《Dragon Atlas》


 1: Kublai

    My feet hit the ground like an arrow onto an iron shield, but I had landed where I needed to be: the city of Karakhorum. Outside Karakhorum¡¯s patchwork wall, its breaches filled by loose rubble, tribes of men and goblins tended to their horses and roasted meat over fire pits. White, domed tents radiated out from the city like pimples on the cheek of the Earth Mother. Giants in crude leather armor kept watch for Lord Changhan, who ruled the city.


    At least, he ruled it for now. I didn¡¯t come all this way for the view.


    My brother, Batu, groaned. ¡°When does the nausea stop? Eternal Blue Sky. I see why you pulled me away from the feast.¡±


    I tapped his gut. ¡°Everyone does, actually.¡±


    ¡°Well, forgive me for riding a horse next time,¡± he said. ¡°Men weren¡¯t made to travel hundreds of miles in an instant, Kublai.¡±


    ¡°Some men,¡± I said.


    Two moons ago, after weeks of chasing hearsay and the hushed words of drunk men, I¡¯d found my way to the entrance of an abandoned dragon temple. Most people only told me of its location because it was, according to legend, impenetrable. Its doors, strong as steel, were built to open only to dragon fire ¨C and all the dragons were dead now. A chest without a key. And when you show a man a keyhole, the world becomes shaped like a key.


    It took me a few hours to dig underneath the door. But when I returned to our village, covered in ash and soil, I had a map that allowed me to travel anywhere on the continent ¨C in an instant, with the press of a finger. And with this map, my brother and I travelled here, to Karakhorum. The nausea didn¡¯t affect me, even when I¡¯d used the map for the first time.


    I rolled the map tightly and put it in my satchel. ¡°Shall we?¡±


    ¡°One¡­ more moment.¡± Batu had slumped down and was sprawled out on the ground. ¡°Alright, alright. Help me up.¡±


    I strode toward the city, dodging horses and men. The little town bustled with an industry of goblins, chains clattering around their necks, plodding after their slave masters. Women pulled children off the main path. Spoons hit pots, asses thudded against the last patches of grass, and training swords clashed.


    The giant directly behind the gate perked up. One of his eyes was bigger than the other, and his lower jaw dangled as if he¡¯d been punched one too many times.


    ¡°Who?¡± The giant¡¯s voice cut through the noise of the town. ¡°Say name. You.¡±


    The town paused for a moment, like a man tripping on a stone. After a few seconds, the clattering started again.


    ¡°Kublai,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯m here to speak with Lord Changhan.¡±


    A few nearby men chuckled, a local gang judging by the number of goblins peaking from behind their knees. They ate apples, too, which seemed an expensive luxury.


    ¡°See. Changhan.¡± The giant pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t. Know.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± I asked.


    Batu scoffed. ¡°You may as well ask a horse what its favorite star is¡ª¡±


    I waved Batu back. ¡°Your name, giant?¡±


    ¡°My name?¡± He paused, as if he hadn¡¯t said it in years and had to think about it. ¡°Chair-Wax.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ Chair-Wax,¡± I said, ¡°You see, I¡¯ve got an important message for Lord Changhan.¡±


    ¡°Message.¡±


    ¡°Yes, a message. But Chair-Wax, I can¡¯t give it to him from all the way out here.¡±


    ¡°You. Come in?¡±


    ¡°Yes, exact¡ª¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Chair-Wax picked up some rubble from the top of the wall and held it over me. Dust sprinkled onto my shoulders. ¡°Changhan. Said no. Entry. Anyone.¡±


    Batu stepped out from the shadow. ¡°This looks like the start of a healthy and prosperous friendship.¡±


    I didn¡¯t move. ¡°Chair-Wax, that¡¯s exactly what the message is.¡± I dropped my voice to a whisper, but kept it loud enough for the giant to hear. ¡°Changhan says there¡¯s some new exceptions. You know how you let some people in, but not others?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Some.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m one of those people. The ones you let in.¡± I slid my hand back into my satchel, ready to snap open the map and blink away if I needed to.


    He puffed out a breath. ¡°You. Lying. Yes? Outside. Men bad.¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯m not from the outside. I¡¯m from the inside.¡±


    ¡°Inside. Here?¡±


    ¡°Inside here.¡±


    He drew his arm back and patted the rubble back into its place in the wall. A rock came loose and almost crushed a rotten cabbage merchant, who scowled up at the giant.


    ¡°Come. In.¡± Chair-Wax pushed the gate open with one of his fingers. He glared at Batu. ¡°Kublai. Only.¡±


    The nearby gang dropped their apples. Most men never tried actually talking to the giants. They just assumed every giant was a simpleton bent on crushing them. And that had some truth to it, but most giants could be convinced to do just about anything short of betraying their lord.


    ¡°I¡¯ll find you afterwards,¡± I said to Batu. ¡°Stir up some trouble in the meantime.¡±


    Batu grinned.


    I walked under Chair-Wax¡¯s finger. The skin looked as if it had been burned, and scars from what must have been a thousand swords weaved into one another like a stitched blanket. When I¡¯d passed through the gate, Chair-Wax shut the door behind me and peered at me with his bigger eye.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°You. Do bad. I.¡± He picked up a rock and squished it like a grape. ¡°I. Do bad.¡± He returned to his watch.


    That wasn¡¯t an empty threat, judging by the spots of dry blood on the wall. The rest of the city, though, didn¡¯t have a spot on it. Unmanned stalls lined the stone pathways, and tiny homes were caked in dust. Chimes swayed in their windows. The outer city had been abandoned.


    At the heart of Karakhorum, smoke drifted from the center of the court¡¯s domed roof. Court was in session. I drew the map from my satchel. The silver encasing was carved to resemble the scales of a dragon, and it always felt slightly warm to the touch like a dying ember. The paper of the map, hard and crusted from decades of lying in the temple, crackled when I unfurled the map. I studied the coasts, mountain ranges, vast expanses of grassland and volcanoes until I found Karakhorum again ¨C a crude circle, the wall, surrounding what looked like a spoked wheel, about the diameter of my finger.


    If I placed my finger on the wheel symbol, I could end up on the roof, in the court, behind a guard or under the flooring. But I wouldwill have made a dramatic entrance, no matter where I landed. And that was half the work of convincing Lord Changhan to leave without stirring up a fuss. The other half was already done; I travelled outside of Karakhorum¡¯s walls to be seen ¨C by the gangs of men outside the wall and the giants keeping them out. I intended to rule them all, and you can¡¯t rule by putting walls and ghost cities between yourself and the people.


    I held my finger over the circle, braced myself, and planted it into the map.


    ¡°If anyone here has treacherous intent¡ª¡±


    I landed on a rafter with a thud that echoed through the court. The entire building seemed to recoil with my arrival: rafters creaked, pillars moaned, the polished wooden tiles screamed, and every pair of eyes in the court locked onto me. No one spoke. No one moved. Birds squawked overhead, perching on the opening in the roof.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind me,¡± I said, sliding the map back into my satchel. I left it open a little, just in case I needed to dodge a thrown axe or to prove a point. ¡°You, Changhan, I assume, were saying something about treachery.¡±


    Changhan was shorter than I expected. He had a permanent scowl cutting through his cheeks, and he seemed to have grown a wiry beard in an attempt to hide it. His silk robes hung open, exposing a belly hanging over his belt. He had some scars, but I doubted any of them were from battle. His son, who stood beside him, looked like a thin Changhan.


    ¡°Eternal Blue Sky,¡± Changhan muttered. ¡°What devil¡­¡±


    I dropped down from the rafter. My knees had gotten stronger since I¡¯d first used the map. All of me had, actually. As much as I wanted to avoid unnecessary bloodshed, I hoped Changhan gave me the opportunity to test exact how much stronger.


    Ladies of the court pulled their children back from me. Men, practically clones of Changhan, scurried behind their wives. I strode to the hearth and everyone withdrew from it. Three guards pushed through the crowd, hands on their swords, black armour clearly untested.


    ¡°Before you decide to try and cut me down,¡± I said to the guards, ¡°hear what I have to say.¡±


    They looked at one another, then at Changhan, then at me.


    ¡°Father,¡± Changhan¡¯s son said. ¡°This is ridiculous. Ridiculous! He¡¯s a devil. Just look at his hair.¡±


    ¡°Kill¡­ kill him,¡± Changhan said. ¡°What are you doing? Are you not loyal, you dogs? I¡¯ll have your heads for your idleness! You will wish¡ª¡±


    Changhan¡¯s son ran at me from across the room, blade drawn. His footsteps sounded like the pitter-patter of a mouse in expensive boots. He swiped as he reached me. I dodged it with a small sidestep. The blade whistled as it cut the air, but that¡¯s all he could cut: air.


    ¡°Stand still!¡± He thrusted.


    I put out a foot and he crashed, chin first, into the floor. Maybe he¡¯d get up looking like Chair-Wax ¨C if he got up at all.


    Unfortunately for him, he tried to strike at me again. ¡°Dirty rat¡ª¡±


    I slipped my hand into my satchel, grabbed him by the wrist, and touched the map.


    We landed on black sand, somewhere that smelled of sulfur. I started sweating from the heat. Changhan¡¯s son clutched his gut, tearing at it as if to scratch an itch on his intestines. His sword lay beside him.


    ¡°What,¡± he said, ¡°did you do, devil?¡±


    I glanced down at the map. My finger still rested on an ink volcano.


    ¡°Devil!¡± He grabbed a handful of black stones and threw them, feebly, at my feet.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to need to put more into it if you hope to hit me all this way from Karakhorum.¡±


    ¡°Where are we?¡± His voice fell to a solemn whisper. ¡°Is this¡­ hell?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s about a thousand miles from Karakhorum.¡± I picked up his sword, a fine blade, and held my finger over the symbol of Karakhorum¡¯s courthouse. ¡°Have a good walk home. It¡¯ll be a different place when you return.¡±


    This time I landed on the edge of the hearth. The stone I¡¯d landed on cracked and fell as I stepped down. The guards drew their swords.


    ¡°I left him somewhere just as hot as his head.¡± I dusted the ash from my clothes. ¡°If you¡¯ll allow me to speak, I¡¯m sure I won¡¯t have to do the same to anyone else.¡±


    The guards shared a look, sheathed their swords, and backed off.


    ¡°We¡¯ll let you speak,¡± one of them said.


    ¡°Treachery!¡± Changhan waved a knife around, as if trying to write on the wind. ¡°See! You all doubted me. Someone has come, just as the seer predicted. A devil, nonetheless! And you all called me paranoid, delusional, mad. Fools, all of you! Look, someone has come for me. He stands before you! Kill¡ª¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not wrong,¡± I said, meeting as many eyes around the room as possible and ignoring Changhan¡¯s rambling. ¡°I came for him, and for this city. I¡¯m sure all of you, though you won¡¯t admit it for fear of embarrassment, can barely afford food in the present state of Karakhorum. If you look outside the wall, the situation only worsens. Men cut throats for their supper, and their wives whore for theirs. Goblins have become slaves, beaten and broken on the slightest whim. Giants regard us, the race of men, as liars and thieves. Eternal Blue Sky only knows what the orcs think.


    ¡°But iIt doesn¡¯t matter what they think, you might say. But what happens when thoughts become actions? What happens when the goblins turn our whips against us? And when giants decide to crush us in our homes and leave Karakhorum as bare as the Earth Mother, will Changhan keep your families safe? He can barely keep you fed.¡±


    I let the silence hang for a moment. Changhan had scurried off somewhere. But he wasn¡¯t of importance. What few soldiers he could muster, I could deal with on my own. And if Changhan wanted to ambush me on the streets, one man against one man, I¡¯d happily oblige his stupidity.


    ¡°What can we do¡­ when they¡­?¡± one of the men in the crowd asked.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± I said. ¡°But we can take away the whip entirely, and allow the giants to live amongst us ¨C as full citizens of Karakhorum. As neighbors, friends, members of this court. As equals.¡±


    That caused a stir. Whispers, shaking heads, pursed lips. Giants, goblins, orcs and men had never lived together ¨C men had always enslaved goblins, giants had always lived apart from men, and orcs hated everyone. But that era was over. The Age of Dragons had ushered in this hostility between races, but this was a new era: The Age of Kublai.


    ¡°Karakhorum will be the first city of its kind,¡± I continued once the crowd settled. ¡°A seed for a new era. For a new empire. For my new empire.¡±


    ¡°And just who are you?¡± One of the old men in the crowd said. ¡°Who are you to come into a city and¡­ just take it as if it¡¯s yours to take? You have no army.¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t have an army. I don¡¯t need one,¡± I said. ¡°I appeared before your eyes and no one could stop me. Changhan¡¯s son is at the base of a volcano as we speak. I have broken into a dragon temple, and I¡¯ll break into every city on this continent. I¡¯ll be called ¡®Your Majesty¡¯, in the end, but you can call me Kublai.¡±


    After the first man bowed, the rest followed, like paper bending to the wind, until the last man bent the knee.


    There was one man who hadn¡¯t, though. Changhan. As everyone returned to their feet, distant alarm bells rang and it became clear where he¡¯d run off to.


    The last vestiges of Changhan¡¯s men would be on their way to the court. To my court.

 2: Ruler

    Approaching footsteps roared like a beating drum ¨C distant at first, then closer, and closer. By the sound of it, Changhan¡¯s men would be coming through the court¡¯s main door. Let them come.


    ¡°Guards,¡± I said. ¡°Get everyone out and make sure they¡¯re safe. Tell your men to go with them.¡±


    ¡°But¡ª¡±


    ¡°Consider that my first command.¡±


    The captain of the guards paused, then nodded, and his men ushered people out of the court¡¯s back exit. The courtroom was too small to guarantee that no one would be injured in the conflict. The elderly members of court could fall into the hearth trying to escape Changhan¡¯s men, or a child could be trampled by them. I wouldn¡¯t take the risk. I¡¯d take them all on alone¡ª


    The sound of footsteps cut off.


    A fist pounded on the door. ¡°Usurper! This is Captain Eeluk, here on behalf of Lord Changan, the rightful lord and protector of Karakhorum. Surrender yourself or face severe consequences.¡±


    ¡°Captain Eeluk,¡± I said. ¡°This is Lord Kublai, the truly rightful lord and actual protector of Karakhorum. If you and your men cease now, I will have no reason to hold you responsible for the commands of a madman.¡±


    The captain paused. ¡°Orders are orders. Men, break the door¡ª¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t barred.¡± I drew Changhan¡¯s son¡¯s sword. It was mine now, though. The steel hadn¡¯t been tested in battle, but its gleam marked it as quality steel. ¡°I¡¯d prefer if you didn¡¯t damage my courtroom doors.¡±


    The doors creaked open. Even unbarred, two guards groaned with the effort of opening them.


    These guards¡¯ armor was different. The most obvious difference was Changhan¡¯s golden likeness carved into the black steel. It seemed much thicker than would be reasonable.


    Captain Eeluk drew his sword. ¡°Last chance.¡±


    ¡°That goes for you too.¡± I looked past him. ¡°Has Changhan gone to hide in his little mouse hole?¡±


    ¡°Shut your dirty mouth, devil!¡± Changhan waved his dagger from behind seven guards. He brought eight in total. ¡°As Eternal Blue Sky is my witness, my men will deal with you here and now.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure your men and I will come to a deal, yes,¡± I said. ¡°After you¡¯re dead.¡±


    Let¡¯s see how much stronger I am, I thought. I darted forward, straight for Eeluk. My blade glanced off his shoulder padding. It was good armor, but it looked heavy. And judging by Eeluk¡¯s sluggish steps, it was.


    Eeluk swung high. I ducked his blade. He spun his blade, trying to intercept my movement, but I caught it with mine. I dragged my blade against his, the screech of steel cutting through the silence. I drove my blade at Eeluk¡¯s throat, but he jerked his head at just the right moment. A drop of blood crawled across his cheek.


    I took a swipe at his head and used the motion to get some distance between us. Eeluk was huffing already. With that much armor, he¡¯d wear himself out just trying to close the distance. He¡¯d defeat himself. The other guards were standing back and recovering from the run here, so Eeluk was probably much more worn out than he let on.


    He gritted his teeth. ¡°I see why the court guards didn¡¯t want to cross blades with you.¡±


    I grinned. ¡°Then you can see why they¡¯ll follow me too.¡±


    He ran at me, but I slipped between his legs. I kicked his back ¨C and he shot fifteen feet away. It wasn¡¯t all momentum. I was much, much stronger.


    I took the distance from Eeluk as a chance to dart at Changhan. The guards tensed as I approached. A couple of them, the younger ones, shook like scared mice.


    The first one advanced in a rush, and I dealt with him just as quickly. He swiped at me, and missed. I tripped him and stepped on his leg. Getting up in that ridiculous armor was one thing. Getting up with a broken leg was another.


    The next two were smarter about it. They charged me at the same time. One swung high, the other low. I jumped back, dodging both. They¡¯d swung their blades so hard that the momentum carried them well past where I¡¯d been ¨C and into each other. One took a blow to the legs and fell. The other took one to the chest and fell on top of his comrade.


    ¡°What are you doing!¡± Changhan backed away slightly. ¡°Captain A¡­ Ahlock. Ahluck. Do something! The devil¡¯s coming for me.¡±


    Eeluk responded with a groan as he got to his feet. He was still too far away to get to me in time.


    I took the initiative with Changhan¡¯s last four guards. I swung at their heads, and three of them dodged without a scratch. The last one, however, fumbled his dodge and lost his balance. They fell into one another, first hitting second, second hitting third, and third bringing Changhan down with them.


    Changhan screamed. One of them had fallen on his arm, it seemed. At least he was personally experiencing exactly how heavy that armor is.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    A couple of the guards tried to swipe at me from the ground, but I swatted their blades out of their hands. I moved over them as smoothly as a winter fog.


    I stood over Changhan. ¡°You could have just left Karakhorum with some dignity.¡±


    He tore his sleeve trying to free himself. ¡°And you could have¡­ could have¡­ stayed in hell, devil. I was right. I told them a devil was coming. I¡¯m not mad! Just like the seer said. A devil with no armies. A devil with black hair and a silver tongue. A devil who¡¯d steal my son and kill me in my own court. A devil who could touch the tips of the mountain and the depths of the sea¡ª¡±


    ¡°Where is this seer?¡± I held my blade to his throat ¨C more to keep the guards from trying anything than actually keeping this madman on his back.


    ¡°She¡¯ll curse me for telling you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll curse you if you don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t. You¡¯re not a seer.¡±


    ¡°But I am a devil, right? What kind of devil can¡¯t curse a mortal?¡±


    He pursed his lips. ¡°Fair enough. The Daurian forest. Find the tallest tree.¡±


    ¡°And she lives on its peak?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Changhan glanced around, as if she might be watching him at this very moment. ¡°Cut down the tallest tree. She¡¯ll come for you.¡±


    I stepped over him and out of the court building. I could see Chair-Wax still keeping watch over the wall. This probably counted as doing bad.


    Changhan pulled at my leg. ¡°Are you¡­ going to let me¡ª¡±


    I slid my blade through his throat. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t want to disappoint the seer. Not when I intend to have her help me.¡±


    I drove my blade into Changhan¡¯s neck, separating his head from his torso. I¡¯d need to show it to Chair-Wax. If I went empty-handed, the giant would add me to the crimson smear on the wall. He would try, at least. But when I present the head of his former leader, he¡¯ll accept me as his new one. Giants, like goblins, respected strength.


    Men, however, weren¡¯t so simple. I helped some of Changhan¡¯s guards to their feet, but some refused to be helped. They didn¡¯t even meet my eyes, and scurried off as soon as they could be free of their armor, like lizards losing their tails to escape a cat. It probably didn¡¯t help that I was carrying Changhan¡¯s head by the beard in my other hand.


    Eeluk took my hand up, though. ¡°He always used to complain about his head having a parasite in it.¡± He looked at Changhan¡¯s head dripping at my side. ¡°You seemed to have alleviated his ailment.¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, the symptoms are still with us.¡± I nodded at the outer city.


    Eeluk managed to get up after some struggle, but immediately fell on one knee. ¡°If it ever comes to this, as your personal guard, I¡¯ll defend you¡ª¡±


    ¡°If it ever gets to this point,¡± I said, ¡°you shouldn¡¯t. Kill me. In my sleep, of course. That way you might just have a chance at actually succeeding.¡±


    Eeluk chuckled. ¡°Lord Kublai.¡±


    ¡°Round up your men, calm them down,¡± I said.


    I pulled out the map from my satchel, found Karakhorum, and pressed my finger down onto the space just outside its wall.


    And before my next breath, I landed in the mud. But there didn¡¯t seem to be anyone around. The city was bustling before, and now all I heard was the distant whiney of horses and¡­ cheering?


    As I wandered closer to the sound, after putting the map away, I found Batu, shirtless, in the middle of a crowd, half a dozen men beaten at his feet. Batu took their apples and threw them to the crowd, roaring like an ape and pounding his own chest with meaty, sharp slaps. He stuck his tongue out and flexed his muscles and even did a backflip for good measure.


    It had caught the attention of three giants, one of which was Chair-Wax.


    I cut through the crowd and held out an open hand. ¡°Can I have an apple?¡±


    Batu guffawed. ¡°Looks like you¡¯ve already got one, Kublai.¡±


    Everyone followed Batu¡¯s eyes to Changhan¡¯s head. I threw it into the makeshift wrestling ring, and it landed with a soft crunch. Their cheers fell to silence. A few anxious mothers scurried away with their children.


    ¡°I fear that apple might have a worm in the core,¡± I said. ¡°And it¡¯s Lord Kublai now.¡±


    ¡°Lord Kublai, protector of Karakhorum, something something, eater of apples?¡± Batu bowed. ¡°Consider me the first to bow to your reign.¡±


    ¡°Someone¡¯s already beaten you to that, little brother.¡±


    ¡°You!¡± Chair-Wax shouted. ¡°You killed. Changhan?¡±


    ¡°I did,¡± I said.


    ¡°Changhan. Is dead?¡±


    ¡°He is.¡±


    The three giants glanced at one another. Chair-Wax, the biggest of them, took a few steps back. He must¡¯ve crushed a couple houses, from the crunching sound. But when his bent knee hit the ground, it sent a light tremor through the entire city. Birds scattered in response.


    ¡°Lord. Kublai.¡±


    The goblins in the crowd pushed through peoples¡¯ legs. A dozen of them, then another, and another. Goblins bred like mice. I couldn¡¯t count how many there were, but they all wore little chains like necklaces.


    ¡°Lord Kublai,¡± one of them squeaked. They bowed with their heads all the way in the dirt, in unison as if they¡¯d been practicing it for years. ¡°Lord Kublai.¡±


    The crowd of men followed suit.


    ¡°Look at you, big brother,¡± Batu said. ¡°Digging in old temples put you in high places, hasn¡¯t it?¡±


    I looked up at the Eternal Blue Sky. ¡°Not high enough. All rise.¡±


    Giants, men, and goblins rose. The goblins sorted themselves into service ranks, like a miniature military force. The giants kept watch, as they had before. And the crowd of men dispersed into the village.


    ¡°One more thing,¡± I shouted. ¡°Chair-Wax. Open the gate.¡±


    ¡°Open?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Yes. Everyone may enter the city.¡±


    Chair-Wax nodded.


    ¡°What now?¡± Batu asked, wiping the blood off his face.


    ¡°I have to go cut down a tree.¡±

 3: Split-Skull Forest

    The Split-Skull Forest clung to the edge of a cliff like rain to a cheek. I stood in its shadow, distant birds cawing at their prey. When I touched the trees¡¯ black bark, my hand came back ashen and throbbing, as if I¡¯d grasped hot coal.


    My steps echoed between the trees as my boots hit the ground, closer to broken glass than soil. I could understand why the seer chose this place: the foolish would rush in and be swallowed by the forest, never to return, and those who thought themselves conventionally wise wouldn¡¯t enter at all.


    My wisdom, however, was well beyond the conventional. I walked with my eyes up, searching for the tallest tree. But something was off about them. I thought I¡¯d found the tallest one and bit into it with the axe I¡¯d brought, but when I looked up at its peak, it was shorter than the rest of them ¨C shorter than it was moments before.


    The trees were changing heights. That was the game, and it was rigged by the seer. Cut down a tree, and, to your surprise, it wasn¡¯t nearly the tallest when it hit the ground. You¡¯d try and try and try again, until you exhausted yourself by cutting down one tree at a time.


    Unfortunately for the seer, if I was going to play a rigged game, I¡¯d be the one rigging it. One every hour would be too tiresome. One in an instant, however, might get her attention.


    I drew the map from my satchel and unfurled it. It felt warmer in the forest, as if it was responding to it.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you a moment to show yourself, seer,¡± I shouted, ¡°before I start supplying a local village with firewood to last generations.¡±


    No one replied.


    I put my left hand to a tree. The map only travelled what touched my skin. I pressed my finger to a nearby village displayed on the canvas.


    The flash of blue light seemed more intense this time, as if I¡¯d gone from gazing on the moon to staring at the sun. My skin shivered and my bones pulsed like I¡¯d reached into the Eternal Blue Sky and pulled down a bolt of lightning. And my voice became, for a moment, the voice of thunder.


    I landed in the middle of a flock of sheep, but when I hit the ground, three sheep flew back a little. When I looked at my feet, the tall grass had been blown away from me, and¡ª


    The tree I¡¯d brought with me creaked and tipped ¨C right for the shepherd of the flock. I held them back with my hand, and nodded at him to scoot to the right before I let them down.


    The shepherd looked at me. Then at his flock. He broke into a sprint, fur hat barely hanging onto his head as he looked back at me with wide eyes. It looked like I¡¯d interrupted his lunch, plums sprawled over the grass. His sheep chased after him.


    One tree down. A thousand more to go.


    I put my finger to the forest on the map. This journey wasn¡¯t as intense as the last. I landed right where I¡¯d uprooted the last, the gaping darkness threatening to swallow what remained of the forest¡¯s light.


    I inhaled deeply and cleared my throat as loudly as I could. ¡°I won¡¯t stop until you speak to me.¡±


    Again, no one replied.


    I made trees vanish, like a thief in the night stealing a mountain of treasure one coin at a time. I fell into a rhythm: left hand on the bark of a tree, right hand on the map. To the field. Back to the forest. Left hand, right hand, field, forest. After an hour, the forest had become a field of open graves. After two hours, the local villagers had noticed the pyramid of strange trees I¡¯d built.


    After the third hour, a hand grabbed my wrist as I was about to travel.


    ¡°You really are persistent.¡± A woman stood on her toes and peered at my forehead, as if to examine my mind. ¡°That¡¯ll land you in quite some trouble down the line.¡±


    ¡°It already has,¡± I said. ¡°And I wouldn¡¯t have it any other way.¡±


    She smiled. ¡°No, no you wouldn¡¯t.¡±


    White flowers grew along her wild auburn hair, which reached down to her knees. The petals seemed to move with her green eyes ¨C where she looked, they looked. Her hand, still warming my wrist, felt like soft summer grass. She wore a piece of cloth around her waist, almost a child¡¯s tunic, stolen and reformed into a skirt.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been expecting you,¡± she said, letting go of my wrist.


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t be much of a seer if you weren¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just something I say,¡± she said. ¡°People expect me to say it. I¡¯m not one to disappoint.¡±


    I smiled. ¡°No, no you aren¡¯t.¡±


    A squirrel darted out from the wood, stopping at her leg. It chittered, as if in speaking to her.


    She knelt down to it. ¡°Fine, fine. A bet is a bet.¡± Her hand was empty when she closed it into a fist, but when she opened it, walnuts overflowed from her palm. ¡°You win this one.¡±


    The squirrel chittered again before filling its cheeks and scurrying off.


    ¡°A bet?¡± I said.


    ¡°We made a bet on how many trees you¡¯d go through. I said twenty-five.¡±


    ¡°And him?¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t think you¡¯d ever stop. He fully expected that he¡¯d die from old age before he saw you leave and got his nuts.¡±


    ¡°Maybe I should speak with him instead then,¡± I said. ¡°He seems to be the wisest one in this forest. Well, second to me, of course.¡±


    ¡°But you didn¡¯t come here for wisdom, did you?¡±If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°No. I came here for you.¡±


    She waved a hand. Roots crawled across the ground, writhing over themselves like worms in a bucket. They spun towards us and weaved themselves into chairs and a table.


    ¡°Please,¡± she said. ¡°Have a seat. We have much to discuss.¡±


    ¡°Firstly,¡± I said, dropping onto my seat. ¡°Who¡ª¡±


    ¡°Am I?¡± She sat on the edge of her root chair. ¡°My name is Erhi. I¡¯m what you might call a seer, a shaman, a witch, a spell-weaver, a spirit-speaker, a spider¡¯s consort.¡± She paused. ¡°I forget the rest. I will answer your questions, if you ask the right ones. Most people don¡¯t like the answers I give, though.¡±


    I leaned forward, resting my elbows on the makeshift table. ¡°I¡¯m not most people.¡± I pulled the map from my satchel. ¡°Tell me what you know about this.¡±


    ¡°I confess I don¡¯t know much.¡± She shrugged. ¡°Your kind calls it a map, but it¡¯s more like a key.¡± She placed a finger on the table, as if to draw. ¡°Just as there are roots under the ground that men roam, there is a place... other than this place.¡± She drew a line, with little spikes meant to look like grass, and added a few stick figures with little swords. ¡°What you have there is a key underneath it all. A key to the Spirit Realm. But you aren¡¯t strong enough to stay there long, not yet, so it spits you out. The map just tells it where to spit you.¡±


    ¡°It?¡±


    ¡°The world. The¡­¡± She waved her hand in the air. ¡°The universe? I can¡¯t keep track of what people call it anymore. When they made that map, they called it the Eternal Red Sky, I think.¡±


    ¡°If the map was made,¡± I said, ¡°it can be made again. Copied.¡±


    ¡°Well, if you can find a living dragon, I suppose you can. The map is a key to the door, but before there was a key, dragons controlled passage to the Spirit Realm. When men went to the Spirit Realm, they tried to remain, tried to take it from the spirits who had lived there for thousands of years, so the dragons stopped allowing them in.


    ¡°But the bell had already been rung. Men had already tasted the fruits of the Spirit Realm. They captured dragons and bent them to their will, but the dragons still didn¡¯t open the doors for them. They settled for dominion on the land of men and built what you know as the First Empire. But the key to the Spirit Realm wasn¡¯t in the dragons¡¯ minds. It¡¯s in their blood. And that¡¯s what the map is. It isn¡¯t drawn with ink. It¡¯s drawn with dragons¡¯ blood.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what happened to them,¡± I said. ¡°Men hunted them for their blood.¡±


    ¡°Not just men. Spiders used to be the size of fortresses, but they were shrunken by the spirits for stealing dragon eggs. The spirits struck the giants dumb, too.¡±


    ¡°The giants?¡±


    ¡°How did you think they got so big? They ate dragon meat. The first giants were men.¡±


    ¡°You said that men tasted the fruits of the Spirit Realm,¡± I said. ¡°The blue lights. They made me¡­ stronger. I hit the ground like a comet when I travelled from this place.¡±


    ¡°This forest.¡± She stuck her finger on the drawing on the table and scribbled over it. ¡°It¡¯s a messy place. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s in the Spirit Realm or in the realm of men. No one does. Normally, I receive nourishment from the Spirit Realm, but not from this place. If men stay here, it twists them. It corrupts their minds. That¡¯s what happened to¡­ Sang-Hand?¡±


    ¡°Changhan.¡±


    She nodded. ¡°You¡¯ve been spending fractions of a moment in the Spirit Realm every time you travel with that map. Enough to make you stronger. Much stronger. But if you were to stay here, it would ruin your mind, tearing you between this world and the other.¡±


    ¡°How much longer until it starts?¡±


    ¡°A day or two. Changhan was here for three weeks.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± I stood.


    ¡°Good?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an excuse to take you with me,¡± I said.


    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m not¡­ I can¡¯t leave the forest. I¡¯ve been here all my life. I have important work to do here.¡±


    ¡°Such as feeding squirrels?¡±


    ¡°What if someone else comes? Someone like you?¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯ve been here all your life, if you¡¯ve truly never left,¡± I said, ¡°then you¡¯re in prison. These trees are your jailers.¡± I unfurled the map. ¡°And I thought I made this clear. There will never be anyone like me again. Men build the First Empire, but I will build the last one.¡±


    She looked down. ¡°Prison. You¡¯re more right than you know.¡±


    ¡°Then come with me.¡±


    ¡°He will hunt me down if I leave. He won¡¯t stand for¡ª¡± She fell to her knees, her nails digging into her scalp. She clenched her jaw. ¡°Aaah!¡±


    ¡°Who? Who¡¯ll come for you?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I can¡¯t say. He hears. He¡ª¡± She coughed. Blood leaked from her nose. The flowers closed and their color faded, as if to hide. ¡°I mustn¡¯t speak of¡­¡±


    If this continued, she¡¯d be dead in minutes. The Spirit Realm, I realized. She said it nourished her. I grabbed her wrist and planted my finger on a nearby village.


    The blue light enveloped us. It caressed her, healing what damage had been done. She fainted from the pain. I grabbed at the light, trying to remain in the Spirit Realm for longer, long enough to fully heal her, but it spat us out on a farm. We landed in a pile of hay.


    I shook her awake. ¡°Erhi!¡±


    Her eyes shot open. She searched for the trees of the Split-Skull Forest, but there were none. ¡°He will come for me. I can¡¯t speak about it. My mind is open to¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say anything.¡± I put a finger on her lips. ¡°If something comes for you, I¡¯ll deal with it.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t understand¡ª¡±


    ¡°No, you don¡¯t understand.¡± I helped her out of the hay. ¡°If the Eternal Blue Sky falls down on us, I¡¯ll hold it up myself if I have to.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll hold up the sky?¡±


    I smiled. ¡°Or I¡¯ll convince it to turn around.¡± I paused. ¡°You said that if I stay in the Spirit Realm I¡¯ll get stronger.¡±


    She nodded. ¡°If it doesn¡¯t kill you.¡±


    ¡°Nothing has so far.¡±


    She winced from the brightness of the afternoon sun. ¡°I¡¯ve never left the forest before.¡±


    ¡°Never?¡±


    ¡°Unless you count the Spirit Realm.¡± She shielded her eyes with her hand. ¡°I don¡¯t.¡±


    I unfurled the map, and stuck out a hand.


    Her soft palm held mine. ¡°Where¡¯re we going?¡±


    ¡°Everywhere,¡± I said. ¡°Call it a brief tour of the known world.¡±


    We shot from the farm to the edge of the Silver Desert, hopping from one foot to the other as we stood on hot ground. Vultures eyed us. In the distance, men sailed across the sunlit dunes like dolphins riding a sparkling wave. Next, we landed on the peak of a mountain range, the soft brush of sand exchanged for the hard crunch of snow that hadn¡¯t been stepped on in centuries. The sun was just about to set here, the torches of a distant fishing village popping with light.


    ¡°C¡­ Cold,¡± she chittered.


    ¡°Next it is.¡±


    We landed at the edge of a waterfall. Of a dozen waterfalls, huddled around an infinite drop into the dark like men around a fire. They were uneven, as if put here by a clumsy child organizing his toys. The waterfall across from us was a flat plane tilted to the left. Below, the unseen depths growled as water fell into it.


    I considered taking her to another forest, but I decided against it and planted my finger on Karakhorum instead.


    We landed where I had before it was mine: on the high ground outside the city walls. I wanted her to see it from a height. The little white tents were mostly gone, just a few tarps collapsed around extinguished fire-pits and a handful of men scurrying into the city as if running from something. Chair-Wax peered off into the distance.


    An army marched toward Karakhorum.


    I glanced at Erhi. ¡°Is that the army of the man who hunts you?¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t have one,¡± she said. ¡°Not one with soldiers from this realm, at least.¡± She paused. ¡°I take it that isn¡¯t your army then?¡±


    I looked her in the eye. ¡°Not yet.¡±

 4: Champion

    When I landed in court, Erhi on my arm, the bustling courtroom cut to silence. The old men had obviously been debating how best to surrender, judging by the turned-back position of our little wooden troops on the ground. Guards were breaking up a fight. And in the middle of it all, Batu yawned.


    ¡°Told you,¡± Batu said. ¡°I said he¡¯d come back soon. He has a sense for things.¡± He glanced at Erhi. ¡°And for women, evidently¡ª¡±


    ¡°My lord.¡± One of the old men pushed passed Captain Eeluk. ¡°My lord, an army marches toward us.¡± He bowed, but just a little, as if to do only the bare minimum. ¡°We must surrender!¡±


    ¡°Surrender?¡± I said, sidling toward the throne by the hearth and slipped the map back into my satchel. ¡°Is that your advice?¡±


    ¡°My advice, and the advice of the wise men of the city of Karakhorum. My name is Gantulga, my lord. We have discussed it at great lengths during your¡­¡± He narrowed his eyes at Erhi. ¡°Excursion.¡±


    Gantulga had a mole on the point of his nose. It distracted from his cascading wrinkles, at least, and from the way that he stressed his Eastern accent on certain words as if to appear more refined. I sat and feigned thought. Of course, I already knew what I was going to do.


    ¡°My lord!¡± Gantulga said. Everyone else had remained silent. ¡°We must act swiftly. They will not hesitate to sack the city.¡±


    ¡°How do you know?¡±


    ¡°How do I know¡­ that such a hoard wants nothing more than to burn our homes?¡± He had started to speak to the crowd of nobles instead of to me. ¡°How many of you fine men and noble women would see such a fate come to pass? How many of you would see your valuables pillaged and your wives raped?¡±


    The crowd started to murmur and look at one another.


    ¡°For one,¡± I said, mocking Gantulga¡¯s clearly put-on accent. ¡°No one wants to rape any of your wives. They¡¯re lovely, of course, but they smell like you. Secondly, we¡¯re not surrendering.¡±


    Gantulga chuckled nervously. ¡°My lord, I understand that one so young and¡­ passionate as you may not truly see the dire situation at hand. But I beg you to yield to your experienced councilors¡ª¡±


    ¡°The councilors that elected Changhan? The councilors that helped him expel most of the city to outside its walls?¡±


    He started to speak, but I waved him silent.


    ¡°We won¡¯t surrender,¡± I said. ¡°Gantulga, I¡¯m the only one who sees the situation at hand. I see it as clearly as I see all of you. I see that we don¡¯t have an army. I see that we can¡¯t hold against our neighboring cities. I see that everyone is used to bending over for anyone with a strong arm and a big sword. But most of all, I see this as an opportunity.¡±


    ¡°An¡­ An opportunity?¡± Gantulga scowled. ¡°For what? Hah. An opportunity¡­ to die, more like.¡± He looked at the crowd, anticipating a laugh for what must have been a joke. He just said it louder the second time. ¡°An opportunity¡­ to die.¡±


    No one laughed.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have an army, so we need to acquire one. Well, look what¡¯s just been delivered to us. We can¡¯t hold against our neighbors, but what if we didn¡¯t have neighboring cities? This is an opportunity to gain an army and a place a new territory under my banner.¡±


    Everyone paused.


    Batu chuckled. ¡°The Eternal Blue Sky sends you a bolt of lightning and you use it to cook your dinner.¡±


    That actually happened, when Batu and I were children. But we weren¡¯t children anymore, and I had moved on to bigger bolts and bigger dinners.


    ¡°This is ridiculous,¡± Gantulga said. ¡°You really think we can defeat such a monstrous enemy! And we thought Changhan¡¯s madness was a blight upon Karakhorum. This¡­¡± He turned to the crowd and pointed at me. ¡°This man is the true blight.¡±


    I stood and turned to Erhi. ¡°Captain Eeluk. You are to act as this woman¡¯s personal escort. Give her whatever she desires until I return.¡±


    Eeluk hurried over, armor clanking with his steps. ¡°Yes, my lord.¡±


    ¡°Be careful of the lightning,¡± Erhi said, as she was shuffled off. ¡°I saw¡­ lights in your path.¡±


    I smiled. ¡°I¡¯m sure my future is quite bright, yes.¡±


    ¡°Where are you returning from, older brother?¡± Batu said.


    I turned to Gantulga, putting Erhi¡¯s words in the back of my mind. ¡°Gantulga. Who sent this army?¡±


    Gantulga jolted, as if I had hit on something. He paused for a moment. ¡°Our scouts tell us they wear the eagle sigil of the Lord Altan, the lord of the city Ulaanbaatar. To the west.¡±


    I pulled the map from my satchel and held out a hand to Batu. ¡°Brother, if you would.¡±


    He grinned. ¡°I would. I hear Ulaanbaatar is lovely this time of year.¡±


    ¡°Most cities are when they¡¯re left unguarded.¡±


    I moved my finger from over Karakhorum to the west. I found Ulaanbaatar nestled near the coast, and pressed my finger to it.


    The sharp smell of seawater hit me as soon as I landed on Ulaanbaatar¡¯s melted stone streets. The city, unlike Karakhorum, didn¡¯t have a wall. Ulaanbaatar was an old city, from the time of the First Empire when the only wall a city needed was a dragon curled around it. Buildings spun toward the Eternal Blue Sky in pillars of twisted glass the color of seaweed. Reflections ¨C of the few citizens that remained, of their little carts mostly abandoned, of the storm clouds circling overhead ¨C distorted in the streets and on the sides of buildings.


    ¡°I should have taken a horse.¡± Batu was bent over, but after a few moments he exhaled sharply and stood upright. ¡°Alright. What now?¡±


    I pointed at the only spiraled structure that stuck out. It glowed crimson, with flecks of gold. Legends had it that the last dragon fire burned at its core. I¡¯d find out if the legends were true soon enough. ¡°There.¡±


    ¡°There?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s where he¡¯ll be,¡± I said. ¡°If I were an arrogant lord, the biggest, brightest building would be exactly where I¡¯d put my throne. And I wouldn¡¯t leave my comforts for the frontlines.¡±


    ¡°If you were,¡± Batu laughed. ¡°Brother, you¡¯re the most arrogant man I¡¯ve ever met.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± I said. ¡°So I know how arrogant men think.¡±


    ¡°Are we going to¡­?¡± Batu pointed at the map and waved his fingers as if he were tickling the air. ¡°Whoosh over there?¡±


    I glanced at the razor-sharp towers. ¡°Not exactly. I wouldn¡¯t want to whoosh us onto a spike. That¡¯d make it too easy for Altan.¡±


    ¡°Make what too easy?¡±


    I pointed at the approaching figures, their bodies refracting through the glass city. The glass seemed to catch and amplify light. That must¡¯ve been how the guards spotted us so quickly. ¡°I doubt that¡¯s a welcome party.¡±


    ¡°I for one,¡± Batu drew his blade, ¡°feel plenty welcome. It¡¯ll be just like old times, brother.¡±


    I drew mine. ¡°Old times? You mean last week?¡±


    The city guards met us in the widest road. Their armor was made of the same seaweed-colored glass, molded around thin iron bars. Their helmets had little glass angel wings over the ears, and the translucent trim along their forearms dangled like jellyfish tentacles as they gripped their blades.


    Batu chuckled. ¡°They look like they¡¯re going dancing.¡±


    ¡°Strangers,¡± the captain of the guard said, ¡°state your purpose in the city of Ulaan¡ª¡±


    ¡°Lord Altan,¡± I said. ¡°I want Lord Altan.¡±


    ¡°Then we have nothing more to discuss. You¡¯re coming with us.¡± He drew his sword, which had colorful patterns along the blade to match his armor. ¡°Now.¡±


    The last open windows were locked by the few citizens that remained, bolts clanking into slots. I glanced at the clouds. They swirled as if to herd the city. I¡¯d seen the weather distort around the old cities before. Some of them were blazing hot year-round, others frozen over in the midsummer night. But from what I¡¯d heard of Ulaanbaatar¡­


    The clouds rumbled overhead, as if about to let loose.


    I grinned. Erhi did see lightning in my future. ¡°Captain, if you would give us a moment.¡±


    He narrowed his eyes. ¡°For what?¡±


    Batu turned to me and did the same. ¡°For what?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll see,¡± I whispered to Batu. ¡°Captain, I¡¯m here for Lord Altan, and Lord Altan alone. I would prefer not to hurt you or your men¡ª¡±


    ¡°Your preferences are irrelevant,¡± the captain said.


    ¡°It¡¯s unfortunate that you view your personal well-being as irrelevant.¡± I glanced up at the sky. ¡°Get ready,¡± I whispered to Batu. ¡°Close your eyes at my signal.¡±


    ¡°What? What¡¯s the signal?¡± Batu practically shouted. He wasn¡¯t good at whispering.


    ¡°You¡¯ll know when it happens.¡±


    ¡°Signal?¡± The captain advanced, sword drawn, three men behind him. ¡°Do you intend to signal to other outlaws¡ª¡±


    Lightning flashed. I shut my eyes as light gushed through the city¡¯s glass. Thunder rolled over the glass, sending a crackle through the bones of the city. I opened my eyes as the last of the light bled into nothing. I nudged Batu, and he opened his eyes.


    The guards hadn¡¯t closed theirs. They scrambled about, swinging wildly for us.


    I darted forward, Batu at my back. I ducked a guard¡¯s sword and brought mine through a gap in his armor. The glass ran red with his blood.


    I slipped another guard¡¯s blade like a fish slipping a fisherman¡¯s hand. He had regained some vision, judging by the number of near-misses with his strikes. But near-misses were still misses.


    I didn¡¯t miss, as a rule. I caught his leg with my blade, and as he fell to a knee, I slit his throat.


    Before the captain regained his composure, my blood-stained steel rested on his neck.


    ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± I said to the captain as he reached for the knife on his belt.


    ¡°You really do have a sense for things,¡± Batu said, jerking his blade out of a guard¡¯s shattered breastplate.


    ¡°You know,¡± I said to the captain, ¡°maybe I will come with you. But I¡¯m choosing where we go.¡±


    ¡°Where?¡±


    I stood him up and turned him towards the crimson-gold tower. ¡°Right to Lord Altan.¡±


    Batu tugged on a guard¡¯s sparkly shin guard as I pushed the captain along the street. He grabbed one of the frilly armguards too.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that,¡± Batu said. ¡°You have a sense for everything except fashion.¡±


    ¡°You said they looked like they were going dancing.¡±


    ¡°I like dancing.¡± Batu straightened his new gear. ¡°Most occasions for dancing are warmups for a drunk fight in¡ª¡±


    ¡°Just kill me,¡± the captain said. ¡°Altan will have my head for failing to deal with¡­ two common bandits.¡±


    Batu chuckled. ¡°He called you common, Kublai.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± I said, ¡°I¡¯m a bandit, but I¡¯m anything but common, and I take much more than pieces of extra silver in a merchant¡¯s cart.¡±


    ¡°What do you take?¡± the captain said.


    ¡°Cities,¡± I said. ¡°For now. I see it as a stepping stone, really.¡±


    ¡°Stepping stone for what?¡±


    ¡°Continents.¡±This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    ¡°Continents!¡± The captain laughed, but cut himself off. ¡°Continents. You¡¯re serious. No one¡¯s even sailed between the Great Continents reliably before. The sea-beasts will crush any vessel before it¡¯s even halfway, and if¡ª¡±


    ¡°I have no intention to sail anywhere,¡± I said.


    ¡°I can¡¯t possibly imagine how you¡¯ll conquer continents then.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the problem with people now,¡± I said. ¡°They lack imagination. They see a city, they send an army. Lord Altan didn¡¯t imagine that I¡¯d come, for instance.¡±


    ¡°Eternal Blue Sky knows you don¡¯t lack imagination,¡± Batu chimed in.


    ¡°And who are you, exactly?¡± the captain said.


    ¡°I¡¯m Kublai.¡±


    ¡°¡­ The Storm-Seer,¡± Batu began, his hands waving the air. ¡°The Giant Speaker, the¡­¡± He puts his hand on his chin in thought. ¡°The sacker of Karakhorum.¡±


    The captain stopped dead. ¡°You stole Karakhorum from Lord Changhan? That was you who spirited his son away to the black circles of hell?¡±


    ¡°Actually,¡± I said, ¡°it was to the base of a volcano. Nowhere near hell.¡±


    We walked up the steps to the palace without saying a word. The only sound was the little plinks of drizzle on the glass steps up to the Red Spire Palace. No, the Golden Thorn Palace. I pursed my lips. The Lightning Throne. I couldn¡¯t decide what I¡¯d call it when it was mine, but I knew ¡®that red one vaguely in the middle¡¯ wasn¡¯t nearly dramatic enough.


    Up close, the palace pulsed red, as if it had a beating heart thumping just below the glass. The door looked like a big splinter of wood, jammed into a crack in the tower¡¯s base.


    ¡°Knock.¡± I pushed the captain toward the door.


