(This short story was originally published circa the year of our Emperor 1734 on the original Vulpine Imperium gallery. It has been lightly edited for spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Thanks to Karath Nicolas for his participation in the final scenes.)
Bezine stepped off the ship, setting footpaw on her ancestral homeland for the first time. Varangia, to her surprise and disappointment, did not look radically different from the Imperium. The trees were a little different, shorter and more rambling in their branches, and there were mountains in the distance. Mountains. Now that Bezine saw them, she knew that there was nothing in the Imperium meriting the word; it was almost flat compared to the magnificent, snowcapped peaks in the distance, towering over the vista of the sprawling, bustling port city.
Beyond that, the differences were minor: slight variations in architecture and the materials used, as well as lots and lots of ferrets. Apparently they formed the ethnic majority here, much as foxes did in the Imperium. No one was giving her much of a glance either, except at her rather male-styled clothing, which told Bezine that attitudes toward Erlani, or at least weasels, had loosened over the last hundred and fifty years.
As Bezine watched the crowds go by, a creeping sense of paranoia came over her that she was being watched. She was using an alias on the ship's manifest, and the ship had been chartered specifically because it lacked a messenger bird service, but still, she couldn't help but worry that, in spite of all that Misanthropy had done to get her there in secret, some beast had anticipated her arrival.
The entire trip to Varangia had come out of the blue. Dawn, Minister Nicolas' new assistant (or keeper, as Bezine privately thought), had unexpectedly come to see Bezine down at the Dusk Watch office one day. After thoroughly checking the room to make sure they were along, she locked the doors, including the hatch to the Minister's office, and then forcefully sat Bezine down in a chair.
And then Dawn told Bezine her mission.
Bezine left on a ship that very afternoon, with no provisions save for what Dawn had arranged for her ahead of time, along with a heavy bag. After glancing inside once, Bezine decided not to look inside again for as long as possible. She didn't want to know where Dawn had gotten it, or how the vixen had known her measurements.
Standing at the top of the gangplank, Bezine took a deep breath and focused on the instructions that Dawn had given her. First, find the inn. Dawn had specified she stay at the Dancing Sailor, but that first she call at the Faithful Maiden and the Wandering Flute. "You must be seen looking for a place to stay," Dawn had explained. "Use the time to make sure you aren't being followed."
Bezine dutifully followed these instructions, seeing in time the veracity of Dawn's ascribed cover. The Faithful Maiden turned out to be a seedy establishment, with far too many jills waiting around than made sense for simply waiting tables. Quite an ironic name for this place, Bezine thought in amusement before moving on, affording only one glance to the assembled femmes.
The Wandering Flute, in contrast to the previous establishment, was perhaps too respectable for Bezine's tastes. Half of its main level was a stage alive with song and dance, with a second-level balcony to hold the overflow of all the raucous patrons. Bezine's ears flattened back against her head as a round of cheers went up and she had to duck back into a doorway to avoid a loose spray of wine. Certainly not her scene.
The Dancing Sailor proved to be a welcome middle ground between the two previous locations; clean, quiet, and with rooms to spare. Bezine rented a room and went up to it, eager to wash up after the journey. Water had been in scarce supply on the ship, and after traveling a month in the company of sweaty, burly sailors, Bezine was determined to scour every drop of body odor from her fur and clothes.
After bathing herself with a basin and cloth the landlady provided her, Bezine paused in dressing herself and glanced out the window, looking once more to the distant mountains. Clouds obscured the peaks, making them appear even more distant and mysterious. For some reason, Bezine shivered as she looked at them. She decided that it must be the air on her damp fur, and she returned to dressing herself.
She spent the few hours before sunset relaxing on her bed and readjusting to sleeping on a solid surface rather than a hammock on a rocking ship. When the sky outside turned to pinks and blues, she got herself up and went downstairs. The pub was busier than it had been at her arrival, but not so busy that she could not order a drink at the bar.
"Put it on my tab," a voice down the bar called. Bezine glanced down the way to see a weasel jack grinning her way. "Anything for as sweet a sight as you, estella mia," he called to her.
Normal Bezine would have rebuffed him, but today was different. Today she had orders. "Oh?" she challenged. "What makes you zink I am sweet, Signor? For all you know, zis apple is sour."
The jack grinned back at her. "Even so, I would swear that after tasting such fruit, I would cut out my own tongue for knowing that nothing else could taste so well."
Bezine had to admit, he was good. She almost felt sorry he was wasting his effort. She gave him a coy grin. "Zat might be a welcome change," she teased.
The jack staggered in his chair, his look of shock and his paws clutching at his chest both miming being shot with an arrow. "Sweet and sour one, you wound me," he bemoaned his condition. "How can an arrow from an angel of love hurt so?"
There. That was the code phrase. Bezine smiled at him, reached over, and put a paw on his 'wound'. "Per'aps I can find a way to mend your broken 'eart," she told him slyly.
The jack looked surprised at her forthrightness. "My Lady," he intoned, "do lead on!"
Bezine led him up the stairs, giving him all the smoldering glances she could muster. The moment they were inside her room, however, she dropped his paw, crossed to her window, and closed and latched it securely. She turned to face the jack, noting his demeanor had turned more serious.
"Down to business," she stated. "Ze Ministry said you 'ad information on ze V- Target 23." Dawn had been very specific that she refer to the Verfolger only using a code name, as well as to avoid referencing any Ministry member by name. "Compartmentalize as much as possible,” the vixen had stressed. "Always assume that you are being spied upon." Bezine thought it was a bit paranoid, but Dawn was the spy, not her; she probably knew what she was talking about.
The jack noticed, padding over to a small table and setting himself. "Yes," he agreed, "but I'd prefer to discuss payment first."
"Our agents are already in motion," Bezine stated immediately, reciting from memory. "You will find everyzing arranged to your satisfaction upon completion of our objective."
The jack chuckled drily. "They told you to say that, didn't they?" He sighed, a look of resignation on his face. "Very well then, it looks like I'm stuck with you for now. The information that sent you here is this: we have found a Verfolger base."
This was not news to Bezine; Dawn had said as much when she handed Bezine her assignment. The jill clicked her tongue impatiently. "You zink I said 'alfway around ze world and non know why?" She gave him a scathing glare. "Please tell me somezing actually new, or maybe I find zis place myself."
The jack chuckled at her threat. "Good luck with that," he told her. "You could wander Varangia for years and not find it. I only know because I knew somebeast who found it first. They told me what they knew- and then they were dead the next day. I am the only beast who knows where the Verfolger are."
Bezine gave him a challenging glare. "And if ze Verfolger find you?" she challenged. "What good zis information do you zen? Maybe you should tell me where zey are and zen go collect your reward."
The jack shook his head. "My job is to get you there," he said stalwartly. "Otherwise I don't get my pay. Your boss made that clear. So, for now, I know where we're going and you don't. Trust me," he added. "I'll get you there safely."
Bezine's eyes narrowed. She had little more trust for this jack than she did for the vixen who had arranged this whole trip. It would be just like Dawn to send her on a suicide mission. Still, Bezine did not see what choice she had in the matter. "Very well," she reluctantly agreed.
"Excellent!" Her guide stood, "We leave at dawn. Don't be late."
As he went to leave, Bezine called to him, "Wait!" When he turned back to her, she asked, "What is your name?"
The jack laughed at her. "You're new to this, I can tell," he remarked. "We don't do names. Still, you can call me... Bernardo," he decided. "And I will call you Esmerelda." Bezine's expression only seemed to egg him on. "Esmé for short," he added. "Now, sleep well; we leave at first light."
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They travelling four days into the countryside, across hills and mountains, past arbors that put the orchards of Resolution to shame, and passed the occasional walled city. Armöst may reign to the north, Bernardo informed her, but down in the central valleys, it was rule by whatever custom the cities decided upon. Some were ruled by a few rich families; others, a duke or lord; still others, led by a mayor chosen by the citizens themselves. Bezine thought of Mayor Freedom back home and wondered just how wise this system was.
On their right, the mountains always arose, their peaks either lost in the clouds or covered in snow and ice that made them almost impossible to look at directly in the brilliance of the midday sun. The further they traveled, though, the stronger was Bezine's sense of foreboding whenever she looked at them. She had noted several bundles in their supplies were wrapped in heavy coats. Thus, when Bernardo stopped at the foot of a high mountain, Bezine was not entirely surprised.
"This is where we climb," he told her. "The Verfolger are based in a mountain castle built into the side near the peak. A couple Erlani were scouting out a new mountain crossing into Hanshima and stumbled upon a hidden path up to it. A few days later, their caravan found them dead. They probably have the path guarded now, so you-" he pointed up at the peak, "-will have to climb."
Bezine turned on him with a glare. "I?" she asked. "Non is 'we'?"
Bernardo shook his head. "Sorry, my beautiful Esmé," he told her with a grin, "but here we part ways. I know the path up no more than you do. Just climb and keep going up," he advised her. "From what I heard, you won't miss it."
Bezine glanced up at the peak. It was almost dizzyingly high. "When I am done, where should we meet?" she asked.
Bernardo shook his head again. "My job is to get you here," he told her. "Now my job is finished. Your boss said that once you got there, you would be able to find your own way back."
Of course she did. Bezine made a note to have a frank conversation with Dawn once she got back to the Imperium. She unslung the bag from around her shoulder and knelt to rifle through it. "Well, zank you for zis much, Bernardo," she said grudgingly. "Maybe next time I see you, we do zat 'ole 'cutting out your tongue' zing, okay?"
Bernardo grinned at her. "But I still haven't tasted your fruit," he teased. "I pray you allow me a taste."
Bezine rolled her eyes as she pulled out a mask made of dull iron. "Dream on," she said shortly before fitting the mask to her face.
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The climb up was the most difficult experience of her life. There wasn't even the semblance of a path, forcing Bezine to scramble along the rocks as best she could. That was a difficult enough task normally; in the armor of a Verfolger, it was nigh impossible. Bezine could barely maintain her pawholds in the gloves, though as she climbed higher and the rocks grew sharper and colder, Bezine found them more necessary.
There were some unexpected benefits to the armor, though. It was much warmer than she might have thought, to the point where she soon abandoned the extra cloak. The mask, surprisingly, did not restrict her vision either, though considering the Verfolger emphasis on martial prowess, she supposed it made sense. Still, it was heavy gear and the wind grew dangerously strong as she climbed, such that she had to pause and take whatever limited shelter she could.
By the time she saw the castle, she was almost right upon its walls. It blended right into the stone of the mountain; had Bezine not been activity looking for it, she might not have recognized it as a structure. Panting, exhausted and surprisingly hot for all of the cold around her, Bezine pulled herself into a crevasse formed by the intersection of mountain and castle to rest and consider the problem before her. She could see no entrance on this side, and taking such an entrance would be a bad idea anyway; even with her disguise, the guards would most likely spot her as an impostor. She would have to find another way inside.
She glanced along the wall, her gaze following it a ways before finding the thin outline of a balcony. It was high on the wall, far from an easy climb. Still, the only other option was the ramparts high above. Groaning at the protest of her muscles, Bezine pushed herself onto her footpaws and swayed unsteadily under the influence of exhaustion and vertigo. Then, slowly and painfully, she began to climb.
Somehow, climbing the stones of the castle wall was more difficult than the climb up. Perhaps it was because of the cold, or because of her own exhaustion. Several times Bezine hung on the wall, frozen between carrying on and climbing back down to seek out whatever rest she could manage at the foot of the wall. She didn't know how she found the will or strength to climb on; it was mostly a matter of mustering the sheer determination to climb one more block.
When she pulled herself onto the thin balcony, Bezine had to lie on its surface for a while, panting and heaving for breath. The icy air scalded her lungs as she gulped it down, and she worried for a moment that she would freeze from the inside out. Still, she managed to grab the handle of the door and pull herself up with it. Once standing, she heaved a breath and turned the handle.
It was locked.
Bezine stood there for a moment, caught up in a mad desire to roar with laughter. Of course it was locked. Here the Verfolger were, in a secret mountain castle with a nearly inaccessible balcony, and they'd locked the door to it.
Once she recovered from her giddiness, Bezine's spirits came crashing down. It was getting very late, the night was coming on, and the air was growing frigid. Worse, from the clouds it looked like a storm was coming. She had to find a way in or she would die out there.
Bezine knelt, peering at the frame of the door as best she could. She couldn't see much, but it didn't look like a deadbolt. That was good; if it was deadbolted, there wasn't a thing she could do to save herself. Drawing a dagger from within her cloak, Bezine carefully slid it into the door frame and began to saw at the bolt. It was slow going; fortunately, her dagger was made of stronger stuff than the bolt. By the time the bolt finally broke, night had fallen and Bezine's paw was cramped and pained, but she had access.
As quickly as she could, Bezine pulled open the door, fighting the wind in the process. As she pulled it open, a gust of cold air followed her into the castle, and the wind shut the door quickly behind her. Bezine's heart thudded in her chest, certain the whole castle must have heard the noise and felt the cold air come in with her. She froze, looking carefully around the chamber. It looked like some kind of officers' quarters, with an impressive desk, a large bed, and all kinds of standards and ornaments hanging on the wall. To Bezine's great relief, it appeared to be empty.
Bezine cautiously moved to the desk and started pawing through the papers, looking for anything of note. She peered at the words on a document before groaning. It was in Raulish. Of course it is. Nothing stood out to her, so Bezine moved on to the door at the front of the room. Kneeling, she pulled her hood to the side and put her ear to the door. She didn't hear anything on the other side. Taking a deep breath, Bezine slowly turned the latch and pulled it open.
Mercifully, it seemed she was in luck again. The corridor was empty when she stepped out into it. Carefully Bezine closed the door behind her and began to softly tread her way down the hall. When a beast turned the corridor, Bezine had to fight the impulse to duck and hide; as it was, she got a strange look from the beast, a marten who was wearing the outfit of the Verfolger but not the mask. Bezine realized, to her humiliation, that the Verfolger must not wear their masks all the time. Even they had to relax from time to time.
She continued her way through the castle, exploring hallway by hallway. She didn't encounter anyone else in the halls, but she did overhear snatches of conversation in a variety of languages- Raulish, of course, but also Varangian, Callisparian, and, surprisingly, Vulpinsulan. Bezine listened in on these as best they could, but they turned out to be disappointingly mundane discussions- what was being prepared for dinner, who was changing shifts with who, and so on. The most interesting discussion was on politics in Armöst, which Bezine would have liked to listen to a little more simply because it was an interesting topic, but she had to move on for fear of being discovered.
It was dark outside of all the windows, and Bezine was beginning to worry. She had yet to find any intelligence justifying the trip, and if she left empty-pawed, it would seem like she hadn't even tried. She was just considering heading back to the officers' quarters and grabbing whatever she could when she passed a room with an open door. Through the door, she could see a large table with a map spread across it. Creeping forward, Bezine glanced around inside to make sure she was alone before entering. The room had thin windows and another door on the opposite side, along with a large number of chairs, tables and maps on the walls; to Bezine's eyes, it looked like some sort of planning room.
Cautiously she approached the map on the table, noticing tiny, carved wooden masks dotted across the continents. Her eyes followed the coast of Varangia up to Raul, finding a mask there; another one she found on the mountain ranges to the south, where she was now. Her eyes scanned the map, shocked by the sheer number of masks across the world, on every continent and every major nation; and finally, she alighted upon the Imperium. Her heart nearly stopped beating, and it felt like it might drop out through her stomach.
There was a mask on Bully Harbor.
"See something that scares you, little one?" a voice missed from the corner. Bezine whirled to see a Verfolger emerge from behind the door, towering above her. Bezine slowly backed away as he advanced on her, his motions slow and unhurried. "Little kits should not play in the dark," he warned her. He drew a sword from his side, the metal hissing as it left its sheath. "Dangerous things lurk in the night. And night is falling, little one," the Verfolger told her. "It falls on your island even now."
Bezine backed away from the table, carefully keeping her eyes on the Verfolger as she moved toward the door on the opposite side. She had no idea where it led, but it had to be better than here. "You zink you can scare me?" she challenged, her defiance undermined by the frightened squeak in her voice. "I am a watcher of ze dusk. I guard ze Imperium against ze 'orrors of ze night. You non are so scary."
The Verfolger chuckled throatily. "Bravery," he mused. "A good quality. You might have made a good Verfolger. Your loyalty is misplaced. Your employer sent you here to die; your guide sold you out before you arrived. Do not fear," he added, seeing the fire in her eyes. "Betrayal is a crime deserving death. He will die for his treachery, even for betraying you to us. We cannot trust such a beast either."
"Well, at least somezing good comes of zis," Bezine muttered to herself, still backing toward the door. Just a few more steps...
"Do not think you can escape," the Verfolger warned her. "We led you here to corner you. Why do you think we let you in so easily? Did you think we leave our plans lying out? You are here because we wanted you to be. Go on, open the door."
Bezine had just edged her way back to the door. At his words, she seized the handle and flung the door open-
To find herself on a balcony. Out to the distance, the land rambled away, infinitely before her. The wind howled about Bezine as she peered over the edge. She couldn't even see the end of the drop down.
"Make your choice, Imperial," the Verfolger called to her. "Choose which darkness you will face today; the night that falls, or the fall into the night."
Bezine felt herself growing dizzy as she looked over the edge, a horrible realization hitting her. She was not going to survive. One way or another, she would be killed tonight.
She turned back to the Verfolger, mustering all the glare she had to shoot at him through her mask. "Zat's where you're wrong," she told him defiantly. "I non am Imperial; I am Erlani."
With those final words, she turned to the balcony, climbed up on it and dropped.
Her wits just about few out of her as she hung in the air, and then in a jarring impact she hit the mountainside. Immediately she was flying down the steep, icy slope, sliding out of all control. Soon enough, the ice gave way to rock, and Bezine was tumbling, pounded from all sides as she collided with stones and rocks. Even her armor could not save her from some of the more painful collisions. Finally, she was sliding through rough brush, which was just smooth enough that she could right herself and see where she was sliding.
There was a river right below her.
The last thing Bezine managed to think is 'This is going to hurt'.
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The Dark Forest was soft. Soft and dark. Bezine had expected the last one, really, but she hadn't expected soft. It felt like soft blankets wrapped all around her. And it was warm, too. Warm like a nice fire, only smaller and all around her, warming her up. And there was a smell, too. It smelled like... spices?
With what felt like a world of effort, Bezine fluttered open her eyes. She couldn't see much of anything at first; the ceiling looked strange and distant. She squinted, trying to see it clearer. It was strange and distant. It looked like a bunch of octagons stacked on top of one another, going up for ten or so feet before it ended in a tile roof. The whole place seemed to be painted red, but the light was all soft and orange.
With an effort that left her a pounding headache, Bezine tilted her head to the right and squinted as soft, glowing orange lights filled her view. Candles, she realized. Moving her gaze to the corner of her eyes, she thought she could just make out a bunch of sticks stuck in a hanging pot above her, wafting smoke. And beyond that...
Bezine felt a scream bubbling up in her throat, but it couldn't get out past the fluid filling her throat. On a stand above her, staring down at her with empty sockets, was the mask of a Verfolger.
Wooden doors in front of her opened and a short, bald ferret in an orange robe poked his head in. He took one look at Bezine, his eyes grew wide, and he ran shouting from the place, his words incomprehensible to Bezine. Bezine tried and failed to sit up; her chest hurt to the point she could barely move. She lay there, waiting, staring up at the mask above her. She'd come so far, gone through so much... And now she was back in the Verfolger's clutches. She just couldn't seem to win.
She heard the sound of pawsteps, a lot of them. She lifted her head up a little to look and see what was coming. What she saw surprised her. A lot of ferrets, wearing rough homespun clothes and wide, conical straw hats, were approaching. Bezine watched as they set down bags of rice and baskets of vegetables at the steps of the small building Bezine was housed in, until there was a small mountain of gifts covering the whole steps. Then, they lined themselves up in rows and columns in front of the building, in some kind of village square. Then, to Bezine's astonishment, they knelt and began to bow, touching head to the ground.
It was only when she glanced at a hook beside the door, where a battered iron mask and a set of ripped and dirtied black robes hung, that it clicked for Bezine. These people worship the Verfolger. They must have found me and thought I was one.
I just became a village god.
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Once the bowing was done, an ancient ferret with a long, long goatee was called for. He came into the structure (a shrine, Bezine had now realized) and pulled back the heavy blankets covering Bezine. To her embarrassment, she had been completely stripped while she was unconscious, and a mess of herbs and dried pastes now covered her. She could see exactly why it hurt so much to move as well; her ribs were a mess of black and blue beneath the healer's ministrations. She felt relieved to be alive at all, now she saw the damage.
The healer, for his part, did not seem the least bit embarrassed by Bezine's state. When an elderly ferret approached the priest and asked a question, he grunted back a short, muttered answer in their language. A moment later, he turned toward the other villagers and barked some kind of order. A group of femmes came forward, carrying a pail of water that steamed in the cool morning air and a set of towels. Bezine's eyes widened in surprise as they began to wet the towels and lay them all over Bezine's battered chest, draping her in warmth. This is... nice.
The village elders went their way, still discussing amongst themselves, and Bezine was left to enjoy her bath, which was surprisingly pleasant given the heat of the towels and the extent of her wounds. It didn't hurt that she was being bathed rather than bathing herself. I'll have to see about becoming a god back home as well.
Once all of the paste and medication was washed away, the femmes carefully helped her stand, which was an arduous process in and of itself; it was really closer to being lifted by them. They wrapped her in robes of some kind of smooth, luxurious material of which Bezine had never felt the like; then, slowly, they began to process out of the shrine.
A small procession of village-folk were waiting outside, some of them carrying odd musical instruments made from reed pipes. As Bezine was carried into the procession, they began to play on these instruments, giving short blasts that echoed unharmoniously against each other. Bezine winced, trying not to show her discomfort at the noise. When they began to walk at a snail's pace, she had to restrain a groan. It was going to be a very long walk.
They wound their way through the village, which Bezine had a chance to look at for the first time. It seemed like the whole place was sprawled across the side of a mountain- not the same one she'd fallen down, to her relief. Those peaks she could see in the distance a few miles away. She could also see a river winding through the valley below, past some small houses on the bank. She must have floated down, unconscious, until somebeast had pulled her out.
The houses were an interesting sight themselves. They were all simple constructions, one or two stories, really little more than big wooden boxes, but the architecture was interesting. The roofs all had a strange slant that flanged up a bit at the end, and there was a surprising amount of detail. For example, every single roof tile, at its end, had a molded image of a Verfolger mask. Again, Bezine wondered just what she'd gotten herself into.
The procession wound its way to what Bezine assumed was the village chief's dwelling. It was twice as large as any other building, and it seemed as if the whole village was waiting inside. The moment Bezine was walk-carried inside, villagers rose from around low tables, put their arms cupped out in front of them, together intoned some sort of greeting that Bezine couldn't understand, and bowed. Bezine tried to mimic their movements, but even putting her paws out in front of her nearly sent her to the floor; the femmes escorting her had to catch her and hold her up. Carefully they guided her to a table at the front of the room, where the elder, the priest and the healer were all waiting. Bezine could hear anxious muttering from the room, and she thought she knew why. Gods aren't supposed to bleed.
The femmes helped her to sit down upon a small cushion, and two remained to help her while the others went to join their families. Bezine looked at the placement of dinnerware in front of her. There were two bowls, a small cup, and two strange sticks. She wasn't given time to contemplate their meaning, as a clear liquid was being poured into the smaller of the two bowls. The same was given to everyone else at the table, and simultaneously to all the guests as well.
The village chief picked up this bowl, holding it up to the room. Bezine tried to pick up hers, but her arms were still protesting, so one of the femmes held it for her. The chief started to give some sort of speech or toast, Bezine couldn't quite tell which. She tried to pay attention, but not knowing what he was saying, it was easier to just watch the room. She saw all ages in the room, sorted apparently by family. She also noticed one table sitting completely empty. Who was supposed to be here but wasn't?
Suddenly the speech came to an end, and the village chief shouted "Ganbei!" The room echoed his cry back, and Bezine followed suit a second late. One of the femmes lifted the bowl of liquid to Bezine's mouth, and Bezine took a gulp. That was all she managed before her stomach rebelled and she was doubled over, coughing and spraying the liquid all over the floor. She could still taste the horrible, burning liquid in her mouth, its thick, cloying taste obscuring everything else. She could feel the entire room watching her and felt her face burn. That had to be some sort of breach of protocol.
Fortunately, the healer saved her. He turned to the village chief and began scolding him in his thick, grunting accent. The chief's cheeks burned with embarrassment, and he turned and bowed repeatedly to Bezine, mumbling some kind of fervent apology. Bezine waved her paw, trying to dismiss his apology as she recovered from her fit. The healer stood and started rearranging the dishes on the table, placing one that seemed to be full of nothing but bird meat and peppers closest to her, and moving the pot of terrible liquid far away. He gave a grunting shout to the room, and an elderly femme came running forward with another pot. This the healer poured into Bezine's cup, a steaming amber liquid filling the earthenware. One of the femmes raised this to Bezine's lips, and she cautiously sipped. To her great relief, it was tea, and actually quite good tea. Bezine drank as deeply as she dared before waving her paw to take the cup away. Despite all of her internal injuries, it seemed to hit the spot; the pain felt a tiny bit less intense than before.
The meal proceeded uneventfully, to Bezine's relief. Every so often the chief would declare another "Ganbei!" and the whole room would toast in response, but fortunately they seemed content to let Bezine drink her tea. Eating was quite difficult, however. It turned out that the villagers used those sets of sticks in order to pick up food, using them much like Vulpinsulans used a fork. Bezine tried to pick them up and emulate the hold the village chief had on his set, but it was difficult, first because she was left-pawed, and second because they kept springing out of her paw. Fortunately the femmes interpreted this as Bezine's injuries hindering her and began to feed her using their own set.
All in all, the meal was pleasant. It turned out the healer had picked out the spiciest and hottest foods for Bezine to eat; fortunately, it was not so far from the level of spice the Erlani regularly consumed, and so she was able to down the food easily enough. Eventually, however, the moment she had been dreading arrived: the chief turned to her and asked a direct question.
"Scusi?" Bezine hoped that at least someone would recognize the Callisparian tongue. If any Erlani had been this way, there might even be someone in the village who knew how to speak it.
No dice. The chief looked perplexed and turned to the priest, the two muttering together for a while. The villagers seemed to have noticed the commotion and had grown very silent. Bezine felt her ears grow hot with embarrassment. "Sorry," she apologized, giving Vulpinsulan a try.
This didn't work either. The elders all looked perturbed by this development, sitting and muttering together. Bezine was left to sit in silent embarrassment. The femmes kept helping her eat and the banquet proceeded, but there was an uneasy feeling in the air. Whatever welcoming spirit had been there before was damaged.
After the meal, the femmes brought her back to the shrine and helped her into the makeshift bed there, but they no longer seemed at ease around her either. They helped her out of the robes, covered her up, and then left, closing her in. Bezine was left alone with her thoughts and the spirits of the Verfolger.
For the next few days it was the same story. Everyday the femmes would bring her food, usually something spicy, help her to eat, and then leave as soon as she was done. Her attendees had dwindled down to two now; a thin, pretty ferret who smiled a lot, and who always wore a flower blossom above her ear by sticking the stem through her many earrings; and another one, a little more plain and quiet, who rarely spoke except in low tones.
