He waited as the three soldiers encircled him.
One let out a war cry, and three attacks thrust in at three different levels. With his spearhead still touching the ground, he lifted the shaft so that it stood straight up, and spun to the side, out of range of two of the spears while the third brushed harmlessly against his weapon.
With an open hand, he slapped down on the hammer part of the head, sending a vibration down the weapon. The wielder dropped it, staring at his shaking hands.
Tian kicked his spear up. The blunt end struck the unfortunate soldier in the face, knocking him to the ground. At the same time, he caught the Teleri’s spear with one hand and swept it in a wide arc. The butt of the weapon deflected an incoming stab, and hit the second soldier in the head, crumpling him over. Three seconds, two down.
The Maki cheered loudly in the background. Even Kaiya applauded at the sudden shift in momentum.
The last Teleri disengaged and reset. Sweat gathered on his brow. Tian kicked his own spear up into his hands and advanced with multiple stabs and sweeps. The Teleri scuttled back to the edge of the ring.
“Attack, coward!” The captain stomped.
The soldier shouted and surged forward with the full arsenal of Teleri spear techniques: thrusts, slashes, and hammers. Tian nonchalantly evaded them all, backing up until he stood over one of the fallen men’s discarded spears. He twisted his legs with the haft between his feet, and the spearhead slashed into his opponent’s unarmored shins.
With a yelp, the Teleri limped backward, holding his spear up defensively. Tian lifted a foot so that the spear rose into his hands, and he advanced purposefully towards his wounded foe. He avoided one last thrust, and used the hook of the weapon to catch the Teleri’s good ankle. A jerk sent the man tumbling to the ground, and Tian placed the point at his throat.
The villagers erupted in louder cheers. Silent, the Teleri soldiers went to help their fallen comrades.
The captain strode up to Tian and studied him. “You’re good. I look forward to the opportunity to meet you again, when it really counts.”
Which might be soon, after today’s events. Tian stared at his feet. Hopefully, the officer wouldn’t spot the features that separated a Kanin from Cathayi. He spun and walked back to the celebrating tribespeople.
Kaiya threw her arms around him, burying her face in his chest. “What were you thinking? Fighting against three?”
So little faith in his abilities. That was the least of Tian’s concerns. He turned to Hati. “We can’t let them leave the village yet. The chief needs to know the entire story. Let’s invite them to rest and offer them some food.”
Hati’s lips tightened. Nonetheless, he went to talk with the Shaki, and the guide translated to the captain. From where he was standing, Tian could tell the prideful Teleri had refused.
Had the Bovyans recognized them? There was too great a risk to the village. As distasteful as it was, the Teleri and their Shaki guide would have to die, and their secret with them. The only question was how to wipe out the patrol and minimize casualties to the Maki.
Tian tightened his grip on the spear and pushed through his cheering compatriots.
CHAPTER 47:
Dilemmas
Kaiya’s heart pounded in her ears, drowning out the excited villagers. What had Tian been thinking, taking on three men at once? And now...oh, no. His hard stare and clenched jaw was like the unfeeling automaton from their escape. He planned to kill the Teleri.
She placed a hand on his forearm. “No, Tian. Maybe they didn’t recognize us.”
He looked through her at first, and then his expression softened. He was her husband again. “All right.” He turned to one of the young scouts, Noki, and pointed at the patrol hobbling out of the village. “Track them, find out where they are going.”
Noki nodded and slunk off.
When Tian returned her gaze, he looked defeated. Had she made the wrong decision for them? The village?
“Come,” he said. He waved Hati down. “We must tell Chief Nuwa.”
In the confines of the chief’s lodge, the Hua gathered with Hati, Lana, and Yuha around the fire pit. She told their story: she was a princess of Hua, betrayed while on a mission of diplomacy. They never expected the Teleri to be in the Wilds, never intended to bring harm to the village or tribe. At the end of her story, she pressed her forehead to the floor in apology. The Hua all followed suit.