    The captain raised his hand and knocked thrice. The door shuddered as if it was coming loose from its hinges. ¡°My lord, it¡¯s me, Captain Bolor. The bandits have¡­¡± He glanced at me. ¡°¡­been scared off.¡±


    ¡°Oh please,¡± Lord Altan said from behind the door. His voice sounded as if he were trying to make it deeper. ¡°I saw everything. Bolor, not only have you failed me, not only have you been defeated by such cretins¡­ you have even, what, joined them?¡±


    Bolor was quiet.


    ¡°He hasn¡¯t joined my cause,¡± I said. ¡°Yet.¡±


    ¡°Ah, the creature speaks.¡± Lord Altan guffawed. ¡°I didn¡¯t think men of such low stock could grasp the nuances of language.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t think you could either,¡± I said. ¡°But look at you go.¡±


    ¡°Lord,¡± Bolor said. ¡°This man isn¡¯t a bandit.¡±


    ¡°Then what is he?¡±


    Bolor glanced at me. ¡°He¡¯s the man who took Karakhorum from your cousin¡ª¡±


    ¡°Behead him immediately!¡±


    I put my foot to the door.


    ¡°My lord¡ª¡±


    ¡°Vengeance must be had, by your sword or by my own.¡± He sounded as if he¡¯d come closer to the door, for effect. ¡°In fact, if I were face-to-face with this cretin, I would unburden his shoulders instant¡ª¡±


    I kicked.


    The hinges clanged as they shattered. A crack ran through the surrounding glass. The door slid across the tiled palace floor. When it slowed, a quiet squeal escaped from behind it.


    I sidled toward the collapsed door and the man half covered by it. His concubines scurried to the corner of the room, huddling together in their little pieces of blue silk.


    Lord Altan wore the same glass and steel armor of his guards, but with little golden eagles all over it like spots on a cat. He¡¯d obviously outgrown the outfit years ago. I squatted and met him ¨C face to face. I could see the resemblance to Changhan, the only distinct feature of Altan being his waist-long ponytail.


    ¡°Well,¡± I said, ¡°here we are. Face to face. Unburden me.¡±


    ¡°Cretin,¡± he said.


    ¡°It¡¯s Lord Cretin. I am, after all, the one who holds Karakhorum.¡±


    He guffawed. ¡°And you really think the Council of Lords will stand for you as a Lord? Ridiculous.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. They won¡¯t stand for me.¡± I stood up. ¡°They¡¯ll kneel.¡±


    I drew my blade and put it to his neck.


    ¡°Lord Kublai,¡± Bolor said from behind me. ¡°I implore you not to kill him.¡±


    Altan¡¯s face softened. ¡°Bolor, you¡¯re a good servant¡ª¡±


    ¡°If you kill him,¡± Bolor said, ¡°it¡¯ll be impossible to get the army to stand down. The soldiers of Ulaanbaatar only take orders from him.¡±


    ¡°And if he¡¯s dead?¡± I said.


    ¡°They have orders to do as much damage as possible, no matter the cost.¡± Bolor approached. ¡°They¡¯ll only stand down if he tells them to, with his own mouth, or if Altan¡¯s elected champion is defeated. And I fear the ride to Karakhorum is too long to be there before¡ª¡±


    ¡°Batu,¡± I said, ¡°can you keep this palace warm for me?¡±


    Batu glanced at Altan¡¯s concubines. ¡°Brother, I just think I may be persuaded to keep it quite toasty for you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you could be,¡± I said. ¡°But if you could find it in your heart to take a break, I want you to dig around Altan¡¯s private correspondence. It isn¡¯t a coincidence that his army just so happened to march on Karakhorum days after I took it. I already have my suspicions, but I won¡¯t condemn a man until I have proof.¡±


    Batu nodded.


    I grabbed Altan¡¯s hand. It felt slimy.


    Bolor narrowed his eyes. ¡°What are you¡ª¡±


    ¡°Grab my hand.¡±


    He did, and I slipped my free hand into my satchel and pressed inside Karakhorum¡¯s wall.


    We landed behind Chair-Wax. Bolor and Altan thumped on the ground, gripping their stomachs. I tucked the map away, almost by habit at this point.


    Guards bustled through my city, ranks filed into ranks. City women, children in arm, scurried into their homes, locking their doors. Goblins peaked out from their little holes in the ground, bowed to me, and then darted back into cover. The rumble of thousands of feet approaching seemed to get louder by the moment.


    ¡°Chair-Wax,¡± I said.


    He turned around. ¡°Lord. Kublai?¡±


    ¡°Lift me up onto the wall, Chair-Wax,¡± I said, ¡°I need to see.¡±


    An enormous hand cast a shadow over me. Chair-Wax used two fingers to lift me by the waist, as if he were holding a teacup. He pursed his lips, focusing on the task, and dropped me on the wall.


    ¡°And keep an eye on those two,¡± I said. ¡°Make sure they stay there. Don¡¯t let them out of your sight.¡±


    ¡°Stay. Here.¡± Chair-Wax nodded, and turned to glare at them, bending down to put his bigger eye as close as possible. ¡°You two. Stay.¡±


    The army was close. Most of them rode shirtless, a wild horde rushing over the horizon with blades raised to the Eternal Blue Sky. Their glass armguards caught the sunlight. The wind carried the same sea air from Ulaanbaatar with them. Even from a distance, the thrumming of their battle songs challenged Karakhorum¡¯s ambient noise.


    They¡¯d make a fine addition to my banner.


    ¡°Chair-Wax,¡± I said, ¡°take me down.¡±


    Chair-Wax reached back without turning around, gently tapping around the wall as if trying to find something in the dark. He didn¡¯t turn away from Bolor and Altan ¨C he must have taken my order not to let them out of his sight literally. After a few moments, he found me and pulled me off the wall.


    ¡°Thank you, Chair-Wax,¡± I said. ¡°Make sure the fat one doesn¡¯t do anything bad.¡±


    He nodded and returned to his watch.


    Bolor had composed himself, and he tried to pull Altan to his feet. Altan shook Bolor¡¯s hand off and swatted him away.


    ¡°You said they¡¯ll stand down if Altan¡¯s champion is defeated,¡± I said to Bolor.


    He nodded. ¡°Every Lord elects one, and everyone who holds the title is permitted to challenge the champion to direct combat. Altan¡¯s rides with the army.¡± Bolor glanced at his feet. ¡°But his champion¡­ his champion is a monster. I¡¯ve seen him tear through men with his bare hands. I¡¯ve seen him rip someone¡¯s liver out. I¡¯ve seen him take an arrow to the eye and fight an entire battle until he could crush the archer¡¯s skull. Even among orcs¡­¡± He paused. ¡°Lord Kublai, if you ride to meet Altan¡¯s champion, you may be riding to your¡ª¡±


    I turned sharply and strode toward the stables by the gate.


    ¡°My lord!¡± Bolor jogged after me. ¡°My lord, I don¡¯t know who your champion is, but even the most skilled warriors have fallen to Altan¡¯s champion. Your champion would have to be twice¡­ thrice the warrior to be able to walk away from the battle. Your champion¡ª¡±


    ¡°Is me,¡± I said, tugging at the saddle of a horse. ¡°I¡¯m Karakhorum¡¯s champion.¡±


    He guffawed. ¡°Surely you¡¯re not¡­¡± His grin died. ¡°You¡¯re serious, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Deadly serious.¡± I mounted the horse. ¡°Only cowards hide behind champions and armies. Only people like him,¡± I pointed to Altan, who shuddered under Chair-Wax¡¯s gaze, ¡°elect champions to fight their battles for them.¡±


    I galloped off, through Karakhorum¡¯s gate, and left Bolor with his mouth hanging open.


    With every breath, every hoof clacking on hard stone, the roar of Altan¡¯s army grew. The wind tasted of the ocean. Most of the army seemed to be comprised of men, but there were ranks of orcs wedged between them, thrashing at the men who got too close. I stopped at the edge of a trickling stream and waited.


    When the army noticed me, they stopped and sent a rider out to meet me.


    ¡°Are you riding to grovel for your Lord?¡± the rider said. ¡°Understandable.¡± He was no older than seventeen, judging by his patchy beard and stupidity.


    ¡°Quite the opposite,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯m Karakhorum¡¯s champion, and I request to face Ulaanbaatar¡¯s champion.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re better off groveling.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re better off fetching Altan¡¯s champion,¡± I said. ¡°Now.¡±


    He open his mouth to say something, but instead turned and rode for Altan¡¯s army. The men he told laughed. After a few moments, horses whinnied and the army parted. The sound of footsteps, too heavy for a horse, sent ripples through the stream.


    The orc stood at least nine feet tall, with Altan¡¯s eagle sigil carved into his dark flesh. He wore only a makeshift leather skirt. A handle peaked out over his shoulder, and the tip of his blade bumped against the ground with every other step. The rider who came out to meet me still laughed at my challenge as he stood beside the orc.


    All laughter died when the orc sent a fist into the young rider¡¯s skull.


    ¡°If you would hurry over,¡± I shouted, ¡°I¡¯d like to make this quick.¡±


    The orc grinned. He ran out to me, the ripples in the stream growing until water splashed out onto the bank. In his wake, a small party of men, probably captains of the army, followed.


    ¡°I am Altan¡¯s champion,¡± the orc said, splashing water as he stepped into the stream. ¡°You are the champion of Karakhorum?¡±


    ¡°I am,¡± I said. ¡°I represent, well, myself.¡±


    The orc raised an eyebrow, as did the rest of the party. The captains drank from leather wineskins, chuckling and pointing. A young captain with curly hair collected bets in a hat.


    ¡°I¡¯m Lord Kublai,¡± I said. ¡°Of Karakhorum. And I¡¯m the city¡¯s champion.¡±


    ¡°You?¡± the orc said.


    ¡°Me.¡± I hopped off my horse. ¡°I propose, as is my right as a Lord, that the conflict between Karakhorum and Ulaanbaatar be settled here and now by a bout between champions.¡±


    ¡°Hah,¡± the orc said. ¡°Let us¡ª¡±


    ¡°One moment.¡± I dug in my pocket. I always kept a few coins for good luck, but I didn¡¯t need luck for this. ¡°I¡¯d like to place a bet. On myself.¡± I threw a silver coin at the young man with curly hair. ¡°Let that represent all the wealth of Karakhorum against the entire pot. If I lose, help yourselves.¡±


    The young man looked at the other captains. They replied with a collective shrug.


    ¡°You have your bet,¡± the young captain said.


    The orc reached back and gripped the handle of his blade. The wrought iron mass grinded against his skin like sandpaper against bone. His weapon didn¡¯t have an edge, at least not anymore. It may have started its life as a blade, but it resembled a long, rusting club now.


    I drew my sword ¨C and threw it onto the bank of the stream. I¡¯d fought orcs before. They had the dexterity of men and the strength of giants. This wasn¡¯t a battle for swords. He¡¯d hit it out of my hand as soon as our weapons clashed.


    I unsheathed the dagger on my belt. I¡¯d have to get my hands dirty, but that¡¯s never been a problem for me.


    ¡°Little sword,¡± the orc chuckled. He lumbered forward, dragging his club through the water. ¡°My blade has seen much bigger¡ª¡±


    I darted forward, counting as I did. One. I spun my dagger in my hand, firming my grip. Two. The orc put two hands on his club and lifted it just off the ground. Three. The orc swiped with a deafening whoosh, but I ducked underneath it and slashed his left wrist with my dagger.


    Four. Four seconds for him to raise and strike.


    The orc let his club rest in the dirt again, and made a fist with his left hand, trying to feel out the damage. It didn¡¯t look like much, but that was the point. He¡¯d go for the same strike again, and when he did¡ª


    He lifted his club again, heaving as he brought it down. I slipped it and tagged his right wrist with my dagger. He swung a fist at my head, but it only met air. Orcs were fast, but not as fast as someone who¡¯d been drinking in the Spirit Realm¡¯s energy.


    ¡°Ah!¡± the orc cried, rubbing his wrists. ¡°Stand still.¡±


    This time, when he tried to lift his club, the slits on his wrist gushed with dark orcish blood. He took the hint and didn¡¯t try that again.


    ¡°Fine,¡± he mumbled. ¡°With my bare hands, then.¡±


    He pounced, swiping at me with his hands. I dipped between his legs, slicing his right ankle as I did. The orc stumbled, but regained his balance and put his weight on his left.


    He tried again, pressing his legs closed this time. He expected me to move, but I just stood still, dagger held up and in the path of his arms.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± The orc stumbled back. My dagger was deep in his right arm.


    The orc¡¯s blood stained the water, but he refused to surrender. I respected that, but the fight was already won. All that remained was showmanship. I had to give the captains someone they wanted to follow, not someone who just so happened to sit in the right chair.


    The orc charged. I dug my heels into the sand. He raised a fist, eclipsing the sun, and drove it at me. I didn¡¯t dodge. I didn¡¯t even blink. I stood my ground.


    And caught his fist. One of the captains spat out his wine.


    My hand shook from the effort, but I held the orc back. He swung his other fist, the dagger still buried in his flesh. The orc grunted when I caught that one too.


    He pushed against me, his feet tearing up the riverbed below. I gave no ground.


    ¡°Last chance,¡± I said through clenched teeth. ¡°Kneel now or die.¡±


    ¡°Nev¡­ Never,¡± he groaned.


    I let his right arm slip past, grabbing my dagger as he lurched forward. I turned his momentum against him and threw him by his left arm, almost tearing his shoulder from its socket. He landed on his back.


    I brought my dagger to his neck and slit his throat.


    The captains were silent, jaws agape, until someone coughed. I washed my hands of the orc¡¯s blood in the water and sidled over to the young captain who had collected the bets earlier.


    I snatched his collection hat and emptied the silver into my satchel. ¡°I would say better luck next time, but¡­¡± I pressed the hat onto his head. ¡°Next time you¡¯ll be on the right side of things. My side.¡±


    I turned to the rest of the captains. ¡°I won¡¯t force you to follow me, as would be my right as a conquering Lord. You¡¯ve seen what happened here today, and it¡¯ll happen again. And again. Every master you may choose to serve in the coming years will fall, just like this. Every champion your masters raise will be food for crows. Every master you¡¯ll ever know will bend the knee.


    Every master.¡± I wiped my dagger on one captain¡¯s pants. ¡°Except me.¡±


    The young captain was the first to bow. One by one, they dismounted and bent the knee.


    ¡°I¡¯ll inform the army,¡± one of them said, riding off.


    When he did, the sound of blades dropping into the sand rang through the open field. They all fell to a knee, like a wave crashing to shore.


    ¡°Wise choice,¡± I said. ¡°Welcome to the Empire of Lord Kublai.¡±


    ¡°Long may you reign,¡± the young man said.


    ¡°Long?¡± I said. ¡°Oh, I intend to reign well beyond ¡®long¡¯.¡±


    There was just one matter left to resolve. The matter of who¡¯d conspired against me from within Karakhorum. I had my suspicions, and Batu was likely to confirm them with ink on paper.


    And if they were confirmed, Gantulga would hang for it.

 5: Traitor

    ¡°Ah, brother.¡± Batu lounged on Ulaanbaatar¡¯s palace tiles, his arms spread open to accommodate as many concubines as possible. ¡°Back so soon? I take it the army was a disappointment.¡±


    ¡°At least only one of us was disappointed,¡± I said.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Batu sprung up, women slipping off of him like water from a duck. He pulled a sack out from behind a chair. ¡°I read a few as I collected them.¡± He smiled. ¡°And I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll be disappointed. Take a look at the first few on the top.¡±


    ¡°Someone will be.¡± I dug into the sack and read the first one I grabbed. It described the necessity for quick action after Changhan¡¯s death. Signed by Gantulga.


    ¡°Shall we?¡± I returned the letter to the sack and offered Batu a hand.


    ¡°We shall.¡± Batu straightened his shirt and blew a kiss to the concubines. They giggled, almost in unison.


    I gripped the sack of letters and Batu put his hand on my wrist. I pressed on Karakhorum¡¯s courtroom.


    Men of the court always seemed to be in disarray. It was understandable ¨C to go from being under a madman¡¯s thumb to at war with a neighbor to part of a young empire. I¡¯d be disheveled too, if I wasn¡¯t the driving force behind it.


    No one had dressed properly yet. Everyone wore loose silk robes meant for sleeping, and, as usual, everyone shouted over one another. Gantulga, his cheeks jostling with the vigor of his oration, tried to rally them to his cause. I caught the end of his little speech.


    ¡°¡­and it¡¯s clear as daylight that this man is herding us to our doom¡ª¡± He shook when he noticed me. ¡°Oh my lord! Great and noble Lord Kublai!¡± He scurried over, like a puppy trying to beg for scraps. ¡°The scouts will be along from the frontlines soon to deliver their reports on the state of the war with Ulaan¡ª¡±


    ¡°There is no war,¡± I said. ¡°Not with Ulaanbaatar, at least.¡±


    ¡°My lord.¡± Gantulga chuckled nervously. ¡°Now is not the time for denial¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not in denial.¡± I tucked the map away. ¡°I¡¯ve just slain Ulaanbaatar¡¯s elected champion. This is his blood on my clothes.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± he murmured. ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t seem very happy Gantulga,¡± I said.


    ¡°No, no my lord,¡± he said, forcing a smile. ¡°I¡¯m ecstatic. Praise the Eternal Blue Sky for this deliverance.¡± He shook his hands at the hole in the ceiling. A few men nodded along.


    ¡°Actually,¡± I said, looking over the crowd. ¡°I achieved this by my own hand alone.¡±


    ¡°Surely you must give some credence¡ª¡±


    ¡°However,¡± I said, ¡°other men in this room did not achieve their ends with only their hands.¡± I paused and let them stew with it for a moment, then locked my gaze on Gantulga. ¡°Men in this very courtroom have conspired against their own city, against Karakhorum, and against me.¡±


    ¡°And¡­¡± Gantulga looked at his feet, ¡°you have evidence of this great and dire betrayal?¡±


    I kicked the sack of letters. ¡°More than enough. Batu, go to the wall. Tell Chair-Wax I relieve him of his duty. He may release the prisoner to you.¡±


    ¡°As you wish,¡± Batu said, bowing as he glided back toward to the door.


    ¡°The¡­ the prisoner?¡± Gantulga said.


    ¡°You may know him as Lord Altan,¡± I said, ¡°you two seem to be great friends. He¡¯s no longer a lord, however, so I suspect your friendship will waver.¡±


    Gantulga looked visibly paler. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re insinuating, my lord.¡±


    ¡°But you know what you¡¯re guilty of,¡± I said.


    ¡°My lord,¡± one of the other men squeaked. ¡°This court has heard many words like yours thrown around carelessly in the time Changhan.¡±


    ¡°But unlike Changhan,¡± I said, ¡°I have evidence.¡±


    I pushed the sack and it spilled its contents on the court floor like the sea delivering foam to the shore. ¡°You,¡± I said to the man who spoke up. ¡°Please, select which piece of evidence you¡¯d like to read.¡±


    He shuffled forward, his hands tucked into his sleeves. He bent down and handed me his choice.


    I unfolded it. ¡°Ah, excellent choice.¡± I cleared my throat and started to mimic Gantulga¡¯s accent. ¡°Changhan is falling to madness. Our time to strike looms upon us. Ready your forces and I shall make the preparations. Gantulga.¡± I guffawed. ¡°You could have at least not signed your name to these. But I suppose that¡¯s been your problem for some time now: your pride wouldn¡¯t let you entertain the idea that you might just lose.¡±


    The court mumbled.


    ¡°That¡­¡± Gantulga said. ¡°That is but one piece of¡­ frankly circumstantial evidence¡ª¡±


    ¡°If you would,¡± I gestured to the same man of the court again. ¡°Make another selection.¡±


    He did.


    ¡°I have made correspondence with Lord Batbayar¡¯s wife. She shall handle our operations in the south. For now, we shall storm Karakhorum at first opportunity. Be ready. Gantulga.¡± I glanced at Gantulga and tucked this one away for later. Lord Batbayar would be very interested to read it. ¡°Now, if anyone else would like to make a selection while we wait for Lord Altan, please do.¡±


    No one did, and the man who¡¯d spoken up shuffled back to his place.


    ¡°Captain Eeluk,¡± I said, ¡°restrain Gantulga.¡±


    ¡°Stop wriggling!¡± Batu groaned as he dragged Altan up over the last step. ¡°I swear I¡¯ll open you up for the Eternal Blue Sky to see.¡±Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    Altan froze.


    ¡°Altan,¡± I said, ¡°welcome to Karakhorum. I know you wanted to set foot in this court for¡­ how long? Though, you probably wanted an army around you. They¡¯re well on their way back to Ulaanbaatar now.¡±


    He remained silent, and averted his eyes from the restrained Gantulga.


    I sidled over to Altan. ¡°I suggest you give full and truthful answers when I ask you questions.¡±


    ¡°Suggest?¡± he said.


    I drew my dagger. ¡°Strongly.¡±


    ¡°Do not say anything, Lord Altan,¡± Gantulga said. ¡°This man is no threat¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll speak,¡± Altan said, getting his feet. Batu had tied his arms behind his back. ¡°It¡¯s over Gantulga.¡±


    Gantulga¡¯s face sunk. ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°Six years,¡± Altan said. ¡°I colluded with Gantulga for six years.¡±


    The court erupted with sneers and pointed fingers.


    When I spoke, their jeering tapered off. ¡°For what aim?¡±


    ¡°To place Gantulga as the Lord of the city,¡± Altan said. ¡°In order to gain a greater foothold in the Council of Lords, which we¡¯d use to conquer cities in the south and the north.¡±


    I turned to the court. ¡°I believe this evidence is satisfactory.¡±


    The crowd nodded. ¡°And what is their sentence?¡± one man said.


    ¡°That depends,¡± I said, ¡°on what they say next.¡± I glanced at Captain Eeluk. ¡°Captain, have your men escort the men of court out. This is a delicate matter.¡±


    Eeluk nodded at three men by the door, who jogged over and herded everyone out.


    When everyone had left, I rested a hand on Altan¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Speak, and you may keep your head.¡± I paused. ¡°The Council of Lords. Explain.¡±


    ¡°Explain what?¡±


    ¡°Everything.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t!¡± Gantulga struggled against Eeluk¡¯s grip. ¡°This demon will bend the entire continent over¡ª¡±


    ¡°Why should I prevent him,¡± Altan said, ¡°from doing exactly what we aimed to? We¡¯re beaten, Gantulga.¡±


    Gantulga grumbled.


    ¡°I can shut him up, my lord,¡± Eeluk said.


    ¡°No need,¡± I said. ¡°I believe Altan has just performed that service for me. Please, continue.¡±


    ¡°It began after the fall of the First Empire decades ago, when the members of the royal family were ousted from their cities. The new lords¡­ well, they were ordinary men. Fishermen, villagers, milliners. My own father sold linen. When these new lords tasted a little power, they couldn¡¯t stop pawing for more. They overthrew each other on an almost fortnightly basis.


    The Council of Lords was, at first, an alliance to maintain some sliver of order. At first, the Council acted to secure trade routes, root out bandits, and strengthen relationships between cities¡­ At first, it was for the good of the people, my father always said. I believe it did stamp out the constant vying for power. For a time.¡±


    I pulled Altan a chair. ¡°But not for long, I assume.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, not for long. It didn¡¯t stop the game. It only drove it underground. Before, men sacked cities by their own hand. After the Council, they poisoned food supplies. They assassinated one another. They¡­¡± Altan glanced at Gantulga. ¡°They convinced lords, like my cousin, to spend weeks in places like the Split-Skull Forest to drive them to madness. Members of the Council are forbidden to take direct action against one another, so now that my plans against Changhan have been discovered¡­¡± He looked at his feet.


    ¡°Now that the Council of Lords knows¡­¡± Altan continued. ¡°Lord Kublai. I will answer every question you put to me, and I will serve you as much as I can¡ª¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t protect you,¡± I said. ¡°You conspired against me. That can¡¯t be¡ª¡±


    ¡°Protect me?¡± Altan shook his head. ¡°No. I want you to kill me.¡± He paused. ¡°What the Council of Lords will do¡­¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t be worse than death,¡± I said. ¡°Men can only hurt other men so much.¡±


    ¡°That would be true,¡± he said. ¡°If the Council of Lords was just the lords of the continent. I mentioned that at first it was good. And it was good. I saw them feed the hungry and nurse the sick. They rebuilt the First Capital, the center of the Council¡¯s operations, in a matter of weeks.¡±


    ¡°What changed?¡±


    His voice fell as low as he could take it. ¡°He came.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡±


    Could it be the same man after Erhi? I thought.


    ¡°I can¡¯t speak on it directly, but I shall try.¡± Altan took a breath and savored it, as if it may be his last. ¡°There are men. There are goblins, giants, and orcs. There were dragons.¡± He paused. ¡°But on the other side, there are individuals who¡­ aren¡¯t. There are some who listen to us even now. Some who could snap my neck now before I say more than¡­ he allows.


    ¡°The Council of Lords was corrupted. Men became greedier, more bloodthirsty. I don¡¯t understand the workings of the invisible myself, but that is what I saw. Now the sick lie on the streets. Slavers stalk the former trade routes, prowling for able men and young women.¡± He closed his eyes for a moment. ¡°There¡¯s a monster on this continent. He doesn¡¯t involve himself directly, not often. He has emissaries for that, and the Council is the most notable in his collection. I won¡¯t say he is entirely to blame, however. We on the Council of Lords¡­ we didn¡¯t even try and resist¡ª¡±


    Altan¡¯s nose started bleeding. ¡°Lord Kublai, you must¡­¡± He choked, spit blood from his teeth. ¡°You must¡ª¡±


    ¡°Kill him?¡±


    ¡°In time, but¡­¡± Altan said. ¡°The Council of Lords. We fell to his whispers, his darkness.¡± His eyes teared with blood. ¡°To defeat him will take time. I don¡¯t even know if he can be defeated. But the Council can¡ª¡±


    Altan¡¯s body shook and he fell off the chair. His chest hit the ground and twitched like a fish. ¡°He¡­ will¡­ come.¡± Altan stopped convulsing. His blood crept along the courtroom floor.


    The door at the back of the court burst open. My right hand when for my blade, and I slipped my left into my satchel and onto the map. Wind rushed through the court. The fire crackled and died down. A dark cloud crept over the sun, smothering the light.


    The sound of footsteps approaching, bare feet on tiles, echoed through the room.


    Erhi huffed as she came through the door. ¡°What¡¯s¡­ happening?¡±


    I nodded at Altan¡¯s body.


    ¡°I felt it,¡± she said. ¡°I felt him.¡±


    The wind tapered off after a few moments, and the fire returned to life like a mouse peeking out of its hole. I relaxed, my hands falling to my sides again. Whatever had come to kill Altan was gone, and the experience had had a lasting effect on Gantulga. He whimpered prayers in the corner, Eeluk looming over him. Batu had rushed to my side, his hand on his blade.


    Erhi stepped over Altan¡¯s body. ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking of doing, Kublai.¡± She gripped my arm. ¡°I saw you in the First Capital.¡±


    ¡°And what was I doing?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± she said. ¡°But I saw¡­ fire. And I know you¡¯re thinking of going against the Council of Lords. Kublai, you¡¯ve already done enough¡ª¡±


    ¡°If you saw me doing it,¡± I said, ¡°then I¡¯m not merely thinking of doing it.¡±


    ¡°Kublai, if you do this, it¡¯ll be you against the whole might of the Council of Lords. It¡¯s a fool¡¯s errand.¡± She glanced at her feet. ¡°You can¡¯t win.¡±


    ¡°Most people would think that, yes.¡± I closed the distance between us. ¡°I¡¯m counting on the Council thinking I can¡¯t. People have bent the knee because I¡¯ve won when it didn¡¯t seem like winning was possible.¡±


    She nestled her cheek into my chest. ¡°But¡­ this time, you really can¡¯t¡ª¡±


    ¡°I can. I will.¡± I kissed her forehead and whispered to her, ¡°and when I get back, I¡¯ll show you the other things I can do.¡±


    ¡°When you get back?¡± Erhi shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m coming with.¡±


    I turned to Batu. ¡°Brother.¡±


    ¡°Brother,¡± Batu said, his smile growing.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go meet the Council of Lords.¡±

 6: First Capital

    Lord Altan had said that the First Capital was rebuilt, but it didn¡¯t look it. We¡¯d landed in a half-collapsed building, the remains its tiled roof and glass windows crunching under my boots. The house was painted bright yellow, but the walls had been scorched. The place smelled of oil and ash.


    Erhi tugged at the boots I¡¯d insisted she wear. ¡°These feel¡­ weird.¡±


    I bent down and picked up a shard of glass. ¡°But undoubtedly much better than this going through your foot when we landed.¡±


    Batu was bent over, throwing up into the dirt. ¡°I¡­ thought travelling was supposed to get better, not worse.¡±


    ¡°What gave you that impression?¡± I said.


    He stood upright and stretched, cracking his back. ¡°It¡¯s magic, right? Magic shouldn¡¯t¡­¡± He waved his hands in the air. ¡°I don¡¯t know, feel like it¡¯s trying to stab me from inside by stomach.¡±


    ¡°Depends on the magic.¡± Erhi kicked some rubble out of her path.


    I shifted a hanging rag and peeked out from the house. Some of the houses on the streets looked better than this yellow one, and each was painted a different bright color, but all of them were charred. All of them had been patched up with tarp and tree branches. The streets were mostly empty, but a few mothers waved their children back home for supper as the sun sunk below the First Capital¡¯s uneven skyline. Merchants packed up their carts and beggars returned their empty palms to their chests and curled into their nooks for the coming night.


    ¡°Curfew is in force, by order of the Council,¡± a voice said. ¡°You, merchant, you¡¯re out too late.¡±


    A group of three city guards loomed over a merchant. One of them picked at his vegetables, taking a bite out of a tomato. Another held the merchant¡¯s collar, preventing him from leaving.


    ¡°Look at the hour,¡± the leader of the gang of guards said. ¡°You¡¯re in violation. We¡¯ll just have to find some way to make this right, won¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°Please¡­ please I¡¯ll get inside if you just let me¡ª¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± the leader said. ¡°Oh, so I have to correct your error? That doesn¡¯t seem very fair, now does it?¡±


    His two companions chuckled behind him. I clenched my fist.


    ¡°I apologize.¡± The merchant bowed sharply, his arms outstretched with a cabbage. ¡°Please accept¡ª¡±


    ¡°The shit you couldn¡¯t sell?¡± The leader swatted the cabbage out of the merchant¡¯s hand and spat. ¡°What, do you think we¡¯re just some inconsequential guards who look after your sandals when you¡¯re praying? We¡¯re city guards! I¡¯ve guarded the Council of Lords themselves! Lord Batbayar, Lord Oktai. Even Lady Khulan herself.¡± He turned his head to his men. ¡°Though I¡¯d like to do more than guard that bitch.¡±


    ¡°Sir,¡± the merchant said, his head still bowed. ¡°Forgive me, but I find such talk of Lady Khulan inappropriate. She was kind to us merchants. Please¡ª¡±


    The leader kicked the merchant¡¯s knee, sending him to the ground. The merchant raised his hands to shield his face.


    ¡°Look!¡± the leader said. ¡°Look, he¡¯s raising a hand to me. He clearly intended to strike at my person. Your crimes grow like mold, merchant. You even smell like mold.¡±


    ¡°Wait here,¡± I whispered to Batu and Erhi. I stepped out from the house.


    ¡°I fear that¡¯s just the smell of your breath hitting your nose,¡± I shouted to the leader. ¡°I¡¯m getting the edge of it all the way over here.¡±


    ¡°Who are you?¡± The leader scowled at me. ¡°His babysitter?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± I sidled forward. ¡°I¡¯m your babysitter. You¡¯re clearly in need of one.¡±


    He put his hand on his blade. ¡°How dare¡ª¡±


    ¡°I would say the same to you,¡± I said. ¡°You clearly don¡¯t recognize me.¡±


    He narrowed his eyes at me. The merchant did too.


    I shook my head. ¡°You claim to have guarded the Council of Lords, and yet you don¡¯t recognize me?¡±


    The merchant¡¯s eyes opened wider. ¡°Eternal Blue Sky. He¡¯s Lord¡­¡± He glanced around. ¡°Lord¡­¡±


    ¡°Luuvan,¡± I said. Luuvan was the word for carrot, in the old language of the First Empire. My grandfather had taught me a few words before he died.


    The leader paused and locked eyes with me. Slowly, his hand drifted from his blade. ¡°Lord Luuvan. Of course I recognize you.¡±


    ¡°So you knew it was me and you still put your hand on your blade? Do you mean to threaten a lord?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± The leader nudged his companions and the three of them bowed in unison. ¡°I apologize. Please forgive us for our manners.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± I said. ¡°Oh, so I have to correct your error? That doesn¡¯t seem very fair, now does it?¡±


    The merchant chuckled, but cut it short when the leader shot a glance at him.


    ¡°Merchant,¡± I said. ¡°Pack your cart and fear no more harm from these¡­¡± I scowled at them. ¡°Well, I¡¯m not sure if they¡¯ll still be guards by first light tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Please!¡± One of the leader¡¯s companions said. ¡°It was only Captain Munokhoi¡¯s crime, not ours.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a fair man,¡± I said. ¡°Scurry off.¡±


    They did as they were told. It was just Captain Munokhoi and I now.


    ¡°So,¡± I said, ¡°you say you¡¯ve guarded the Council?¡±


    ¡°I have, my lord. Truly. Lady Khulan will speak well of me if you¡ª¡±


    ¡°Good words are one thing, Captain,¡± I said. ¡°Good actions are another. If I ever hear, and I will hear, of you harassing the citizens of this city without cause, I will find you. And when I do¡­¡±


    He fell to the ground, his face almost on my boots.


    ¡°I-understand-my-lord-please-don¡¯t-kill-me-I-don¡¯t-have-much-but-I¡¯ll-give-you-anything-please-don¡¯t-kill-me-please-don¡¯t-kill-me-please¡­¡±


    I let him stay there for a few moments and sighed. ¡°I will call on your service in the near future, and you will provide it. Leave, quickly.¡±


    His uniform was dirty when he got up, but he didn¡¯t dust it off. He ran as if a cold wind had caught his back. My wrath was worse than a cold wind, though. But he¡¯d creep back to me, one way or another. People like Captain Munokhoi didn¡¯t let things go. When he realized that there isn¡¯t anyone named Lord Luuvan, he¡¯d come after me. He probably wouldn¡¯t even wait for morning.


    The merchant tugged at the tarp covering his vegetables and tied it down. ¡°My lord, thank you.¡±


    ¡°My name isn¡¯t Lord Luuvan,¡± I said, ¡°but you¡¯re welcome.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m not an educated man, but a merchant has to know who to serve and who not to. I didn¡¯t have this cart for twenty years because I served rotten customers. I can always tell the rotten from the lordly.¡± He handed me a tomato. ¡°You might not be a Lord, but you deserve to be.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not Lord Luuvan,¡± I said. ¡°But I am a Lord.¡±


    He raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°Lord Kublai.¡± I stuck out a hand.


    He paused, then shook my hand. ¡°They call me Bet.¡± He narrowed his eyes at me. ¡°Lord Kublai¡­ I don¡¯t recognize the name.¡±


    I smiled. ¡°You will.¡±


    The merchant heaved his cart inside a building down the street, waving back to me as he did. I scanned the rest of the city. People shut windows, doors and whatever else that could be locked. They casted sideways glances at me for staying out. The color seemed to drain from their houses like blood from a slaughtered cow ¨C and night was the butcher. An icy wind raced through the streets, howling and screaming at the same time.


    Erhi peeked out from inside the house. ¡°Kublai.¡± She shivered. ¡°I don¡¯t like this place.¡±


    Batu pushed past her. ¡°It doesn¡¯t have much in the way of night life.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Erhi pulled Batu back. ¡°Something is very much alive in the night here. Kublai, we should stay inside.¡±


    ¡°And make shadow puppets on the wall?¡± I said. ¡°No, there¡¯s work to do.¡±


    Erhi narrowed her eyes. ¡°Work?¡±


    Batu shook her hand off his wrist. ¡°Work!¡± He grinned. ¡°Who¡¯re we working on?¡±


    ¡°I need information,¡± I said.


    ¡°So we¡¯re knocking on doors?¡± Batu scrunched his nose. ¡°I thought this would be fun, brother. I may as well have been a tax collector if I wanted to knock on doors all my life.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re knocking on something, but not doors,¡± I said. ¡°Well, someone.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡± Erhi hid behind me. I didn¡¯t know what she was hiding from, but whatever it was, I¡¯d stand in the way of it.


    I held up a finger. ¡°Give it a moment.¡±


    In the distance, the wind carried the sound of footsteps. A glow of torches danced above the alleyways between houses.


    ¡°Right on cue.¡± I gestured to Batu. ¡°Our doors.¡±


    Four guards rushed out from behind a house. They must¡¯ve been off-duty, judging by their untucked shirts, hastily-fastened boots and skew helmets. Captain Munokhoi pointed at me and yelled something to his gang.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Batu drew his blade.


    ¡°Keep the one with the big ears alive,¡± I said, pointing at Captain Munokhoi.


    Batu nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll just cut his ears down to size.¡±


    ¡°Bastard,¡± Captain Munokhoi said as he approached. I was close enough to smell his breath. Munokhoi stood up on his tiptoes to try and match my height. He was still short about half a foot.


    ¡°Took you a bit longer than I thought,¡± I said.


    ¡°To discover your lies?¡± Munokhoi glanced back at the four men behind him. ¡°I have always been a trusting man.¡± He pressed a finger to my chest. ¡°And when that trust is betrayed¡­ I¡¯m less pleasant.¡± He poked me as hard as he could manage, which is to say not hard at all. ¡°Much. Less. Pleasant.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± I grabbed his finger. ¡°You are much less pleasant like this than you were when your face was in the dirt.¡±


    ¡°You¡ª¡±


    I twisted his finger. He squealed and pulled back.


    ¡°This¡¯ll be fun,¡± Munokhoi said.


    ¡°Funnily enough,¡± I said, ¡°we agree on that much.¡±


    I slashed upwards, my blade whistling through the air as I sliced through Munokhoi¡¯s torch. He darted back into his men and sent one of them to the ground. The move wasn¡¯t meant to injure him.


    Batu took his cue. He slipped a blade by gliding on his knees and rolling, but two of Munokhoi¡¯s men predicted the move. They weren¡¯t as drunk as they looked. Batu let one blade glide off his armguard and caught the other with the hilt of his sword. He was on one knee and holding off two men, but I¡¯d seen him come out from worse. The worst of it would probably be the scrapes on his knees.


    Munokhoi scowled at me. ¡°Bastard!¡± He charged.


    I put my blade on the head of the torch I¡¯d sliced before. When Munokhoi got close enough, I flicked my wrist. The flame shot up into his face.


    He swatted it away, eyes closed and hands flailing. I took his moment of blindness as my opportunity. I turned from him and toward one of his men. Before the man could get his blade halfway out of its sheath, mine was already at his throat.


    ¡°Stop,¡± I said to him.


    He jumped back, but I nicked his throat just below his beard. After a few moments, his uniform was stained red, but the man was still standing. He held a hand to his throat. ¡°Fuck!¡± He advanced toward me, blade fully drawn and gleaming with the distant torchlight.


    I struck before he could. A little tuft of hair drifted from his chin. He¡¯d pulled his head back just in time. He struck back, but I caught his blade with mine.


    We exchanged blows like merchants at their trade, the sound of clashing steel causing some citizens to peak out from their homes. My opponent¡¯s movements were getting more and more sluggish, and when he went to raise his blade, he stumbled with dizziness.


    I grinned. The cut I¡¯d made on his throat wasn¡¯t deep enough to kill him right away, but that didn¡¯t mean it wouldn¡¯t kill him. He slumped down and hit the streets hard. I stabbed him through the chest to be safe.


    Batu had dealt with one of the other men and was clashing blades with another. Captain Munokhoi was on his knees, trying to wash his eyes out with water from a puddle and mumbling ¡°fuck¡± every few seconds.


    I darted over to the last man standing. He and Batu were pressed up against each other, steel grinding like sandpaper on wood. The guard pushed away as soon as he saw me coming. His eyes shifted from Batu to me to Batu to Munokhoi. He sighed.


    He turned and ran.


    ¡°He¡¯ll inform the Council of Lords before morning if he gets away.¡± I looked at Batu. ¡°Flip a coin for who has to chase him down?¡±


    Batu pulled a silver coin from his pocket and flipped. ¡°Call it.¡±


    ¡°Heads.¡±


    ¡°Heads it is.¡± Batu stretched his legs and ran after the guard. ¡°This won¡¯t take long.¡±


    ¡°Neither will this!¡± Munokhoi stumbled back up to his feet. His eyes were dark from the torch¡¯s ash and his cheeks were burned, but the damage seemed mostly superficial. That was unfortunate for him ¨C some menacing scars would¡¯ve really helped his appearance. Munokhoi held his blade loosely and his stance was tense.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t actually fought a day in your life, have you?¡± I said.


    ¡°Shut up!¡± He swiped at me and my suspicions were confirmed.


    I dodged them as easily as an eagle slipping a child¡¯s arrow. I sheathed my blade.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Munokhoi said. ¡°Bare fists? You want bare fists? Good. I can beat those snarky words out of your mouth, one by one.¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, my snarky words come by the dozen, as a rule.¡±


    Munokhoi swung his fists wildly, lunging at me like a puppy at a lizard. I deflected each blow with ease. His fists met my palms with a soft tut before I pushed them off left, right, left, right. He jumped back to catch his breath.


    Windows unlatched and doors creaked open. More eyes peeked out from their little dimly-lit coves. None of the citizens dared to step outside, however.


    Munokhoi swung at me. I caught his fist and jabbed at his nose. He scowled, clutching his nose as blood ran down his uniform. A few citizens whistled. Munokhoi had swung himself out, so I¡¯d be able to subdue¡ª


    A roar echoed through the streets of the First Capital. Windows clanked as people shut them. I tasted metal, and the streets reeked of sweat and sulfur. The wind grated against my skin. Something was coming ¨C I could feel it instinctively, but I couldn¡¯t see anything. We were being watched, but I didn¡¯t know by what. Munokhoi froze.


    Erhi tugged at my arm, her eyes wide and staring into the distance. ¡°Kublai¡­¡±


    I glanced back at her. ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°We have to run.¡±


    ¡°Looks like Batu¡¯s got the idea.¡± I pointed to a house on the left. Batu sprinted out from an alleyway and into the main street.


    ¡°Brother!¡± Batu shouted. ¡°Brother!¡± When he reached us, he didn¡¯t try to catch his breath. ¡°I¡­ it¡¯s¡­ fuck¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a night-hound,¡± Erhi said. ¡°We¡­¡± She dug her nails into my arm. ¡°We have to run.¡±


    Munokhoi tried to run off, but I grabbed him by the collar before he got out of arms reach. ¡°I¡¯m-sorry-please-let-me-go,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s-coming-and-it¡¯s¡ª¡±


    ¡°I need you alive,¡± I said. ¡°So be quiet. Erhi, what is it?¡±


    Erhi stared off blankly.


    ¡°Erhi.¡± I nudged her. ¡°What is a night-hound?¡±


    She shook herself out of it. ¡°It¡¯s a spirit creature. When the Eternal Blue Sky sours to darkness, they come out. But¡­ that¡¯s only in the Spirit Realm, or places like the Split-Skull Forest. They shouldn¡¯t be here.¡± She stared off again. ¡°They can¡¯t be here.¡±


    ¡°Well they are,¡± Batu said. ¡°I think we¡¯re the ones who shouldn¡¯t be here right now.¡±


    Crunch. Stone and tarps exploded from a house down the street. It looked flattened, as if the night-hound stepped on it.


    ¡°Nonsense,¡± I said. ¡°Erhi, how do you kill them?¡±


    She pursed her lips. ¡°You don¡¯t. They¡¯re vicious, intelligent, strong¡­. I¡¯ve only heard legends of those who tamed a spirit creature after displaying their strength, but no one¡¯s ever tried to force a night-hound to submit. You have to know its name, too. And those are just legends, wives¡¯ tales really. The people who¡¯ve tried and failed¡­¡±


    ¡°And you said that the First Capital is like the Split-Skull Forest, right?¡± I said.


    She nodded.


    The merchant I¡¯d helped before scurried toward us in his nightclothes. He glanced behind himself as he ran toward us, as if he could see the invisible night-hound. ¡°Come, quickly! Come, my lord!¡±


    I pushed Erhi¡¯s hand off my arm. ¡°Brother, take Munokhoi and Erhi inside.¡±


    ¡°What!¡± Erhi shouted as Batu pulled her away. ¡°Kublai! You can¡¯t possibly think you could¡­¡±


    Batu guffawed. ¡°Woman, you¡¯ve known him for, what, a few days now? What did you think he¡¯d do when you told him that no one¡¯s done it before?¡±


    The merchant pushed Batu, Munokhoi and Erhi along. ¡°My lord, I¡¯ve seen men destroyed by those beasts before. They leave us be if we¡¯re inside. What do you¡­ what could you possibly gain from facing it?¡±


    I grinned. ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted a puppy.¡±


    The merchant shook his head. ¡°My lord, you can¡¯t seriously¡ª¡±


    ¡°Put a pot of stew on the fire for when I¡¯m finished,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯m starving. Hurry, merchant.¡±


    He gave up trying to convince me otherwise. He tugged his gown closed and shuffled home. I didn¡¯t blame him for his urgency. The prickling on my skin became worse, as if the wind had become glass. Roars sounded closer, and closer, and closer.


    I slipped my hand into my satchel and pulled out the map. Let¡¯s see exactly how much like the Split-Skull Forest this place was.


    I stuck my finger on a village near Karakhorum, but as I did, the blurred outline of the night-hound flashed before my eyes. It had a mane like a lion, but its sleek body resembled a wolf. Its teeth were jagged and stuck out in every direction.


    When I was travelling, crimson and amber and the white of a star intertwined with the blue light. My muscles, toe to neck, tensed and felt as if my skin was constraining them. My blood ran like lava and my breath like the fumes of an erupting volcano. When I landed in the village just outside Karakhorum, the sand beneath me turned to glass, and a wave rippled through the grass, uprooting patches of it, as if I were a rock thrown into a pond. In the distance, a flock of birds hurried from their trees and dogs barked.


    Just like the Forest, I thought, making a fist. No. This is more powerful. I could still feel the energy of the Spirit Realm in my bones. I breathed for a moment, my finger hovering over the street where the night-hound was. I pressed down.


    I landed hard. Stones blew out from under me. A crack traced up the base of a nearby wall. Blue light leaked from my arms, like steam from a closed pot. My veins pulsed with light, and my blood felt hot. Every move I made felt as if I might break the wind itself. I put the map back as carefully as possible.


    The night-hound was clearer now. Its breath curled across the floor and its shoulders heaved. It stared at me with silver eyes, and its fur looked as if it¡¯d been torn away around dozens of thin, long scars. Whip marks? I thought. A metal collar constricted its throat, and a chain trailed back toward the center of the First Capital.


    I tried to draw my sword, but when I gripped the hilt it felt as if I¡¯d shattered it. Bare handed then. I¡¯d have to make this fast, though. If I ran out of energy from the Spirit Realm in a bad spot¡­


    The night-hound charged at me, bumping into homes left and right. I widened my stance. My feet dug into the stone, pushing aside the street like it was little more than sand. I only had one shot to deal with the¡ª


    The night-hound¡¯s speed increased. When I blinked, its nose was buried into my chest, and the night-hound pushed against me. The force of its breath alone would push an ordinary man ten feet back, but my feet had only dragged back an inch. I put a hand on top of its mouth and pressed down, slamming its chin into the ground. It tried to open its jaw to snap at me, but I held it shut.


    ¡°My¡­ turn,¡± I said, through clenched teeth.


    I reached down with my right hand and grabbed a thick tuft of fur under its chin. I pivoted, throwing the night-hound with my hip and over my head. In the air, it writhed, paws clawing wildly. It landed with a heavy thud, but it only took it a moment to resume slashing at me.


    I didn¡¯t let go. If I gave it even the slightest window, I¡¯d be between its teeth in moments. I pressed its jaw into the ground harder. The night-hound was belly up, and the whip scars looked even worse from this angle. Its ribs stuck out from its flesh like mountains among valleys. I didn¡¯t know who¡¯d put this chain on the beast, but they hadn¡¯t been feeding it. That explained why the night-hound was so angry.


    I need to break the chain, I thought. I glanced at the night-hound¡¯s head pressing against my hand, and back at the chain. I could only just reach it while holding its head down. I¡¯d only have a second or two.