The healer came once a day as well to inspect Bezine's wounds, grunt and mutter to himself a bit, and administer some kind of paste. Then he would leave, and Bezine would be alone again until her next visit.
Being alone so often, Bezine occupied herself as best she could. She did small exercises, simple things like lifting her arms or bending her legs, just to get her muscles working again. It was difficult, especially since her chest still hurt so much, but she could feel herself improving bit by bit. By the fourth day, she was able to slowly stand up and walk herself around the edge of the shrine, using the wall as a support.
It was during one of these walks that the doors to the shrine abruptly opened, and Bezine turned her neck as best she could to see who it was. A ferret jill she didn't recognize was standing there, her mouth hanging open a little bit. Bezine realized, to her embarrassment, that she'd left her blankets behind, since they were too troublesome to carry on her walks. In any case, she hadn't thought it would be a big deal; it hadn't bothered her caregivers, so she'd just assumed no one else visiting her would be surprised.
The jill seemed to recover her wits, looking away from Bezine as she spoke. "I am' Àilín, but you may call me Eirene," she told Bezine. Her voice sounded strangely familiar to Bezine, and as she watched the ferret jill's face, thin, grey-furred with a black mask, Bezine had the strange feeling they'd met before. When she voiced as much, however, the jill emphatically shook her head. "Bu'shi. I no goe’d to your land."
"Zen 'ow you speak Vulpinsulani?" Bezine challenged. She began working her way back to the blankets, hoping to grab one and cover up.
"I work in de port," Eirene answered, still avoiding looking at Bezine. Bezine noticed her face was flushed red, and her words seemed clipped. "I have to speak wit' many beasts."
Bezine picked up the lightest of her blankets with great effort and tried to wrap it about herself. To her disappointment, her arms were still too weak to reach around to her back. "Can you 'elp me?" she asked of the jill.
The jill gave her one scathing glance before moving to the door and shouting out it. "Suyun! Meihua!" A moment later, the two femmes who had been doing the most of the tending to Bezine came rushing in. Bezine realized Eirene must have shouted their names, and felt bad for never learning them. She had been thinking of them as Silent and Flowers this whole time.
Suyun and Meihua pulled the blanket away and helped Bezine into one of her robes instead. Eirene stood facing away as Bezine was dressed. "De elders want answers to who you are, and why you come here," the jill said.
Bezine considered shrugging, but Eirene wasn't even looking and it wasn't worth the back pain in her estimation. "Knowing where 'ere is would 'elp me answer," she replied. The femmes tied the sash tight around her waist, and Bezine grunted a bit with the pain of the sudden constriction. Eirene took that as her cue to turn around.
"You are in Fushan Village, in Hanshima," she replied. Bezine felt like smacking a paw to her own head. Hanshima. Of course that was where she was. She must have come out the opposite side of the mountain and slid right down into the southern half of the continent. No wonder everything looked strange.
Eirene was watching her carefully. "Why were you dressed as a guardian spirit when dey found you?" she asked, her tone slightly accusatory. "You no are our spirit. You no even speak Hanshiyu."
Bezine had been considering how to answer that for a while now, and thought she had come up with an answer. "I am a guardian spirit," she said immediately, "but non for 'ere. I am a guardian spirit of ze Erlani tribe."
Eirene's eyebrows shot up. "Erlaniren?" She sounded skeptical. "Why de Erlani get a guardian spirit? Dey no practice our way."
Bezine tried to sound magnanimous as she spoke. "Every village 'as its own guardian," she replied, "and its own way. Non is always de same way, bu?" She thought she'd picked up the word for ‘no’ in their language, but wasn't sure.
Eirene grunted noncommittally, a characteristic Bezine was increasingly noticing among these Hanshimans. "Den how you get here?" she asked. "Dis is far from Falanjiya. Why you no guard your tribe?"
Bezine had composed an answer for that as well. It was a long shot, and way playing on a lot of assumptions about local mythology, but it just might get her home free. "I was called to guard 'Anshima," she claimed. She pointed in the direction of the mountain where the Verfolger base was located. "Demons attacked ze crossing, and all ze guardian spirits of ze land fighted zem zere," she claimed. "We drived zem away, but I was injured in ze fight and fell to eart’. Zat is 'ow I gotten 'ere."
Eirene gave another noncommittal grunt. Bezine had the feeling she was the village skeptic. Still, she replied, "I will tell dem dat, and we see dey say what."
Bezine did not have to wait long. Soon enough Eirene was back, the three village elders in tow. Bezine noted they looked slightly less wary of her than they had after the dinner.
The village chief stepped forward and began speaking. Eirene listened politely before translating. "He welcomes you as a guardian spirit and danks you for leaving your tribe to defend our land. We offer you hospitality and care, until you can leave to defend your tribe."
Bezine nodded and, putting her arms out in front of her and cupping her paws, gave a bow that nearly dizzied her with pain. Suyun and Meihua had to grab her by the arms to support her.
The priest spoke up, and the elders and Eirene all listened for a bit before replying. It sounded to Bezine's ears like an argument was brewing, and judging by Eirene's protesting tone, the ferret jill was on the losing end of it. When the jill turned to face Bezine, her expression was angry and her tone was resentful. "Wu Seng says because dis is de temple of de local guardian, you no can stay 'ere, but since I speak wit' you, you stay wit' me."
It took Bezine a moment to decode Eirene's accent, but when she did, she could immediately see the predicament. Eirene looked about as eager to play host as Kaden would be. "Maybe I should stay wiz ze doctor," Bezine suggested.
Eirene translated this suggestion and the grunted answer came quickly. "He says you no need de doctor," Eirene said, her tone clearly displeased. "You need movement. Otterwise you no walk right. I live far from de village, so he tink is good."
Bezine took a deep breath. She could see that this was going to be a very long stay indeed. "I graciously accept your 'ospitality," she told Eirene, bowing to her again. This time Suyun and Meihua did have to catch her from falling. Eirene grunted again, looking less than pleased.
"Joy."
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Eirene's house was quite far from the village. To get there, they had to go down a thin trail that zigzagged down the mountain, cutting across terraced fields and ponds with rice growing in it. Bezine was amazed by some of the places these villagers seemed able to farm. She counted five fields just in the space between one narrow bend in the path and the other. With Suyun and Meihua supporting her the whole way, they made a bit of an ungainly six-legged beast, but somehow they got their way down.
The house was quite small compared to the others, only one floor, and it looked from the outside as if it couldn't have more than three rooms. Upon entering, this proved to be the case: there was a front room with a large, iron pan set into a standing fireplace, which Bezine guessed was the stove; a second room with a table and cushions set off to the side; and then a third room beyond, which Bezine guessed was Eirene's bedroom. The whole place looked surprisingly clean for belonging to someone who traveled for work, and Bezine’s curiosity was satisfied when Meihua grabbed a broom and dustpan from the corner and started sweeping up.
Suyun helped Bezine follow Eirene into the bedroom. There was one small bed there. Eirene went into a closet and emerged a second later, pulling out a folding cot. She began dragging this to the door, but as she passed Bezine, she gestured to the bed. "Dis is where you sleep."
Bezine immediately felt horrified. She hadn't realized staying here would make her an imposition. "I non can," she began to protest, but Eirene cut her off.
"First lesson of staying in Hanshima," Eirene said shortly. "If I no give you my bed, I am a bad host. So, be quiet and accept." Bezine shut her mouth. She didn't want to step in it any more than she already had.
Suyun helped Bezine to a set of cushions and set her up there. Meihua had already finished sweeping and was setting up a small table in front of them. Suyun went off to make tea and Meihua joined her as soon as the places were set, leaving Bezine alone with Eirene.
Bezine awkwardly avoided looking at her host, who was giving her a small glare from the corner of her eye. Carefully she reached over and rearranged her place at the table, putting the sticks on the left. A sigh escaped her lips, and she looked over to Eirene with an annoyed expression on her face. "Did I say somezing wrong?" she asked bluntly. When Eirene looked away from her, Bezine pushed the matter. "I non know why, but you treat me like I do you wrong. I non like being 'ere eizzer, but I non 'ave a choice. If I 'ave a choice, I would be gone already. You understand?"
"Hmph." Bezine's eyebrows shot up at the grudging tone in Eirene's voice. The jill glanced over at Bezine and scoffed slightly. "You had a choice to come here," she said grudgingly. "I no have deir superstitions. I know if you come here, you have a reason."
Bezine barked a laugh at that. After everything she had been through, the idea of this trip ever having had a purpose suddenly seemed hysterical to her. "If zere is a reason, somebeast forgetted telling me," she mused. "Bad luck seems as good a reason as any."
At that moment Suyun and Meihua came back into the room, bearing tea and a small feast of food. Eirene took the teapot and poured out a cup, offering it to Bezine with an overly-sweet smile. "To your bad luck," she toasted.
"Ba la ke!" Suyun and Meihua enthusiastically chimed in, raising their cups.
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Bezine wasn't sure why she awoke. The entire room was dark, no windows to let in moonlight from outside. Everything was silent; Eirene was sleeping in the next room over, and Suyun and Meihua had gone home hours ago. There should be no reason for her to wake up so quickly.
And then she felt the thin metal edge pressing against her throat.
Oh.
From out of the darkness, a mask loomed before her. An iron mask, with glowing, malignant yellow eyes behind it. "Leave," the Verfolger hissed. Bezine was acutely aware of the sharp edge pressing against her throat, how in a second it could slice her open, and-
And then it was gone. The blade was gone, the beast was gone, vanished in the darkness.
Bezine sat up in bed, a painful action if ever there was one. She peered about the room, searching for any intruders. She could see none. Moving gingerly, she swung her legs out of bed and slowly put weight on them. Her knees wobbled dangerously, but she managed to stand, at least for a second or two. Then she had to lunge for the opposite wall to find support.
Slowly she worked her way to the door, pulled it open, and peered out. Eirene was still in the other room, asleep on her cot, the blanket rising and falling in time with a soft snore. Bezine watched for a moment, considering the jill. She looked far more peaceful and serene while asleep... and beautiful, too. When she wasn't trying to scowl a hole in Bezine, at least.
Bezine worked her way back to the bed, gingerly laying herself back down to rest. It was a bad dream, she told herself. There were no Verfolger here, just her. Still, she thought of the shrine and wondered, for a chilling moment, if the guardian of the village had come to warn her off... before he drove her away.
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The days in the village were very long. Every morning Eirene seemed to devise a torturous new way to wake Bezine. The first morning, Bezine awoke to find a gigantic spider sitting right on her chest.
Bezine must have screamed for ten seconds continuously before Eirene opened the door, rolling her eyes. "Is fine, you stupid girl," she rebuked. "Da Chong no is poisonous. Anyway, he no bite." Bezine was so furious she would have thrown a book from the nightstand at Eirene, but her arms still hurt too much and she wasn't actually sure whether or not she trusted Eirene about her pet spider not being poisonous. In the end she waited nearly half an hour before Eirene finally came in and scooped the spider off her chest.
Bezine stumbled half-dressed into the dining room just in time to see Eirene lifting her spider back into a massive cobweb in the corner. Bezine stared at it, wondering how on earth she had missed it the night before. "You let your spider live 'ere, in ze open?"
Eirene shrugged. "Why no dis way? He gets his own food, and even when I am away he still keeps de house clean. Is a good pet for me."
Bezine couldn't fault the logic of it, though she still was planning retribution for the fright she received that morning.
The front door opened, and Meihua came in, her signature flower on display in her earrings: today, a rose with the thorns trimmed off. She gave Bezine a dazzling smile as she shut the door and chattered a question her way. When Bezine looked nonplussed, Meihua imitated a high-pitched scream, then pointed to Bezine with a questioning smile.
So the whole village heard that. Wonderful. The guardian spirit, afraid of spiders. "Da Chong," Bezine said shortly by way of answer.
Meihua giggled, but her expression was sympathetic. She began nattering at Eirene in a gently chiding tone. Judging by Eirene's grumpy response, she was having none of it. When Meihua got a broom and started moving toward Da Chong's corner, the roar of fury from Eirene was unearthly- and strangely familiar to Bezine. She was left to frown and ponder where she'd heard it before as Eirene chased a giggling Meihua around the room, trying to snatch the broom away from her.
The next day Bezine woke to a massive beetle poised on her forehead, and the day after that to some bizarre bug that she had never seen in her life but which nonetheless terrified her. All of these, Eirene declared after the fact, were completely harmless and she was just being "stupid". By the fourth day the shock value had worn off somewhat, and Bezine just flicked the next bug across the room, rolled over, and went back to sleep.
The fifth day it was Eirene who came into the room, holding a pawful of crushed and mangled cockroaches. "Try harder," Eirene said shortly, threw the pawful at the giggling Bezine, and turned and left the room.
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Life in the village swiftly settled into a routine. Bezine would awaken to whatever torment Eirene had devised, smash it, get breakfast, and then start training with Suyun or Meihua. Suyun was good enough company; she didn't talk much, but she seemed content that way. Trekking with her was usually productive. Bezine noticed that Suyun was always pushing her right to her limit, and her limit was improving bit by bit.
It was with Meihua, however, that Bezine had fun. Meihua was constantly chatty, animatedly talking away to Bezine regardless of whether she understood or not. Bezine enjoyed it despite the language barrier; Meihua's enthusiasm was infectious, and it was hard not to get lost in her wide doe eyes sometimes. She also would point out plants along their path and tell her the Hanshiman names for them. Bezine would pronounce them back to her, and Meihua would laugh at Bezine's terrible pronunciation before correcting her. Sometimes Bezine would deliberately mess up her pronunciation in humorous ways, just to hear that laugh one more time.
One day Bezine returned home from one of these trips to find Eirene waiting at the door. Her eyes narrowed at Bezine as she approached, still arm-in-arm with Meihua.
"I would speak wit' you," she said, her tone dangerous. She took Bezine's other arm and led her quite forcibly inside, leaving Meihua at the door. Once inside, she all but threw Bezine to the ground. Bezine felt her muscles protest at the impact, and she loosely rolled over to see Eirene glaring fire and brimstone down at her.
"If you dare to mislead Meihua," Eirene said dangerously, "I no will care abou' being a good host. I will trow you down de mountain myself."
Bezine stared up at Eirene, frightened by this sudden attitude. "I non know what you are saying!' she protested.
Eirene rolled her eyes, as if Bezine were being slow. "If you flirt wit' her," she said plainly, "den I kill you. And no pretend," she said harshly. "I see how you look at her. You leave her alone."
Something clicked in Bezine's brain. Suddenly this whole thing made sense. "You're jealous," she said. She started laughing, amazed by all of this. She was the freak in the Imperium, the one with the dirty secret to hide, and somehow she'd stumbled on the only other one of her kind.
Now it was Eirene's turn to look panicked. Her eyes widened, and fire filled them. She strode forward and viciously kicked Bezine in the gut. As the jill doubled over, Eirene shouted down at her, "I am no ting like you! No ting!" She gave another sharp kick and then exhaled, her rage apparently sated for the moment. "If you know no ting, say no ting," she warned softly before turning and walking away. The front door slammed, and Bezine was left there, curled up alone on the floor.
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The next time Suyun showed up to escort Bezine, she had a kit in tow. A young jack, maybe five seasons old, bounded in the door, shouting, "Liu Ayi! Liu Ayi!" To Bezine's shock, Eirene came out of the back room, knelt with a welcoming smile, and swept the kit up in a hug. Bezine stared at the sight; for some reason, she had never conceptualized that Eirene could give hugs.
Suyun strode forward, linking arms with Bezine. She called something to the kit, and Bezine recognized the Hanshiman name they'd given her, 'Duo Beixin'. Immediately the kit wiggled his way out of Eirene's arms and came forward, stopping in front of Bezine. He cupped his arms out in front of him and declared, "Duo Ayi, nin hao." He gave a small bow, which was almost amusing coming from one so young.
"Ni ‘ao," Bezine returned with a smile, practicing one of the few phrases she knew. She turned to Suyun, puzzlement upon her face. "Ayi shi shenme?" she asked, practicing one of the few other phrases she knew.
Both Suyun and Eirene laughed at the question. It was Eirene who answered for her. "Ayi is auntie," she explained. "It is... zenme shuo... affection."
"Ah." A beat. "’Ow do I say 'nephew' zen?"
Eirene translated this, and Suyun chuckled appreciatively. Eirene explained, "It no work like dat. You ca'll him 'Xiao Du' or ‘Du Du’. Dat is his affection name."
"Xiao Du, ni ‘ao," Bezine greeted the kit, leaning down as best she could. The kit giggled and hid behind Suyun's skirts. Suyun patted him on the head and gave him a smile.
Bezine felt herself smiling as well. "Ta shi ni de ma?" she asked, practicing some of the basic vocabulary she had picked up- 'Is he yours?'
"Shi," Suyun answered immediately. Bezine felt a twinge of surprise- she hadn't thought Suyun was old enough to have a kit. Then again, she'd noticed, everyone here looked younger than they really were.
"Na ta baba shi shei?" she asked, practicing more basic vocabulary. She hadn't realized that Suyun was even married, and she hadn't noticed her sitting with any jack.
Immediately the whole room grew cold. Bezine could feel Eirene's murderous stare on the back of her neck and the awkwardness in Suyun's fidget. When the door opened and Meihua came in, even she seemed able to sense the tension; her smile faltered off her face, and her big doe eyes grew wide with worry.
It was Eirene who broke the silence. "We no discuss dat," she said firmly. "If you are smart, you drop it."
"What?" Bezine asked, looking among them. Meihua had moved forward and was ruffling Xiao Du's headfur. Suyun was standing close by, one paw on her son's shoulder. Neither of them were looking at her. She couldn't figure out what had upset them so much.
It was Meihua who broke the silence. Bezine didn't understand what she said, but it was spoken as much to Xiao Du as it was to Bezine. Eirene translated for her. "She say she no knows where Xiao Du’s fadder is, but she is sure he loves him very much."
At last Bezine understood. "Duibuqi, duibuqi," she apologized profusely. Merda, I am an idiot.
Suyun waved her paw dismissively. "Mei guanxi." She patted Xiao Du on the back and the two went to the kitchen to start preparing breakfast.
Bezine glanced at Eirene, who was still giving her a glare. "I'm sorry," she apologized. "I should 'ave listened to you."
Eirene gave a small hmph. "I tink dat is de first smart ting I hear you say."
It was a backhanded compliment if ever there was one, but it seemed to make a difference. The next day, when Bezine awoke, there was no monstrous bug waiting for her. She waited a moment to see if something would jump out at her; when nothing did, she smiled, rolled over and went back to sleep.
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Bleurrr, bleurrr, bleurr-bluegh-buegh-buh, bleurrr, bleurrr, bleurr-bluegh-buegh-buh, bleurrrr, bleurrrr, bleurrrrrr...
"Merda!"
Bezine swore as the steps of the dance changed on her again. Every time she seemed to get the hang of it, the pattern would abruptly change, leaving her to awkwardly stumble to make up the difference. All the while those reed pipes were blaring the same annoying refrain, never varying by a note. Bezine had to keep herself from having vengeful thoughts about where she'd like to shove those pipes.
The village was hosting some sort of ceremony to commemorate a good harvest, and Bezine had been roped into participating. The village healer had apparently decided that joining in the dance would be good exercise for Bezine, and the priest had agreed that her presence, as a visiting guardian spirit, would be most beneficial to the ceremony. Judging by the amount of smiles and laughter at the ceremony, for the villagers, Bezine's purpose was purely to amuse.
Bezine was given no chance to object to her participation. Eirene woke her in the morning by flinging a set of clothes onto Bezine's face and announcing that she would be dancing in an hour.
Bezine peeled the clothes off her face and looked at them. They were made from some kind of black velvet and embroidered with flower designs in bright pinks and greens. A sigh escaped her lips and she tossed one arm over her eyes. "Is Zursday," she complained. "I sleep extra on Zursday."
"No on dis Tursday." Bezine felt the sheets pulled from her, and she curled up her legs, trying to recover some of the warmth. A moment later Eirene grabbed her by the ankles and started dragging her to the edge of the bed. Bezine growled in annoyance and flopped over, grabbing the edge of the bed and holding on, digging in her claws. She heard a grunt of frustration from Eirene. "You are de most stubborn girl in de world," Eirene seethed. Suddenly Bezine was flung up in the air by her ankles, and she shrieked in surprise as she flipped over the bed and landed on the opposite side, only just managing to land herself on her footpaws.
After that there was no arguing with Eirene. Since the outfit was too complex for Bezine to put on by herself, and since Suyun and Meihua were busy helping each other, Eirene had to help Bezine get dressed. Bezine noticed that Eirene turned pink when Bezine undressed and looked away. Bezine rolled her eyes at this. "Per l'amour dell'inferno," she criticized, "you see me like zis before. You no need to be embarrassed." When Eirene didn't look up, Bezine pressed the matter. "Meihua and Suyun 'elp each ozzer, and it seems zey non are embarrassed."
Eirene shook her head, still keeping her gaze at footpaw level. "Is different," she said evasively. "Dey are close, and I-"
"Ni xihuan nuren."
Bezine wasn't sure what shocked Eirene more- Bezine's flat statement about her identity, or hearing it in Hanshiman. Bezine rolled her eyes at Eirene's obstinate attitude. "Is okay," she said dismissively. "I non tell; I am ze same way. You should be careful, zough," she warned. "Is very obvious you like Meihua."
Eirene's face burned hot. "I no do!" she protested, but Bezine waved a paw in dismissal.
"You are jealous when I 'ave fun wiz 'er! Of course you like 'er."
Eirene's expression turned dark. "If you know no ting, say no ting," she warned. She turned and headed for the door.
"'Ey, where you go?" Bezine protested, holding up the shirt. "I still non am dressed!"
"Dress yourself or go wit’ no clottes," Eirene shot back, slamming the bedroom door behind her.
In the end Eirene relented and helped Bezine into her outfit with just five minutes to get to the ceremony. Her bad mood had not dissipated, however, and all Bezine's attempts to apologize were met with grumpy humphs. By the time they both were ready, Meihua and Suyun were just arriving at the door to see why the pair hadn't shown up to the ceremony yet. Together they all walked up to the ceremony. Bezine had gotten well enough that she could walk by herself now, but Suyun and Meihua lingered nearby, just close enough that they could support Bezine if necessary.
They arrived at the village square to find the entire village assembled and waiting in front of the Verfolger shrine. Bezine still felt chills when she saw it; she couldn't help but worry about how it got there, and what it would mean for her when the local guardian spirit finally did show up.
The opening ceremony was simple: the village leader held up an iron gong and the priest banged on it every two seconds or so. After a minute, the reed pipes joined in, the pipers slowly circling around the gong in procession. Then came the worst part: the dancing.
Bezine swore again as the steps changed once more, and she heard Suyun's throaty chuckle and Meihua's high giggle from down the row. Bezine turned and stuck her tongue out at them both, and then had to rush to catch back up with the steps. It really wasn't that complex; mostly it was just moving one's feet slightly side to side. Left, right, left-right-left-pause, right, left, right-left-right-pause. Still, she found herself tripping up enough to be frustrating. This isn't dancing, she thought. This is torment with a rhythm.
Eventually the song wound to an end, and Bezine was surprised to find that she still had energy. It hadn't been a hard dance, she supposed; still, it felt good that after all of this she wasn't in pain or spent. Bezine glanced over at the healer and saw him nod in approval. She was making progress.
Suddenly a kit's voice called out, "Duo Ayi!" Bezine looked over to see Xiao Du grinning at her. The villagers caught on and took up the call: "Beixin! Beixin!" Bezine meekly tried to wave away the call for a performance, but suddenly she found herself lifted up by the arms and carried into the center of the circle by Suyun and Meihua, both grinning with mischief. Bezine had to admit, they were much stronger than they looked.
As soon as Bezine was set down, she held up her paws in acknowledgment, and the cheers died down. She waved to Eirene, who came over and listened as Bezine explained what she needed. A few minutes and a supply trip or two later, they had what she needed. Suyun was seated at some kind of long zither, carefully tuning it, as Bezine shuffled a deck of Hanshiman playing cards, feeling their weight and adjusting her paws to compensate.
A moment later Suyun started to strum a quick, plucky tune that somehow reminded Bezine of spring. She had to actively focus on her dance, trying to adapt to the unfamiliar beat and song. After a moment of holding her paws aloft, the cards suspended between them, she found the beat and started her dance.
The cards split, cascading through the air, but Bezine was already in motion. Her paws snatched at cards, flicked them about, wafted them into the air, keeping them up with the precision of a practiced dancer. She had grown since she’d last used it, but the dance had not changed; it was still as natural as breathing to her. She could hear the appreciative gasps and laughs of the villagers, the thrill of performing before a crowd-
A sharp pain tore in her side, and Bezine found herself collapsed on the ground before she even knew she had fallen. Cards fluttered about her, floating to the ground, the dance abandoned. All she could feel was the remnant of that pain, like a gash torn open in her side.
A set of paws slipped around her and helped her to sit up, and it took Bezine a moment to comprehend who was holding her. Eirene. The jill was almost nose-to-nose with Bezine, and the weasel jill was shocked to see the anxiety in her caregiver's eyes.
Then Suyun and Meihua were there as well, both helping her to her footpaws. Bezine struggled to stand, the pain still making every motion on the right side of her body an agony. The village healer pushed through the crowd and immediately was poking at her side, his busy eyebrows furrowed. When he touched the spot where she was injured, Bezine flinched violently, and his jaw set firmly, his goatee quivering with the motion. He began to mutter at Eirene, his accent still incomprehensible to Bezine, though Eirene seemed to understand well enough and translated for him. "You hurt yourself," she said. "You need to rest."
"You non say," Bezine replied tersely through gritted teeth. She could barely stand; she was worried she might have to be carried back to the house.
Just at that moment, a commotion arose. A kit came running into the village, shouting a word Bezine didn't recognize. Immediately the villagers all began shouting and moving in a flurry. A good number of them flocked to the shrine and knelt, bowing fervently to the Verfolger statue. Others were running to their houses, fleeing the square as quickly as possible.
Bezine glanced about at all of this. "What is it?" she asked. "Shi shenme?" Suyun looked grim, and Meihua seemed actively worried- she was whispering in fearful tones to Suyun, and Bezine felt Meihua reach past her to put a paw on Suyun's back, drawing her close as possible without squashing Bezine. Eirene had vanished; Bezine looked around for her but couldn't see her in the chaos.
A minute later the source of this disruption marched into the square. Ten soldiers in old-style Hanshiman armor came up the path, swords displayed prominently over their rattan plate. The lead one appeared to be their officer, judging by his more impressive helm and the swagger as he marched into the village. The soldiers spread out across one end of the square, leaving the officer to step forward.
Bezine didn't understand his words, but his tone was apparent: arrogance and superiority. As far as he was concerned, he owned the town now. Bezine felt a chill of mixed fear and hatred. She knew from reading a Ministry briefing on Hanshima that it was trapped in a civil war, with warlords vying for power and their soldiers often preying on the smallfolk. This seemed to be just that type of soldier.
