Eight 5:21: A Sudden Escort

There’s a joke among Voorhei’s hunters: “The philosophers say the year consists of spring, summer, autumn, and winter, but that’s because they don’t know the fifth season—mud season.” 

Well, I never said the joke was funny. What it was, was true. When Kana had anticipated the day’s journey as being a slog, he’d been right on the money. Our pace slowed to a crawl, with us going about a third the speed we would’ve on dry ground. The one saving grace was that the weather stayed clear, giving the earth a chance to dry out. The next day should make for easier travels. 

Not that it helped us in the moment. All we could do was trudge over the soft, slippery ground. Even with the Olympic-grade reflexes that came with a 16 Agility, I nearly fell on my butt several times. Fala with her 20 Agility smirked each time. 

A couple of blue coyotes came by to check out our party, but none of us looked like easy prey. They loped away as soon as they were spotted. It was the same story for a bobcat we startled out her hiding place. She took off at a sprint when she was discovered. 

Then when we were planning to stop for lunch, we came across a rafter of turkeys—the ordinary kind. Wilaeina and Fala were both quick with their bows, and a couple went down immediately, while the rest of the birds fled in a panic. 

Melwei called for an extended break. Hiking through mud burned a ton of calories, and after a cold night, we craved a warm fire. As I got one started, Wilaeina and Butrus dressed the turkeys. One got carved up to be grilled immediately, while the other was quartered and packed away in salt. 

The smell of grilling turkey meat attracted a few more predators and scavengers, but we’d passed through the deepest of the deep wilds by then. Within a couple of days of Bashtencru, the worst of them should’ve already been culled by Maltra’s hunters—not that we let down our guard. Which is how we knew a team was approaching. 

I’d just bitten into a turkey thigh, the juices running, the interior slightly underdone, when I heard a whistle from Wilaeina. She’d perched herself among the limbs of an oak tree to keep watch while the rest of us ate. 

Another whistle answered hers, coming from trees to our west. The sound meant “a visitor approaching” but given the encounter with the bandits a few days before, we didn’t take any chances. I put down the turkey thigh and grabbed a bow, while Fala did the same. Simultaneously, our guides spread out, with Butrus slipping into the nearby brush and disappearing into camouflage. 

Melwei moved so that he’d be the one to “greet” the visitors. Tru was there with him, though, and ready to step into the line of fire if necessary. 

The trees and brush obscured my spirit sight, so I spotted them at the same time as everyone else. At the forefront was their leader: a woman of about average height with dark hair pulled back in a braid, revealing that part of her right ear was missing. She wore a glittering chain vest over a mixture of buckskins and wool dyed in the greens of the forests and the blues of the lakes. 

The outfit seemed… less than practical. It gave the impression of hunter gear, but unless the clothing was heavily enchanted, I doubted its effectiveness for either protection or camouflage. 

More importantly, now that she was visible, I saw that her spirit contained the dizziness I’d come to associate with Maltra’s agents. 

Sonasen Maltrasdaughter (Human, Silvered) 

Talents: Natural Woodsman, Solid in a Pinch, Invested, Leader of the Pack, Reborn 

My Status camera provided confirmation: this woman was so firmly in the empire’s grip that she’d named herself after it. I had to wonder about that Reborn talent, though. In a game of “Which One of These Things Is Not Like the Other,” it was the one that stood out. 

The two men behind Sonasen were older and more traditionally dressed. One wore a breastplate, while the other was in brigandine. Like their leader, they were also silvered. If she was approximately Level 12 or 13, then they were Levels 10 and 11. 

Mr. Breastplate carried a greatsword and had soldier-oriented talents, all ordinary. On the other side of Sonasen, Mr. Brigandine carried a spear, and from his talents it seemed that he either was or had been a hunter excelling in tracking and perception skills. 

None of them seemed to have a particularly strong influence. I felt the hunter’s prickle against mine, but it didn’t stick. Sonasen’s was clingier, like honey, resulting in an Influenced (1) in my Conditions.  

An encounter with three people, all silvered, in the middle of the woods—that wouldn’t be comfortable for anyone, and I could feel the tension among the guides ratchet up. Especially Melwei. His spirit flared with recognition, dismay, and… sadness. 

My spirit eyes found a fourth member of Sonasen’s team camouflaged in a tree overlooking our campsite. The fifth… I’m not finding them. 

‘Behind a tree, waiting?’ Fala asked. 

‘Maybe,’ Yuki said. ‘They’re outside my influence wherever they are.’ 

We shouldn’t assume there are only five, I reminded the network. 

And received acknowledgements in reply. Both Yuki and Fala had already accounted for the chance that that might be true. Then Yuki moved through my consciousness to pick up and pass along the information I held—the visitors’ talents and the fact that our leader knew their leader. 