    The night-hound flickered and became invisible for a moment. Fuck. I was running out of energy. I¡¯d have to act.


    I lunged, throwing my entire weight at the chain. I had to let go of the night-hound¡¯s head, but it took the beast a moment to realize. As I collided with the chain, I felt its breath on my neck.


    The chain shattered. The metal dissolved and drifted upwards, as if it was made of air.


    I spun, stamping my foot on the night-hound¡¯s bottom jaw and extending my palm upwards. Its tongue grated against my skin, but that¡¯s about all it could do. It shuddered with the effort of trying to collapse my stance.


    ¡°No!¡± I said. I¡¯d never had a dog before, but from what I¡¯ve heard, they would listen to you if you were firm. ¡°No! Stop it.¡±


    The night-hound seemed to pause, but continued pushing. It flickered invisible, and its jaw became impossibly heavy for a moment.


    Its name, I realized. Erhi had said I needed to know its name. The beast didn¡¯t seem interested in having a chat, though. But if I gave it a name---


    My strength faltered again, and I heard the crack of bone.


    ¡°Your name is Dog!¡± I shouted. ¡°Dog, stop!¡±


    The night-hound froze.


    ¡°Dog¡­¡± I relaxed my arms. My left arm was definitely fractured, but I had worse. ¡°Sit.¡±


    The night-hound sat.


    ¡°Good¡­ boy?¡±


    It growled.


    ¡°Good girl, then.¡± I reached up to pat its nose.


    She bent her head down. In the right light, Dog was kind of cute. Erhi would like her. Eventually at least.


    I ducked under Dog¡¯s leg and reached up to her neck. Dog recoiled a bit, but relaxed when she saw I meant no harm. A broken chain hung off her collar and shifted in the wind, but the rest of it ¨C the part trailing through the First Capital ¨C had dissipated like mist. It would be troublesome finding someone who could chain up a night-hound like this, if they didn¡¯t want to be found.


    I flicked the chain. ¡°Can you show me where this used to lead?¡±


    She paused, then nodded.

 7: Secret Tunnels

    ¡°You did what?!¡± Erhi jumped to her feet, then sat back down immediately. She mumbled to herself.


    ¡°Told you,¡± Batu said, lounging on a carpet and picking at a bunch of grapes.


    ¡°What did he do?¡± Munokhoi narrowed his eyes. ¡°Did he¡­¡±


    I smiled and glanced back. ¡°I¡¯m calling her Dog.¡± The energy from the Spirit Realm had faded, and I couldn¡¯t see Dog anymore. Though I¡¯d noticed that she distorted the light around her, like a candle or a desert mirage.


    I leaned against the merchant¡¯s doorway. There was once a real door here, judging by the rusted hinges and sturdy wooden frame, but now the merchant covered the hole with a tarp. Erhi, Batu and the merchant Bet all huddled around a fire with an iron grate resting over it. Munokhoi, however, nestled himself in the corner furthest from the door, eyes darting from the merchant¡¯s only window to the door and back to the window.


    ¡°She isn¡¯t after you, Munokhoi,¡± I said. ¡°As long as you do as you¡¯re told.¡±


    Munokhoi¡¯s eyes locked on me.


    ¡°I-will-just-please-don¡¯t-let-her-hurt-me-please-I-swear.¡± He took a deep breath and scurried over to me, on his knees. ¡°Please-lord-I¡ª¡±


    ¡°Eternal Blue Sky,¡± Batu said. ¡°Your babbling is indecipherable.¡±


    ¡°I got the gist,¡± I said.


    Dog nudged me forward, sticking her snout through the doorway and sniffing at the little pieces of chicken cooking on the iron grate.


    ¡°Dog, sit,¡± I said. ¡°Wait for me. I¡¯ll whistle when I need you. And don¡¯t hurt anyone.¡±


    She retreated.


    I dropped down, careful not to put pressure on my fractured wrist. ¡°Erhi.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± Erhi shuffled closer to me. ¡°Yes, Kublai?¡±


    ¡°Can you heal injuries?¡±


    ¡°I can,¡± she said. ¡°It takes a long time, though. If we¡¯re in the First Capital or the Split-Skull Forest, it¡¯ll take less, but still.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡± I offered her my wrist. ¡°We¡¯ve got all night to recover.¡±


    Batu sat up. ¡°Recover for¡­?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a lord now, brother,¡± I said. ¡°I have to meet my competition.¡±


    ¡°The Council of Lords.¡± Bet nodded. ¡°Are they expecting you, my lord?¡±


    ¡°I hope so,¡± I said. ¡°That would give them some time to prepare something interesting.¡±


    ¡°Interesting,¡± Erhi guffawed, her soft hands caressing my wrist. ¡°Interesting enough to break more than a wrist?¡±


    I moved closer to her. ¡°Interesting enough to break the Council.¡±


    Bet waved his hands in the air and placed them over his ears. ¡°My lord. You mustn¡¯t say such things. They¡¯ll hear.¡±


    ¡°From him?¡± I pointed at Munokhoi.


    Munokhoi shook his head so vigorously it caused a slight breeze.


    ¡°They don¡¯t need people like him,¡± Bet said. ¡°My lord, I can¡¯t hear this kind of talk.¡±


    ¡°Why? You¡¯re only listening.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just as bad as speaking, in the eyes of¡­¡± He pursed his lips. ¡°That¡¯s just as bad as speaking. May I retire?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Can you spare a bed for my brother?¡± I glared at Munokhoi. ¡°And a dark corner for the former captain. And Munokhoi, if you even think of running, please discuss your escape with the night-hound sleeping outside.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± he said. ¡°Come, please.¡±


    Munkhoi jumped to his feet, but Batu didn¡¯t. Batu stretched out, like a cat in the sun, nestling by the fire and picking at the hot vegetables on the fire.


    ¡°I want to see the magic,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen magic.¡±


    ¡°Never?¡± I smirked.


    ¡°That time you made the village fisherman¡¯s daughter¡¯s dress¡­¡± He cleared his throat. ¡°¡­¡®disappear¡¯ doesn¡¯t count. That wasn¡¯t real magic, magical though it may have been.¡±


    Strands of blue light spiraled around my wrist, like vines growing around a branch. After Erhi started it, it seemed to have a mind of its own. I flicked at the light with my other hand.


    ¡°They can¡¯t feel it,¡± she said. ¡°This light is made of tiny spirits, all weaving through your arm to heal it, like needles stitching cloth together.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t strike me as the type to sew,¡± I said.


    Her hands travelled up my arm, beyond my injury. ¡°I wasn¡¯t always a seer, you know.¡±


    ¡°And what were you before?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember, mostly,¡± she said. ¡°I get flashes, but¡­ all I ever see is the inside of some kind of palace.¡±


    ¡°You were a princess?¡± Batu chuckled. ¡°No wonder my brother likes you. That¡¯s exactly his type.¡±


    I felt the spirits digging into my wrist. It felt like ants crawling over my bones. ¡°She¡¯s pretty too.¡±


    She blushed, and the flowers in her hair opened up a little, as if they¡¯d hiccupped. ¡°Princess? I don¡¯t know. But that doesn¡¯t matter anymore. The past is the past. I¡¯m the seer of the Split-Skull Forest now. That¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± I put my hand on her cheek. ¡°That¡¯s the past too. You¡¯re something else now.¡±


    She shuffled closer, and her voice sunk low. ¡°What am I now?¡±


    ¡°At the very least,¡± I said, ¡°you¡¯re the woman with her hand on my thigh.¡±


    She pulled it back sharply. ¡°Sorry.¡±


    I caught her finger and dragged it back to where it was. ¡°Don¡¯t be.¡±


    She bit her lip. ¡°I wasn¡¯t¡ª¡±


    Batu bit into an ear of corn with a crunch. ¡°So, these little spirits. Do you keep them in jars or something?¡±


    I glared at him.


    ¡°What?¡± Batu sucked at the corn in his teeth. ¡°They have to come from somewhere.¡±


    I kept my eyes on Erhi. ¡°I suggest you go there and visit them, brother.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be ridic¡ª¡± Batu paused. ¡°Oh.¡± He shrugged, got to his feet with a groan and walked down through the corridor.


    It was just Erhi and I in the room. We sat alongside the fire, and it crackled as the breeze tickled it. Erhi smelled of lavender and cinnamon. She wore her usual skirt, but it revealed more thigh than it had before. The fire¡¯s light danced along her cheek, up to her forehead and down to her slightly parted lips.


    ¡°Where were we?¡± Erhi said.


    I slipped my hand down onto her thigh. ¡°Here.¡±


    Her legs inched open a little and her breath quickened. ¡°Kublai.¡±


    I flashed a smile.


    ¡°Wait,¡± she said, drawing closer. ¡°Wait. The spirits still have work to do.¡±


    I shifted closer to her, and her breath brushed against my mouth. ¡°So do we.¡±


    She glanced down, then back up to me and smiled.


    My nose grazed hers. I dug into her thigh with my left hand, and brought my right up to her neck, spirits still glowing around my wrist. Her lips brushed mine, and I pressed the issue. Her tongue danced on mine, and her hand inching up my thigh.


    I ran a finger down her neck, over her shoulder, and down her side until I reached the knot of her skirt. She giggled as I slipped it loose. I kissed her again. She gasped as I cupped her breast, but that didn¡¯t stop her hand from squeezing my crotch.


    I pulled her tunic up and over her head. She unbuckled my belt and tossed my sword and satchel into the corner. It fell with a distant clank, but I could barely hear it over her heavy breathing. We gazed at one another, both of us naked before the fire. I put my hands around her waist and pulled her closer.


    She grinned. I laid her down on her back. Her grin widened into a moan. I grabbed hold of her hips as I entered her. Her legs wrapped around my back, and she ground her hips against me as we fell into a rhythm. I bit her neck and our rhythm sped up. She gasped ¡°yes¡± into my ear, in quick, urgent bursts. Her nails dug into my back, and with one final thrust, I finished inside her.


    I fell beside her, out of breath. I held up my once-broken wrist, and the spirits seemed to have finished their work. ¡°So¡­¡± I pursed my lips. ¡°Where do you keep the spirits?¡±


    She giggled. ¡°That¡¯s a trade secret.¡±


    ¡°I can keep a secret.¡±


    ¡°Name one secret you¡¯ve ever kept.¡±


    ¡°If I named it, then I wouldn¡¯t have kept it.¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    She spun her finger along my chest. ¡°I call them from the Spirit Realm, and they answer. Just like the map tells the Spirit Realm where to spit you out, I tell the Spirit Realm where to spit them out.¡±


    ¡°No jars?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think they have jars in the Spirit Realm.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a pity,¡± I said. ¡°They mustn¡¯t have pickled onions either then.¡±


    ¡°They have night-hounds,¡± she said. ¡°Speaking of which¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m keeping Dog.¡±


    ¡°But¡ª¡±


    I put my thumb on her lips. ¡°I¡¯m keeping Dog.¡±


    She bit my thumb. ¡°Fine.¡±


    ¡°What do night-hounds eat?¡±


    She gave me a flat look. ¡°People, mostly.¡±


    ¡°Noted.¡± I pursed my lips and went silent.


    ¡°Oh no.¡± She nestled into me. ¡°I haven¡¯t known you long, but I know when you get that look, you¡¯re going to do something irresponsible.¡±


    ¡°Irresponsible?¡± I said. ¡°Since when is feeding your dog the scummiest lords of the land ¡®irresponsible¡¯?¡±


    She laughed before she closed her eyes and slept. With my mind filled with new plans, I allowed my lids to fall and slept.


    I woke to Bet shouting ¡°Carrots! Cabbages! Tomatoes! Fresh, fresh, fresh!¡± outside. Erhi and I had found a blanket before we went to sleep, but we¡¯d awoken with another on top of us. She nestled into my chest and I was tempted to stay, but there was a city to take. I slipped out from under her, but she woke up.


    She squinted at the sunlight leaking in through the window. ¡°Where¡¯re you going?¡±


    I pulled on my boots. ¡°I don¡¯t know yet.¡±


    ¡°But I assume you know how you¡¯re finding out.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s sleeping in the other room.¡± I grabbed my satchel and my blade and walked towards the corridor. ¡°It¡¯s time he thanked me for saving his life.¡±


    Munokhoi was curled in the corner of a storage room. Seeds and bags of soil lined the walls, along with little pots with labels scrawled on their bases. This room had more windows than the rest, but thick iron bars made the light cast a checkered pattern on the dirt floor. Bet had given the former captain of the guard a blanket, to his credit.


    I kicked him awake. ¡°Wake up.¡±


    Munokhoi grumbled something and pulled the blanket tighter around his body.


    ¡°Don¡¯t make me call the night-hound.¡±


    He spun around and glared at me. ¡°It¡¯s the daytime. The night-hound can¡¯t¡ª¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t be day forever,¡± I said. ¡°Get up. We have things to discuss.¡±


    He sat up and stretched. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to tell me everything about the Council of Lords. Their habits, hobbies, routines. I want to know where they like to spend their evenings and where they make decisions.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know everything.¡± Munokhoi rubbed his eyes. ¡°But I know most things.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s start simple.¡± I sat down, crossed legged. ¡°Who is on the Council?¡±


    ¡°Lords Changhan, Altan, Batbayar¡­¡± Munokhoi counted them on his fingers. ¡°Oktai. And Lady Khulan.¡±


    ¡°Altan and Changhan aren¡¯t on the Council anymore.¡±


    ¡°Batbayar, Oktai and Lady Khulan then.¡±


    ¡°Go on.¡±


    ¡°Batbayar likes to be left alone, most of the time, but he drinks too much too often, and when he does, he enjoys the company of women at a whorehouse called the Silver Sunrise.¡± Munokhoi had started to huddle close to me and whisper, as if gossiping in an alleyway with another guard. Good. He probably wasn¡¯t lying then. ¡°Batbayar controls a few cities in the south, but his most prestigious holding is the city of Erdenet. I¡¯ve only been there once, but it¡¯s nice, if you keep away from the tigers.¡±


    ¡°Tigers?¡±


    ¡°They stroll through the streets like stray dogs.¡± Munokhoi pointed to the scars on his forearm. ¡°I made the mistake of going on a walk and eating a turkey leg at the same time.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind when I control it.¡±


    ¡°When you control¡­ it.¡± Munokhoi narrowed his eyes. ¡°Oh. I almost forgot you were some kind of idiot.¡±


    ¡°One of us is,¡± I said. ¡°And I¡¯m willing to bet it¡¯s the one who spent the night caressing a bag of soil.¡±


    He sighed. ¡°On to Lord Oktai. He¡¯s nervous, careful. Paranoid, actually. He had guards check every single person in any place he went, and never touched money because he thought it was bad luck or that a witch could smell him on the money. I mean, it¡¯s for good reason evidently. He recently came back from the country all bandaged up.¡± He shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know. He always struck me as odd, but then again, Altan and Changhan seemed the most ordinary among the Council and they¡¯re, well¡­ dead?¡±


    I nodded.


    ¡°Figures,¡± he said. ¡°You don¡¯t seem like the overly merciful type.¡±


    ¡°You said you guarded Lady Khulan personally?¡±


    ¡°I did. She¡¯s¡­ dangerous. There were rumors that she was the wife of a lord once, but poisoned him and took his seat on the Council.¡±


    ¡°Are they true?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± He cleared his throat. ¡°She pushed him off a bridge.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to avoid those around her.¡±


    He rolled his eyes. ¡°And let me guess, you¡¯re going to take her cities too?¡±


    I smiled. ¡°It¡¯s nice that we¡¯re getting to know each other.¡±


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re not the one with an invisible spirit dog breathing down your neck,¡± Munokhoi said. ¡°Lady Khulan¡¯s a gambler. She likes the dice. But she also owns almost all the gambling establishments on the continent. Well, every gambling establishment bigger than two men in the shade with some money on the line. This merchant is the only one she doesn¡¯t own.¡±


    ¡°Hence the name.¡± I guffawed. ¡°Bet.¡±


    He nodded. ¡°Those people you can hear. They aren¡¯t buying cabbages. They¡¯re placing their bets for the cockfights and wrestling matches. He might look small time, but he¡¯s actually enough to threaten Lady Khulan¡¯s interests in the First Capital.¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s why you were harassing Bet in particular?¡±


    Munokhoi looked down at his knees. ¡°Lady Khulan sent me away after I tried to kiss her.  I thought that if I take out her biggest competition¡­¡±


    ¡°She¡¯d reconsider you,¡± I said. ¡°Both as a guard and as a man.¡±


    He nodded.


    ¡°Tell me about¡­¡± I leaned forward and lowered my voice to a whisper. ¡°The one who sits above the Council.¡±


    Munokhoi froze. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you do. You might be a cunt, but you¡¯re not necessarily an ignorant one.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°No one ever seems to be able to.¡± I drew my dagger from my belt and stuck it in the dirt. ¡°Until I ask them more¡­ politely.¡±


    Munokhoi swallowed. ¡°I can¡¯t say anything about him.¡±


    ¡°Him.¡±


    ¡°That,¡± he said, quickly. ¡°But I will say that Lady Khulan is dangerous for one reason in particular. She has the ear of someone, in particular.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve seen her speak into this ear?¡±


    ¡°Not with my own eyes, no. When I was a young captain, one of my men saw them together once¡­¡±


    ¡°What happened to him?¡±


    ¡°I would say that they burned out his eyes, but that would be a lie.¡±


    ¡°What did they do?¡±


    ¡°They say that when you hear a wind howling in the palace of the First Capital¡­¡± Munokhoi swallowed. ¡°They say he¡¯s still there, in the dungeons, clawing out his own eyes.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m finding your love for Lady Khulan more and more¡­ bizarre.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not her.¡± He balled his hands into fists. ¡°It¡¯s¡­¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Him.¡±


    ¡°Where do they meet?¡± I said. ¡°And when?¡±


    ¡°At night. Always at night. That¡¯s why they released the night-hound. It¡¯s to keep the unwanted ears away from those who don¡¯t like to be heard.¡± He pursed his lips. ¡°And where¡­ that¡¯s a complicated question.


    ¡°They have a court, of course, but¡­ I¡¯ve never escorted anyone directly to it. They always instructed me to escort them to a brothel, or to a garden, or a graveyard.¡±


    ¡°They met in public places?¡± I shook my head. ¡°No, they wouldn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Right. I stood by the exits for hours. No one came, no one left. Of course back then I was a personal escort, so they made the night-hound ignore me, but now¡­ well, I wouldn¡¯t be singing like a bird for you if I hadn¡¯t seen what that thing¡¯s done to other people who it didn¡¯t ignore.¡±


    I picked up the dagger and drew a circle in the dirt, with a little square in the center. ¡°The square is the court. The circle is the First Capital borders. Draw.¡± I held out the dagger to him.


    He reached out to take it, but pulled back.


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome to try and use it to stab me,¡± I said, ¡°but know that if you do, your man in the palace dungeons will have a friend soon after I take the city.¡±


    He took the dagger and started drawing in the dirt. ¡°Here¡¯s the brothel, near the border. And here¡¯s the garden, on the left. And here¡¯s the graveyard, at the bottom.¡±


    ¡°What did they look like?¡±


    ¡°Like¡­ a brothel.¡± He gave me a flat look. ¡°And a garden. And a graveyard.¡±


    ¡°So the whorehouse that Lord Batbayar frequents is exactly like this brothel? Describe them.¡±


    He closed his eyes. ¡°Well, the whorehouse is¡­ disgusting. Whores hang their washing on the windows, and sometimes you get a flash of a man¡¯s ass cheeks when you¡¯re arriving. It smells, too. The building looks new, but it¡¯s aging quickly. But the brothel looked old, like it was¡­ old. There¡¯re a few buildings like that in the city.


    ¡°The garden looks old too. It has statues from the days of the First Empire. I took Lord Oktai to one statue in particular, with a hidden door at its base. It had a dragon curling around a boy with a spear. It had a lot of moss caked on it too.


    ¡°And the graveyard looked like no one had been buried there in a hundred years. They didn¡¯t even use a marker back in the days of the First Empire. I heard it was because dragons cremated everyone then. The graveyard is just a plot of land, some patches of grass, and another statue of a dragon¡ª¡±


    I burst out laughing. ¡°Seriously?¡±


    Munokhoi narrowed his eyes. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s glaring, Munokhoi.¡±


    He folded his arms. ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad you picked it up. I was, of course, just testing your intellect myself, to see if you could actually take the city from¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll spell it out for you.¡± I took the dagger back and pointed at the three little symbols we¡¯d made in the dirt. ¡°The brothel looks old. The garden has old statues. The graveyard is from the time of the First Empire. Hah.¡± I drew a line from the brothel to the court, from the garden to the court, and from the graveyard to court. ¡°They¡¯re tunnels of some kind, made by the royals of the First Empire.¡±


    Munokhoi smirked a little, but suppressed it as soon as he realized. ¡°That¡¯s silly.¡±


    ¡°Sillier than wealthy, powerful people spending their evenings underground, alone?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ They could¡¯ve been writing letters.¡±


    ¡°To who? The whores in the brothel or the dead in the graveyard? I¡¯m sure Lord Batbayar enjoyed writing to the flowers from the garden too.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± He stuck his finger in the dirt. ¡°They apparently entered here, here, and here, and then, what, walked all that way? It¡¯s at least an hour long walk. And that¡¯s if you¡¯re a young, virile man like myself. Batbayar had us stop halfway up the stairs and fan him one summer, and this was entering someone¡¯s house. Four steps. I don¡¯t think he¡¯s up to hobbling around the First Capital for secrecy¡¯s sake.¡±


    I paused. It did seem strange. And the fact that Changhan and Altan weren¡¯t in the First Capital like the others complicated things. Unless¡­


    The map. The First Empire made the map. They could¡¯ve made something similar and placed them inside the brothel, the garden and the graveyard.


    Munokhoi clicked his fingers in my face. ¡°Are you¡­ okay?¡±


    I slapped his hand out of my face. ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯re concerned about my well-being.¡± I pulled the dagger out of the dirt and sheathed it. ¡°Because my well-being is directly tied to yours.¡±


    He swallowed.


    I jumped to my feet and offered him a hand up. ¡°Don¡¯t be so grim. I have no intention of dying before you.¡±


    He took my hand. ¡°And I had no intention of helping you.¡±


    ¡°Yet here we are.¡± I dusted myself off.


    Munokhoi glanced at his feet.


    ¡°Meet me outside in five minutes.¡± I turned and strode off to find Batu.


    Batu had fallen asleep in another room, on what seemed to be a bench with a thin blanket and pillows sprawled around him. He was hugging a cabbage when I flicked his cheek.


    He gasped awake, then narrowed his eyes at the sunlight. ¡°Morning already? I was just¡­¡± He yawned. ¡°¡­getting to good part of a dream.¡±


    I offered him a hand. ¡°Get up and we can get to the good part of this realm too.¡±

 8: The Graveyard

    I nodded at Bet as I led Erhi and Batu out of his home and into the streets of the First Capital. Munokhoi scurried behind us, glancing left and right every few seconds. The First Capital had more people than the ruins would suggest: three or four families seemed to live in each little home, and everyone seemed to be going somewhere else. Men pushed past us on their way to ply their trades, sweating from the heat, carrying hammers, nails, saws through the street. Even the old women hung washing as if it were urgent business. The place was starting to grow on me.


    ¡°Through here,¡± Munokhoi said, slipping through a low doorway and waving us to follow him. It looked as if it was intended for tall goblins or children. The doorway led us to a long, narrow alleyway with wet clothes dripping onto us from above.


    ¡°Kublai, where¡¯re we going?¡± Erhi asked.


    Munokhoi guffawed and glanced back at us. ¡°He actually thinks that there are, I don¡¯t know, secret tunnels all over the city, and that the Council of Lords has been using them, in addition to profound athletic ability or some kind of teleportation, to convene.¡±


    ¡°Teleportation?¡± Batu said. ¡°That¡¯s probably it.¡±


    Munokhoi squinted. ¡°Are¡­ are you being serious?¡±


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t know about it.¡± I tapped my satchel.


    ¡°Ah,¡± Batu nodded. ¡°That explains it.¡±


    ¡°Explains what?¡± Munokhoi said.


    ¡°It explains why you think you¡¯re right,¡± Erhi said. ¡°I have one question, though. Why would the Council bother going through all the trouble? They¡¯re the most influential individuals on the continent.¡± She glanced at her feet. ¡°Not to mention who they work for.¡±


    Munokhoi shrugged. ¡°Secrecy.¡± He waved his fingers. ¡°Spooky mystique. I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s my point,¡± she said. ¡°Why be secret at all? They could meet in an alehouse and no one would dare disturb them. No one would even dare walk in. People who lived next to the alehouse would find new accommodations within the hour.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re assuming there¡¯s no secret to keep,¡± I said.


    Munokhoi guffawed. ¡°If I could somehow teleport from a graveyard to a palace at the center of the city, I¡¯d consider that a secret, and one worth keeping.¡±


    Batu nudged my arm. ¡°The esteemed¡­ I forgot his name, but clearly he thinks you shouldn¡¯t be flaunting that map as much as you do. He¡¯s got a point, to be fair.¡±


    Munokhoi grinned smugly, but that faded quickly. ¡°Wait. What map? What¡¯re you talking about?¡±


    ¡°Eyes forward,¡± I said to him. I turned my head to Batu. ¡°It doesn¡¯t really matter if people know about the map. The map isn¡¯t what made all this happen. It just made it happen now.¡±


    Batu shrugged and grinned. ¡°Eternal Blue Sky knows it would¡¯ve happened eventually.¡±


    ¡°The people who know about the map can¡¯t do anything with the knowledge,¡± I said. ¡°The ones who can do something already know.¡±


    ¡°The ones?¡± Erhi said.


    ¡°The Council of Lords. Him. Enemies in higher places that I haven¡¯t met yet.¡±


    Erhi narrowed her eyes. ¡°How much higher?¡±


    Batu chuckled. ¡°When Kublai was six, he vowed to make the moon his eternal enemy, so¡­.¡±


    ¡°High,¡± I said, grinning.


    ¡°Up these stairs on the right,¡± Munokhoi said. ¡°We¡¯re almost there.¡±


    We turned. Some children tossed a ball above us, casting a travelling shadow on the ground. The stairs were uneven and cracked, and some looked as if the stone had been melted and cooled decades ago. Thin pillars eclipsed dark little nooks and lined the stairs. They¡¯d looked too fragile to be safe. Whispers grazed my ear like mice a foot in the night. A sack of hay seemed to rustle a bit when I glanced at it. It didn¡¯t have the same thick layer of dust as everything else.


    I slowed my pace, and bumped Batu with my elbow. He nodded.


    Munokhoi didn¡¯t look back at us when he said, ¡°We¡¯re almost there. Almost. It¡¯s just around¡­.¡±


    I grabbed Erhi¡¯s hand and stopped.


    Munokhoi noticed after a few more paces. He glanced back at us. ¡°What¡¯re you doing? The graveyard¡¯s just around the corner over there. Just there. Let¡¯s go¡ª¡±


    ¡°No I think we¡¯re already there,¡± I said. ¡°This place will make a fine graveyard.¡± I glanced around the avenue. ¡°For you, and for your friends hiding in the shadows.¡±


    Munokhoi breathed sharply. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡±


    I drew my dagger and threw it at the sack. When it pierced the brown material, the sack yelped. It started bleeding and slumped over.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure he didn¡¯t know anything either,¡± I said.


    Munokhoi whistled.


    Four men emerged from the shadows. They wore the same guard¡¯s uniform, but their blades weren¡¯t standard issue. They were much more expensive, with carvings of dragons and tigers on their hilts and guards. This wasn¡¯t just Munokhoi. This was someone with deeper pockets.


    Batu yawned and stretched. ¡°I always knew you were a bastard¡­ Money-guy? Monkey-oil?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Munokhoi,¡± Munokhoi said. ¡°Moo. No. Koy.¡± He shook his head and drew his blade. ¡°Never mind. You won¡¯t need my name where you¡¯re going.¡±


    ¡°No he won¡¯t,¡± I said. ¡°We¡¯re going to the Council, and you¡¯re going, well¡­.¡± I pointed down.


    ¡°You¡¯ll go there first,¡± he said.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go other places before you too.¡± I drew my blade. ¡°Lady Khulan, for example.¡±


    He went red and scowled. ¡°Shut up!¡±


    ¡°Not his strong suit unfortunately,¡± Batu said. ¡°Shall we, brother?¡±


    I dashed forward. I covered the distance in a couple seconds, but one of Munokhoi¡¯s men intercepted my blade. The hiss of steel being drawn filled the avenue and scared the children above us inside.


    I let him strike my blade off course. The motion, however, left him in an awkward stance. I regained my balance before him and brought my fist into his gut. The blow landed with a crunch as my fist met his armor. He glanced down and his eyes widened when he saw the dent I¡¯d left.


    Munokhoi¡¯s other men saw too, but were either too stupid or too overconfident to appreciate the damage I could do. Three of them charged me together, and only one went after Batu.


    I swung my sword across, but that was just a feint. My blade couldn¡¯t pierce their armor, but my fists would crush their bones as if their armor wasn¡¯t there at all. I hadn¡¯t had a chance to test the lingering effects of the Spirit Realm. This was as good an opportunity as any.


    I turned my blade toward one man in particular, forcing him to block the strike or lose his head. I kicked at his padded leg, and it cracked. He yelped, but by the time he could gather his wits, I¡¯d already twisted his neck.


    The other two back off a little. They shared a look, then glanced at me, and then back at one another.


    I waved at them. ¡°Don¡¯t keep your friend waiting.¡±


    They scowled and charged me, but they clearly hadn¡¯t though it through. Their shoulders were almost touching, so they couldn¡¯t swing their blades freely. They had the higher ground, but that didn¡¯t help if I was the better man.


    I dipped under their blades, bending down and pushing them at the chest. I¡¯d expected them to stumble over the steps, but instead they flew off and hit the pillars of a tall building. Small cracks formed where they¡¯d landed.


    One was out. The other staggered to his feet and spat blood. He narrowed his eyes and tried to step forward, but collapsed next to his comrade.


    Batu started clapping, his opponent slumped at his feet. Erhi clapped along, nervously.


    ¡°I¡¯ll just¡­ I¡¯ll do it myself, then!¡± Munokhoi stepped forward. ¡°I¡¯ll take Lord Oktai¡¯s silver all for myself.¡±


    ¡°This,¡± I held my sword up, ¡°is the only lord¡¯s metal you¡¯ll get.¡±


    He swung, but I slapped it away with a quick turn of my wrist, as easily as waving a fly off of food. Munokhoi still didn¡¯t see that he was outclassed. He scowled and jumped at me. I shrugged and stepped off to the left.


    Munokhoi tried to regain his balance, but the steps made him stumble and roll. He lay huffing and sprawled out over three steps near a thin pillar. ¡°You¡­ I¡¯ll get you.¡±


    I sidled forward. ¡°You¡¯ll try.¡±


    ¡°Try this!¡± Munokhoi struck in an arc, but I stepped back instantly. His swing missed me, but hit the pillar and lodging itself into the wooden supports.


    ¡°Shit!¡± He tugged at his blade.


    I put the tip of mine on his throat. ¡°You¡¯ve disappointed me.¡±


    He tried pulling with two hands this time. ¡°Fuck!¡±


    ¡°Pick who you serve more carefully.¡± I pushed down, and he gargled blood. ¡°In the next life.¡±


    The street went quiet, save for the wind racing down the stairs and the distant sound of a crowd. Erhi had been covering her eyes with her hands, but when everything went quiet, she peeked out. Batu leaned down and flicked the unconscious men¡¯s cheeks.


    ¡°Is¡­ is it over?¡± Erhi said.


    ¡°For now,¡± I said.


    ¡°For a while,¡± Batu said. ¡°These guys are out.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s get going,¡± I said.


    ¡°Going where? Our guide is dead,¡± Batu said.


    ¡°He wasn¡¯t creative enough to lead us in a completely wrong direction,¡± I said. ¡°We must be close to something.¡±


    Erhi stepped over Munokhoi¡¯s body and tiptoed over to me, as if not to disturb them. Batu walked as he normally did, with heavy steps to announce his arrival. They fell in behind me and I led them up the stairs, peeking into alleyways and little avenues, but I didn¡¯t see anything until I stepped over the last step and into a wide, open road lined with merchant¡¯s carts and horse stables.


    ¡°Kublai,¡± Erhi said. ¡°I think we¡¯re lost.¡±


    ¡°I have a good sense of direction.¡± I approached a man tending his horses. He brushed them as if the horses would die if he didn¡¯t. ¡°Excuse me, I¡¯m looking for a graveyard.¡±


    His brushing stopped. ¡°A graveyard, or the graveyard?¡±


    ¡°If I ask for the latter, will you answer?¡±


    He turned away from me. ¡°I¡¯m new to town.¡±


    ¡°As am I.¡± I stuck out a hand. ¡°Lord Kublai, of Karakhorum and Ulaanbaatar.¡±


    ¡°If I just believed everyone who claimed to be a lord,¡± he said, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have any horses left to tend.¡±


    I stuck my hand into my satchel and drew a silver coin. I flicked it over to him.


    He dropped the brush and bowed his head slightly. ¡°My lord.¡±


    ¡°Now,¡± I said. ¡°The graveyard, if you would.¡±


    ¡°Just past that little mound of rocks. Take the left.¡± He stood back up and started brushing his horses again.


    I returned to Erhi and Batu.


    ¡°Who was that?¡± Erhi asked.


    ¡°My sense of direction,¡± I said. ¡°Come on. It¡¯s this way.¡±


    We took the left by the mound of rocks, and my information proved correct. The graveyard¡¯s rusted iron bars swirled into overlapping spirals, but its gate looked newer. The gate¡¯s bars were straight and steel, and two men lounged on wooden chairs in front of it.


    Erhi held Batu and I back. ¡°It¡¯s guarded.¡±


    I pulled my hand free and strode ahead. ¡°I know. Wait here.¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    One guard nudged the other awake from his nap as I approached. He snorted and sat up straight, hand on where his sword should have been but wasn¡¯t.


    ¡°And who are you?¡± The younger guard said.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± the fat one said, ¡°more like, who do you think you are?


    They shared a grin.


    ¡°I¡¯m here to pay my respects,¡± I said. ¡°To the dead.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ve got enough respects, thank you,¡± the fat one said.


    ¡°A few too many by my count,¡± the young one said.


    They didn¡¯t seem like they¡¯d put up much fight, but I couldn¡¯t deal with them that way. If Lord Oktai or Batbayar or Lady Khulan came here tonight and saw their bodies in a pool of blood, they¡¯d know something was wrong. I had to talk my way through this one. Luckily, my tongue was as sharp as my blade.


    ¡°But they don¡¯t have these respects,¡± I said. ¡°See, I¡¯m not supposed to tell anyone this, but you two seem like men who can keep their mouths shut.¡± I leaned in close and dropped my voice to whisper. ¡°See, my brother and I are escorting that woman over there into a¡­ meeting with, well, a certain man of high regard.¡±


    They glanced at one another.


    ¡°She¡¯s¡­ well, let¡¯s just say that Lord Oktai would be particularly disappointed if she were absent from this meeting. At least, that¡¯s what Captain Munokhoi assured me.¡±


    ¡°Lord Oktai?¡± the fat one narrowed his eyes and whispered to his friend, ¡°Well, he does seem like the type for that kind of thing.¡±


    ¡°But please,¡± I said. ¡°This is a sensitive matter. You know how it is.¡±


    The young one pointed at the fat one. ¡°Hah. If his wife ever found out about his, uh, sensitive matters, he¡¯d have first-hand¡ª¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡± The fat one shook his head. ¡°Fine, you may enter the graveyard. Pay your respects and such.¡±


    ¡°Someone¡¯s getting paid,¡± I said with a chuckle. ¡°And it most certainly won¡¯t be the dead.¡±


    They laughed. I waved Batu and Erhi forward.


    The gates creaked open, grinding along the stone ground. I nodded for Batu and Erhi to go through and bowed my head to the guards.


    The graveyard was a mostly flat piece of land, with little grass-covered humps scattered from one wall to the other. When a member of a family died during the time of the First Empire, that persons ashes were placed in the exact same spot as the rest of their family, causing those molehill-height humps. That was the tradition for every family, except the royal family. As a boy, my grandfather had taken me to visit royal gravesites, and every one had a statue of a man and a dragon, both facing up towards the sky. And this graveyard was no different.


    This graveyard¡¯s statue, however, rested on a large pedestal, with pillars at all four corners. The statue¡¯s base was at eye level. The stone dragon curled around a boy, both facing toward the sky. I put my hand on the dragon¡¯s tail. I¡¯d expected it to be cold, but it was lukewarm and seemed to warm with my touch. Most of the structure was covered with a thin layer of moss ¨C except for a door-sized section on the front. I ran my fingers along the edge, and I felt a gap.


    ¡°I¡¯ve found the door,¡± I said.


    ¡°How do we open it?¡± Batu said. ¡°I don¡¯t see a knob, and I don¡¯t think even you could kick that door down.¡±


    ¡°This place is¡­¡± Erhi shivered. ¡°Uncomfortable. It feels like the Split-Skull Forest.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡± I asked.


    ¡°It feels like he¡¯s been here. A lot.¡±


    ¡°Maybe he¡¯ll open it for us.¡± Batu shrugged.


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t use these doors,¡± I said. ¡°As far as Munokhoi suggested.¡±


    ¡°Who does?¡± Batu said.


    I smiled. ¡°Let¡¯s wait and see.¡±


    * * *


    In the First Capital, night fell like a smith¡¯s hammer on hot iron. Doors shut in unison with heavy thuds, and the sunset seemed to only last a few moments. People abandoned the streets as soon as the light became orange. The goblins seemed to only peek out from their holes for an hour or two. In the graveyard, night seemed to fall faster and darker. No torches lit the way. The heat of the statue was swallowed by the cold of the graveyard.


    ¡°Someone¡¯s coming,¡± Erhi said. ¡°I can feel them.¡±


    ¡°Feel them how?¡± Batu said. ¡°Magically?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s like I need to sneeze all the time but can¡¯t,¡± she said.


    Batu frowned. ¡°Magic sounds horrible.¡±


    ¡°Quiet,¡± I said. ¡°We¡¯ll wait for them to open the door and slip in behind them. Be ready.¡±


    Batu and Erhi nodded.


    The gate screamed open. I peeked through a hole in the statue. A dark figure glided across the stone pathway, followed by two guards on either side. When they came closer, I squinted at them. Lady Khulan. Hair draped down her shoulders, like black water over the blue silk of her gown. Her eyes shifted around the graveyard, but she seemed to be in a hurry. The two guards at her sides struggled to keep up.


    ¡°¡­don¡¯t let anyone near.¡±


    I caught the edges of her words.


    ¡°¡­important¡­ don¡¯t disappoint me¡­¡±


    I leaned closer, my body against the statue.


    ¡°¡­will return by dawn.¡±


    The statue vibrated and its heat became more intense, as if someone had thrown oil on a fire. Lady Khulan¡¯s footsteps went from stone to¡­ something else. Something that didn¡¯t make a noise.


    ¡°Now,¡± I whispered to Erhi and Batu.


    They brushed passed me and I leaped over the statue. My shadow loomed over Khulan¡¯s guards. They put their hands on their blades, but my knee and elbow had already hit them in the back of the head and left them on the ground. One tried to strike, but I put my heel into his chin before he could follow through. I¡ª


    Stone grinded on stone. The door started to close. I glanced back. Erhi and Batu had just gotten inside.


    Batu held out a hand. ¡°Brother, quickly!¡±


    I¡¯d only have a few seconds before it was shut. Batu put a hand out and tried to hold it, but he couldn¡¯t keep it for long. I dashed for the door. It was half shut. I dove for it.


    The stone almost caught my heel as it came down, but I¡¯d gotten inside just in time.


    ¡°Kublai,¡± Erhi said. ¡°Where are you? I can¡¯t see you.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t see either of you,¡± Batu said.


    The inside of the statue was so dark I couldn¡¯t see myself let alone Batu or Erhi. The floor felt¡­ wet. Damp, as if it¡¯d been raining on some kind of hard soil. It feels like the Split-Skull Forest, I realized. I waved my hands wildly, and I felt something cold and hard. A wall. A bit more waving and I felt Batu¡¯s rough hand. My other hand landed on Erhi¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Where are we?¡± Batu asked. ¡°Erhi.¡±


    ¡°How am I supposed to know?¡± she said.


    ¡°See what your nose has to say,¡± he said.


    ¡°Her nose has lots to say when you¡¯re around Batu,¡± I said. ¡°Take a bath.¡±


    Erhi chuckled.


    ¡°We need light,¡± Erhi said.


    ¡°We do,¡± I said. ¡°Erhi, can you summon some of your healing spirits?¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t injured are you?¡± she said. ¡°I can¡¯t just let them loose. They need orders, or they¡¯ll get loose and eventually become malicious. That¡¯s how night-hounds happen, mind you.¡±


    I pulled out my dagger and cut my palm. I stuck it out to her.


    ¡°I¡­¡± Erhi said. ¡°Is that blood dripping? What did you do?¡±


    ¡°I gave you something to heal. Now please, let there be light.¡±


    Blue light leaked from Erhi¡¯s hands, like little glowworms writhing over one another. They drifted over to my hand and started their work.


    The corridor was simple. Erhi and Batu stared up at the ceiling. The walls and floor were made of stones of different sizes, and the ceiling had what looked like curved stalactites, but when I looked closer¡­


    ¡°They¡¯re teeth,¡± I said.


    ¡°Teeth?¡± Batu said.


    ¡°Dragon teeth,¡± Erhi said. ¡°There are at least three or four full sets in here.¡±


    Batu jumped up, swinging his blade at the base of a smaller tooth.


    ¡°What¡¯re you doing?¡± Erhi said. ¡°These are ancient. Eternal Blue Sky only knows how old. You have no idea what kind of magic surrounds¡ª¡±


    ¡°The magic of a good souvenir,¡± Batu said. ¡°I¡¯ve almost got it.¡±


    Erhi looked me.


    ¡°Leave the tooth, Batu,¡± I said. ¡°We don¡¯t know what¡¯ll happen if we do something like that.¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± he said.


    ¡°We¡¯ll take something from the Council.¡± I started walking down the corridor.


    ¡°Like what?¡± Batu said.


    ¡°I can think of a couple things,¡± I said, with a smile. ¡°For instance¡ª¡±


    A light flashed through the corridor. Blue, like the light of the Spirit Realm. I felt the ground leave my feet, and it felt as if I¡¯d used the map ¨C only, I hadn¡¯t. And it felt different here. It wasn¡¯t as potent as travelling in the Split-Skull Forest or the rest of the First Capital. It felt colder, emptier, as if I¡¯d been stranded in a blizzard without shoes. My blood felt harder. My bones felt as if they might shatter. The spirits on my hand dissipated.


    We landed in a room illuminated by a central blue pit. It pulsed, like a heartbeat. Blue light spread out through the room like arteries. Six chairs were arranged around the pit, but one was on a pedestal and looked as if it was made of melted iron and dragon bone. Lady Khulan glanced back at us, but I pulled Erhi and Batu down behind some boulders in a corner of the room. The rest would be coming soon.


    Blue light flashed and a chubby man landed. He stumbled, but regained his balance. He looked drunk. Lord Batbayar. He held onto his chair and looked as if he might vomit, but he sat down before he did.


    Another flash of blue light brought Lord Oktai. He walked with a limp, and his thin frame shook with every step. His wrinkles hung on his bones like a coat far too big for him. His left arm, leg and the left half of his face were covered in bandages. Little splotches of red blossomed along his arm, but he tugged the sleeve down to cover them.


    ¡°He¡¯s not coming,¡± Lord Oktai said.


    ¡°Does he ever?¡± Lord Batbayar said.


    ¡°Hush,¡± Lady Khulan said. ¡°He put us in charge of the business of this continent. Would you rather he consider us children who need his approval for every little decision?¡±


    ¡°To tell you the truth,¡± Batbayar said. ¡°I prefer he doesn¡¯t come. He makes me nervous.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Oktai narrowed his eyes at him. ¡°Perhaps if he never came at all you wouldn¡¯t have to overdo it at the tavern.¡±


    Batbayar shrugged. ¡°I overdo it at my home, first of all.¡±


    ¡°Enough,¡± Lady Khulan said. ¡°We have business.¡±


    Oktai nodded. ¡°The east. That new upstart.¡±


    ¡°Kublai,¡± she said. ¡°He¡¯s taken both Karakhorum and Ulaanbaatar.¡± She sighed. ¡°And he¡¯s still in the First Capital.¡±


    ¡°I sent my men after him,¡± Oktai said. ¡°I haven¡¯t heard from Captain Munokhoi, so I assume he has Kublai in custody.¡±


    Batu gave me a flat look and we chuckled quietly.


    ¡°Or Munokhoi¡¯s dead,¡± Khulan said sharply.


    Oktai swallowed. ¡°True.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s just a boy,¡± Batbayar said. ¡°So he stole Changhan¡¯s city and used that to force his way into Ulaanbaatar. His people will turn on him or he¡¯ll be too ambitious or he¡¯ll just fall off a horse. Story as old as time.¡±


    Khulan smirked and shook her head. ¡°As old as time indeed. Do you know any other stories, Batbayar?¡± She leaned forward, interlacing her fingers in front of her. ¡°I do. A fat drunk is too arrogant to see what¡¯s happening in front of his eyes. Forty percent of this Council is no longer with us. In, what, two weeks? And now he¡¯s here. Thousands of miles away. Thousands.¡±


    ¡°He runs fast,¡± Batbayar said.


    ¡°No,¡± she said. ¡°He¡¯s found a map.¡±


    Erhi¡¯s hand squeezed my forearm.


    Oktai guffawed. ¡°While I agree his movements are strange, let¡¯s not assume¡ª¡±


    She waved and cut him off. ¡°We all know what became of the man who found the last map.¡±


    They all glanced at the empty throne.


    ¡°Look,¡± she said. ¡°We can¡¯t underestimate this¡ª¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I said. ¡°You can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Kublai!¡± Erhi tried to pull me down. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡±


    ¡°Making an entrance,¡± I whispered to her. ¡°Trust me. Batu, sneak up behind the scrawny one while I have them distracted. I¡¯ll signal you.¡±


    Batu nodded.


    Batbayar stood up, using his sturdy wooden chair to remain stable. ¡°Who do you think¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Kublai,¡± I said. ¡°Of the east.¡±


    Batbayar pursed his lips, then looked at Lady Khulan. ¡°Well, I agree with you now.¡±


    ¡°I could still fall off a horse,¡± I said. ¡°For what it¡¯s worth.¡±


    Batbayar sat down.


    ¡°If you¡¯re going to try and kill us,¡± Oktai said. ¡°I would suggest another course of action.¡±


    ¡°Of course you would,¡± I said.


    ¡°We have armies,¡± Batbayar said. ¡°Big enough to drown your cities in corpses before you even think about going back.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not here to kill you,¡± I said. ¡°But I¡¯m not above it, so don¡¯t try anything.¡±


    ¡°What are you here for?¡± Khulan said.


    I strolled forward. ¡°I¡¯m here to discuss terms.¡±


    ¡°Of?¡± Oktai narrowed his eyes.


    I looked over the available chairs and stepped up to the throne. ¡°Your surrender.¡± I dropped onto it and used another chair to put my feet up.


    They were silent. Oktai broke it by laughing. Batbayar joined in. Khulan didn¡¯t.


    ¡°Wait,¡± Oktai said. ¡°You¡¯re serious.¡±


    ¡°Deadly,¡± I said.


    ¡°We have ten times your martial force,¡± Oktai said. ¡°We control every trade route on the continent. We haven¡¯t had a revolt in three years!¡± Oktai chuckled. ¡°I see that madness comes with Karakhorum.¡±


    ¡°That all sounds very impressive,¡± I said. ¡°It¡¯ll be very embarrassing for you when you blow that lead because you rely on people like Munokhoi to do your work for you.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s dead then?¡± Batbayar said.


    ¡°Quite.¡± I stood up and sidled over to the empty chair between Batbayar and Khulan. While their eyes were locked on me, Batu slipped closer. ¡°I¡¯ll let you all live out your natural lives in the countryside. You¡¯ll get to have your little families and your rice paddy and I¡¯ll even let you govern a small town.¡±


    ¡°How gracious of you,¡± Batbayar said. ¡°But I for one will be declining.¡±


    ¡°I as well,¡± Oktai said.