The officer was halfway through his tirade when he caught sight of Bezine. Immediately his words died, and he stared slackjawed for a minute. When he recovered his wits, he strode forward and stared intensely at Bezine's face. Bezine considered biting his face off, but decided against it; she didn't have a plan yet for dealing with the other nine soldiers, and she doubted they would all line up nicely for her to sink her teeth into them.
The officer stepped back and roared a question at the assembled villagers. When silence reigned, he spoke again, louder and more demanding. Someone in the back of the crowd called an answer, and the officer gave Bezine a searching glance once more. After a pause, he started laughing out loud, and Bezine's spirits sank. So much for being a guardian spirit.
The officer pointed at Bezine and spoke, and two of the soldiers strode forward toward her. Bezine felt panic as they closed in. No no no no! When they tried to grab her by the shoulders, Meihua screamed, and the soldiers tussled with the two femmes to grab Bezine. The other soldiers started moving forward, and there was sudden confusion as the villagers began shouting at the soldiers and surging to pull Bezine back. There was a commanding shout and swords were drawn from scabbards, causing the villagers to shrink back like a retreating tide. The officer and his soldiers pressed on, swords out, and forced the villagers back and away. Meihua and Suyun were wrestled away from Bezine by two soldiers, and another grabbed Bezine by the arm and all but dragged her forward.
Bezine lunged at the soldier and dug her teeth into his shoulder, and he cried out in pain. Something hard struck the side of Bezine's head and the world went red for a second. When she recovered, she found herself on the ground, the officer standing above her. She tried to move and couldn't; her head and chest hurt too much for her to do more than stir. She could only watch as he raised his blade above his head, preparing to bring it down on her.
There was a flash of light, and suddenly his head wasn't there anymore. Bezine blinked instinctively and felt blood sprinkle her face. The body collapsed, and another figure moved into her view: a figure robed in black and wearing an iron mask, a bloodstained halberd in their paws. A Verfolger.
The next minute passed in front of Bezine's eyes without her understanding any of it. She saw flashes of combat as the Verfolger stood over her, fighting away the soldiers and protecting Bezine. She couldn't count the soldiers who fell, nor the number of times the blades clashed. All she could do was watch that masked figure, the way they moved, and the blade they swung.
When the battle ended, the Verfolger knelt over Bezine and reached one paw behind Bezine's head. Bezine felt her head gently cradled, raising her just enough to look the Verfolger in the eye. She was surprised by what she saw there: fear, anxiety, concern. But most of all, what surprised her was the eyes. Those distinctive, familiar yellow eyes.
Just as she passed out, Bezine finally understood.
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Bezine awoke with a pounding headache. The room was dark and the door closed, so she could not tell if it was night or day. She could feel a tight bandage about her head, wound all along the left side where the soldier had struck her.
Bezine peeled apart her dry lips and let out a low moan. She heard the sound of movement from across the room and pawsteps rush to the side of the bed. She felt a soft paw on her face and heard a soft hushing whisper. "You are hurt," she heard Eirene's voice say softly. "Rest. You need sleep."
Bezine tried to make her tongue work, but it was difficult; she seemed to have forgotten how. "W... water," she croaked. Immediately she heard the sound of water being poured into a cup, and suddenly it was right there at her lips. The trickle was soft and slow, not fast enough for Bezine to choke herself trying to down it. Then the cup was gone, and Bezine swallowed, feeling the moisture sate her thirst.
Bezine cleared her throat before trying to speak. "You saved me," she said slowly. "Zank you."
There was a pause, and Eirene's reply came cautiously. "De guardian spirit saved you. I no do anyting."
Bezine coughed out a chuckle, the best she could do. "I remember you, Eirene," she said softly. "We fought in ze tunnel in Bully 'Arbor. I insulted you, and you tried to kill me. I non saw you clearly zen, but now I know. Your voice, your eyes, your blade, all are ze same. It is you. You tried to kill me and now you saved my life."
There was a long pause. Bezine heard Eirene walk over to the wall, and a rustle as if she were leaning against it for support. "Yes," she acknowledged at last. "I tried to kill you. I still try to kill you." Bezine squinted, and she could see a glint of metal in the darkness. A blade. It hung there in the air, raised up, poised to strike... and then slowly lowered back down. When Eirene spoke again, Bezine could hear her voice shake. "I should kill you," Eirene protested. "You try to hunt me. You goe’d to de mountain to kill us. Why no I should kill you? You are de enemy." She sounded almost as if she were trying to justify it to herself.
Bezine squinted at the darkness. Eirene hadn't moved, as far as she could tell. "And still you non killed me," she noted. "If you wanted me dead, you could 'ave killed me a zousand times. You could 'ave let zat soldier do it. So, I zink you non want me dead. Zat is what I non understand." She tilted her head slightly. "Why you non want me dead?"
There was a pause in the darkness. Abruptly there was a flurry of movement and Eirene was right there. Bezine could feel the cool, hard edge of the dagger against her throat and Eirene's hot breath washing across her face. Bezine dare not breathe, not wanting to provoke the jill into carrying through on her word.
And then Bezine felt lips on her own. Soft lips, far softer than Vin's had been when he'd dared to claim Bezine's first kiss and she'd pushed him away, almost out of her life entirely. These lips were not daring; they were trembling, torn between staying and fleeing. Bezine did the only thing she could think to do: she returned the kiss.
And then Eirene was gone, the door flying open and a dark figure disappearing through it in a flurry. Bezine was left alone in the room, a dagger left abandoned on her bed and the trace of a kiss still lingering on her lips.
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When Bezine awoke in the morning, it was to Suyun, not Eirene, opening the door. She bustled in, carrying a tray with a large bowl of soup on it, and set it on Bezine's lap. Meihua followed shortly, bearing a pot of tea and a few cups. Soon enough the two had set themselves up sitting on the sides of the bed and were helping Bezine to drink her soup.
As she ate, Bezine found a spare moment to ask where Eirene was. Suyun's response was direct: "Chu qu." She's out. Meihua's answer was, surprisingly, not much longer. From what little Bezine understood, she'd gone out early and left a note under Suyun and Meihua's door asking them to come feed Bezine.
Bezine nodded, unsure how to take this. She wouldn't be surprised if Eirene had bolted for good; in her place, Bezine would probably have done the same. She hesitated, unsure of how far to proceed. She trusted Suyun and Meihua deeply, and it seemed like Eirene did as well, but still, how far could trust go?
She decided to forgo caution. This whole ordeal was a mess, and she needed to share it with someone just to get the madness of it out from inside her head. "Ta ai wo," she said plainly. She loves me.
The pair laughed at that, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Dang'ran," Suyun chuckled, patting Bezine affectionately as if she was a student who was just slow enough to be endearing. Meihua chattered a response which Bezine didn't quite follow, but which sounded as if it was something about not seeing clearly.
Bezine felt a small pit of frustration within her, all directed inward at her own situation. "Ni ting bu dong," she protested. "Ta... erm... she..." She found herself lost as to how to explain exactly how complicated the situation was.
It was Suyun who saved her. "I s'pea'k," she said, her accent thicker than Eirene's by far, but still understandable enough. Bezine's expression must have given away her shock, because Suyun explained, "Ài'lín tea'ch me."
"Oh." Bezine considered for a moment all the times she'd spoken things under the assumption that neither Meihua or Suyun could understand, and felt a flush of embarrassment. Suyun waved a paw dismissively, as if to say 'It doesn't matter'. She made a rolling motion with her paw, prompting Bezine to continue.
It took half an hour for Bezine to explain the basics of the situation, working past the language barrier as well as she could. When she finished, she saw Suyun and Meihua give each other a long glance, their eyes communicating silently. Suyun broke the silence. "You loff her," she said slowly. "Shi bu shi?"
Bezine felt frustrated at herself for not being able to answer that question. "Bu zhidao," she complained. "She no is 'oo I zinked she is."
Again, the long glance between the two jills. Bezine watched, unnerved slightly. She couldn't tell what they might be telling each other. "Shenme?" she asked, looking between the two.
Some sort of decision seemed to pass between the pair, and Meihua took a deep breath before looking directly at Bezine. She could see all of the fear and worry in Meihua’s eyes as the jill pushed past them. "Wo shi Xiao Du de baba," she said plainly.
It took Bezine a moment to process this apparently nonsensical statement. How could Meihua be Xiao Du's father? It made no sense. Had she misspoke? But she'd said it in Hanshiman...
Suyun reached over and put her paw atop Meihua's, and yet again eye contact lingered between them. Suddenly all of their subtle, harmless touches made sense to Bezine; they were expressions of affection for each other. They actually were a pair. That's what Eirene was warning me about, she realized. She wanted me to keep out of their relationship.
Suyun slowly began to explain, using Vulpinsulan where she could and switching often back into Hanshiman, with many a comment or clarification thrown in by Meihua. They'd grown up together in a distant village and become husband and wife, as was the custom. They'd had a happy enough life there, and their relationship was strong. Still, there had always been some small problem, something they couldn't explain and couldn't fix. In time, they'd come to realize what it was: Meihua, then known by another name, had never truly felt male. In her heart, she realized she felt like a femme.
It had been a difficult decision, but one they'd decided to make. They quit the village and traveled, looking for a new one. At the same time, with the help of a supportive apothecary, Meihua began to emerge - “chu shui feng rong”, Meihua described it, which, with some help from Suyun, Bezine eventually understood as referring to a lotus emerging from beneath a lake, a metaphor for her transition. Suyun had already been with kit at that point, and once they settled, they raised Xiao Du together as his mother and aunt. They had never told him about his true parentage, only a simple truth: his father loved him dearly.
Bezine shook her head, trying to clear it. Even now looking at Meihua, she couldn't see a male. All she could see was the bubbly, compassionate femme with the flower in her earrings. She couldn't even pretend to understand it. As for Suyun...
"'Ow could you make ze change?" she asked plainly. "She no was 'oo you zought. 'Ow you still wiz ‘er?"
Suyun didn't even have to glance at Meihua. She calmly replied with her answer. "I loff her. Dis ye is her. Two is one. If I loff one, I loff two."
Bezine nodded. The translation was a mess, but she thought she followed. "If I love Eirene," she replied slowly, "I should love all of 'er."
"Dui ya," Suyun said, her tone approving.
For the next two days Bezine's routine was meals with Suyun and Meihua, with long stretches in-between spent lying in bed, staring at the ceiling, and thinking. She was lying awake at night when she heard the front door open and close. A moment later the bedroom door opened. Bezine could see a familiar silhouette in the door.
"'Ey," Bezine greeted softly, sitting up on her elbows. Eirene stepped inside and closed the door behind her. In the darkness, Bezine could hear her shallow, rapid breathing. She was still scared, Bezine realized.
Bezine reached over to the knife stand and picked up the dagger, holding it out by the blade. "You left zis 'ere," she said conversationally. "I non knowed if you still need it or non."
The sound of Eirene's nervous breathing came a little closer. "I need to?" It was an odd question, one almost begging for an answer.
Bezine reached out over the side of the bed and dropped the dagger. It clattered as it hit the floor. "Non," she breathed, the word gentle in the air. Then, carefully, she scooted over, making room for Eirene to slip in beside her.
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"Ju hua."
"Chu hua."
"Bu shi! Ju. Juuuuu."
"I non 'ear ze difference," Bezine complained.
"Maybe you need to clean your ears," Eirene opined from beside her. The pair were taking a walk along a mountain path with Meihua. Despite Bezine being able to walk well enough on her own now, they still walked arm in arm.
"Maybe you 'elp me wiz zat," Bezine suggested.
"Bleugh." Eirene wrinkled her nose. "If zat is you flirting, you sleep outside tonight."
"I non was even going zere," Bezine admonished. "Maybe you need to clean your mind." Eirene rolled her eyes, but seemed to be out of comebacks. Bezine glanced over to Meihua, who was giggling as she listened to the pair's tone. "Xia yi ge," Bezine requested.
"Mu ci ai."
"Musi ai."
Meihua giggled at this. "Bu shi, bu shi! Mu," she pointed at a tree. "Ci," she mimicked driving a needle through cloth. "Ai." She pointed at Eirene.
Bezine looked at Eirene in confusion. "Tree-needle-pain in de tail? Is dat what she's saying?"
Eirene rolled her eyes. "Quiet, you," she rebuked. "She says is my name. Ài'lín de ài."
"Oh." A pause. "What is ze meaning?"
Eirene shrugged. "Is just a plant. No meaning."
Meihua suddenly chattered something, and Bezine perked her ears to try to follow what she said. "What is zat?" she inquired.
Eirene's ears turned a little pink, and her muttered answer was so quiet Bezine had to ask her to repeat it. "She says Ài is beautiful," she explained reluctantly.
"Ohhhhh." Something clicked in Bezine's head. "So you are Ài'lín. 'Beautiful forest'." She paused before continuing in a playfully dismissive tone. "Non is very accurate. Beautiful, zat is. Ze forest is true, zough, if you mean all zat fur on your-"
"Tcch!"
Bezine fell quiet just as they turned the path into a clearing. The town healer, whose name Bezine had finally learned as Dao Luo, was standing in the midst of a field of flowers, pulling up plants by the roots and examining them. Some he tossed into a basket rapidly filling with herbs.
When he spotted the femmes walking by, Dao Luo raised a paw and grunted something which might pass for a greeting. They waved back in response and slowed when he started trudging across the field. He walked straight up to Bezine, grabbed her by the shoulders, and positioned her in the middle of the path. Even though Bezine considered herself to be reasonable at Hanshiman now, it took him three times repeating his grunted order and pointing down the path for Bezine to understand. She turned and started walking, keeping her back straight and her pace steady. She then turned and walked back to the group.
Dao Luo grunted something, his tone approving. He turned to Eirene and muttered something unintelligible. Eirene kept a calm face, but Bezine could see a slight twitch in her eyelids which she knew meant the jill was feeling stricken. Without even waiting for Bezine, Eirene turned and started walking straight back down the path.
"Ài'lín!" Bezine called, trying to walk after her, but Eirene picked up her pace until she was all but running down the path. Bezine had no choice but to wait to walk back with Meihua.
When she arrived back at the house, she found Eirene curled up in the corner under Da Chong's web. Her eyes were red, and Bezine realized she'd been crying, or at least trying not to. When she spoke, her words were muffled by her knees, which she'd pulled close up to her chest.
"He said you can go home soon," she said, her tone still wavering. "He said one week."
Bezine felt stunned. She hadn't even thought about returning to the Imperium in so long. In fact, she couldn't even remember how long she had been there. Months? Seasons? Hadn't she arrived in Hanshima with the first heat of summer, and now the last harvest was long complete?
She somehow found her tongue. "Maybe I wait a few weeks," she suggested. "Until I can run again."
Eirene looked up at Bezine, and now she could see the tears streaming from red, angry eyes. "Why you go at all?" she protested petulantly. "Why you no stay here?"
Bezine scoured her mind for an answer to that question. "It is where I belong," she said eventually. "I 'ave friends zere, a life-"
"What friends?" Eirene challenged. "Wh't life? You no care until now."
Bezine felt stunned at the accusation. Of course she had friends! She had Kaden, she had Karath, she had... had... Shovah, that was it, and... She felt a wave of shock as she realized that the names she was reaching for weren't there, and the faces were fading as well. Still, there was an urge tugging at her, something important, some reason she absolutely had to go back.
Her decision must have registered on her face, because Eirene's anger turned to fury. She gave a scream of rage and stood in a fit. Before Bezine could blink the ferret had stormed into the bedroom and slammed the door so hard that Da Chong fell out of his web. Bezine picked up the spider and gently replaced him in his spot, letting him get back to his dinner.
Eirene didn't come out of her room the whole evening. When Bezine knocked, she answered with furious shouts in Hanshiman, and when she dared to open the door, a vase probably older than either of them exploded against the wall. In the end Bezine wound up sleeping on the cot.
The next morning Eirene came out of the room, but things were hardly better. She wouldn't even look at Bezine and spent hours sitting in a corner using her dagger to whittle a stick down to nothing. Bezine didn't even dare to go near her; in this mood, Eirene might just change her mind about killing the jill.
Bezine was forced to go to Suyun for news during this time. It was also the first time she got to see her and Meihua's household. It was a simple place, but much bigger than Eirene's small shack, with three bedrooms in the house- "For look," Suyun explained. Bezine nodded, knowing that feeling very well. Always keeping up appearances.
It turned out, Suyun told her, that Dao Luo had told the village chief his diagnosis regarding Bezine, and the chief had declared a feast for the day before she left, to celebrate her stay. It sounded exactly like the kind of thing Bezine least wanted to do, but it didn't seem like she would have a choice in the matter.
The day of the feast, Eirene finally broke her silence. "Stay," she said quietly, so quietly that Bezine almost didn't hear it. "Stay," she repeated, louder, looking directly at Bezine from her spot in the corner. Bezine could see the sadness in her eyes, and knew her anger was spent. "No go back. Dey no need you dere. Stay here; we need you." I need you, her eyes said silently.
Bezine hesitated, then spoke softly. "If I ask you to quit ze Verfolger, you do so?" she asked, almost rhetorically.
Momentary anger flashed back into Eirene's eyes, but it quickly died out; the kindling was turned to ashes, the fuel spent. All that was left was jadedness. "You no know what you ask," she scoffed.
Bezine sat down, scooting closer to Eirene. When the jill didn't protest, she moved a bit closer and dared to put an arm around her shoulders. "Ze Imperium is part of 'oo I am," she explained, "like ze Verfolger is for you. I non understand it, I non like it much, but I accept it is 'oo you are. Non is fair I ask you to give it up, and non is fair you ask me eizzer."
Eirene gave a small, sad scoff. "If you know no ting, say no ting," she said, but the venom was gone. She turned and curled herself into Bezine's embrace, resting her head against the jill's chest. They stayed there until nightfall, two jills hiding from the darkness creeping upon them.
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"Ganbei!"
Bezine dropped her eating sticks and rushed to pick up her bowl to join in the clinking of porcelain. It seemed like no one in the village ever took a drink without declaring ganbei, which meant that everyone else had to drop what they were doing, grab their bowl of rice wine, clink edges with everyone else at the table (always competing to be lower than the other person, which meant that a fair amount of wine was sloshed into the meal), and finally drink. The substance was horrid and thick, and worse yet, it was strong. Bezine had only had two bowls so far and was feeling it strongly. When she held back her bowl and asked for water, the village chief laughed at her and reached over to pour more wine into her bowl, some of it sloshing into her lap.
Bezine glanced over at the far side of the room. Eirene, as a single-member household, had been put at a table with Meihua, Suyun and Xiao Du. The latter three seemed to be having a good time, and on the surface Eirene seemed to be joining right in, but every so often she would look up and make eye contact with Bezine, and in those moments Bezine could see the sadness around the edges of her eyes.
The feast itself was quite grand by village standards. It seemed like a whole flock of birds had been killed to furnish the meat courses, and there were fish courses as well. Bezine was puzzled by this until she asked where they'd come from. She was surprised to learn that the fish had been in the rice paddies all along. She'd occasionally seen villagers out knee-deep in the water, feeling about with large wicker baskets, but had never figured out what they were up to. Now she understood.
"Ganbei!"
Bezine inadvertently dropped her eating sticks on the floor as she lunged for her wine bowl. She managed to join in the cheers and tip back her bowl, her face screwing up at the taste of it. If she ever came back, she decided, she would introduce them to Varangian wine. It would revolutionize their life. She finished her bowl and promptly placed it upside-down on the table. The chief laughed, turned it right-side up, and poured it full again.
By the time Bezine left, the entire room was spinning, she could barely think clearly (much less talk clearly), and she had to be supported home by Eirene, Suyun and Meihua, with Xiao Du leading the way. There were several dangerous moments where they almost stumbled off a cliff in the dark, but eventually they managed to get to the house and lay her down in bed. Suyun and Meihua immediately departed with their son, and as Eirene turned to leave as well, Bezine let out a mumbled cry. The jill turned, and Bezine looked at her, hoping she would understand.
After a moment, Eirene closed the door and walked back to the bed. Bezine felt the covers lift up and the bed shift, and then the jill's soft weight was pressing against hers. She drifted to sleep, venturing into the land of dreams, where she hoped never to leave.
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Bezine stood in the village square, trying to blink back tears as she said her goodbyes. The village chief had tried to make a ceremony out of it, complete with the annoying reed pipes, but in the end it had devolved into hugging and crying, mostly between her, Meihua and Suyun. Eirene hung back, watching. Bezine could see the mixed emotions in her eyes- her resentment of Bezine for leaving, and her grief for the same reason.
After giving Xiao Du as big a hug as she could manage before he squirmed out of it, Dao Luo came forward. He muttered something and pressed a cloth bag into her paws. Bezine opened it to see some of the herbs he'd administered over the course of her stay. She surprised the old ferret by stepping forward and throwing her arms about him, and judging by the laughs from Suyun and Meihua, his expression must have been quite comical.
Then there were other villagers, beasts whose names she had never learned or she simply hadn't gotten to know well, yet all of them seemed genuinely sad to see her go and embraced her, as well as pressing small gifts or bags of food upon her for the trip. Bezine thanked them each as profusely as she could, holding the gifts close to her.
Finally, Eirene came forward. In her paws she held a bundle wrapped in black cloth. It was only when Bezine unwrapped it that she realized it was the Verfolger outfit she had arrived in, washed and repaired. The mask had also been repaired, the dents hammered out of it. Bezine looked from it to Eirene, her mouth hanging open. "I no deserve zis," she protested, but Eirene cut her off.
"No," she said firmly, "you no do. You no understand de meaning. Dat is why you need it." She pressed it into Bezine's paws, stepping forward at the same time and whispering into her ear. "No give up on understanding us," she whispered. "No give up on me." She stepped back, the bundle left in Bezine's paws. She wavered for a moment, tears dancing in her eyes, then turned and ran, fleeing for her cabin. Bezine had to swallow and blink back her own tears, hugging the bundle to her chest.
The priest took her by the arm and led her to an honored place in the procession out of the village. Bezine shuddered and steeled herself. She had to walk, she told herself. She had to walk and keep walking and not look back. If she looked back, she feared she might lose her nerve. Think of Kaden, she told herself. Think of the life you have to live in the Imperium. Below her thoughts was a silent command: don't think of Eirene. Don't think of Meihua and Suyun and everyone you're leaving behind.
They walked to the very end of the village path, where only mountains lay ahead. The procession stopped and parted, allowing her to pass through. Bezine walked slowly ahead, her eyes on the ground. She couldn't bear to see the faces she was leaving behind. Even seeing their footpaws was nearly too much. It was amazing how unique each footpaw was: Meihua's many rings on her dainty toes, Suyun's calloused footpaws, Xiao Du's tiny pair, Dao Luo's ancient, wizened paws. Bezine felt tears threatening at the lids of her eyes, and she pressed a palm to her face, wiping them away. Then she was clear, and there was only the road ahead.
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Bezine rested atop a rocky ledge above the path, looking out on the valley spread out before her. She munched on a steamed rice bun, trying not to taste the rice. She'd woken up in the morning without any kind of headache, but her stomach had been threatening rebellion all day. She wasn't sure whether or not she wanted to give in to its demands.
She watched a distant bird of prey circle over the valley, seeing something beyond the bend. She observed its lazy circling, envying its ability to fly. Had she that power, she would cross oceans, flying continent to continent, whatever it took to escape the feeling of loss. It had been much too present in her life for her tastes. Gian, Vin, Marquo, Onya, Kaden: she was always losing someone. Now she had lost Eirene as well, all to the promise that things were better beyond the horizon.
Suddenly the hawk let out a shriek, and Bezine saw it fumble in the air, arrows whistling around it. It fell from the air, down to the valley where Bezine could not see. Abandoning her lunch, Bezine scrambled back down to the path and jogged to the bend. Carefully she knelt among the grasses and crept forward, peering down into the valley. She saw soldiers there, filling the ravine beside the river. Some of them were gathered around the downed hawk, laughing as they baited it with their swords. Bezine tried to count them and failed; there must have been around a hundred.
She crept back, her mind racing. Why would this many soldiers be here? There was nothing nearby, so far as she knew. Nothing of note except for...
The village.
Bezine was on her feet and running before she knew it. She scrambled to her packs and pulled them apart, looking for something, the one thing that would help. She couldn't warn the village, she knew, and even then, there was no way they could fight off the attack; even Eirene at her best could never take that many. The village was going to be stormed; Bezine had to decide what she would do about it.
By the time she pulled the iron mask from her pack, she had made her decision.
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The village was a battleground by the time Bezine arrived. Houses were burning, and villagers were daring to run water crews to put out what they could. The village square was swarming with soldiers, as well as the wounded and dying. In the midst of it, her halberd whirling like a furious cyclone, was Eirene, all cloaked in the fierce black and the iron mask of a Verfolger. The guardian spirit, protecting her village.
Most of the soldiers were gathered about her, swords pointing in, one usually daring to dash in and bait her into making a response. When she took the swing, another would press in, and she'd be forced to counter that as well. Bezine could see she was already tiring; her blows were growing sluggish, and the soldiers were growing bold.
Bezine crept upon the outer circle and lodged her dagger into the back of his neck, then grabbed his dropped sword as he collapsed. The two beside him turned to see the commotion, and Bezine dashed through, joining Eirene in the center of the circle.
Eirene glanced at her, eyes widening under her mask. "You come back?!" she said incredulously. She swung at a soldier who came too close.
"I non leave you," Bezine responded, guarding Eirene's back with her own blade. "I belong 'ere."
"You stupid girl," Eirene groaned, but behind her chiding tone, Bezine thought she heard something else: gratitude. The two of them crowded back-to-back, blades raised against the oncoming storm.
The next few minutes were nothing but steel threatening from every side. Bezine guarded as best she could, but her arm was growing tired, and she could feel Eirene slowing behind her as well. They needed a new plan.
"Eirene," she called behind her, "'ow you say 'we surrender'?"
She heard a hiss of breath from Eirene, and knew she was angered at the mere suggestion. Bezine shouted, "If we fight to ze deaz, zey 'urt ze villagers. If we surrender, zey only punish us, dui bu dui?"
Eirene's answer was slow in coming amidst the clash of steel. "Dui," she said at last. Her halberd clattered as she dropped it. "Wo tou’cheng,” she called. Bezine followed suit, throwing down her sword.
A minute later, they were both kneeling, bound, in the center of the square as soldiers filed in. Other soldiers were going house to house, forcing the villagers into the square and dragging out whatever crops or provisions they found. Eirene glanced over at Bezine. “Is dere more to dis plan?” she asked drily.
Bezine shook her head. “I only really zinked zis far,” she admitted. “I zinked ze rest would come to me. You?”
Eirene looked up, her eyes scanning the mountain ridges around them from behind her mask. “If help were coming, it would be here already," she said in resignation. She looked over to Bezine and met her eyes. “Dank you for coming bak,” she said honestly. “Is good, no dying alone.”
Bezine grunted in response, then chuckled at how very Hanshiman that was. “I only wish we non die at all,” she responded. “I never get you back for all zose bugs you put in my bed.”
Eirene rolled her eyes. “Such regrets you have,” she opined. “How your soul ever will sleep?"
