A man's work seems easier to his neighbor
Ancient Scroll
Hooves thundered on the hard packed earth as Tez' Mu pressed his face between the rough mane of the governor's best horse, arrows whizzed through the air above him. Ahead, Sari leaned low over his horse, veering sharply around bends, but the pale light of dawn betrayed their every move. Their pursuers were relentless.
"Sari!" Tez' Mu shouted, flinching as an arrow hissed dangerously close to his ear. "We can't outrun them! We have to stop and fight!"
Sari shouted something back, no doubt a string of curses and oaths. But Tez' Mu was sure Sari already knew what would come next. He hazarded a glance behind him as he feinted to the right. The lead soldier was notching his bow again.
Tez' Mu urged his horse forward, heart hammering. He couldn't afford to look back again. It was still the same party that had started chasing them after they'd crashed through the south gate. Kan' had asked them to flee as fast as they could, arming them with two extra swords and her father's horse.
Sari started heading for higher ground. They were well out of Mirin by now, and back on the Old West Road. Tez' Mu desperately beseeched his ancestors that Kal' Yu and the others were camped nearby. Greater numbers might be their only chance against these Keolyor.
THWACK!
Pain exploded in Tez' Mu's arm as his fingers slipped from the reins. The world tilted, and he fell limply from the saddle. Blood filled his mouth, metallic and warm. He couldn't move. Couldn't breathe.
Poison!The thought ripped through his mind, wild and frantic, as his horse galloped away, unaware of its fallen rider. Spots danced in his vision as heavy hoof beats approached.
I'm dying.
Ancestors, no.
Not like this!
The ground quaked beneath a charging horse. Tez' Mu braced for the impact. WHAM! A hoof slammed into his shoulder, grazing the bone but not breaking it, missing his head by mere inches. Pain seared through him, the sheer force sending him skidding, ripping a scream from his throat.
"Ke!" Sari's anguished howl came back. He threw up dust as he pulled his horse to a stop, and he expertly turned it around immediately. In a heartbeat, Sari was back beside his master, hauling him onto his own saddle.
Shing!
A blade flashed out of the dust, and a Keolyor soldier stumbled into view. Sari's sword met his with a sharp clang, and their fight erupted into a brutal blur. Tez' Mu clutched the reins weakly, trying to urge the horse forward, but his strength was gone. Sari threw his opponent off with a wide slash, and then slapped the horse's flank. It bolted up the hill. Tez' Mu twisted to look back, heart sinking as he saw Sari raise a shimmering shield matrix, bracing himself against the onslaught of attackers who had followed the sounds of the clashes and threw themselves into the fray.
He's going to die, he thought bitterly as blood dripped from his mouth, and I'm too weak to stop it.
The horse reared suddenly, as two others appeared on the horizon. Tez' Mu raised his head, and a wave of relief flooded through him. "Kal' Yu!" he rasped. He had never been happy to see the deputy's coarse face before.
"Quick—Sari needs help—!" he croaked, but Kal' Yu did not need to be told. He charged downhill immediately, his men close on his heels. Emerging from behind them, Annir ran up to Tez' Mu, eyes wide with alarm.
"My lord, you're hurt!"
As the pain started to muddle his mind, Tez' Mu slurred out an order to the stable boy. Annir's face darkened.
"No, my lord. There's no water," he said firmly. "I'll bring you somewhere safe." Grabbing the reins, he quickly led the horse off the road and into dense foliage. The clamor of swords and shouting started to fade behind them, replaced by the rustle of leaves and birdsong.
"Stay awake, my lord." Annir's breath was quick and shallow as he tugged the horse forward. "You'll be fine. I hope one of the escorts is a healer, though."
They emerged into a small campsite. Annir lowered Tez' Mu onto the soft heather floor and quickly examined his master's wound with a furrowed brow. The dart was lodged in the back of his arm, blood seeping from the puncture. Annir winced as fresh blood spurted when he touched it lightly, eliciting a groan.
"My lord?" His voice trembled with concern as he unfastened the cloth girdle from around his waist and tore off a strip, noting that his master's expression was not right. Surely a warrior like him wouldn't break from such a wound.
Yet pain throbbed in Tez' Mu's arm, sharp and unrelenting. His vision wavered; tree trunks swayed unnaturally, as if the forest were underwater, shapes bleeding into one another.