    ¡°And you?¡± I asked Lady Khulan.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like rice.¡± She shifted in her seat. ¡°Even if you defeat us, he¡¯ll come for you.¡±


    ¡°Everyone keeps saying that,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯ve sat on his throne, and, oh, he still hasn¡¯t come. I¡¯m starting to think what¡¯s left of the Council of Lords is only a distant matter to him.¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Oktai said. ¡°He cares for our endeavors, of course. I will not have you malign¡ª¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not here,¡± I said. ¡°You can get off your knees and slowly pull your lips off his ass.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± Oktai stood in a huff, then sat back down.


    Batu used the noise of Oktai¡¯s chair moving to shift over to a few feet behind Oktai.


    ¡°There won¡¯t be terms,¡± Batbayar said. He stumbled to his feet. ¡°Because we won¡¯t surrender. This is war.¡±


    ¡°Agreed!¡± Oktai said.


    Khulan looked into the blue pit and mumbled, ¡°Agreed.¡±


    ¡°Disappointing,¡± I said. ¡°Batu, now!¡±


    Batbayar¡¯s eyes widened as he saw Batu darted toward Oktai. He stepped forward into the pit. Blue light flashed and he disappeared.


    Oktai shot up to his feet. ¡°What¡ª¡±


    Batu jumped up behind Oktai. He tried to grab him. The impact almost sent both of them into the pit, but Batu steadied himself. Oktai, however, let himself fall in. Blue light flashed and he was gone.


    Khulan tried to follow them, but I drew my dagger and put it on her neck.


    She slumped back into her chair. ¡°Is it too late to discuss terms?¡±


    I smirked. ¡°It¡¯s the ideal hour, in fact. This isn¡¯t the ideal location, however.¡± I offered her a hand. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    She took my hand. I held her firmly, just in case she tried anything. ¡°Where are you taking me?¡±


    ¡°Karakhorum,¡± I slipped my hand into my satchel and pulled out the map. ¡°I have a war to prepare for.¡±

 9: Battles in the South (1)

    ¡°So it¡¯s true,¡± Khulan said. ¡°You do have a map, and you allow the races of Karakhorum to live freely amongst one another.¡±


    Erhi, Batu, Khulan, and I had landed on the stairs leading up to Karakhorum¡¯s court. The sun had risen here already, and the city had just woken up. Chair-Wax and the other giants stood up by the wall, yawned and scratched between their legs, and begun their watch. Men bent down to hear the words of their goblin employers while they shuffled past the small, simple homes of Karakhorum.


    ¡°We don¡¯t let goblins associate with men as loosely as you do,¡± Khulan said.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t.¡± I started walking up the steps. ¡°Once the First Capital is mine, that¡¯ll change.¡±


    Khulan caught up. ¡°You really can¡¯t win.¡±


    Erhi chuckled. ¡°You¡¯ll revise that opinion in a few days.¡±


    ¡°I see you certainly have.¡± Batu burped; he was still recovering from the trip.


    ¡°I don¡¯t revise my opinions easily,¡± Khulan said.


    ¡°And I don¡¯t make it easy for people to maintain a poor one of me,¡± I said.


    I pushed open the doors to the court, and, for once, I was greeted by silence, no decrepit men were arguing about trivialities. This time, I was greeted by Captain Eeluk, who was sitting by the fire with a few men, roasting a pig and drinking beer in long horns balancing on my courtroom floors. Half-naked girls slept in the corner.


    Their heads spun toward the door, and they fell silent as they followed my movements with a curious look in their eyes.


    Captain Eeluk wiped his mouth and handed his drink to the man next to him. ¡°Get up, you idiots, get up.¡± He straightened his uniform and corrected his hair. ¡°My lord.¡±


    ¡°You do know what time it is,¡± I said blankly.


    ¡°My lord.¡± Eeluk bowed sharply. ¡°I can explain. You see, you were gone and my sister has just been married and I just thought¡­¡±


    ¡°We have bigger things to worry about that you using a fire for its intended purpose,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯m going to count on your discretion.¡±


    ¡°Of¡­of course, my lord!¡± He stood up straight. ¡°What are your orders?¡±


    ¡°First, send those girls home,¡± I said. ¡°Then, gather the men of the court. Tell them it¡¯s a matter of minimal significance. No, tell them I¡¯d really just like to see them. Once that¡¯s done, I¡¯ll need you to gather your men. And this is the secret I want kept: we¡¯re going to be at war.¡±


    ¡°My lord? With whom?¡±


    I glanced back at Lady Khulan. ¡°Everyone else.¡±


    ¡°My lord.¡± Eeluk narrowed his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m not¡­What do you mean by ¡®everyone?¡¯¡±


    I grinned in reply, and Eeluk ran off.


    ¡°Batu,¡± I said, turning from Eeluk. ¡°Keep an eye on Lady Khulan. I don¡¯t think that¡¯ll be a duty you do begrudgingly.¡±


    I looked Lady Khulan up and down.


    ¡°My pleasure. Where should I take her?¡±


    ¡°Nowhere. She should be here for all of this. Just keep an eye on her.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you worried she¡¯ll leak information to the Council?¡± Erhi said.


    ¡°Unless there¡¯s a pigeon up that gown, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s even possible,¡± I said. ¡°But even if it is, it won¡¯t make a difference. An arrow flying at their heads is an arrow flying at their heads, even if they knew that it was going to be shot at them.¡±


    Erhi shrugged. ¡°I suppose.¡±


    ¡°And, Erhi¡ªI need you to look into my future.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°So I can see if there¡¯s an arrow headed toward me.¡±


    ¡°I thought you just said¡ª¡±


    ¡°They can¡¯t do anything about the arrows I¡¯ll fire¡ªI¡¯m much better at dodging theirs, if I can see them coming.¡±


    Erhi nodded and jogged out the back exit. As she did, old men still in their sleepwear shuffled in, each one bowing as he entered. Eeluk came in after the last man and shut the door.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want news of this leaving this room until I¡¯ve made my decision,¡± I said. ¡°But Karakhorum is going to be at war.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± one man said. ¡°For what possible provocation¡ª¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter. It¡¯s done. Their armies will be here within a week, but we can¡¯t count on them moving across the continent with¡­natural means. We will assume they¡¯ll be here in a matter of days.¡±


    ¡°My lord!¡± A man stepped forward. His long, grey beard trailed down to the red belt of his silk gown. ¡°Their? Just how many cities are we at war with?¡±


    ¡°All of them. Except Ulaanbaatar, of course. We¡¯re at war with the Council of Lords.¡±


    The crowd laughed, but their laughter died when they noticed I didn¡¯t join their mirth..


    ¡°Do you even know how many men we have?¡± the old man with the long beard said. ¡°At best, six or seven thousand.¡±


    Eeluk nodded when the man glanced at him. ¡°Thereabout, my lord.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re saying we have¡­a few days?¡± the old man said. ¡°Assuming they can get here that quickly.¡±


    ¡°Assume they can.¡± I stepped up to the fire pit. Eeluk¡¯s ham was blackening. Pity. It was a nice pig, almost big enough to eclipse the flame.


    ¡°Then you¡¯ve gathered us to discuss terms of surrender.¡±


    Batu chuckled. ¡°See, brother? This is what happens when you spend all your time gallivanting around other cities. They don¡¯t know you at all.¡±


    ¡°We will not surrender. We¡¯ll face them in combat.¡± I turned to Lady Khulan. ¡°Am I correct in assuming Oktai and Batbayar will not honor the right to challenge their champions? They don¡¯t exactly seem to like me.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re correct,¡± she said. ¡°You¡¯re not a member of the Council, so they have no reason to. And they¡¯ve got a far bigger, far better trained force.¡±


    ¡°Open combat,¡± the bearded man guffawed. ¡°That woman¡¯s right. We¡¯re doomed.¡±


    I put my foot on the rim of the pit. ¡°Would you say that this fire is bound to win against the pig?¡±


    ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    The rest of the room glanced at one another and looked at me with raised eyebrows.


    ¡°Given a long enough time,¡± I said, ¡°which one is going to remain?¡±


    ¡°The fire, since the pig will eventually turn to ash if left on the fire,¡± the bearded man said. ¡°But, my lord, I don¡¯t see¡ª¡±


    I lifted the pig off its spit and sent it tumbling into the fire. The flame suffocated and smoke filled the room. Everyone started coughing. I stepped through the stream of smoke and tugged a little piece of not-too-burnt meat from the pig.


    ¡°How about now? Pig or fire?¡±


    ¡°Are we the pig or the fire?¡± the bearded man said, narrowing his eyes.


    ¡°Neither,¡± I said. ¡°We¡¯re the hunter who caught the pig in the first place.¡±


    ¡°Brother,¡± Batu said. ¡°Even I¡¯m lost, and I¡¯ve been listening to your speeches for twenty years.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± Khulan said. ¡°This war is the pig against the fire, but the real struggle was already won elsewhere. The only reason this war is happening at all is because he¡¯s already won before.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re coming to do battle with our forces,¡± I said, ¡°but the fact that they¡¯re coming isn¡¯t irrelevant. They don¡¯t march from one city. They march from half a dozen, each. Even if their combined force is ten times ours, that puts them at sixty thousand. Sixty thousand split among twelve is only five hundred a city. I¡¯ve already hunted the pig by provoking them. This isn¡¯t the time to speak of terms, or of shoring up our defenses, or even of acquiring food and water in case of a siege. This is the time to ambush their smaller forces before they can come together to form a big, roaring fire.¡±


    They stood there, exchanging glances in silence.


    ¡°But¡­¡± the bearded man said. ¡°How are we meant to get a force of, say, a thousand to each city before they¡­My lord, this is ludicrous.¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s why I don¡¯t care that Lady Khulan here knows. It¡¯s so ridiculous that the Council of Lords wouldn¡¯t even believe it to be the plan if they heard about it. As for how we¡¯re meant to get them there, let me worry about that.¡±


    Lady Khulan broke into laughter. ¡°He¡¯s right. This might actually work. The Council isn¡¯t accustomed to being put on the defensive. Eternal Blue Sky, if it actually works¡­¡±


    Batu glared at her. ¡°If it¡¯ll work, why are you laughing?¡±


    ¡°Because I¡¯ve spent years on the Council with people who think strategy is just ¡®do what Captain So-and-so says.¡¯¡± She grinned at me. ¡°It¡¯s nice to see someone try something original, inspired.¡±


    ¡°If you want see something original,¡± I said, ¡°you¡¯ll want to stick around. That¡¯s only part of what I¡¯m planning.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the other part?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve got some theories I want to test out. That¡¯s as much as I¡¯ll say.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be a tease.¡±


    ¡°Wait until you see it. That¡¯ll be a tease.¡±


    ¡°A tease for what?¡±


    I flashed her a smile before turning to Captain Eeluk. ¡°Sorry about your ham.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯ll be plenty of time for that when this is all over,¡± Eeluk said.


    ¡°Absolutely right. We¡¯ll have an era of peace the likes of which this world has never had the privilege to experience before I came along. Now. I need you to rally our forces. Gather the men most defined by¡­¡± I put a hand on my chin in thought.


    ¡°Martial skill?¡± Eeluk said. ¡°Experience? Division?¡±


    ¡°Constitution,¡± I said. ¡°Men who¡¯ve seen the worst and were left unshaken. Men who can hold their stomachs especially.¡±


    Eeluk narrowed his eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best, my lord.¡± He bowed and jogged off.


    I looked at Batu. ¡°Can¡¯t have my forces arrive and vomit all over the enemy.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯d be an original way to win a battle,¡± Batu said.


    ¡°Think you can hold your stomach, brother?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s half and half,¡± he said. ¡°But vomit is far from the least effective weapon.¡±


    ¡°Get some rest. We¡¯ll leave at sunset.¡±


    ¡°Why sunset?¡± Batu asked.


    ¡°You¡¯ll see,¡± I said, smirking. ¡°Or rather the opposite¡ªyou won¡¯t see.¡±

 10: Battles in the South (2)

    Soldiers bustled through the corridors of Karakhorum¡¯s court, carrying crates of dusty blades and old leather armor. They stopped, bowed to me, and went on their way. Sons fitted their fathers in the courtyard, and wives prayed for their husbands. Everyone kept glancing at the sun, watching it sink slowly closer to the horizon. We¡¯d be in battle when it had dropped out of view.


    Erhi ran up to me. ¡°Kublai.¡± She put her hand on the small of my back. ¡°I¡¯ve seen something.¡±


    ¡°Good or bad?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡±


    I started walking and she slipped her arm into mine.


    ¡°I saw bodies,¡± she said. ¡°Lots of bodies. And you were standing among them, covered in blood. It was night. I was beside you, when¡­ someone came for me.¡±


    ¡°Someone?¡±


    She pursed her lips. ¡°Not him, but one of his emissaries.¡±


    ¡°What did he look like?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid to tell me.¡±


    ¡°No, I mean he looked like he was nothing.¡± She pulled me closer. ¡°It¡¯s like seeing a painting with a hole burned through it. Only now, that hole was the shape of a man.¡±


    ¡°Why would he be after you?¡±


    She glanced down. ¡°Well, I haven¡¯t told you about this yet, but when I was in the Split-Skull Forest, I was made to perform duties for¡­you know.¡±


    ¡°And I assume those weren¡¯t just changing his bed linens.¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°All kinds of things.¡±


    ¡°We shouldn¡¯t risk you talking about it. Not after what he did to Altan.¡±


    ¡°The emissaries are¡­¡± She put a finger on my chin and turned my head. ¡°Kublai, they¡¯re monsters. They were men at one point, but they became something else.¡± She sighed. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ they¡¯re coming for me. I should go with them when¡ª¡±


    ¡°No you won¡¯t. If they¡¯re coming for you, then they¡¯re coming for me too.¡±


    ¡°But¡ª¡±


    I put a finger over her lips. ¡°No. That¡¯s final. You won¡¯t go with them.¡±


    She pushed my arm out of the way and kissed me, swinging her arms around my neck.


    ¡°They¡¯re waiting for me,¡± I said. ¡°Your vision said you were on the battlefield with me, right?¡±


    She nodded.


    ¡°Then you better get ready.¡±


    I took her hand and we strode off to the training grounds behind the court building. When we got there, Eeluk had about eighty men tugging on bits of mismatched leather armor and grunting at one another. Erhi waved the smell away from her nose. Eeluk was scribbling on a little board with a quill.


    ¡°My lord,¡± Eeluk said. ¡°The men of the finest constitutions.¡±


    One of the shirtless men burped and rubbed his belly.


    Erhi raised an eyebrow. ¡°I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll strike fear into the hearts of our enemies.¡±


    ¡°I agree,¡± I said. ¡°Looking at them, all I can think about is a heart attack.¡±


    ¡°They aren¡¯t what you might call conventional,¡± Eeluk said. ¡°But they have the best constitutions in Karakhorum.¡± Eeluk scanned his list. ¡°Undertakers, butchers, career drunkards¡­you get the idea. I¡¯ll add more in the next hour.¡±


    ¡°Brilliant. Thank you, Captain Eeluk.¡± I turned to Erhi and whispered, ¡°They need to be able to handle the trip.¡±


    ¡°You know,¡± she said. ¡°I didn¡¯t see any men wearing this armor dead on the battlefield.¡±


    ¡°Good to know,¡± I said, and turned back to Eeluk. ¡°Captain Eeluk. I want you to look at this¡­force, remove those who are drunk, and then get me down to fifty men.¡±


    Eeluk stopped writing. ¡°Excuse me, my lord? We¡¯re facing around five hundred men each time. Five hundred fresh men. We should be adding people, not cutting them.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± I said. ¡°We¡¯re against five hundred. Defeating them with fifty has a nice ring to it.¡±


    ¡°A nice ring.¡± Eeluk paused, and then scratched out a few names on his list slowly. ¡°My lord, it isn¡¯t my place to say this, but¡ªhow are we even going to imagine winning with fifty men? How we going to make up the difference?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. We have something up our sleeves.¡±


    Eeluk lifted his sleeve up. ¡°I don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°I do.¡± I grinned and opened my sleeve for him to see.


    ¡°All I see is¡­you,¡± Eeluk said.


    ¡°Exactly. That¡¯s my secret weapon. Don¡¯t tell anyone.¡±


    Eeluk shrugged and continued crossing names off and calling out their names. Men dropped the blades they¡¯d just picked up. Some gave a sigh of relief, others almost looked disappointed. We left the drunkards to sleep it off in the bushes.


    ¡°I hope you actually have something,¡± Erhi said.


    ¡°Have I ever not?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know with you, honestly. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s just you or if having that map makes you think you¡¯re invincible.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s just him.¡± Batu stepped out from one of the storerooms. He¡¯d raided it for a pair of shin guards, one glove, leather chest armor, and a wooden shield with fur around the edges. None of it matched, and half his torso was still bare. ¡°It¡¯s all him. That map probably made him tamer, honestly. That night-hound in the First Capital wasn¡¯t the first wild creature he¡¯s tried to wrestle.¡±


    ¡°You look prepared,¡± I said.


    ¡°Always am,¡± Batu said.


    ¡°Fall into your ranks,¡± Eeluk shouted. ¡°Five lines of ten.¡± He turned to me and said, ¡°My lord, if you will.¡±


    I left Erhi and Batu to address my men. Half of them had bellies hanging over their belts, and the other half weren¡¯t in much better shape. Their helmets were skew. Their swords were strapped to the wrong side of their belts. One man had even put two swords on his back, as if he were some kind of martial legend.


    None of this mattered, however. After a day, they¡¯d be the heroes who saved Karakhorum. After a month, they¡¯d have songs sung about them in taverns all over the continent. After half a year, they¡¯d be carved into the peoples¡¯ minds as proof that a few ordinary men can defeat the Council of Lords in open combat¡ªunder the right leadership, of course.


    ¡°Now, men, this is going to be an experience for you,¡± I said looking the men intently in their eyes, one by one. ¡°I¡¯ll assuage your worried minds: you will not be facing the enemy in the field. Your struggle will be to arrive¡­well, alive, and looking strong. You may want to bend over and puke, but you should suppress that urge. Any questions?¡±


    The men glanced at one another until one man stuck up a hand.


    ¡°My lord,¡± he said. ¡°How will Karakhorum win the battle if we¡¯re¡­ not fighting?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not fighting,¡± I said. ¡°I am.¡±


    ¡°Alone?¡± Eeluk said.


    ¡°My brother¡¯s coming too,¡± I said.


    Eeluk blinked his eyes rapidly and set down his little list. ¡°My lord, I don¡¯t think you need my years of experience to tell you that two men can¡¯t possibly defeat five hundred.¡±


    Batu put his face in his hands. ¡°Saying that just makes him more excitable. When do we leave? The sun¡¯s almost set.¡±


    ¡°Soon,¡± I said. ¡°We¡¯ll be heading south first. But first, let me explain our travel arrangements.¡±


    The men whispered and slowly shook their heads as I told them about the map. After, one of the men turned to Eeluk.


    ¡°Captain¡ªdid you know about this?¡± he said.


    Eeluk nodded. ¡°But I didn¡¯t know you can take this many people with you.¡±


    I tossed my bag off into the dirt. Then I slipped off my shirt and my boots, then my belt, blade, and trousers. ¡°It¡¯ll be a bit of a squeeze, but it can be done.¡±


    I stopped at the shorts I wore under my pants. I wouldn¡¯t need anything like a shirt or a sword to do what I needed to do.


    ¡°What can?¡± Batu said. ¡°Should I go take a walk while you¡­¡± He looked me up and down. ¡°Do it?¡±Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    I gave Batu a flat look. ¡°I¡¯ll need everyone to put a finger on my skin. Anywhere.¡±


    The men chuckled, but no one stepped forward.


    Batu was the first. He stuck a finger on the tip of my nose. ¡°This¡¯ll make for some gossip among the servants.¡±


    One by one, men came forward and placed a finger on my flesh. They came faster when they saw that the best spots, the ones that didn¡¯t have them pressed between someone¡¯s thigh and the dirt, were getting taken.


    ¡°You look silly,¡± Erhi said.


    ¡°That may be true,¡± Eeluk said. ¡°But I¡¯ll remind the reluctant men that orders are orders.¡±


    The last men came along begrudgingly.


    I let the map unfurl in my hand and looked for one of the southern cities. ¡°Brace yourselves.¡± I stuck my finger down on the smallest one.


    The blue light took longer to envelope us this time, but it did. It craned open like a blooming flower beneath us. Blue tendrils stretched out and touched each man, pulling us into the Spirit Realm. It may have taken some time to begin travelling, but it was over in a blink.


    When I opened my eyes again, we were behind a hill on an empty plane just outside the city, judging by the tufts of smoke leaking into the sky. Tall, sun-browned grass rustled in the wind. Orange light streamed from the horizon. We were early. My men looked as if they were uneasy, but most of them just rolled their ankles and breathed deeply. Batu, however, was bent over and throwing up as usual. I whistled into the wind.


    ¡°We¡¯re¡­¡± Batu said. ¡°We¡¯re¡­ early.¡±


    ¡°Not by much,¡± I said. ¡°I wanted to give the men a few minutes to recover.¡±


    He stood back up and wiped his mouth.


    ¡°Though it looks like you¡¯re the only one who needed it.¡± I turned from Batu and chose a man who was looking around him with bright, ready eyes. ¡°You¡¯re my scout,¡± I said to him. ¡°Lay on the top of the hill and return only when you see the city gates open and an army march out.¡±


    The men fell back into their ranks, but their lines were rougher than before. Understandable. They had, after all, just been teleported. A few of them started praying quietly. I whistled a ditty my mother used to sing.


    ¡°Now that we¡¯ve all made it,¡± I said. ¡°We can discuss the plan of action.¡±


    My men visibly tightened, their backs straightened.


    ¡°Oh wow,¡± Batu said. ¡°We have a plan this time?¡±


    ¡°I do.¡± I looked at the sunset as light drained out of the field. The moon cast silver light over my fresh army. ¡°And now that the Eternal Blue Sky has gone off to¡­¡± I twisted my mouth sideways and narrowed my eyes. ¡°Eat?¡±


    Batu shrugged. ¡°You prayed as much as I did as a child.¡±


    ¡°Yes, my lord,¡± one of the men said. ¡°The teaching is that the Eternal Blue Sky is away to eat.¡±


    ¡°I wish him a pleasant meal,¡± I said. ¡°And I hope he wishes us the same.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re going to eat?¡± Batu said.


    ¡°No. We aren¡¯t.¡± I whistled again.


    ¡°Why are you whistling so much?¡± Batu said. ¡°I haven¡¯t heard you whistle since¡­what was her name?¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m whistling for a different girl.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if you noticed,¡± Batu said, ¡°but there¡¯s no one else¡ª¡±


    Footsteps flattened grass in the distance, leaving dark spots that lingered. The soft brush of the wind was drowned by the heavy swoosh as she approached. Dog had picked up on my call.


    ¡°Oh,¡± Batu said, staring at the invisible beast¡¯s trail. ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°My lord,¡± one of the men whispered. ¡°What is that over there?¡±


    ¡°My dog.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see it,¡± he said.


    The rest of the men nodded and murmured amongst themselves.


    ¡°Be grateful,¡± I said. ¡°If you could see it, you wouldn¡¯t be able to sleep ever again.¡±


    The man pursed his lips.


    I could barely see Dog¡¯s outline as she approached, and it was fading. The longer I spent in the Spirit Realm, the more spiritual energy lingered inside me, but it always faded.


    I felt her tongue lick me from legs to chin, grating over my bare flesh like sandpaper. I rubbed where Dog¡¯s snout was, but my fingers met some of her teeth too. ¡°How¡¯ve you been, girl?¡±


    The grass in front me flattened and a dark patch popped in the moonlight. She must¡¯ve rolled over.


    ¡°My lord!¡± My scout raced down the hill. ¡°They¡¯re marching out, an army, they¡¯re marching!¡±


    I nodded and started pacing around my men, between their lines and around the whole group. I made eye contact with each of them. ¡°Men. Listen carefully. Your orders¡­¡±


    I gave them the time to think over my words.


    ¡°Your orders,¡± I continued, ¡°are to do nothing.¡±


    ¡°Nothing?¡± Batu¡¯s hand drifted from his blade¡¯s hilt.


    ¡°Stay out of my night-hound¡¯s way for now,¡± I said. ¡°She¡¯ll tear through them, and they won¡¯t even see her coming.¡±


    ¡°Then why¡¯d we come?¡± Batu said.


    ¡°If their army is decimated by who knows what, that¡¯ll just look like they weren¡¯t fed or an unholy wind blew them off their horses or anything else. But if there¡¯re fifty men there, swords drawn amidst the carnage, then they were defeated. Five hundred men didn¡¯t just fall off a horse. Five hundred men were beaten by fifty. That¡¯s what the city will see, and when I return, that¡¯s what they¡¯ll remember.¡± I turned back to my men. ¡°You will follow Dog, but don¡¯t get in her way.¡±


    I could still just barely see where Dog¡¯s eyes were, if I squinted. I approached her, and she bent her head down. I grabbed some of her fur and mounted her by the iron collar.


    Batu looked up at me. ¡°This looks¡­confusing.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m counting on it.¡± I smiled, rolling the map up tightly and tucking it underneath her collar. ¡°Dog!¡± I pointed in the direction of the city gates. ¡°We¡¯re having late dinner today, we¡¯re following the customs of the southern lands we¡¯re visiting. Eat!¡±


    She burst into a sprint. Her growling sounded like the continuous crashing of a stormy sea. Her paws dug into the dirt, and the claw marks grew with each footprint. Behind us, clumps of grass landed with a thud. Her fur smelled of blood.


    The army came into view as we crested the hill. A few stragglers ran out of the city gates, but most of them were out in the open. Cavalry trotted ahead of the infantry. Their armor sparkled in the moonlight.


    I grabbed more of Dog¡¯s fur and buckled down. ¡°Dog, go!¡±


    The army grinded to halt as men turned to stare at what must have looked like a floating man racing toward them. Horses, however, whinnied and reared, throwing the less experienced riders off their backs and bolting off. Men put their hands on their blades out of instinct, but by the time I was close enough to see them draw¡­


    We cut a path through them like they were little more than grass. Men tried to prod at the invisible night-hound with their spears, but Dog dealt with them with a quick snap of her jaw. Archers¡¯ arrows plinked off Dog¡¯s teeth¡ªthey did little more than irritate her. Blood dripped down her fur, allowing the men to make out her shape. That only made them drop their blades and run off. Some ran for the horizon, others scurried back to the safety of the city walls. I let them go. Someone had to spread the word.


    My men charged into battle when they¡¯d seen more than half the army decimated in a few minutes.


    Batu rode ahead of them. ¡°I think I like your pet more now.¡± He whistled. ¡°What next?¡±


    I pulled the map out from under Dog¡¯s collar. ¡°This, again.¡±


    I waited for my men to deal with stubborn survivors who insisted on fighting to the bitter end. They put up a good fight, but most of their former army had dissipated like mist in the midday sun. My men had their senior officers on their knees, caked in dust and splattered with their men¡¯s blood.


    I hopped off of Dog. ¡°Am I right in assuming you¡¯re all surrendering?¡±


    The ten officers nodded solemnly.


    ¡°Good,¡± I said. ¡°Kneel before me and I¡¯ll show mercy.¡±


    One by one, they stood and then bent the knee.


    I stuck out a hand. ¡°Lord Kublai.¡±


    They shook my hand weakly one by one and scurried back to the city as soon as they could. Most of them wouldn¡¯t take their bending of the knee seriously, and they¡¯d turn on me as soon as they were behind that wall. This, however, wasn¡¯t for them. The city scouts would see this and report to Oktai and Batbayar¡ªthat¡¯s who this was for.


    Once all their men were gone, I unfurled the map. ¡°Men!¡±


    They knew what to do this time, and they didn¡¯t hesitate as they had before. They flocked to me like mosquitos.


    I glanced at Dog. ¡°I¡¯ll whistle. Come find me.¡± After a quick scan of the map, I stuck my finger on another southern city.


    This time went just as the last. I whistled, and when Dog came racing over the rocky ground, we began our assault. Ranks of men fell by the dozens. Battlefields were littered with twisted armor and bent swords. First men, then entire armies fell. By the third city, my men knew when to charge and when to wait for Dog to finish. When I dropped off of my night-hound¡¯s back, they flocked to me and prepared for the next one. We made it through city after city without a single loss. All fifty-two of us made every journey, it was becoming so routine that everyone started having their fixed spot to touch on my naked skin.


    By the seventh city, hours after the first, more ravens than men were being sent and received. Word was spreading.


    When we reached the eighth city, the city gates didn¡¯t open. No army marched out. Even the archers rushed from the tops of the wall to hunker down inside.


    ¡°They must¡¯ve received word,¡± Batu said, yawning.


    My men were getting impatient, however. They started talking loudly, boasting about their deeds on the battlefield and showing off their stolen blades and blood-stained armor.


    One of them, a young apprentice by the looks of him, approached me. ¡°My lord, shall we storm the city?¡± He smirked. ¡°We can easily¡ª¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I said.


    ¡°But, my lord.¡± He shook his head, still grinning. ¡°We¡¯re strong enough to take whatever¡ª¡±


    I jumped off Dog and strode up to him. ¡°No. There are too many civilians.¡±


    ¡°Civilians, my lord? All I see are enemies harboring enemies.¡±


    ¡°And all I see are people I¡¯ll be ruling by the end of the year. I¡¯d rather not rule them as the man who sacked their city and broke open their gates to let a raping bunch of blood-mad green boys run amock among them. They¡¯re already ruled by people like that.¡± I put a hand on his shoulder. ¡°If they¡¯ve heard of us and they choose to cower behind their walls, we¡¯ve already won.¡±


    The gate creaked open. A single rider came out to meet us.


    ¡°Are you Lord Kublai?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I am,¡± I said.


    ¡°I have a message from Lord Batbayar.¡± The rider cleared his throat and unfurled a piece of paper. ¡°Lord Kublai. I fear our relationship may have begun on sour terms, and I desire, from the bottom of my heart, to correct that unfortunate circumstance. I hope you, in your benevolent and gracious heart, may find it agreeable for us to move past these terrible blows we have dealt one another in such a short time¡ª¡±


    ¡°How long is this letter?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I have another page.¡±


    ¡°Can you give me the gist of it? Don¡¯t try and convince me you haven¡¯t read it, though I know you¡¯re not allowed.¡±


    The rider smiled a little, then put the letter away. ¡°He wants to meet. He spends half of page two on why you should meet him in one of his territories. He said you¡¯d like crab, and his city Khanbaaliq is known for it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never tried it.¡±


    The rider smiled. ¡°He speaks the truth¡ªthe crab is wonderful.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I said. ¡°I meant that I¡¯ve never tried walking straight into an obvious trap. From what I hear, it¡¯s not good for your health.¡±


    Batu guffawed. ¡°I feel a sneeze coming along just thinking about it.¡±


    ¡°Tell Lord Batbayar I¡¯ll meet with him. In Karakhorum, in one week. And he can leave his crab in Khanbaaliq, I¡¯ll be preparing the feast.¡±


    The rider nodded and turned back to the city.


    ¡°Men,¡± I said. ¡°We¡¯re going home. We have to prepare some pork to roast for our guests.¡±


    Batu grinned. ¡°Never forget the good manners our sweet mother went through all that trouble to teach you.¡±


    I patted him on the shoulder. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dream of it, brother. I wouldn¡¯t even dare.¡±

 11: Meeting with Batbayar (1)

    ¡°You¡¯re back!¡± Erhi ran toward me and wrapped her arms around my torso. ¡°Am I right in assuming¡­?¡±


    ¡°We won,¡± Batu said. ¡°Easily.¡±


    We¡¯d landed in the courtyard, just before sunrise. Dog could barely fit, and when she tried to move, her snout crushed some tiles on the roof. The men and I stood underneath her, blood dripping on us like rain. When the sun showed its tip above the eastern roof, Dog faded away to the Spirit Realm. I casually tucked the map into the band of my shorts.


    Erhi shook off the blood on her hand. ¡°I can see that.¡±


    I wiped some off her forehead. ¡°The war isn¡¯t over yet. I need to get to court.¡±


    Batu looked me up and down. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you, uh, wash up and put some clothes on? The men of the court don¡¯t seem very accommodating.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re in my court,¡± I said. ¡°They¡¯ll be the ones accommodating themselves, or finding another lord to serve. Too bad for them I¡¯m leaving ever fewer for them to choose from.¡±


    I¡¯d taken off my shirt and trousers so that my men could make skin-on-skin contact with me. I stood shirtless in the courtyard, looking around for the clothes I¡¯d left here.


    ¡°I folded them up and put them away,¡± Erhi said. ¡°I¡¯ll go get them.¡±


    ¡°Meet me in court,¡± I said. ¡°And tell Captain Eeluk to summon the men of the court.¡±


    She nodded and walked off. I turned and went the opposite direction.


    ¡°What¡¯s the rush?¡± Batu asked, jogging after me. ¡°He¡¯s coming in a week.¡±


    ¡°No he isn¡¯t. I just said a week to see if he can travel the way I can.¡±


    ¡°So if he comes earlier, he¡¯s got a map too?¡±


    ¡°Not necessarily. The First Empire built this entire continent. I have to assume they have things like the statue in the graveyard hidden around here too.¡± I glanced back at Batu. ¡°It takes about nine days to travel from the First Capital here, and that¡¯s if you ride your horses through the night and half to death. Batbayar didn¡¯t strike me as the type who would exert himself, what do you think?¡±


    Batu chuckled.


    ¡°So if he appears here in a week, he must¡¯ve travelled some way other than horseback.¡± I turned a corner. ¡°I¡¯m just assuming that he¡¯ll be here a few hours after he gets the message. He¡¯ll want to spook me.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you get spooked even once. Eternal Blue Sky knows I tried to give you frights as a kid and it never worked. You don¡¯t scare easy.¡±


    I grinned. ¡°He doesn¡¯t know that.¡±


    I pushed open the back door to the courtroom. It shot open as if a gust of wind had almost blown it off its hinges. The bang of wood against stone caught the attention of the few men who had already arrived. They were getting here more quickly now. Batu took a seat in the front before they were all filled. I walked past two men and overheard their whispers.


    ¡°I wonder what he¡¯ll do next,¡± one said.


    ¡°It¡¯s like a play taking place in real life,¡± the other replied. ¡°My wife has been begging to come to court after she heard her friend recount¡ª¡±


    ¡°Shhh.¡± He pointed at me, but quickly averted his eyes. ¡°My¡­my lord.¡± He bowed his head.


    ¡°My lord!¡± His companion bowed his head too.


    I nodded to them. ¡°I hope you¡¯ll enjoy today¡¯s proceedings.¡±


    They went red in the face. As I walked away, I heard one of them whisper, ¡°Wait until my wife hears about this.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be glad to tell her,¡± the other replied.


    I sat on the edge of the hearth. No one had lit a fire since I extinguished the last one, so it was cool in there. The place still smelled of burnt pig. Men filled the benches, wood creaking as they plopped down. A few were arguing over where to sit¡ªclose to the window, close to the front, close to the door. They bowed when they saw me.


    Eeluk jogged up to me. ¡°My lord. You were victorious!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t sound so surprised,¡± I said.


    ¡°I¡¯m not surprised. I just¡­for the life of me I can¡¯t understand how.¡±


    ¡°Speak to the men when we¡¯re done here. They¡¯ll tell you.¡±


    ¡°Then I assume you have no intention to describe your victory to court, my lord?¡± Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    ¡°None whatsoever. Rumors will stir their imagination more.¡± I waved Eeluk closer. ¡°I need you to bring Gantulga to me.¡±


    ¡°Yes, my lord. Is he being sentenced?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell him before I do, but I¡¯m releasing him.¡±


    ¡°Releasing him!¡± Eeluk pursed his lips. ¡°As you wish, my lord.¡±


    I grabbed his arm before he hurried off. ¡°When he leaves this place, follow him, and report back to me if you see anything strange.¡±


    Eeluk¡¯s face relaxed into a smile as he nodded.


    The entire room went silent. Heads turned toward me. Men shifted in their seats.


    ¡°I have, as you¡¯ve just heard, decided to release Gantulga.¡± I stood up. ¡°The quality of mercy cannot be understated in this time of war. What is it they say about the Eternal Blue Sky? He sees all and forgives all. Can we not do the same in his view?¡±


    The crowd mumbled a little. They were right not to believe me¡ªI wasn¡¯t releasing Gantulga for his gain. I was releasing him for my own. Batbayar would probably try and sow discord in my court before he came out of the woodwork. Gantulga would desire revenge, and I¡¯d rather have someone incompetent conspiring against me. And if he truly decided to go off into the country and have a little rice paddy and a family, then I would have avoided executing a changed man, and be seen to be merciful. Win-win, as long as everyone thought I was releasing him for purely selfless reasons.


    ¡°Can we not,¡± I continued, ¡°in these violent and turbulent times, try and change that? That¡¯s what I¡¯m doing by uniting the continent under one banner anyway. I can¡¯t have an empire of corpses, and if Gantulga can change his ways, then there is hope that I won¡¯t have to.¡±


    A few men started to nod.


    Eeluk kicked open the back door and dragged Gantulga in. He kicked and squirmed wildly, his chains clanking as he thrashed against the floor, walls, and pillars. Erhi tiptoed into the room behind them and held up a bundle of my clothes. She had my blade under her arm.


    When Gantulga saw me, he stopped wriggling. ¡°My lord! You look troubled.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s get on with it,¡± I said. ¡°And I¡¯ll have one less headache to deal with.¡±


    Gantulga swallowed.


    ¡°You conspired against me, sought my head, coveted my city, and attempted to stage a coup against your former lord.¡± I looked every man of the court in the eye as I spoke. ¡°What do you think should be done with you?¡±


    ¡°My lord, if you can¡¯t find it in your gracious and abundant soul to forgive¡ª¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve convinced me,¡± I said. ¡°You¡¯re free to go.¡±


    Gantulga narrowed his eyes. ¡°Is this some kind of joke?¡±


    I ignored him. ¡°Eeluk, if you would.¡±


    Eeluk stepped over and undid Gantulga¡¯s shackles, sighing as he did. ¡°Yes, my lord.¡±


    Gantulga rubbed his wrists. ¡°My lord, your mercy is unfathomable.¡±


    ¡°Then you better spend your life as a free man learning to fathom it.¡± I waved him off.


    He lingered, like an ache. ¡°If you could allow me to rejoin the court in your service, I hope to repay this¡ª¡±


    ¡°No. Leave. You will never be a member of this court again¡ªscratch that, you will never set foot inside this city again. Gantulga, I would sooner burn every bench here before giving you a seat.¡±


    He scowled, but quickly turned it into a little grin. ¡°Of course, my lord. I am, of course, more than happy to perch upon the ashes.¡±


    ¡°Must I have Captain Eeluk remove you by force?¡±


    Eeluk pushed him with his chest. That put a jolt in Gantulga¡¯s step.


    As Gantulga made his way out, I addressed my court, making sure to do it while he was still within earshot: ¡°And now, I am pleased to announce that we will be receiving a visit from Lord Batbayar very soon.¡±


    The door shut behind Eeluk and Gantulga. He¡¯d heard me.


    I smiled. ¡°Of course, this concerns the war.¡± I put on a solemn, tight-lipped face and started pacing with my head down and my hands behind my back. The crowd ate it up. ¡°I have every desire to end it. And in order to accomplish that, I have decided to discuss terms of peaceful co-existence with Lord Batbayar of the Council of Lords.¡±


    Batu started clapping enthusiastically. The rest of the men joined him.


    ¡°When can we expect him?¡± someone asked.


    ¡°Soon,¡± I said. ¡°Very soon.¡±


    One man stood up as quickly as his age allowed. ¡°We must begin the parade immediately then.¡±


    ¡°Parade?¡± Batu said. ¡°My brother didn¡¯t get a parade.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s tradition,¡± the old man said. ¡°Visiting lords are escorted to the courtroom with a display of the city¡¯s delights and virtues.¡±


    ¡°Hear that, Batu.¡± I walked over to him. ¡°Visiting lords. I didn¡¯t just visit.¡±


    ¡°Still,¡± Batu said. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen many delights since I¡¯ve been here.¡±


    I tapped his gut. ¡°Yes, you have. Hopefully we have some delights left for Lord Batbayar.¡± I looked over the men of the court as they shuffled out. ¡°We wouldn¡¯t want him to feel unwelcome.¡±


    Erhi came over. ¡°I brought your clothes.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± I shook out the shirt and put it on, then my trousers. ¡°I need to talk to you about that vision.¡±


    Erhi looked away, then back at me. Batu took that as his cue to leave. He bowed at each of us in turn in silence and followed the others out.


    ¡°You and I were in a field.¡±


    She nodded. ¡°Some kind of barren land. No grass. No buildings. Nothing but ashes.¡±


    ¡°Alone?¡±


    ¡°There were bodies on the ground.¡±


    ¡°The dead don¡¯t count.¡±


    ¡°Alone¡­except for the emissary.¡±


    ¡°Night or day?¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t tell. The smoke¡­¡±


    I sniffed, and then sat down.


    Erhi paused. ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Waiting.¡±


    ¡°For?¡±


    I grinned. ¡°The smell of smoke.¡±

 12: Meeting with Batbayar (2)

    It had only taken three hours for Eeluk to come racing back to the courtroom with news of Gantulga¡¯s activities. I was lounging on one of the benches. Erhi had fallen asleep on my shoulder, so I put a finger to my lips as Eeluk approached.


    He breathed in big huffs. ¡°My¡­lord, Gantulga¡­¡±


    ¡°Take a breath,¡± I whispered.


    He paused for a moment, then resumed whispering. ¡°Gantulga has had a meeting.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t see his face, but Gantulga seemed to know him. They embraced when they met.¡± Eeluk wiped the sweat off his brow. ¡°He¡¯d been waiting in Gantulga¡¯s home. Gantulga seemed surprised, but happy. Joyous, even. I could only make out his visitor¡¯s silhouette.¡±


    ¡°Portly or skinny?¡±


    ¡°Quite portly.¡±


    ¡°I suppose he didn¡¯t want a parade, then,¡± I said. ¡°Funny. He seems like the type that would.¡±


    ¡°You know who he is?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s Lord Batbayar.¡±


    Erhi stirred and woke up. She blinked her eyes rapidly.


    ¡°Good, you¡¯re awake,¡± I said.


    She rubbed her eye. The flowers in her hair opened gradually as she woke. ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡±


    ¡°Batbayar is here.¡± I stood and offered Erhi a hand up.


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better for me to stay here?¡± she said. ¡°In my vision we were together. If we aren¡¯t together¡ª¡±


    ¡°Do your visions always come true?¡±


    She paused, then nodded slowly.


    ¡°Then there¡¯s no point delaying the inevitable.¡± I reached down and took her hand in mine with a smile. ¡°You only saw the emissary arrive. Now you¡¯ll get to see him leave, in person.¡±


    ¡°Shall I prepare a guard to escort you?¡± Eeluk asked.


    ¡°No,¡± I said. ¡°Just show Erhi and me there.¡±


    He nodded. ¡°Follow me, my lord.¡±


    He led us out the back door and through another little door, then down a spiral staircase. Years of old men shuffling up and down them had curved the edges and darkened the once-white stone to a sickly light yellow. I pulled Erhi closer. The emissary could appear at any moment, so I had to be prepared to protect her.


    ¡°Through here.¡± Eeluk held open a red door at the bottom of the staircase.


    The streets of upper Karakhorum were cleaner than those nearer the wall. Trees were planted in neat rows on both sides of the cobblestone street. Homes were bigger here, and their doors and windows had gold trim. Goblins heaved too-big sacks of letters over their shoulders, but the pitter-patter of their steps was unimpeded.


    Gantulga¡¯s home was at the end of the street. The gold trim was bigger than everyone else¡¯s, and his bright yellow door was twice the size it needed to be. His garden, however, had faded, and the grass had grown into the street. As we approached, something shattered.


    ¡°I assume that isn¡¯t a lovers¡¯ quarrel,¡± I said to Erhi and Eeluk. ¡°Wait here.¡±


    I went quietly up the steps and put my ear to Gantulga¡¯s front door. I could only make out fragments of their conversation.


    ¡°¡­it¡¯s happening, Gantulga.¡± I recognized the voice as Batbayar¡¯s. ¡°¡­install you as lord of Karakhorum.¡±


    ¡°¡­as we planned,¡± Gantulga replied, ¡°¡­Oktai¡­ reveal his hand.¡±


    I waved Erhi and Eeluk over. They took the first step carefully, but when both of them put their weight on the second step at the same time, it creaked sharply. Chairs moved inside.


    ¡°Hurry,¡± one of them said.


    I kicked down the door before they had the chance. A cloud of dust made Erhi sneeze.


    ¡°My lord!¡± Gantulga shuffled out the corner. ¡°How wonderful it is to see you¡ª¡±


    ¡°Enough,¡± I said. ¡°Where is he?¡±


    The room was large and open. The heads of a boar and a lion flanked Gantulga¡¯s fireplace. Chairs were scattered through the sitting room, and books were piled high on the tiled floor. Gantulga stood by a large cupboard with his hands behind his back.


    ¡°Who, my lord?¡± Gantulga said. ¡°There¡¯s no one here but us.¡±


    ¡°Forgive me for not believing you.¡± I strolled around the sitting room, making my footsteps as loud and heavy as possible.


    ¡°Can I offer my lord and his companions some refreshments?¡± Gantulga stepped away from the cupboard and tried to pull me out of the room. ¡°You certainly look wary. Let me be polite and¡ª¡± This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    ¡°Eeluk,¡± I said. ¡°Lend me your blade please.¡±


    Gantulga jumped back, pulling his hands off my arm like he¡¯d just touched a hot pot. ¡°My lord, I apologize for¡­for¡­¡±


    I locked eyes with Gantulga and stepped over to the large cupboard in the corner of the room.


    ¡°For suggesting that you look weary!¡± Gantulga waved his hands and rushed over to me.


    I rested Eeluk¡¯s blade on the cupboard door. Gantulga froze.


    ¡°Batbayar,¡± I said. ¡°You might want to come out. Slowly.¡±


    I paused for a few moments. He didn¡¯t come out, so I pressed the blade into the door with a crack as the wood¡ª


    ¡°Fine!¡± The cupboard door swung open, and Batbayar stumbled out. ¡°You¡¯re a very violent man, you know that? You have an underdeveloped sense of pace and measure.¡±


    ¡°When I have to be, I choose to be,¡± I said. ¡°Sit down.¡±


    ¡°For what?¡± Gantulga said.


    ¡°Our meeting.¡± I returned Eeluk¡¯s blade. ¡°Eeluk, you may leave us.¡±


    After Batbayar took his seat, Gantulga moved to sit down. I pulled the chair away from under him and sat on it.


    ¡°Eeluk, Erhi, have a seat,¡± I said. ¡°Gantulga, it¡¯s impolite to seat yourself before your guests.¡±


    ¡°And get me some wine,¡± Batbayar said.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get on with it.¡± I leaned forward in my chair. ¡°You want to end the war already?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not committing to anything,¡± he said, ¡°but I believe I hadn¡¯t considered¡­ alternatives. You see, my young lord, let me give you some advice as a¡­more experienced colleague. Us lords must endeavor to find means of resolving conflict besides battle. For the sake of the people, of course. Not to mention the damage unnecessary damage does to our reputations.¡±


    I rolled my eyes and nodded. ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°And in order to do that, the Council has a¡­particular way of doing things.¡± Batbayar took the cup Gantulga handed to him. ¡°For example, you might want, I don¡¯t know, some new fortifications for this fine city of Karakhorum. Just look at the state of the wall. But that¡¯s expensive, and perhaps you lack the artisans¡ª¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re going to provide them?¡±


    He snapped his fingers. ¡°You always struck me as a smart one. We understand each other, you and me.¡±


    ¡°In exchange for ending the war?¡±


    ¡°No, no.¡± He took a big sip of his wine, then scowled at its taste. ¡°I propose we enter into a new era of collaboration. You scratch my back, I scratch yours.¡± He shrugged and took another drink. ¡°You see, when one starts a war, the people suffer.¡± He locked eyes with me and smirked. ¡°Food supplies mysteriously burn down. Horses get blinded in the night. Rivers get poisoned. These are simply¡­inevitabilities.¡±


    ¡°But if we were in an alliance¡­these wouldn¡¯t be so inevitable, would they?¡±


    He nodded. ¡°When lowlifes and miscreants hear that I, Lord Batbayar, am your ally, then surely they will cease their horse-blinding and river-poisoning.¡±


    ¡°So I would be spreading this news of our alliance throughout the continent, then?¡± I leaned back in my chair.


    ¡°Well, there are sensitive issues at play at that level.¡± He finished his drink and held the cup out to Gantulga without as much as glancing up at him. ¡°It¡¯s best we keep it a secret. Between us lords.¡±


    Gantulga filled Baybayar¡¯s cup.