They fell silent as the circle of soldiers parted, and a beast in armor covered in hawk feathers walked through. Bezine recognized the feathers immediately, and felt a surge of loathing for this beast. Shoot you full of arrows and drop you from the sky, and then we’ll see how you fight. The commander moved to the center of the ring, standing before the two would-be guardians and looking over them disdainfully. He raised his chin and spoke. Whatever he said, the soldiers all laughed at it. He turned to face the villagers and began to speak, his voice raised and commanding. Bezine had no idea what he was saying, but she could take a guess: this is what happens to those who defy us.
Two soldiers moved forward from the back of the circle and grabbed Eirene and Bezine by the hood. A moment later the hoods were thrown back and their masks torn away. Bezine could hear a gasp from some of the villagers, which she suspected was more for Eirene. She glanced sideways at her partner and saw her head bowed in shame. Bezine could only imagine what she was going through. There is nothing worse than failing before everyone you love, she thought sympathetically.
The commander continued to parade himself back and forth, his speech still full of grandeur. Bezine took the opportunity to feel her bonds. They were dismayingly tight. There was no way she could get herself and Eirene free, not while these soldiers were still watching. She glanced at Eirene and saw her eyes were still scanning the mountains around them, her expression almost desperate. “’Ey,” Bezine said softly, and Eirene looked over to her, their eyes locking. Bezine held her gaze to show the truth in her eyes. “Wo ai ni,” she said quietly, almost mouthing it.
Eirene looked almost startled for a moment by the words, and as she slowly exhaled, Bezine could see the words sinking in. The jill locked eyes with Bezine once more and paused, making sure she was looking. Then, she mouthed back her own response. “I love you.” Bezine felt something between a laugh and a sob escape her. They’d barely been able to stand living together; now, at least, they had found a way to die together.
The commander seemed to finish his speech, and he turned, barking orders. Two soldiers stepped forward, drawing their swords. Another shouted command, and they rested the blades over the two femmes’ necks. Bezine turned her head to face her partner, knowing what she wanted her last sight to be.
Eirene, however, was looking past Bezine and up the mountain.
The moment that the commander opened his mouth to speak, all of the ‘Gates struck. The very same moment that an arrow struck him in the throat, two other arrows appeared lodged in the necks of the executioners. Bezine whirled to see a Verfolger clad in black crouching on the mountain, notching three arrows at once to some kind of dangerous-looking bow. Abruptly the soldiers all around the square started to fall, ranged weapons of every kind striking them down- throwing stars, daggers, darts laced with a toxin that seemed able to kill a soldier within five seconds. Bezine couldn’t even keep track of the number of the dead and dying. When the Verfolger leaped from the surrounding cover, the soldiers stood little chance.
Two of the Verfolger disengaged from combat and came over to cut the bonds on Eirene and Bezine. Bezine rubbed her wrists, looking about with wide eyes. She had never seen a Verfolger this close before, and one not trying to kill her to boot.
She glanced back at Eirene. Well, she amended, at least never one in armor this close before who wasn’t trying to kill her.
The remaining twenty or so soldiers had grouped themselves into some kind of defensive formation and were holding off the Verfolger attackers. Bezine worried for a moment that they might actually recoup and take the day. Then she saw the doors to the Verfolger shrine swing open.
She recognized the Verfolger who stepped out immediately by his height: he was the one who had cornered her in the castle. Considering how much fear Bezine felt at the sight of him, she couldn’t even imagine what the soldiers were feeling. The ones closest to him balked and tried to push their way back through their fellows; none of them could make any headway, however, against the Verfolger ringing them in.
Bezine saw the lead Verfolger raise his arm. She squinted: there was some kind of metal thing around his hand and wrist, and what looked like a string running to something on his back. It was all in black, so she couldn’t see clearly…
Suddenly fire flew from the Verfolger’s arm, blazing out and washing over the soldiers. The screams were a terrible sound, the sight and smell even worse. Bezine had to turn her head and look away, trying not to even think about what was happening. By the time the flame died out, only two soldiers were left, panickedly pushing against the Verfolger hemming them in as they attempted to escape.
The lead Verfolger spoke in flawless Hanshiman, and the two soldiers cowered before him. He spoke once more, and the two soldiers glanced at each other, their paws over their heads in surrender. When the Verfolger next spoke, his tone was harsher, and he raised his metal ring of fire in threat. The soldiers scrambled for their blades, but one was quicker: he stabbed his comrade right through the heart as the other was just freeing his blade. The slain soldier cried out in pain, the blade falling to the ground.
The Verfolger waited until the soldier shuddered a last breath before speaking. The soldier’s eyes widened at what he said, and Bezine heard an incredulous “Shenme?” When the Verfolger pointed at the path, the soldier hesitantly stood. After a pause, he dared a few steps. When none of the Verfolger stopped him, he took off running, abandoning his blade behind him. Bezine realized what the Verfolger must have said: Go and tell your master that this village is protected.
With the soldiers dealt with, the Verfolger fixed his gaze upon Bezine. Bezine felt her stomach drop out from under her as he considered her. “So, you didn’t kill yourself in the fall,” he mused. “Impressive. You are stronger than we took you to be.” His gaze turned upon Eirene. “Ardent Liu, why did you not inform us she had survived?”
For a moment, it looked like Eirene would kneel to him; then, she seemed to steel herself and she stood. “It’ no was important," she declared. “She was no tret.”
“Oh?” The Verfolger looked over them both, his gaze lingering on their faces. “From what I can see, she knows who you are. She knows your face.” He motioned to one of his fellows, and they brought forth a blade, pressing it into Eirene’s paw. “And you know the law.”
Bezine felt fear grip her as she looked between Eirene and her commander. “Law? What law?” she asked.
Eirene bowed her head and took a deep breath. When she looked up at Bezine, there was an apology there- and regret. “We are de night dat falls,” she said slowly, like a mantra. “We wear de iron and have no face. None shall know us for who we are.” The comprehension slowly dawned on Bezine as Eirene explained. “If we are seen when we no wear our mask, den a life is paid: ours or deirs. You or I.”
Bezine felt her heart seize up, and she was blurting out words before she knew their meaning. “Non do this!” she protested. She waved a paw at the villagers looking on. “What about zem?” she asked. “You non can kill zem all! You just saved zem!”
“They are noncombatants,” the lead Verfolger said sonorously. “They will not be harmed. Since they know her face, however, Eirene will never be allowed to step footpaw here again.” Bezine looked to Eirene in horror, and saw her looking at the ground in shame. As she watched, tears escaped her eyes and fell to the ground. Looking to the crowd, Bezine saw Meihua and Suyun standing with silent tears streaming down their face; they might not have understood what was being said, but they understood what was happening too well.
Bezine looked to Eirene, her heart in her throat. Suddenly she looked so small: a tiny jill, barely four feet, and so scared. She was no longer the warrior in black, but the jill curled in the corner of the cabin, crying and scared of being alone again. Just as scared as Bezine had been throughout her life, and was now.
Eirene sniffled, pressing her sleeve against her cheeks, trying to daub up the tears. When she looked at Bezine, her eyes were red and her cheeks were puffy. “I maked de deal,” she told Bezine. “I joined de Verfolger, dey keep de village safe. Is why we have dis,” she pointed with her blade at the Verfolger shrine. She dropped the blade back to her side, looking at Bezine with bloodshot eyes. “I no am de guardian spirit,” she explained. “We are.” She motioned at the figures in black around them. “De Verfolger.”
“And will continue to be,” the lead Verfolger assured her. “The agreement will be honored. But first, there is one last threat to deal with.” He turned his gaze once more on Bezine.
Bezine felt fear grip her, and she looked to Eirene, pleading through her eyes. The jill couldn’t even look at Bezine. Bezine turned her gaze to the villagers beyond her. Meihua and Suyun, standing with paws clasped, Xiao Du between them. Dao Luo, the village chief and the priest, all looking on. Families, mothers and fathers and children, all kept safe by the figures in black. Kept safe… so long as I die, Bezine realized.
Bezine looked to Eirene, her heart in her throat. She knew now how it had to end. “Do it,” she said quietly. When Eirene refused to look at her, Bezine strode forward and lifted her face by the chin. They locked eyes, and Bezine spoke quietly, so only they could hear. “You are right,” she said softly. “I ‘ave nozzing in ze Imperium. Zere non is a life for me zere. ‘Ere, I ‘ave ze village. And I ‘ave you,” she told Eirene gently. She trailed her paw down Eirene’s neck, then arm, until it clasped Eirene’s pawfingers. They locked eyes once more, and Bezine spoke earnestly. “Zis place is worz dying for,” she said, and paused. “…As are you.”
She reached down to one of the soldiers’ bodies nearby and pulled a knife from his belt. She pressed this into Eirene’s paw, and then pulled that paw up so the point was right before her heart. Bezine looked up into Eirene’s eyes. “Kill me wiz a kiss,” she requested. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and leaned in to catch Eirene’s lips one last time.
It was the sweetest, saddest experience of Bezine’s life- the taste and feel of her partner, and the coldness just above her heart, waiting to end it all. Bezine savored every second of it, knowing that any second might be her last…
The coldness was gone. Bezine broke the kiss and opened her eyes as the sound of metal hitting stone tinged from her left. She found herself staring into Eirene’s defiant gaze. “No,” she said stubbornly. She turned and faced the Verfolger, repeating that same rebellious word. “No,” she declared. “I no kill her. You no kill her. She no is a tret to us. I leave de village and she never find me. All is safe.”
The lead Verfolger tilted his head to the side. “She knows of the village,” he observed. “She could use that knowledge to threaten you, to lead you into a trap.
Eirene shook her head vigorously. “Bu shi. You know why? Because she just tried to die to save de village.” She pointed at the knife lying on the ground a ways behind her as proof. She defiantly stared down her fellow Verfolger. “If she do dat, she never endanger de village. She never betray me.”
There was a long pause. The lead Verfolger watched Eirene carefully, his gaze boring into hers. “When you meet again, it may be as enemies,” he told her. “Can you do what must be done?”
Eirene glanced over her shoulder at Bezine. She could see the decision as it was made in her eyes. “We will fight,” she said. “We may hurt each otter. Bu’t we never are enemies.” Bezine nodded at her, agreeing with the truth of her statement.
The lead Verfolger sighed, sheathing his blade. “You once begged for the honor of killing her,” he noted. “Now your words have changed. It is a rare beast who can tame such fury.” He looked to Bezine and spoke directly to her. “Go in peace. Travel west, and you will find a town on the ocean. From there you can walk north to a port, from whence you can return to your Imperium.” His eyes turned hard, and his next words were harsh. “You will never return to this village. If you do, you will die. Do you understand?”
“Dong le.”
Bezine couldn’t believe the words she heard from Eirene’s lips. She turned and looked at the jill in shock. She had retained some composure, but Bezine could see the tears dance at the corner of her eyes as she gave up her home. Bezine swallowed and met the Verfolger’s gaze as it turned upon her. “I understand,” she acknowledged.
The Verfolger waited a moment to make sure neither reversed their decision, then nodded. He motioned with one paw toward the on-looking villagers. “You may say your farewells,” he told them, and his tone was a little gentler.
The two jills walked their way to the crowd, each feeling the weight of their steps; taking them toward their home and yet ever more away from it. While Eirene explained the decision in Hanshiman to the village elders, Bezine walked immediately to Meihua and embraced her, catching the jill by surprise. After hugging her with all the strength she could manage, she gave the same treatment to Suyun, who returned the embrace with a motherly one. For Xiao Du, Bezine knelt and pulled him into a fierce hug. This time, the kit did not try to wiggle away… at least, not for the first five seconds. Then he was back clinging to his mother’s skirts. Bezine gave him a sad smile and cupped out her arms in front of her. “Zai jian, Xiao Du,” she told him, giving him a small bow. Xiao Du peeked out at her before reciprocating the gesture. “Zai jian, Duo Ayi,” he returned loudly. Bezine chuckled before standing.
The rest of the goodbyes seemed to take forever, and yet at the same time it seemed like there was no time at all before it was over. Somehow, the last beast Bezine found herself standing before was Eirene. She looked the jill in the eye, a sad smile passing between them. They stepped together into a hug, Bezine lifting Eirene up a bit to make up the height difference between them, and the jill laughed for a second before they both broke down into weeping. Bezine held Eirene to her until her arms grew weak, and then gently set her back down. When at last their tears and energy were spent, they stepped away from each other, slipping out of each other’s arms. They held their sad gaze for a moment before Bezine turned away. They had nothing left to say to each other, or perhaps they had too much.
Bezine walked past the Verfolger to the trailhead, looking out at the path before her. She knew she had to walk down it and not look back, or else she would be tempted to stay. You have to go, she told herself. Still, she couldn’t stop herself from turning for one last look at the village.
There it was, all there. The houses, the villagers, her friends, her lover. All watching her with sadness as she left. In a rare moment of introspection, Bezine understood. All her life she’d been running, fleeing her worries in search of some perfect place just beyond the horizon. Once there, she’d told herself, she would be happy. She would have a place there. She would be safe. It was only now, as she was leaving it, that she realized: the village was that place beyond the horizon. It was the place she’d always wanted to be.
With tears in her eyes, Bezine turned back to the path and walked away from paradise forever.
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Karath sat alone at his desk, the backdrop of red and blue glass casting an iridescent glow on the floor before him as it caught moonlight. He didn’t recall speaking to a beast who wasn’t of MAUL or one of his guards in days, for reports of strange things throughout the city and beyond had kept him busy. It was a thoroughly lonesome place, but at least it was quiet. Even so, the silence had begun to wear on him, however good it was for working.
Silence, like many things in the Harbor, never seemed to last. There was a knock at the door, not unusual at this time of the night for an organization built around the graveyard shift.
Karath looked up towards the door, expecting a MAUL beast or another operative to bring him a folder, perhaps a scroll. “Come in,” he said.
The door opened, and two beasts walked in. The first was a familiar sight, the click of her heels on the marble floor almost a daily interruption for the minister. The other, however, was a sight long absent from these halls. After seven months, her cropped headfur had grown long and wild again, and her male-ish clothes had been lost somewhere along the way in favor of some kind of robe. Dawn led the girl in, proclaiming as she did so, “Minister, may I present the successful return of our Agent D’Oiravere.”
Karath blinked, at first not recognizing Bezine, and persisting in his disbelief for a few seconds longer after his mind knew it was her. The way Dawn spoke seemed to suggest she had some part in her absence, but he would leave it be for the present. Seven months was a long time to drop from the face of the world.
“Welcome back,” he said. “Return from where, exactly?”
Bezine glanced at Dawn incredulously, then looked at Karath as if to confirm what she’d just heard. After a moment, she exploded, shouting furiously in a mix of Callisparian and some other language. Dawn winced at the outburst. “Originally, Varangia,” she explained to the minister, “although it seems that may have changed. Here, sit down dear,” she told Bezine as soothingly as she could, trying to lead her to a chair in front of the Minister’s desk. Bezine shrugged away her paw and marched her own way up, slumping into a chair and sullenly curling up her knees in front of her.
Karath passed a venomous gaze to Dawn, one that suggested there would be words between them later. He turned back to Bezine, knowing her story would be the least motivated by self-interest, or at least the most honest.
“Dawn sent you to Varangia? Looks like we’re going to have to start from the beginning here, since she was so kind as to not mention any of this even when I tried to find out what became of you.” His eyes lingered on Dawn.
Bezine hesitated, seeming reluctant to come out of whatever shell had formed around her during her travel. Eventually she uncurled her legs and began to recount her trip- arriving in Varangia, traveling to the mountain castle, finding out that her contact had already sold her out. Here the story diverged from the truth, however. “I find ze place deserted,” she told Karath, not meeting his eye. “Zey knowed I am coming and goe’d. I finded a map, zough. All zeir bases, more or less. A mask for each one.” She raised her gaze and met the Minister’s. “Zere was a mask right on ze ‘Arbor,” she told him. “Ze Verfolger no are creeping into ze city; zey already are ‘ere.”
Dawn leaned back onto one footpaw, her arms crossed as she listened critically to the tale. “That couldn’t have taken more than a month,” she pointed out. “What took you so long to come back?” Bezine’s mouth shut tight, and she looked away. She wouldn’t even look at Dawn or the Minister.
Karath ignored Dawn for the moment.
“Well, we already knew some were here, but after they have remained silent for so long, none of us thought it was any more than a scouting party, something to be wary of but not, perhaps yet, a direct threat. But it seems that may not be the case. Perhaps we would’ve known this sooner if our chief of intelligence spent less time sending beasts away on errands hundreds of miles away then neglecting to inform me of any of it. As if I do nothing but sit here behind this desk.” Karath’s eyes shifted to the rack of weapons beside his desk. He’d done more than a little of his own information gathering.
“The real question is, what took you so long to tell me of this?” He asked Dawn.
Dawn pushed out the other chair before the desk and smoothly sat in it, crossing her legs. Bezine pulled away into her own chair. “Foreign operations are my purview,” she said smoothly. “Miss D’Oiravere has had the most experience with the Verfolger to date and thus was the natural choice for the operation. We had no intelligence to suggest she was killed or captured, and thus it never became a matter worth reporting.” Bezine glared at Dawn, but said nothing in reply.
Karath’s claws began to drum on his desk.
“When I directly seek out the whereabouts of a beast, Bezine in this case, as my chief of intelligence it is your duty to tell me where in ‘Gates that beast is.” Karath waved his paw dismissively, realizing the futility of his argument. After all, it would only create more of a rift between him and Dawn, and the vixen was good at her job, at least when she performed it without seeking to irritate him. He then looked to Bezine.
“But I am genuinely curious. We can get the matters of intelligence sorted out later; why did it take seven months for you to return?”
Bezine glanced for a moment up at his eyes, then looked at the ground. She seemed to be searching for an answer there. “I go down ze wrong side of ze mountain,” she said eventually. “I ‘ave to wander in ‘Anshima and avoid soldiers to make it ‘ome. Eventually I finded a port and come back.”
Dawn raised an eyebrow at this. “That’s all? Five months of wandering a war-torn wasteland?” she asked critically.
Bezine raised her eyes and met Dawn’s, and there was defiance there for a moment. “If you know nozzing, say nozzing,” she dared to challenge her. She held the glare until Dawn cleared her throat and looked away. Bezine looked back at Minister Nicolas. “You ‘ave questions?” she asked.
Karath knew Dawn well enough to realize he should pay attention when she suspected something, no matter who it was she was suspicious of, and he too caught a hint of untruth in Bezine’s hasty explanation for her absence.
“Well, of course I have questions. You were gone for seven months, after all. Since just after we saw the first Verfolger here. If you want to answer them later though, I understand. But I will ask, when did you get back here?”
“Later” of course meant “Out of Dawn’s earshot”, though even Karath wasn’t exactly sure of the threshold of her hearing. She seemed to hear everything. He knew Bezine had told him the truth of what concerned the Imperium; he would have to get the full story on that later. The other months of Bezine’s journey interested him for other reasons, curiosity not the least of them, and news from any place beyond Vulpinsula was welcome.
Bezine blushed a bit at Karath’s insistence on her answering as to the missing five months, but seemed relieved that she would have time to draft a reply. She answered his next question immediately. “Zis morning. Ze ship come in early. I go to my apartment to rest, zen come back ‘ere to report. I ‘ope zat non is a problem.”
Karath smirked at her deliberate politeness. He wasn’t Nadia Darkon, for the sake of ‘Gates, he was Karath. Even Dawn seemed to have stopped with that foolishness. Then again, Dawn hadn’t been gone for seven months. “Not sure why it would be a problem; I’m more curious to know what you encountered in your five months away from wherever it was Dawn sent you. Curiosity may be getting the better of me; I don’t really expect anything essential to security or anything like that. Far off places are just interesting. I haven’t gotten to travel the world as much as I would’ve liked, but I may yet.”
Bezine lifted her gaze, her resolve wavering. She couldn’t avoid answering his question forever. She would have to give him an answer, something close to the truth, or at least something he would accept. “I find paradise,” she said plainly. “I find a village, and zere is like I always belong. I find friendship, I find…” Her tongue tied as she found herself unable to say the most dangerous of all four-letter words. Dawn sat back in her chair a bit, her eyes understanding.
Bezine forced herself to carry on. “And zen soldiers come and destroy ze place. I flee, I no can save zem. Zat is why I come back,” she admitted tearfully. “Because I ‘ad nowhere else to go.”
It was as if a shadow fell over the room then, and it had, for the moon had slipped behind the clouds. For an instant, Karath felt vulnerable, as if everything he hid behind had caught up to him. His weapons on their rack could not defend him, nor could his skill or his wits, or the walls of stone surrounding him. Then it passed, as soon as the feeling had come. He was getting better at sending it away, and he wasn’t sure if that was a good thing.
“Sometimes you have to save yourself, aye. But what happened in the past you cannot change.”
Or run from, he thought.
Bezine sniffled, pressing one paw to her face and trying to stem the tears that threatened to run down her face. She tried to recover her composure, but seemed to be having trouble. Dawn sat up a bit and suggested, “Maybe we should give Agent D’Oiravere some time to rest and recover. I’m sure the rest of the briefing can wait.”
Karath’s claws tapped three times on his desk, an involuntary action. He stood up then, his chair nearly falling over behind him. He lunged across the desk at Dawn, nearly standing on top of it. “To the ‘Gates with you! This is all your doing! You’re nothing but a schemer, waiting for something to come along for your own gain. Get out of this room, or I may just kill you. ‘Gates knows you deserve it. Leave now and you may just keep your job, because you are useful on occasion.”
He looked down at his paw. In it was a hopelessly crumpled piece of a map he had been pondering. He tossed it aside and turned to face the glass that looked out over the sea. He willed his breathing to slow. For an instant, he thought he might kill Dawn. It frightened him a little. Only one time before had he killed a beast in anger, and that beast had led to the deaths of others.
Dawn looked absolutely shocked at the outburst. Her jaw dropped open, and she seemed to entirely forget herself for a moment. It was fair to assume that no one had ever spoken to her in that manner before. Slowly she stood, trying to gather her dignity about her, and then walked out of the room, her heels clicking on the marble. Bezine watched her go, wide-eyed.
“She deserved that,” Karath said simply. Bezine nodded vigorously, not daring to disagree.
“Though,” he said, finally calm, “you could’ve told me.”
Bezine looked uncertain, and returned her gaze to the floor. She seemed chastised by his remark. “Was personal,” she muttered. “I non wanted to affect zings ‘ere.”
“I understand, though it's now a bit too late for that. In the future, however,” he turned around, anger banished from his face, “you could give me the slightest of hints that Dawn is scheming behind my back. I mean, of course she is. That’s kind of her job, to do the scheming that I don’t have time for. But ‘Gates, I don’t know how far she’s willing to go. I figure…” He paused, unsure why he was telling Bezine these things, but then again, he hadn’t found the beasts of MAUL to be great listeners.
“I think it's best to keep her around anyway. If I lose track of her, I just might find a knife in my back. At least this way I’ll see the knife coming at me in time to parry.” He walked towards his desk, where his dagger lay beneath his weapons rack.
“Speaking of which, I better keep this around if the Verfolger are coming.” He tucked the weapon into his jacket.
Bezine glanced up at Karath, then down again. She hesitated, then slowly spoke. “Maybe… maybe we should try to find out what zey want,” she suggested meekly. “I mean, zey attack us, we attack zem, but we still non know why. Maybe we understand, we non need for killing each ozzer.”
Karath had to stop himself from letting out a laugh. “If they were anything other than who they are–and from what I gather, ‘who they are’ is a death worshiping night cult–I would say the same. But they came into these tunnels to kill. I met a fox, looked like she was from the desert, who also encountered one of their kind. It’s like they exist only to slaughter. It took four to send him away, and the way she talked about it, it seems like he let them win. Called himself Sun Stealer. Who in their right mind has a name like that? Unless you know something I don’t, the time for diplomacy has passed. Do you know something I don’t?”
Bezine looked up at him, and there was something behind her eyes, something pleading for him to reconsider. “Only zat we don’t understand zem,” she said, “and zat is a problem. Maybe zere are zings zey do we non see, zings zat make sense of zem. All I say is,” she shrugged, “maybe we non give up on zem. Maybe non yet.”
“If I see Sun Stealer lurking in my tunnels, I am going to stop him. If he pleads for his life, I will let him live - in a cell. I try my best not to strike first in a fight, but they are making it exceedingly difficult. And they’ve already struck here. If you think you could talk one of them down, by all means. But I will keep my blade sharp. And I think you should do the same. Speaking of which, do you actually have a weapon?”
Bezine nodded, reaching to her belt and pulling a dagger from it. It was a different make from Imperial daggers, thinner and with an odd shape to it- distinctly eastern. “I ‘ave,” she answered readily.
Karath sat carelessly back into his chair, throwing his right arm up on the desk and leaning on it.
“Why can’t beasts refrain from killing each other for five minutes? Five minutes would be nice. If they like the night so much, why not go out and look at the stars?”
Bezine sat at the desk, looking down at the blade in her paws, and quietly replied, “Zat is what I ask.” She paused, and then prompted the minister. “’Ai you shir, or maybe I go now?” The Hanshiman slipped unbidden from her tongue.
“As you wish. These doors are always open, that goes for coming in as well as out. Be careful and watch your back. And don’t lose your heart. We Vulpinsulans might need it come the storm that might be brewing.”
Bezine nodded and stood, turning to move toward the door. She paused, then looked back at the Minister. “Non is ‘we Vulpinsulans’,” she reminded him. “I am Erlani. Is different.”
“And I am Scitherian. All of us might need it, then. I shouldn’t assign the name of an island to the concept of peace, you’re right. I sounded a bit like Darkon there.”
Bezine nodded. She hesitated for a moment, as if there were something she still wanted to say, then changed her mind. She turned and began walking her way to the door.
Karath’s footsteps echoed as he stepped across the polished black floor to where he had thrown the crumpled piece of paper earlier. He brought it back to his desk and carefully unfurled it, smoothing out the wrinkles until it lay flat. It was a map of old trade routes, of places he some day wished to go, or places he wished to establish contact with. In his rage, he had forgotten what it was. Leaving the map on his desk, he retreated to his study below the chamber and slept.
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Bezine unlocked her apartment door and entered. She was grateful that the Ministry had funded the rent while she was away; coming back to find herself homeless would have been salt in the wound. Most of the furniture, what little she had, was still draped. She wasn’t sure she was quite ready to pull off the sheets; it would be acknowledging that she was staying here permanently. She wasn’t sure she could take that quite yet.
She shut the door and locked it, resting her head against the door for a moment. She tried to imagine for a moment that it was the rough, uneven wood of the door to Eirene’s shack, that she would turn and find herself back in that simple dwelling that had somehow become home. Sighing, Bezine lifted her head and turned around, facing the small room where she would henceforth live alone.
Her eye was caught by something on the table, blocking out the streak of reflected moonlight. Curious, Bezine crossed to the table and examined the object. It was a wicker basket, the likes of which she had seen all over the village in Hanshima. Cautiously Bezine picked up the lid and lifted it. Setting the lid aside, she tilted the basket toward the moonlight. Inside, sitting in the midst of a thick web, was a large spider.
Bezine smiled, blinking back tears. Carefully, she reached in and picked up the spider, then carried him to the corner of the room. Stretching as high as she could, she lifted him up and placed him gently on the wall. Da Chong crawled up a few inches, paused, and settled there. Bezine smiled, knowing a new web would soon populate the corner. “Zank you,” she whispered softly.