Annir knelt beside him, face tight with worry, hands slick with blood as he wound the strip of cloth tightly above Tez' mu's shoulder, binding it hard. "My lord, stay with me," he urged, his voice firm.
A distant boom echoed through the forest, startling a few birds into flight. Tez' Mu grunted, his heart clenching. His words came out as a faint rasp. "Sari…"
The boy hesitated. "He'll be fine, my lord. Deputy Yu is with him now." His voice wavered. "They'll hold the line."
"The dart… needs to be…"
"I know," Annir cut him off. He grabbed a dagger from his belt and hesitated only for a moment before slicing away the fabric around the wound. "This will hurt, my lord."
Tez' Mu braced himself, biting down hard as the stable boy dug the tip of the blade into his arm, prying the dart loose. Pain flared white-hot, but he didn't cry out. Instead, he gripped Annir's wrist with surprising strength.
"Quickly," He gasped. "Burn it."
Annir's eyes widened. "But—"
"Burn it!" Tez' Mu growled, his voice low and commanding despite his weakness.
Annir nodded. He scrambled to the nearby campfire, pulling a thick branch from the glowing embers. The heat seared the air as he brought it close. Trembling slightly, he pressed the burning wood against the wound.
Tez' Mu's body arched, a guttural scream tearing from his throat. The scent of scorched flesh filled the clearing as he collapsed back onto the forest floor, panting.
"It's done," Annir said shakily, tossing the branch aside. He poured a thin stream of water from a small flask over the wound, washing off the blood and soot. It was strangely comforting, while also devastatingly painful, to Tez' Mu.
"Now… we wait," Annir muttered. He leaned back on his elbows, glancing nervously at the tree line.
Tez' Mu's eyes slid out of focus.
He tried to turn on his side, but he could not; his limbs were heavy and unresponsive. Each breath came in shuddering gasps, drawn and released with effort. Black dots swirled behind his eyelids, and his head felt strangely light.
"Tez' Mu."
The voice was deep, resonant, and achingly familiar. Tez' Mu opened his eyes—or thought he did.
A figure cloaked inblacktowered over him, face half-lost in shadow, mouth set in a tight, disapproving line.
"Stand up," the voice rumbled, harsh and commanding."I trained you to be strong. So you will be strong."
Bile rose in the back of Tez' Mu's throat, and he gagged. The dark surroundings shifted into clarity.
He was back in the Mu Manor, lying prone on the stone floor of Raq' Mu's drill arena, blood spurting from a wound in his side. His father stood over him with a leering smirk, holding a dripping sword.
"You don't have the luxury of death," he sneered. "Unless I command it."
Panic gripped Tez' Mu as he tried to move, but his body refused to obey, rooted to the spot. The figure swelled, growing larger and larger, until it completely filled his vision. As blood filled his mouth, Tez' Mu reached out, but his hands found nothing solid, only mist.
His eyes snapped open. The forest was still, save for the rustle of leaves. The trees had stopped swaying. Annir crouched nearby, a blade of grass in hand, watching the woods with hawk-like intensity.
"What's…happening?" Tez' Mu managed. His voice was hoarse, but it was stronger now.
Annir turned quickly, relief flooding his face. "You're awake!" He leaned closer, lowering his voice. "The fighting has stopped, my lord. But," he paused, "I don't know who survived."
A low rumble of hoof beats answered the question. Tez' Mu craned his neck, and through the foliage, dark shapes emerged. Riders.
He tensed, gripping Annir's arm. "Keolyor?"
"No," Annir whispered. "Our men."
Kal' Yu appeared first, bloodied yet unhurt. Behind him, Sari rode slumped in the saddle, the other escorts trailing after him. Relief swept through Tez' Mu, only to vanish the moment Sari lifted his head. Blood streamed from his neck, soaking the entire front of his clothes. Tez' Mu's eyes widened in horror. Whoever had inflicted that injury had nearly taken Sari's head off.
Kal' Yu dismounted swiftly, his face grim. "The Keolyor are scattered for now, but they'll regroup. We must move, my lord." His gaze moved to Tez' Mu's shoulder. "Can you ride?"