    ¡°Then how will the miscreants know of our alliance?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ll know we aren¡¯t at war. And that¡¯s basically what an alliance iss, as far as the history of our fine continent is concerned. I¡¯m sure they already know you¡¯ve taken Lady Khulan into your custody, so returning her to her rightful position on the Council would signal a certain, ahem, change in loyalties.¡±


    I nodded thoughtfully and pretended to consider it.


    ¡°You¡¯re not seriously thinking about this are you?¡± Erhi whispered into my ear.


    ¡°I have a distaste for secrecy,¡± I said to Batbayar. ¡°If we are to embrace, we should do so openly. Why can¡¯t we be upfront?¡±


    He smiled and waved a finger at me. ¡°If only. This is just the way it¡¯s always been done. Everyone else has secret allies and secret enemies. If we hold hands and skip down the riverside, we will have shown our chickens. Let them taste our cows¡¯ milk before they buy. Bend over and spread our cheeks.¡± He sipped his drink, then wiped his mouth. ¡°Crack our eggs and let them prod the yolk. Secrecy has just always been the way it¡¯s been done. It¡¯s the way of the world, young lord. You¡¯re basically at apprenticeship age. It¡¯s absolutely fine for you to still be learning on the job.¡±


    ¡°Do you know how I defeated your men?¡± I said.


    He glanced at his lap. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t go as far as to say defeated, but my scouts reported you used¡­¡± He narrowed his eyes at me. ¡°Some untraditional strategy.¡±


    ¡°Wars have always been fought with men. More men against fewer men. Better men against worse. But men always die. That¡¯s just the way it¡¯s always been, since the Eternal Blue Sky taught man to forge the first steel from moonrock. That¡¯s the way of things.¡± I leaned forward and snatched Batbayar¡¯s cup from his hand. ¡°I have no intention of doing things the way they¡¯ve always been done. And I have even less intention of being in an alliance with someone like you.¡± I downed his drink.


    ¡°I admire your youthful¡ª¡±


    ¡°Surrender your cities to me.¡± I put the cup on the floor and stood up. ¡°And bend the knee.¡±


    He chuckled nervously. ¡°In addition to being green and cocky, you¡¯re also very foolish, apparently.¡± He shook his head. ¡°I honestly don¡¯t know why I expected any better from someone like you. Someone who just lets goblins and men mingle like they could just be pals after all the tense history they¡¯ve shared, given the obvious superiority of men. You have giants guarding your city! Disgusting. Disgrace¡ª¡±


    I glared at him. ¡°Bend. The. Knee.¡±


    ¡°You arrogant fuck.¡± Batbayar struggled to his feet, Gantulga scrambling to catch him under his armpits and help him. ¡°You think you¡¯re the only one with ¡®untraditional¡¯ assets.¡± He smirked and looked around with unfocused eyes, before shouting, ¡°Now!¡±


    The ground underneath us cracked like a plate under a giant¡¯s heel. Gantulga¡¯s house shook. The lion¡¯s head fell off the wall. Blue light streamed in, but it was sicklier, tainted with tendrils the color of fire. Smoke filled the room as chairs and tables and blankets were singed at their edges.


    Erhi latched onto my arm. I picked her up and ran out of the house before it collapsed.


    The entire street had purple light erupting from between the stones. Men, women, and goblins ran screaming from their homes. Trees burnt to ashes instantly. The ground boiled the bottoms of my boots. I blinked, and every house looked as if it had been chewed on and spat out by a fire. I blinked, and the wind pulled all the smoke into a tornado with Gantulga¡¯s house at its eye.


    I blinked, and everything around me was reduced to ash. People-shaped mounds of ash dotted the street. Erhi and I were unharmed, while not even the trees remained, no buildings were left standing. Smoke blotted out the sun. I squinted at the remnants of Gantulga¡¯s house. We were alone, save for¡­


    Batbayar. Batbayar stood there, the most unimpressive of human figures making a world turn to ash just by raising his squeaky voice. And by his side, a man who looked like an absolute void.

 13: Battle with the Emmisary

    ¡°You could have just been my lackey, Kublai, but now you have to die.¡±  Batbayar shrugged, then nodded to the emissary at his side. ¡°Pity. He would¡¯ve been useful.¡±


    The heat from the emissary¡¯s arrival started to fade, but the wind picked up and teased flecks of ash loose from the little people-shaped mounds peppered over the barren stone.  Only four people remained in Karakhorum¡¯s upper district: Erhi, Batbayar, the emissary, and me.


    Erhi coughed in my arms, tugging at my shirt.  ¡°Kublai, we¡­ have to¡­¡±


    ¡°Run?¡± I said.


    She nodded.  ¡°I¡¯ve seen what the emissaries are capable of.¡±


    ¡°As long as they¡¯re capable of dying, I¡ª¡±


    ¡°They aren¡¯t,¡± she said.  ¡°They aren¡¯t human. They don¡¯t eat.  They don¡¯t sleep. They don¡¯t laugh or cry or cower.  You can¡¯t talk them out of an order. They¡¯re¡­ monsters.¡±


    The ground had cooled, so I set Erhi down.  ¡°Run.¡±


    She pulled my hand, but I didn¡¯t move.  ¡°Kublai, I know you think you¡¯re invincible, but the emissaries are actually invincible¡ª¡±


    I pulled my hand free.  ¡°Erhi. The emissary in your vision was after you.  It¡¯s better if you¡¯re as far from here as possible.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s better for you too if you¡¯re just as far away.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ll just pursue us.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ll pursue me if I run too.¡±


    I smiled at her.  ¡°Not if I¡¯m in the way.¡±


    Batbayar whistled.  ¡°If you¡¯re done having your last words with your concubine, we¡¯d like to get on with disposing of you and taking Karakhorum.¡±


    Erhi looked at me.


    ¡°Run,¡± I said.  ¡°Trust me.¡±


    She hesitated, then turned and ran.


    ¡°She¡¯s abandoning you already?¡±  Batbayar said. ¡°That¡¯s a shame. It¡¯s tragic to die alone.¡±


    ¡°Good thing you brought a friend to die with you, then.¡±


    ¡°We aren¡¯t ¡®friends¡¯,¡± Batbayar said.  ¡°This is a master-servant relationship.  He¡¯s the servant.¡±


    The emissary turned his featureless head slowly, as if to glare at Batbayar.


    That¡¯s strange, I thought.


    ¡°You¡¯d make a great servant too, Kublai,¡± Batbayar continued.


    I stepped forward.  ¡°Unfortunately, ¡®servant¡¯ is never going to be my occupation.¡±


    ¡°You could even fill a seat on the Council of Lords, as my lackey.¡±


    ¡°With a gut like that, it looks like you fill enough seats all on your own.¡±


    A sound, like a rusted knife grinding on bone, seemed to echo through the upper district.  My eyes darted to the emissary. His shoulders bobbed up and down. The emissary was¡­ laughing?


    Batbayar scowled.  ¡°Shut up. I¡¯ll give you ten seconds to reconsider.  Ten!¡±


    I had ten seconds to come up with something.  Ten seconds to figure out how to kill a man who couldn¡¯t be killed.


    ¡°Nine!¡±


    He couldn¡¯t be killed ¨C assuming he was indeed an emissary as Erhi knew them.  Emissaries didn¡¯t laugh, and yet, he just did.


    ¡°Eight!¡±


    That¡¯s why he was trying so hard to win me over, I realized.  Batbayar wouldn¡¯t try if there was no risk of me getting out of this.


    ¡°Seven!¡±


    Emissary or not, the black flame creeping over his body would still melt any blade before it could harm him.  Nothing had withstood the emissary¡¯s arrival, except¡­


    ¡°Six!¡±


    Erhi, Batbayar, and me.  Three people who¡¯d been soaked in the energy of the Spirit Realm.  Even my clothes hadn¡¯t been burned. If traces of the Spirit Realm had protected me, more of it might be able to damage him.


    ¡°Five!¡±


    I slipped my hand into my satchel and drew the map.  Karakhorum¡¯s upper district wasn¡¯t on the map, but I figured it¡¯d be just above the courthouse.


    ¡°Four¡ª¡±


    ¡°Three, two, one,¡± I said.  ¡°I¡¯ve come to a decision.¡±


    ¡°Well?¡±  Batbayar said.


    I drew my blade with my free hand.


    Batbayar sighed and shook his head.


    I dropped my sword.  It clanged as it hit the ground.


    Batbayar grinned.  ¡°Oh. You had me there.  Welcome to the Council of¡ª¡±


    I stuck my finger on the map, just above the courthouse.  Blue light stripped away the smoke. My bones felt harder and chest swelled with heat as I breathed deeply.  The hairs on my arm stood up, pulsing with a blue sheen.


    Batbayar¡¯s gaze locked onto me as soon as I landed.  ¡°I thought you¡¯d ran away.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going anywhere.¡±  I clenched my fists. The energy of the Spirit Realm clung to my skin like water, and I could feel it dripping off.  I¡¯d landed a few feet from where I¡¯d used the map, and the distance between the emissary and me was too great. By the time I¡¯d be able to reach Batbayar from here, the energy of the Spirit Realm would be lost.


    Batbayar glanced at the emissary.  ¡°Well? Are you just going to stand there?  Take care of him!¡±


    The emissary¡¯s body shook, as if it was tearing itself apart.  One side of his head, his chest, and his thigh all swelled like sores. Six spheres of black fire, ranging from the size of an apple to the size of man¡¯s head, broke free and floated behind the emissary in an evenly-spaced ring.


    He glanced at Batbayar.


    ¡°Fine, fine.¡±  Batbayar took a few steps back.  ¡°I¡¯ll keep a safe distance, but I swear if you don¡¯t deal with him¡ª¡±


    The emissary darted for me, the black spheres seeming to propel him forward.  He was fast, but not faster than me pressing my finger on the map.


    I landed harder this time, my muscles throbbing with energy.  The emissary spun to my new location and dashed, the air around him shimmering from the heat.


    I could play this game.  Eventually, I¡¯d have enough spiritual energy to strike back.  I let him get closer this time, slipping my finger onto the map at the last possible moment.  I felt the breeze his swiping claw made as I entered the Spirit Realm.


    One of the spheres came at me as I landed, but I dove to the left.  The sphere sunk into the stone and evaporated, leaving a smooth, round hole.  I stood unharmed, but covered in ash. The sphere moved too quickly to have been aimed at me when I landed.  He knows where I¡¯m going to appear, I realized, and those spheres are faster than him.  He still had five of those left.


    A sphere shot at me, but I pressed the map in time.  This time, the hairs on my arm burned as I entered the Spirit Realm.


    When I landed, the emissary¡¯s hand grazed my chest, my shirt flaking like paper in an inferno.  I jumped back just in time. The wound stung when I touched it, and my hand was wet with blood and ash.  At least the heat cauterized the wound, for the most part. Even with the energy of the Spirit Realm lingering on me, his attacks were fatal. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    But there was a simple solution: I just needed to not get hit.


    He didn¡¯t give me time to recover.  When I blinked, he¡¯d covered half the distance.  My bloody finger left a stain on the map when I touched it.  Energy surged through me, like an earthquake rumbling through my gut.  My bones felt as if they were made of iron, and sharp blue lines flashed along my veins¡ª


    I felt something wrap around my ankle.  I glanced back. A hand coated in black fire raging like a rabid dog just let off the leash.  The fire expanded, as if it was consuming the blue light.


    I kicked, but the emissary¡¯s grip was firm.  I raised my other foot and kicked the hand by the wrist.  Crack.


    I landed, and remnants of the fire smoldered along my flesh.  The hand-shaped burn throbbed, but I could still stand, if lopsidedly.  A sphere spun up, poising to launch, when the sound of footsteps caught both of our attention.


    Erhi? I thought.  No. Erhi¡¯s footsteps were lighter.  I squinted at the figure. Long black hair thrashed in the wind.  Khulan.


    She slowed to a halt as she approached the destroyed upper district.  ¡°I always thought you were a man of half-measures, Batbayar, but this rescue effort is¡­ impressive.¡±


    Batbayar stepped forward, glaring at Khulan.  ¡°What rescue?¡±


    The emissary shot a sphere at her.  Khulan froze, but I didn¡¯t. I broke into a sprint, cringing as my burnt ankle struck the stone.  The sphere was too close to Khulan to let that slow me down. I felt the stone crack under my steps, the map open and waving like a loose sail as I ran.  I reached out. Almost.  I gave one final pushed.


    My fingertips grazed the sphere and sent it spinning past Khulan¡¯s cheek before it crashed behind us.  My hand shook. Smoke drifted from the charred flesh of my fingertips. I clenched my jaw and took deep breaths through my teeth.


    I glanced at Khulan.  ¡°That was a strange¡­ rescue attempt.¡±


    Khulan put a hand on her cheek.


    ¡°We couldn¡¯t just let you be used as a pawn against the Council, Khulan.¡±  Batbayar walked toward us. ¡°Especially not when you have his ear.¡±


    ¡°And now you¡¯ve given me something to fill that ear with,¡± she said.


    ¡°That¡¯s if you¡¯re still living to tell.¡±  Batbayar nodded at the emissary.


    ¡°It¡¯s bold of you to assume that he isn¡¯t listening now,¡± she said.  ¡°And by bold, I of course mean foolish.¡±


    Batbayar¡¯s eyes widened, darting at the sky.


    ¡°Is he?¡± I whispered to her.


    ¡°No,¡± she whispered back.  ¡°And that isn¡¯t an emissary.¡±


    ¡°I figured.  How do I kill him?¡±


    ¡°Batbayar?  Roasting, preferably.¡±


    I nodded at the false emissary.  ¡°Nice of Batbayar to bring his own fire, in that case.¡±


    ¡°Is your hand okay?¡±


    The pain was getting worse as I lost spiritual energy.  I made a fist and smirked. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    Batbayar tilted his head upward, scanning the sky.  The emissary did the same. I couldn¡¯t let the emissary take the initiative ¨C he¡¯d go for Khulan if I didn¡¯t keep him busy.  While they were distracted, I dashed for the emissary. My burnt ankle threw off my gait, but spiritual energy coursed through my muscles, like stoking a hearth with every bound.


    The emissary¡¯s head snapped to attention, but I was already too close.  A sphere launched from over his shoulder. I jumped to avoid it, sending me six feet into the air.  The emissary tilted his head up, his three remaining spheres sputtering into motion.


    I pressed the map.  This was the most I¡¯d used it in such a short span of time.  Little cracks trailed along my veins, leaking blue light. My chest went tight, and it became harder to breath.  My bones felt like logs on a fire, about to crack open.


    I reappeared, gulping in the air ¨C directly above the emissary, his hand arcing toward me.  I grabbed his wrist with my right hand and gripped the map tightly with my left. He tried to raise his other hand, but my elbow was already going for his jaw.  I felt something solid give and break. The black fire parted from where I¡¯d struck him.


    The emissary stumbled back and put a hand over the hole I¡¯d made.  Black fire crept over the flesh, sealing the wound. A loud crack set the emissary¡¯s jaw right.


    ¡°Stop screwing around, O¡ª¡± Batbayar shouted, cutting himself off.  ¡°Just deal with him.¡±


    I grinned.  ¡°He would¡­ if he could.¡±


    ¡°Cocky shit,¡± Batbayar grumbled.


    ¡°Oh please,¡± Khulan said.  ¡°You¡¯re just as cocky as Kublai.  You just can¡¯t back it up.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll back it up alright,¡± Batbayar said.  ¡°I would come over there and show you, but you¡¯d just scamper away like the spoiled¡ª¡±


    Khulan dropped down and sat cross-legged on the stone.  She gave Batbayar a flat look.


    ¡°Well, I would come over there, but¡­¡±  Batbayar glanced at me. ¡°There¡¯re, uh, obstacles.  But as soon as Kublai¡¯s a little pile of ashes, you better be ready, I swear before the Eternal Blue¡ª¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡±


    The emissary¡¯s voice reverberated through the stone.  I felt it in my feet before I heard it. It sounded like the whistle of boiling sap spilling out of a log.  He craned his head back and seemed to glare at Batbayar.


    Batbayar put his hands up.  ¡°Fine, fine. If you¡¯d get on with killing him, I¡ª¡±


    A sphere shot out at Batbayar and landed next to him.


    Batbayar put a finger on his lips.  ¡°I¡¯ll be quiet.¡±


    The emissary¡¯s fire flickered and seemed to dull, like a candle in the wind.  He was thinner than when he¡¯d first appeared, I noticed. His speed, however, was still the same.  By the time I blinked, he¡¯d closed the distance between him and me. I jumped to the left as he struck, but one of his two remaining spheres shot at me.  I put my foot down hard, crushing the stone under my heel and halting my motion. I¡¯d avoided the sphere, but the emissary wasn¡¯t done.


    As soon as the first crashed, the last spun over him, poising to launch ¨C but after a moment, it settled back down and was absorbed by his shoulder.  He must have hesitated. I wouldn¡¯t.


    I reached down and grabbed a fist-sized rock.  ¡°My turn.¡±


    The emissary shifted as soon as I took aim.  His black fire whooshed when he moved right to left to right to straight for me, trying to throw me off.  It didn¡¯t. An ordinary rock wouldn¡¯t do any damage, but one that¡¯d been to the Spirit Realm¡­


    I slipped my finger onto the map.  I¡¯d only have a few seconds to orient myself when I landed.  The emissary, however, would do the aiming for me. He knew where I¡¯d appear, and he wouldn¡¯t waste that information.  He¡¯d absorbed his last sphere. The only other means of attack he had was up close.


    In other words, I couldn¡¯t miss.


    I raised my arm, blue light condensing around the rock in my palm.  It felt as if I had a hot coal caged in my fingers. A vapor, more like mist than smoke, clung to my flesh, tearing my skin like a shirt that was too tight.  I only had one shot. As the blue light became thinner and the Spirit Realm spat me out, I threw.


    Bang.  The sound split the smoke lingering in the air.  The loose stone scattered over the upper district shuddered.  It was like a clap of thunder had just shot from my palm.


    The emissary stood in front of me, a hole the size of a fist in his chest.  He stumbled back, but I had to assume he could heal. I dashed forward, leading with my fist.  The emissary put up a weak guard against my first strike, but I broke through it, shattering his arm.


    Mist surrounded me, blue light zapping from my skin.  I huffed. My whole body felt heavy. I fell to one knee, dropping the map at my feet.


    The emissary lay on the ground, struggling to get back up.  Black fire reached over the hole in his chest. Even if he could get back up from that, it¡¯d take him a while ¨C and I¡¯d recover first.


    Khulan ran over.  She¡¯d picked up my blade.  I thought she was running to me, but she brushed past, leaping over foundations of destroyed homes as if she¡¯d been planning her route from the time she¡¯d arrived.


    Batbayar put his hands up.  ¡°Now, Lady Khulan, we can discuss this.  A woman of your pedigree wouldn¡¯t want to resort to such base means of resolving¡ª¡±


    She swung, cleaving through his neck.  Batbayar slumped over. She wiped my blade on his gown, kicked him in the gut for good measure, then turned and jogged over to me.


    ¡°I assume this is yours.¡±  Khulan handed me my sword.


    I got back on my feet.  ¡°I thought you preferred to have him roasted?¡±


    ¡°If we put that man on a fire, he¡¯d explode.  The man wasn¡¯t just shaped like a wine barrel.  He probably had just as much wine in him.¡±


    ¡°And you wouldn¡¯t want an explosion in your new ally¡¯s city, would you?¡±


    ¡°Is that what we are now, allies?¡±


    I nodded at Batbayar¡¯s body.  ¡°The enemy of my enemy¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­is still waiting to hear what¡¯s in it for her.¡±


    I glanced at the emissary.  His flames started to recede around the edges, revealing toes, fingers and thin gray hair.  ¡°Protection, firstly.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need protection.¡±


    I held up the hand I¡¯d used to deflect the sphere.  ¡°Forgive me if I don¡¯t believe you.¡±


    She sighed.  ¡°I could just hire someone for protection.¡±


    ¡°To protect you from what¡¯s left of the Council?  Oktai? Probably. To protect you from me? Probably not.¡±


    ¡°So if I don¡¯t join you¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re still on the Council of Lords, and you still hold cities on the continent.  If you¡¯re not my ally, you¡¯re my enemy.¡±


    She glanced at the emissary and pursed her lips.  ¡°If I¡¯m your ally that makes me his enemy.¡±


    ¡°Are you his ally?¡±


    She guffawed.  ¡°He doesn¡¯t need allies.  Not anymore.¡±


    ¡°Then why does he listen to you?¡±


    ¡°He wasn¡¯t always that way.¡±  She looked down. ¡°I knew him before he¡ª¡±


    Stones shifted.  Instinctively, I grabbed the map.  The emissary got to his feet. The last flecks of black fire drifted from him, revealing his face.


    ¡°Oktai?!¡± Khulan said.


    Heat burst from him, pushing Khulan and me back.  Black fire emerged from his chest, covering his body.  I shielded my eyes and pulled Khulan behind me.


    When I opened my eyes again, Oktai was gone.


    ¡°Before you run after him¡­¡±  Khulan reached for my arm, but it was still hot from the Spirit Realm.  ¡°I need to tell you about Oktai.¡±

 14: Recovery

    It had been a few hours since the upper district was attacked, but people still bustled through the courthouse as if another one could happen at any moment. Old men squinted at the sky before moving out from their homes, enlisting the help of their goblin servants to carry important documents and family heirlooms. Pots and washing boards were left abandoned as women and children fled to safety. Khulan and I slipped in the back without anyone noticing. They probably weren¡¯t expecting anyone to come from the door leading to the upper district. Well, the ash-spotted waste that was once the upper district.


    A crowd huddled in the open passageways surrounding the courtyard, trying to avoid standing out in the open. Eeluk, however, stood on some crates piled high on the grass. Some people were just covered in ash, but others had been burned. A few had lost limbs. No one spoke, save to answer Eeluk¡¯s role call.


    I peeked out from the crack of the door to a small storage room. I¡¯d tucked myself away until I could heal, and I sent Khulan to fetch Erhi and Batu. The room didn¡¯t offer much in terms of comfort. Some sacks of corn were stacked by the window, webs stringing from the top all the way down to the broken tiles on the ground. I could still see the smoke streaking from the upper district from the window. The only piece of furniture was a creaky cupboard, and the only thing inside was an old guard¡¯s uniform still stained red with an arrow through the chest.


    Captain Eeluk stood on a stack of crates, holding a piece of paper and a piece of charcoal. ¡°Bataar family?¡±


    ¡°Present,¡± a voice squeaked. A little boy. ¡°But mother¡­ she¡­¡±


    Eeluk nodded and marked the page with his charcoal. ¡°Bat-Erdene family?¡±


    No one replied. The people in the crowd glanced at one another.


    ¡°Bat-Erdene family?¡± Eeluk said, louder this time. ¡°Has anyone seen the Bat-Erdene family?¡±


    He shook his head and didn¡¯t mark the page with charcoal.


    My view went dark.


    ¡°I¡¯ve brought them,¡± Khulan whispered.


    I moved away from the door.


    ¡°Kublai?¡± Erhi scanned the room before her eyes settled on me. ¡°Kublai! Your leg. Your hand!¡±


    ¡°My arms too.¡± I held them up for her to see.


    ¡°I see why she was so shaken.¡± Erhi looked at Khulan. ¡°I just assumed she was trying to trick us.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t shaken,¡± Khulan said. ¡°I was merely expressing my urgency¡­ physically.¡±


    Batu whistled. ¡°I won¡¯t ask about the other guy.¡±


    ¡°I will.¡± I glanced at Khulan. ¡°And she¡¯s going to answer.¡±


    ¡°Please do go on.¡± Batu slumped down onto the sack of corn I¡¯d put my satchel on. A cloud of dust filled the room. ¡°I long to hear the tale of the man who mildly inconvenienced my brother.¡±


    ¡°Mildly!¡± Erhi snapped. ¡°This is going to take hours to heal.¡±


    ¡°Hours?¡± Khulan said. ¡°This¡¯ll take months.¡±


    Erhi started with my leg. She pulled it onto her lap and waved her hands around it like a potter shaping his ornament. Thousands of tiny blue spirits flickered into existence, falling over one another as they did their work.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Khulan put a finger to her chin. ¡°Interesting. This¡¯ll all only take hours?¡±


    ¡°Hours!¡± Erhi shook her head. ¡°I¡¯ll be exhausted afterwards. It would go faster if we could use the map to get to the First Capital, but from the looks of your body, I don¡¯t think you can afford to enter the Spirit Realm for some time.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen him get hurt worse.¡± Batu shrugged. ¡°Remember that time we found that rusty bear trap in the forest and tied a rope to it?¡±


    ¡°The Spirit Realm is much less forgiving than a bear trap,¡± Erhi said. ¡°If you push yourself further¡­¡±


    ¡°There won¡¯t be anything left for you to heal.¡± I flashed her a grin. ¡°Got it.¡±


    ¡°Way to put a damper on magical teleportation,¡± Batu said. ¡°You know, when I first saw you with your magic hair-flowers and little skirt, I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d be such a downer. She¡­¡± He pointed at Khulan. ¡°Now she looks like a downer. I know what to expect.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you do, brother,¡± I said. ¡°You¡¯re a terrible judge of people.¡±


    ¡°I was right about you, wasn¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°You once said I¡¯d become a cobbler.¡±


    He gave me a flat look. ¡°That¡¯s because I was terrible at telling fortunes. I swear I can see right through anyone.¡±


    I guffawed. ¡°The only way you¡¯re seeing through anyone is if you cut a hole in them first.¡±


    Batu waved a finger. ¡°But see through them I do.¡±


    Erhi slapped Khulan¡¯s hand away from the spirits surrounding my leg. ¡°Stop trying to touch them.¡±


    ¡°Can these heal any wound?¡± Khulan asked.


    Erhi nodded.


    ¡°Even ones of the mind?¡±


    Erhi paused. ¡°No. The Spirit Realm can only affect our bodies, as far as I know, so I can only heal flesh.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s say I knew someone who¡¯d been driven mad¡­ by the Spirit Realm, if that makes a difference.¡±


    Erhi shook her head. ¡°Not possible.¡±


    Khulan put her hand on her lip. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t be speaking about this.¡±


    ¡°About what?¡± Batu said.


    Khulan pursed her lips and sat cross-legged. ¡°About someone I used to know.¡±


    ¡°Him?¡± I said.


    Khulan nodded. ¡°It¡¯s just a suspicion I have.¡±


    ¡°That he¡¯s mad?¡± Erhi said.


    ¡°No,¡± Khulan said. ¡°That the Spirit Realm isn¡¯t as benign as we believe.¡±


    ¡°Judging by the present state of the upper district,¡± I said, ¡°I agree.¡±


    Khulan walked over to the cupboard and dragged it over the door. She wiped her hands on her already-ruined gown. ¡°The Spirit Realm isn¡¯t to blame in Oktai¡¯s case. He¡¯s been acting strangely for a long time. Years, in hindsight. Do you know why the Council of Lords is based in the First Capital?¡±


    ¡°I assume it¡¯s not the scenery,¡± I said.


    Khulan strode over to the sacks of corn. ¡°When you enter the Spirit Realm¡­¡± She stuck her hand into the sack of corn, then clutched as much as she could and pulled her hand out. ¡°¡­you bring some of it back.¡±This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    ¡°Too much, more often than not,¡± Erhi said.


    ¡°But what happens when you stayed in our realm? What happens to the spiritual energy when you feel it slipping from your body?¡± Khulan waved her handful of corn, scattering cornels over the ground. ¡°It gets absorbed by your surroundings, like a fire losing heat. Only this heat lingers for lifetimes.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°And that¡¯s why the Split-Skull Forest feels like the Spirit Realm.¡±


    ¡°That place was a mistake,¡± Khulan said. ¡°That¡¯s the difference between the forest and the First Capital. Before the First Empire, only dragons regularly slipped between the realms. Something about their blood allowed them to, and without the same risks as men. Even after men discovered that, only one or two in a generation would ever see the Spirit Realm. Then three or four a generation. Then a dozen. Fifty. Five hundred. Two thousand.


    ¡°One man going into the Spirit Realm?¡± She dropped one cornel. ¡°Not much. Ten thousand?¡± She released the whole handful. ¡°It poisoned the land. When those men returned, everything about them had been altered. Their bones. Their flesh. The food in their stomachs. The blood in their veins. The air in their lungs. All of it was tainted by the Spirit Realm. And they kept returning to the Spirit Realm¡­ until they died.¡± She paused. ¡°The Split-Skull Forest was their graveyard.¡±


    Erhi pulled her hands off my ankle, but the spirits continued healing me. ¡°I lived there for years. I didn¡¯t see any bones.¡±


    ¡°They burned them back then,¡± I said.


    ¡°Not exactly,¡± Khulan said. ¡°Going to the Spirit Realm makes your body stronger in the short term, but in the long term, your body degrades to dust. Sometimes while you¡¯re still alive. They didn¡¯t choose to burn their dead. Their dead became ash regardless, and that ash seeped into the soil of the Split-Skull Forest. The dragons were the first to notice what was happening to the land. Some men saw it too, but others¡­. Others wanted to keep drinking from the Spirit Realm.¡±


    ¡°Let me guess,¡± Batu said. ¡°The ones with the magical powers won?¡±


    ¡°Easily,¡± Khulan said. ¡°And after they killed the men who opposed them, they turned on the dragons. At that point, not even the dragons could stop them. The forest was where they buried men. The First Capital was where they slaughtered dragons. The First Capital¡¯s foundation is soaked in dragon¡¯s blood. That¡¯s why it hasn¡¯t decayed like the forest. The blood preserves it. But the blood preserves men too. That¡¯s why he chose it¡ª¡±


    The wind slammed the door against the cupboard, whistling through the gap. The spirits surrounding my ankle froze. Erhi shifted closer to me. Batu¡¯s hand rested on the hilt of his sword.


    ¡°But Oktai,¡± Khulan continued, unshaken, ¡°has always been jealous of him. I could tell by the way he looked at the throne. Even by the way he tried to speak sometimes. For the last few years, however, Oktai graduated from mimicking his voice and acting with the same authority to¡­ darker aspirations.¡±


    ¡°Darker how?¡± I asked.


    ¡°People kept disappearing around the First Capital,¡± she said. ¡°I had one of my men look into the number of similar disappearances in every city on the continent. There weren¡¯t many disappearances¡­ except in Oktai¡¯s territories: hundreds of people every year. The bandages on his body. The disappearances. They both started happening at the same times. I¡¯d hear about a small mining town being stripped clean of life, and the next day Oktai would have new bandages in different places, covering up burns.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s using people¡­ to gain those abilities somehow,¡± I said.


    Khulan nodded. ¡°I think so. Everyone on this continent has some amount of spiritual energy in them. Kublai, you take energy directly from the Spirit Realm, but he¡¯s taking it from people. He¡¯s using them like twigs on a fire. I didn¡¯t put it together until I saw him in action today. You don¡¯t turn into that without sacrifice. And the fact that he¡¯s used hundreds of people means he¡¯s even more powerful than he appears.¡±


    ¡°That explains his entrance,¡± I said. ¡°He wasn¡¯t trying to make a statement. He was absorbing the people in the upper district.¡±


    Erhi reached for my arms and put them together. She started waving her hands over them, summoning more spirits to heal me.


    ¡°I should have seen it sooner.¡± Khulan leaned against the wall. ¡°I had my suspicions, but¡­¡±


    ¡°When you say absorbing,¡± Batu said, ¡°do you mean to tell me that he ate the upper district?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ suppose,¡± she replied.


    ¡°I would have thought the fat one would be up to that particular task,¡± Batu said.


    ¡°It was a joint endeavor,¡± I said. ¡°Erhi, how much longer¡ª¡±


    Erhi glared at me. ¡°Don¡¯t. Even. Think. About. It.¡±


    ¡°Oktai is using people to fuel his power trip.¡± I looked into her eyes. ¡°I can¡¯t just let him burn his way through Karakhorum¡ª¡±


    ¡°If you face him like this, you¡¯ll be the one he burns through,¡± Erhi said. ¡°Then he¡¯ll just go on burning whoever he likes.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll make sure he dislikes me,¡± Batu said.


    ¡°That won¡¯t be too difficult, brother,¡± I said. ¡°Some might say you have a particular talent for making others dislike you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Batu nudged Erhi. ¡°Oktai probably doesn¡¯t like Kublai either.¡±


    ¡°After I threw a rock through his chest, I would assume not.¡± I stood, shaking the tiny spirits off my arms.


    Erhi tugged on my arm, trying to keep me down.


    ¡°Erhi,¡± I said. ¡°I need you to heal the injured citizens as much as you can.¡±


    ¡°I still haven¡¯t finished healing you.¡±


    I felt the flesh on my arms. It felt rough, rougher than an ordinary burn, and the spirits had mended the cracks into mostly-healed scars. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Khulan asked. ¡°I can¡¯t have my allies dying in a storage room.¡±


    ¡°So we are allies now.¡± I grinned. ¡°Welcome to my empire.¡±


    ¡°Empire?¡± Khulan raised an eyebrow. ¡°Is that what you¡¯re hoping to achieve?¡±


    ¡°Part of it, at least,¡± I said. ¡°Batu, I need you to scout for Oktai. Anything strange should be considered a lead. A man on fire tends to leave an impression on people.¡±


    Batu nodded. ¡°Needle in a haystack, except the needle¡¯s evil and on fire? I¡¯ll find him.¡±


    ¡°Erhi,¡± I said. ¡°Heal as many people as you can, but don¡¯t push yourself beyond your limits.¡±


    Erhi got up and hugged me. ¡°I would say the same to you, but I know you won¡¯t think twice about pushing yourself. Just¡­ don¡¯t die.¡±


    ¡°Bold of you to assume he think¡¯s once about pushing himself beyond his limits,¡± Batu said.


    ¡°Bold of you to assume I think I have any limits.¡± I walked to the cupboard and slid it away from the door. Erhi slipped out. Batu gave a little bow as he followed her.


    Khulan stepped forward, but I put my hand out in front of her.


    ¡°What, do you have a mission for me too?¡± She smiled briefly.


    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault,¡± I said. ¡°For not seeing what Oktai was doing.¡±


    She looked out the window. ¡°I should have seen it. I just assumed his cities were riddled with crime and it was a coincidence that he got new bandages.¡±


    ¡°Did you see Batbayar¡¯s scheming?¡±


    ¡°Blind men could see that fool for what he was.¡± She chuckled slightly. ¡°I actually got my interests in gambling establishments because of him. He frequents¡­ frequented this place called the Empty Grape, and I ended up buying it for the eyes and ears. It took him three hours to spill his entire plan for quelling the revolutionary factions in his cities. Six to reveal his¡­ private activities.¡±


    ¡°But you saw him for what he was, and look at him now.¡± I put my hand on her shoulder. ¡°Just like you saw Oktai for what he was. He won¡¯t end up any better than Batbayar.¡±


    She put her hand on mine. ¡°I can¡¯t just walk up to Oktai, though.¡±


    I smiled. ¡°I can.¡±


    ¡°If we knew where he was,¡± she said. ¡°Batbayar was in front of me. Oktai might not even be in Karakhorum anymore.¡±


    I patted my satchel, the map protruding beneath the leather, and smiled. ¡°Everywhere is within walking distance when I have the map.¡±


    ¡°If it doesn¡¯t kill you first,¡± she said. ¡°Her name was Erhi, right? She said you couldn¡¯t use it for a while.¡±


    My smile died. ¡°I don¡¯t have a choice if Oktai is killing people in my city.¡±


    ¡°If he¡¯s still in Karakhorum.¡±


    ¡°If he¡¯s in any city,¡± I said. ¡°Here, Ulaanbaatar, the First Capital, Daarkhan¡­ They¡¯re all my citizens.¡±


    ¡°Then you really don¡¯t belong on the Council of Lords. Everyone on the Council thought every city was theirs and none of the citizens were. The Council just sat, safe in our courthouses and walled palaces. Meanwhile, citizens were getting beaten or worse, and we wouldn¡¯t even toss them a rag to wipe their blood.¡± She looked down. ¡°I can¡¯t say I was any better than the rest of the Council, in that regard.¡±


    I lifted her chin with my finger. ¡°I can¡¯t say that you were, but I can say that you¡¯re helping them by helping me.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what everyone says.¡±


    ¡°Not everyone¡¯s actually trying to help them, though.¡±


    She paused. ¡°Normally, I¡¯d be more cynical, but I¡­ I trust you, for some reason. It probably has something to do with the fact that I¡¯m not, well, a pile of ash¡ª¡±


    A rush of footsteps cut Khulan off. I peeked through the crack of the door. A dozen men and women, all unscathed, ran up to Eeluk. I strained my ears to hear.


    ¡°¡­a man on fire forced his way into our home.¡±


    ¡°¡­barely got away.¡±


    I glanced back at Khulan. ¡°Guess I¡¯ll be saving others from becoming piles of ash sooner than I thought.¡±

 15: Chasing Oktai

    ¡°My¡­ My husband stayed¡­ to slow him down.¡± The woman¡¯s voice shook when she spoke. Her hair was disheveled and her gown was torn. Eeluk squatted down on the crates to talk to her.


    ¡°My lord!¡± Eeluk stood when he saw me approach.


    The courtyard has cleared out since I saw it before, but people were still resting in the passageways. Goblins brought bowls of water to the injured, spilling drops like footprints as they waddled over the tiles. Down one corridor, a faint blue light caught my attention. Erhi wiped the sweat from her brow, sipped her water, and then turned back to a man lying on the floor.


    ¡°My lord!¡± Eeluk hopped off the crates and jogged to meet me. ¡°My lord, I¡¯m certain you are aware¡ª¡±


    ¡°Of the situation in the upper district? I¡¯m aware.¡± I held up my arms. My scars caught the sunlight. ¡°I was dealing with it.¡±


    ¡°Not well enough apparently,¡± a man grunted. He crossed his arms and spat. His tunic was singed on one side, but he looked uninjured.


    Eeluk brushed past me. ¡°This is the lord of Karak¡ª¡±


    I put up a hand. ¡°He¡¯s right.¡±


    The man¡¯s posture relaxed.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t deal with the threat yet,¡± I said. ¡°But I will. You, your name?¡±


    ¡°Nergu. And I live in the 37th District, behind the butcher, just in case you want to send your thugs to teach me some manners, rough-like.¡± He glared at Eeluk and spat again. ¡°Shaa.¡±


    ¡°Tsusaar gaaj, sugaa teneg.¡± I stepped forward and crossed my arms in front of his. His skin brushed against my scars. ¡°I think your manners are fine. They¡¯re the same manners my mother raised me with.¡±


    He chuckled, his stomach bouncing underneath his tunic. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of a lord with a mouth like yours, Eternal Blue Sky.¡± He shook his head and his arms fell to his side. ¡°If my wife heard me speaking those goatmilker words, she¡¯d finish the job that that fire bastard started.¡±


    ¡°Fire bastard?¡± I stepped back a little. ¡°Black fire?¡±


    ¡°All kinds of colors. He started out with black, then down to blue and white and ordinary-like.¡± He shrugged. ¡°Burns all the same.¡±


    ¡°Was he looking for anything?¡±


    ¡°He was clawing at us. My wife says he was thirsty. All that fire must¡¯ve made him real thirsty, she says.¡± He laughed. ¡°Me, I think he was hungry.¡±


    ¡°Did you offer him a salmon?¡±


    ¡°Trout, actually.¡± He paused, then laughed again. ¡°His taste was more¡­ unholy. He clawed at us. That¡¯s how I got this¡­¡± He turned, revealing the rest of the singe on his tunic. It was shaped like a hand.


    ¡°37th District?¡±


    He nodded.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention my tongue to your wife,¡± I said. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t want her to come break down my door and beat me with a ladle.¡±


    I started walking. The man returned to a group of men, said something, then they all laughed.


    Eeluk jogged after me. ¡°What did you say to him?¡±


    ¡°You must¡¯ve heard,¡± I said.


    ¡°I mean¡­ that language. That¡¯s the old language, isn¡¯t it? I didn¡¯t think anyone still spoke it.¡±


    ¡°In the cities? No. In the villages and smaller towns? I didn¡¯t go a day without hearing shaa or gaachi.¡±


    ¡°Are they some sort of greeting?¡±


    I laughed. ¡°No. They¡¯re really closer to¡­ goodbye. Shaa is, well, ¡®fuck off¡¯.¡±


    Eeluk stopped. ¡°What did you tell him?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s better left up to your imagination.¡± I turned to Eeluk. ¡°It didn¡¯t really matter what I said. It mattered that I said it like him. Now, there¡¯s a man burning his way through Karakhorum. Shall we?¡±


    Eeluk started walking again. ¡°What should we do?¡±


    ¡°You need to get your men to evacuate the 37th through the 41st Districts.¡±


    ¡°As you wish, my lord.¡± Eeluk waved over some men.


    ¡°And set up as many scouts as possible around the courthouse. If he¡¯s going into populated areas, piling all our people into this place will only make it more tempting for him.¡±


    ¡°My lord, our ranks are thin. I¡¯ll try to cover as much of the courthouse as possible, but I can¡¯t cover all the Districts and scout the courthouse effectively. Not to mention the work to be done here. I need more hands.¡±


    ¡°Evacuate the Districts first,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure he doesn¡¯t consider heading for the courthouse.¡±


    Khulan peeked out of the storeroom we¡¯d been hiding in. Eeluk must¡¯ve noticed me see her, since he turned around.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take care of her, my lord,¡± he said. ¡°I thought one guard would have been sufficient for her, but¡ª¡±


    ¡°She knocked him out?¡±


    Eeluk nodded. ¡°He¡¯s still unconscious.¡±


    I waved Khulan over. ¡°She¡¯s no longer a prisoner.¡±


    He nodded.


    Khulan approached me. ¡°Kublai, I should help.¡±


    ¡°You said it yourself. You can¡¯t just walk up to Oktai.¡±


    ¡°No, I mean I should help with¡­¡± She glanced around at the injured, then turned to Eeluk. ¡°Captain, your orders are to¡ª¡±


    I nudged her.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± she mumbled to Eeluk. ¡°How can I help? What¡­ are your orders?¡±


    Eeluk raised an eyebrow, then looked at me.


    ¡°You wanted more hands.¡± I shrugged.


    I turned and strode through the court¡¯s passageways. The light from the courtyard sunk behind me as I approached the courtroom door. The murmuring of the men of the court echoed into the passageways. I put my hand on the door and felt the vibrations of their shouting. I didn¡¯t have time to explain the situation to them, so I jogged toward the courthouse exit. I had to act.


    I slipped through a side door which led me out the side of the steps leading up to the courthouse. The domed roofs of the Karakhorum¡¯s houses caught the sunlight like a gentle pond, but not everywhere looked so gentle. Smoke streamed from the district near the river that cut through the city.


    The 38th District. I pulled out the map instinctively, but hesitated. If I was lucky, I could use the map once or twice more until the Spirit Realm would erode my body. I put the map away. I¡¯d have to be smart about it, or find a new way to use the map.


    I broke into a sprint. I leapt over the patches of grass outside the courthouse and landed on the stones. I kept running. The force of my gait tore the weeds out from between the stones and sent shudders through the little carts parked in the main streets. The few people left on the street parted for me. I still had some spiritual energy coursing through my veins; hopefully enough to deal with Oktai.


    Whoosh. The sound came from the direction to my right. I darted into an alleyway, breaking through a stack of wooden chairs. I slipped from alleyway to street to alleyway, but it wouldn¡¯t be fast enough. Karakhorum wasn¡¯t designed for diagonal travel.


    That never stopped me before, however. A woman struggled with the bolt on her window, her eyes frantically jumping from me to the lock. Crates and old bricks had been piled outside her window.


    I jogged over to her. ¡°May I?¡±


    She scurried back and gripped a knife on the table. After a moment, she nodded.


    Her window was stuck open just a little. I pressed and it snapped shut. It wouldn¡¯t do much to stop Oktai, but if it made her feel safer¡­


    I stepped onto the mound of rusted metal, bricks and rotting wood outside her window, one foot at a time. It seemed stable enough to support my weight, but could it support the force of me jumping?


    I braced myself and leapt for the roof. Karakhorum¡¯s courthouse wasn¡¯t tall ¨C its homes were just shorter than other cities, so I landed on the roof as easily as if I¡¯d walked up a staircase.


    Flashes of light pulsed in a northeasterly zigzag. The source was moving, and screams followed it. The moss-covered bricks on the rooftops of Karakhorum were slippery, but I kept my momentum. I jumped from roof to roof. Streets raced by beneath me, my shadow catching the attention of passersby.


    The smell of smoke cut through the air. The crackle of fire became louder as one home collapsed. The buildings in the 38th through 41st Districts were flimsier, older than the others; their roofs were made of thatch and their bases of wood and tarp, the style of the early First Empire. Oktai would tear through them and anyone still left in the area.


    ¡°Hurry!¡± A guard shouted, waving women and children through an alleyway. Bodies slammed into one another as they tried to get through the tiny opening. The fire had cut off the other paths off, and it crept through homes and toward them like a snake through grass.


    A wall shattered at the end of the street, and I dashed immediately. Batu rolled out, his clothes singed and his skin black with soot. He clung to a half-melted blade. Oktai stepped out from the house, the remains of its wooden frame around him flaking off into ash. The tarp curled and darkened from his heat. A sphere spun above Batu, poised to strike, but Oktai¡¯s head turned sharply toward me.


    ¡°Brother!¡± Batu got up to his feet.


    Oktai hesitated, then turned and ran.


    ¡°You¡¯ve looked better,¡± I said.


    He shrugged. ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t fight that thing to make myself pretty. What¡¯s he looking for?¡±Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    ¡°People, apparently.¡± I glanced back at the crowd escaping. ¡°But I¡¯m not so sure anymore.¡±


    Batu stretched his legs. ¡°Shall we find out?¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re up for it.¡±


    ¡°Please.¡± He waved a hand. ¡°The day I¡¯m not up to chasing a walking inferno you may as well bury me.¡±


    I smiled and started running. I leapt through debris and Batu followed. I shielded my face against the flames, but the smoke made it difficult to breathe. Each house had a black spot in the middle of the floor where Oktai had been. I pushed through house after house, frames and roofs collapsing after Batu and I broke out the other side.


    ¡°We won¡¯t catch him at this rate,¡± I said.


    Batu huffed air. ¡°Especially not if you think I¡¯m superhuman like you two.¡±


    I nodded down the alleyway. ¡°This way.¡±


    ¡°Already? Can I get a couple¡ª¡±


    ¡°One, two,¡± I said. ¡°We have to hurry.¡±


    Batu nodded.


    I led him through the alley, dodging people as they fled Oktai¡¯s destruction. Stray dogs scurried into the holes in the sides of homes.


    ¡°Left,¡± I shouted to Batu, then turned sharply. ¡°Into the street.¡±


    I cut the corner by sliding over a butcher¡¯s counter, grabbing his cleaver in the same motion. My clothes dripped red. I glanced back. Batu tried the same move, but he got stuck halfway through and crawled off the countertop. He could barely keep up.


    Whoosh. Another home went up in flames. The burst of smoke came from nearby, to my right. I couldn¡¯t afford to slow my pace.


    ¡°I¡¯m going ahead!¡± I darted into an alley, then used the tight space to jump off the walls and get to the roof. I was close to Oktai.


    I glanced down at Batu. He put his foot on the wall, shook his head and kept running. I went from rooftop to rooftop, but when I got closer, everything went quiet. The area seemed to be abandoned by now, and Oktai¡¯s rampage seemed to halt. The dogs barking was cut off sharply. I paused, scanning the District¡ª¡±


    A black sphere burst out from the rooftop under my feet. Oktai followed it and tried to swipe at me through the debris of the shatter roof, but I¡¯d already leapt to another. He landed in the street below me.


    I held up my cleaver. ¡°You should run. I could really use the target practice.¡±


    Oktai chuckled, the black flames receding from his face. He put a hand on a house and fire crept along the wall like spilled blood. ¡°Do you really think that could hurt me?¡±


    ¡°Do you really think I wouldn¡¯t be prepared this time?¡±


    Oktai frowned. The cleaver probably couldn¡¯t hurt him, judging by Batu¡¯s melted blade, but Oktai didn¡¯t know that. If he thought my cleaver could hurt him, I could use it to control how he moved.


    ¡°You don¡¯t strike me as the type for preparation.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t strike me as the type to take the risk.¡±


    I glared at him, and he at me. His eyes shifted from my cleaver to me to my cleaver. I gripped it tighter, posturing as if it really could do him harm. Our shadows grew long in the setting sun. The house collapsed next to Oktai, but he didn¡¯t move or look away. If either of us made a move, the other wouldn¡¯t waste a second.


    Batu turned a corner, his footsteps cutting through the silence. Oktai glared at him.