“Rise,” Chief Nuwa said after a moment of silence. “My children, you have nothing to apologize for. If the Metal Men are as ruthless as you say, and if the stories out of the east are true, then we would have faced this threat eventually. On the contrary, you have enriched our lives, and perhaps taught us a means of defending ourselves. I am grateful that the spirits brought you here.”
Kaiya shook head. If only it were so simple. “If they recognized us, then I’m afraid that we will have brought this threat sooner. The Teleri are efficient and vengeful. Their armored infantry have met little resistance in two centuries of conquest.”
The wise chief stood and walked over to the wall. From the floor, he picked up a long object, shrouded in a fur blanket. He unwrapped it, revealing a spear, much longer than the typical Maki spear, with a steel head.
“When I was young,” he said, “our horse-riding brethren in the plains tried to incorporate our lands into their kingdom. But the tribes joined together to fight. We knew these forests, we knew not to engage them head-to-head. I was just a boy, and I felled one of their generals with my bow, and took his lance as a prize.”
So much dignity and pride! Kaiya smiled in spite of herself.
“If the tribes were willing to unite against our distant kinsmen, I have no doubt that they will put aside their differences to fight outsiders. I will send word to the Maki tribal council, and they in turn will reach out to the other tribes. Now return to your home and rest.”
Kaiya looked at Tian. If the lines of worry etched into his forehead were any indication, the chief’s inspiring words had done little to assuage him.
It was late afternoon as they headed back to their lodge in silence. Villagers all smiled and patted Tian on the shoulder, congratulating him for his performance. His own smile looked like that of a condemned prisoner resigned to his fate.
Kaiya leaned into him. It didn’t make her feel any better. What made her think it would comfort him?
Five young warriors waited at their door. As was Maki custom, Tian invited them in, offering them a seat around the fire pit. Kaiya started a fire and began heating water to make some sweet evergreen bark tea for their guests.
“Your fight was amazing!” Kona, a wide-eyed sixteen-year-old, had developed good spear skills under Tian’s tutelage. “Your techniques were so unpredictable. How did you think to use your opponent’s weapons?”
Tian’s expression brightened. Leave it to a martial discussion to make him feel better! “Beyond skill with your weapon,” he said, “you also need to develop an awareness. Of your surroundings. You can use them to your advantage.”
The youths nodded excitedly, soaking up his words. Kaiya hoped they would never have to make use of the lessons.
Tian grinned. “Know your enemy’s weapon. Then you know his strengths and weaknesses. Kaiya’s ancestor banned all bladed weapons in our homeland. Except in the armies. When his widow, the Queen Regent, had to put down a rebellion. She found the peasants had developed unpredictable fighting techniques with their farming tools.”
Kaiya looked up from the boiling pot. Was it true? She’d never heard of a rebellion. Perhaps the Moquan knew mor
e about these things.
Tian outlined the shape of the Teleri spear. “Their new weapon has four modes of attack. But at long range, the thrust is most common. It is the fastest way of covering distance. That makes the threat one-dimensional. Your response can be three-dimensional.”
“So we can beat them!” Kosa, Kona’s twin, clapped his hands.
Tian shrugged. “Each Teleri is formidable. However, their true threat is in formations. Ma Jun can tell you more.”
Kona jumped to his feet and dashed out of the lodge. A moment later, he came back, dragging Ma Jun along with him. Lana followed close behind, smiling at Kaiya as she entered.
Thank the Heavens. Any more talk of fighting and weapons would be even more depressing. While she and Lana prepared dinner for four, the men continued with their discussion. On occasion, she would glance up to see Ma Jun and Tian working together to show how individual techniques worked in formation.
The teens all stared wide-eyed, so excited about combat.
Kaiya shuddered. All the sacrifices made for her: Xu Zhan. Li Wei. Zhao Yue. Chen Xin. Perhaps more she didn’t know of since their escape. Had Jie survived? War was ugly business. Hopefully, these youths would never experience it.