Tez' Mu nodded weakly. His body screamed in protest, but he forced himself upright with Annir's help. "I'll ride," he said, the echo of his father's voice still burning in his chest. "Lead the way."
The group moved quickly, the forest swallowing their retreat as the first rays of sunlight broke through the canopy, bathing the forest below in warmth. Towering redwoods bordered the trail, their trunks draped in moss and lichen, still dripping with dew.
With each hoof-beat, Tez' Mu's head throbbed. The faint taste of iron lingered on his tongue, as though his blood had risen to the surface. For a moment, a sensation of floating overtook him, and he swayed in his saddle.
The world blurred again, fading into darkness.
He was keeled over in the saddle, barely hanging on. Then he was no longer in the saddle.
He was in a courtyard that reminded him of the Yan Manor with a sickening lurch. But it wasn't the Yan Manor. A young girl was dancing by herself near a row of camellias. Her narkkir swayed in the gentle breeze, her soft laughter carried on the wind. Tez' Mu felt his heart settle into blissful harmony. He could watch her forever.
Except she stopped when she noticed him. His breath hitched as her face molded itself into the all-too-familiar frown.
"What are you doing here?"
He didn't know either.
She crossed her arms. "Go away."
But instead, he found himself stepping on air, climbing an invisible staircase. Ten feet…twenty…forty feet high. He looked down and she was only a pinprick on the ground, gazing up at him.
Then he plummeted.
Her shrieks of laughter shook him to his marrows as he fell, darkness enveloping him all too suddenly. He suddenly could not feel his legs, his arms, his face...
***
"Wake up!" A slap sent him spiraling back to earth. Tez' Mu gasped, like a fish out of water, and struggled to open his eyes. Slowly, a face slowly came into focus. Of course it was Sari; the others would not dare do it on pain of death.
Annir's figure loomed behind the servant, a towel and a bowl of water in hand, hopping from foot to foot with worry. Sari took the towel from him and draped it over Tez' Mu's head, making him flinch from the cold.
"What happened? Where are we?" he rasped, squinting at the dark sky through gaps in the canopy above.
"You collapsed in the saddle, my lord," Kal' Yu's voice came from somewhere to the left. "Sari rode with you, but your fever worsened, so we had to stop and make camp. You've been in and out for two days. We've shaken off the Keolyor and are now near Erdin."
Two days! Tez' Mu's mind reeled as he tried to take it in. But...hadn't he still been riding just now...?
Sari's expression was off. He pursed his lips as he said something to the deputy in a low voice. A grunt answered him and Tez' Mu heard Kal' Yu shuffle further away.
"You too, Annir," Sari said.
Annir gripped the bowl in his hands tighter. "My loyalty is to the House of Mu, Sari," his answer came out as a whine. "I'm not leaving."
"Go!" Sari shouted, pointing towards the dark copse of trees, where the others were camped. Annir put the bowl down and hurried away, startled at Sari's raised voice.
Tez' Mu was startled himself, but he could only watch with a sense of detached amusement, his head still throbbing with pain. Then he frowned.
"How's your injury now?" He reached out to touch Sari's neck but his hand was swatted away unceremoniously by the servant.
"It's you I'm worried about! You've been burning up! And hallucinating!"
Hallucinating. The word hit Tez' Mu like a hoof to the ribs.
"You've been muttering to yourself," Sari continued, his face twisted. "Calling out for my lord general, lady Royan', and—" He stopped, turning away.
Tez' Mu sighed. "And?" he muttered weakly.
"Don't you remember?" Sari asked with a frown.
Tez' Mu shook his head slowly. He was aware he'd been having fever dreams, but he always forgot their contents in his brief periods of consciousness before slipping into another one.
"Well, it's not pleasant. None of it is," Sari grunted, "You have to get yourself together, ke. We're near our destination, and you shouldn't make your own guard have reason to turn against you."
Tez' Mu's mouth went dry. "Who have I been calling, Sari?" Whose name could he have called that could make Kal' Yu and the others want to turn against him? He didn't know that many people.
Sari pursed his lips. "Grandfather," he said. "You've been calling out 'grandfather', ke."
Tez' Mu stared at him, then managed a shaky laugh, "You do realize that I, and about everyone else in the world, have two grandfathers?"