Bezine stepped off the ship, setting footpaw on her ancestral homeland for the first time. Varangia, to her surprise and disappointment, did not look radically different from the Imperium. The trees were a little different, shorter and more rambling in their branches, and there were mountains in the distance. Mountains. Now that Bezine saw them, she knew that there was nothing in the Imperium meriting the word; it was almost flat compared to the magnificent, snowcapped peaks in the distance, towering over the vista of the sprawling, bustling port city.
Beyond that, the differences were minor: slight variations in architecture and the materials used, as well as lots and lots of ferrets. Apparently they formed the ethnic majority here, much as foxes did in the Imperium. No one was giving her much of a glance either, except at her rather male-styled clothing, which told Bezine that attitudes toward Erlani, or at least weasels, had loosened over the last hundred and fifty years.
As Bezine watched the crowds go by, a creeping sense of paranoia came over her that she was being watched. She was using an alias on the ship's manifest, and the ship had been chartered specifically because it lacked a messenger bird service, but still, she couldn't help but worry that, in spite of all that Misanthropy had done to get her there in secret, some beast had anticipated her arrival.
The entire trip to Varangia had come out of the blue. Dawn, Minister Nicolas' new assistant (or keeper, as Bezine privately thought), had unexpectedly come to see Bezine down at the Dusk Watch office one day. After thoroughly checking the room to make sure they were along, she locked the doors, including the hatch to the Minister's office, and then forcefully sat Bezine down in a chair.
And then Dawn told Bezine her mission.
Bezine left on a ship that very afternoon, with no provisions save for what Dawn had arranged for her ahead of time, along with a heavy bag. After glancing inside once, Bezine decided not to look inside again for as long as possible. She didn't want to know where Dawn had gotten it, or how the vixen had known her measurements.
Standing at the top of the gangplank, Bezine took a deep breath and focused on the instructions that Dawn had given her. First, find the inn. Dawn had specified she stay at the Dancing Sailor, but that first she call at the Faithful Maiden and the Wandering Flute. "You must be seen looking for a place to stay," Dawn had explained. "Use the time to make sure you aren't being followed."
Bezine dutifully followed these instructions, seeing in time the veracity of Dawn's ascribed cover. The Faithful Maiden turned out to be a seedy establishment, with far too many jills waiting around than made sense for simply waiting tables. Quite an ironic name for this place, Bezine thought in amusement before moving on, affording only one glance to the assembled femmes.
The Wandering Flute, in contrast to the previous establishment, was perhaps too respectable for Bezine's tastes. Half of its main level was a stage alive with song and dance, with a second-level balcony to hold the overflow of all the raucous patrons. Bezine's ears flattened back against her head as a round of cheers went up and she had to duck back into a doorway to avoid a loose spray of wine. Certainly not her scene.
The Dancing Sailor proved to be a welcome middle ground between the two previous locations; clean, quiet, and with rooms to spare. Bezine rented a room and went up to it, eager to wash up after the journey. Water had been in scarce supply on the ship, and after traveling a month in the company of sweaty, burly sailors, Bezine was determined to scour every drop of body odor from her fur and clothes.
After bathing herself with a basin and cloth the landlady provided her, Bezine paused in dressing herself and glanced out the window, looking once more to the distant mountains. Clouds obscured the peaks, making them appear even more distant and mysterious. For some reason, Bezine shivered as she looked at them. She decided that it must be the air on her damp fur, and she returned to dressing herself.
She spent the few hours before sunset relaxing on her bed and readjusting to sleeping on a solid surface rather than a hammock on a rocking ship. When the sky outside turned to pinks and blues, she got herself up and went downstairs. The pub was busier than it had been at her arrival, but not so busy that she could not order a drink at the bar.
"Put it on my tab," a voice down the bar called. Bezine glanced down the way to see a weasel jack grinning her way. "Anything for as sweet a sight as you, estella mia," he called to her.
Normal Bezine would have rebuffed him, but today was different. Today she had orders. "Oh?" she challenged. "What makes you zink I am sweet, Signor? For all you know, zis apple is sour."
The jack grinned back at her. "Even so, I would swear that after tasting such fruit, I would cut out my own tongue for knowing that nothing else could taste so well."
Bezine had to admit, he was good. She almost felt sorry he was wasting his effort. She gave him a coy grin. "Zat might be a welcome change," she teased.
The jack staggered in his chair, his look of shock and his paws clutching at his chest both miming being shot with an arrow. "Sweet and sour one, you wound me," he bemoaned his condition. "How can an arrow from an angel of love hurt so?"
There. That was the code phrase. Bezine smiled at him, reached over, and put a paw on his 'wound'. "Per'aps I can find a way to mend your broken 'eart," she told him slyly.
The jack looked surprised at her forthrightness. "My Lady," he intoned, "do lead on!"
Bezine led him up the stairs, giving him all the smoldering glances she could muster. The moment they were inside her room, however, she dropped his paw, crossed to her window, and closed and latched it securely. She turned to face the jack, noting his demeanor had turned more serious.
"Down to business," she stated. "Ze Ministry said you 'ad information on ze V- Target 23." Dawn had been very specific that she refer to the Verfolger only using a code name, as well as to avoid referencing any Ministry member by name. "Compartmentalize as much as possible,” the vixen had stressed. "Always assume that you are being spied upon." Bezine thought it was a bit paranoid, but Dawn was the spy, not her; she probably knew what she was talking about.
The jack noticed, padding over to a small table and setting himself. "Yes," he agreed, "but I'd prefer to discuss payment first."
"Our agents are already in motion," Bezine stated immediately, reciting from memory. "You will find everyzing arranged to your satisfaction upon completion of our objective."
The jack chuckled drily. "They told you to say that, didn't they?" He sighed, a look of resignation on his face. "Very well then, it looks like I'm stuck with you for now. The information that sent you here is this: we have found a Verfolger base."
This was not news to Bezine; Dawn had said as much when she handed Bezine her assignment. The jill clicked her tongue impatiently. "You zink I said 'alfway around ze world and non know why?" She gave him a scathing glare. "Please tell me somezing actually new, or maybe I find zis place myself."
The jack chuckled at her threat. "Good luck with that," he told her. "You could wander Varangia for years and not find it. I only know because I knew somebeast who found it first. They told me what they knew- and then they were dead the next day. I am the only beast who knows where the Verfolger are."
Bezine gave him a challenging glare. "And if ze Verfolger find you?" she challenged. "What good zis information do you zen? Maybe you should tell me where zey are and zen go collect your reward."
The jack shook his head. "My job is to get you there," he said stalwartly. "Otherwise I don't get my pay. Your boss made that clear. So, for now, I know where we're going and you don't. Trust me," he added. "I'll get you there safely."
Bezine's eyes narrowed. She had little more trust for this jack than she did for the vixen who had arranged this whole trip. It would be just like Dawn to send her on a suicide mission. Still, Bezine did not see what choice she had in the matter. "Very well," she reluctantly agreed.
"Excellent!" Her guide stood, "We leave at dawn. Don't be late."
As he went to leave, Bezine called to him, "Wait!" When he turned back to her, she asked, "What is your name?"
The jack laughed at her. "You're new to this, I can tell," he remarked. "We don't do names. Still, you can call me... Bernardo," he decided. "And I will call you Esmerelda." Bezine's expression only seemed to egg him on. "Esmé for short," he added. "Now, sleep well; we leave at first light."
---------------------------------------------
They travelling four days into the countryside, across hills and mountains, past arbors that put the orchards of Resolution to shame, and passed the occasional walled city. Armöst may reign to the north, Bernardo informed her, but down in the central valleys, it was rule by whatever custom the cities decided upon. Some were ruled by a few rich families; others, a duke or lord; still others, led by a mayor chosen by the citizens themselves. Bezine thought of Mayor Freedom back home and wondered just how wise this system was.
On their right, the mountains always arose, their peaks either lost in the clouds or covered in snow and ice that made them almost impossible to look at directly in the brilliance of the midday sun. The further they traveled, though, the stronger was Bezine's sense of foreboding whenever she looked at them. She had noted several bundles in their supplies were wrapped in heavy coats. Thus, when Bernardo stopped at the foot of a high mountain, Bezine was not entirely surprised.
"This is where we climb," he told her. "The Verfolger are based in a mountain castle built into the side near the peak. A couple Erlani were scouting out a new mountain crossing into Hanshima and stumbled upon a hidden path up to it. A few days later, their caravan found them dead. They probably have the path guarded now, so you-" he pointed up at the peak, "-will have to climb."
Bezine turned on him with a glare. "I?" she asked. "Non is 'we'?"
Bernardo shook his head. "Sorry, my beautiful Esmé," he told her with a grin, "but here we part ways. I know the path up no more than you do. Just climb and keep going up," he advised her. "From what I heard, you won't miss it."
Bezine glanced up at the peak. It was almost dizzyingly high. "When I am done, where should we meet?" she asked.
Bernardo shook his head again. "My job is to get you here," he told her. "Now my job is finished. Your boss said that once you got there, you would be able to find your own way back."
Of course she did. Bezine made a note to have a frank conversation with Dawn once she got back to the Imperium. She unslung the bag from around her shoulder and knelt to rifle through it. "Well, zank you for zis much, Bernardo," she said grudgingly. "Maybe next time I see you, we do zat 'ole 'cutting out your tongue' zing, okay?"
Bernardo grinned at her. "But I still haven't tasted your fruit," he teased. "I pray you allow me a taste."
Bezine rolled her eyes as she pulled out a mask made of dull iron. "Dream on," she said shortly before fitting the mask to her face.
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The climb up was the most difficult experience of her life. There wasn't even the semblance of a path, forcing Bezine to scramble along the rocks as best she could. That was a difficult enough task normally; in the armor of a Verfolger, it was nigh impossible. Bezine could barely maintain her pawholds in the gloves, though as she climbed higher and the rocks grew sharper and colder, Bezine found them more necessary.
There were some unexpected benefits to the armor, though. It was much warmer than she might have thought, to the point where she soon abandoned the extra cloak. The mask, surprisingly, did not restrict her vision either, though considering the Verfolger emphasis on martial prowess, she supposed it made sense. Still, it was heavy gear and the wind grew dangerously strong as she climbed, such that she had to pause and take whatever limited shelter she could.
By the time she saw the castle, she was almost right upon its walls. It blended right into the stone of the mountain; had Bezine not been activity looking for it, she might not have recognized it as a structure. Panting, exhausted and surprisingly hot for all of the cold around her, Bezine pulled herself into a crevasse formed by the intersection of mountain and castle to rest and consider the problem before her. She could see no entrance on this side, and taking such an entrance would be a bad idea anyway; even with her disguise, the guards would most likely spot her as an impostor. She would have to find another way inside.
She glanced along the wall, her gaze following it a ways before finding the thin outline of a balcony. It was high on the wall, far from an easy climb. Still, the only other option was the ramparts high above. Groaning at the protest of her muscles, Bezine pushed herself onto her footpaws and swayed unsteadily under the influence of exhaustion and vertigo. Then, slowly and painfully, she began to climb.
Somehow, climbing the stones of the castle wall was more difficult than the climb up. Perhaps it was because of the cold, or because of her own exhaustion. Several times Bezine hung on the wall, frozen between carrying on and climbing back down to seek out whatever rest she could manage at the foot of the wall. She didn't know how she found the will or strength to climb on; it was mostly a matter of mustering the sheer determination to climb one more block.
When she pulled herself onto the thin balcony, Bezine had to lie on its surface for a while, panting and heaving for breath. The icy air scalded her lungs as she gulped it down, and she worried for a moment that she would freeze from the inside out. Still, she managed to grab the handle of the door and pull herself up with it. Once standing, she heaved a breath and turned the handle.
It was locked.
Bezine stood there for a moment, caught up in a mad desire to roar with laughter. Of course it was locked. Here the Verfolger were, in a secret mountain castle with a nearly inaccessible balcony, and they'd locked the door to it.
Once she recovered from her giddiness, Bezine's spirits came crashing down. It was getting very late, the night was coming on, and the air was growing frigid. Worse, from the clouds it looked like a storm was coming. She had to find a way in or she would die out there.
Bezine knelt, peering at the frame of the door as best she could. She couldn't see much, but it didn't look like a deadbolt. That was good; if it was deadbolted, there wasn't a thing she could do to save herself. Drawing a dagger from within her cloak, Bezine carefully slid it into the door frame and began to saw at the bolt. It was slow going; fortunately, her dagger was made of stronger stuff than the bolt. By the time the bolt finally broke, night had fallen and Bezine's paw was cramped and pained, but she had access.
As quickly as she could, Bezine pulled open the door, fighting the wind in the process. As she pulled it open, a gust of cold air followed her into the castle, and the wind shut the door quickly behind her. Bezine's heart thudded in her chest, certain the whole castle must have heard the noise and felt the cold air come in with her. She froze, looking carefully around the chamber. It looked like some kind of officers' quarters, with an impressive desk, a large bed, and all kinds of standards and ornaments hanging on the wall. To Bezine's great relief, it appeared to be empty.
Bezine cautiously moved to the desk and started pawing through the papers, looking for anything of note. She peered at the words on a document before groaning. It was in Raulish. Of course it is. Nothing stood out to her, so Bezine moved on to the door at the front of the room. Kneeling, she pulled her hood to the side and put her ear to the door. She didn't hear anything on the other side. Taking a deep breath, Bezine slowly turned the latch and pulled it open.
Mercifully, it seemed she was in luck again. The corridor was empty when she stepped out into it. Carefully Bezine closed the door behind her and began to softly tread her way down the hall. When a beast turned the corridor, Bezine had to fight the impulse to duck and hide; as it was, she got a strange look from the beast, a marten who was wearing the outfit of the Verfolger but not the mask. Bezine realized, to her humiliation, that the Verfolger must not wear their masks all the time. Even they had to relax from time to time.
She continued her way through the castle, exploring hallway by hallway. She didn't encounter anyone else in the halls, but she did overhear snatches of conversation in a variety of languages- Raulish, of course, but also Varangian, Callisparian, and, surprisingly, Vulpinsulan. Bezine listened in on these as best they could, but they turned out to be disappointingly mundane discussions- what was being prepared for dinner, who was changing shifts with who, and so on. The most interesting discussion was on politics in Armöst, which Bezine would have liked to listen to a little more simply because it was an interesting topic, but she had to move on for fear of being discovered.
It was dark outside of all the windows, and Bezine was beginning to worry. She had yet to find any intelligence justifying the trip, and if she left empty-pawed, it would seem like she hadn't even tried. She was just considering heading back to the officers' quarters and grabbing whatever she could when she passed a room with an open door. Through the door, she could see a large table with a map spread across it. Creeping forward, Bezine glanced around inside to make sure she was alone before entering. The room had thin windows and another door on the opposite side, along with a large number of chairs, tables and maps on the walls; to Bezine's eyes, it looked like some sort of planning room.
Cautiously she approached the map on the table, noticing tiny, carved wooden masks dotted across the continents. Her eyes followed the coast of Varangia up to Raul, finding a mask there; another one she found on the mountain ranges to the south, where she was now. Her eyes scanned the map, shocked by the sheer number of masks across the world, on every continent and every major nation; and finally, she alighted upon the Imperium. Her heart nearly stopped beating, and it felt like it might drop out through her stomach.
There was a mask on Bully Harbor.
"See something that scares you, little one?" a voice missed from the corner. Bezine whirled to see a Verfolger emerge from behind the door, towering above her. Bezine slowly backed away as he advanced on her, his motions slow and unhurried. "Little kits should not play in the dark," he warned her. He drew a sword from his side, the metal hissing as it left its sheath. "Dangerous things lurk in the night. And night is falling, little one," the Verfolger told her. "It falls on your island even now."
Bezine backed away from the table, carefully keeping her eyes on the Verfolger as she moved toward the door on the opposite side. She had no idea where it led, but it had to be better than here. "You zink you can scare me?" she challenged, her defiance undermined by the frightened squeak in her voice. "I am a watcher of ze dusk. I guard ze Imperium against ze 'orrors of ze night. You non are so scary."
The Verfolger chuckled throatily. "Bravery," he mused. "A good quality. You might have made a good Verfolger. Your loyalty is misplaced. Your employer sent you here to die; your guide sold you out before you arrived. Do not fear," he added, seeing the fire in her eyes. "Betrayal is a crime deserving death. He will die for his treachery, even for betraying you to us. We cannot trust such a beast either."
"Well, at least somezing good comes of zis," Bezine muttered to herself, still backing toward the door. Just a few more steps...
"Do not think you can escape," the Verfolger warned her. "We led you here to corner you. Why do you think we let you in so easily? Did you think we leave our plans lying out? You are here because we wanted you to be. Go on, open the door."
Bezine had just edged her way back to the door. At his words, she seized the handle and flung the door open-
To find herself on a balcony. Out to the distance, the land rambled away, infinitely before her. The wind howled about Bezine as she peered over the edge. She couldn't even see the end of the drop down.
"Make your choice, Imperial," the Verfolger called to her. "Choose which darkness you will face today; the night that falls, or the fall into the night."
Bezine felt herself growing dizzy as she looked over the edge, a horrible realization hitting her. She was not going to survive. One way or another, she would be killed tonight.
She turned back to the Verfolger, mustering all the glare she had to shoot at him through her mask. "Zat's where you're wrong," she told him defiantly. "I non am Imperial; I am Erlani."
With those final words, she turned to the balcony, climbed up on it and dropped.
Her wits just about few out of her as she hung in the air, and then in a jarring impact she hit the mountainside. Immediately she was flying down the steep, icy slope, sliding out of all control. Soon enough, the ice gave way to rock, and Bezine was tumbling, pounded from all sides as she collided with stones and rocks. Even her armor could not save her from some of the more painful collisions. Finally, she was sliding through rough brush, which was just smooth enough that she could right herself and see where she was sliding.
There was a river right below her.
The last thing Bezine managed to think is 'This is going to hurt'.
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The Dark Forest was soft. Soft and dark. Bezine had expected the last one, really, but she hadn't expected soft. It felt like soft blankets wrapped all around her. And it was warm, too. Warm like a nice fire, only smaller and all around her, warming her up. And there was a smell, too. It smelled like... spices?
With what felt like a world of effort, Bezine fluttered open her eyes. She couldn't see much of anything at first; the ceiling looked strange and distant. She squinted, trying to see it clearer. It was strange and distant. It looked like a bunch of octagons stacked on top of one another, going up for ten or so feet before it ended in a tile roof. The whole place seemed to be painted red, but the light was all soft and orange.
With an effort that left her a pounding headache, Bezine tilted her head to the right and squinted as soft, glowing orange lights filled her view. Candles, she realized. Moving her gaze to the corner of her eyes, she thought she could just make out a bunch of sticks stuck in a hanging pot above her, wafting smoke. And beyond that...
Bezine felt a scream bubbling up in her throat, but it couldn't get out past the fluid filling her throat. On a stand above her, staring down at her with empty sockets, was the mask of a Verfolger.
Wooden doors in front of her opened and a short, bald ferret in an orange robe poked his head in. He took one look at Bezine, his eyes grew wide, and he ran shouting from the place, his words incomprehensible to Bezine. Bezine tried and failed to sit up; her chest hurt to the point she could barely move. She lay there, waiting, staring up at the mask above her. She'd come so far, gone through so much... And now she was back in the Verfolger's clutches. She just couldn't seem to win.
She heard the sound of pawsteps, a lot of them. She lifted her head up a little to look and see what was coming. What she saw surprised her. A lot of ferrets, wearing rough homespun clothes and wide, conical straw hats, were approaching. Bezine watched as they set down bags of rice and baskets of vegetables at the steps of the small building Bezine was housed in, until there was a small mountain of gifts covering the whole steps. Then, they lined themselves up in rows and columns in front of the building, in some kind of village square. Then, to Bezine's astonishment, they knelt and began to bow, touching head to the ground.
It was only when she glanced at a hook beside the door, where a battered iron mask and a set of ripped and dirtied black robes hung, that it clicked for Bezine. These people worship the Verfolger. They must have found me and thought I was one.
I just became a village god.
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Once the bowing was done, an ancient ferret with a long, long goatee was called for. He came into the structure (a shrine, Bezine had now realized) and pulled back the heavy blankets covering Bezine. To her embarrassment, she had been completely stripped while she was unconscious, and a mess of herbs and dried pastes now covered her. She could see exactly why it hurt so much to move as well; her ribs were a mess of black and blue beneath the healer's ministrations. She felt relieved to be alive at all, now she saw the damage.
The healer, for his part, did not seem the least bit embarrassed by Bezine's state. When an elderly ferret approached the priest and asked a question, he grunted back a short, muttered answer in their language. A moment later, he turned toward the other villagers and barked some kind of order. A group of femmes came forward, carrying a pail of water that steamed in the cool morning air and a set of towels. Bezine's eyes widened in surprise as they began to wet the towels and lay them all over Bezine's battered chest, draping her in warmth. This is... nice.
The village elders went their way, still discussing amongst themselves, and Bezine was left to enjoy her bath, which was surprisingly pleasant given the heat of the towels and the extent of her wounds. It didn't hurt that she was being bathed rather than bathing herself. I'll have to see about becoming a god back home as well.
Once all of the paste and medication was washed away, the femmes carefully helped her stand, which was an arduous process in and of itself; it was really closer to being lifted by them. They wrapped her in robes of some kind of smooth, luxurious material of which Bezine had never felt the like; then, slowly, they began to process out of the shrine.
A small procession of village-folk were waiting outside, some of them carrying odd musical instruments made from reed pipes. As Bezine was carried into the procession, they began to play on these instruments, giving short blasts that echoed unharmoniously against each other. Bezine winced, trying not to show her discomfort at the noise. When they began to walk at a snail's pace, she had to restrain a groan. It was going to be a very long walk.
They wound their way through the village, which Bezine had a chance to look at for the first time. It seemed like the whole place was sprawled across the side of a mountain- not the same one she'd fallen down, to her relief. Those peaks she could see in the distance a few miles away. She could also see a river winding through the valley below, past some small houses on the bank. She must have floated down, unconscious, until somebeast had pulled her out.
The houses were an interesting sight themselves. They were all simple constructions, one or two stories, really little more than big wooden boxes, but the architecture was interesting. The roofs all had a strange slant that flanged up a bit at the end, and there was a surprising amount of detail. For example, every single roof tile, at its end, had a molded image of a Verfolger mask. Again, Bezine wondered just what she'd gotten herself into.
The procession wound its way to what Bezine assumed was the village chief's dwelling. It was twice as large as any other building, and it seemed as if the whole village was waiting inside. The moment Bezine was walk-carried inside, villagers rose from around low tables, put their arms cupped out in front of them, together intoned some sort of greeting that Bezine couldn't understand, and bowed. Bezine tried to mimic their movements, but even putting her paws out in front of her nearly sent her to the floor; the femmes escorting her had to catch her and hold her up. Carefully they guided her to a table at the front of the room, where the elder, the priest and the healer were all waiting. Bezine could hear anxious muttering from the room, and she thought she knew why. Gods aren't supposed to bleed.
The femmes helped her to sit down upon a small cushion, and two remained to help her while the others went to join their families. Bezine looked at the placement of dinnerware in front of her. There were two bowls, a small cup, and two strange sticks. She wasn't given time to contemplate their meaning, as a clear liquid was being poured into the smaller of the two bowls. The same was given to everyone else at the table, and simultaneously to all the guests as well.
The village chief picked up this bowl, holding it up to the room. Bezine tried to pick up hers, but her arms were still protesting, so one of the femmes held it for her. The chief started to give some sort of speech or toast, Bezine couldn't quite tell which. She tried to pay attention, but not knowing what he was saying, it was easier to just watch the room. She saw all ages in the room, sorted apparently by family. She also noticed one table sitting completely empty. Who was supposed to be here but wasn't?
Suddenly the speech came to an end, and the village chief shouted "Ganbei!" The room echoed his cry back, and Bezine followed suit a second late. One of the femmes lifted the bowl of liquid to Bezine's mouth, and Bezine took a gulp. That was all she managed before her stomach rebelled and she was doubled over, coughing and spraying the liquid all over the floor. She could still taste the horrible, burning liquid in her mouth, its thick, cloying taste obscuring everything else. She could feel the entire room watching her and felt her face burn. That had to be some sort of breach of protocol.
Fortunately, the healer saved her. He turned to the village chief and began scolding him in his thick, grunting accent. The chief's cheeks burned with embarrassment, and he turned and bowed repeatedly to Bezine, mumbling some kind of fervent apology. Bezine waved her paw, trying to dismiss his apology as she recovered from her fit. The healer stood and started rearranging the dishes on the table, placing one that seemed to be full of nothing but bird meat and peppers closest to her, and moving the pot of terrible liquid far away. He gave a grunting shout to the room, and an elderly femme came running forward with another pot. This the healer poured into Bezine's cup, a steaming amber liquid filling the earthenware. One of the femmes raised this to Bezine's lips, and she cautiously sipped. To her great relief, it was tea, and actually quite good tea. Bezine drank as deeply as she dared before waving her paw to take the cup away. Despite all of her internal injuries, it seemed to hit the spot; the pain felt a tiny bit less intense than before.
The meal proceeded uneventfully, to Bezine's relief. Every so often the chief would declare another "Ganbei!" and the whole room would toast in response, but fortunately they seemed content to let Bezine drink her tea. Eating was quite difficult, however. It turned out that the villagers used those sets of sticks in order to pick up food, using them much like Vulpinsulans used a fork. Bezine tried to pick them up and emulate the hold the village chief had on his set, but it was difficult, first because she was left-pawed, and second because they kept springing out of her paw. Fortunately the femmes interpreted this as Bezine's injuries hindering her and began to feed her using their own set.
All in all, the meal was pleasant. It turned out the healer had picked out the spiciest and hottest foods for Bezine to eat; fortunately, it was not so far from the level of spice the Erlani regularly consumed, and so she was able to down the food easily enough. Eventually, however, the moment she had been dreading arrived: the chief turned to her and asked a direct question.
"Scusi?" Bezine hoped that at least someone would recognize the Callisparian tongue. If any Erlani had been this way, there might even be someone in the village who knew how to speak it.
No dice. The chief looked perplexed and turned to the priest, the two muttering together for a while. The villagers seemed to have noticed the commotion and had grown very silent. Bezine felt her ears grow hot with embarrassment. "Sorry," she apologized, giving Vulpinsulan a try.
This didn't work either. The elders all looked perturbed by this development, sitting and muttering together. Bezine was left to sit in silent embarrassment. The femmes kept helping her eat and the banquet proceeded, but there was an uneasy feeling in the air. Whatever welcoming spirit had been there before was damaged.
After the meal, the femmes brought her back to the shrine and helped her into the makeshift bed there, but they no longer seemed at ease around her either. They helped her out of the robes, covered her up, and then left, closing her in. Bezine was left alone with her thoughts and the spirits of the Verfolger.
For the next few days it was the same story. Everyday the femmes would bring her food, usually something spicy, help her to eat, and then leave as soon as she was done. Her attendees had dwindled down to two now; a thin, pretty ferret who smiled a lot, and who always wore a flower blossom above her ear by sticking the stem through her many earrings; and another one, a little more plain and quiet, who rarely spoke except in low tones.
