Chapter 12: Boden and Beyond

“You can hear us, right Toge?” Jaemi asks, turning to the front to project his voice forward.

“Yeah, yeah, I can hear ya. Mostly. I’m focused on getting us somewhere so don’t worry about me.” Toge replies.

Jaemi snickers and turns back to the group in the wagon, his gaze fixing on Hoen in particular. “Alright, we can talk.”

Hoen nods and starts off. “I think we should get in contact with Madam Tolero, first.”

“Not Sir Silva?” Shou asks.

Jaemi adds, “It sounded like she’s in the palace town. That’ll be past Rita coming back from the mountains.”

“I am aware,” Hoen says, “but I’m quite interested in what she’ll have to say. Kuiyang seemed rather discontent with her decisions yet still endorsed her as a loyalist.”

Shou hums and nods. “That’s true. Kuiyang and Sir Silva are likely more like-minded as industrialists. We’d probably get different information from Madam Tolero. The question is if we can trust her–or Kuiyang for that matter.”

“We no longer have King Inei to verify information with, so a lot of this information is going to have to be taken at face value until it's proven otherwise. We’ll have to check their stories against one another.” Hoen points out.

Wen hesitates a moment before posing a possibility. “Uhm, is there not still the chance that they’re all colluding with one another against us? It seems the news of what happened that day has already spread amongst the nobles.”

Jaemi nods in agreement. “He’s right, but if we buy Kuiyang’s explanation about the nobles–and I’m partial to it already–then not all of them have the same goals in the first place. If they’re as divided as he said then a lot of Naiténoza’s behavior makes sense. They aren’t acting as a united entity. Plus, he said something similar to Asa–that King Inei wasn’t very involved in formal politics and let the nobles do as they please. That makes his story at least partially credible to me.”

“I agree,” Hoen adds, “ I think we should once again defer to Asa on this. What do you think?” He turns to Asa inquisitively and the rest of the group mirror Hoen, save for Toge driving the horses.

“It’s true the nobles aren’t united, though even I’m not aware of the full extent of this. However, Madam Tolero was widely seen as second to King Inei despite no formal appointment as such. Inei didn’t bother with ranks and such below him,” Asa answers, thinking for a moment before she continues, “She’s a very upright, strict sort of woman–regal in her own right. She and Kuiyang never had any big disagreements before this as far as I can recall from my time in the palace, but she’s a headstrong woman who’s rigid in her ideals so it doesn’t surprise me that they he may be having difficulty with her now. She was very critical of the court and loyal to King Inei, as well, so I believe despite any qualms Kuiyang may have with her decisions that she was acting in accordance with Inei’s behest…whatever it is.”

Hoen sees how Asa trails off at the end, getting lost in her thoughts and pats her shoulder to bring her back. “Thank you Asa. Do you have any thoughts on Sir Silva?”

Asa hums in thought before she says, “He’s a no-nonsense, assertive sort of man. He’s very outspoken in his beliefs and straightforward in his words and actions. He’s not as diplomatic as Kuiyang so a conversation with him may be difficult, but he’s never struck me as the conniving sort. He’s business-minded like Kuiyang but was fiercely traditional and critical of the nobles' conduct. I’m not sure if he was particularly loyal to Inei rather than being loyal to the throne per tradition as he wasn’t without his criticisms, but he also never withheld those criticisms in Inei’s presence…I think talking with Madam Tolero first would be more beneficial, but I believe both of them can be taken at their word.”

“And do you think Kuiyang can be taken at his?” Jaemi adds.

“...I believe so, though his demeanor is off-putting to me,” Asa replies.

Hoen tilts his head at that curiously. “What do you mean?”

Asa frowns as she thinks of how to word her thoughts. “...he is a shrewd man, no doubt, and knows how to be diplomatic, but I believe his attitude toward nobles not loyal to Inei was quietly hostile. He admired Inei so his methods of bringing others into line is rather…cruel, in my opinion, even if the nobles deserve punishment. I believe he is too business-minded, focusing on outcomes rather than methods, even if it’s in the king’s favor. Being irreverent toward Inei was enough to get a public scolding from Madam Tolero or Sir Silva, but Kuiyang often handled things quietly and much more harshly. I much prefer an on-the-table style of handling things.”

Jaemi shudders, rubbing his arms as if a sudden chill has gripped him. “I sensed that, too. You can always tell when businessmen are more business than men.”

Toge yells over the noise from the front. “It makes sense, though. He’s a new noble–he’s got to prove himself somehow! He doesn’t have the power to do what the other nobles do openly.”

Hoen nods thoughtfully. “Hmm…I understand. It seems Madam Tolero was the source of Kuiyang’s information, in any case, so talking to her as soon as possible will be our course of action.”

The group all nod in understanding. They take only one break for the horses along their journey to the next inn, taking care to see that they aren't being followed and eventually arriving well after dark, settling in quickly without further discussion. Having made up time with Toge’s quick pace, the group make it to Boden in the foothills the next day before nightfall. After stowing the horses and wagon with Jaemi’s associate, the group head to the inn at the eastern edge of town, this one smaller than the one in Rita as it receives much less traffic all the way on the western edge of Sehchoh territory.