After an hour, darkness fell and the youngsters were called back to their homes for dinner, leaving the four adults to eat in peace. Around her, Ma Jun and Tian wore somber expressions, habitually talking in the Hua language. Since Lana had picked up only a little, Kaiya tried several times to bring it back into the Maki dialect, to no avail.
Ma Jun poked at the food with his chopsticks. “If the Teleri recognized you, they’ll be back with a larger force.”
Tian sucked on his lower lip, almost like Jie. “We need to find where their base camp is. We can find out how many there are. And how soon they will return.”
What was he thinking? Kaiya shivered. “Our presence here endangers the village.”
Lana shook her head. “The chief is right, whether or not you are here makes little difference. Sooner or later, we will have to face this threat.”
Ma Jun peeled back part of the rug and drew a map on the floor. “Strategically speaking, for them to come here would divert their attention from closer objectives. The only reason for them to come here in the short term is us.”
And if the Teleri knew who they were...Kaiya shuddered. “Perhaps we should leave the village.”
Lana frowned. “My brother never told you, did he? Last year, the spirits came to him in a vision, informing him that our people would soon face a great danger we could not overcome ourselves. He would find answers if he made a pilgrimage to the Land of the Spirit Messengers, on a night when the white moon hid and the blue moon was half-lidded.”
Kaiya calculated when that would have happened. Maybe several months ago, which meant—
“That is how you came to meet him on the trails west of the river.”
Goosebumps rose on Kaiya’s arms. “What did he learn?”
Lana locked her gaze on her. “He looked into the sacred pool and saw the reflection of the blue moon as straight swords. After Nadi and Waka told him how you defeated the ogre, he was certain the spirits brought you to us. You would save us from the danger. That’s why Chief Nuwa accepted you into the tribe.”
Save the tribe from danger? How was she supposed to do that? Kaiya looked at the floor. “I am no warrior. My encounter with the ogre was luck. I had to be saved from them the night before.”
She leaned in to Tian, savoring his warmth, and he draped an arm over her. Why so hesitant?
Lana shook her head. “You do not need to be a warrior to protect others. The spirits do not speak directly, only in metaphors. Yuha’s pilgrimage could be interpreted in many ways. Our people believe it is you.”
Kaiya fell silent, lost in contemplation. They couldn’t stay here, couldn’t risk the village.
That night, after they’d gone to bed, she lay awake, unable to vanquish the thoughts clashing in her head. It was useless. She sighed and looked up through the hole in the roof at the stars.
Beside her, Tian whispered, “You can’t sleep either?”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you.”
“I was not asleep, Dian-xia.” He shifted on his side, his gaze heavy on her in the darkness. His speech was so...formal.
And had he just used her title? She rolled over to face him. “I can’t help but to think, if we returned to Hua, then the village would be safe. But if we go back, what will happen to us? I know that my father would never approve of our marriage. And I never told you this, but I was courting Zheng Ming before I departed for Iksuvius.”
Tian’s tone carried unusual shock. “My brother would not take kindly to our marriage.”
“Even if they recognized our marriage. I couldn’t continue living if we were forced to be apart.” She nestled her head into his bare chest.
Tian rubbed his hand against her back. “Fang Weiyong would vouch for it. He administered our vows. He made sure it was all done correctly. We should return. If we stay here...it’s only a matter of time. Before Teleri subjugates the Maki. The tribesmen know the forest. But the empire’s armies would win. With overwhelming numbers. And superior weapons.”
She looked up from his chest, into his eyes. They were pools of blackness in the night. “What if we just ran away? We do not stay here, nor do we return to Hua.”
“Where would we go? We can’t live on love alone.”
Kaiya’s chest tightened. How could he feel that way, after how far they’d come? She turned her head.
He reached for her, but she rolled onto her side, away from him.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered.
She barely heard him over her own soft sobs.