Sari was not fooled. "Lord Jan' Mu is dead. You only have one grandfather alive."
"Did I ever specifically say, 'Offal' Kest'?"
"No," Sari replied. "But—"
"Then nothing. What else did I say?"
"You've been calling kel Keiran' a lot, too," Sari sighed.
Tez' Mu's face burned with embarrassment. "Do the escorts know who Keiran' is?"
Sari snorted, "Who in Ochelon doesn't?"
Tez' Mu groaned as he rolled onto his left side. The crickets were especially loud in this forest, and the noise slowly made him more aware of himself and his surroundings.
"Where exactly are we?"
"The border of trees surrounding Erdin in the north. We're already on high ground," Sari replied, as he took the wet towel off Tez' Mu's forehead.
"I see. How far is Darin then?"
"I thought you knew. You were the one that picked out the route."
"Don't vent on me, Sari," Tez' Mu snapped. "What's the matter with you?"
Sari didn't pause to think. "You're not the one who's had to deal with these crass escorts, despite having no power over them," he growled. "Kal' Yu wanted us to head back to the capital, I don't know, to do what? Commanding them in your name to obey me is a lot harder that it sounds."
Tez' Mu snorted, "My apologies," though he didn't mean it. "What's the plan now?"
"I should be asking you that," Sari retorted.
"I'm an invalid!"
"Yet you're still the royal envoy! The fact that you're sick doesn't nullify your duty! You've got people waiting on you for orders, so get your arse off the heather and lead!"
Tez' Mu's eyes widened. Later, he'd understand Sari's sentiment. For now, all he wanted was to punch him in the face.
"Ha! Lead! You were just ranting about how hard it was to get the escorts to listen to you!" Tez' Mu croaked, annoyed that the words weren't coming out as fast as he wanted, "Who'd have thought? It's not any easier for me!"
Sari folded the towel with a long-suffering sigh. "They're honor bound to listen to you at least; you're a noble. You won't be the recipient of slurs like khoyra and meizrin."
Tez' Mu shot up so fast his head reeled. "Who called you that?!"
Sari shrugged. "Doesn't matter. At least you now understand—"
But Tez' Mu would never let it go. If his brothers had taught him any virtues at all, it was the gory spectacle of the bloodied Ji boy who had called one of their servants a khoyra. Raq' Mu had sent all four boys to the Mu Army as punishment, but every lash from the recruits was worth it, according to Riel' Mu.
He was about to call Kal' Yu and give him a piece of his mind when Sari put an arm on his shoulder.
"Let it go. I'm just glad you're awake now."
***
Tez' Mu thought the ancestors had thrown his way all the misfortune they could. From the cave with the vines to the poisoned dart, he thought he had had it all. However, the Mu forebears seemed to still be warming up to the woe-hurling game, as the party made their way up Mt. Erdin the following morning.
The fog was thick, clinging to the path and muffling every sound except for the horses' cautious steps and Kal' Yu's low, half-audible complaints. The animals hesitated at every turn, unwilling to risk a step off what could easily be a hidden precipice. The occasional howl tearing through the misty forest kept the entire party on edge.
The temperature dropped as they climbed higher. Annir shivered visibly in the saddle—a few days with the deputy had made him into an amateur horseman. Sari straggled at the rear, driving the supply carriage and squinting into the gloom for any sign of danger.
The trail narrowed, forcing the group into single file.
"Let me go ahead, my lord," Kal' Yu offered. Tez' Mu hesitated only briefly before nodding.
Kal' Yu spurred his horse and vanished into the fog. Tez' Mu followed, flanked by the other two. Only recently had he learned their names.
Yanak, tanned and solidly built, rode on his left, his headband stained with sweat. On his other side, the second lieutenant, Mi' Huan, cut a striking contrast. His long black hair was meticulously tied back, the strands smooth and controlled, like everything else about him. At his throat gleamed a bronze amulet—the serpent and sword sigil of a Sand Viper lieutenant.
Tez' Mu's eyes lingered on it. Mi' Huan was too young to have eared that in the Ochelon-Sidrak war. The amulet's edges were worn smooth, its bronze darkened with age. His father's then. He could almost imagine some grizzled veteran who'd fought in the brutal border campaigns of 1689—fastening it around his son's neck. Mi' Huan wore it polished now, but the old arrow dent near the serpent's eye remained. A battle scar no cloth could buff away.
