by E. M. Hardy
Cui Dai could have easily followed through with a crack of her whip, sliced the man apart if she so wished. Corpses don’t talk, however, so she instead bound him with her threads as she took in her surroundings.
It was not good.
The Balancers were the Empire’s elite agents, working under the direct orders of the Empress. Their efforts in the shadows allowed the last remaining member of the Zi Dynasty to not only survive but retake her throne. They were her primary tools for consolidating a shattered Empire, bringing the various governors to heel and ensuring they paid obeisance to the Red Throne. They were the first Imperial organization to fully embrace Martin’s training regimen, empowering themselves with all the techniques of the known land.
They were the best of the best… and three of them writhed down on the ground, struck down by mere Rats.
Cui Dai managed to survive the counter-ambush and subdue her opponent, but the other Balancers weren’t as lucky. Thirteen Balancers with their jinni partners made for twenty-six attackers. Their targets were supposed to be just two men and a woman. Instead, she and her fellow Balancers faced a total of eight enemies—four of them bonded to jinn for a grand total of twelve defenders.
Three Balancers lay stricken on the ground, their bodies still twitching and bleeding as the other Balancers poured chi into their bodies to keep them alive. Only their superior training and combat experience prevented the attack from turning into a complete disaster.
“How did they know we were coming?” Enin asked bluntly, only now taking in the destruction wrought upon their own forces.
Cui Dai shook her head as she replied. “We will find that out in due time. At least we have—”
Cui Dai sensed motion from her bound target and tightened her threads in response. She realized too late, however, that her captive wasn’t trying to free himself. No, he was going through convulsion fits as he foamed at the mouth, the whites of his eyes rolling back into their sockets.
“Oh no you don’t!” hissed Cui Dai as she knelt beside the violently twisting man, still bound tightly by her threads. She grunted as she spread her hands out, focusing chi into the man’s body. She shifted the energy into a current of purity, bolstering the man’s life force while flushing out whatever poison he ingested into himself. Healing was one of Cui Dai’s strong points, but she still strained and gritted her teeth at the vile efficacy of the toxin.
Worse still was how the man kept disrupting the flow of chi in his body. A willing participant—even an unconscious one—would offer no resistance to the revitalizing properties of properly-channeled chi. The man’s will must be made of solid iron, fighting off her healing even as the poison wracked his nerves and muscles with pain.
Cui Dai’s own will, however, was not so easily brushed off. She continued pushing chi into his body, keeping him on the brink of life and death long enough for two other Balancers to arrive. They poured their own healing currents of chi into the man, forcefully pushing the poison out through his pores and regenerating his sloughed innards.
It was absurd. Cui Dai and the Balancers had been hunting agents from the Order of Rats for so long, yet none of them put up this much resistance in any of their previous hunts. They would focus on escaping, only resisting when escape was cut off. If they knew that she and the Balancers were coming, they would have secured their escape instead of setting up an ambush.
It was a good thing she instructed Yao Xiu and the other junior Balancers to wait and watch. This operation was supposed to be an instructive lesson on how to quickly and effectively capture targets. It instead turned into a near-disaster, taking casualties and being forced to kill all but one of their intended targets.
“Interesting,” one of the Balancers blurted out loud as their bound captive finally lost consciousness. “The Rats don’t normally buy into the ‘death before dishonor’ tripe that the samurai usually spout.”
“Indeed,” Cui Dai responded, unwinding her threads to make way for others to tie their quarry up with plain old rope.
“Strip him, bind him, gag him, and keep healers ready just in case he has other poisons on his body. Keep him in constant pain so he doesn’t summon his jinni partner. Bring him to the closest sanctuary and prepare him for torture.” The Balancer nodded from behind his mask as she walked briskly outside the warehouse, seeking the closest eyeball.
“You told us they were unprepared, that they had no idea we were coming,” she whispered just loud enough to convey her displeasure. “So what was all that?”