“Sona,” Melwei said, nodding. 

“It’s you, Melwei,” she replied. “I wondered who’d be bold enough to grill meat in the wilds.” Sona then glanced at the people behind him. “It looks like you’ve done well for yourself since we last met.” 

“And you,” he said. “Congratulations on becoming silvered. I’d heard the news.” 

Sona smiled, bright and charming. “I’ve found a new path, and it is so much more rewarding.” 

“I’d heard that too,” Melwei said, his voice and posture reserved. 

Sona’s spirit was too dense to see through, but she seemed glad to see him. Yet when she approached and her hands rose to take his, he stepped back. 

The smile on her face didn’t fade, though it did turn wry. “The same Melwei after so many years, stuck and refusing to change.” 

“My path is my own,” he said. “That’s all I’ve ever wanted.” 

Sona moved to the side to get a better look at his team, as well as Fala and me. Then she turned to Melwei again. “You should be silvered.” 

“And I will be, in my own time and my own way,” he replied. 

She sighed and waved her hand as if to shoo away the past. “As stubborn as always, and it’s no concern to me anymore.” 

‘Found a fifth and sixth,’ Yuki said. ‘They flanked us and took positions at our rear.’ 

I scanned the area with my spirit eyes, but didn’t see anyone. Sinking into the land, however, I noted how the trees behind Fala and me were curious about the creatures beneath their branches. They were so quiet and polite, if not for the pressure exerted upon their roots, the trees wouldn’t have noticed them. 

Sona put her hand on Melwei’s shoulder, and this time he didn’t move away. “Let me tell you what’s changed,” she said. “There’s a new law. All visitors to Maltra from the Alliance must be escorted to Bashtencru to meet with an official before entering the empire proper.” Her attention turned toward Fala and me. “There’s no need for sneaking around. Unlike the Alliance’s petty tyrants, we don’t force our people to resort to smuggling their goods. Your clients will be welcomed with open arms. We merely need to account for what they bring with them. A matter of record keeping, that’s all.” 

“And everyone has to do this?” Melwei asked. 

“Everyone,” Sona said. 

“Or else?” 

“Don’t make me answer that.” She leaned closer to whisper in his ear, “You’re outnumbered and outleveled.” Then louder: “Besides, we’re all followers of the law, aren’t we?” 

“But this is still the wilds,” Kana said, interrupting the interplay between leaders. “There is no law here.” 

Sona glanced at him. “Which is why my team and I are here—to make sure no one goes astray.” 

“That’s—” Kana began, but he didn’t finish. A gesture from Melwei had shut him up. 

To our left, a bird took flight, the sound of their fluttering wings momentarily drawing everyone’s attention. Tru shifted her weight, causing the mud under her feet to squelch. The air felt charged. So far, there’d only been talking, but the threat of violence had been perilously close to the surface—no matter how cheery Sona’s smile had seemed. 

Melwei cleared his throat. “Let me talk to my clients.” 

“Oh, and does that matter?” Sona asked. 

“They may choose to turn back, in which case Maltra’s law no longer applies.” 

Sona didn’t reply, but from the way her team tightened the grips on their weapons, I didn’t think they’d let us go so easily. Still, when Melwei walked toward me, she didn’t stop him from doing so. 

“You heard her,” he said, not bothering to whisper. “What do you want to do, John?” 

“What’s your history with this Sona?” I asked in turn. 

Melwei blushed. If it’d been a less tense situation, he likely would’ve rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. “That story about the bandit chief…” he said, then his eyes flicked toward Sona. 

“No,” Fala said, the exclamation surprised out of her. 

He nodded, his expression complicated. “Though she found a different purpose one day—an enlightenment she called it. My team at the time didn’t rescue me; she let me go after trying to convince me to go with her to Bashtencru.” 

“So she’s a bandit?” I asked. 

“Reformed and reborn,” Sona called out, her smile brightening. Her hands spread in a gesture to include the others nearby. “All of us are—that is the empire’s greatness. All who are lost may find a path there.” 

When she was done speaking, Melwei turned back to us. “I realize your purpose may require things of you, being a merchant and all, so it’s your call what happens next.” 

“You don’t have an opinion?” I asked. 

“I do,” Melwei protested. “Neither my team nor I wish to die, but we’ve chosen a path, and we’ll walk it until the end. The gods willing, our perfection awaits us.” 

Fala’s jaw wanted to drop. Only her authority kept it from happening. ‘No betrayal,’ she thought. 

‘An honorable scoundrel,’ Yuki added. 

Honestly, I was just as shocked. Even with what I’d seen and learned from our guides’ spirits, I half-expected them to abandon or betray us at some point in the journey. Human nature was just that fickle. 