    ¡°Now¡­¡± Batu held up his half-melted sword weakly. ¡°I¡­ have¡­ arrived. To put out¡­ your fire. I¡­ no¡­. Fuck.¡±


    Oktai darted into the street, but he wouldn¡¯t shake me that easily. I chased after him. His footsteps hit the stone with a hiss. He sent a sphere at me, but I leapt over it. He dragged his hand along the stables to his right, setting them alight and startling the horses. A dozen horses were set loose into my path. It stopped me, but not for long. I weaved through and vaulted over them.


    A family caught my attention. A mother huddled with her children under a little bridge at the end of the street, pulling together their pots and blankets and trying to bundle them. Oktai glanced at them. I wouldn¡¯t let him go any further. I could feel the spiritual energy slipping, like sand through my fingers, but I had to act.


    I threw the cleaver as Oktai tried to go for them. As I released, I picked up speed. Oktai glanced at the cleaver hurtling toward him ¨C but he didn¡¯t seem to notice me. He stopped and changed course, as expected.


    I reached him. He¡¯d dodged the cleaver, but he couldn¡¯t dodge my fist coming for his face. The impact made him stagger.


    ¡°Run!¡± I shouted to the family. The mother pulled her children away, her baby screaming.


    The cleaver had been lodged into the side of the stone bridge, with cracks spreading out from where it landed.


    Oktai spat blood, and it hissed like acid on the ground. His black fire had become patchier, like a boy¡¯s first beard. His face, left leg and right arm were uncovered. ¡°I¡¯m starting to think you¡¯re a problem.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± I said. ¡°If I¡¯m your problem, I¡¯m everybody else¡¯s solution.¡±


    Four new spheres oscillated behind him. They were less stable than the ones before ¨C these waxed and waned in size and shape, bloating unevenly and burning a less stark black. They seemed slower too.


    Oktai raised a finger to the cleaver and touched it cautiously, then narrowed his eyes at me when the cleaver melted like ice to his touch. ¡°Looks like you didn¡¯t prepare after all.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say that cleaver was part of my preparations.¡±


    He waved a hand. ¡°Then by all means¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to show my hand so easily,¡± I said. ¡°Unlike you, I know how to keep my tricks hidden.¡±


    He raised a hand and the black flames pulsed. ¡°Some tricks don¡¯t need to be hidden.¡±


    I actually did have a trick this time. It was near sunset, and as soon as it was night, I¡¯d whistle for my night-hound. I glanced at the sun as it flirted with the western horizon. Ten minutes. I had to keep him distracted until then.


    Oktai raised a hand. A sphere stirred behind him. ¡°It¡¯s time I end this.¡±


    ¡°I doubt you can manage it.¡± I rolled my eyes. ¡°You aren¡¯t him, after all.¡±


    He frowned. ¡°I¡¯m better.¡±


    ¡°Then why isn¡¯t he trying to imitate you?¡±


    ¡°Imitate?¡± He narrowed eyes. ¡°Khulan always thought I was just trying to imitate him. I have more at stake than mere imitation.¡±


    ¡°All you have at stake is your ego.¡± I shrugged.


    ¡°Ego!¡± His flames roared and shifted like a mass of startled cockroaches. ¡°He is the most egotistical person to ever walk this continent. He listens for people speaking of him and punishes them. Punishment! As if he is something sacred. If that isn¡¯t ego incarnate¡ª¡±


    ¡°It is.¡± I slipped my hand into my satchel. ¡°That¡¯s why you¡¯re so alike.¡±


    He didn¡¯t seem to notice. ¡°I¡¯m concerned for this continent, really. He isn¡¯t. He just sits in who knows where doing who knows what, and look at the mess of this place. Look at the mess you¡¯ve made. And nothing! Not even a strong gust of wind from him.¡± He shook his head. ¡°True, I did have a certain¡­ admiration for his ability, but when it came down to it, he was too weak to maintain what he started. He let the fools, thieves, and liars run over this continent like fleas on a stray. I, on the other hand, will fix that. I will save this continent. I¡ª¡±


    My hand inched towards the map. ¡°Will burn everyone if that¡¯s what it takes?¡±


    ¡°Some will be spared.¡± He raised all four of his spheres at once. ¡°Not you.¡±


    The sun had sunken halfway, but beams of light still clung to the abandoned 37th District. Wind howled through the street, slamming shutters and doors.


    Oktai sent a sphere arcing over his shoulder. That didn¡¯t work last time, and it wouldn¡¯t work this time either. Another sphere spun wildly from his opposite side, tearing through the stone as it came towards me.


    I slipped the first and ducked the second, but I didn¡¯t hear either of them crash. Throwing spheres at me wouldn¡¯t work this time either ¨C and Oktai knew it. I glanced back. The spheres slammed into one another, roaring like wolves biting each other, merging into one larger sphere. It hung in the air.


    Oktai dashed. The new larger sphere spun into the corner of my eye. An attack from the front and one from the back.


    I only had a few seconds, but I didn¡¯t need the map to dodge it. Well, I didn¡¯t need to open it. I pulled the map out of my satchel and rolled it tightly.


    ¡°That map won¡¯t help you.¡± Oktai reached for me.


    I ducked, readying myself to jump.


    Oktai swiped for my head, and the sphere came for my legs. The heat of the sphere warmed my back. I jumped and the sphere crashed into the ground, but Oktai saw that coming. He swiped his other hand for me as I rose, but he didn¡¯t see the map coming. I raised it like a baton and struck Oktai in the side of the head.


    I completed my jump behind him. ¡°Seems like it helped.¡±


    Oktai fell to one knee. The spheres behind him sunk to the ground. The map was unharmed, as I¡¯d thought. It was charged with spiritual energy, like the rock I¡¯d thrown last time, so Oktai¡¯s fire couldn¡¯t damage it. His bone, however, might dent the carvings.


    ¡°You fucking brat.¡± Oktai launched at me, but he wasn¡¯t thinking.


    He swiped, but I batted his hand away with the map, cracking his wrist from the sound of it. His fire growled more intensely. I slipped his blows as if he was a child playing soldier. He tried to grab the map from me, but I pulled it back before he could get his hands on it. His black fire started peeling off of him as he took blow after blow, like bark falling from a rotting tree.


    Night fell. I grinned. Oktai kept his distance, huffing from his wasted efforts. I whistled. He narrowed his eyes.


    ¡°My night-hound,¡± I said.


    His eyes widened. My night-hound crushed abandoned stalls and small hovels as she rushed to my aide. Her fur sheened with the young moonlight, but most of her was invisible.


    Oktai turned and ran, glancing back at Dog rushing towards him. His gaze drifted up as she caught up and cut him off, growling at him. The last of his black fire evaporated, leaving behind the frail old Oktai.


    He stood in silence for a moment, then burst out laughing. ¡°I suppose you have me.¡±


    I didn¡¯t let my guard down.


    He got down slowly and lounged in the dirt. ¡°What, should I beg for my life?¡±


    ¡°Traditionally,¡± I said.


    He shook his head and suppressed a chuckle. ¡°Why would I beg you for my life when you don¡¯t even know what¡¯s coming? I already know I¡¯m done. You thought I was the last member of the Council of Lords so that meant you would, what, just roll into the throne of the continent like a fat merchant rolling onto the other side of the bed?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right about one thing.¡± I strolled over to him. ¡°Defeating the Council was about as easy as rolling onto the other side of the bed.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not finished yet.¡±


    ¡°You look like you were finished years ago.¡±


    He frowned. ¡°My plans are bigger than me. Bigger than you.¡±


    ¡°Your plan of killing me didn¡¯t go very well. Forgive me for not giving this one much credence.¡±


    He looked up at me, then burst out laughing again. ¡°I¡¯m not like him. It isn¡¯t just about me.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s it about?¡±


    His laughter died. ¡°Them. I¡¯m not alone in this.¡±


    ¡°I assumed you needed help killing all those people in your cities.¡±


    ¡°Killing them?¡± He shook his head. ¡°No, I didn¡¯t kill them. I¡­ liberated them, despite what Khulan probably gabbed to you about. She never understood anything, really. Batbayar was dense, but at least he understood enough to stand aside.¡±


    ¡°So you didn¡¯t kidnap¡ª¡±


    ¡°Kidnap? They came to me. They wanted power, so I gave them the means to attain it.¡± A faint violet light started glowing from Oktai¡¯s mouth and nose. ¡°I liberated them from their weakness.¡±


    Beams of light shot from his eyes, nose and mouth. His skin cracked. My night-hound snapped to attention, growling at Oktai. I jumped back. Oktai threw himself back, into the ground, as if he was trying to go through it.


    He didn¡¯t, but his hair dissolved into the dirt. His muscle seemed to deflate. The light pulsed, growing more and more intense. His laugh echoed through the street, but sounded like it was melting with his body. The light spilled out from his mouth and crept along his skin. After it eclipsed his eyes, the pulsing sped up.


    ¡°It has begun.¡± His voice hung in the air.


    My night-hound whined and stepped back. I shielded my eyes as the light flashed.


    I opened them. Oktai was gone. In his place, an Oktai-shaped silhouette simmered, bubbling a sickly purple. When I stepped closer, it wasn¡¯t just on the stone; it was through the stone. A hole that looked like it went down forever. After a moment, light shot up to the sky ¨C from the hole, and another from the upper district. Another from the wall. Another from the courthouse.


    Dog growled.


    ¡°Ow.¡± Batu waved his hands around in the air. He¡¯d just bumped into my night-hound, it seemed. ¡°Why couldn¡¯t you just get a normal dog? A visible one.¡±


    ¡°Took you long enough.¡±


    ¡°I was hoping you left a piece for me.¡± Batu jogged towards me from down the street. ¡°On second thought, I think I¡¯ll pass on whatever that is.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ It was Oktai.¡±


    ¡°Eternal Blue Sky.¡± Batu peeked over the edge and scrunched his nose. ¡°Couldn¡¯t you just stab him?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do this. He did. He just¡­ melted.¡±


    ¡°Gross.¡± Batu bent down and sniffed the edge of the hole. He reeled back and frowned. ¡°Very gross.¡±


    ¡°You might have missed the action this time.¡± I stood up and stepped back. ¡°But there¡¯s more to come. Oktai said there¡¯re others.¡±


    ¡°Others?¡±


    I looked into the hole, and something looked back.

 16: Oktais Plan

    When Batu and I got back to the courthouse, Eeluk and his men surrounded the hole that opened up under the hearth. Tendrils stretched out of it like arteries. I was expecting to finally have to enlighten the men of court, but they were absent. They left the benches in disarray, and someone had stolen the gold accents from the torch-holders on the wall.


    ¡°My lord,¡± Eeluk said, barely looking away from the hole. ¡°This¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s happening all over Karakhorum,¡± I said.


    ¡°My lord, something tried to come out of this one.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you try and leave too?¡± Batu turned over an upside-down bench and slumped onto it. ¡°That¡¯s not exactly a palace.¡±


    ¡°What happened when it tried to come out?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I stepped on its hand,¡± Eeluk said.


    ¡°It has hands?¡± Batu said.


    ¡°Had. Enormous ones. The size of giants¡¯.¡± Eeluk said. ¡°It tried again. I cut it off. Well, I think I did.¡±


    ¡°Do you still have it?¡± I said. ¡°The hand?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the thing. It wasn¡¯t a hand, my lord. I mean, it looked like one, but when I landed on the ground, it just¡­ vanished. Like it was made of dust. Except it was made of¡­¡±


    ¡°Fire?¡± I approached the men. ¡°Black, to be specific.¡±


    ¡°Blacker than black.¡±


    ¡°Is your sword fine?¡± I asked.


    Eeluk glanced at his men. He sheathed his sword and pulled me away from them to a corner of the courthouse. ¡°My lord, it melted my sword. I didn¡¯t want my men to see, so I threw it into the hole and found another.¡±


    ¡°Good call,¡± I said. ¡°If they saw that, they wouldn¡¯t be standing nearly as close as they are.¡±


    ¡°How are the injured?¡±


    ¡°Much better my lord. Lady Erhi has been a blessing.¡±


    ¡°And Lady Khulan?¡±


    He looked away. ¡°Lady Khulan, uh, she was¡­¡±


    ¡°Well if you don¡¯t like the water,¡± Khulan shouted. She wasn¡¯t in the courthouse, but she sounded like she was. ¡°Get your own! You just sprained your ankle, but if you want to act like it was cleaved off, I can arrange for that!¡±


    ¡°She was¡­ hit or miss,¡± Eeluk said. ¡°She¡¯s a creature of extremes.¡±


    ¡°Could you tell her and Lady Erhi that I¡¯ve returned?¡±


    ¡°Lady Erhi is asleep. Should I wake her?¡±


    ¡°No. Just bring Khulan and dispatch men to the holes to make sure nothing comes out.¡±


    Eeluk nodded and walked off.


    Batu had moved from his bench over to the hole. He and the guards were tossing bits of their uniforms into the hole. Buckles, swords, sheathes, boots, coats, stones, knives, wineskins and, judging by Batu¡¯s unbuckling of his pants, piss. The guards howled and turned away from Batu, but most were laughing.


    Khulan strode through the door and scanned the room. Her eyes lit up when she saw me. She smiled a little, but quickly suppressed it.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t actually cut off anyone¡¯s ankle, did you?¡± I said.


    ¡°Not yet.¡± She pursed her lips. ¡°Well, not recently, at least.¡±


    ¡°Just try not to gravely injure anyone,¡± I said. ¡°How many men do you command?¡±


    ¡°A few thousand.¡± She glanced at the hole. ¡°Somehow I think we¡¯ll be needing them. I¡¯ve been involved with the Spirit Realm and its tricks for years. Glowing pits with hands coming out of them are rarely a good thing.¡±


    ¡°Rarely? So it could be a good thing?¡±


    She shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m an optimist.¡±


    ¡°Evidently not.¡± I stepped closer to her. ¡°It turns out that Oktai wasn¡¯t killing those people who disappeared. Well, at least he claims he wasn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°What was he doing?¡±


    I nodded at the hole. ¡°Evidently turning them into hands in pits.¡±


    She clenched her jaw and sighed. ¡°That¡¯s worse than killing them.¡±


    ¡°Not necessarily.¡±


    She touched my arm. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°That black fire didn¡¯t consume Oktai. I think we could free them from it.¡±


    ¡°And if we can¡¯t?¡±


    I smiled. ¡°I¡¯m an optimist.¡±


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t be if you recognized where those holes opened.¡± She took my hand. ¡°Come with me. I have a suspicion.¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯re we going?¡±


    ¡°To the holes. Well, one or two of them.¡±


    We left the courtroom. Most of the injured had been helped, and now only a few of the worst ones lined the passageway on makeshift beds. Khulan led me through the same door Eeluk had used to take us to the upper district.


    ¡°We¡¯re going back to Gantulga¡¯s house.¡± When we got to the bottom of the staircase, she opened the door and gestured for me to go through. ¡°I don¡¯t think those holes are just randomly placed.¡±


    ¡°At least one of them wasn¡¯t. Oktai made the first one. He became the first one by¡­ melting.¡±


    ¡°Melting?¡± She stopped. ¡°Well, he was always slimy.¡±


    When we arrived at the upper district, people were picking through the remains of their houses. There wasn¡¯t much that could be salvaged, but that didn¡¯t stop them from trying to wipe clean the scorched remains of their furniture. Goblins, however, seemed to have been luckier. One goblin scurried into his little hole at the bases of his master¡¯s house and emerged a moment later with a sack. He spilled it out onto the ground and picked through the silverware. His master glared at him. Stolen silverware, evidently. The goblin waddled over to his master and gave him a spoon.


    ¡°He¡¯s going to get whipped for stealing those,¡± Khulan said. ¡°Probably with that spoon.¡±


    But the master just sighed, tucked the spoon away and continued cleaning. The goblin dragged the bucket of water closer and started helping.


    ¡°He¡¯ll probably just get beaten later,¡± Khulan said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± I said. ¡°It¡¯s a gradual change, but it¡¯s changing.¡±


    ¡°And for your next trick: getting giants to stick around after they see fire.¡± Khulan took my hand again and started walking. ¡°You¡¯d think they wouldn¡¯t be afraid of it, given their history with the dragons, but I saw them running as soon as Oktai landed and did all of this.¡±


    ¡°Actually, I was thinking I¡¯d get you to tell me what you think we¡¯re going to see and stop being mysterious.¡±


    She gave me a flat look. ¡°There are these¡­ portals scattered all over. We called them waystones. The First Empire¡¯s royal family used them to govern and move supplies, mostly. They¡¯re like your map, except they go from one place to one other place. We had a few in the First Capital, in a garden, a brothel¡ª¡±


    ¡°And a graveyard. I followed you in.¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°Point is, they¡¯re all in old places. Places constructed by the First Empire. Places like, say, an upper-class district, or a courthouse¡­¡±


    ¡°You think the holes are where the waystones were.¡±


    She nodded. ¡°And now we¡¯re going to see if I was right. The hole in the courthouse is exactly where the waystone used to be. If this one is too, then it¡¯s probably right. The waystones are like a stream. Water trickles through, but this doesn¡¯t look like trickling to me¡­ If Oktai¡¯s broken open the waystones, he¡¯s turned streams into gushing rapids. The worst part, however, is that these waystones are everywhere on the continent.¡±


    ¡°And that means that there are these holes all over the continent.¡±


    A light shone from behind where Gantulga¡¯s house used to be. The hole had opened up in the middle of a garden. The remains of a statue had been scattered over the singed grass. Khulan bent down and picked up a piece of stone, then looked at me.


    ¡°Bad news?¡± I squatted next to her.


    ¡°The remains of men who went to the Spirit Realm created the Split-Skull Forest.¡± She looked at me. ¡°Oktai¡¯s opened up hundreds of direct channels of spiritual energy.¡±


    ¡°Not to mention his army of emissaries waiting to burst through at any moment.¡±


    ¡°His army who¡¯s been soaking in the Spirit Realm for years.¡± She sighed. ¡°It¡¯s getting harder and harder to be an optimist.¡±


    ¡°Do you think these still work? As waystones, I mean. Where would this one lead?¡±


    She put a hand on her chin. ¡°All of the waystones in the city are connected, so you¡¯ll probably end up by one of the others. I doubt it¡¯ll work, though. You¡¯ll probably just burst into flames, but don¡¯t take my word for it: you¡¯re welcome to jump in and see what happens.¡±


    I picked up what was once the head of the statue. I tossed it into the pit. ¡°He volunteered.¡±


    ¡°I would way we should erect a statue in his honor, but, well¡­¡±


    I stood. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Go where?¡±


    ¡°See if our martyr survived.¡±


    #


    ¡°Brother!¡± Batu scrambled for me as soon as I came through the courthouse doors. ¡°You won¡¯t believe¡ª¡±


    ¡°What just came through the hole in the courthouse?¡± Khulan stepped past me.


    Batu¡¯s voice fell low and his eyes shifted around the room. ¡°¡­it was a head.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re probably angry that you pissed on them,¡± I said. ¡°It must have been a warning.¡±


    Khulan giggled.


    ¡°It¡¯s all laughter until a hand reaches for you in your sleep,¡± Batu groaned.


    ¡°I¡¯m the reason that head came out.¡± I said. ¡°It belonged to a statue.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what it¡¯s made of it, but it certainly isn¡¯t stone anymore.¡± Batu waved me over to the group of guards surrounding the head.


    The guards were missing most of their uniforms, evidently having thrown them into the hole. They stood in a circle, one of them prodding the head with a stick. When it shifted, they shuddered and gasped.


    ¡°Relax,¡± Batu said as he approached them. ¡°It¡¯s just a statue¡¯s head. Obviously. Don¡¯t lose your composure over it.¡±


    ¡°Statue?¡± One of the men said. ¡°Batu, you were the first one to¡ª¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡± Batu shook his head.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you were calm and collected, brother,¡± I said.


    ¡°I was more worried about these men finding out that I faked throwing their coin pouches into the hole.¡± Batu reached into his armguard and pulled out three pouches of varying sizes.


    One of the men scowled. ¡°Hey! That one¡¯s mine¡ª¡±


    Batu tucked his take away. ¡°Don¡¯t be so short. There¡¯s a head on the courthouse floor!¡±


    The men groaned and cursed at Batu under their breath, then shuffled off.


    ¡°See?¡± Batu pointed at the head. ¡°Does that look like stone to you?¡±


    The head had been melted, but still maintained its shape. Violet pooled below it. I could see why Batu would think this belonged to a living creature. I kicked it and it rolled with a wet squelch.


    ¡°You still want to use the waystones?¡± Khulan said.


    ¡°Has anything else come out of the hole?¡± I asked.


    Batu shook his head.


    ¡°Do you know where this waystone went, Khulan?¡±


    ¡°Probably went to the First Capital.¡± She shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s usually where courthouse waystones go.¡±


    ¡°Well there might a circle of guards in the First Capital trying to figure out where a bunch of armor and piss came from.¡±


    ¡°We also threw a pig into the hole.¡±


    ¡°Alive?¡± Khulan said.


    Batu scrunched his nose. ¡°I¡¯m not cruel. It was a roasted pig. I¡¯m told it was delicious.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll enjoy it in the First Capital,¡± I said.


    Khulan nodded at the statue¡¯s head. ¡°I doubt it¡¯s kept its flavor.¡±


    ¡°Something¡¯s bothering me about all this,¡± I said.


    ¡°Me too,¡± Batu said, glancing at the head.


    ¡°Oktai destroyed all the waystones,¡± I said. ¡°So why isn¡¯t his army coming through?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know,¡± Khulan said.


    ¡°I doubt they¡¯re scared of Batu pissing on them,¡± I said. ¡°They must be waiting for something. How long did it take for the spiritual energy to corrupt the Split-Skull Forest?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard some people say hundreds of years, thousands of years, six weeks, seven days and seven nights¡­¡± She down on a nearby bench. ¡°We aren¡¯t exactly dealing with eye-witnesses here. This is all word of mouth. The First Empire didn¡¯t keep records of that kind of thing.¡±


    ¡°Come to think of it,¡± Batu said, ¡°the hole is a little bigger now. It was at least two feet from that pillar over there. But now, it¡¯s barely one.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s moved just over a foot in a few hours,¡± I said. ¡°We don¡¯t have a lot of time, if it keeps¡ª¡±


    The hole groaned and crept further, swallowing more of the courthouse tiles.


    ¡°That¡¯s new,¡± Batu said.


    ¡°It¡¯s getting faster,¡± I said. ¡°That was half a foot.¡±


    ¡°How long do we have?¡± Khulan asked.


    ¡°Probably a couple days,¡± I said. ¡°If that.¡±


    ¡°Then what?¡± Batu asked.


    ¡°Eeluk said that the hand that came out was¡­ big.¡± I sat down next to Khulan. ¡°They¡¯re just waiting until they can fit through.¡±


    Khulan tugged at my sleeve. ¡°On the one hand, we know exactly where they¡¯ll be coming from, so we can prepare. On the other, there¡¯re hundreds of holes, and they¡¯re all getting bigger, and if Oktai caused this much damage what could hundreds of giants with the same abilities do?¡±


    ¡°Not much,¡± I said. ¡°If I have anything to say about it.¡±


    ¡°I doubt they¡¯re going to listen to you run your mouth,¡± she said.


    ¡°Good.¡± I made a fist. ¡°I have no intention to use my words.¡±


    Khulan raised an eyebrow. ¡°You can¡¯t seriously think you have a fighting chance¡ª¡±


    ¡°He does,¡± Batu whispered. ¡°Trade secret.¡±


    ¡°Do you?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have to kill them.¡± I stood up. ¡°I don¡¯t want to kill them. Regardless of what Oktai says, I have to assume they¡¯re innocent people who he did this to. We have to find a way of freeing them.¡±


    ¡°We might not have a choice,¡± Khulan said. ¡°They might be beyond saving, and we can¡¯t just let them trample through¡ª¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± I said. ¡°We can¡¯t let them trample over us, but we can¡¯t just kill hundreds of innocent people. Most, if not all, of them didn¡¯t choose to be a pawn of Oktai.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll figure something out,¡± Batu said. ¡°You always have.¡±


    The courthouse door creaked open. Erhi stepped into the courthouse and stared at the hole. She yawned, wiped her eyes and looked again. When she saw me, she flitted over, eyes locked on the hole as if it might reach out for her if she ignored it.


    ¡°Kublai.¡± Erhi put her hand on her throat. ¡°Can you feel that?¡±


    ¡°Feel what?¡± I said.


    ¡°It feels like¡­ I¡¯m being choked. I think whatever¡¯s happening woke me up.¡± She stepped behind me. ¡°What is happening?¡±


    ¡°Kublai killed this guy who was on fire,¡± Batu said. ¡°Then he melted like snow and became a hole. Lots of holes, actually.¡±


    ¡°The emissary wasn¡¯t actually an emissary,¡± I said. ¡°It was a Lord of the Council who¡¯d attained similar abilities.¡±


    The hole groaned and expanded again.


    Erhi coughed, sucking in as much air as she could. ¡°The air¡­ is burning.¡±


    Batu took a deep breath. ¡°I don¡¯t taste anything.¡±


    Khulan smacked her lips. ¡°It tastes like metal.¡±


    ¡°I taste it too,¡± I said. ¡°It¡¯s faint, but¡ª¡±


    It wasn¡¯t faint for Erhi. She clutched at her throat and coughed violently. When she finished, she looked at her hand. Blood.


    ¡°You were in the Split-Skull Forest for years,¡± I said. ¡°Why is this affecting you?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s like sticking your hand into a fire because you¡¯ve been in the sun,¡± Erhi said. ¡°This is more concentrated. That hole is¡­¡± Her eyes widened.


    ¡°Going directly to the Spirit Realm?¡± Khulan said. ¡°We know.¡±


    ¡°No, not exactly. It¡¯s not even really a hole.¡± Erhi scanned around the courthouse. She found two pieces of broken tile, then held one a foot away from the other. ¡°It¡¯s a rope, pulling the Spirit Realm closer to ours.¡± She nudged one tile closer to the other. ¡°And when it gets here¡­¡± She crashed the tiles together. ¡°It¡¯ll be bad.¡±


    ¡°Do you know how we stop it?¡± I asked. ¡°Can we plug the holes?¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t even know how this was set up, let alone how to stop it. But I do know that it¡¯s more difficult than just closing the holes. That¡¯s like stuffing the holes in a wine barrel with sand. Stopping this is like trying to stop gravity while you¡¯re in mid-air.¡±


    ¡°So it¡¯s even worse than we thought,¡± Khulan said.


    ¡°I thought it was bad enough as is,¡± Batu said. ¡°We had about zero solutions before. Now we have¡­¡± Batu started mock counting on his fingers. ¡°Fewer, by my count.¡±


    ¡°We have one, by mine. If we¡¯re falling in mid-air, then the solution is right in front of us.¡± I smiled slightly. ¡°Fly.¡±

 17: Meeting the Giants

    I overlooked Karakhorum from the top of the courthouse. After a night¡¯s rest, I¡¯d come up here to watch the sunrise and my men heave crates, packed with stones, over all the holes in the city. One by one, the lights faded, going from a beam to the sky to a quiet glow strangled by the crates and radiating outward like a torch. Karakhorum still smelled like smoke, even up here, as if it had burrowed into the foundation.


    I was perched up on the edge of the courthouse¡¯s ceiling, my feet resting on the eaves. Erhi was worried when she watched me climb up, but falling was the least of our problems. Covering the holes probably wouldn¡¯t make any difference, but it stopped children from falling into them. The creatures coming out of the holes, however, would have no difficulty tearing through crates and stone, judging by how much damage Oktai had done while he was in Karakhorum.


    ¡°Kublai?¡± Khulan said. ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    I looked down. ¡°Sightseeing.¡±


    ¡°In your own city?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t really had much time to take it all in.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t really have much time right now,¡± she said. ¡°With our impending doom and all.¡±


    ¡°Now¡¯s the perfect time, actually.¡± I leaned as close as possible to the edge. ¡°It reminds me what I¡¯m fighting for.¡±


    ¡°What are you fighting for?¡±


    I stuck out a hand.


    ¡°You want me to¡­¡±


    I grinned. ¡°Jump.¡±


    She jumped, barely falling short. She frowned, bent down further and grunted as she jumped the second time. I caught her hand and pulled her up beside me.


    Khulan shifted on the tiles. ¡°I would say you¡¯re stronger than you look, but you look pretty strong.¡±


    ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll scare Oktai¡¯s army away.¡± I held out my arm and flexed it. ¡°I¡¯ll just flex in front of the holes.¡±


    She smiled. ¡°You might be onto something.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll need some longer arms if I¡¯m going to cover the whole continent, though.¡±


    ¡°How are we going to help the whole continent at once?¡± She swung her legs off the edge of the roof. ¡°I¡¯ve sent a raven to the First Capital, but I fear it¡¯ll take too long.¡±


    ¡°Worst case? I use the map to be everywhere.¡±


    ¡°Best case?¡±


    ¡°They hear word about my scary muscles and don¡¯t come out.¡±


    She looked into her lap. ¡°I fear my men won¡¯t know what to do even if they know what¡¯s coming.¡±


    ¡°What did you tell them to do?¡±


    ¡°Run.¡±


    ¡°Where? It¡¯s happening everywhere.¡±


    ¡°As far from the lights as possible. It might not save them, but it¡¯ll buy them some time.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s all we need,¡± I said. ¡°It¡¯s not your job to save them. It¡¯s mine.¡±


    ¡°Yours? What happened to ¡®we¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Batu got winded from chasing Oktai. Erhi¡¯s probably still exhausted from healing all those people. You¡­¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± she said. ¡°I can¡¯t just walk up to Oktai, so I can¡¯t just walk up to anything that comes out of the holes.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°It¡¯s on my shoulders.¡±


    She put her hand on my shoulder. ¡°That¡¯s a lot of responsibility.¡±


    ¡°I started all this. I have to finish it. Even if I don¡¯t make it, I¡ª¡±


    Khulan covered my mouth with her hand. ¡°You¡¯ll make it. I might be foolish for listening to your brother on that, but, I don¡¯t know, it¡¯s something about you. You seem like it¡¯ll wash off your like rain, in the end.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± I said. ¡°It¡¯s foolish to listen to my brother. Most of the time.¡±


    ¡°He also told me that there are frogs in the rivers of Karakhorum that can speak and grant wishes. For a small fee.¡±


    ¡°Let me guess: he asked you for the fee.¡±


    She waved her hands. ¡°¡¯Double your money¡¯, he said.¡±


    ¡°Wow, double?¡± I said. ¡°Can I get in on this?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t get in on it. You kind of, uh, kidnapped me before I could collect my coin purse.¡±


    ¡°And look at you now. A free woman.¡±


    She smiled and moved closer. ¡°You aren¡¯t the first man I¡¯ve charmed into releasing me from captivity.¡±


    ¡°I would say that I¡¯m sure I won¡¯t be the last either¡­¡± My knee brushed against hers. ¡°¡­but that would suggest you¡¯re going to be in captivity again. I wouldn¡¯t let that happen.¡±


    She put her head on my shoulder. I put my hand on her thigh.


    ¡°I know you wouldn¡¯t,¡± she whispered, her eyes flitting down to my lips.


    I leaned in, her breath warm on my nose, quickening as I inched closer and closer. I pressed her lips to mine. She tasted of blackberries. She arched her back, her chest brushing against mine. I gripped her thigh tighter. She shifted, moaning softly.


    I pulled away and smiled. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    She smiled back and nodded.


    I stood. Once I got my balance, I leapt off the roof. I held out a hand and looked up at her. ¡°Come on.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re joking right?¡± Khulan said. ¡°Oh. No, you¡¯re not.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll catch you.¡±


    She stepped back a little and took a few breaths, then ran, leaping for me. She landed in my arms.


    ¡°See?¡± I set her down and took her hand in mine. I led her through one of the side entrances, which took us through the empty kitchens and past the servant¡¯s quarters. We slipped past Eeluk; I didn¡¯t want him seeing me and talking my ear off about preparations. I only wanted Khulan. When we got to the lord¡¯s quarters, I pulled her close and kissed her again.


    She bit her lip. ¡°Shall we?¡±


    I pushed open the door. I hadn¡¯t used the lord¡¯s quarters yet, but I wished I had. The bed took up a third of the room, blankets and goose-down pillows spilling off the bed and onto the marble floor. I drew the curtain over the lone window, and when I turned around, Khulan lay on the bed.


    I stepped closer. She reached out and tugged me closer by my shirt. I dropped my satchel and kicked off my boots, but Khulan was faster than me. By the time I lifted my shirt over my head, she had her gown off. Her black hair cascaded over her breasts, so she reached up and pulled it back over her shoulders.


    I stood at the bedside. Her eyes were locked on mine, but her hand wandered down my chest and over my belt. She undid the buckle with one hand and my pants fell. Her mouth followed the path her hand had just taken: her tongue drifted from my neck to my chest to my waist and finally, she looked up at me as her lips went up and down over my cock.


    I pulled her up so she was standing with me, then laid her down on her back. She gasped as I entered her, arching her back. She drove her hips toward me and I went harder. The bed creaked, but I didn¡¯t stop. She didn¡¯t either. Her hand pulled at the sheets and she moaned, ¡°Faster!¡± I picked up the pace. Harder. Faster. Deeper.


    She moaned louder than ever and breathed out heavily. She looked at me, smiling, and said, ¡°Your turn.¡±


    She got off her back and went down to her knees in front of me. Her hand wrapped tightly around my cock. She stroked me, slowly at first. Her eyes locked with mine the whole time. I ran my fingers through her hair. She smiled and ran her tongue over the tip before taking me into her mouth, still stroking me. She went faster, faster, faster¡­


    I finished in her mouth. She took her mouth off me slowly, dragging out the last motion. We collapsed onto the bed and she nestled into my arms.


    ¡°I could stay here forever,¡± she whispered.


    ¡°I could keep you here forever,¡± I whispered. ¡°Locked in this room.¡±


    ¡°Freedom¡¯s overrated.¡± She grinned. ¡°Especially if more of that¡¯s on the table.¡±


    ¡°I was thinking on the bed, but I can get a table in here.¡±


    She chuckled, her chest bouncing on mine. ¡°You better. This isn¡¯t the last time we¡¯re doing this.¡± Her laughed tapered off. ¡°Well, if we¡¯re around to do it after, you know, impending doom.¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t nearly the last time.¡± I stroked her hair. ¡°Impending doom or not.¡±


    ¡°That isn¡¯t really the time for this kind of thing.¡±


    ¡°Then why are we here?¡±


    ¡°This was an exception.¡±


    ¡°I agree,¡± I said. ¡°It was exceptional. And the view¡¯s better here than on the rooftop.¡±


    She smiled at me. ¡°Why were you on the rooftop?¡±


    ¡°I had to think.¡±


    ¡°I doubt it was about the location of your private garden or when you should visit the countryside.¡± She shifted. ¡°It¡¯s on my mind too. I can¡¯t help but think about what¡¯s going to happen. This was a welcome distraction.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t help but think of our way out,¡± I said.


    ¡°Have you come up with anything?¡±


    I sat up. ¡°Eeluk said he cut a hand off and the hand just evaporated.¡±


    She sat up. ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°The hand couldn¡¯t stay in our realm for long. It needs the Spirit Realm to sustain it. We can¡¯t stop the Spirit Realm from colliding into ours, but maybe we can draw the creatures far enough from the sources so the energy just¡­ evaporates.¡±Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Khulan pulled the sheets around herself. ¡°It could also just have been the fact that it was, well, cut off of its body.¡±


    ¡°But it must have been weakened for that to happen in the first place. It¡¯s like how spiritual energy clings to me, but fades over time.¡± I said. ¡°Either way, we need to draw them as far from the holes as possible.¡±


    ¡°How would we do that? They don¡¯t exactly seem to be interested in the conventional vices¡ª¡±


    Someone knocked on the door.


    ¡°My¡­ my lord?¡± Eeluk said. ¡°Are you in there? One of my men said he saw you sneaking around and, not to be insubordinate, but, my lord, we could use your¡­¡±


    I pulled the door open.


    ¡°¡­input.¡± Eeluk¡¯s eyes darted over to Khulan wrapped in the sheets. His hands moved to cover his eyes instantly. ¡°My lord! I¡¯m dearly sorry for this. Please, I didn¡¯t¡ª¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± I got dressed, grabbed my satchel and stepped out of the room, winking at Khulan as I shut the door behind myself. ¡°What did you need?¡±


    ¡°How should we organize our men? This enemy is¡­ unconventional, so how effective do you believe cavalry will be? Archers? Should we try something unconventional to match the enemy?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± I said. ¡°Stick to what you know. Keep the men in their regular ranks with their regular comrades. Don¡¯t change what you don¡¯t have to. It¡¯s important that everything seems like it¡¯s business as usual, even though it isn¡¯t. They¡¯re going to see some strange things. Let¡¯s not have their formation or weapon be one of those strange things.¡±


    Eeluk nodded. ¡°I see. And should the wall still be manned?¡±


    ¡°Who are they protecting us against?¡± I started walking. The men lowered their sparing swords and training bows and nodded at me as I passed by. I looked each one in the eye. They were putting their lives on the line. I intended to make sure they knew what that meant to Karakhorum. ¡°The threat is coming from inside our walls.¡±


    ¡°I had the men moved already,¡± he said. ¡°I just thought I should confirm, given the peculiar situation.¡±


    ¡°Do you know where Batu went?¡±


    Eeluk nodded over to a group of men tucked into a nook at the end of the passageway.


    Laughter rolled through the passageways. Batu threw himself back, grinning from ear to ear and raking a pile of coins toward himself. I dismissed Eeluk and walked over. The men, the same ones who¡¯d been throwing things into the hole in the courtroom with Batum, snuffed out their laughter when they saw me approach Batu from behind.


    ¡°What?¡± Batu said. ¡°Don¡¯t be so sour about losing. I¡¯ll give you a chance to win it¡ª¡±


    ¡°No you won¡¯t.¡± I put my hands on Batu¡¯s shoulders. ¡°We¡¯ve got work to do.¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯m on a hot streak!¡±


    ¡°This is the first hand you¡¯ve won in the last hour,¡± one of the men said.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say it was a long streak,¡± Batu grumbled. He sighed and stood up. ¡°Duty calls. I¡¯ll collect later.¡±


    I started walking and Batu followed. ¡°Why are you even gambling now?¡±


    ¡°The way I see it, either we all die soon¡­¡± Batu said. ¡°In which case, who¡¯s really left to collect my debts nor do I care if I won a week¡¯s wage just then. That, or we all survive. In which case, we¡¯re all too overjoyed to hang onto past debts. Well, except me. In that case, they¡¯re still here so I can collect from them. Win-win.¡±


    ¡°You could have been thinking about how we¡¯ll win,¡± I said. ¡°Not how you can avoid paying your debts.¡±


    ¡°I figured you¡¯d come up with something.¡± He shrugged. ¡°You always were the one with the brains. Where are you even taking me?¡±


    I smirked. ¡°To my solution.¡±


    ¡°So you did find a way out. See, brother? I knew you would. Now, if I could just get back to that game I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll deal me in¡ª¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re going to talk to the giants.¡±


    ¡°Why? Do you need Chair-Wax to open a door for you or something?¡±


    ¡°We need all the hands we can get. Big ones especially. They saw the fire and ran off. We¡¯re going to bring them back. As many as we can. They¡¯re probably in the hills.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯ll take a few hours by horseback,¡± Batu said. ¡°Please tell me we¡¯re going by horseback.¡±


    I pulled out the map.


    ¡°Eternal Blue Sky, again? Good thing I didn¡¯t have breakfast.¡± Batu stopped walking. ¡°Wait. If we were just going to use that map again, why¡¯d you have me walk all this way?¡±


    ¡°I had to get you away from that table.¡± I turned towards him. ¡°You would never have come with me with that stack of coins in front of you.¡±


    ¡°I could always just go back to¡ª¡±


    I let the map unfurl, grabbed Batu¡¯s wrist and pressed on the hills outside Karakhorum.


    We landed in thick grass which threatened to swallow us, as if it was alive. I kicked my legs free and scanned the surroundings. Hills folded into one another like clouds. Wind whistled over them, moving through the grass in waves.


    ¡°The walk¡¯s a bit too long now,¡± I said to Batu.


    Batu put up a hand, then bent over and vomited. ¡°Never¡­ again.¡±


    ¡°If time wasn¡¯t of the essence, you¡¯d be free to walk or ride or crawl here,¡± I said. ¡°But we don¡¯t even know how much we¡¯ve got.¡±


    Batu looked around. ¡°The giants live¡­ here? I don¡¯t see any giant houses.¡±


    ¡°Everyone always says they live ¡®in the hills,¡¯¡± I said. ¡°I always assumed it was similar to goblin burrows.¡±


    Batu held his hand at his knee. ¡°Goblins.¡± He lifted his hand up over his head. ¡°Giants. They don¡¯t exactly have the same living constraints.¡±


    I started walking up a hill. ¡°They must be here somewhere.¡±


    ¡°Or you shouldn¡¯t put so much faith in what fishwives and merchants say.¡± Batu rushed past me, running up the hill. When he got to the top, he looked around. ¡°I don¡¯t see anything.¡± He stomped his foot, digging into the hill. ¡°Nothing!¡± He kept stomping. ¡°Now, I¡¯m sure I can catch the last couple hands of¡ª¡±


    The hill shifted. It seemed to groan, like an old man rising in the morning. On either side of me, the grass cracked as its hold on the soil was torn. After a moment, two pillars had been erected. Two¡­ arms? Batu struggled to keep his balance as the rest of the hill moved. He dug is fingers into the dirt, but that only made the hill roll its back to get rid of the itch. The hill unfolded, untucking what looked like a head and standing in front of me. It wasn¡¯t a hill. It was the biggest giant I¡¯d ever seen ¨C I could have sworn it could reach up and snatch a cloud out of the sky if it wanted to.


    Batu clung to its back. ¡°Brother!¡±


    The hill giant turned its head down to me. It tried to move its eyes, but they had been crusted shut by wet soil and grassroots. Its thick eyebrows were made of what looked like tree bark. Earthworms writhed over its legs. Its body was covered in stone patches, as if he had been born half statue. It cast a shadow over me.


    ¡°You are¡­.¡± Its voice sounded strained, as if he could barely muster the energy to speak. Even so, it vibrated through the land like an earthquake. It breathed a cloud of sand onto me. ¡°Human. Why do. You come. Disturb. Us?¡±


    ¡°I come to find giant called Chair-Wax,¡± I shouted. ¡°Chair-Wax.¡±


    The hill giant paused, and lifted his left arm. The end was less a hand and more a permanently-shut fist. Some dirt trickled onto my head as he held it over me. ¡°No. Chair-Wax. Who are. You?¡±


    ¡°I am his lord.¡± I flicked an earthworm out of my hair. ¡°Of Karakhorum.¡±


    ¡°Kara. Kohrum.¡± The hill giant set his left hand back down. He lifted his right hand and started beating the ground. Dum. Dum. Dum.


    After a few seconds of nothing, he sighed another cloud of sand. ¡°Tired. Brother. Lazy. Sister.¡± He raised his right hand and slammed it down again, harder this time. Dum! Dum! Dum!


    The hills on the left and right stirred, and after a moment, they tried to get up. The one on the right pulled a tangle of vines as it got up, stringing them along as what looked like hair. Its face was rounder the other¡¯s, and it was the smallest of the three. The one on the left was the biggest, but not the tallest. His arms were the size of Karakhorum¡¯s courthouse, and his chest looked like dozens of interwoven oak trees.


    ¡°What do.¡± The female one said. ¡°You want. Brother?¡±


    ¡°This man,¡± the center one replied. ¡°Say he. Is lord. Chair-Wax. And his. Group.¡±


    ¡°Chair-Wax?¡± The fat one on the right said. ¡°Yes he. Is here.¡±


    ¡°Why did.¡± The female one said. ¡°You tell. Him that. Stupid. Now he. Knows we. Hide them!¡±


    ¡°You fool!¡± The center one said. ¡°You told. Him where. Giants. Live.¡±


    ¡°No you!¡± The fat one said. ¡°You fool! You told. Him they. Live here. Under. Us.¡±


    ¡°I hate to interrupt your squabbles as you spill your entire history as a race,¡± Batu yelled, ¡°but I¡¯m presenting hanging for my life and my fingers are cramping.¡±


    ¡°Oh I. Forgot. You were. There small. Human.¡± The center one reached behind his back.


    ¡°Ow!¡± Batu shouted.


    The center one brought his hand back around, holding Batu by his shirt. It held Batu up to its eyes. ¡°You. Very. Little.¡±


    ¡°Yeah yeah, just put me down before I lose what little patience I have.¡± Batu was dropped next to me. He shook his hands.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to be honest with you,¡± I shouted.


    ¡°Honest.¡± The center one said. ¡°Honest?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to tell you the truth about what¡¯s happening. About what made all the giants return here.¡±


    ¡°We know.¡± The female said. ¡°We know. When fire. Come from. The sky. Bad for. Giants. Bad like. The old. Times. Dragon. Times. They come. To us. To be. Safe. They come. Home.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± I said. ¡°It is bad. It is even worse than dragons.¡±


    ¡°Worse than. Dragons?¡± The fat one said. ¡°Can¡¯t be.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it can. And I¡¯m sure you three have felt it in the ground, in the air. Something¡¯s happening.¡±


    They looked at one another.


    The center one bent down closer to me. ¡°Yes it. Feels like¡­¡±


    ¡°Dying,¡± the fat one said.


    ¡°Burning,¡± the female one said.


    ¡°Do you know of the Spirit Realm?¡±


    ¡°We do.¡± The center one said. ¡°We are. Not like. Humans. We are. Of the. Spirit. Realm. Humans. Are not. Meant for. It.¡±


    ¡°One human doesn¡¯t like that. He thinks we are meant for the Spirit Realm, so he broke the boundary between them.¡±


    ¡°Broke the. Boundary?¡± The center one laughed. ¡°This is. Simple. But wrong. Words. Boundary? No, not. That. There is. Not that. There is¡­ Water. Spirit. Realm is. A fish. You are. A small. Fish and. Together. Spirit. Realm eat. Small fish.¡±


    ¡°The. Water,¡± the female one said. ¡°Is cracked. Leaking. Little bit? Not bad. Lot? Bad.¡±


    ¡°So we agree that it must be stopped, then?¡±


    ¡°Stopped? Elder. Giants. Like us¡­¡± The center one said. ¡°Are too. Old. Our ways. Are old. Our magic. Is done.¡±


    ¡°But our. Children,¡± the female one said. ¡°They can. Help. But not. Much.¡±


    ¡°This tastes,¡± the fat one said, ¡°like that. Old time. Of man. Using. Giant. Then burn. Us. Then make. Us weak. Then try. To kill. Us.¡±


    ¡°Do you. Try to. Kill us?¡±


    They stared at me.


    ¡°I don¡¯t. In fact, I am trying to preserve your kind. All my cities will be safe for giants, after all of this. You have my word.¡±


    ¡°Your word. Like the. Old time. They said. They wanted. To help. Us. Too. Do you. Lie?¡±


    They stared at me again.


    ¡°I said I was going to be honest with you.¡± I paused. ¡°And being honest means¡­¡±


    ¡°That you. Tell us. The truth,¡± the center one said, then turned to his siblings. ¡°He did. Say he. Was¡­¡± It paused, straining himself with the effort of using a new word. ¡°Honest.¡±


    The other two nodded. All three put their hands in their laps. They dug their fingers into the ground beneath them and parted the soil, each revealing a cave entrance.


    ¡°Come. Children,¡± the center one said. ¡°You are. Needed.¡±


    The plodding of dozens of footsteps started from the back of the cave, and families of giants came out into the light.


    Chair-Wax was one of the first, and his eyes lit up when he saw me. ¡°Lord. Kublai. I had. To come. Home.¡±


    ¡°I know. The fire¡­¡±


    ¡°Fire. Is bad. A sign. Of things. Coming.¡± Chair-Wax looked up at the three hill giants. ¡°They spoke. To you?¡±


    ¡°They did,¡± I said.


    ¡°That is. A good. Sign.¡± He gave what looked like a smile, but his loose jaw made it hard to tell. Chair-Wax rejoined the other giants crowding around Batu and me. Some were tall, but the tallest was only about a third the height of the three hill giants. The shortest was barely twice the height of an ordinary man. They all wore repurposed clothes: tent tarps for loincloths, crushed armor for bracelets.


    ¡°You are. Our. Children,¡± the center one said. ¡°You must. Serve us.¡±


    ¡°We will. Serve you.¡± The lesser giants said, perfectly in sync.


    ¡°A great. Threat is. Coming,¡± the female one said.


    ¡°You will. Stop it,¡± the fat one said.