“Hell if I know,” Martin grunted through the eyeball, frustration clear through the tone of his voice. “I watched that warehouse for three days, seeing only three people go in and out at all times. I’m telling you the honest truth that I had no idea there were eight other people there!”
“Your incomplete information nearly cost me three agents today!” Cui Dai shot back, not able to hide the irritation in her voice. She quickly lowered it back down again when she noticed Yao Xiu coming closer.
“Honored colleague,” Yao Xiu said meekly, bowing slightly to Yao Xiu, then to Martin’s eyeball, then to Enin who quietly hovered behind Cui Dai. “I and my bonded partner observed the attack as it happened,” she added, gesturing to Inqiz who materialized in the air beside her. “Inqiz thinks that the… um… the Rats may have been bonded to a jinni that specialized in weaving shadows.”
Enin sighed at that with a shake of her ethereal head, black and purple mists trailing her head as she did so. “As one who specializes in shadows herself, I agree that Inqiz’s suggestion holds some merit.”
“Holds some merit she says,” huffed Inqiz. “You know as well as I do that there was at least one such jinni in there, bending light and twisting shadow to facilitate this ambush.”
“That makes no sense at all,” Martin added, inserting himself into the discussion. “Why would they set up an ambush in the first place? I mean, these Rats aren’t the types to stand and fight. Didn’t your buddy say as much earlier, Cui Dai?”
The masked Balancer nodded. “Yes. The Order of Rats is made of spies, sometimes assassins, but they do not normally seek showdowns like this one.”
“So what changed?” Martin asked with genuine curiosity.
She took her eyes off the eyeball Martin spoke through, noticing a group of Balancers hauling out a large crate from the warehouse. “Lead!” one of them shouted. “You need to see this!” Cui Dai approached the Balancers who carefully set down the crate and lifted the lid for her to inspect.
It revealed a cache of what was most likely illegally-forged blood weapons—the reason they were hunting down the Rats in the first place. Inserted in between the weapons, however, were a set of familiar crystals glowing with power.
“Wait,” Cui Dai remarked. “I recognize these crystals… MARTIN!”
Martin’s closest eyeball promptly zipped nearby, and it visibly shuddered as it realized what it saw. “Oh, hell no. Please don’t tell me they’ve done what I think they’ve done…”
***
“Let me get this clear: you want us to cancel our wedding just because you think there is a threat to our life? A ceremony of Empire-wide importance that took an entire year to plan? A ceremony that, if I am not mistaken, is due in four short weeks?”
Agent 42—or Cui Dai as she most commonly called herself these days—steeled herself for the implications of the Empress’ words, then nodded with conviction. “Your Augustness, this unworthy one believes that the threat is far graver than this one is confident your Balancers can contain.”
“Explain,” Empress Zi Li commanded imperiously from her seat in the privacy of the sealed room.
“Yes, Your Augustness. The Order of Rats has created a weapon that Martin calls a ‘bomb.’ They appear to have done this using the crystals he uses to power the beams of light and heat that Martin’s scarab constructs use.
“Instead of focusing the stored chi into a beam, however, the Rats carve
d mandala patterns that pour chi inside the crystals while sealing the energy in with blood. They then continue funneling as much chi and blood as they can into the crystals, which when shattered will release a powerful explosion. After testing, this humble one and the other Balancers noted that shattering a crystal the size of an orange has enough destructive power to blow down a small cottage.”
42 inhaled deeply, gathering herself before continuing. “A crystal the size of a melon has enough explosive potential to level an entire building.”
Silence pervaded the air between the two of them for one long minute. 42 knelt down on the ground, her face downcast, and didn’t know what kind of expression the Empress made.
“So?”
42’s surprise at the Empress’ blunt dismissal of the threat nearly caused her to jerk her head upward. Only iron discipline allowed her to keep it faced down, to wait for the Empress’ next words.