Tian didn’t sleep well that night. With her back to him, the princess’ breathing suggested she barely slept either. All these people, his new family, faced danger because of them. The road back to Hua would mean their separation. His sense of duty nagged at him. The only way to ensure everyone’s safety, the princess’ included, was sacrificing his own feelings.
At dawn, when the pink and purple clouds drifted past the smoke hole, she rustled beneath the thick fur covers. Was the dream almost over?
Only if he let it. He sat up and leaned over. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean what I said. Last night. Let’s leave here. We can go anywhere in the world. I’ll find work as a bodyguard. You can perform.”
Kaiya turned and gazed at him. “We can’t run from our responsibilities, and right now, our duty is to the Maki. I am sorry, I was not thinking well last night, but I see things very clearly now.”
Tian studied her, amazed at how she could still look so beautiful, even first thing in the morning. He bent down to kiss her, and she pulled him down.
Her hands worked his pants off while he tugged the shirt over her head. He brushed his lips over her closed eyes and worked his way down to her mouth.
Emerging from under the blankets, no more reassured from their lovemaking, Kaiya looked up through the hole in the roof. Dust motes shone in the beam of mid-morning sun that streamed in. She tightened the covers over her shoulders, as if their embrace would strengthen her resolve.
Outside, Hati’s voice rang out, frantic. “Hurry! Everyone to the village center!”
CHAPTER 48:
Clear and Present Danger
The village buzzed with rumor, the noise drawing Tian out of Kaiya’s embrace. Hopping one-footed into his pants, he poked his head out of the lodge.
Hati ran up, grabbed his arm, and pulled him down the path. “Hurry, everyone is gathering!”
Kaiya emerged, sweat matting her hair to her forehead, and Tian beckoned her to follow. Not that she needed his prompting.
At the village center, most of the tribespeople crowded around the drum platform, their chatter drowning out all other sounds. Near the drums, the Teleri’s Shaki guide, left arm in a sling, conferred with Chief Nuwa. The remaining villagers trickled in, includi
ng Kaiya, who sidled up and clasped Tian’s hand.
The chief raised a weathered staff with wild turkey feathers tied to the end. The villagers fell silent.
“My people!” The chief’s voice boomed, carrying through the assembled tribe. He always spoke softly, and it was startling to hear his tone of command. “We have ill tidings. Shoma, a Shaki tribesman enslaved by the Metal Men, stumbled into the village this morning, with an arrow wound in his shoulder. Yuha has treated him. However, he brought ominous news, which he will share with all of you now.”
Shoma staggered forward. “My Maki kindred, I know that our peoples have not always gotten along—” Low muttering erupted, but the chief raised his staff again, quieting the crowd. “—we do not serve the Metal Men by choice, but only because they hold our women hostage. Seeing your warrior fight yesterday, I was given a glimmer of hope that we may one day be able to win our freedom.” He paused, his eyes sweeping over the assembled Maki.
That seemed too easy. Tian tapped his chin.
Shoma tapped both hands on his chest. “When I heard of their plans, I came back here as quickly as I could, even though they tried to stop me. They are looking for her.” He pointed at Kaiya, who sucked in a breath.
Tian stepped in front of her. So the Teleri had recognized her. Hopefully, young Noki, who he’d sent after the patrol, would return soon with more news.
“A runner headed back to their base camp, which is a two-day march for them in their metal armor. At the camp, there are three hundred warriors, much like the ones you saw yesterday. Their sole purpose is to find the girl. They’ll be returning in force. You must be prepared to either turn her over, or fight.”
The crowd murmured again. All expressed a desire to fight, to protect them as their own. Tian’s pulse quickened. Though heartwarming, none of them had ever faced Bovyan infantry.
Shoma shook his head. “I forewarn you, three days beyond that, they’ve built a great fortress, which houses nearly two thousand of them. There, our women are forced to serve their soldiers while our men work like animals. If you resist and lose, you will share our fate.”