The sun was painfully violent as her eyes fought against the rays piercing the near-transparent silk blankets. She brought a hand up to try and cover the light, but bringing up her palm brought back the memories she had forgotten about. It was a healed scar, but a scar that had been received grabbing at her father's impaled body. A scar she had gotten trying to stop the flow of blood that stained his favorite tunic, the one he said he wore when he buried Mother. It was worn and dirty, but that was because he wore it in the Mud District.
Tears.
She had forgotten that she could cry.
Memories of the hardships she wouldn't have survived without him.
That is all she kept seeing flash. All weight left her body, and the room twisted and turned as she was reminded of that lifeless body that once held her. The corpse of the only person in this world to love her.
She vomited onto the fur carpets on the side of her bed.
A large man in Imperial Heavy Armor barreled into the tent, intent on finding some non-existent enemy. His arm had removed his sword from the leather hilt just as his eyes realized what had occurred.
Life in the Mud had her trying to mask her emotions; emotion like this one was weakness, and weakness led to robbery and death. She hid her face behind the silk covers.
The language of the Empire was spoken in a sympathetic tone. She could recognize the younger voice; the bed creaked from the weight. "My Uncle once said that a leader never shows emotion. Your emotion should be steel, as that state will transfer to your followers." The boy spoke fluent Tia and was more articulate than his Uncle. It surprised her as she tried to wipe away tears from her eyes.
"Emotion kills you." She agreed. Confidence was key, even if it trembled in the speech.
"Uncle says you have the strongest Source he has ever seen." The boy sounded scientifically curious.
Remaining silent was a gift in conversation, as she didn't quite understand why everybody was focused on this newfound aspect.
Did she have abilities?
There was never a mention of a 'Source' among the Mud District. Was it something the Five hid? This 'Source' did not save even an Elder of the Five during his final breaths upon desert sands, so where was it?
She nearly died numerous times in the desert and in the city. Had it not been for her father's strength in breaking out of addiction, she would have died of disease as well. So what abilities? Their methods must have been flawed.
"The Mage Killers want to end you. Say that the Tianz will have their next Malik Deus if you live. Luckily, the Mage Killers don't rank in Imperial society. Paid mercenaries." He was talking like she had a clue about the world's affairs. It was strange, but was this what was supposed to calm her? Malik Deus? Mage Killers?
"The Mage Killers do not know Akat." She peeked over the blanket, her eyes meeting his. The face of a Rhia Empire person always intrigued her, with their small hawk-like eyes and sharp features.
"Do they need to know a city?" Perplexed by her dismissal of the Mage Killers.
"Do you think I was of the Trade or Sky District?" The question made the Prince peer downward. It wasn't a difficult question, but he was careful in choosing his words. Finally, his eyes shot up, and he stood up as if discovering the Gods.
"I see. You were a Parasite? Child of the Mud?" That term used to cause her to twinge with pain, as generally it was followed by a hit, but in this case, it was said in an excited scientific tone.
"Yes." It suddenly dawned on him as he stood up.
"How does one of the Mud get a chance-….I apologize." He sat back down, strangely graceful in his mannerisms. He'd make a good thief. "The Malik Deus is what the leaders were called in the Sufi Dynasty…ah…the Emperor of the Desert. Their dynasty died out hundreds of years ago, and the rumor is that the desert has been searching for the next Malik Deus since the last one. An all-powerful Magi."
"I am powerful?" She didn't feel powerful. Certainly, an ordinary maid or soldier could come and end her life right at this very second.
"No…yes…but not yet! With the correct training." The boy realized he had rambled yet again. "What do you want to know? Mina of the Mud."
The boy reminded her of those knowledge seekers she robbed in the Creep sections of the Trade District. However, his depth of knowledge was vastly superior to theirs.
Her tears suddenly rose again, and she hid behind the blanket; a single question fought to the forefront of her mind. "What happened to my father's body….." The back of that blanket was warped, dizzying, as again she tried to control her reflex.
"The transition of power wasn't smooth….we will request the information from the Kul Family. But…" This boy stopped himself; she could hear his struggle.
What was the disease called? Logical Incontinence? A disease of scholars. Or so her father told her.
"Sorry for your loss." Was that an emotional statement? Was she that bad at reading the Imperials? His first words of emotion to her after he had just talked about nothing she knew about.