“Do not tell us you haven’t come up with countermeasures to deal with this threat, and that the only option is to run away with our tail tucked between our legs like some common dog. Raise your head and face us as you give your answer.”
42 schooled her face into neutrality as she followed the Empress’ command. She focused her eyes toward the right side of the Empress’ face to avoid directly meeting her gaze.
“Look at us… no, look at me in the eyes.”
42 hesitated, then did as instructed.
“What is really troubling you, 42? What is the real reason why you want me to postpone my wedding?”
The Balancer couldn’t help gulping at her liege’s command, spent a few seconds thinking carefully about what she was about to say. “This humble one does not believe the Balancers alone can secure your Augustness as we have before… not in the face of recent developments.”
“Recent developments?”
42 nodded, no longer able to meet the Empress’ eyes for what she was going to say. “The Balancers used to stand head and shoulders above our enemies. Your humble servants take the best of the best of what the Empire has to offer, mold them into loyal weapons that defend and secure the throne against all threats.
“This is no longer the case.”
Agent 42 inhaled deeply, steeling herself against the shame of her own weakness. “The world is changing too quickly, your Augustness. Martin’s obelisks bestow powers and abilities to anyone who trains under them, and your humble servants are scrambling to obtain as much power as they can.
“The martial artists are blending chi, prana, sahar, and blood-bonding to create new arts every single day. Martin is so focused on the threat of his invaders, his rogues, that he accepts anyone and everyone who wishes to train and meditate under his obelisks. Soldier, peasant, merchant, foreigner… it doesn’t matter to him.”
42 softly shook her head, no longer able to prevent the disappointment from coming out. “It is quickly becoming evident that your humble servants can no longer protect your Augustness as completely as we once could.” Remembering her place, she stiffened and straightened herself up. “It is for this reason that your humble servant recommends that your Augustness postpone her wedding until the Balancers can formulate countermeasures to the increased threat of harm against your Augustness’ person.”
The Empress considered 42 for a few moments, nodding at the appropriate times before she thinned her lips in determination.
“No.”
The only disapproval 42 showed was the slight way she pressed her lips together. Even this little gesture, however, was caught by the Empress.
“You do not agree?”
“It is not in this humble servant’s place to disagree, your Augustness.”
Empress Zi Li rolled her eyes, not bothering to restrain herself as it was only she and 42 currently staying in the room.
“Let me tell you a story,” the Empress continued, dropping the royal plural as she leaned back on her chair. “A certain ruler of a certain Empire has heard rumors revolving around the ‘uselessness’ of a royal dynasty. Her spies tell her that the peasants treat the clay constructs with more respect than they do her soldiers, guards, governors, and tax collectors. They begin asking themselves if they really need to pay obeisance to the Red Throne she sits upon.
“That is not all,” the Empress continued lazily as if she didn’t care about the implications of what she was talking about. “That same ruler has also heard rumors from the nobles and the merchants whispering praise for the meteoric rise of the Taiyo Isles. They look favorably upon this new system of governance where greed and ambition run rampant.
“Some of these nobles and merchants are having trouble understanding the wisdom of a dynastic line leading them. Their faith in our rule—ah, I was telling a story, yes? I meant to say that their faith in their ruler has become shaky. They have these thoughts in their mind of forming an assembly of their own, of formulating rules that would only enrich themselves without thinking about the future of their Empire.”
Empress Zi Li furrowed her brows and grimaced at the thought. “These fools have forgotten the pride and honor that carries a dynasty to greatness. An Imperial family’s dreams of prestige and prosperity carry over to the next generations, while these so-called ‘policy-makers’ cannot see beyond their noses when it comes to the future!”
She slammed her palm down on the hardwood table to emphasize her displeasure, creating a loud smack to accentuate her frustration. She all but gave up on the pretense now, no longer bothering to hide behind a fictional story.