The only flaw on the otherwise pristine lieutenant was a faint scar running through his left eyebrow, pale as a chalk-mark against his sun darkened skin.
They rode in silence, the kind that grew more uncomfortable the longer it stretched—until Tez' Mu spoke, almost without meaning to.
"So how long have you been in the Onan Desar?" he asked, startling himself as much as the men.
The two guards exchanged a glance. "Three years, my lord." Yanak replied hesitantly. "Five," Mi' Huan added.
"I see," Tez' Mu said, nodding. "Where were you stationed?"
It took a second for Yanak to remember that Tez' Mu was not merely a nosy noble, but their captain. "I was a Scith guard," he answered, his tone more formal now. "Mi' Huan served as a sentry on the wall."
Tez' Mu nodded again, unsure how to continue. The silence threatened to return so he ventured, "Do you have families?"
The question hung awkwardly in the air. Mi' Huan cleared his throat, his red eyes narrowing slightly. "No, my lord. Onan Desar aren't allowed to marry for the first six years of service."
"Ah," Tez' Mu replied, his voice quieter. "I wasn't aware—"
Mi' Huan's chuckle cut him off. "We don't talk about it. A soldier's family is their unit."
Tez' Mu nodded, the weight of their words sinking in. He glanced at the fog-shrouded trees, the path ahead an endless stretch of uncertainty.
"Doesn't apply to you, of course," Yanak said. "We'd probably find ourselves toasting your union before the year turns."
Tez' Mu laughed, the sound surprising even himself. "Impossible."
Yanak shrugged. "You've got a name to carry and heirs to make. That rule's for soldiers without one."
The levity dissolved abruptly when a howl echoed closer than before. Yanak's hand instinctively moved to his sword.
"Wolves?" Tez' Mu frowned.
"Most likely," Yanak said, scanning the mist. "But if they're this close, they're either starving or being driven by something else."
Tez' Mu's heart sank. "Driven by something else?" he echoed, startled. "Like what?"
"Desperation," Mi' Huan answered grimly, gripping the reins of his horse tighter. "Or worse, something unnatural."
Before Tez' Mu could get another word out, a sharp whistle rang out. Kal' Yu's signal. Yanak and Mi' Huan snapped to attention, drawing their weapons.
"Stay close, my lord," Yanak urged, his voice low as the group huddled closer. They advanced cautiously, their breaths visible in the cold air. The whistle sounded again, followed by Kal' Yu's shout.
"Formation! Defensive positions!"
The path widened slightly as they rounded a bend—and there stood Kal' Yu, blade raised against seven gaunt wolves perched atop a craggy rise. Even through the clinging fog, their outlines were wrong—shoulders too broad, muzzles too elongated. Their gray fur was matted with streaks of red, ribs jutted like they hadn't fed in weeks.
"Blood wolves," Mi' Huan whispered, his face going pale.
Tez' Mu felt his pulse quicken. He'd heard stories of such creatures—wolves said to be tainted by dark essence, more ferocious and cunning than their natural counterparts. But he had hoped they were nothing more than myths.
Kal' Yu barked orders, and the guards formed a protective ring around Tez' Mu and the supply carriage. Sari hopped down from the driver's seat, sword already drawn, and moved to stand near his master.
"Stay back, ke," Sari said, his voice low but firm.
Tez' Mu's jaw tightened, his hand trembling slightly as he reached for his blade. "I'm better," he muttered, though a sharp, burning pain flared through his shoulder. "I can fight."
The wolves hesitated, their glowing eyes flicking between the humans. They shifted restlessly, paws padding softly over the rocky ground, clearly calculating whether the risk was worth the reward. Tez' Mu held his breath, hoping they would decide to retreat.
The alpha bared his teeth.
A sharp growl shattered the silence, and the alpha struck without warning. Two hundred pounds of muscle and bone hit Kal' Yu chest-on, sending him skidding back in a spray of gravel. The pack followed, surging like a dark wave.
Tez' Mu barely registered drawing his sword. Pain burned in his shoulder as he parried a leaping wolf, the impact vibrating up his arm. To his left, Yanak employed short sword strokes, while Mi' Huan's spear darted like a serpent, keeping two wolves at bay through sheer reach.