The healer came once a day as well to inspect Bezine's wounds, grunt and mutter to himself a bit, and administer some kind of paste. Then he would leave, and Bezine would be alone again until her next visit.
Being alone so often, Bezine occupied herself as best she could. She did small exercises, simple things like lifting her arms or bending her legs, just to get her muscles working again. It was difficult, especially since her chest still hurt so much, but she could feel herself improving bit by bit. By the fourth day, she was able to slowly stand up and walk herself around the edge of the shrine, using the wall as a support.
It was during one of these walks that the doors to the shrine abruptly opened, and Bezine turned her neck as best she could to see who it was. A ferret jill she didn't recognize was standing there, her mouth hanging open a little bit. Bezine realized, to her embarrassment, that she'd left her blankets behind, since they were too troublesome to carry on her walks. In any case, she hadn't thought it would be a big deal; it hadn't bothered her caregivers, so she'd just assumed no one else visiting her would be surprised.
The jill seemed to recover her wits, looking away from Bezine as she spoke. "I am' Àilín, but you may call me Eirene," she told Bezine. Her voice sounded strangely familiar to Bezine, and as she watched the ferret jill's face, thin, grey-furred with a black mask, Bezine had the strange feeling they'd met before. When she voiced as much, however, the jill emphatically shook her head. "Bu'shi. I no goe’d to your land."
"Zen 'ow you speak Vulpinsulani?" Bezine challenged. She began working her way back to the blankets, hoping to grab one and cover up.
"I work in de port," Eirene answered, still avoiding looking at Bezine. Bezine noticed her face was flushed red, and her words seemed clipped. "I have to speak wit' many beasts."
Bezine picked up the lightest of her blankets with great effort and tried to wrap it about herself. To her disappointment, her arms were still too weak to reach around to her back. "Can you 'elp me?" she asked of the jill.
The jill gave her one scathing glance before moving to the door and shouting out it. "Suyun! Meihua!" A moment later, the two femmes who had been doing the most of the tending to Bezine came rushing in. Bezine realized Eirene must have shouted their names, and felt bad for never learning them. She had been thinking of them as Silent and Flowers this whole time.
Suyun and Meihua pulled the blanket away and helped Bezine into one of her robes instead. Eirene stood facing away as Bezine was dressed. "De elders want answers to who you are, and why you come here," the jill said.
Bezine considered shrugging, but Eirene wasn't even looking and it wasn't worth the back pain in her estimation. "Knowing where 'ere is would 'elp me answer," she replied. The femmes tied the sash tight around her waist, and Bezine grunted a bit with the pain of the sudden constriction. Eirene took that as her cue to turn around.
"You are in Fushan Village, in Hanshima," she replied. Bezine felt like smacking a paw to her own head. Hanshima. Of course that was where she was. She must have come out the opposite side of the mountain and slid right down into the southern half of the continent. No wonder everything looked strange.
Eirene was watching her carefully. "Why were you dressed as a guardian spirit when dey found you?" she asked, her tone slightly accusatory. "You no are our spirit. You no even speak Hanshiyu."
Bezine had been considering how to answer that for a while now, and thought she had come up with an answer. "I am a guardian spirit," she said immediately, "but non for 'ere. I am a guardian spirit of ze Erlani tribe."
Eirene's eyebrows shot up. "Erlaniren?" She sounded skeptical. "Why de Erlani get a guardian spirit? Dey no practice our way."
Bezine tried to sound magnanimous as she spoke. "Every village 'as its own guardian," she replied, "and its own way. Non is always de same way, bu?" She thought she'd picked up the word for ‘no’ in their language, but wasn't sure.
Eirene grunted noncommittally, a characteristic Bezine was increasingly noticing among these Hanshimans. "Den how you get here?" she asked. "Dis is far from Falanjiya. Why you no guard your tribe?"
Bezine had composed an answer for that as well. It was a long shot, and way playing on a lot of assumptions about local mythology, but it just might get her home free. "I was called to guard 'Anshima," she claimed. She pointed in the direction of the mountain where the Verfolger base was located. "Demons attacked ze crossing, and all ze guardian spirits of ze land fighted zem zere," she claimed. "We drived zem away, but I was injured in ze fight and fell to eart’. Zat is 'ow I gotten 'ere."
Eirene gave another noncommittal grunt. Bezine had the feeling she was the village skeptic. Still, she replied, "I will tell dem dat, and we see dey say what."
Bezine did not have to wait long. Soon enough Eirene was back, the three village elders in tow. Bezine noted they looked slightly less wary of her than they had after the dinner.
The village chief stepped forward and began speaking. Eirene listened politely before translating. "He welcomes you as a guardian spirit and danks you for leaving your tribe to defend our land. We offer you hospitality and care, until you can leave to defend your tribe."
Bezine nodded and, putting her arms out in front of her and cupping her paws, gave a bow that nearly dizzied her with pain. Suyun and Meihua had to grab her by the arms to support her.
The priest spoke up, and the elders and Eirene all listened for a bit before replying. It sounded to Bezine's ears like an argument was brewing, and judging by Eirene's protesting tone, the ferret jill was on the losing end of it. When the jill turned to face Bezine, her expression was angry and her tone was resentful. "Wu Seng says because dis is de temple of de local guardian, you no can stay 'ere, but since I speak wit' you, you stay wit' me."
It took Bezine a moment to decode Eirene's accent, but when she did, she could immediately see the predicament. Eirene looked about as eager to play host as Kaden would be. "Maybe I should stay wiz ze doctor," Bezine suggested.
Eirene translated this suggestion and the grunted answer came quickly. "He says you no need de doctor," Eirene said, her tone clearly displeased. "You need movement. Otterwise you no walk right. I live far from de village, so he tink is good."
Bezine took a deep breath. She could see that this was going to be a very long stay indeed. "I graciously accept your 'ospitality," she told Eirene, bowing to her again. This time Suyun and Meihua did have to catch her from falling. Eirene grunted again, looking less than pleased.
"Joy."
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Eirene's house was quite far from the village. To get there, they had to go down a thin trail that zigzagged down the mountain, cutting across terraced fields and ponds with rice growing in it. Bezine was amazed by some of the places these villagers seemed able to farm. She counted five fields just in the space between one narrow bend in the path and the other. With Suyun and Meihua supporting her the whole way, they made a bit of an ungainly six-legged beast, but somehow they got their way down.
The house was quite small compared to the others, only one floor, and it looked from the outside as if it couldn't have more than three rooms. Upon entering, this proved to be the case: there was a front room with a large, iron pan set into a standing fireplace, which Bezine guessed was the stove; a second room with a table and cushions set off to the side; and then a third room beyond, which Bezine guessed was Eirene's bedroom. The whole place looked surprisingly clean for belonging to someone who traveled for work, and Bezine’s curiosity was satisfied when Meihua grabbed a broom and dustpan from the corner and started sweeping up.
Suyun helped Bezine follow Eirene into the bedroom. There was one small bed there. Eirene went into a closet and emerged a second later, pulling out a folding cot. She began dragging this to the door, but as she passed Bezine, she gestured to the bed. "Dis is where you sleep."
Bezine immediately felt horrified. She hadn't realized staying here would make her an imposition. "I non can," she began to protest, but Eirene cut her off.
"First lesson of staying in Hanshima," Eirene said shortly. "If I no give you my bed, I am a bad host. So, be quiet and accept." Bezine shut her mouth. She didn't want to step in it any more than she already had.
Suyun helped Bezine to a set of cushions and set her up there. Meihua had already finished sweeping and was setting up a small table in front of them. Suyun went off to make tea and Meihua joined her as soon as the places were set, leaving Bezine alone with Eirene.
Bezine awkwardly avoided looking at her host, who was giving her a small glare from the corner of her eye. Carefully she reached over and rearranged her place at the table, putting the sticks on the left. A sigh escaped her lips, and she looked over to Eirene with an annoyed expression on her face. "Did I say somezing wrong?" she asked bluntly. When Eirene looked away from her, Bezine pushed the matter. "I non know why, but you treat me like I do you wrong. I non like being 'ere eizzer, but I non 'ave a choice. If I 'ave a choice, I would be gone already. You understand?"
"Hmph." Bezine's eyebrows shot up at the grudging tone in Eirene's voice. The jill glanced over at Bezine and scoffed slightly. "You had a choice to come here," she said grudgingly. "I no have deir superstitions. I know if you come here, you have a reason."
Bezine barked a laugh at that. After everything she had been through, the idea of this trip ever having had a purpose suddenly seemed hysterical to her. "If zere is a reason, somebeast forgetted telling me," she mused. "Bad luck seems as good a reason as any."
At that moment Suyun and Meihua came back into the room, bearing tea and a small feast of food. Eirene took the teapot and poured out a cup, offering it to Bezine with an overly-sweet smile. "To your bad luck," she toasted.
"Ba la ke!" Suyun and Meihua enthusiastically chimed in, raising their cups.
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Bezine wasn't sure why she awoke. The entire room was dark, no windows to let in moonlight from outside. Everything was silent; Eirene was sleeping in the next room over, and Suyun and Meihua had gone home hours ago. There should be no reason for her to wake up so quickly.
And then she felt the thin metal edge pressing against her throat.
Oh.
From out of the darkness, a mask loomed before her. An iron mask, with glowing, malignant yellow eyes behind it. "Leave," the Verfolger hissed. Bezine was acutely aware of the sharp edge pressing against her throat, how in a second it could slice her open, and-
And then it was gone. The blade was gone, the beast was gone, vanished in the darkness.
Bezine sat up in bed, a painful action if ever there was one. She peered about the room, searching for any intruders. She could see none. Moving gingerly, she swung her legs out of bed and slowly put weight on them. Her knees wobbled dangerously, but she managed to stand, at least for a second or two. Then she had to lunge for the opposite wall to find support.
Slowly she worked her way to the door, pulled it open, and peered out. Eirene was still in the other room, asleep on her cot, the blanket rising and falling in time with a soft snore. Bezine watched for a moment, considering the jill. She looked far more peaceful and serene while asleep... and beautiful, too. When she wasn't trying to scowl a hole in Bezine, at least.
Bezine worked her way back to the bed, gingerly laying herself back down to rest. It was a bad dream, she told herself. There were no Verfolger here, just her. Still, she thought of the shrine and wondered, for a chilling moment, if the guardian of the village had come to warn her off... before he drove her away.
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The days in the village were very long. Every morning Eirene seemed to devise a torturous new way to wake Bezine. The first morning, Bezine awoke to find a gigantic spider sitting right on her chest.
Bezine must have screamed for ten seconds continuously before Eirene opened the door, rolling her eyes. "Is fine, you stupid girl," she rebuked. "Da Chong no is poisonous. Anyway, he no bite." Bezine was so furious she would have thrown a book from the nightstand at Eirene, but her arms still hurt too much and she wasn't actually sure whether or not she trusted Eirene about her pet spider not being poisonous. In the end she waited nearly half an hour before Eirene finally came in and scooped the spider off her chest.
Bezine stumbled half-dressed into the dining room just in time to see Eirene lifting her spider back into a massive cobweb in the corner. Bezine stared at it, wondering how on earth she had missed it the night before. "You let your spider live 'ere, in ze open?"
Eirene shrugged. "Why no dis way? He gets his own food, and even when I am away he still keeps de house clean. Is a good pet for me."
Bezine couldn't fault the logic of it, though she still was planning retribution for the fright she received that morning.
The front door opened, and Meihua came in, her signature flower on display in her earrings: today, a rose with the thorns trimmed off. She gave Bezine a dazzling smile as she shut the door and chattered a question her way. When Bezine looked nonplussed, Meihua imitated a high-pitched scream, then pointed to Bezine with a questioning smile.
So the whole village heard that. Wonderful. The guardian spirit, afraid of spiders. "Da Chong," Bezine said shortly by way of answer.
Meihua giggled, but her expression was sympathetic. She began nattering at Eirene in a gently chiding tone. Judging by Eirene's grumpy response, she was having none of it. When Meihua got a broom and started moving toward Da Chong's corner, the roar of fury from Eirene was unearthly- and strangely familiar to Bezine. She was left to frown and ponder where she'd heard it before as Eirene chased a giggling Meihua around the room, trying to snatch the broom away from her.
The next day Bezine woke to a massive beetle poised on her forehead, and the day after that to some bizarre bug that she had never seen in her life but which nonetheless terrified her. All of these, Eirene declared after the fact, were completely harmless and she was just being "stupid". By the fourth day the shock value had worn off somewhat, and Bezine just flicked the next bug across the room, rolled over, and went back to sleep.
The fifth day it was Eirene who came into the room, holding a pawful of crushed and mangled cockroaches. "Try harder," Eirene said shortly, threw the pawful at the giggling Bezine, and turned and left the room.
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Life in the village swiftly settled into a routine. Bezine would awaken to whatever torment Eirene had devised, smash it, get breakfast, and then start training with Suyun or Meihua. Suyun was good enough company; she didn't talk much, but she seemed content that way. Trekking with her was usually productive. Bezine noticed that Suyun was always pushing her right to her limit, and her limit was improving bit by bit.
It was with Meihua, however, that Bezine had fun. Meihua was constantly chatty, animatedly talking away to Bezine regardless of whether she understood or not. Bezine enjoyed it despite the language barrier; Meihua's enthusiasm was infectious, and it was hard not to get lost in her wide doe eyes sometimes. She also would point out plants along their path and tell her the Hanshiman names for them. Bezine would pronounce them back to her, and Meihua would laugh at Bezine's terrible pronunciation before correcting her. Sometimes Bezine would deliberately mess up her pronunciation in humorous ways, just to hear that laugh one more time.
One day Bezine returned home from one of these trips to find Eirene waiting at the door. Her eyes narrowed at Bezine as she approached, still arm-in-arm with Meihua.
"I would speak wit' you," she said, her tone dangerous. She took Bezine's other arm and led her quite forcibly inside, leaving Meihua at the door. Once inside, she all but threw Bezine to the ground. Bezine felt her muscles protest at the impact, and she loosely rolled over to see Eirene glaring fire and brimstone down at her.
"If you dare to mislead Meihua," Eirene said dangerously, "I no will care abou' being a good host. I will trow you down de mountain myself."
Bezine stared up at Eirene, frightened by this sudden attitude. "I non know what you are saying!' she protested.
Eirene rolled her eyes, as if Bezine were being slow. "If you flirt wit' her," she said plainly, "den I kill you. And no pretend," she said harshly. "I see how you look at her. You leave her alone."
Something clicked in Bezine's brain. Suddenly this whole thing made sense. "You're jealous," she said. She started laughing, amazed by all of this. She was the freak in the Imperium, the one with the dirty secret to hide, and somehow she'd stumbled on the only other one of her kind.
Now it was Eirene's turn to look panicked. Her eyes widened, and fire filled them. She strode forward and viciously kicked Bezine in the gut. As the jill doubled over, Eirene shouted down at her, "I am no ting like you! No ting!" She gave another sharp kick and then exhaled, her rage apparently sated for the moment. "If you know no ting, say no ting," she warned softly before turning and walking away. The front door slammed, and Bezine was left there, curled up alone on the floor.
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The next time Suyun showed up to escort Bezine, she had a kit in tow. A young jack, maybe five seasons old, bounded in the door, shouting, "Liu Ayi! Liu Ayi!" To Bezine's shock, Eirene came out of the back room, knelt with a welcoming smile, and swept the kit up in a hug. Bezine stared at the sight; for some reason, she had never conceptualized that Eirene could give hugs.
Suyun strode forward, linking arms with Bezine. She called something to the kit, and Bezine recognized the Hanshiman name they'd given her, 'Duo Beixin'. Immediately the kit wiggled his way out of Eirene's arms and came forward, stopping in front of Bezine. He cupped his arms out in front of him and declared, "Duo Ayi, nin hao." He gave a small bow, which was almost amusing coming from one so young.
"Ni ‘ao," Bezine returned with a smile, practicing one of the few phrases she knew. She turned to Suyun, puzzlement upon her face. "Ayi shi shenme?" she asked, practicing one of the few other phrases she knew.
Both Suyun and Eirene laughed at the question. It was Eirene who answered for her. "Ayi is auntie," she explained. "It is... zenme shuo... affection."
"Ah." A beat. "’Ow do I say 'nephew' zen?"
Eirene translated this, and Suyun chuckled appreciatively. Eirene explained, "It no work like dat. You ca'll him 'Xiao Du' or ‘Du Du’. Dat is his affection name."
"Xiao Du, ni ‘ao," Bezine greeted the kit, leaning down as best she could. The kit giggled and hid behind Suyun's skirts. Suyun patted him on the head and gave him a smile.
Bezine felt herself smiling as well. "Ta shi ni de ma?" she asked, practicing some of the basic vocabulary she had picked up- 'Is he yours?'
"Shi," Suyun answered immediately. Bezine felt a twinge of surprise- she hadn't thought Suyun was old enough to have a kit. Then again, she'd noticed, everyone here looked younger than they really were.
"Na ta baba shi shei?" she asked, practicing more basic vocabulary. She hadn't realized that Suyun was even married, and she hadn't noticed her sitting with any jack.
Immediately the whole room grew cold. Bezine could feel Eirene's murderous stare on the back of her neck and the awkwardness in Suyun's fidget. When the door opened and Meihua came in, even she seemed able to sense the tension; her smile faltered off her face, and her big doe eyes grew wide with worry.
It was Eirene who broke the silence. "We no discuss dat," she said firmly. "If you are smart, you drop it."
"What?" Bezine asked, looking among them. Meihua had moved forward and was ruffling Xiao Du's headfur. Suyun was standing close by, one paw on her son's shoulder. Neither of them were looking at her. She couldn't figure out what had upset them so much.
It was Meihua who broke the silence. Bezine didn't understand what she said, but it was spoken as much to Xiao Du as it was to Bezine. Eirene translated for her. "She say she no knows where Xiao Du’s fadder is, but she is sure he loves him very much."
At last Bezine understood. "Duibuqi, duibuqi," she apologized profusely. Merda, I am an idiot.
Suyun waved her paw dismissively. "Mei guanxi." She patted Xiao Du on the back and the two went to the kitchen to start preparing breakfast.
Bezine glanced at Eirene, who was still giving her a glare. "I'm sorry," she apologized. "I should 'ave listened to you."
Eirene gave a small hmph. "I tink dat is de first smart ting I hear you say."
It was a backhanded compliment if ever there was one, but it seemed to make a difference. The next day, when Bezine awoke, there was no monstrous bug waiting for her. She waited a moment to see if something would jump out at her; when nothing did, she smiled, rolled over and went back to sleep.
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Bleurrr, bleurrr, bleurr-bluegh-buegh-buh, bleurrr, bleurrr, bleurr-bluegh-buegh-buh, bleurrrr, bleurrrr, bleurrrrrr...
"Merda!"
Bezine swore as the steps of the dance changed on her again. Every time she seemed to get the hang of it, the pattern would abruptly change, leaving her to awkwardly stumble to make up the difference. All the while those reed pipes were blaring the same annoying refrain, never varying by a note. Bezine had to keep herself from having vengeful thoughts about where she'd like to shove those pipes.
The village was hosting some sort of ceremony to commemorate a good harvest, and Bezine had been roped into participating. The village healer had apparently decided that joining in the dance would be good exercise for Bezine, and the priest had agreed that her presence, as a visiting guardian spirit, would be most beneficial to the ceremony. Judging by the amount of smiles and laughter at the ceremony, for the villagers, Bezine's purpose was purely to amuse.
Bezine was given no chance to object to her participation. Eirene woke her in the morning by flinging a set of clothes onto Bezine's face and announcing that she would be dancing in an hour.
Bezine peeled the clothes off her face and looked at them. They were made from some kind of black velvet and embroidered with flower designs in bright pinks and greens. A sigh escaped her lips and she tossed one arm over her eyes. "Is Zursday," she complained. "I sleep extra on Zursday."
"No on dis Tursday." Bezine felt the sheets pulled from her, and she curled up her legs, trying to recover some of the warmth. A moment later Eirene grabbed her by the ankles and started dragging her to the edge of the bed. Bezine growled in annoyance and flopped over, grabbing the edge of the bed and holding on, digging in her claws. She heard a grunt of frustration from Eirene. "You are de most stubborn girl in de world," Eirene seethed. Suddenly Bezine was flung up in the air by her ankles, and she shrieked in surprise as she flipped over the bed and landed on the opposite side, only just managing to land herself on her footpaws.
After that there was no arguing with Eirene. Since the outfit was too complex for Bezine to put on by herself, and since Suyun and Meihua were busy helping each other, Eirene had to help Bezine get dressed. Bezine noticed that Eirene turned pink when Bezine undressed and looked away. Bezine rolled her eyes at this. "Per l'amour dell'inferno," she criticized, "you see me like zis before. You no need to be embarrassed." When Eirene didn't look up, Bezine pressed the matter. "Meihua and Suyun 'elp each ozzer, and it seems zey non are embarrassed."
Eirene shook her head, still keeping her gaze at footpaw level. "Is different," she said evasively. "Dey are close, and I-"
"Ni xihuan nuren."
Bezine wasn't sure what shocked Eirene more- Bezine's flat statement about her identity, or hearing it in Hanshiman. Bezine rolled her eyes at Eirene's obstinate attitude. "Is okay," she said dismissively. "I non tell; I am ze same way. You should be careful, zough," she warned. "Is very obvious you like Meihua."
Eirene's face burned hot. "I no do!" she protested, but Bezine waved a paw in dismissal.
"You are jealous when I 'ave fun wiz 'er! Of course you like 'er."
Eirene's expression turned dark. "If you know no ting, say no ting," she warned. She turned and headed for the door.
"'Ey, where you go?" Bezine protested, holding up the shirt. "I still non am dressed!"
"Dress yourself or go wit’ no clottes," Eirene shot back, slamming the bedroom door behind her.
In the end Eirene relented and helped Bezine into her outfit with just five minutes to get to the ceremony. Her bad mood had not dissipated, however, and all Bezine's attempts to apologize were met with grumpy humphs. By the time they both were ready, Meihua and Suyun were just arriving at the door to see why the pair hadn't shown up to the ceremony yet. Together they all walked up to the ceremony. Bezine had gotten well enough that she could walk by herself now, but Suyun and Meihua lingered nearby, just close enough that they could support Bezine if necessary.
They arrived at the village square to find the entire village assembled and waiting in front of the Verfolger shrine. Bezine still felt chills when she saw it; she couldn't help but worry about how it got there, and what it would mean for her when the local guardian spirit finally did show up.
The opening ceremony was simple: the village leader held up an iron gong and the priest banged on it every two seconds or so. After a minute, the reed pipes joined in, the pipers slowly circling around the gong in procession. Then came the worst part: the dancing.
Bezine swore again as the steps changed once more, and she heard Suyun's throaty chuckle and Meihua's high giggle from down the row. Bezine turned and stuck her tongue out at them both, and then had to rush to catch back up with the steps. It really wasn't that complex; mostly it was just moving one's feet slightly side to side. Left, right, left-right-left-pause, right, left, right-left-right-pause. Still, she found herself tripping up enough to be frustrating. This isn't dancing, she thought. This is torment with a rhythm.
Eventually the song wound to an end, and Bezine was surprised to find that she still had energy. It hadn't been a hard dance, she supposed; still, it felt good that after all of this she wasn't in pain or spent. Bezine glanced over at the healer and saw him nod in approval. She was making progress.
Suddenly a kit's voice called out, "Duo Ayi!" Bezine looked over to see Xiao Du grinning at her. The villagers caught on and took up the call: "Beixin! Beixin!" Bezine meekly tried to wave away the call for a performance, but suddenly she found herself lifted up by the arms and carried into the center of the circle by Suyun and Meihua, both grinning with mischief. Bezine had to admit, they were much stronger than they looked.
As soon as Bezine was set down, she held up her paws in acknowledgment, and the cheers died down. She waved to Eirene, who came over and listened as Bezine explained what she needed. A few minutes and a supply trip or two later, they had what she needed. Suyun was seated at some kind of long zither, carefully tuning it, as Bezine shuffled a deck of Hanshiman playing cards, feeling their weight and adjusting her paws to compensate.
A moment later Suyun started to strum a quick, plucky tune that somehow reminded Bezine of spring. She had to actively focus on her dance, trying to adapt to the unfamiliar beat and song. After a moment of holding her paws aloft, the cards suspended between them, she found the beat and started her dance.
The cards split, cascading through the air, but Bezine was already in motion. Her paws snatched at cards, flicked them about, wafted them into the air, keeping them up with the precision of a practiced dancer. She had grown since she’d last used it, but the dance had not changed; it was still as natural as breathing to her. She could hear the appreciative gasps and laughs of the villagers, the thrill of performing before a crowd-
A sharp pain tore in her side, and Bezine found herself collapsed on the ground before she even knew she had fallen. Cards fluttered about her, floating to the ground, the dance abandoned. All she could feel was the remnant of that pain, like a gash torn open in her side.
A set of paws slipped around her and helped her to sit up, and it took Bezine a moment to comprehend who was holding her. Eirene. The jill was almost nose-to-nose with Bezine, and the weasel jill was shocked to see the anxiety in her caregiver's eyes.
Then Suyun and Meihua were there as well, both helping her to her footpaws. Bezine struggled to stand, the pain still making every motion on the right side of her body an agony. The village healer pushed through the crowd and immediately was poking at her side, his busy eyebrows furrowed. When he touched the spot where she was injured, Bezine flinched violently, and his jaw set firmly, his goatee quivering with the motion. He began to mutter at Eirene, his accent still incomprehensible to Bezine, though Eirene seemed to understand well enough and translated for him. "You hurt yourself," she said. "You need to rest."
"You non say," Bezine replied tersely through gritted teeth. She could barely stand; she was worried she might have to be carried back to the house.
Just at that moment, a commotion arose. A kit came running into the village, shouting a word Bezine didn't recognize. Immediately the villagers all began shouting and moving in a flurry. A good number of them flocked to the shrine and knelt, bowing fervently to the Verfolger statue. Others were running to their houses, fleeing the square as quickly as possible.
Bezine glanced about at all of this. "What is it?" she asked. "Shi shenme?" Suyun looked grim, and Meihua seemed actively worried- she was whispering in fearful tones to Suyun, and Bezine felt Meihua reach past her to put a paw on Suyun's back, drawing her close as possible without squashing Bezine. Eirene had vanished; Bezine looked around for her but couldn't see her in the chaos.
A minute later the source of this disruption marched into the square. Ten soldiers in old-style Hanshiman armor came up the path, swords displayed prominently over their rattan plate. The lead one appeared to be their officer, judging by his more impressive helm and the swagger as he marched into the village. The soldiers spread out across one end of the square, leaving the officer to step forward.
Bezine didn't understand his words, but his tone was apparent: arrogance and superiority. As far as he was concerned, he owned the town now. Bezine felt a chill of mixed fear and hatred. She knew from reading a Ministry briefing on Hanshima that it was trapped in a civil war, with warlords vying for power and their soldiers often preying on the smallfolk. This seemed to be just that type of soldier.
