Ishkhandar - Part 1

Leiyu was worn out from spending the afternoon cutting through the brambles, but the sight of wild grasses undulating in the wind reinvigorated him. After all the weeks of sand and the last day of rocks, it was a welcoming sight and reminded him of the vast steppes of the North. The walled city was finally within reach, and yet still so achingly far away.

“Well, at least we’ll be able to travel a little faster now,” Leiyu said.

“Oh, I look so forward to being able to sleep in a proper bed tonight,” Liang Fusheng remarked.

“Do we know for sure that’s Ishkhandar?” Wang Yihui asked.

“Even if it isn’t, we can just stay there,” Chen Yun replied. “Provided they let us in.”

“Do you have the scroll?” Liang Fusheng asked.

“Yep, I’ve been keeping it safe this whole time,” Chen Yun said, patting the lapels of his robe.

Bakhat trotted forward and reached down to nibble on the grass. Leiyu sat down on the dirt and slipped his water flask out of his sleeve. As he drank, the breezes wrapped around him. The merchants took the time to let their horses graze in the fields.

“It’s already late afternoon,” Chen Yun said. “Let’s try to make it there before sundown, otherwise they might not let us in.”

Leiyu donned his weimao and mounted his steed while the merchants returned to their wagons. They made their way across the lavender-scented fields toward the walled city. As they got further from the mountain, the moisture in the air subsided, and they were surrounded by a mild aridity. The porcelain vases clinked inside the wagons as the wheels rolled over uneven ground. Butterflies fluttered across their pathway, and birds flew overhead.

As they approached the city, they saw border guards flanking the large iron and wooden gates. They had grim expressions, wore helmets and armor, and held spears with crescent-shaped blades. A narrow booth was situated next to the gate.

Chen Yun reached into his robes and pulled out a scroll and a jade token. He got out of the wagon and approached the guards cautiously. Leiyu sat atop Bakhat, readying himself in case he needed to take action. Liang Fusheng and Wang Yihui sat in the front carriage of their wagons.

Chen Yun held his arms before him in a half circle and grasped the scroll and jade token in his hands. He bowed in front of the guards and addressed them in Sargeshi. “Good sirs, is this the city of Ishkhandar?”

“Yes,” the head guard said. “State your purpose for entering the city.”

“We are merchants hailing from the Eastern Region and have come to make a delivery of silk and porcelain to the royal palace.”

The guards eyed each other and looked at the wagons and merchants. The head guard then motioned to someone behind him. A customs official wearing a dark doppi hat and long chapan robes emerged from the gateside booth. He approached Chen Yun and took items from his hand.

The customs official unfurled the scroll. It was a trade permit written in Dongyu script with a Sargeshi translation, stating the names of the merchants, their purpose for travel, their intended destination of Ishkhandar, and a description of the items being transported. On the bottom right hand corner of the scroll was the imperial seal, a red stamp print with a square border bearing the Eastern Region emperor’s name in elegant calligraphic strokes. He then examined the jade token. It was a badge that merchants from the Eastern Region carried to indicate that they were official members of the traders’ guild.

“Is this the entire caravan?” the customs official asked.

Chen Yun kept his eyes downward. “Yes, good sirs. We originally had more people but they were slain by bandits along the way.”

The guards looked at each other. The head guard spoke. “We need to inspect your wagons.”

“Of course, good sirs,” Chen Yun replied. He stepped aside and let the guards through. Three of them lifted the canvas covers of the wagons and went inside, while a few others stayed outside to keep an eye on the merchants and Leiyu. The merchants stood in awkward silence.

Leiyu looked at the wagons and then glanced at the city walls. He had not thought about it at the time he started journeying westward, but it would have been much harder for him to enter any cities outside the Eastern Region since he did not carry any special documents. There was a jade pendant from his late shifu stashed in his sleeve, but it was only useful for procuring goods and services in Yunshan. Although it was unfortunate that he had not found the caravan in time to save its original bodyguards, he was now very glad that he was traveling with the merchants.

After the guards were satisfied that the wagons were transporting only what the scroll listed and not carrying any contraband, the head guard spoke to the customs official.

“The customs duty is fifty coins,” the customs official said to Chen Yun. Chen Yun reached into his robes and took out a few bundles of bronze coins. They were held together by a cord that was threaded through the square holes at their centers. He counted the money and handed over the correct amount. The customs official stamped the trade permit. “The palace is at the center of the city. Present these same documents to the royal guards. You may enter.”

The heavy wooden doors creaked open. Leiyu’s eyes widened as the caravan made its way through the gates. He saw marble columns decorated with fluttering banners, silk ribbons, and fresh flowers. Closely packed mud-brick houses lined the outer ring of the city. As they went further towards the city center, more people were milling about. Children kicked balls in the dirt alleyways. Musicians played the drums on street corners. Young women danced in swirling dresses decorated with jingling gold coins.