The bed creaked and felt less weighed down. The emotion was probably too much for somebody taught to be as steel. She wasn't quite sure if she could steel herself.
It took her all this time to realize jade silks embraced her body; they felt like she imagined clouds would feel against her skin, not even realizing that her blood-caked skin was cleaned, and for the first time in memory, she saw her auburn skin without debris. The smell…flowers?
It was like she was allergic to wealth. Her skin felt good, not scratchy, and her dusty hair was now gleaming black. It felt off after a life in filth. Was this the life her father would want her to have? Did she achieve all this from a glowing rock in a prison cell? Why couldn't that bearded man have come days, months, years ago? Why was she now here without a father as a perpetual prisoner?
Arms wrapped slowly around her, startled, but then she felt comforted. The Nephew hadn't left. He held her.
A thief's mind, an impoverished mind, wanted to run away from this. She couldn't. Uncontrolled tears flowed; she couldn't even control the noises.
Her mind gave in, allowing her to release the pent-up emotion like a dam, uncontrolled and unrelenting. The arms felt light but firm. He didn't move, allowing her tears to stain his crimson robes. She remained in this comfort for what felt like forever until her mind returned.
She couldn't even comprehend kindness. How many had she met? None ever showed that word to her but one person. Now it was two. An Imperial who had just met her hours ago had decided she deserved it. No. This had to be manipulation.
The girl used her frail arms to push back against the nephew, he relented, standing up and moving back to the edge of her bed.
"Thank you." Even though she was aware there might be ill intent, it was never smart to mention it.
"I am Zi Lu." She let the blanket down a bit and stared blankly at him, realizing that he was expecting some sort of reaction from her.
"Nice to meet you, Zi Lu." He appeared to wait for some other reaction. Was he expecting a surprise by that name?
The seconds dragged on as she saw his face grow a shade of red in embarrassment. It made her realize she must have been the first foreign entity of poverty he met.
"Zi Lu, Imperial Grandson, 2nd in line to the throne of the Rhia Empire." Suddenly, four men broke into the tent flap, as if that statement was enough for them to stop spying.
A large man with gray peppered hair charged towards the prince as a familiar sound echoed throughout the tent.
Slap!
The Imperial Grandson was sent sprawling on furred carpets.
Loudly spoken Hu was spilled out from the Uncle like The Depths were about to burst upon the world.
Zi Lu spit blood.
"Uncle, she isn't even a noble. Is there even reason?" He kept speaking Tia, which made her want to smile but also placed Mina in the Uncle's crosshairs.
Like a predator, that dreadful aura was ready to continue beating his nephew. However, he peered at the audience and calmed. He waved at a follower, the only unarmed man in the tent, complete with a funny hat that looked like a box balancing on his head.
"Imperial Grandson." Giving a scholarly cough, continuing to speak Tia. "The Magi of the desert specialize in all sorts of magic. The most average Sensory Magi can hear conversations leagues away with little issue. The assassination of Duke-" The Uncle lifted a hand, silencing the scholar.
"Ready the encampment to move out." His eyes passed over her and back towards the Imperial Grandson. "Of the gifts, she is the most fragile and important." A box was taken from beneath the scholar's robe and handed to the Uncle. The Uncle then proceeded to speak only Hu, carefully and concisely, to his Nephew.
The Imperials were confusing. It was an honest assessment to say that Mina would never entirely understand their culture. A wooden, brittle, overly used box was held so carefully that one would expect a treasure to occupy it. However, she wouldn't expect one; it seemed utterly without worth.
The Uncle carefully placed it in front of the Nephew. The Nephew did not grab it as if it was a cursed thing, a thing he shouldn't ever want to be near. This again returned the Uncle to his rage, pushing the box into the Nephew's chest and leaving before his hand became an uncontrolled bludgeoning tool and the Boy a powerless target of its wraith.
As the entourage left, the Nephew paled at the sight of the box in his hands. She was still slightly embarrassed about what had previously unfolded, but her curiosity wasn't something she could control for long.
"Is it cursed?"
This did not break whatever spell the Nephew was under; her voice actually drove his chin to quiver a little, as if the box spelled doom for her specifically.
"It is cursed. I won't bore you with history. There are methods my family used to come to power." He paused. His sad expression made her actually pity the Imperial Grandson, which took her off-guard a bit, as royalty gets to live fat and wealthy, a life where sadness should not exist.