Sari moved differently. Where others defended, he attacked, his curved blade seeking gaps between ribs. As a wolf lunged at Tez' Mu's exposed flank, Sari intercepted, his blade slashing upward through the beast's jaw with a wet crack. Warm spray hit Tez' Mu's cheek.
Kal' Yu barely deflected the alpha's renewed assault. Jagged claws grazed his forearm, shredding skin and sleeve alike. He switched his sword to his off-hand. "Hold the line!" he bellowed as he tumbled into a crouch, then thrust his sword through the beast's underbelly. It staggered back, intestines trailing on the ground, but didn't fall.
Moonfire slipped from Tez' Mu's numb fingers as the wounded alpha turned its glowing eyes towards him. Instinct took over. He grabbed the pommel with his right hand just as searing heat exploded from his left. The fire-bolt struck the wolf mid-lunge, immediately cooking the exposed viscera. The wolf emitted a strangled shriek before crashing to the ground, writhing and trashing as the smell of charred fat and burning underfur filling the air.
The pack hesitated for only a heartbeat before a scarred female took charge, her muzzle streaked with fresh blood from Yanak's earlier strike. A single snap of her jaw sent the remaining wolves fanning out behind her with ears flattened, baring their teeth. Their red eyes locked on the flame wielder—Tez' Mu. Savage snarls tore through the mist.
"Annir!" Sari shouted.
Annir shot out from behind the supply carriage, and rushed to Tez' Mu's side, his voice thin with panic. "My lord—move!" he urged, tugging at the reins of the frightened horse.
Sari darted towards the cliff-side.
"Fall back!" Kal' Yu roared, but Sari lunged for a boulder, fingers digging into the stone.
"What is he doing?!" Mi' Huan yelled.
Tez' Mu squinted through the fog. His stomach dropped. "Sari!" he bellowed. "Don't—!"
With a roar, Sari heaved. The boulder tore free and crashed down the slope. He leapt back almost at once. The ground shuddered as dirt, rock and wolves tumbled together down the mountain. The new alpha howled, claws raking stone as the landslide dragged it backwards, struggling to find purchase. There was none. Before Tez' Mu could blink twice, the remaining wolves were swept over the cliff-side. A final howl echoed up the gorge, cut short by a distant wet crunch.
Sari staggered upright, chest heaving. Hi palms were raw, his face streaked with dirt. "Had to be done," he muttered.
Kal' Yu was on him in three strides. "You reckless bastard! You could've buried us all!"
"But I didn't." Sari retorted. "And you're welcome."
Tez' Mu limped forward, his legs unsteady after dismounting. "Next time—" his eyes narrowed, and he caught his breath. "No; ancestors forbid—warn us before you decide to rearrange the damn landscape."
Sari wiped his hands on his thighs, leaving dirt smears. "I'll consider it," he smirked faintly, licking the dripping blood from his lip.
The group regrouped, shaken but alive. As they resumed their climb, Tez' Mu glanced back at the cliff where the wolves had vanished into the void. The ancestors had thrown their worst at him, but for now, they'd been outmaneuvered.
The sun cut through the fog as the road climbed higher, its fleeting warmth a mercy in between longer stretches of cold and wet. The towering sal trees of the foothills thinned, replaced by whispering, hardy blue pines, until at last they reached the windswept pass. Then began the descent.
The cries of golden eagles knifed down from the cliffs, while griffon vultures rasped in the updrafts, their guttural croaks echoing off stone. The horses' ears twitched at every sound as they picked carefully down the switchbacks, hooves slipping on scree before finding purchase again. Dusk had bled into full night by the time Darin's walls finally appeared, a charcoal scar across the horizon, its frontier gates etched with the city's name.
Annir fidgeted with his reins. "Will we be going Mirin mode here too, my lord?"
Tez' Mu didn't turn. "No."
He took the lead by spurring his horse for the final burst across the plain. His mount skidded as he pulled it to a hard stop beneath the banded iron gates of the city. Above, a sentry's cry startled a raven into flight.
"Halt and declare!"
"Tez' of the House of Mu, Imperial Peace Envoy," his voice cut through the night, "By order of the Dowager Queen—Open. These. Gates."