They entered a bazaar in the middle of a wide street, and their pace slowed down. There was row after row of stalls where vendors hawked their wares in a cacophonous chorus. Some shouted in Sargeshi and others in Heliglossan, the official language of the Western Region.

“Dates! Pistachios! Raisins! Walnuts!”

“Pots and pans! Buy ‘em new or repair your old!”

“Freshly baked bread! One loaf for two gold coins!”

Leiyu turned and saw the bread stall. The baker slapped round slabs of dough on the inner surface of a clay oven while another worker called out to passersby to partake of their finished products. Golden brown circular loaves were stacked like coins on top of the stall counter. Their fragrant scent wafted through the air. Leiyu’s mouth began to water. He thought about the stash of stale flatbread that he kept hidden in his sleeve and was tempted to buy a fresh loaf, but he knew that he could not hold up the caravan.

Further down the street were greengrocers with tables full of lemons, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, and eggplants. A mountain of watermelons stood in front of another stall. Colorful patterned fabrics hung from clotheslines stretched across the alleyways.

As they went further toward the city center, the palace came into view. The walls were decorated with iridescent tiles, golden swirls, lapis lazuli, emeralds, and rubies. Tall marble columns with silk banners flanked the main gate. At the center of the structure was a towering building with a cerulean domed top - the same dome that they had seen when they first laid eyes on the walled city upon exiting the mountain.

The caravan approached the main gate, and Chen Yun presented his scroll and jade token to the guards. After a perfunctory check of their wagons, the guards let them through.

Once inside, Leiyu took off his weimao to get a better look at his surroundings. They were in the reception area between the palace’s outer and inner walls. Semicircular cobblestones were laid on the floor in a ripple pattern. The walls were decorated with colorful mosaic tiles and gold leaf. They were illustrated by scenes of what looked like historic battles, although there were also depictions of mythical creatures. While he was taking in all the sights, a group of palace attendants in blue robes with golden yellow trim approached them.

“This way to the stables, good sir,” one of the attendants said in Sargeshi.

The attendants led them to the periphery of the palace, where the stables were located. They helped the merchants unharness the horses from the wagons and led the animals into the stalls where there was fresh hay and water troughs. They then unloaded the merchandise from the wagons and took it away.

Leiyu stood before the stables, drinking water. The merchants talked amongst themselves, discussing their plans for the evening. While they started making plans to find an inn in the city, a palace attendant approached them.

“Good sirs, His Majesty the King wishes to personally greet you all,” the attendant said.

Leiyu looked at the merchants, and they stared back. None of them had expected this.

“Is there any issue with the merchandise?” Chen Yun asked.

“Oh no, not at all, good sirs,” the attendant said. “His Majesty just wishes to meet the merchants who journeyed all this way from the Eastern Region.”

Chen Yun blinked a few times. He turned to the others. “Well, if the king is asking, we shouldn’t refuse.”

“Come this way,” the attendant said. He led the four to an outdoor corridor. As they walked down the passageway, Leiyu glanced at the gardens to the side. Tall cypresses grew near the marble walls, while trees bearing pomegranates and figs were interspersed among meandering streams and bubbling fountains. The fragrance of jasmine and lavender filled the air.

The corridor ended at the door of a building, and the attendant let them in. Leiyu’s eyes widened as they entered the long hallway. The walls were decorated in mosaic tiles and silk tapestries depicting colorful birds. The domed ceiling had an intricate interlocking star pattern and was covered in gold foil and lapis lazuli. Dim light filtered through the stained glass windows and cast colored patterns on the marble floor.

When they reached the end of the hallway, they saw double doors flanked by guards. With the help of the guards, the attendant opened the heavy doors and led Leiyu and the merchants inside the throne room. Marble columns wrapped in gold-flecked silks and flowering vines stood every twenty paces along the walls. The lower half of the walls was inset with rubies, emeralds, and lapis lazuli amidst gold swirls that mimicked the edges of a flickering flame. Higher up the walls were paintings of griffins, and higher still were arched windows with stained glass patterns depicting rosettes, stars, and flames. The ceiling mimicked the day and night sky with a painted sun and moon and bejeweled constellations. The floors were covered in polished marble tile.

At the back of the room, circular steps led up a raised dais with an ornate golden throne. The throne had a brocade cushioned seat wide enough to fit two people and a tall backrest inset with rubies and a golden flame motif. Behind the throne was a silk tapestry depicting an epic battle and a giant phoenix with outspread wings and a trailing tail of fire.

The attendant ushered Leiyu and the merchants to the center of the room. Aside from the soft shuffling of their boots, it was eerily silent. Leiyu and the merchants looked at each other awkwardly.

“His Majesty King Xenon enters!” the attendant suddenly bellowed. The merchants dropped to a kneeling position and Leiyu quickly followed suit.