"How old are you?" She finally tried to get up from the bed, hiding wasn't going to work, and silks couldn't protect her. Her mental state was something she tried to control, with varying levels of effectiveness. "I ask. I am only ten. Yet, my father says I have seen enough to be much older."
"I am twelve. My father detests me. You are ten?" She received this question often, especially as she stood. She was frail, painfully so. Her height was a head shorter than it should be, and her sunken cheeks made for a painfully child-like disposition.
"Most kids of the Mud are like me." The stupidity of his question became apparent in the reddening of his cheeks. She walked towards him; he was a head, maybe more, taller than her. "They just don't live long enough." She carefully placed her hand on the box.
"The Imperial Tether." The Nephew quietly went around her and towards the exit. "It is not something I wish to use." The boy left, sulking, and without getting into much conversation.
The words went through her head. Imperial, from the Empire, Tether, to attach? Strange combination. What was still stranger was that the silks she wore made her seem graceful; they were fitted specifically for her, and it made her come under a rather strange question.
Three women in gold attire answered the question. They bowed. Their nondescript nature took Mina back a bit until the one in the center, old and likely the lead, spoke in a broken Tia accent. "We…serve." The two beside her quickly got to rolling up the fur rugs. Realizing the vomit lined the floor, one of the women ran out to get supplies. "Fear not, important you are. Stainless…trophy."
Having seen enough was the correct assessment; she was a street-smart child, a prodigy in the crooked ways of crime. Yet, she wished books had landed themselves on her as quickly as crime; then maybe she wouldn't have to be so ignorant of her surroundings.
Evidently, she was a trophy that shouldn't be stained?
She was led to another area of the massive tent complex, where she was fed a greater variety of food than she had ever seen in her lifetime. Then, she was taken to a backroom, where she was washed from foot to nails to hair and dressed in another well-fitted but thicker fur attire.
From that moment on, Mina was all in. The desert did not show her enough kindness for loyalty, and it was useless, if not dangerous, to be in a situation only half-heartedly. She learned that a multitude of times, often in pain.
Despite the curious stares and occasional look of distaste, this wasn't an entirely bad situation. Loyalty wasn't a word that even she could attest to having ever seen. Gang leaders were stabbed by their best friends; brothers stabbed each other over a piece of demon meat, and the only way to ensure loyalty was through fear, bribes, and a sharpened piece.
Her skin was comfortably surrounded by what felt like expensive furs, her hair had a black shine she hadn't seen, and the smells could only be described as delightful. The Empire hadn't expected a single thing in return. A thief would drool over such a haul, but she didn't have to steal.
Following, the servants kept most of the heavily armored Imperial soldiers from prying into why a red-eyed Tia girl was allowed to roam their encampment. Mina realized that all it took for the Imperials to keep her, a street urchin, in line without chains, was silks, being cleaned, and food. Was she too cheap?
The tent they walked towards was more prominent than all the rest. It lay not too far from her own, but it was different. A higher level of security created a perimeter. The heavily armored Imperial soldiers were replaced with soldiers in lighter armor fixed with black wolf masks.
Before her feet stepped within ten paces, the servants turned, bowed, then moved aside. "Forward….please." Fear paused her, but curiosity restarted her feet.
Twenty paces around the tent was open ground, not a single obstacle, just a ring of about twenty wolf soldiers who all now had attention on her. For a thief, this situation was not optimal. A tent provided multiple exits, but once she exited through a cut in its fabric, it would be twenty paces before anything could be used as cover.
Mina paused again. Even fed and happy, the street urchin who had been through multiple attempts on her life knew that this was a bad situation. A deep breath later, she tore her mind from memories of the Mud District. Each step towards the tent felt like an alarm was going off in her mind.
The entrance revealed a simplistic interior. The ground wasn't furred. There was a wood platform at the back of the Tent, where a simple desk was set up, but aside from that, it was bare—not the opulence one would expect. Her eyes were focused on the large back of the peppered-haired man who had slapped his nephew a few hours prior.
Thirty paces.
That is what separated her from the man she couldn't quite read.
"That coward." It was obviously Tia, but Mina didn't connect it initially. The Uncle stayed at his desk, papers on one side being put into the center, written on, and then put on the other.