“This is why we cannot back down from our own wedding,” the Empress said softly, regaining her composure. “We must show our subjects that we are their best hope for the future, that the Zi dynasty will thrive and prosper in these new times—not just survive under the auspices of the clay constructs.”
She sharpened her gaze upon 42, who found herself looking away as she could not bring herself to challenge her liege’s glare.
“So we instruct you, 42, ensure our safety during the ceremonies. Our coffers and our soldiers are open to you. Take all the resources that you need, assign whoever you need to assign. Find these Rats and deal with them before they can disrupt our wedding!”
42 inhaled deeply, forced herself to meet the eyes of her liege, and nodded. “It will be done, your Augustness.”
***
“You want me to what?”
Cui Dai gritted her teeth, forcing the shame down. “I am asking you, Martin Fuller, if you can spare a few hundred constructs to help hunt down the Rats.”
The walker’s painted face—a few lines that suggested upturned eyes and a polite smile on the mouth—contrasted deeply with the sad sigh coming from the soul controlling the construct.
“You do realize that I’m already stretching my forces thinly, what with the rogue menace threatening the Bashri Basin. The allied forces are a big help, sure, but the rogues are still gaining ground. Any forces I divert away from the front will give the rogues the time they need to build another pyramid, extend their reach further toward civilization. Not only that, but I’m tasking what few walkers I have left to protect the khans that could very well end the Horse Wars for us.”
“I understand,” said Cui Dai, “but the Empress’ safety is paramount. Allowing the Rats to attack her Augustness—maybe even kill her—will send the Ren Empire hurtling into chaos. We have only just begun to recover from the betrayal of the Three Sages along with Inagaki’s rebellion. Losing the Empress will undo all the progress we’ve made over the past year. Even one of these crystal ‘bombs’ going off during her wedding will be enough to ruin her dynasty before she has a chance to pass on her blood to the next generation.”
The walker studied Cui Dai with its painted eyes before nodding. “Okay. I get the need for securing the venue. I guess I can take a couple of walkers and eyeballs off my pyramids, spread them out around the Red City to keep an eye out for any suspicious folks. But what exactly will your people be doing in all this
?”
Cui Dai breathed a sigh of relief as Martin finally acquiesced to her request. “The Balancers will follow up on the leads we’ve gained from a few of our captives. We will do all we can to hunt down the Rats, kill them off before they even have a chance to threaten her Augustness’ wedding. We will also be taking General Shen Feng with us, have his forces inspect each house and building within the Red City and the surrounding villages.”
“Isn’t that a bit heavy-handed?” Martin asked through the walker, which angled its neck to mimic a curious turn of the head.
“Yes, it is. It is also necessary after you demonstrated what those crystals can do.”
“Ugh. I guess so. The small crystals are compact enough to smuggle a couple dozen of them in a bag, while the bigger ones can be hidden away in a cart or buried underground. Those can do a lot of damage even when detonated some ways away from their target, especially if they stuff them with rocks or metal scraps to create shrapnel.”
“And that’s not the only problem,” Cui Dai answered, her tone turning frosty as she scowled at the walker in front of her. “You seem to have been training these Rats yourself, granting them powers that match our own. It’s almost as if you don’t care who gains these powers.”
“Wait, now that’s just not fair. Your people got the same exact training, and your people vetted everyone who trained under the shadow of an obelisk.”
“And what of the people beyond the borders of the Empire?” countered Cui Dai, interrupting Martin with a heated tone that she couldn’t quite conceal. “How closely did you vet the guards, soldiers, and practitioners in Taiyo, Sahaasi, or even those barbarians up north?”
Cui Dai caught herself, willed herself back to control, and sighed. “I understand you are more concerned with empowering everyone in this land, give them a fighting chance when these invaders of yours arrive in their sky-portals.
“However, you must understand that not everyone sees things that way. The power you give so freely can be turned against the very same people you are trying to protect. And if you’re not careful, they may even turn that power against you someday.”