Amleila’s experiences can teach us, I thought, but they shouldn’t bias our perceptions. Every person we meet is their own universe of recollections, thoughts, ideas, desires, and everything else. 

‘We must meet them as they are, not as how we fear they might be,’ Fala said, following the line of thought. 

‘Yes!’ Yuki said. ‘Or else Ollie/Eight and we would never have become partners.’ 

A truth, I thought. 

“Well?” Melwei asked. 

“As our guide, what do you recommend?” I asked him back. 

He took a deep breath; his hand rose to chest as if to pat himself. His fingers indicated that there were at least six opponents. 

“Though Maltra is a peaceful place,” he said, “they spare no expense to protect their borders.” 

At the same time, he signed, “Danger here, danger there. Depends on what you truthfully want. Recommend delay for opportunity to arise.” 

Right, Melwei suspected we were Alliance spies, so playing for time should be the right call for us, though escape now would probably be easier than escape later. In Bashtencru, we’d be surrounded by Maltrans on all sides. 

Fala observed, ‘If we fight, some of Melwei’s people will die.’ 

‘We don’t reward loyalty that way,’ Yuki said. 

No, we don’t, I thought and patted Melwei on the arm. 

His eyebrows lifted. 

“There’s no need for you to continue,” I said. “Since these fine people are willing to escort us the rest of the way, let’s complete our business now.” I dug in my pouch for the remainder of the guides’ fee. 

“You’re sending us off?” Melwei asked. 

“I still need to get to Bashtencru to sell my wares—a profit awaits—but unless you have business there too, I don’t see why you need to go.” 

Sona approached and placed her hand on Melwei’s back. “Can’t I tempt you?” 

Her influence seemed to thicken then, yet he shrugged it off. Whatever history the two of them had once had, it helped to stiffen his spine. “No, if our job is done, then it’s done.” 

Melwei took the coins from my hand. With a gesture, he collected his people and directed them to immediately withdraw. Before he left, though, he looked me in the eyes. There was a question in them. My reply was a slight smile and nod to reassure him we’d be all right. 

What also happened is that Sona sighed, though whether it was relief or disappointment, I couldn’t tell. Then she instructed some of her team to follow but not engage Melwei and his people. “Just make sure they’re doing what they’re supposed to.” 

The hunter in brigandine took off, as did apparently two of the hidden watchers. That left three with us at the camp. It hadn’t been my intention, but the odds of winning in an altercation had suddenly swung in our favor. I mean, they were pretty good in the first place, but they were even better now. 

Should we fight, or see where this leads us? 

‘I don’t trust them,’ Fala sent.‘They are too free with their threats.’ 

‘They haven’t actually done anything wrong yet,’ Yuki pointed out. 

What do you think will happen if we say we’ve changed our minds? I asked. 

‘They’d move to subdue us and bring us with them,’ Fala sent. 

Yuki qi swirled in agreement. ‘For some reason, we’re more important than Melwei and his team.’ 

I had a couple of ideas for why that might be. This might be an effort at counter-espionage, or— 

‘—or they’re going to try to turn us,’ Fala sent. 

‘A spy in the guise of traveling merchant would be a valuable asset,’ Yuki agreed, snickering at the irony. 

A good idea is a good idea, I thought, no matter who comes up with it. That said, our goal is Gorwenta and the Eagle’s Fortress there. We should probably pick up any intelligence about it and anything else the Maltrans are doing while on the way. 

There was no formal decision made, not that it was needed. We all understood that we’d reached a consensus. Well, the Deer God didn’t participate in the discussion, letting those of us more familiar with human motives talk it out, but he did move closer in case of trouble with our escort. 

About ten minutes passed, while we all stood around. Given the inaction, I bent down to retrieve the turkey thigh I’d been eating and continued my lunch standing. That got a smile out of Fala, and she quickly joined me, the two of us munching away while we tracked the activity around us. 

Sona’s smile dimmed as she looked Fala and me over. To her, we looked like a couple of dawn people, helpless in the face of her and her allies’ silvered status. Perhaps she saw us as cargo to be shipped. Whatever was going through her head, we were no longer worth spending her influence on. The clinging, honey feeling disappeared, which was confirmed a moment later by checking my Conditions. 

‘Their departure was sudden, but I’ll miss Melwei and his people,’ Fala sent, biting into a turkey leg. 

They were surprisingly good company, I thought, and worth every taak of their fee. 

‘Do you really think they’re gone?’ Yuki asked. 

If they’re smart, I replied. 

Yuki didn’t seem convinced, though. After all, the honorable scoundrel trope would have them attempt a rescue. 

None of us looked at where Wilaeina had remained in the oak tree overlooking our position. I would’ve done the same in Melwei’s position. That is, wanting to know what happened after he and the rest of his team left. It was just good sense. 

Right?