"You know, he is perfect at everything. Perfect memory. Can learn languages with ease. A sword technique described as fluid as the wind. Healthy. But too idealistic and good-willed. He hasn't witnessed darkness, and it shows." The old Imperial stopped moving the papers, finally turning to face her. A gray stare landed emotionlessly on the girl.
"Those ruby eyes do hypnotize people. Strange things. Normally, you see them in the pale abominations, but your skin is much too dark, and you are much too short to be of their species." Mina stayed where she was, it was still the farthest away she could get from him. Would it matter, though? This was a warrior. "You have seen the darkness." He stood. He was a formidable man, and without the armor, muscles made his silks a tight fit.
"If the Elder lied. Your city would have been flattened." He stepped down from the wooden perch and onto the sandy ground below. "The Elder told the truth. I am a man of honor, so now I have two predicaments that need to be solved. Can you guess what those two are?"
Those eyes were dragging an answer out of her. They weren't used to not being answered; they were used to orders being followed.
"The Tether and Death." Those were the two things that made the most sense. Her city was supposed to be destroyed, but there wasn't even a reason given. Likewise, the box contained the Imperial Tether, which she assumed the Prince was supposed to use.
"The Emperor specifically signed an order to destroy your rotting city. You are a strong reason why your rotting city is spared and the Emperor's order isn't followed." The man didn't step towards her, remaining far, as if he did not want to scare her. "I will bring my nephew; he will place the Tether upon your skinny, malnourished, dirty flesh, and you will become an Asset to the Empire."
A puff of dust was all that her senses caught before the old man towered directly over her. Not even a finger away. "I know you saw the Temple. They will try to get you back. Of this, after seeing your source, I know." His hand aggressively took her chin and forced her to look him in the eyes. "You are a trophy and an asset; do not forget."
She didn't step back, didn't quiver, her eyes remained locked on his. It wasn't until footsteps from behind entered the tent that the Uncle stepped away and released her chin. "Remove the Tether, place it on her, quit being a coward." Again, the Uncle appeared back to his original position by the wood platform.
"There isn't-"The Nephew was behind her.
"No excuses." The Uncle switched to speaking the Imperial Tongue as if there weren't enough words he could find in her language to convey to the Prince. It was extremely sharp, with a lot of yelling to emphasize words, but ultimately, it had the Prince moving in front of her, opening the box.
She tried to lock eyes so she could will him to stop breaking so easily. However, the time of convincing was long passed, and the Imperial Grandson removed a strangle square yellow porcelain that morphed the area with its magical presence. She watched as his hands shook from grabbing it, veins popping up, but he strengthened his grip as he took her left arm.
The Hu language sounded like thunderbolts as the Uncle chastised whatever choice was made. The expression quivered even more as tears ran down this rich child's face. It was perplexing. Could she run away?
No, that thought evaporated from her mind. She remembered the fact that the military commander in front of her had just appeared thirty paces before she could even blink. It was an impossible situation to escape from.
How about the Temple?
Black mask guards surrounded this place. Even a strong warrior would have trouble getting through the layers of defense. There was no other option.
"What did he say?" She whispered, her voice concerned, but more so for her wellbeing.
"He worried your arm could be chopped off….so I am to…use your back." The pitiful quivers made her regret asking. She turned around, twisting the knots that held together her fur jacket, exposing her upper back. "I apologize. I am too weak."
The sizzle was the initial notification; the burning immediately followed, but it wasn't just a burning sensation. Sure, her flesh being burned smelled differently, but Mina could feel something erupt. As if the strange square was not just etching its way into her flesh but was etching its way deeper, into her very existence.
She screamed.
She felt fire lining her body, nowhere safe from its wrath, as the entire depth of her soul felt torn asunder. She couldn't breathe; her lungs had given up. She couldn't move; her muscles betrayed her.
She didn't remember what happened after that pain. The sand felt soft against her cheek. Her hand didn't have any burn marks, just the still healing scar. Her back wasn't burning either.
Ten years of life, was there more in life to endure?
"An Asset to the Empire." That language wasn't Tia; it was most definitely Hu. "You understand me now, you blasphemous creature."
The Uncle returned to his desk, starting the process of papers, as the rest no longer mattered. A familiar hand could be felt on her shoulder.
"There is a lot to the Tether you will realize over time. We will pack camp and move back to the Empire for now." He helped her back to her feet. "The Servants will teach you. When we arrive at the Celestial City in a few months, you will meet the Emperor."