    ¡°We will. Stop it.¡± The lesser giants said.


    The three hill giants nodded. ¡°Do not. Return. Until. It is. Done. The fate. Of our. Race rests. On you.¡±


    ¡°Do as. This one¡­¡± the center one raised its hand sluggishly, then pointed at me. ¡°Commands.¡±


    The lesser giants all turned to gaze at me. ¡°We will. Do as. He. Commands.¡±


    ¡°This is kind of creepy,¡± Batu whispered.


    The three hill giants nodded again. The fat one sunk back down, his elbow digging sharply into the dirt and his back cracking with the sound of trees snapping in half. The female one followed, her vine-hair settling back onto the grassland.


    ¡°What is. Your name?¡± The center one said.


    ¡°Kublai.¡±


    ¡°It will. Be known.¡± He sunk back down, nestling himself between his siblings. The grass stirred and seemed to creep over the parts that had been broken. Within moments, the landscape looked as it had before.


    ¡°Do you think they¡¯ll be enough?¡± Batu looked up at the giants surrounding us.


    ¡°It has to be,¡± I said.

 18: Battle in the Mist

    ¡°Uh¡­ my lord, I don¡¯t think we have armor that¡¯ll fit them.¡± Eeluk stared up at the two dozen giants standing behind me. He¡¯d met us outside the walls of Karakhorum when our scouts saw what they described as ¡®a golden horde¡¯, which I assumed referred to the giants¡¯ off-yellow skin tone. When they noticed me on top of Chair-Wax, the archers on the wall set down their bows.


    I hadn¡¯t seen this many giants gathered in one place before, and were it not for their size one might not think they were of the same race. Some were short and stocky, their fists dragging along the ground when they walked. Others were tall and¡­ uneven, like Chair-Wax, with one eye or nostril or ear bigger. The tallest ones had scars on their foreheads in the shape of plowed farmland.


    ¡°Have you ever seen a giant get hurt?¡± I said.


    ¡°Well, no, but that was against arrows and swords. Not¡­¡± Eeluk glanced at one of the holes in Karakhorum¡¯s main street. A crate had been placed on top of it, but the hole seemed to have expanded since then and the crate was threatening to slip in at any moment. ¡°Not this kind of enemy.¡±


    ¡°Then our armor won¡¯t help them.¡± I waved Chair-Wax over. ¡°Chair-Wax, do giants wear armor?¡±


    ¡°Armor?¡± Chair-Wax squinted with his larger eye. His smaller eye just shivered slightly.


    I knocked on Eeluk¡¯s breastplate with my knuckle. ¡°Armor.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Metal. Skin. Giants? No.¡± He pointed at his chest and laughed. ¡°Armor. Is for. Men who. Want to. Be like. Us. Strong like. Us.¡±


    ¡°See? Besides, it doesn¡¯t matter if they¡¯re dressed or not. We need all the hands we can get.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not saying they aren¡¯t useful, but¡­ their race isn¡¯t known for following orders¡ª¡±


    ¡°Sit!¡± I shouted.


    The ground shuddered as twenty-four giants dropped down.


    ¡°Stand!¡± I shouted.


    They shot up faster than one might expect they could.


    Eeluk¡¯s mouth hung open for a moment, but he collected himself with a soft grunt. ¡°Consider my concerns¡­ addressed.¡±


    The nearest hole expanded, and the crate on top of it slid down with a clunk.


    I nodded at the hole. ¡°Any other movements?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s happening all over the city. Someone fell in when one of the holes tore through an alleyway, but nothing¡¯s come out.¡±


    ¡°Next time, we¡¯re using the map.¡± Batu jumped off the giant he¡¯d been riding, groaning with every stretch. He put his hand on his gut. ¡°On second thought, never mind. I forgot how¡ª¡±


    The ground rumbled, and a sound like paper tearing reverberated through Karakhorum. I felt it in my chest. The giants stumbled and fell. Eeluk¡¯s armor clinked with the vibrations. My eyes shot to the hole. Rays of violet light streamed through the gaps in the crate. Everything returned to normal after a few seconds.


    ¡°Sounds like we don¡¯t have much time,¡± I said. ¡°Are the men ready?¡±


    ¡°As ready as they¡¯ll ever be,¡± Eeluk said. ¡°Most of the able men came forward to help, so we have more men than expected.¡±


    ¡°And the women and children?¡±


    ¡°Secured in the war-chambers under the courthouse,¡± Eeluk said.


    ¡°War-chambers?¡± Batu asked. ¡°Chamber where the wars happen, or¡­¡±


    ¡°Chambers where the lords of the First Empire went to take cover from dragon fire in the event of the entire city burning down,¡± Eeluk said to Batu, then turned back to me. ¡°It¡¯s safe. Safer than anywhere else. All the women and children went willingly¡­ except one.¡±


    ¡°Khulan?¡± I smirked slightly. ¡°No, I don¡¯t think she¡¯s the type to hide in these circumstances.¡±


    ¡°She said she¡¯d stab me.¡±


    ¡°Did she?¡±


    Eeluk shook his head. ¡°I dodged the knife.¡±


    ¡°Where did she¡ª¡±


    Boots crunched through the dirt. I glanced over Eeluk¡¯s shoulder.


    Khulan strode towards us, staring up at the giants behind me. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±


    I smiled. ¡°Our distraction.¡±


    Erhi scurried behind her, trying to keep up. ¡°Why do you have to walk so quickly?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d walk faster if you put on some shoes,¡± Khulan said.


    ¡°I need to be barefoot,¡± Erhi said. ¡°In case something happens.¡±


    Khulan looked back. ¡°Why?¡±


    Erhi squatted and waved her fingers over the ground, as if playing an invisible harp. The flowers in her hair scrunched up. A vine sprouted from a little crack in the dirt.


    ¡°I¡¯d be surprised if the creatures even came out of their holes,¡± Batu said. ¡°After that fearsome display.¡±


    Erhi rolled her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s more impressive when I push myself.¡±


    ¡°Not to mention all the ambient spiritual energy,¡± I said. ¡°Erhi will only getting stronger.¡±


    Erhi stood back up and smiled at me.


    I looked at Eeluk. ¡°All the women and children except two, you mean.¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t help from that place,¡± Erhi said.


    ¡°We need all the hands we can get,¡± Eeluk said, with a slight grin.


    ¡°You¡¯ve really gotten a lot sassier, Captain,¡± Batu said.


    The ground shook beneath us again, but this time chunks of Karakhorum¡¯s wall broke free. Erhi and Khulan used my arms to steady themselves. Eeluk grabbed Batu, but Batu recoiled; both fell. The giants hadn¡¯t gotten up from the last tremor.


    Batu got back up when it was over. ¡°That doesn¡¯t seem¡­¡±


    Violet light shot up from the other side of Karakhorum. Another beam from a nearer hole. Another. Then the crate from the one in Karakhorum¡¯s main street crashed into the hole. A dark purple mist leaked out into Karakhorum, creeping over the stones like blood pooling on tile. A claw reached out of the hole, but the mist obscured it.


    ¡°¡­good,¡± Batu continued.


    ¡°Eeluk, go ready our men.¡±


    Eeluk nodded. ¡°As you command.¡±


    I turned to the giants. ¡°Chair-Wax, the giants are under your command.¡±


    ¡°My. Command.¡± He nodded, then the other giants nodded. ¡°What is. Your. Order?¡±


    ¡°Did you see what just came out of the hole?¡±


    Chair-Wax nodded. ¡°Bad.¡±


    ¡°Smash the bad.¡±


    ¡°Smash the. Bad.¡± He stood and bounded over us, throwing his body against the half-open gate. Its iron hinges shattered and clanged as they hit the ground. The rest of the giants roared as they followed Chair-Wax into the mist.


    ¡°Batu,¡± I said, ¡°keep them safe.¡±


    Khulan guffawed. ¡°He¡ª¡±


    ¡°Khulan,¡± I said. ¡°Keep Batu safe.¡±


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± Erhi asked.


    ¡°Where I¡¯m needed.¡±


    ¡°We need you.¡±


    I put my hands on her shoulders. ¡°Karakhorum needs me more.¡±


    Erhi looked at the scars on my arms. ¡°Kublai, don¡¯t use the map. It¡¯ll kill you with this much ambient¡ª¡±


    A giant flew out of the mist, thrown over the wall like a broken toy, smoke trailing with her body. I pulled Erhi and Khulan out of her path. She crashed next to us. I felt the heat from three feet away. Her skin crackled like a pork belly. Something roared from deep within the mist.


    The mist parted as I ran into it. It burned at first, but when I took my first breath, my skin felt tougher ¨C as if I¡¯d just left the Spirit Realm. The streets of Karakhorum were a mess of shapes. I couldn¡¯t make out where the houses were, so I ran along the pathways. Screams roared from deep within the mist ¨C some men, some giants¡­ some entirely something different.


    Silhouettes fought silhouettes. Half of the shadows were sharp and clear, but the other half seemed to crawl into a shape, like a swarm of insects than a single entity. A giant whooshed past me, but I dodged him. He glanced back, panting as he fled. I stopped. I¡¯d have to confront whatever was chasing him eventually. May as well get in some practice. I dug my heels in and whistled.


    The creature lumbered forward. Its body looked like Oktai¡¯s, but more unstable, with black worm-like spirits writhing through what must have once been flesh. Its limbs fluctuated in size, like a heart swelling with a beat I couldn¡¯t hear. Its mouth hung open, its eyes wide in constant alert, but it didn¡¯t seem to see me.


    I moved my hand, disturbing the mist. It snapped to attention.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± I said. ¡°Over here!¡±


    It screeched and tore through the mist, clawing wildly at the air. I ducked, then dodged left, right. I slipped its first few strikes, but the longer I was in battle with it, the closer and closer its misses got. I couldn¡¯t let it swing until it hit me. I had to go on the offensive. I slipped its left swing and brought my right fist into its chin.


    My hand went right through, and the black spirits just reformed its chin. I jumped back.


    ¡°They are. Soft like. Humans,¡± the giant said. ¡°But they. Don¡¯t get. Hurt like. Your kind.¡± He held up a hand. ¡°They burn. Us.¡±


    I looked at my fist. I stung, but it wasn¡¯t burning. ¡°Just because they don¡¯t bleed doesn¡¯t mean they don¡¯t get hurt.¡±


    The creature searched through the mist, swinging at every gust of wind.


    ¡°I think they see with the mist,¡± I said. ¡°Don¡¯t move. Breathe shallow. What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°Mouse-Dew,¡± the giant said. ¡°How do. We smash. Them?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re going to give it something to look at. Too much, and then we¡¯re going to see just how much these things can take. On three¡­¡±


    ¡°Three?¡± The giant narrowed his eyes. ¡°Oh. Number.¡±


    ¡°One,¡± I said.


    ¡°One,¡± the giant said.


    ¡°Two.¡±


    ¡°Two.¡±


    ¡°Three!¡±


    We both dashed, sending the mist into a frenzy. The creature screeched at us, stuttering Mouse-Dew. I didn¡¯t get flustered. I grabbed a rock and launched it through the mist. Its head followed the path of the stone for a moment, but that was all I needed. I spun, kicking through its mid-section, and Mouse-Dew clutched at the creature¡¯s head and torso. Its top half evaporated, leaving two legs frozen.


    ¡°It is¡­ dead?¡± Mouse-Dew said. ¡°Hah! Silly¡ª¡±


    Mist swirled into the shape of a torso. The creature wasn¡¯t even completely solid before it launched its next assault. I stopped moving, but Mouse-Dew turned and tried to run. The creature dashed after him, faster than before. Shit.


    I dove for the creature, obstructing its path. It swiped at me, but this time it mixed in a few kicks. It was learning. I couldn¡¯t afford to engage with this one forever. Dozens of these were probably in Karakhorum now. I needed a permanent solution, but first I had to get Mouse-Dew¡­If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    He¡¯d already bolted off. That solved that problem, but not the one clawing at me. I had to stop moving, but if I did, it¡¯d tear my chest open. I tried to move back further, but my foot hit something hard. I glanced back. A house.


    Let¡¯s see how much you can take. I threw my elbow back. A wall cracked, then gave in. I went as low as could. The creature leapt for the falling bricks, batting at them like flies. When a brick crashed into a cupboard, the creature tore through the cupboard, sending shards of wood into the air. I picked up a brick while it was distracted, then tossed it at the large pillar in the center of the house.


    The creature fell for it, crashing itself into the pillar. The house shuddered. A crack trailed up the pillar, bits of paint trickling down. The house moaned, then the roof crashed down on top of the creature. That ought to keep it busy.


    Running through the open streets was like sitting naked in the middle of a typhoon ¨C it was asking for trouble. Then again, I was asking for it, but I needed time to think. I followed close to the line of houses.


    The plan was to draw them away from the sources of spiritual energy, but that was before I knew about the mist. The source was everywhere now, and they seemed to be part of the mist, so I couldn¡¯t draw them out of it. I didn¡¯t even want to think about what would happen when the mists from every city connected.


    Someone screamed. I stopped in my tracks. She screamed again. I recognized the sound. Erhi.


    I ran in that direction. I could feel myself getting faster with each step, but I couldn¡¯t tell if it was Erhi being in danger or the ambient spiritual energy. It didn¡¯t matter. I still kept close to the houses, but I leapt over porches and slipped through blood-stained washing hung on lines. A trail of bodies was scattered between bits of debris. One of my guards had been ripped apart, and his body rested on an old chair. Another had been torn in two, his bottom half on the porch of a house and his top half hanging off the roof.


    The scream got louder. I ducked underneath an archway. Louder. I ran down the alleyway. Louder.


    A silhouette loomed over Erhi.


    ¡°Kublai!¡± She had her hands up, holding off a creature with a tangled mass of weeds. ¡°Kublai, help! I can¡¯t hold it¡­ much longer.¡±


    I waved my arms, disturbing as much mist as possible. The creature rolled its shoulders, like I was a flea on its back, but it didn¡¯t look away from Erhi. This one looked more like Oktai had ¨C it looked closer to a roaring fire than a mess of worms.


    Roots burst out of the ground, wrapping around the creature¡¯s legs. The creature shook its foot. Erhi¡¯s plants recoiled and cowered back into the ground. She didn¡¯t stop the creature, but she bought me enough time to get close.


    I dove at the creature. It felt solid for a moment, but I fell through right after, landing hard in the dirt. The gap in its torso started healing immediately, the black worm-like spirits eating at the gap as soon as I landed.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± I shielded her, in case the creature took the opportunity to strike. ¡°Can you walk?¡±


    She nodded.


    I pulled her to her feet. The creature didn¡¯t like that. It screeched, slashing wildly at us. I ducked its arm and followed up with an uppercut aimed at its chin. My fist tore through its skull. The creature froze while it repaired the wound. The damage wouldn¡¯t be permanent, but it gave us time.


    ¡°Run to that house by the river.¡± I pointed. ¡°I¡¯ll distract it.¡±


    ¡°But I¡ª¡±


    ¡°Go!¡±


    The creature didn¡¯t take long to heal. By the time Erhi had scampered off, it was back on me like a rabid dog. I went for the same move as before, but this time, the creature saw my fist coming. It slipped its chin back, just enough to avoid my blow. I stepped back, keeping as much distance as the creature would allow.


    The creature brought both its arms down over me, but I guarded with mine. My skin stung, but I¡¯d survive. I rolled back. The river was a few feet behind me. The creatures looked like living fires; it was time I saw how they dealt with water.


    ¡°Come on.¡± I waved at the creature.


    It roared and charged at me. That¡¯s it. I slipped my hand into my satchel. Just a little closer. I pulled out the map. Little more¡­


    I pressed the map a little further down the river. The blue light enveloped me, trailing along my scars as if to re-open the same wounds. Some violet mist followed me, but the blue light seemed to tear it apart. The stone beneath me shattered when I landed.


    The creature hissed as it sunk below the water. It almost sounded like it was saying something. It almost sounded like ¡°it has begun¡± ¨C Oktai¡¯s last words. I had to be imagining it.


    I relaxed and put the map back in my satchel. ¡°So they can¡¯t swim after all. Good to know.¡±


    Erhi peeked out from a house¡¯s shutters. ¡°Is it¡­ dead?¡±


    ¡°Looks like it.¡± I stepped onto the house¡¯s porch.


    Erhi cracked open the door, waving her hand at the mist as if to try and keep it out. She froze when she noticed my arms. ¡°You used the map.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt.¡±


    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t,¡± she said. ¡°Especially with all this ambient spiritual energy. It¡¯s like a drug. Can you hurry up and get inside before another one of those things shows up?¡±


    I went inside. Erhi slammed the door and dragged a table across it. She¡¯d plugged as many cracks in the house as she could. Torn blankets had been stuffed into crevices between the windows and the frames. The only light in the house came from Erhi¡¯s flowers. The house didn¡¯t look like it had been vacant long. Plates, adorned with a cut of salmon, still rested on the table.


    ¡°They¡¯re stronger in the mist,¡± she said, tucking a silk dress under the door. ¡°This¡¯ll keep enough out to keep them away.¡±


    ¡°You did this in a few minutes?¡±


    She nodded, flashing a small grin.


    ¡°Where¡¯re Batu and Khulan?¡±


    She poked at a few other cracks, smothering as much outside light as she could, then stepped back and let out a breath. ¡°We got separated.¡±


    I reached for the door handle.


    She slapped my hand.


    ¡°Worth a shot,¡± I said.


    ¡°You can¡¯t just walk out there.¡± She sat down in front of the door. ¡°I don¡¯t think our plan is going to work.¡±


    ¡°Which plan?¡±


    ¡°Khulan told me about your plan to draw the creatures away from the holes¡­ but this mist¡ª¡±


    ¡°Oh. That plan.¡± I leaned against the windowsill. ¡°That one¡¯s antiquated.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the latest plan?¡±


    ¡°They don¡¯t seem to deal with water well.¡±


    She raised an eyebrow. ¡°That sounds too easy.¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s why it isn¡¯t the whole plan.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the rest?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t figured it out yet.¡±


    She gave me a flat look. ¡°Then that isn¡¯t a plan.¡±


    ¡°I rounded up.¡± I chuckled, but my laughter petered off quickly. ¡°What do we know about them so far?¡±


    ¡°They need the mist.¡± Erhi held up a finger. ¡°They don¡¯t get hurt from physical attacks, but it gives them pause at least.¡± Another finger. ¡°The mist heals them.¡± A third finger. ¡°And they don¡¯t like water allegedly.¡±


    I held up my pinky. ¡°They use the mist to see.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°They track things moving in the mist. If you stand still, they won¡¯t sense you.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do much standing still when one of them chased me.¡± She shuffled away from the door slightly. ¡°Neither did Batu. Khulan was a bit more stubborn.¡±


    I reached for the door again.


    Erhi shook her head. ¡°At least let me heal your wounds first.¡±


    ¡°My wounds?¡±


    She pointed at my arms. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ smoking.¡±


    I smirked. ¡°You¡¯re not so bad yourself.¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t the time for that. Be serious.¡± She tugged at my hands. ¡°Sit down. It won¡¯t take long.¡±


    I sat and she took my arms in her hands. She grunted. ¡°Come on¡­¡± She tensed her hands, groaning as if that might push something out of them. ¡°It¡¯s not working. Give me a second.¡± She breathed deeply and shut her eyes. Blue light flickered, tiny spirits trailing over the re-opened scars. The shutters of the house jostled as if they were being tugged at. Strands of violet mist streamed in where they could and spiraled between Erhi¡¯s palms, mingling with the blue spirits, then right into my wounds. It felt like it tunneled up my veins.


    ¡°Huh,¡± Erhi said. ¡°This spiritual energy feels different, but it works just like the First Capital or the Forest.¡±


    ¡°I presume it¡¯s even more liable to kill me, though.¡±


    She gave me a flat look. ¡°I know I sound like a nagging wife, but you can¡¯t keep using the map like this. It¡¯ll kill you.¡±


    ¡°I know, I know¡ª¡±


    ¡°No, you don¡¯t.¡± She glared at me. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have used it just now if you did. You keep running up to the limit of what¡¯s possible and scratching at it.¡± She looked down. ¡°But I understand¡­ you might not have a choice anymore.¡±


    ¡°I always have a choice,¡± I said. ¡°If I have to use the map to save Karakhorum, I¡¯ll choose to. I have to save Karakhorum, no matter what happens to my body. I¡¯m choosing to finish what I started, no matter the cost.¡±


    A tear dripped down her cheek. ¡°I¡­ I understand.¡±


    I wiped her cheek. ¡°For what it¡¯s worth¡ª¡±


    An earthquake rocked the house. The roof creaked. Metal fittings on the shutters rattled. I got on top of Erhi. Dust fell from the ceiling. I was expecting the house to collapse, but after a moment, everything subsided. After another, it happened again. Silence. Again. Silence. Again.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± Erhi cried.


    ¡°They¡¯re footsteps.¡±


    ¡°Footsteps?!¡±


    It went quiet, then I started hearing something softer. It sounded like the trickling of a stream over stone. Then it sounded like it went over dirt. Then wood. I felt something on my hand. I lifted it up to the light of Erhi¡¯s flowers. Water pooled beneath Erhi and me.


    ¡°Water?¡± Erhi said. ¡°Why is there¡ª¡±


    The water latched onto us. It tugged out of the house, shattering the door and threatening to pull us into the mist. Erhi grabbed my left hand, and I reached for the doorframe with my right. I held on by my fingertips. The water¡¯s pull got stronger, curling itself around my ankles and creeping up my back. The doorframe moaned with the strain.


    ¡°Kublai!¡± Erhi screamed, the water now reaching over her shoulders in a thin web-like pattern.


    The doorframe gave in, but I wouldn¡¯t. I spun immediately, pulling Erhi closer to my chest. I looked out into the mist, but all I could make out was the three streams of water splitting into hundreds of tiny strings to form a net around us. I let it pull us off the porch and into the dirt, but then I dug my heels in, hoping to jerk ourselves free.


    It worked. The net broke, but I only had a moment before it struck again.


    ¡°Stay still,¡± I shouted to Erhi. I dashed, trying to get it to focus on me. Water jetted out from above, coming at me like whips. I shifted from left to right, leaping over the ones that came at my feet and slipping under the ones that came at my head. The ones coming for my chest were more difficult to dodge. I slipped one, but the other caught me in the shoulder. The tendrils slunk back into the mist.


    I tried to keep as still as possible. I was closer to the river, or where the river was. It was dry, as if all the water had, well, got up and walked away. The creature I¡¯d thrown into the river must have made it part of its body somehow.


    Its shadow loomed over me, getting more and more defined as it lumbered forward. All that water had been condensed into a solid form which towered over Karakhorum. Its feet had become featureless pillars bubbling up from the ground like geysers; its arms hung at its side, liquid the texture of spit drooping down and being absorbed by its heels. It looked like it was slumped forward, its head pressed down by an invisible barrier. That must be how high the mist¡¯s gotten, I realized.


    It stepped out of the mist. The water had been stained with black algae and writhed around the creature¡¯s mass like blood in translucent veins. It dragged its feet through houses, splashing its acidic liquid with every step. A droplet fell on my cheek and hissed. The pain didn¡¯t shake me.


    I dragged my foot along the ground, trying to inch away, but every movement made the creature paused and crane its head over the street. As soon as I made my move, it¡¯d be on me. It looked slow, but the thin vines trailing from its feet were faster. Another spray of acid flung into the air.


    ¡°Ah!¡± Erhi cried behind me. She batted at the dark patch on her leg where the acid had landed.


    ¡°Erhi!¡± I shouted.


    She froze. ¡°Kublai, I¡ª¡±


    The creature snapped to attention, leaning forward as it screeched with the effort of pulling its leg over a house. Stones sunk as the acidic vines cut through them, racing toward Erhi. She raised her hands and tried to summon her plants, but nothing happened.


    I spun, darting to her. I jumped over the veins of acid trailing along the floor. The creature wasn¡¯t focusing on me. That was a mistake. I reached down, grabbed a rock and flung it at the creature¡¯s head ¨C not enough to kill it, but enough to buy us some time. A tendril reached out for Erhi, but I kicked it just in time. She tried to get to her feet, but her leg had been burned.


    I picked her up. She put her arms around my neck. The creature roared as the stone took out half its cheek. I raced over the bridge and slipped into an alleyway. Coins jingled as I leapt over an abandoned card game. We still weren¡¯t in the clear, and getting inside wouldn¡¯t help with this creature. Distance would.


    I turned the corner back into a street, but I didn¡¯t stay on it for long. Erhi gripped me more tightly. I cut through a linen merchant¡¯s stall, each piece of hanging cloth giving way with a whoosh. Next, I slipped between the shoe-shine¡¯s stall and a smith¡¯s forge, an unfinished sword still glowing half inside the forge. I paused, took one of the swords on the counter and gave it to Erhi.


    ¡°What¡¯s this for?¡± Erhi asked.


    ¡°Could be useful.¡±


    I kept going, into alleyways one moment and out them the next. I¡¯d put an entire district between the creature and us, but I could still make out its silhouette lumbering over Karakhorum from here.


    We were far from that creature, but not from others. A window shattered as another creature burst out of a nearby house. It looked like scowling goblin. I glared at it, waiting for it to make a move. When it did, I¡¯d¡ª


    ¡°There you are!¡± Batu screamed.


    The creature searched the mist frantically ¨C as if it couldn¡¯t sense him. Batu¡¯s footsteps echoed through the streets, louder as approached. The creature didn¡¯t wait for him to show up. It scurried off.


    Batu noticed us, then turned around and shouted in the mist. His body clinked when he moved, and he¡¯d found a coatthat looked like it had been stuffed with something. ¡°I found Erhi.¡±


    ¡°And Kublai.¡± Khulan approached, slower than Batu had.


    ¡°Were you¡­ chasing that one?¡± Erhi said, shifting herself out of my arms.


    Batu smiled. ¡°Her idea. You know, you aren¡¯t as much of a downer as you look, it turns out.¡±


    Khulan pulled Batu¡¯s coat open, revealing jars hung on strings. ¡°It¡¯s crude. We were just testing it with that smaller spirit.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± I asked.


    ¡°We filled jars with the mist,¡± Khulan said. ¡°I was observing how the creatures moved. They don¡¯t see the movements of the mist. That¡¯d make them chase after every soft breeze. No, they seem to sense the changes in spiritual energy.¡± She squatted down and drew a circle in the dirt. ¡°Imagine this is Karakhorum.¡± She scratched inside the circle. ¡°That¡¯s the ambient spiritual energy. Now, here¡¯s a person with less spiritual energy than the surroundings. They see the gap. When the gap is still, that means it¡¯s a building, but when that gap moves¡­¡±


    ¡°It means prey,¡± I said.


    She nodded and stood back up. ¡°The jars help make it less obvious. Batu probably looks like a floating head right now.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t blame them for running away,¡± I said. ¡°Batu¡¯s head floating around? Terrifying.¡±


    ¡°How¡¯d you figure this out?¡± Erhi said.


    ¡°I noticed that they can¡¯t see one another. Then I saw one of them heal itself by absorbing the mist. It was just a hunch. I filled one jar with mist and threw it past a creature.¡± She tapped one of the jars. ¡°Naturally, I was immediately ready to test it on a human subject.¡±


    ¡°This human subject,¡± Batu said. ¡°She held me down and tied them to me. I could have died!¡±


    ¡°That was a risk I was willing to take,¡± Khulan said.


    Erhi bent down and peered into a jar. ¡°This won¡¯t work for all of us.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I said. ¡°But I think I have an idea, and we won¡¯t be needing any more jars.¡±


    ¡°What will we be needing?¡± Khulan said.


    ¡°That¡¯s where it gets tricky,¡± I said. ¡°Batu, I need you to stab me.¡±

 19: The Water-Misting

    ¡°That¡¯s a terrible idea!¡± Erhi punched my arm. They¡¯d huddled around me as I told them my plan, but Erhi barely let me get through the gist of it. We stood in the mist, but as still as we could so as not to attract the attention of any passing creatures. I could see them moving in the mist, but none came close to us yet. The heat of the mist made us sweat.


    Batu would stab me, and she¡¯d heal me at the same time, drawing the mist into me and turning my body into, essentially, one of Khulan¡¯s jars.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Batu said. ¡°There¡¯s some solid upside, I¡¯ll give you that. One, you could become invisible to them, which is cool. Two, I get to stab you, which would make us even for that time you stabbed my hand when I was eleven. But the downside¡­¡±


    ¡°You could, well, die, for one,¡± Khulan said.


    ¡°Erhi wouldn¡¯t let that happen.¡± I smiled at her. ¡°If she doesn¡¯t try and stop us from doing it in the first place.¡±


    Erhi sighed. ¡°I know where this is going, though. You¡¯re going to tell me it¡¯ll be okay, I¡¯ll resist, you¡¯ll reiterate. I¡¯ll end up doing what you want.¡±


    ¡°Whatever we¡¯re doing,¡± Khulan said, ¡°we should hurry it up.¡±


    Batu drew a knife from his belt, rattling the jars. ¡°Where do I stab?¡±


    I pointed to my left shoulder. ¡°Here.¡±


    ¡°Ready?¡± Batu asked.


    Erhi and I nodded. Batu stabbed my shoulder, quickly like a jab. Erhi swatted him away, then put her hands on the wound. Batu wiped his dagger on his sleeve and sheathed it in one smooth motion.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Khulan asked.


    ¡°This is hardly the first time I¡¯ve been stabbed,¡± I said. ¡°Twenty-third, at least.¡±


    ¡°That explains all your scars,¡± she said. ¡°I was going to ask, but¡ª¡±


    ¡°When did you see them?¡± Batu raised an eyebrow, then grinned like a twelve-year-old after a moment. ¡°Oh. Oh.¡±


    The mist stirred around Erhi and me, weaving between her fingers like a cat worming itself into a lap. Blue light flickered, and the mist pulled into my wound. It burned at first, but settled down as they did their work.


    I gripped my chest. My heartbeat felt heavier. My blood felt hot. I wanted to move, run, fight. I breathed and calmed myself down. Not yet.


    Khulan started, but she relaxed when I settled down. ¡°Looks like getting stabbed still gets to you.¡±


    ¡°Knife? No.¡± I said. ¡°Weird mist from the Spirit Realm? I have to admit it¡¯s only my¡­ second time.¡±


    ¡°Second?¡± Batu said. ¡°Did you get someone else to stab you that easily?¡±


    ¡°Erhi healed me earlier,¡± I said. ¡°That¡¯s how I got the idea. The mist did this last time too.¡±


    Batu flicked my torso. ¡°Do you feel more¡­ jar-like?¡±


    ¡°A very angry jar, yes,¡± I said. ¡°I feel like I want to tear something apart.¡±


    I heard the sound of footsteps, but the ground underneath them smelled like it was burning. I squinted at the mist. A figure searched a house in the distance, throwing shards of a broken door into the street and screeching. It tore through everything it could, scratching at the chairs and tables and stone from the fireplace.


    ¡°I think I just found something to tear apart.¡± I pointed at the figure.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing there, brother,¡± Batu said, then nudged Erhi. ¡°Is he¡­ going mad?¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t see that? Can you smell that at least?¡± I looked each of them in the eye, and each of them shook their heads. I smiled. ¡°Then I guess this is working better than I thought. How much longer?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s almost done actually,¡± Erhi said. ¡°This place is stronger than the First Capital.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like a good thing,¡± Batu said. ¡°But it¡¯s not a good thing, right?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s bad. It means we have to close the hole soon, or Karakhorum will turn into¡ª¡±


    A wooden beam flew out of the mist like a spear. By the time Batu saw it, I¡¯d already torn myself away from Erhi and stepping in front of them. I wasn¡¯t fully healed yet, but this would have to do. I widened my stance and stuck a hand out, getting ready to catch it. The tip of the beam pressed into my palm. I felt it trying to push me.


    I pushed back, forcing my palm into the pillar. It exploded, raining splinters onto the stone. A creature screeched deep within the mist and ran at me.


    ¡°Keep still,¡± I told Batu, Erhi and Khulan. ¡°I¡¯ve got this.¡±


    I charged at it, my steps covering twice my normal gait. The creature stopped, searching for its target, nose pointed up like a stray dog after its supper. I stood in front of it. Moment of truth, I thought, and waved my arms.


    Nothing. The creature couldn¡¯t see me. Unfortunately for the creature, I could still see it. I spun, arcing my heel at its head. I expected it to go clean through, but I felt something solid give under my boot.


    The creature flew off, crashing through a vegetable cart. It started to get up, but I was already following up. I kicked where its ribs would be and the creature folded like a piece of paper. Something cracked. It lifted off the ground before sinking back down. The mist surrounded the creature and dug into the side I¡¯d kicked, presumably healing it.


    ¡°It¡¯s working!¡± I shouted to Erhi. ¡°See, I¡ª¡±


    The creature swiped up, trying to slip in a cheap shot. I leaned back and dodged the blow, but the movement tore open my shoulder, blood seeping through my shirt. The mist seemed to rush at me, like a gust of wind hitting me from every direction. My hair whipped back and forth. My wound burned. I glanced down. The mist burrowed into me, sealing my wound on the way in, a thin glow of violet light closing the skin.


    The creature swung wildly. It still couldn¡¯t see me. I put my heel into its chin, but it just shook it off, screeching and slashing around itself. I waited for an opening, and when I saw one, punched it in the gut. It moved back, but stayed on its feet. It paused, as if in thought, then turned and ran.


    I strolled back to Erhi, Batu and Khulan. ¡°Still a terrible idea?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Erhi said. ¡°But like all your terrible ideas, it works out in your favor, in the end.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not the end yet. I can hit them, but I don¡¯t think I can kill them.¡± I pulled my shirt off my shoulder, revealing the healed knife wound. ¡°But I don¡¯t think they can kill me either.¡±


    ¡°Great,¡± Batu said. ¡°More being-killed for the rest of us.¡±


    Erhi touched my arm, but pulled back from the heat. ¡°The mist must think that you¡¯re a part of it.¡±


    ¡°Mist can¡­ think?¡± Batu said.


    ¡°You¡¯ve seen an invisible night-hound and creatures made of mist,¡± Khulan said. ¡°The mist thinking isn¡¯t that unbelievable.¡±


    ¡°Not think think,¡± Erhi continued. ¡°I mean, it¡¯s treating you like you¡¯re part of it, like you¡¯re one of those¡­ mistings.¡±


    ¡°Mistings?¡± Khulan said.


    Erhi shrugged. ¡°The creatures needed a name.¡±


    ¡°Better than mist-fuckers,¡± Batu said. ¡°That gives off a¡­ stranger impression.¡±


    ¡°So the mist thinks I¡¯m a misting,¡± I said. ¡°That¡¯s why it healed me.¡±


    Batu drew his knife and let the tip rest on his shoulder. ¡°My turn. Ready, Erhi?¡±


    ¡°For¡­? No!¡± Erhi pulled his hand down. ¡°It only worked for your brother because his body¡¯s been soaked in spiritual energy. Far too much than it should have been, I might add.¡±


    ¡°You can barely take travelling with the map, brother,¡± I said. ¡°This much spiritual energy is going to make you throw up organs instead of pork stew.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s a little vomit between me and supernatural healing?¡± He raised the dagger again.


    ¡°It¡¯s not just a little vomit,¡± Khulan said. ¡°You¡¯ll probably just burn up like a roast boar if you try the same thing. Bleeding from your eyes, bones breaking and turning to dust inside you¡­ That kind of thing.¡±


    ¡°Roast¡­ boar.¡± Batu pursed his lips, then sheathed the dagger. ¡°Fine. Then what¡¯s the plan?¡±


    ¡°The plan is,¡± I said, ¡°for you three to get inside that yellow house over there, stop the mist from getting in and sit tight.¡±


    ¡°And you?¡± Erhi asked. ¡°What are you going to do?¡±


    I started walking away. ¡°Whatever has to be done.¡±


    #


    I ran through Karakhorum, beating my way through every misting I found. They fell, but they always got up. I kicked one across the jaw; it got up. I punched one so hard it went clean through two houses; it got up. I tore the leg off one, and it got up one its one remaining leg. They fought back, clawing and biting. One slashed up my back, but the mist healed me. We were at a stalemate ¨C except they could afford to stall. I couldn¡¯t.


    Our men couldn¡¯t either. I¡¯d seen the bodies of three giants, all torn apart and burning to black. I¡¯d seen more of my men, though. Dozens of them had been strewn over Karakhorum, trails of blood and fire marking their graves. Most of their armor had been unnaturally dented. Breastplates were twisted, helmets had been flattened as if under a foot.


    I dashed for a misting twice my size. I bounded, leading with my knee, and stepped onto his shoulder. I jumped, the force slamming the misting into the dirt. I got about twenty feet into the air, and unfortunately for the misting below, I descended. The misting had just gotten onto one knee when I crashed into the back of its neck.


    Two other mistings charged, one from my left and the other from my right. Their flaming skin whooshed as they moved wildly. They couldn¡¯t see me. They were slightly off course, but they were big enough for that not to matter. Even if they attacked randomly, they¡¯d hit me if I stood still.


    Good thing I had no intention to stand still. I let them come close. The left one swung high, and the right swung low. I dove between them, then swept the right¡¯s leg. It tumbled, but the left threw another blow. I caught its forearm with my hands and pivoted the misting over my shoulder like a sack. It crashed into the other misting.


    I wiped my brow. I needed something more effective. I slipped my hand into my satchel. ¡°Sorry, Erhi.¡± My finger hovered over Karakhorum. I paused, then drifted over to a cliff near Ulaanbaatar and pressed.


    The blue light took me in, but it wasn¡¯t welcoming. It felt like a rat was gnawing at my insides. My bones felt like they were being torn apart. When I landed, I coughed violently, puffs of mist coming out with each spasm. I stood on the edge of a cliff, but I couldn¡¯t waste time on the view.


    I needed to see what kind of damage the mistings could take, and twenty feet wasn¡¯t enough. I stepped off the cliff. The map fluttered. My clothes pulled tight against my body. I picked up speed, headed straight for the waves crashing into the side of the cliff. I had to time it right. Fifty feet left between me and my skull hitting a rock. I could go faster. Forty feet. Faster. Thirty. Faster. Twenty. Faster. Fifteen. Come on. I shifted, diving head first. Ten. Five. Four. Three¡­This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    I pressed Karakhorum on the map. The Spirit Realm kept my momentum, but it felt like swimming without any water around me. My hair sunk back down over my face. My clothes loosened. My heart still pounded in my chest, though.


    The force of my impact pushed the mist back three feet. The dirt rippled like a lake. Dust hung in the air, drifting down as the echo of my landing rolled through Karakhorum. I¡¯d landed on a misting; it twitched beneath me, but something seemed off about this one. It took a few seconds for the mist to settle back around me, but in that short time, the misting I¡¯d pinned to the ground seemed to lose it spiritual energy. Its tiny worm-like spirits crawled onto my boot, writhing up my leg.


    I pulled back as the mist sunk back into place. The worm spirits on my leg seemed to burrow into me. The misting groaned.


    ¡°What¡­ is¡­¡± The misting said.


    The worm spirits that crawled up my leg hadn¡¯t been replaced on the misting¡¯s face. Half of its¡­ his face was left bare. He blinked rapidly, like he¡¯d just woken up, then looked down at this body.


    He screamed. ¡°What¡­ what did you do to me?!¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯m trying to fix you.¡±


    ¡°Fix what? What is this? What are you trying to¡ª¡± His hand swiped at me. ¡°I didn¡¯t make my hand do that. It just¡ª¡± Another swipe with the other hand.


    ¡°We¡¯ll get you out of this,¡± I said. ¡°You just need to calm down. What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°Calm? How can I be calm? I can feel something¡­¡± He scrunched his face and locked his jaw. ¡°I can feel it in me. My¡­ name? Ulan. My name is Ulan.¡±


    ¡°It?¡±


    ¡°The mist.¡± He tried to kick me, but I dodged it easily. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ controlling me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not controlling your face, Ulan. We just need to get you out of the mist.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t make my legs run,¡± he said.


    ¡°You won¡¯t need to, Ulan. Just trust me.¡± I dashed and slid underneath him, stopping with my foot on his lower abdomen.


    ¡°What are you¡ª¡±


    I kicked. He shot up into the air like an arrow, but that wouldn¡¯t get him out of the mist on its own. I got back onto my feet, aiming my jump. I bent my knees, mustering as much force as I could, and released. The misting flailed in the air, but he froze when I hit him, my shoulder spearing him at the torso.


    The mist got thinner and thinner until we broke through. As soon as we did, the worm spirits latched onto me. They bit into my shoulder first, then spread over my skin like a rash. My flesh felt like it was bubbling and about to boil over. The misting looked at his body, human again and about a third the size of his misting form. He screamed when we started falling downward.


    I had to get to the ground before him, so I spun and dove downward, gritting my teeth to spite the pain of the worm spirits sinking into my bones. When I re-entered the mist, it seemed to pull me closer like I was one of its lost children. The mist¡¯s tugging made me hit the ground more quickly and harder than just gravity would allow.


    ¡°I¡¯ll catch you,¡± I shouted at him, but he probably couldn¡¯t hear me over his own wailing. I held my arms open, shifting around trying to anticipate where he¡¯d be falling. His silhouette grew darker until he popped out, waving his arms and screaming, ¡°Aaaaaaah!¡±


    I caught him and set him down. ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    He patted his chest, arms and legs, then sighed. ¡°I think so.¡± He stepped back from me. ¡°Are you? You¡¯re¡­ bigger.¡±


    I felt bigger, too. ¡°Get inside. You don¡¯t want to be out in this mist.¡±


    He nodded and shuffled off. ¡°Wait. Who are you?¡±


    I grinned slightly. ¡°Kublai.¡±


    ¡°Kublai.¡± He walked off, limping slightly. ¡°Kublai.¡±


    I started running. I had to find another misting. They could be cured, but knocking them out of the mist every time would take long. Too long. But it was all I had for now. I ran until I reached a bridge. I looked at the dry riverbed over the side. I scanned the other side of the river. Black, round marks the size of hearths spotted up the street. Houses had been burned, but not by fire. By acid.


    That water-misting from earlier, I realized. I hadn¡¯t heard its footsteps in a while. It must¡¯ve been moving away from me. That wasn¡¯t good. I was around the outskirts of Karakhorum, and its footsteps winded toward the center of the city. Towards the courthouse.


    Towards the citizens. The war-room would keep some of the mist out, but judging by these melted houses, that misting would make quick work of the stone.


    I followed its footsteps, taking in the carnage as I went. Houses folded over, steam drifting from their walls. Melted glass leaked down window frame, hardening over the front porches. The whole street reeked of rotten wood and salt water. A misting rummaged through the remains of someone¡¯s kitchen, slashing at everything that moved in the wind.


    I didn¡¯t have time to waste on that misting. I had to get to the courthouse. I picked up the pace, leaping over two or three of the large misting¡¯s footsteps at a time. My hand slipped into my satchel, reaching for the map out of instinct, but I couldn¡¯t stop the courthouse from behind attacked if I died getting there. The Spirit Realm fought the mist inside me last time I used the map, but this time I had much more of the mist coursing through my veins. I could feel it writhing over my bones.


    I leapt over a melted wall, my feet squelched when I landed in what was once a garden surrounding the courthouse The grass had gone brown, and I tore it up with each step. I was close. The water-misting¡¯s shadow was faint in the mist.


    The water-misting leaned over the courthouse. One of its feet rested on the stairs, acid streaming down and mixing with the melted granite. Its head peeked into the smoke-hole at the top of the courtroom, like a thief peering into a keyhole. It rested a hand on top of the guards¡¯ barracks, roof tiles clinking to the ground. A lone guard fired arrows at the misting¡¯s other hand as it tried to reach into the guard tower.


    I had to divert its attention. That guard wouldn¡¯t last long. I stopped and looked for something to throw. A stone wouldn¡¯t work ¨C too small. A chair from one of the houses? No. I glanced to my left. An oak tree?


    I put my arms around it and pulled. Its roots had been dissolved by the misting¡¯s acid. I heaved and got the tree onto my shoulder. I stepped in place, getting my balance, then took aim. Three, two, one¡­


    I launched the tree, branches rattling in the wind. It spun like a throwing axe. The tree hit the misting in the wrist, separating its hand from its arm. Acid rained down on the outside of the courthouse.


    I rushed forward, going up the stairs seven at a time. When I reached the doors of the courthouse, I ran at it, using the grooves as footholds to get onto the roof. The guard in the tower fired arrow after arrow, emboldened by the misting stepping back to recover its hand.


    I got to the base of the tower and looked up. ¡°Hey!¡±


    The guard peeked over the edge. ¡°My lord! You should be inside¡ª¡±


    ¡°That goes for you too,¡± I said. ¡°Get down from there and get inside.¡±


    ¡°My lord, it¡¯s my duty to defend Karakhorum.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s your duty to obey my orders too,¡± I said. ¡°Get inside. Keep the women and children safe. That¡¯s an order. I¡¯ll deal with everything going on outside.¡±


    He glanced at the misting, paused, and then nodded. I heard his footsteps hitting the stone as he ran down the guard tower. Now that he was out of the way, I turned to the water-misting. Absorbing the worm spirits from a normal misting almost made me sick. From one this big wouldn¡¯t be pleasant.


    Mist hit my back like a gust of wind. The water-misting held up its hand, and mist curled up into the space where its hand was. The healing started with a bone-like frame, then wrapped around it to form the sinew. When its hand was completely healed, the mist seemed¡­ thinner ¨C and the water-misting seemed to be bent down lower.


    It¡¯s using a lot of the mist, I realized. Too much. I couldn¡¯t take the water-misting out of the mist, but I could force it to use all the mist to keep itself alive. I¡¯d suffocate it.


    The water-misting screeched, deeper than the smaller ones. The sound sent a shudder through the courthouse. It raised a hand and swung it faster than I expected. Its forearm cleaved down, but I dove to the left. Acid splashed off the courthouse¡¯s roof, but the water-misting¡¯s arm went through the bricks like a hot knife.


    Some acid hit my chest and arms, but as soon as the pain bit, the mist spun into the wound. A sharp pain in my heart brought me down a knee. Another one in my right side. The mist healed me, but evidently this was more a curse than a blessing. If I got hurt again, the mist might stop my heart.


    There was always the age-old solution to that problem, though: don¡¯t get hit.


    The water-misting lifted its arm and dragged it along the rooftop. I jumped off the roof. I rolled to lessen the impact of the landing, but the water-misting already had something waiting for me.


    Thousands of thin veins raced towards me, the granite clunking as acid cut through them. I jumped onto a gap between them, pivoting on one foot as they changed course. I leapt to another, then to another, then to another. The misting couldn¡¯t keep up, its tendrils crashing into one another. I leapt over a cluster of them and bolted.


    The water-misting turned its head towards me and spat. A thick mass flew at me like a meteor. I stopped dead and it crashed in front of me, dissolving into the ground. The water-misting fired off two in quick succession. These two were accurate enough to force me to dodge. I changed direction, one landing behind me and the other to my right.


    This one can sense me, I realized. It¡¯s different. Come to think of it, when I encountered the creature attacking Erhi, before I¡¯d thrown it into the river, its body looked different. It had looked much more like Oktai¡¯s black fire than the other mistings I¡¯ve seen.


    The water-misting groaned and bent over, resting on all-fours. It screeched, but its mouth hung open after the sound faded. Mist circled its open jaw. I shielded my eyes against the wind. It felt like a hurricane was forming ¨C with its eye in the water-misting¡¯s mouth.


    But it wasn¡¯t a hurricane. A dark purple sphere condensed outside its mouth. Light streamed from it like a black sun. I couldn¡¯t look at it too long. The water-misting dug in with all four limbs and arched its back. Shit.


    It fired. The sphere tore through the district. Houses far from it disintegrated like snow thrown into a blaze. Its light was blinding. I glanced back. If I dodged the sphere, it¡¯d crash into the courthouse; the war-room was built to withstand dragon¡¯s fire, but this¡­ this would tear through it and everyone inside.


    The ground shuddered. The heat of the sphere made me sweat from three blocks away. From two, it felt like I was in a furnace. From one, my hair burned at the edges. My hands shook. My skin felt like it was about to flake off, but I stood my ground.


    As soon as the sphere touched my fingertip, my body screamed for me to pull my hand back. I resisted, and flattened my left palm against the sphere. Its force pushed me back, my heels dragging through the dirt. My left arm cracked, and the skin peeled back, my blood boiling. I gritted my teeth. I couldn¡¯t stop it completely ¨C but I didn¡¯t have to.


    I dipped down and used my right hand to support my left arm. I pulled up, lifting it with my legs, and threw it back. It arced over the courthouse like an orbiting sun, and I fell back.