The officer was halfway through his tirade when he caught sight of Bezine. Immediately his words died, and he stared slackjawed for a minute. When he recovered his wits, he strode forward and stared intensely at Bezine's face. Bezine considered biting his face off, but decided against it; she didn't have a plan yet for dealing with the other nine soldiers, and she doubted they would all line up nicely for her to sink her teeth into them.
The officer stepped back and roared a question at the assembled villagers. When silence reigned, he spoke again, louder and more demanding. Someone in the back of the crowd called an answer, and the officer gave Bezine a searching glance once more. After a pause, he started laughing out loud, and Bezine's spirits sank. So much for being a guardian spirit.
The officer pointed at Bezine and spoke, and two of the soldiers strode forward toward her. Bezine felt panic as they closed in. No no no no! When they tried to grab her by the shoulders, Meihua screamed, and the soldiers tussled with the two femmes to grab Bezine. The other soldiers started moving forward, and there was sudden confusion as the villagers began shouting at the soldiers and surging to pull Bezine back. There was a commanding shout and swords were drawn from scabbards, causing the villagers to shrink back like a retreating tide. The officer and his soldiers pressed on, swords out, and forced the villagers back and away. Meihua and Suyun were wrestled away from Bezine by two soldiers, and another grabbed Bezine by the arm and all but dragged her forward.
Bezine lunged at the soldier and dug her teeth into his shoulder, and he cried out in pain. Something hard struck the side of Bezine's head and the world went red for a second. When she recovered, she found herself on the ground, the officer standing above her. She tried to move and couldn't; her head and chest hurt too much for her to do more than stir. She could only watch as he raised his blade above his head, preparing to bring it down on her.
There was a flash of light, and suddenly his head wasn't there anymore. Bezine blinked instinctively and felt blood sprinkle her face. The body collapsed, and another figure moved into her view: a figure robed in black and wearing an iron mask, a bloodstained halberd in their paws. A Verfolger.
The next minute passed in front of Bezine's eyes without her understanding any of it. She saw flashes of combat as the Verfolger stood over her, fighting away the soldiers and protecting Bezine. She couldn't count the soldiers who fell, nor the number of times the blades clashed. All she could do was watch that masked figure, the way they moved, and the blade they swung.
When the battle ended, the Verfolger knelt over Bezine and reached one paw behind Bezine's head. Bezine felt her head gently cradled, raising her just enough to look the Verfolger in the eye. She was surprised by what she saw there: fear, anxiety, concern. But most of all, what surprised her was the eyes. Those distinctive, familiar yellow eyes.
Just as she passed out, Bezine finally understood.
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Bezine awoke with a pounding headache. The room was dark and the door closed, so she could not tell if it was night or day. She could feel a tight bandage about her head, wound all along the left side where the soldier had struck her.
Bezine peeled apart her dry lips and let out a low moan. She heard the sound of movement from across the room and pawsteps rush to the side of the bed. She felt a soft paw on her face and heard a soft hushing whisper. "You are hurt," she heard Eirene's voice say softly. "Rest. You need sleep."
Bezine tried to make her tongue work, but it was difficult; she seemed to have forgotten how. "W... water," she croaked. Immediately she heard the sound of water being poured into a cup, and suddenly it was right there at her lips. The trickle was soft and slow, not fast enough for Bezine to choke herself trying to down it. Then the cup was gone, and Bezine swallowed, feeling the moisture sate her thirst.
Bezine cleared her throat before trying to speak. "You saved me," she said slowly. "Zank you."
There was a pause, and Eirene's reply came cautiously. "De guardian spirit saved you. I no do anyting."
Bezine coughed out a chuckle, the best she could do. "I remember you, Eirene," she said softly. "We fought in ze tunnel in Bully 'Arbor. I insulted you, and you tried to kill me. I non saw you clearly zen, but now I know. Your voice, your eyes, your blade, all are ze same. It is you. You tried to kill me and now you saved my life."
There was a long pause. Bezine heard Eirene walk over to the wall, and a rustle as if she were leaning against it for support. "Yes," she acknowledged at last. "I tried to kill you. I still try to kill you." Bezine squinted, and she could see a glint of metal in the darkness. A blade. It hung there in the air, raised up, poised to strike... and then slowly lowered back down. When Eirene spoke again, Bezine could hear her voice shake. "I should kill you," Eirene protested. "You try to hunt me. You goe’d to de mountain to kill us. Why no I should kill you? You are de enemy." She sounded almost as if she were trying to justify it to herself.
Bezine squinted at the darkness. Eirene hadn't moved, as far as she could tell. "And still you non killed me," she noted. "If you wanted me dead, you could 'ave killed me a zousand times. You could 'ave let zat soldier do it. So, I zink you non want me dead. Zat is what I non understand." She tilted her head slightly. "Why you non want me dead?"
There was a pause in the darkness. Abruptly there was a flurry of movement and Eirene was right there. Bezine could feel the cool, hard edge of the dagger against her throat and Eirene's hot breath washing across her face. Bezine dare not breathe, not wanting to provoke the jill into carrying through on her word.
And then Bezine felt lips on her own. Soft lips, far softer than Vin's had been when he'd dared to claim Bezine's first kiss and she'd pushed him away, almost out of her life entirely. These lips were not daring; they were trembling, torn between staying and fleeing. Bezine did the only thing she could think to do: she returned the kiss.
And then Eirene was gone, the door flying open and a dark figure disappearing through it in a flurry. Bezine was left alone in the room, a dagger left abandoned on her bed and the trace of a kiss still lingering on her lips.
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When Bezine awoke in the morning, it was to Suyun, not Eirene, opening the door. She bustled in, carrying a tray with a large bowl of soup on it, and set it on Bezine's lap. Meihua followed shortly, bearing a pot of tea and a few cups. Soon enough the two had set themselves up sitting on the sides of the bed and were helping Bezine to drink her soup.
As she ate, Bezine found a spare moment to ask where Eirene was. Suyun's response was direct: "Chu qu." She's out. Meihua's answer was, surprisingly, not much longer. From what little Bezine understood, she'd gone out early and left a note under Suyun and Meihua's door asking them to come feed Bezine.
Bezine nodded, unsure how to take this. She wouldn't be surprised if Eirene had bolted for good; in her place, Bezine would probably have done the same. She hesitated, unsure of how far to proceed. She trusted Suyun and Meihua deeply, and it seemed like Eirene did as well, but still, how far could trust go?
She decided to forgo caution. This whole ordeal was a mess, and she needed to share it with someone just to get the madness of it out from inside her head. "Ta ai wo," she said plainly. She loves me.
The pair laughed at that, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Dang'ran," Suyun chuckled, patting Bezine affectionately as if she was a student who was just slow enough to be endearing. Meihua chattered a response which Bezine didn't quite follow, but which sounded as if it was something about not seeing clearly.
Bezine felt a small pit of frustration within her, all directed inward at her own situation. "Ni ting bu dong," she protested. "Ta... erm... she..." She found herself lost as to how to explain exactly how complicated the situation was.
It was Suyun who saved her. "I s'pea'k," she said, her accent thicker than Eirene's by far, but still understandable enough. Bezine's expression must have given away her shock, because Suyun explained, "Ài'lín tea'ch me."
"Oh." Bezine considered for a moment all the times she'd spoken things under the assumption that neither Meihua or Suyun could understand, and felt a flush of embarrassment. Suyun waved a paw dismissively, as if to say 'It doesn't matter'. She made a rolling motion with her paw, prompting Bezine to continue.
It took half an hour for Bezine to explain the basics of the situation, working past the language barrier as well as she could. When she finished, she saw Suyun and Meihua give each other a long glance, their eyes communicating silently. Suyun broke the silence. "You loff her," she said slowly. "Shi bu shi?"
Bezine felt frustrated at herself for not being able to answer that question. "Bu zhidao," she complained. "She no is 'oo I zinked she is."
Again, the long glance between the two jills. Bezine watched, unnerved slightly. She couldn't tell what they might be telling each other. "Shenme?" she asked, looking between the two.
Some sort of decision seemed to pass between the pair, and Meihua took a deep breath before looking directly at Bezine. She could see all of the fear and worry in Meihua’s eyes as the jill pushed past them. "Wo shi Xiao Du de baba," she said plainly.
It took Bezine a moment to process this apparently nonsensical statement. How could Meihua be Xiao Du's father? It made no sense. Had she misspoke? But she'd said it in Hanshiman...
Suyun reached over and put her paw atop Meihua's, and yet again eye contact lingered between them. Suddenly all of their subtle, harmless touches made sense to Bezine; they were expressions of affection for each other. They actually were a pair. That's what Eirene was warning me about, she realized. She wanted me to keep out of their relationship.
Suyun slowly began to explain, using Vulpinsulan where she could and switching often back into Hanshiman, with many a comment or clarification thrown in by Meihua. They'd grown up together in a distant village and become husband and wife, as was the custom. They'd had a happy enough life there, and their relationship was strong. Still, there had always been some small problem, something they couldn't explain and couldn't fix. In time, they'd come to realize what it was: Meihua, then known by another name, had never truly felt male. In her heart, she realized she felt like a femme.
It had been a difficult decision, but one they'd decided to make. They quit the village and traveled, looking for a new one. At the same time, with the help of a supportive apothecary, Meihua began to emerge - “chu shui feng rong”, Meihua described it, which, with some help from Suyun, Bezine eventually understood as referring to a lotus emerging from beneath a lake, a metaphor for her transition. Suyun had already been with kit at that point, and once they settled, they raised Xiao Du together as his mother and aunt. They had never told him about his true parentage, only a simple truth: his father loved him dearly.
Bezine shook her head, trying to clear it. Even now looking at Meihua, she couldn't see a male. All she could see was the bubbly, compassionate femme with the flower in her earrings. She couldn't even pretend to understand it. As for Suyun...
"'Ow could you make ze change?" she asked plainly. "She no was 'oo you zought. 'Ow you still wiz ‘er?"
Suyun didn't even have to glance at Meihua. She calmly replied with her answer. "I loff her. Dis ye is her. Two is one. If I loff one, I loff two."
Bezine nodded. The translation was a mess, but she thought she followed. "If I love Eirene," she replied slowly, "I should love all of 'er."
"Dui ya," Suyun said, her tone approving.
For the next two days Bezine's routine was meals with Suyun and Meihua, with long stretches in-between spent lying in bed, staring at the ceiling, and thinking. She was lying awake at night when she heard the front door open and close. A moment later the bedroom door opened. Bezine could see a familiar silhouette in the door.
"'Ey," Bezine greeted softly, sitting up on her elbows. Eirene stepped inside and closed the door behind her. In the darkness, Bezine could hear her shallow, rapid breathing. She was still scared, Bezine realized.
Bezine reached over to the knife stand and picked up the dagger, holding it out by the blade. "You left zis 'ere," she said conversationally. "I non knowed if you still need it or non."
The sound of Eirene's nervous breathing came a little closer. "I need to?" It was an odd question, one almost begging for an answer.
Bezine reached out over the side of the bed and dropped the dagger. It clattered as it hit the floor. "Non," she breathed, the word gentle in the air. Then, carefully, she scooted over, making room for Eirene to slip in beside her.
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"Ju hua."
"Chu hua."
"Bu shi! Ju. Juuuuu."
"I non 'ear ze difference," Bezine complained.
"Maybe you need to clean your ears," Eirene opined from beside her. The pair were taking a walk along a mountain path with Meihua. Despite Bezine being able to walk well enough on her own now, they still walked arm in arm.
"Maybe you 'elp me wiz zat," Bezine suggested.
"Bleugh." Eirene wrinkled her nose. "If zat is you flirting, you sleep outside tonight."
"I non was even going zere," Bezine admonished. "Maybe you need to clean your mind." Eirene rolled her eyes, but seemed to be out of comebacks. Bezine glanced over to Meihua, who was giggling as she listened to the pair's tone. "Xia yi ge," Bezine requested.
"Mu ci ai."
"Musi ai."
Meihua giggled at this. "Bu shi, bu shi! Mu," she pointed at a tree. "Ci," she mimicked driving a needle through cloth. "Ai." She pointed at Eirene.
Bezine looked at Eirene in confusion. "Tree-needle-pain in de tail? Is dat what she's saying?"
Eirene rolled her eyes. "Quiet, you," she rebuked. "She says is my name. Ài'lín de ài."
"Oh." A pause. "What is ze meaning?"
Eirene shrugged. "Is just a plant. No meaning."
Meihua suddenly chattered something, and Bezine perked her ears to try to follow what she said. "What is zat?" she inquired.
Eirene's ears turned a little pink, and her muttered answer was so quiet Bezine had to ask her to repeat it. "She says Ài is beautiful," she explained reluctantly.
"Ohhhhh." Something clicked in Bezine's head. "So you are Ài'lín. 'Beautiful forest'." She paused before continuing in a playfully dismissive tone. "Non is very accurate. Beautiful, zat is. Ze forest is true, zough, if you mean all zat fur on your-"
"Tcch!"
Bezine fell quiet just as they turned the path into a clearing. The town healer, whose name Bezine had finally learned as Dao Luo, was standing in the midst of a field of flowers, pulling up plants by the roots and examining them. Some he tossed into a basket rapidly filling with herbs.
When he spotted the femmes walking by, Dao Luo raised a paw and grunted something which might pass for a greeting. They waved back in response and slowed when he started trudging across the field. He walked straight up to Bezine, grabbed her by the shoulders, and positioned her in the middle of the path. Even though Bezine considered herself to be reasonable at Hanshiman now, it took him three times repeating his grunted order and pointing down the path for Bezine to understand. She turned and started walking, keeping her back straight and her pace steady. She then turned and walked back to the group.
Dao Luo grunted something, his tone approving. He turned to Eirene and muttered something unintelligible. Eirene kept a calm face, but Bezine could see a slight twitch in her eyelids which she knew meant the jill was feeling stricken. Without even waiting for Bezine, Eirene turned and started walking straight back down the path.
"Ài'lín!" Bezine called, trying to walk after her, but Eirene picked up her pace until she was all but running down the path. Bezine had no choice but to wait to walk back with Meihua.
When she arrived back at the house, she found Eirene curled up in the corner under Da Chong's web. Her eyes were red, and Bezine realized she'd been crying, or at least trying not to. When she spoke, her words were muffled by her knees, which she'd pulled close up to her chest.
"He said you can go home soon," she said, her tone still wavering. "He said one week."
Bezine felt stunned. She hadn't even thought about returning to the Imperium in so long. In fact, she couldn't even remember how long she had been there. Months? Seasons? Hadn't she arrived in Hanshima with the first heat of summer, and now the last harvest was long complete?
She somehow found her tongue. "Maybe I wait a few weeks," she suggested. "Until I can run again."
Eirene looked up at Bezine, and now she could see the tears streaming from red, angry eyes. "Why you go at all?" she protested petulantly. "Why you no stay here?"
Bezine scoured her mind for an answer to that question. "It is where I belong," she said eventually. "I 'ave friends zere, a life-"
"What friends?" Eirene challenged. "Wh't life? You no care until now."
Bezine felt stunned at the accusation. Of course she had friends! She had Kaden, she had Karath, she had... had... Shovah, that was it, and... She felt a wave of shock as she realized that the names she was reaching for weren't there, and the faces were fading as well. Still, there was an urge tugging at her, something important, some reason she absolutely had to go back.
Her decision must have registered on her face, because Eirene's anger turned to fury. She gave a scream of rage and stood in a fit. Before Bezine could blink the ferret had stormed into the bedroom and slammed the door so hard that Da Chong fell out of his web. Bezine picked up the spider and gently replaced him in his spot, letting him get back to his dinner.
Eirene didn't come out of her room the whole evening. When Bezine knocked, she answered with furious shouts in Hanshiman, and when she dared to open the door, a vase probably older than either of them exploded against the wall. In the end Bezine wound up sleeping on the cot.
The next morning Eirene came out of the room, but things were hardly better. She wouldn't even look at Bezine and spent hours sitting in a corner using her dagger to whittle a stick down to nothing. Bezine didn't even dare to go near her; in this mood, Eirene might just change her mind about killing the jill.
Bezine was forced to go to Suyun for news during this time. It was also the first time she got to see her and Meihua's household. It was a simple place, but much bigger than Eirene's small shack, with three bedrooms in the house- "For look," Suyun explained. Bezine nodded, knowing that feeling very well. Always keeping up appearances.
It turned out, Suyun told her, that Dao Luo had told the village chief his diagnosis regarding Bezine, and the chief had declared a feast for the day before she left, to celebrate her stay. It sounded exactly like the kind of thing Bezine least wanted to do, but it didn't seem like she would have a choice in the matter.
The day of the feast, Eirene finally broke her silence. "Stay," she said quietly, so quietly that Bezine almost didn't hear it. "Stay," she repeated, louder, looking directly at Bezine from her spot in the corner. Bezine could see the sadness in her eyes, and knew her anger was spent. "No go back. Dey no need you dere. Stay here; we need you." I need you, her eyes said silently.
Bezine hesitated, then spoke softly. "If I ask you to quit ze Verfolger, you do so?" she asked, almost rhetorically.
Momentary anger flashed back into Eirene's eyes, but it quickly died out; the kindling was turned to ashes, the fuel spent. All that was left was jadedness. "You no know what you ask," she scoffed.
Bezine sat down, scooting closer to Eirene. When the jill didn't protest, she moved a bit closer and dared to put an arm around her shoulders. "Ze Imperium is part of 'oo I am," she explained, "like ze Verfolger is for you. I non understand it, I non like it much, but I accept it is 'oo you are. Non is fair I ask you to give it up, and non is fair you ask me eizzer."
Eirene gave a small, sad scoff. "If you know no ting, say no ting," she said, but the venom was gone. She turned and curled herself into Bezine's embrace, resting her head against the jill's chest. They stayed there until nightfall, two jills hiding from the darkness creeping upon them.
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"Ganbei!"
Bezine dropped her eating sticks and rushed to pick up her bowl to join in the clinking of porcelain. It seemed like no one in the village ever took a drink without declaring ganbei, which meant that everyone else had to drop what they were doing, grab their bowl of rice wine, clink edges with everyone else at the table (always competing to be lower than the other person, which meant that a fair amount of wine was sloshed into the meal), and finally drink. The substance was horrid and thick, and worse yet, it was strong. Bezine had only had two bowls so far and was feeling it strongly. When she held back her bowl and asked for water, the village chief laughed at her and reached over to pour more wine into her bowl, some of it sloshing into her lap.
Bezine glanced over at the far side of the room. Eirene, as a single-member household, had been put at a table with Meihua, Suyun and Xiao Du. The latter three seemed to be having a good time, and on the surface Eirene seemed to be joining right in, but every so often she would look up and make eye contact with Bezine, and in those moments Bezine could see the sadness around the edges of her eyes.
The feast itself was quite grand by village standards. It seemed like a whole flock of birds had been killed to furnish the meat courses, and there were fish courses as well. Bezine was puzzled by this until she asked where they'd come from. She was surprised to learn that the fish had been in the rice paddies all along. She'd occasionally seen villagers out knee-deep in the water, feeling about with large wicker baskets, but had never figured out what they were up to. Now she understood.
"Ganbei!"
Bezine inadvertently dropped her eating sticks on the floor as she lunged for her wine bowl. She managed to join in the cheers and tip back her bowl, her face screwing up at the taste of it. If she ever came back, she decided, she would introduce them to Varangian wine. It would revolutionize their life. She finished her bowl and promptly placed it upside-down on the table. The chief laughed, turned it right-side up, and poured it full again.
By the time Bezine left, the entire room was spinning, she could barely think clearly (much less talk clearly), and she had to be supported home by Eirene, Suyun and Meihua, with Xiao Du leading the way. There were several dangerous moments where they almost stumbled off a cliff in the dark, but eventually they managed to get to the house and lay her down in bed. Suyun and Meihua immediately departed with their son, and as Eirene turned to leave as well, Bezine let out a mumbled cry. The jill turned, and Bezine looked at her, hoping she would understand.
After a moment, Eirene closed the door and walked back to the bed. Bezine felt the covers lift up and the bed shift, and then the jill's soft weight was pressing against hers. She drifted to sleep, venturing into the land of dreams, where she hoped never to leave.
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Bezine stood in the village square, trying to blink back tears as she said her goodbyes. The village chief had tried to make a ceremony out of it, complete with the annoying reed pipes, but in the end it had devolved into hugging and crying, mostly between her, Meihua and Suyun. Eirene hung back, watching. Bezine could see the mixed emotions in her eyes- her resentment of Bezine for leaving, and her grief for the same reason.
After giving Xiao Du as big a hug as she could manage before he squirmed out of it, Dao Luo came forward. He muttered something and pressed a cloth bag into her paws. Bezine opened it to see some of the herbs he'd administered over the course of her stay. She surprised the old ferret by stepping forward and throwing her arms about him, and judging by the laughs from Suyun and Meihua, his expression must have been quite comical.
Then there were other villagers, beasts whose names she had never learned or she simply hadn't gotten to know well, yet all of them seemed genuinely sad to see her go and embraced her, as well as pressing small gifts or bags of food upon her for the trip. Bezine thanked them each as profusely as she could, holding the gifts close to her.
Finally, Eirene came forward. In her paws she held a bundle wrapped in black cloth. It was only when Bezine unwrapped it that she realized it was the Verfolger outfit she had arrived in, washed and repaired. The mask had also been repaired, the dents hammered out of it. Bezine looked from it to Eirene, her mouth hanging open. "I no deserve zis," she protested, but Eirene cut her off.
"No," she said firmly, "you no do. You no understand de meaning. Dat is why you need it." She pressed it into Bezine's paws, stepping forward at the same time and whispering into her ear. "No give up on understanding us," she whispered. "No give up on me." She stepped back, the bundle left in Bezine's paws. She wavered for a moment, tears dancing in her eyes, then turned and ran, fleeing for her cabin. Bezine had to swallow and blink back her own tears, hugging the bundle to her chest.
The priest took her by the arm and led her to an honored place in the procession out of the village. Bezine shuddered and steeled herself. She had to walk, she told herself. She had to walk and keep walking and not look back. If she looked back, she feared she might lose her nerve. Think of Kaden, she told herself. Think of the life you have to live in the Imperium. Below her thoughts was a silent command: don't think of Eirene. Don't think of Meihua and Suyun and everyone you're leaving behind.
They walked to the very end of the village path, where only mountains lay ahead. The procession stopped and parted, allowing her to pass through. Bezine walked slowly ahead, her eyes on the ground. She couldn't bear to see the faces she was leaving behind. Even seeing their footpaws was nearly too much. It was amazing how unique each footpaw was: Meihua's many rings on her dainty toes, Suyun's calloused footpaws, Xiao Du's tiny pair, Dao Luo's ancient, wizened paws. Bezine felt tears threatening at the lids of her eyes, and she pressed a palm to her face, wiping them away. Then she was clear, and there was only the road ahead.
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Bezine rested atop a rocky ledge above the path, looking out on the valley spread out before her. She munched on a steamed rice bun, trying not to taste the rice. She'd woken up in the morning without any kind of headache, but her stomach had been threatening rebellion all day. She wasn't sure whether or not she wanted to give in to its demands.
She watched a distant bird of prey circle over the valley, seeing something beyond the bend. She observed its lazy circling, envying its ability to fly. Had she that power, she would cross oceans, flying continent to continent, whatever it took to escape the feeling of loss. It had been much too present in her life for her tastes. Gian, Vin, Marquo, Onya, Kaden: she was always losing someone. Now she had lost Eirene as well, all to the promise that things were better beyond the horizon.
Suddenly the hawk let out a shriek, and Bezine saw it fumble in the air, arrows whistling around it. It fell from the air, down to the valley where Bezine could not see. Abandoning her lunch, Bezine scrambled back down to the path and jogged to the bend. Carefully she knelt among the grasses and crept forward, peering down into the valley. She saw soldiers there, filling the ravine beside the river. Some of them were gathered around the downed hawk, laughing as they baited it with their swords. Bezine tried to count them and failed; there must have been around a hundred.
She crept back, her mind racing. Why would this many soldiers be here? There was nothing nearby, so far as she knew. Nothing of note except for...
The village.
Bezine was on her feet and running before she knew it. She scrambled to her packs and pulled them apart, looking for something, the one thing that would help. She couldn't warn the village, she knew, and even then, there was no way they could fight off the attack; even Eirene at her best could never take that many. The village was going to be stormed; Bezine had to decide what she would do about it.
By the time she pulled the iron mask from her pack, she had made her decision.
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The village was a battleground by the time Bezine arrived. Houses were burning, and villagers were daring to run water crews to put out what they could. The village square was swarming with soldiers, as well as the wounded and dying. In the midst of it, her halberd whirling like a furious cyclone, was Eirene, all cloaked in the fierce black and the iron mask of a Verfolger. The guardian spirit, protecting her village.
Most of the soldiers were gathered about her, swords pointing in, one usually daring to dash in and bait her into making a response. When she took the swing, another would press in, and she'd be forced to counter that as well. Bezine could see she was already tiring; her blows were growing sluggish, and the soldiers were growing bold.
Bezine crept upon the outer circle and lodged her dagger into the back of his neck, then grabbed his dropped sword as he collapsed. The two beside him turned to see the commotion, and Bezine dashed through, joining Eirene in the center of the circle.
Eirene glanced at her, eyes widening under her mask. "You come back?!" she said incredulously. She swung at a soldier who came too close.
"I non leave you," Bezine responded, guarding Eirene's back with her own blade. "I belong 'ere."
"You stupid girl," Eirene groaned, but behind her chiding tone, Bezine thought she heard something else: gratitude. The two of them crowded back-to-back, blades raised against the oncoming storm.
The next few minutes were nothing but steel threatening from every side. Bezine guarded as best she could, but her arm was growing tired, and she could feel Eirene slowing behind her as well. They needed a new plan.
"Eirene," she called behind her, "'ow you say 'we surrender'?"
She heard a hiss of breath from Eirene, and knew she was angered at the mere suggestion. Bezine shouted, "If we fight to ze deaz, zey 'urt ze villagers. If we surrender, zey only punish us, dui bu dui?"
Eirene's answer was slow in coming amidst the clash of steel. "Dui," she said at last. Her halberd clattered as she dropped it. "Wo tou’cheng,” she called. Bezine followed suit, throwing down her sword.
A minute later, they were both kneeling, bound, in the center of the square as soldiers filed in. Other soldiers were going house to house, forcing the villagers into the square and dragging out whatever crops or provisions they found. Eirene glanced over at Bezine. “Is dere more to dis plan?” she asked drily.
Bezine shook her head. “I only really zinked zis far,” she admitted. “I zinked ze rest would come to me. You?”
Eirene looked up, her eyes scanning the mountain ridges around them from behind her mask. “If help were coming, it would be here already," she said in resignation. She looked over to Bezine and met her eyes. “Dank you for coming bak,” she said honestly. “Is good, no dying alone.”
Bezine grunted in response, then chuckled at how very Hanshiman that was. “I only wish we non die at all,” she responded. “I never get you back for all zose bugs you put in my bed.”
Eirene rolled her eyes. “Such regrets you have,” she opined. “How your soul ever will sleep?"
They fell silent as the circle of soldiers parted, and a beast in armor covered in hawk feathers walked through. Bezine recognized the feathers immediately, and felt a surge of loathing for this beast. Shoot you full of arrows and drop you from the sky, and then we’ll see how you fight. The commander moved to the center of the ring, standing before the two would-be guardians and looking over them disdainfully. He raised his chin and spoke. Whatever he said, the soldiers all laughed at it. He turned to face the villagers and began to speak, his voice raised and commanding. Bezine had no idea what he was saying, but she could take a guess: this is what happens to those who defy us.
Two soldiers moved forward from the back of the circle and grabbed Eirene and Bezine by the hood. A moment later the hoods were thrown back and their masks torn away. Bezine could hear a gasp from some of the villagers, which she suspected was more for Eirene. She glanced sideways at her partner and saw her head bowed in shame. Bezine could only imagine what she was going through. There is nothing worse than failing before everyone you love, she thought sympathetically.
The commander continued to parade himself back and forth, his speech still full of grandeur. Bezine took the opportunity to feel her bonds. They were dismayingly tight. There was no way she could get herself and Eirene free, not while these soldiers were still watching. She glanced at Eirene and saw her eyes were still scanning the mountains around them, her expression almost desperate. “’Ey,” Bezine said softly, and Eirene looked over to her, their eyes locking. Bezine held her gaze to show the truth in her eyes. “Wo ai ni,” she said quietly, almost mouthing it.
Eirene looked almost startled for a moment by the words, and as she slowly exhaled, Bezine could see the words sinking in. The jill locked eyes with Bezine once more and paused, making sure she was looking. Then, she mouthed back her own response. “I love you.” Bezine felt something between a laugh and a sob escape her. They’d barely been able to stand living together; now, at least, they had found a way to die together.
The commander seemed to finish his speech, and he turned, barking orders. Two soldiers stepped forward, drawing their swords. Another shouted command, and they rested the blades over the two femmes’ necks. Bezine turned her head to face her partner, knowing what she wanted her last sight to be.
Eirene, however, was looking past Bezine and up the mountain.
The moment that the commander opened his mouth to speak, all of the ‘Gates struck. The very same moment that an arrow struck him in the throat, two other arrows appeared lodged in the necks of the executioners. Bezine whirled to see a Verfolger clad in black crouching on the mountain, notching three arrows at once to some kind of dangerous-looking bow. Abruptly the soldiers all around the square started to fall, ranged weapons of every kind striking them down- throwing stars, daggers, darts laced with a toxin that seemed able to kill a soldier within five seconds. Bezine couldn’t even keep track of the number of the dead and dying. When the Verfolger leaped from the surrounding cover, the soldiers stood little chance.
Two of the Verfolger disengaged from combat and came over to cut the bonds on Eirene and Bezine. Bezine rubbed her wrists, looking about with wide eyes. She had never seen a Verfolger this close before, and one not trying to kill her to boot.
She glanced back at Eirene. Well, she amended, at least never one in armor this close before who wasn’t trying to kill her.
The remaining twenty or so soldiers had grouped themselves into some kind of defensive formation and were holding off the Verfolger attackers. Bezine worried for a moment that they might actually recoup and take the day. Then she saw the doors to the Verfolger shrine swing open.
She recognized the Verfolger who stepped out immediately by his height: he was the one who had cornered her in the castle. Considering how much fear Bezine felt at the sight of him, she couldn’t even imagine what the soldiers were feeling. The ones closest to him balked and tried to push their way back through their fellows; none of them could make any headway, however, against the Verfolger ringing them in.
Bezine saw the lead Verfolger raise his arm. She squinted: there was some kind of metal thing around his hand and wrist, and what looked like a string running to something on his back. It was all in black, so she couldn’t see clearly…
Suddenly fire flew from the Verfolger’s arm, blazing out and washing over the soldiers. The screams were a terrible sound, the sight and smell even worse. Bezine had to turn her head and look away, trying not to even think about what was happening. By the time the flame died out, only two soldiers were left, panickedly pushing against the Verfolger hemming them in as they attempted to escape.
The lead Verfolger spoke in flawless Hanshiman, and the two soldiers cowered before him. He spoke once more, and the two soldiers glanced at each other, their paws over their heads in surrender. When the Verfolger next spoke, his tone was harsher, and he raised his metal ring of fire in threat. The soldiers scrambled for their blades, but one was quicker: he stabbed his comrade right through the heart as the other was just freeing his blade. The slain soldier cried out in pain, the blade falling to the ground.
The Verfolger waited until the soldier shuddered a last breath before speaking. The soldier’s eyes widened at what he said, and Bezine heard an incredulous “Shenme?” When the Verfolger pointed at the path, the soldier hesitantly stood. After a pause, he dared a few steps. When none of the Verfolger stopped him, he took off running, abandoning his blade behind him. Bezine realized what the Verfolger must have said: Go and tell your master that this village is protected.
With the soldiers dealt with, the Verfolger fixed his gaze upon Bezine. Bezine felt her stomach drop out from under her as he considered her. “So, you didn’t kill yourself in the fall,” he mused. “Impressive. You are stronger than we took you to be.” His gaze turned upon Eirene. “Ardent Liu, why did you not inform us she had survived?”
For a moment, it looked like Eirene would kneel to him; then, she seemed to steel herself and she stood. “It’ no was important," she declared. “She was no tret.”
“Oh?” The Verfolger looked over them both, his gaze lingering on their faces. “From what I can see, she knows who you are. She knows your face.” He motioned to one of his fellows, and they brought forth a blade, pressing it into Eirene’s paw. “And you know the law.”
Bezine felt fear grip her as she looked between Eirene and her commander. “Law? What law?” she asked.
Eirene bowed her head and took a deep breath. When she looked up at Bezine, there was an apology there- and regret. “We are de night dat falls,” she said slowly, like a mantra. “We wear de iron and have no face. None shall know us for who we are.” The comprehension slowly dawned on Bezine as Eirene explained. “If we are seen when we no wear our mask, den a life is paid: ours or deirs. You or I.”
Bezine felt her heart seize up, and she was blurting out words before she knew their meaning. “Non do this!” she protested. She waved a paw at the villagers looking on. “What about zem?” she asked. “You non can kill zem all! You just saved zem!”
“They are noncombatants,” the lead Verfolger said sonorously. “They will not be harmed. Since they know her face, however, Eirene will never be allowed to step footpaw here again.” Bezine looked to Eirene in horror, and saw her looking at the ground in shame. As she watched, tears escaped her eyes and fell to the ground. Looking to the crowd, Bezine saw Meihua and Suyun standing with silent tears streaming down their face; they might not have understood what was being said, but they understood what was happening too well.
Bezine looked to Eirene, her heart in her throat. Suddenly she looked so small: a tiny jill, barely four feet, and so scared. She was no longer the warrior in black, but the jill curled in the corner of the cabin, crying and scared of being alone again. Just as scared as Bezine had been throughout her life, and was now.
Eirene sniffled, pressing her sleeve against her cheeks, trying to daub up the tears. When she looked at Bezine, her eyes were red and her cheeks were puffy. “I maked de deal,” she told Bezine. “I joined de Verfolger, dey keep de village safe. Is why we have dis,” she pointed with her blade at the Verfolger shrine. She dropped the blade back to her side, looking at Bezine with bloodshot eyes. “I no am de guardian spirit,” she explained. “We are.” She motioned at the figures in black around them. “De Verfolger.”
“And will continue to be,” the lead Verfolger assured her. “The agreement will be honored. But first, there is one last threat to deal with.” He turned his gaze once more on Bezine.
Bezine felt fear grip her, and she looked to Eirene, pleading through her eyes. The jill couldn’t even look at Bezine. Bezine turned her gaze to the villagers beyond her. Meihua and Suyun, standing with paws clasped, Xiao Du between them. Dao Luo, the village chief and the priest, all looking on. Families, mothers and fathers and children, all kept safe by the figures in black. Kept safe… so long as I die, Bezine realized.
Bezine looked to Eirene, her heart in her throat. She knew now how it had to end. “Do it,” she said quietly. When Eirene refused to look at her, Bezine strode forward and lifted her face by the chin. They locked eyes, and Bezine spoke quietly, so only they could hear. “You are right,” she said softly. “I ‘ave nozzing in ze Imperium. Zere non is a life for me zere. ‘Ere, I ‘ave ze village. And I ‘ave you,” she told Eirene gently. She trailed her paw down Eirene’s neck, then arm, until it clasped Eirene’s pawfingers. They locked eyes once more, and Bezine spoke earnestly. “Zis place is worz dying for,” she said, and paused. “…As are you.”
She reached down to one of the soldiers’ bodies nearby and pulled a knife from his belt. She pressed this into Eirene’s paw, and then pulled that paw up so the point was right before her heart. Bezine looked up into Eirene’s eyes. “Kill me wiz a kiss,” she requested. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and leaned in to catch Eirene’s lips one last time.
It was the sweetest, saddest experience of Bezine’s life- the taste and feel of her partner, and the coldness just above her heart, waiting to end it all. Bezine savored every second of it, knowing that any second might be her last…
The coldness was gone. Bezine broke the kiss and opened her eyes as the sound of metal hitting stone tinged from her left. She found herself staring into Eirene’s defiant gaze. “No,” she said stubbornly. She turned and faced the Verfolger, repeating that same rebellious word. “No,” she declared. “I no kill her. You no kill her. She no is a tret to us. I leave de village and she never find me. All is safe.”
The lead Verfolger tilted his head to the side. “She knows of the village,” he observed. “She could use that knowledge to threaten you, to lead you into a trap.
Eirene shook her head vigorously. “Bu shi. You know why? Because she just tried to die to save de village.” She pointed at the knife lying on the ground a ways behind her as proof. She defiantly stared down her fellow Verfolger. “If she do dat, she never endanger de village. She never betray me.”
There was a long pause. The lead Verfolger watched Eirene carefully, his gaze boring into hers. “When you meet again, it may be as enemies,” he told her. “Can you do what must be done?”
Eirene glanced over her shoulder at Bezine. She could see the decision as it was made in her eyes. “We will fight,” she said. “We may hurt each otter. Bu’t we never are enemies.” Bezine nodded at her, agreeing with the truth of her statement.
The lead Verfolger sighed, sheathing his blade. “You once begged for the honor of killing her,” he noted. “Now your words have changed. It is a rare beast who can tame such fury.” He looked to Bezine and spoke directly to her. “Go in peace. Travel west, and you will find a town on the ocean. From there you can walk north to a port, from whence you can return to your Imperium.” His eyes turned hard, and his next words were harsh. “You will never return to this village. If you do, you will die. Do you understand?”
“Dong le.”
Bezine couldn’t believe the words she heard from Eirene’s lips. She turned and looked at the jill in shock. She had retained some composure, but Bezine could see the tears dance at the corner of her eyes as she gave up her home. Bezine swallowed and met the Verfolger’s gaze as it turned upon her. “I understand,” she acknowledged.
The Verfolger waited a moment to make sure neither reversed their decision, then nodded. He motioned with one paw toward the on-looking villagers. “You may say your farewells,” he told them, and his tone was a little gentler.
The two jills walked their way to the crowd, each feeling the weight of their steps; taking them toward their home and yet ever more away from it. While Eirene explained the decision in Hanshiman to the village elders, Bezine walked immediately to Meihua and embraced her, catching the jill by surprise. After hugging her with all the strength she could manage, she gave the same treatment to Suyun, who returned the embrace with a motherly one. For Xiao Du, Bezine knelt and pulled him into a fierce hug. This time, the kit did not try to wiggle away… at least, not for the first five seconds. Then he was back clinging to his mother’s skirts. Bezine gave him a sad smile and cupped out her arms in front of her. “Zai jian, Xiao Du,” she told him, giving him a small bow. Xiao Du peeked out at her before reciprocating the gesture. “Zai jian, Duo Ayi,” he returned loudly. Bezine chuckled before standing.
The rest of the goodbyes seemed to take forever, and yet at the same time it seemed like there was no time at all before it was over. Somehow, the last beast Bezine found herself standing before was Eirene. She looked the jill in the eye, a sad smile passing between them. They stepped together into a hug, Bezine lifting Eirene up a bit to make up the height difference between them, and the jill laughed for a second before they both broke down into weeping. Bezine held Eirene to her until her arms grew weak, and then gently set her back down. When at last their tears and energy were spent, they stepped away from each other, slipping out of each other’s arms. They held their sad gaze for a moment before Bezine turned away. They had nothing left to say to each other, or perhaps they had too much.
Bezine walked past the Verfolger to the trailhead, looking out at the path before her. She knew she had to walk down it and not look back, or else she would be tempted to stay. You have to go, she told herself. Still, she couldn’t stop herself from turning for one last look at the village.
There it was, all there. The houses, the villagers, her friends, her lover. All watching her with sadness as she left. In a rare moment of introspection, Bezine understood. All her life she’d been running, fleeing her worries in search of some perfect place just beyond the horizon. Once there, she’d told herself, she would be happy. She would have a place there. She would be safe. It was only now, as she was leaving it, that she realized: the village was that place beyond the horizon. It was the place she’d always wanted to be.
With tears in her eyes, Bezine turned back to the path and walked away from paradise forever.
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Karath sat alone at his desk, the backdrop of red and blue glass casting an iridescent glow on the floor before him as it caught moonlight. He didn’t recall speaking to a beast who wasn’t of MAUL or one of his guards in days, for reports of strange things throughout the city and beyond had kept him busy. It was a thoroughly lonesome place, but at least it was quiet. Even so, the silence had begun to wear on him, however good it was for working.
Silence, like many things in the Harbor, never seemed to last. There was a knock at the door, not unusual at this time of the night for an organization built around the graveyard shift.
Karath looked up towards the door, expecting a MAUL beast or another operative to bring him a folder, perhaps a scroll. “Come in,” he said.
The door opened, and two beasts walked in. The first was a familiar sight, the click of her heels on the marble floor almost a daily interruption for the minister. The other, however, was a sight long absent from these halls. After seven months, her cropped headfur had grown long and wild again, and her male-ish clothes had been lost somewhere along the way in favor of some kind of robe. Dawn led the girl in, proclaiming as she did so, “Minister, may I present the successful return of our Agent D’Oiravere.”
Karath blinked, at first not recognizing Bezine, and persisting in his disbelief for a few seconds longer after his mind knew it was her. The way Dawn spoke seemed to suggest she had some part in her absence, but he would leave it be for the present. Seven months was a long time to drop from the face of the world.
“Welcome back,” he said. “Return from where, exactly?”
Bezine glanced at Dawn incredulously, then looked at Karath as if to confirm what she’d just heard. After a moment, she exploded, shouting furiously in a mix of Callisparian and some other language. Dawn winced at the outburst. “Originally, Varangia,” she explained to the minister, “although it seems that may have changed. Here, sit down dear,” she told Bezine as soothingly as she could, trying to lead her to a chair in front of the Minister’s desk. Bezine shrugged away her paw and marched her own way up, slumping into a chair and sullenly curling up her knees in front of her.
Karath passed a venomous gaze to Dawn, one that suggested there would be words between them later. He turned back to Bezine, knowing her story would be the least motivated by self-interest, or at least the most honest.
“Dawn sent you to Varangia? Looks like we’re going to have to start from the beginning here, since she was so kind as to not mention any of this even when I tried to find out what became of you.” His eyes lingered on Dawn.
Bezine hesitated, seeming reluctant to come out of whatever shell had formed around her during her travel. Eventually she uncurled her legs and began to recount her trip- arriving in Varangia, traveling to the mountain castle, finding out that her contact had already sold her out. Here the story diverged from the truth, however. “I find ze place deserted,” she told Karath, not meeting his eye. “Zey knowed I am coming and goe’d. I finded a map, zough. All zeir bases, more or less. A mask for each one.” She raised her gaze and met the Minister’s. “Zere was a mask right on ze ‘Arbor,” she told him. “Ze Verfolger no are creeping into ze city; zey already are ‘ere.”
Dawn leaned back onto one footpaw, her arms crossed as she listened critically to the tale. “That couldn’t have taken more than a month,” she pointed out. “What took you so long to come back?” Bezine’s mouth shut tight, and she looked away. She wouldn’t even look at Dawn or the Minister.
Karath ignored Dawn for the moment.
“Well, we already knew some were here, but after they have remained silent for so long, none of us thought it was any more than a scouting party, something to be wary of but not, perhaps yet, a direct threat. But it seems that may not be the case. Perhaps we would’ve known this sooner if our chief of intelligence spent less time sending beasts away on errands hundreds of miles away then neglecting to inform me of any of it. As if I do nothing but sit here behind this desk.” Karath’s eyes shifted to the rack of weapons beside his desk. He’d done more than a little of his own information gathering.
“The real question is, what took you so long to tell me of this?” He asked Dawn.
Dawn pushed out the other chair before the desk and smoothly sat in it, crossing her legs. Bezine pulled away into her own chair. “Foreign operations are my purview,” she said smoothly. “Miss D’Oiravere has had the most experience with the Verfolger to date and thus was the natural choice for the operation. We had no intelligence to suggest she was killed or captured, and thus it never became a matter worth reporting.” Bezine glared at Dawn, but said nothing in reply.
Karath’s claws began to drum on his desk.
“When I directly seek out the whereabouts of a beast, Bezine in this case, as my chief of intelligence it is your duty to tell me where in ‘Gates that beast is.” Karath waved his paw dismissively, realizing the futility of his argument. After all, it would only create more of a rift between him and Dawn, and the vixen was good at her job, at least when she performed it without seeking to irritate him. He then looked to Bezine.
“But I am genuinely curious. We can get the matters of intelligence sorted out later; why did it take seven months for you to return?”
Bezine glanced for a moment up at his eyes, then looked at the ground. She seemed to be searching for an answer there. “I go down ze wrong side of ze mountain,” she said eventually. “I ‘ave to wander in ‘Anshima and avoid soldiers to make it ‘ome. Eventually I finded a port and come back.”
Dawn raised an eyebrow at this. “That’s all? Five months of wandering a war-torn wasteland?” she asked critically.
Bezine raised her eyes and met Dawn’s, and there was defiance there for a moment. “If you know nozzing, say nozzing,” she dared to challenge her. She held the glare until Dawn cleared her throat and looked away. Bezine looked back at Minister Nicolas. “You ‘ave questions?” she asked.
Karath knew Dawn well enough to realize he should pay attention when she suspected something, no matter who it was she was suspicious of, and he too caught a hint of untruth in Bezine’s hasty explanation for her absence.
“Well, of course I have questions. You were gone for seven months, after all. Since just after we saw the first Verfolger here. If you want to answer them later though, I understand. But I will ask, when did you get back here?”
“Later” of course meant “Out of Dawn’s earshot”, though even Karath wasn’t exactly sure of the threshold of her hearing. She seemed to hear everything. He knew Bezine had told him the truth of what concerned the Imperium; he would have to get the full story on that later. The other months of Bezine’s journey interested him for other reasons, curiosity not the least of them, and news from any place beyond Vulpinsula was welcome.
Bezine blushed a bit at Karath’s insistence on her answering as to the missing five months, but seemed relieved that she would have time to draft a reply. She answered his next question immediately. “Zis morning. Ze ship come in early. I go to my apartment to rest, zen come back ‘ere to report. I ‘ope zat non is a problem.”
Karath smirked at her deliberate politeness. He wasn’t Nadia Darkon, for the sake of ‘Gates, he was Karath. Even Dawn seemed to have stopped with that foolishness. Then again, Dawn hadn’t been gone for seven months. “Not sure why it would be a problem; I’m more curious to know what you encountered in your five months away from wherever it was Dawn sent you. Curiosity may be getting the better of me; I don’t really expect anything essential to security or anything like that. Far off places are just interesting. I haven’t gotten to travel the world as much as I would’ve liked, but I may yet.”
Bezine lifted her gaze, her resolve wavering. She couldn’t avoid answering his question forever. She would have to give him an answer, something close to the truth, or at least something he would accept. “I find paradise,” she said plainly. “I find a village, and zere is like I always belong. I find friendship, I find…” Her tongue tied as she found herself unable to say the most dangerous of all four-letter words. Dawn sat back in her chair a bit, her eyes understanding.
Bezine forced herself to carry on. “And zen soldiers come and destroy ze place. I flee, I no can save zem. Zat is why I come back,” she admitted tearfully. “Because I ‘ad nowhere else to go.”
It was as if a shadow fell over the room then, and it had, for the moon had slipped behind the clouds. For an instant, Karath felt vulnerable, as if everything he hid behind had caught up to him. His weapons on their rack could not defend him, nor could his skill or his wits, or the walls of stone surrounding him. Then it passed, as soon as the feeling had come. He was getting better at sending it away, and he wasn’t sure if that was a good thing.
“Sometimes you have to save yourself, aye. But what happened in the past you cannot change.”
Or run from, he thought.
Bezine sniffled, pressing one paw to her face and trying to stem the tears that threatened to run down her face. She tried to recover her composure, but seemed to be having trouble. Dawn sat up a bit and suggested, “Maybe we should give Agent D’Oiravere some time to rest and recover. I’m sure the rest of the briefing can wait.”
Karath’s claws tapped three times on his desk, an involuntary action. He stood up then, his chair nearly falling over behind him. He lunged across the desk at Dawn, nearly standing on top of it. “To the ‘Gates with you! This is all your doing! You’re nothing but a schemer, waiting for something to come along for your own gain. Get out of this room, or I may just kill you. ‘Gates knows you deserve it. Leave now and you may just keep your job, because you are useful on occasion.”
He looked down at his paw. In it was a hopelessly crumpled piece of a map he had been pondering. He tossed it aside and turned to face the glass that looked out over the sea. He willed his breathing to slow. For an instant, he thought he might kill Dawn. It frightened him a little. Only one time before had he killed a beast in anger, and that beast had led to the deaths of others.
Dawn looked absolutely shocked at the outburst. Her jaw dropped open, and she seemed to entirely forget herself for a moment. It was fair to assume that no one had ever spoken to her in that manner before. Slowly she stood, trying to gather her dignity about her, and then walked out of the room, her heels clicking on the marble. Bezine watched her go, wide-eyed.
“She deserved that,” Karath said simply. Bezine nodded vigorously, not daring to disagree.
“Though,” he said, finally calm, “you could’ve told me.”
Bezine looked uncertain, and returned her gaze to the floor. She seemed chastised by his remark. “Was personal,” she muttered. “I non wanted to affect zings ‘ere.”
“I understand, though it's now a bit too late for that. In the future, however,” he turned around, anger banished from his face, “you could give me the slightest of hints that Dawn is scheming behind my back. I mean, of course she is. That’s kind of her job, to do the scheming that I don’t have time for. But ‘Gates, I don’t know how far she’s willing to go. I figure…” He paused, unsure why he was telling Bezine these things, but then again, he hadn’t found the beasts of MAUL to be great listeners.
“I think it's best to keep her around anyway. If I lose track of her, I just might find a knife in my back. At least this way I’ll see the knife coming at me in time to parry.” He walked towards his desk, where his dagger lay beneath his weapons rack.
“Speaking of which, I better keep this around if the Verfolger are coming.” He tucked the weapon into his jacket.
Bezine glanced up at Karath, then down again. She hesitated, then slowly spoke. “Maybe… maybe we should try to find out what zey want,” she suggested meekly. “I mean, zey attack us, we attack zem, but we still non know why. Maybe we understand, we non need for killing each ozzer.”
Karath had to stop himself from letting out a laugh. “If they were anything other than who they are–and from what I gather, ‘who they are’ is a death worshiping night cult–I would say the same. But they came into these tunnels to kill. I met a fox, looked like she was from the desert, who also encountered one of their kind. It’s like they exist only to slaughter. It took four to send him away, and the way she talked about it, it seems like he let them win. Called himself Sun Stealer. Who in their right mind has a name like that? Unless you know something I don’t, the time for diplomacy has passed. Do you know something I don’t?”
Bezine looked up at him, and there was something behind her eyes, something pleading for him to reconsider. “Only zat we don’t understand zem,” she said, “and zat is a problem. Maybe zere are zings zey do we non see, zings zat make sense of zem. All I say is,” she shrugged, “maybe we non give up on zem. Maybe non yet.”
“If I see Sun Stealer lurking in my tunnels, I am going to stop him. If he pleads for his life, I will let him live - in a cell. I try my best not to strike first in a fight, but they are making it exceedingly difficult. And they’ve already struck here. If you think you could talk one of them down, by all means. But I will keep my blade sharp. And I think you should do the same. Speaking of which, do you actually have a weapon?”
Bezine nodded, reaching to her belt and pulling a dagger from it. It was a different make from Imperial daggers, thinner and with an odd shape to it- distinctly eastern. “I ‘ave,” she answered readily.
Karath sat carelessly back into his chair, throwing his right arm up on the desk and leaning on it.
“Why can’t beasts refrain from killing each other for five minutes? Five minutes would be nice. If they like the night so much, why not go out and look at the stars?”
Bezine sat at the desk, looking down at the blade in her paws, and quietly replied, “Zat is what I ask.” She paused, and then prompted the minister. “’Ai you shir, or maybe I go now?” The Hanshiman slipped unbidden from her tongue.
“As you wish. These doors are always open, that goes for coming in as well as out. Be careful and watch your back. And don’t lose your heart. We Vulpinsulans might need it come the storm that might be brewing.”
Bezine nodded and stood, turning to move toward the door. She paused, then looked back at the Minister. “Non is ‘we Vulpinsulans’,” she reminded him. “I am Erlani. Is different.”
“And I am Scitherian. All of us might need it, then. I shouldn’t assign the name of an island to the concept of peace, you’re right. I sounded a bit like Darkon there.”
Bezine nodded. She hesitated for a moment, as if there were something she still wanted to say, then changed her mind. She turned and began walking her way to the door.
Karath’s footsteps echoed as he stepped across the polished black floor to where he had thrown the crumpled piece of paper earlier. He brought it back to his desk and carefully unfurled it, smoothing out the wrinkles until it lay flat. It was a map of old trade routes, of places he some day wished to go, or places he wished to establish contact with. In his rage, he had forgotten what it was. Leaving the map on his desk, he retreated to his study below the chamber and slept.
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Bezine unlocked her apartment door and entered. She was grateful that the Ministry had funded the rent while she was away; coming back to find herself homeless would have been salt in the wound. Most of the furniture, what little she had, was still draped. She wasn’t sure she was quite ready to pull off the sheets; it would be acknowledging that she was staying here permanently. She wasn’t sure she could take that quite yet.
She shut the door and locked it, resting her head against the door for a moment. She tried to imagine for a moment that it was the rough, uneven wood of the door to Eirene’s shack, that she would turn and find herself back in that simple dwelling that had somehow become home. Sighing, Bezine lifted her head and turned around, facing the small room where she would henceforth live alone.
Her eye was caught by something on the table, blocking out the streak of reflected moonlight. Curious, Bezine crossed to the table and examined the object. It was a wicker basket, the likes of which she had seen all over the village in Hanshima. Cautiously Bezine picked up the lid and lifted it. Setting the lid aside, she tilted the basket toward the moonlight. Inside, sitting in the midst of a thick web, was a large spider.
Bezine smiled, blinking back tears. Carefully, she reached in and picked up the spider, then carried him to the corner of the room. Stretching as high as she could, she lifted him up and placed him gently on the wall. Da Chong crawled up a few inches, paused, and settled there. Bezine smiled, knowing a new web would soon populate the corner. “Zank you,” she whispered softly.