    I couldn¡¯t move my left arm. Smoke trailed off my arm. The skin had been burned black. I touched it with my right hand and it felt like tree bark. The mist streamed towards my shoulder; it healed what it could, but it seemed to leave my left arm alone completely.


    Get up, I told myself. My body felt too heavy to move. Get up. I rolled off my back and onto my stomach, trying to use my right arm to lift myself off the ground. Get up. I spat blood. The heavy footsteps of the water-misting shook the ground, slipping my tenuous right arm. I fell. Get up.


    I pushed and got onto my knees. Get up! Then one knee. Get up! Then I got onto my feet. My left arm throbbed, but the courthouse was safe ¨C for now.


    The water-misting opened its mouth, baring steel-colored teeth and screeching. Shit. Another sphere. The last one took out my left arm, but I still had my right.


    I had to stop it before it started.


    I reached into my satchel and pulled out the map. Using it might kill me, but standing here waiting for the water-misting to fire off another of those spheres would definitely kill me ¨C or, worse, tear through the people in the war-room. I¡¯d have to take my chances.


    I pressed on the same cliff I had before. The pain of my arm eclipsed the pain of the Spirit Realm rejecting the mist inside me. When I landed, I fell, but I couldn¡¯t waste time. I ran off the cliff immediately, map in hand. I held my finger over Karakhorum.


    I need to make sure this one deals with the misting, I thought. If it survives¡­


    I pressed on the black desert. Usually, I¡¯d just let the Spirit Realm¡¯s energy soak into me on its own; not this time. I had to get as much as possible. The blue light enveloped me, and I embraced it, pulling it towards me like a glutton at a summer feast. I felt the mist and the blue energy fighting one another in my gut.


    The map spat me out over the silver desert, the sheen of it forced me to shut my eyes. Some of the violet mist had leaked out here, but I couldn¡¯t see the hole. I fell, but I drifted my finger over the map before I got too low.


    I pressed on the Split-Skull Forest. The spiritual energy resisted me at first, gushing against my flesh instead of seeping into it, but I clawed at the blue light. It felt more solid now than ever. ¡°Give it to me!¡± I screamed into the void. It seemed to respond, diving into my body. My skin cracked, leaking mist and blue light.


    I blinked and I was falling over the Split-Skull Forest. The tops of the trees swayed in the wind. I didn¡¯t have much time before I¡¯d hit the forest canopy, so I pressed on Karakhorum on the map immediately.


    The blue light didn¡¯t need to be forced this time. It burrowed into me ¨C into my eyes, my mouth, my veins. My heart beat at thrice the speed. My veins felt they were about to burst. I felt my bones shattering and being stuck back together by spiritual energy. The mixture of the mist and the blue light felt like I¡¯d swallowed a lightning cloud and drunk an erupting volcano. My hands had been stripped of flesh and looked like two claws made of violet magma.


    The map spat me out with an explosion of light, like a hundred bolts of lightning firing off at the same time. I appeared above the water-misting. It snapped to attention, but that wouldn¡¯t help it. I dove at it like a comet turned flesh.


    I hit its neck, slamming the water-misting into the ground. The shockwave pushed the mist back, and the spiritual energy on the water-misting latched onto my arms. It peeled off his body and streamed into mine. My arms swelled to the size of giants¡¯ legs; my legs shook and expanded to the size of tree trunks. My shirt tore and I shed my boots like a cocoon. I stepped back and sunk down, as if I was suddenly twice the weight.


    The water-misting shrunk beneath me. Patches of skin blossomed as I took more of its spiritual energy. First its neck, then it back and arms and legs and face¡­


    I narrowed my eyes at the human face. Oktai.

 20: Oktai

    ¡°You didn¡¯t actually believe I was dead, did you?¡± Oktai guffawed, getting onto his feet. ¡°You would be so lucky.¡±


    ¡°And you would be so unlucky,¡± I said. ¡°You won¡¯t get off as easy this time.¡±


    ¡°Easy?¡± Oktai shook his head. ¡°I opened a portal to the Spirit Realm inside my body. Not easy. It took me years to learn what I needed.¡± He narrowed his eyes at me. ¡°And I¡¯m not about to let some arrogant upstart stomp on my plans.¡±


    I tried to dash for Oktai, but my body felt too heavy for the movement. I shifted forward more like I¡¯d been pushed than taken a step.


    ¡°Oh that?¡± Oktai raised his arms. ¡°I would say you¡¯ll get used to it, but when I¡¯m done with you, you won¡¯t have the chance to.¡±


    A misting screeched from inside the mist. Oktai grinned. Another misting screeched. Another. Another. They screeched in unison, like a flock of birds whistling together. The first misting came running from the mist, and a second came hot on its heels. I got my guard up, but they weren¡¯t running at me.


    They were running at Oktai.


    ¡°You thought these were just mindless beasts, bent on attacking you?¡± Oktai said. ¡°I am their mind.¡±


    Mistings emerged from the mist, like dogs returning at their master¡¯s call. Hundreds of them brushed past me and leapt at Oktai. They piled on top of him and the mound swirled together into one black mass. The mound burst with a whoosh of black fire and sunk down ¨C into Oktai. His flesh crawled. He clenched his fists and his skin ignited with black fire. It seemed more alive this time.


    He grinned. ¡°And I am the mist.¡± He raised a hand and clenched his fist. It felt like gravity suddenly got stronger. The ground cracked beneath me. I fell to a knee, gritting my teeth.


    ¡°But I¡¯m merciful.¡± Oktai strode towards me. ¡°I¡¯ll spare you¡­ if you give her to me.¡±


    I craned my neck up to look at him. It felt like fighting a hand that pressed my head down. ¡°Khulan¡­ stays¡­ with¡ª¡±


    ¡°Khulan?¡± Oktai shook his head. ¡°Your witch. Your sorceress. The Seer of the Split-Skull Forest.¡±


    ¡°Give her to¡­ you?¡±


    Oktai nodded. ¡°Or I could squash you like a grape and go find her, but I¡ª¡±


    ¡°You need me.¡± I smiled.


    He clenched his fist again. I spat blood.


    ¡°This mist is bound to my blood, my will,¡± he said. ¡°But it¡¯s unstable. It has to be contained, controlled. I have to control it, but I don¡¯t have a container. I destroyed most of my body to gain control over the mist. She¡¯s going to fix it.¡±


    ¡°And then you¡¯ll walk off into the sunset and spend the rest of your days living off the land?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll spend the rest of my days in my rightful place.¡± Oktai stepped forward. ¡°On the throne of this realm.¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately¡­¡± I looked up at him, grinning. ¡°That¡¯s my seat.¡±


    He scowled and raised his hand, but hesitated. ¡°You insufferable¡ª¡±


    I breathed and dug deep. The ground split beneath me. I lifted my hand against the force of Oktai holding me down. My arm shuddered, my muscles stretched to their limits. I lifted my other leg and Oktai took a step back. I pushed and got my back up straight.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ not possible¡­¡± he muttered.


    ¡°That¡¯s why you don¡¯t belong on the throne of this realm,¡± I said. ¡°You pay too much attention to what¡¯s possible.¡±


    Oktai clenched his fist over and over. I felt it weigh heavy on my shoulders, but I resisted, setting my will against Oktai¡¯s. He scowled and held out a hand. Mist streamed into the shape of a black sword, its blade gleaming like obsidian and diamond.


    ¡°Fine,¡± Oktai said. ¡°Old fashioned way.¡±


    We dashed for one another at the same time. He swung his blade, but this was my arena. I¡¯d spent years learning swordplay. He hacked and slashed like a novice. He struck left, I slipped right; he struck right, I darted left and punched his ribs.


    He raised the blade over his head and brought it down. I grabbed his wrists mid-swing and kicked his chest. He flew back ten feet.


    ¡°You should have stuck with those spheres,¡± I said.


    ¡°Who said I didn¡¯t?¡± Mist streamed around him, condensing into three spheres behind him. They fired at me as soon as they were ready.


    I dove and rolled to avoid the first. The second streamed over my shoulder, burning my ear as it did. The third came for my chest, but I caught it with both my hands.


    ¡°You¡¯re not¡­ the only one who¡¯s empowered by the mist,¡± I growled.


    ¡°What are you¡ª¡±


    The sphere shivered between my fingers, like I was holding a beehive. I squeezed it, condensing it further. I smiled at Oktai, and threw.


    My sphere was smaller, so it shot through the air like an arrow. Mist leaked from it as it sped at Oktai¡¯s chest. He froze and it could him in the chest. He flew back, tearing through a tree and crashing into house. Bricks fell onto him. Plates shattered. Everything went silent.


    Bricks shifted. Oktai stumbled out the house.


    He dashed for me, but I was ready. He led with his blade. I ducked, but he was getting better; he followed through with a low strike. I jabbed his wrist and drove his blow off course. He¡ª


    ¡°My lord!¡± Eeluk raced towards me. His uniform was splattered with other people¡¯s blood. He clung to a broken sword.


    Oktai went for Eeluk. I kicked Oktai¡¯s thigh, but it wasn¡¯t enough to stop him. Eeluk put up a shaky guard. His broken sword quivered in his two-handed grip.


    I chased Oktai, but he got to Eeluk first. Oktai batted away Eeluk¡¯s sword and slipped behind me, holding his black blade over Eeluk¡¯s throat.


    ¡°My lord¡­¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that just precious?¡± Oktai said. ¡°He¡¯s pining for you, like a puppy.¡±


    I darted, but Oktai dug the edge of the blade into Eeluk¡¯s throat, drawing blood.


    ¡°Don¡¯t. Move.¡± Oktai put his arm around Eeluk¡¯s shoulders.


    ¡°My lord, I was coming to your aide¡­¡±


    ¡°I know, Eeluk,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯ll get you out of this.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s only one way you¡¯ll get my blade off his throat,¡± Oktai said. ¡°Take me to the seer.¡±This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    ¡°That¡¯s another reason you won¡¯t ever sit on the throne.¡± I inched forward. I made eye contact with Eeluk. ¡°You only ever see one way to solve a problem.¡± I nodded at Eeluk slightly, and Eeluk nodded back. Oktai didn¡¯t notice. ¡°And you always work alone.¡±


    I ran at Oktai. He moved to cut Eeluk¡¯s throat, but Eeluk elbowed him in the gut. Eeluk threw his head back into Oktai¡¯s nose. I slid through the dirt and got to them as Eeluk slipped out from Oktai¡¯s blade. I slammed my fist into Oktai¡¯s skull and he dropped the black blade. My next blow sent him flying back.


    ¡°Eeluk, get out of here,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯ll handle this.¡±


    Eeluk knew better than to argue with me. He nodded and ran off.


    Mist spun around Oktai, lifting him up from the ground. He wiped the blood from his broken nose. I didn¡¯t let up, but neither did he. He swiped mist at me. It lashed at me, cutting my arm. I dipped underneath the two whips of mist coming me for my head. Oktai threw another. I dove for his black sword he¡¯d abandoned. The mist went for my back, but I spun and crashed into it with the black blade.


    I got back onto my feet. Oktai disapproved. He screeched, like a misting, and threw as much mist as he could at me. Pillars of it gushed at me, but it only served to push me back. I dug my feet into the ground and pushed back. Mist broke off, splashing around me as I resisted its current.


    ¡°Just die!¡± Oktai screamed. ¡°I¡¯ll find her myself and¡ª¡±


    I tore through his stream of mist. Black blade still in hand I leapt at Oktai. He tried to whip me out of the air with mist, but I swiped them away. He put up his arms to defend himself as I brought the blade down. It bit into his forearm.


    I pressed down, but he wasn¡¯t giving in so easily. He held out his free hand. Mist streamed into his palm, forming into a second blade. He clashed his against mine. They didn¡¯t clang; when they met, it sounded like a clap of thunder. Sparks flew when his blade grinded on mine. I put both hands on my sword, bearing down even harder.


    He almost buckled under my weight. His leg gave in, but he pulled mist into it and turned the tide. He pressed down onto me, bearing his teeth like an enraged wolf. I kicked his abdomen, putting some distance between us.


    I followed up immediately, charging at him. His blade blocked mine, and he tried to swipe at me, but I beat him to it. I brought my elbow across his chin. He wasn¡¯t shaken. He swung his blade up from below, but I batted it off course. Each time our blades met, the sound reverberated through Karakhorum. The ground shook with each blow. Houses crumbled. Our blades sung like rolling thunder and shone like bolts of black lightning.


    Oktai jumped back, breathing heavily. I didn¡¯t need to recover. I dashed for him, thrusting with my blade. I caught him in the side. Blood gushed from his wound. Oktai returned a few strikes. One came near my neck, but I pulled my head back just in time. I swung at his thigh. He blocked the blow with his arm, my blade cutting a gash in his wrist.


    Blood streamed from Oktai¡¯s arm. ¡°Don¡¯t you see how futile this is?¡± Oktai held up his injured hand, and mist burrowed into his wounds, covering them like bandages. ¡°You can hurt me and hurt me, but as long as there¡¯s mist¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll just have to keep going until you run out of mist, then.¡±


    I used my blade to distract him. He blocked with his blade, but he couldn¡¯t block the knee I sent into his gut. Oktai groaned as he shot upward. He arced down after a moment, and I dashed to meet him. He was one foot off the ground I crashed into him.


    Oktai grinded against the dirt, leaving a trail of burnt stone in his wake. I stepped over, but he was already back on his feet.


    ¡°I¡¯ll never run out of mist. The portal to the Spirit Realm is inside my body.¡± Oktai said. ¡°As long as the mist calls me its master, it will heed my orders.¡±


    Mist circled him like a hurricane, setting his broken bones straight with a series of clacks. I couldn¡¯t let him heal, so I charged at him. The mist pushed me back, throwing me off into the stairs leading up to the courthouse. I reached around for shards of granite and flung them at Oktai.


    The mist settled into six tendrils coming out of his back, stretching out from him like six arms. They moved quickly, knocking the stones I¡¯d thrown out of the air. He smiled¡­ until one of the mist arms snapped at him and hit him across the jaw. His black fire flickered, as it someone had blown on it.


    He was losing control of the mist.


    I wouldn¡¯t waste the opportunity. I jumped off the stairs, black blade ready to do some damage. His mist tendrils darted, snapping at me like six snakes. I slapped one, sending it crashing into another. Another one snapped at me, but I cut through it with my blade. The rest stumbled over one another, tangling themselves.


    Oktai¡¯s eyes widened when I cut through the last tendril. He pulled them back into himself and charged with his blade in hand. I struck. The force of my blow collapsed his weak guard, sending his blade flying out of his hand, and cleaved across his face. He pulled back just in time, but a gash opened on his forehead.


    He wiped the blood out of his eyes, but as soon as he did, more streamed down. The mist crawled over the wound, stitching it back together.


    Oktai laughed. ¡°I told you. The portal¡¯s inside me. I¡¯ll never run out of mist.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not trying to get you to run out,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯m trying to get the mist to realize that you¡¯re not worthy of being called master.¡±


    ¡°Hah.¡± His laughter died. ¡°You don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡±


    ¡°But I know what I¡¯m doing.¡± I held out my free hand and called to the mist in my mind. Come. Nothing happened. Come! The mist around me seemed to twitch. Come! The mist eddied towards my hand, like a stray approaching a stranger.


    Oktai¡¯s eyes widened. He charged at me before the mist reached my palm. I put up a guard against his blade. He swung overhead, but I stepped to the left and thrusted at his chest. He didn¡¯t move, and my blade pierced near his heart.


    He spat blood.


    ¡°It¡¯s over, Oktai,¡± I said.


    ¡°Over?¡± Oktai looked at me and stepped forward, driving my blade deeper into his chest. ¡°It¡¯s not over until I¡¯m on the throne.¡±


    Black fire climbed over the blade, racing up until it reached the hilt. I pulled my hand back, letting the blade go. Black fire covered it, then it sunk into Oktai¡¯s chest like he was consuming it. He wiped the blood from his mouth.


    ¡°I made that blade,¡± he said. ¡°I can destroy it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll just have to make my own.¡± I stuck out a hand. Come! The mist responded, brushing up against my legs. Come!


    Oktai guffawed. ¡°It took me eight years to learn how to control the mist, and you think you can¡ª¡±


    ¡°Come!¡± I tensed my hand. Mist shot at my palm. It hit me hard, threatening to throw my hand off, but I wouldn¡¯t let it. I steadied my hand. Come! More streamed in from below. The form of it, however, was more an uneven club than a sword. It shuddered and broke. The mist sunk out of my hand and dissolved.


    ¡°See?¡± Oktai held up his blade. ¡°Eight years! And you just think you can show up one day and do it? Please. I had to destroy my body to become the master of the mists.¡± He shook his head and raised his hand. Mist streamed between his fingers, condensing into the shape of a spear.


    He launched. I tried to dodge, but it caught me in the shoulder, pinning me to the ground. I tugged at it, but every time I moved, pain shot through my chest.


    Oktai loomed over me, body flickering. He was still losing control. His black fire moved wildly over him, like a sea in a storm. He stumbled and tried to hide it, but I saw him lose his balance and regain it. I held out my left hand.


    ¡°Again? Really?¡± Oktai shook his head. ¡°You should learn when to quit. Well, it doesn¡¯t matter now anyway.¡±


    He had to destroy his body, I thought, to conquer the mists. I slipped my hand into my satchel. So be it. I couldn¡¯t let him force Erhi to do his bidding, nor could I let the mists run rampant over the continent. ¡°I think it matters now more than ever. Now is hardly the time to quit.¡±


    Oktai rolled his eyes. ¡°It¡¯s time you went away.¡±


    I smiled, opening the map with my right hand. ¡°I agree.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t tell where I¡¯d pressed, but the blue light tore me from Oktai¡¯s spear. It streamed into me, cracking what remained of my skin like old clay. Mist tore through my bones, boiling my marrow. My heart beat irregularly, stopping and starting. I clutched at my chest. My gut twisted. Blood streamed from my mouth and eyes.


    I landed in a rice paddy. As soon as I touched the water, it started boiling. Steam drifted upwards. Water bubbled around my legs, but I didn¡¯t feel it. The heat spread out, racing towards two rice farmers. They looked at me, then each other. They hopped in the water, their feet burning, and ran away.


    I heaved. I lifted the map, but my hands shuddered too much. The little picture of Karakhorum looked blurry, but as I breathed and focused, it became clearer. I paused. I could feel the mist, twisting my kidneys and crushing my spine. Spiritual energy pierced my veins, eating at my flesh like a plague. Using the map again would kill me ¨C I needed it to destroy me. For once, my toughness got in the way.


    I pressed on Karakhorum, just off the courthouse. The blue light took me, and my body unraveled like paper in water. I couldn¡¯t feel my limbs anymore, but I needed more. I clawed at the Spirit Realm.


    It spat me out. The ground burned underneath me, like it had when Oktai first arrived in Karakhorum. Violet mist and blue light streamed from me. My vision was blurry, but I could see Oktai walking off in the distance.


    ¡°Oh?¡± Oktai turned. ¡°You¡­ don¡¯t look well. Finally taken too much for¡ª¡±


    I spat. ¡°Too¡­ much? Just¡­ enough.¡± I fell back. My muscle flaked off, drifting off like kindling in a hearth.


    Oktai walked closer, shaking his head. ¡°Fool.¡±


    My hands melted into the ground and my bones felt like they went through my flesh. My eyes felt heavy. I tried to speak, but my throat was too damaged. All that came out was a low croak. Finally, my bones cracked and melted. Oktai stood over me, grinning.


    Everything went black.

 21: Resurrection

    I only felt the ground shaking at first. The next thing was heat, as if the sun was rising from inside me. But the heat was¡­ moving. It curled, spinning itself into my bones, then stitching itself into sinew, muscle, veins. It spun and shape me, like a potter shaping clay.


    ¡°¡­not possible,¡± Oktai muttered.


    I tried to move my arms, but they didn¡¯t respond at first. Move. They shifted. Blood flowed into them for the first time, burrowing between my muscles and awakening them. My bones felt even denser than before, as if they¡¯d been reformed out of steel. My skin shifted and writhed at first, like a new coat sinking into place. I cracked my neck as I stood.


    I opened my eyes. The map lay next to me, so I picked it up and returned it to my satchel.


    Oktai stepped back. ¡°This isn¡¯t¡­ possible.¡±


    The mist thrashed around me, grating against my skin. It slammed into me, front and back, shifting directions instantly between blows. I stood steadfast. It curled around me legs, like a hunting dog.


    Oktai stuck a hand out. ¡°Come!¡±


    The mist started. Some of it broke off and spun into his palm, but most of it clung to me. I swatted the air and the sliver of mist in Oktai¡¯s palm dissolved.


    ¡°Come!¡± Oktai stepped back, shaking his open palm. ¡°Come! Come!¡±


    Nothing materialized.


    ¡°Come.¡± I held out my hand. Mist shot up from around my ankles into my palm. It sparkled in the light of Oktai¡¯s black fire. I spun my fingers, curling it into a sword. The hilt formed first, dragging out into a short blade the color of iron. I gripped it, and the mist tightened, locking into the form of the sword.


    ¡°Fine,¡± Oktai puffed his chest up. ¡°I have other tricks.¡±


    Oktai¡¯s black fire peeled back with a crunch. Blue light swam inside him, but it looked darker than the Spirit Realm¡¯s, as if his had been polluted. His chest sealed itself a moment later, and his black fire roared like he¡¯d poured oil on it.


    ¡°All the portals to the Spirit Realm I opened on this continent,¡± he said. ¡°All of them are powered by this one in me.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± I said. ¡°Then I only have one target.¡±


    He dove at me. His attacks were faster, but I felt them coming in the mist. He swiped, but I swatted his hand back with my blade. His fire felt harder, as if it was made of stone. He kicked, but I grabbed his leg and flung him. I grinned. Oktai regained his balance and kept coming for me.


    Let¡¯s see what this mist can do. I threw my mist-blade aside and it dissolved. I told the mist to come to me in my mind. It listened, snapping to attention. A stream of it hit Oktai on its way, sending him into a fence.


    All of it, I told the mist. It responded. Mist streamed into my chest, packing itself in tightly. My lungs felt like I was drowning, but I could breathe fine. The veins in my arms swelled and blackened. If I didn¡¯t feel like I could lift the moon right now, I might think I was ill.


    Karakhorum looked normal again ¨C albeit in shambles. Only one house had been left untouched in this street. Rocks piled up the courthouse stairs like a mound of granite snow. The ground beneath Oktai and I had been burned, but the rest of it looked like it had been tilled. I¡¯d have to think about rebuilding later ¨C for now, I had to close the portal inside Oktai; it still posed a threat even with the mist under my command.


    Oktai came at me again, wielding a piece of broken wood like a desperate spear. I caught it and it burned to ash between my fingers. He tried to grab at my flesh, but he pulled his hand back when it started to burn. I wasn¡¯t cloaked in black fire like Oktai, but steam leaked from my skin.


    ¡°Your other tricks are less impressive,¡± I said.


    Oktai scowled. ¡°I¡¯ll show you less impressive.¡±


    His attacks got faster. His hands whooshed past me, barely visible. I blocked each strike, twisting his wrist when I caught it. He pulled back, his hand dangling loosely on his broken wrist. He groaned and the black fire snapped it into place.


    Oktai didn¡¯t let up, but I could deal with him. The problem was the portal inside his body. I didn¡¯t know what would happen if I killed him. I blocked his blows, slapping his hands away like they were mosquitos in the night. He even tried throwing in a head-butt, but I took it. I head-butted him in return. He didn¡¯t take it as well as I did.


    He stumbled back. I didn¡¯t let up. I grabbed his chest, using my thumbs to pry open the flames. They didn¡¯t give in, burning hotter the harder I squeezed. Oktai pushed he back.


    ¡°Close the portal,¡± I said.


    ¡°It¡¯s too late for that.¡± Oktai dashed for me.


    I went straight for his chest. I clawed at the black fire and called out to the mist inside me. It leaked out from my skin and pushed Oktai back, tearing into his black fire.


    He pushed against it, crossing his arms in front of his chest to protect it. I strode forward, blasting mist at him. Black fire splintered off, but not enough to open his chest. Harder. The mist responded, blasting Oktai at twice the rate. It lashed out at him, but he dodged the whips. I stepped forward. He stepped back.


    Crack.


    His chest split open, spilling blue light out like a waterfall. He tried to pull the black fire over the portal, but it only fell off like rotten flesh. I charged at him and gripped the edges of the portal. I pulled on the edges, trying to bring them together. Oktai clawed at my face, but I had to focus on closing the portal. I groaned. It didn¡¯t budge.


    Help. The mist streamed out from my forearms, curling around my hands. It attached around the edges. The portal shifted an inch closed, but that was far from enough. Oktai pushing my shoulders and used his legs to pry himself free of my grip.


    Footsteps caught my attention. Three sets. It caught Oktai¡¯s too. His head turned sharply. Erhi, Batu and Khulan waved in the distance, running toward us.


    I knew what Oktai¡¯s was thinking, and when he started to run at them, I punched him clean across the jaw, sending him into the dirt. He jumped back with a whoosh and dashed at them, but I caught his ankle as he leapt. I threw him like a doll; he crashed into the last house standing in the street. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    Batu jogged up. ¡°You look¡­ kind of badass, actually.¡±


    Erhi and Khulan weren¡¯t far behind.


    ¡°What happened to the mist?¡± Erhi asked.


    ¡°The mist is under control.¡± I held out a hand. Mist spiraled into the shape of a rose. I gave it to her. ¡°Literally.¡±


    ¡°Always the charmer,¡± Khulan said.


    ¡°But I still have to close the portal,¡± I said.


    ¡°We can just throw some dirt in them,¡± Batu said. ¡°A lot of it. Holes are holes, after all.¡±


    Erhi rolled her eyes. ¡°No. That won¡¯t stop the spiritual energy from leaking in.¡±


    ¡°We have to shut off the source that¡¯s keeping them open. The main portal is inside Oktai.¡± I pointed. ¡°If we close that one, we close them all.¡±


    ¡°Inside¡­¡± Batu narrowed his eyes. ¡°¡­Oktai.¡± He paused. ¡°Didn¡¯t he melt?¡±


    ¡°Evidently not.¡± Khulan pointed at Oktai shifting in the rubble.


    ¡°Get behind me,¡± I said.


    They listened. Oktai was still leaking blue light. He reached down, curling some of it into a sphere. It spun between his fingers, black fire igniting it. He raised it, but I was ready. The sphere shot at me. I ran to meet the sphere, my palm stretched outward.


    I caught it. I let it travelled back over my shoulder, just so it would wind up my throw. Oktai saw what I was planning, but it was too late. I craned my arm back and pushed forward, launching the sphere at Oktai at twice the speed.


    He dove out its path, but it clipped his foot. He rolled back up, but stood with a limp, his foot smoking from the heat of his own attack. The limp didn¡¯t stop him from coming at me again.


    ¡°Erhi,¡± I called out. ¡°I have an idea to close the portal.¡±


    ¡°Is it a lot of dirt?¡± Batu said.


    ¡°No, but it feels dirty,¡± I said. ¡°Oktai said he needed you to heal his body before.¡±


    ¡°So you want me to¡­¡±


    ¡°Heal him.¡± I sent a blast of mist to slow him down. It did, but he was still headed for me. ¡°That portal in his chest is like my injuries from when I use the map too much.¡±


    ¡°Except it¡¯s about a thousand times worse,¡± she said.


    ¡°Can you handle it?¡±


    Erhi pursed her lips, then nodded.


    I smiled. ¡°Get ready.¡±


    I dashed at Oktai. He swung at me, but I blocked the blow and slipped underneath his raised arm.


    Oktai threw his free elbow back at me, but I caught it. ¡°What are you¡ª¡±


    I pulled his arms back and put him in a headlock. Oktai wriggled, but that only made me tighten my grip. I kicked the back of his knees, pushing him towards Erhi. His gut was open, spilling blue light like a fountain.


    Erhi stepped forward. She lifted her hands, but Oktai jumped up, swiping at her with his feet and bounding into the air. He twisted himself free of my hold, but not for long. I caught his head mid-air and slammed him into the ground face first. He tried to get back up, but I kicked his arms out from under him, then tipped him over so his chest faced the sky.


    I pinned his arms down with mine and called the mist to keep his legs in place. The mist formed hard shackles around his ankles. ¡°Quickly!¡±


    Erhi rushed over. ¡°Hold him still.¡±


    Batu drew his sword and poked at Oktai. Khulan squatted down and peered into the portal. Erhi waved her hands over the blue light, as if she was knitting a blanket.


    Oktai groaned. ¡°I¡¯ll fucking kill all of¡ª¡±


    Batu kicked him across the chin. ¡°I liked him better when he was melted.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m almost there.¡± Erhi¡¯s hands moved faster and faster, flickering as she coerced tiny spirits to do her bidding. They writhed over the edges of the portal, some of them getting sucked in. ¡°I¡¯ve nearly¡ª¡±


    Oktai threw his chest up, shaking violently. ¡°Let me go, you bitch!¡±


    Batu kicked him again, but Oktai bit the tip of Batu¡¯s boot instead. I pressed hard on Oktai¡¯s elbow, shattering it. He yelped and released Batu¡¯s boot.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ tricky.¡± Erhi wiped the sweat on her brow. ¡°This takes at least two seers.¡±


    Khulan shifted. ¡°I can help.¡±


    ¡°No, you can¡¯t,¡± Erhi said. ¡°You haven¡¯t been exposed to this concentration of spiritual energy. You can¡¯t take it. I need an extra pair of hands, but not if those hands burn up as soon as they try to¡ª¡±


    Hands, I told the mist. Two pillars of mist formed on my back. They crept over my shoulder, spilling over Oktai. One had six fingers and the other four.


    ¡°Hands, asked and answers,¡± I said. ¡°What do you need?¡±


    ¡°Reach into the portal and grip the sides.¡±


    I did.


    Erhi stood up and swung her leg over Oktai. She held out her hands and breathed. Tiny spirits circled around the portal, then stopped along its edges. She tensed her hands and nodded at me.


    Pull. The mist gripped tighter. I felt the strain in my chest. Erhi gritted her teeth, her hands shaking. The edges of the portal cracked. I pulled harder, and so did Erhi. The tiny spirits reached over the hole, as if trying to hold hands across the gap.


    Oktai shook beneath me, shifting his chest to try and break my grip. It didn¡¯t. I only pulled tighter. The portal cracked again. Erhi bent down, getting as close as she could. Spiritual energy shone from her fingers. I poured more mist into the effort, the hands thickening as soon as I told it to.


    Oktai yelped, and one loud crunch closed the hole.


    ¡°Hold it closed!¡± Erhi shouted.


    Blue light still leaked from the slit on Oktai¡¯s gut, but his black fire retreated and extinguished. Erhi fell on top of him as soon as it did, pressing her hands over the crevice. Spirits weaved through Oktai¡¯s flesh like a thread sewing through cloth. He writhed, but it was too late.


    The wound glowed for a moment, then the blue light died slowly, like a torch sinking under water. The lights beaming to the sky around Karakhorum flickered and died.


    Oktai stilled, his eyes shut. I released my mist, drawing it back into my body, and lifted my hands off Oktai¡¯s arms. Erhi fell over. I slipped my arms under her shoulders and picked her up. She was out cold, and so was Oktai.


    ¡°Is it over?¡± Khulan asked.


    Batu kicked Oktai across the chin again. ¡°He didn¡¯t bite me. Seems over.¡±


    Khulan gave him a flat look.


    ¡°What?¡± Batu shrugged. ¡°I had to be sure he was out.¡±


    Khulan turned and stomped on Oktai¡¯s crotch. ¡°If you¡¯re going to check, check properly.¡±


    ¡°Eternal Blue Sky,¡± Batu said. ¡°I didn¡¯t believe the guards when they called you a monster, but that was¡­ monstrous.¡±


    I turned and started walking towards the courthouse. ¡°Let¡¯s go find her a bed and assess the damage.¡±


    Khulan and Batu nodded.


    Stones shifted behind me. I glanced over my shoulder. Oktai rolled over, breathing heavily. His hair started falling out and blood gushed from between his teeth. His skin hung on him more loosely with each passing second.


    ¡°Hold her.¡± I passed Erhi to Batu and strode over to Oktai.


    Oktai glared up at me and spat. ¡°You think you¡¯re¡­ something special. You think you can rule this continent. He is not a foe you can handle. He will come for you, someday. When you think you¡¯re the most safe, the most powerful¡­¡± A strong gust of wind blew through Karakhorum. ¡°¡­He¡¯ll put you in your place, and unlike me, you won¡¯t be able to get back up. You¡¯ve destroyed the last man who could stand against him¡ª¡±


    I reached down and grabbed him by the throat. I lifted his frail body with one hand.


    ¡°Let him come.¡± I squeezed Oktai¡¯s throat. ¡°We¡¯ll see who puts whom in their place.¡± I snapped his neck and let spiritual energy pour into Oktai. His body cracked and caught alight, flaking off in the wind, bit by bit until his skull shattered between my fingers.

 22: The Man on the Hill

    Most of Karakhorum had been badly damaged, so tents had sprung up. Spots of people nailed tarp to the ruins of their old houses. I¡¯d ordered the giants to patrol the streets, helping where they could. Mouse-Dew and Chair-Wax lifted men up to repair what they couldn¡¯t reach. Goblins pushed little carts full of lumber, nails and stones.


    Women replanted trees and flowers in the gardens. Others handed out soup to the men working on repairs. Children played in the streets. It had only been three days since the mist had invaded Karakhorum, but it seemed like most people were working on putting it behind them.


    I sat on the roof of the courthouse, baking in the late-afternoon sun. My guards tried to repair the courthouse first, but I¡¯d told them to help the citizens before they worked on this place. I could still feel the mist writhing under my skin, but it was part of me now.


    Khulan looked up at me. ¡°I figured you¡¯d be here again.¡±


    I offered her a hand.


    ¡°Actually,¡± she said, ¡°I¡¯m here to pull you off the roof this time. Erhi¡¯s awake.¡±


    I leapt off the roof and landed next to Khulan. ¡°When did she wake up?¡±


    ¡°I came for you as soon as I heard,¡± she said.


    I walked through the courthouse doors. The frame had been damaged, so it hung off loosely. The courthouse was empty, save for the shards of some broken benches and a hearth that had been melted by Oktai¡¯s acid. ¡°Who told you?¡±


    ¡°Told me? It was hard not to hear Erhi yelling.¡±


    I started running, but Khulan grabbed my hand before I took off.


    ¡°She was yelling ¡®I did it¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± I slowed my pace to match Khulan¡¯s. I¡¯d always walked fast, but ever since I absorbed the mist, I walked too quickly for everyone else. ¡°So she¡¯s alright?¡±


    ¡°Well, she¡¯s a bit full of herself at the moment,¡± she said. ¡°But she¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°¡­you see my hands? They were so strong¡­¡± Erhi¡¯s voice echoed through the courthouse.


    As soon as I passed through the backdoor in the courtroom, Eeluk rushed at me with a stack of papers and three men with glasses behind him. ¡°My lord, my lord¡­¡±


    ¡°Whatever you need, consider it approved.¡±


    ¡°Approved?¡± Eeluk glanced down at his papers. ¡°These are the plans for the new Karakhorum. The architects here have designed the Kublai Gardens.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to have a garden?¡±


    ¡°With a fifty-five foot statue of your lord¡¯s likeness,¡± one of the architect chimed in.


    ¡°Why fifty-five?¡± Khulan asked.


    One of the other architects tugged at his little suit and smiled. ¡°Ah, glad you asked. You see, Kublai is the fifth lord of Karakhorum since the First Empire. Fifty-five.¡±


    ¡°The tallest statue on the continent is fifty-three feet tall,¡± Eeluk said. ¡°They just want their names on the tallest one.¡±


    One of the architects raised a hand. ¡°It will be the tallest statue since the First Empire!¡±


    ¡°You have my approval,¡± I said, ¡°for everything except the garden and the statue.¡±


    ¡°My lord,¡± one of the architects said, ¡°your great victory demands some kind of monument¡ª¡±


    ¡°Make my cities my monuments.¡± I brushed past them. ¡°Restore them, improve them. That¡¯ll serve as my monument.¡±


    Khulan shuffled after me. ¡°You could have at least gotten the garden. Every member of the Council of Lords has had one.¡±


    I stopped. ¡°All the more reason for me not to have one. I¡¯m not a member of the Council.¡±


    Khulan looked down. ¡°Right. Sorry...¡±


    ¡°Sorry?¡± I chuckled. ¡°That¡¯s a first, and an unnecessary apology.¡±


    ¡°¡­Sorry you¡¯re too good for grass and pretty flowers with your name on it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the Khulan I know.¡± I held open the door to Erhi¡¯s chambers.


    Erhi was standing on the bed, her arms raised. She wore a red silk robe, matching the rest of the room they¡¯d put her in. The flowers in her hair looked brighter, even though there was only one window. Batu lounged in the corner, a blanket wrapped around himself and a plate of ham resting on his lap. Her room had marble floors, so my footsteps drew their attention as soon as I stepped onto them.


    ¡°Kublai!¡± Erhi jumped off the bed and hugged me. She stepped back right after. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ taller. How long have I been asleep?¡±


    ¡°Three days,¡± I said. ¡°The mist added a few inches.¡±


    ¡°Try a few feet,¡± Batu said. ¡°You look like a tree with muscles.¡±


    ¡°What did I look like before?¡±


    ¡°¡­a shorter tree with muscles.¡± Batu bit his ham.


    ¡°I did it!¡± Erhi shouted. ¡°I closed the portal!¡±


    ¡°I heard.¡± I smiled.


    ¡°Everyone heard,¡± Khulan said.


    Batu craned his neck over to the window. ¡°She did it!¡± Erhi raised her eyebrow at him. ¡°What? I saw someone who hasn¡¯t heard.¡±


    ¡°How did you know he hadn¡¯t heard?¡± Khulan said.


    ¡°He¡¯s deaf,¡± Batu said.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± I asked Erhi. ¡°That must¡¯ve put a lot of strain on you.¡±


    ¡°It did, that¡¯s why I slept for so long,¡± she said. ¡°But it wasn¡¯t all restful.¡± She looked at her feet. ¡°I¡­ I saw something.¡±


    ¡°You had a vision?¡± I asked.


    She nodded. ¡°I saw him.¡±


    ¡°What about him?¡± Khulan asked, pushing past me shoulder.


    ¡°He¡¯s¡­ coming.¡±


    ¡°Here?¡± Batu said. ¡°But we can¡¯t have guests over with the city in this state!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll understand,¡± I said. ¡°We did, after all, just kill one of his enemies.¡±


    ¡°Does that make him our ally?¡± Batu said.


    Erhi glanced at Batu. ¡°Judging by my vision¡­ no.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be coy,¡± Khulan said. ¡°What was your vision?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t remember most of it¡­ Thinking about it hurts.¡± She point to her forehead. ¡°It feels like I¡¯m getting stabbed right here. I saw him on a horizon, the sun setting behind him.¡±


    ¡°What did he look like?¡± Khulan asked.


    ¡°I¡­ I can¡¯t place it. He looked like a raging wind. Like the last breaths of an old man¡¯s soul.¡±


    Batu narrowed his eyes. ¡°It¡¯s worse than we thought.¡± Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    ¡°What makes you say that?¡± Erhi said.


    ¡°Old man breath.¡± Batu shuddered. ¡°Terrifying.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s terrifying to you,¡± Khulan said, ¡°you¡¯re going to run into an uncomfortable living situation in fifty years.¡±


    ¡°Oh please,¡± I said. ¡°The way he drinks and gambles, he¡¯s not making it to forty, let alone seventy-two.¡±


    Batu clicked his fingers. ¡°Speaking of which.¡± He tossed his plate onto Erhi¡¯s bed and strode out the room.


    ¡°Kublai¡­¡± Erhi sat down on the edge of her bed. ¡°I¡¯m proud that I closed the portal, but¡­ that¡¯s not enough.¡±


    ¡°It was,¡± Khulan said.


    ¡°I mean¡­ I struggled. I had to put everything I had into it. It knocked me out for three days, and I still feel exhausted.¡±


    ¡°It was difficult,¡± I said. ¡°Don¡¯t beat yourself up about that.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not.¡± Erhi put her hands in her lap. ¡°I¡¯m just thinking about it with a clear head. I need to get stronger. I need to be able to look out for myself instead of being a burden to you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not a burden¡ª¡±


    ¡°Yes, I am,¡± she said. ¡°Every time a misting attacked me three days ago, I had to rely on you. They tore through anything I threw at them. I want to be stronger. I want to be able to take care of myself. I want¡­ to be more like you.¡±


    I walked over to the bed and sat beside her.


    She put her head on my shoulder. ¡°And if he¡¯s coming, I need to be ready.¡±


    ¡°We all do,¡± Khulan said.


    ¡°Are you going to try and get stronger too?¡± Erhi said.


    ¡°Me? In a manner of speaking.¡± She sat down on Batu¡¯s seat. ¡°We need to go to the First Capital.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s there?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I told you I used to know him,¡± she said. ¡°I collected things from that time. I think we might be able to find a weakness in there somewhere.¡±


    ¡°¡¯Things¡¯ as in tokens of love?¡± I smirked.


    ¡°I did love him, but not in that way.¡± She folded her arms, then unfolded them. She avoided eye contact with me.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ I¡¯ve never told anyone this.¡±


    ¡°Told them what?¡± Erhi said.


    ¡°He isn¡¯t just someone I used to know.¡± Khulan looked me dead in the eye. ¡°He¡¯s my brother.¡±


    I paused. Erhi looked at me, trying to gauge my reaction, but I didn¡¯t have one.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t change anything¡­¡± Khulan looked down. ¡°He was my brother. I don¡¯t know what he is now, but he isn¡¯t the man I remember. If it comes down to it, Kublai, don¡¯t hesitate to kill him.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t,¡± I said. ¡°What did you keep of his?¡±


    ¡°Letters, a few of his paintings, some clothes¡­ but there¡¯re some things in there that aren¡¯t like the others. Actually, most of it feels¡­ off. I¡¯ve felt spiritual energy several times, but everything that he¡¯s touched feels like something more.¡±


    I stood. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Now?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°He could be here at any moment. We can¡¯t waste any time.¡±


    I pulled out the map. It had taken a beating in the last few weeks. My blood had stained it, and the dragon carvings on the outside had been chipped and broken. But it still worked ¨C better than ever. I¡¯d only used it once in the last three days, but I felt like I was much more in control, like I had tamed the Spirit Realm.


    Erhi dragged her hand up my arm. ¡°Your scars¡­¡±


    ¡°What about them?¡± I asked.


    ¡°They¡¯re gone.¡±


    I lifted my sleeve. ¡°The mist didn¡¯t just make me taller.¡± I held out my hand. ¡°Shall we?¡±


    Khulan put her hand on mine, and Erhi held my wrist tightly. I pressed on the First Capital. This time, when the blue light enveloped me, I had to let it take me. Spiritual energy danced over my skin, but it would only enter me if I made it.


    The First Capital hadn¡¯t fared much better than Karakhorum. A long streak of houses had been torn through, as if an enormous snake had slithered through the street. Men and women both hung tarp and tended pots on fires outside their homes. Goblins scurried out from their burrows, snatching knives, spoon and jewelry, and scurrying back. The city was soaked in near-sunset gold.


    We landed outside Bet¡¯s cart ¨C the merchant whose house we¡¯d stayed in before. Bet rubbed his eyes and squinted at us, then sighed.


    ¡°Not happy to see me?¡± I said.


    ¡°Not happy to see her.¡± He pointed at Khulan.


    Khulan put her hands up. ¡°I come in peace, I swear. I¡¯m his ally now.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Bet said. ¡°That¡¯s not why I¡¯m not happy. I started taking bets when everything started getting weird with the holes opening up. I figured people in high places were involved. I had Lady Khulan at ten-to-one to not make it out of all this. Fuck. I lost a whole cart of oranges and two pouches of silver on this one alone.¡±


    ¡°I think you probably did fine. Lords Batbayar and Oktai are dead.¡± I asked. ¡°What were my odds?¡±


    ¡°Hundred to one that you¡¯d survive.¡± Bet shrugged. ¡°The only person who bet on you dying was the madman who lives in apple tree, and all he bet was six rotten apples.¡±


    A man sidled up to Bet, and Bet reached under his cart. He tossed the man a pouch that clinked as he caught it.


    The man smiled. ¡°Told you that bitch would make it. She¡¯s tough as nails.¡±


    Khulan smirked. ¡°He¡¯s not wrong.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah. What brings you back?¡± Bet grinned. ¡°Care to gamble on the cockfight in the Batbayar Garden? If that¡¯s not to your taste, the children are having a race. Me, I¡¯ve got my money on the scrappy kid from that grimy alleyway off Ratcreek Avenue, but that blond one is swift too¡ª¡±


    ¡°Another time,¡± I said.


    I led Khulan and Erhi off the main street. ¡°Where¡¯d you keep your collection? Your home?¡±


    ¡°Batbayar¡¯s, actually.¡± She shrugged. ¡°If one of the other councilmembers broke into my home and found a trove of information about him, they¡¯d have sent an army of assassins my way. They only sent a couple, most years.¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s his house?¡±


    Khulan stepped forward. She led us through alleyways and up side streets until we found a garden. Children played in the grass, steering clear of the man lounging in the branches of the apple tree, laughing and scratching his ragged beard.


    ¡°It¡¯s that one,¡± Khulan pointed.


    I nodded, striding at Batbayar¡¯s house. I kicked the door in. The door flew off the hinges. We stepped inside. I led, just in case Batbayar was the type to set traps. He wasn¡¯t. He was the type to mount the heads of beasts he¡¯d hunted, or paid someone to hunt on his behalf, on the walls. Boars, deer, bears, and one hawk hung over the fireplace, caked in dust. The house was sparsely furnished, and if there weren¡¯t portraits of Batbayar and his family littered over the place, one might think no one lived here.


    ¡°Through here.¡± Khulan nodded at an archway, then pointed a door. ¡°Under his bed.¡±


    Erhi scurried forward and shook the handle. The door opened. ¡°Before you tried to kick it down.¡±


    Light filtered in through boarded windows, catching the flakes of dust. The floor creaked as I took the first step. Khulan peeked past me.


    ¡°Hold on.¡± She brushed past me. ¡°The bed¡¯s been moved.¡± She squatted down and ran her finger over the floor around the bed posts. ¡°Recently. The dust was disturbed.¡±


    I stepped forward, put my hand under the bed and lifted it. Khulan looked underneath.


    ¡°Shit,¡± Khulan said.


    ¡°Someone got here before us,¡± Erhi said.


    I looked underneath before I set the bed down. The floorboards had been torn up, and the space under them was empty.


    ¡°Who else knew about this?¡± I asked.


    ¡°No one.¡± Khulan looked at her feet. ¡°Just me¡­ and him. He knew I had it, but he didn¡¯t know where I kept it. No one knew that. Not even my most trusted secretaries.¡±


    ¡°Maybe someone just looted this place.¡± Ehri shrugged. ¡°And they just¡­ took it? One of Batbayar¡¯s relatives.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I said. ¡°This is too precise. Someone knew what they were looking for and where to find it. None of the portraits were disturbed. The silver fittings are still here too.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s back,¡± a voice whispered with a mad chuckle. ¡°He¡¯s coming.¡±


    I spun, pulling Erhi and Khulan behind me. Footsteps creaked against the floor of Batbayar¡¯s house. I didn¡¯t see anyone.


    ¡°Boo!¡± The madman from the apple tree peeked out from behind a small wall. He smiled, his half rotten teeth barely clung to his gums. His rough beard looked like a thorn bush. ¡°Come, come!¡±


    ¡°Stay here,¡± I told Khulan and Erhi. I stepped forward.


    The madman waved me closer, then hopped out the door. ¡°Come, come!¡±


    I followed him out in the daylight. ¡°Where are you taking me?¡±


    He hopped out into the street, laughing. ¡°Here!¡± He pointed at the ground.


    I stepped into the street, scanning the surroundings. It could be a trap, but I took the risk. I stepped onto the spot.


    He stood on is toes and put his hands on my shoulders. His breath reeked of mold and apples. ¡°Look, look.¡±


    ¡°What am I looking at?¡±


    He pointed. ¡°Out there. On the hill. Far, far away. But you can see. You see. Do you see?¡±


    I squinted. ¡°No I¡ª¡± My eyes widened.


    On the top of a hill in the distance, the sun hovered over the horizon, sinking behind a figure in the shape of a man. I couldn¡¯t make out his face, but somehow I knew that he was looking me dead in the eye. A gust of wind crept up and curled between my legs.


    ¡°You see.¡± The madman smiled. ¡°He¡¯s back.¡±


    End of book 1


    Please let me know what you thought of the first book in the comments!