Jaemi says, “Alright, let’s try and get to bed as soon as possible. We’ll need the rest to continue on foot early tomorrow morning. And Asa?” He hands the bow and arrows to her. “For you. We have enough rations for a couple of days, but it’ll come in handy.”

Asa accepts them and they all continue to the inn. As she lays in her bed, she reflects on the journey to come, her mind once again drifting to Bam. Toward Inei, the sting of the realization of what he would not tell her still remained, but Asa felt sympathetic–though she felt bad for feeling that way toward him–and could not hold a grudge for long, even if she wishes he could’ve trusted her enough to tell her more. After all, she’s long had the sense that he did not want her to become too involved in the politics of his court, always deflecting or ignoring her concerns and observations–“I much prefer playing games with you” or something or other he’d always say.

However, toward Bam, Asa’s indecision was far greater. Their bond ran far deeper, and thus so would a betrayal. She was on the cusp of finding out just what Bam meant that day when she told her their home was gone and despite Asa’s doubts and uncertainties still lingering she remembers her resolve to trust herself if nothing else. Find more information and see your decision through to the end when the time is right–this is what she resolved herself to do. As she thinks about the fires on the mountain, Bam’s attitude and words that day, and her allies that are hopefully still somewhere in the mountains keeping Ba’atan alive, her mind drifts back to a time when Bam was not her ally long ago and she falls asleep recollecting that first meaningful encounter.

“Hey, wait–” another child screams as Asa and Chui walk by, hand in hand. Before she can turn fully to see the commotion, a handful of mud comes flying right at her head. She flinches and turns away with her hand up but is too late to avoid the projectile completely, the mud staining her hair and clothes. The children around Bam run away quickly, eager not to be pinned for the assault along with the true perpetrator. Bam, however, smirks smugly, clearly proud of herself.

“You gonna finally speak up or what, No Name?” Bam calls out to Asa, her hands planted victoriously on her hips.

“Hey, cut it out, Silene!” Chui says, letting go of Asa’s hand to confront Bam–to confront Silene. Asa just stands there, trembling with emotion as her small fists clench tightly, glancing at them over her shoulder.

Bam–or Silene–simply grins at him. “What’s it to you, Elio? I was talking to No Name!”

Chui–Elio–approaches Silene and the two children begin to argue.

“Don’t call her that!” Elio exclaims.

Silene frowns as Elio refuses to back down, getting irritated all over again. “It has nothing to do with you. It’s as good as her real name anyway! Look, she doesn’t even care!”

She points at Asa’s motionless form up the path. Elio doesn’t accept that, however, and narrows his eyes at Silene. “You don’t know what she’s thinking. No one would like what you did!”

Silene huffs, turning away with her arms crossed, “Well if she’d just talk sometimes I wouldn’t have to guess for her.”

Elio stomps his foot, his hands stubbornly on his hips. “She does talk! She talks to me and my family and the Saishu all the time! Maybe she just doesn’t wanna talk to you.”

Silene winces at that, quickly turning back around and shoving Elio. He stumbles back a bit and gapes at her for a moment as he regains his balance before stepping forward and shoving her back, indignantly exclaiming, “Hey!”

Silene scowls and shoves him harder, pushing Elio to the ground. She lets out a huff of triumph through her nostrils as she smirks down at him, but before she can get a proud word out she’s suddenly flipped over and lying on her back looking up at the sky.

“Ow! Stop it!” she yells, looking in disbelief at the perpetrator as tears fill her eyes. Asa simply looks down at her with her eyes narrowed, the mud caked onto her side at this point.

“Apologize to him,” Asa says.

“No way, No Name! Let go!” Silene snaps back, struggling in Asa’s hold. Asa twists her arm behind her back, pinning Silene face down on the ground as she cries out in surprise and discomfort. Silene kicks and wriggles underneath Asa, but goes nowhere. “Get off! Get off of me!”

“Apologize!” Asa demands, kneeling on top of her.

Elio stands up and brushes himself off, watching how easily Asa brought the bully Silene under her control. “Whoa, Asa, that was so cool! Teach me how to do that!”

Ignored and humiliated at once, tears start to streak down Silene’s cheeks, her legs kicking wildly behind her. “I won’t apologize! I didn’t do anything wrong! Let me go!”

Suddenly, the children from earlier come back with two adults who quickly assess the situation and approach Asa gently.

“That’s enough, dear,” the woman says, “I’m so sorry, did she hurt you?”

Asa shakes her head and lets Silene go, taking a few steps back next to Elio. “No, ma’am. I’m okay.”

Elio takes Asa’s hand and shakes his head, too. “We’re okay, thank you!”

The man speaks up, “The other children told us everything. You’re not in trouble, don’t worry. My daughter, however–”

The man grasps Silene’s shoulder firmly and she flinches, knowing she’s caught. The man continues, “My daughter has some explaining to do. Again.”

“But I–” Silene is cut off before she can finish her excuse.

“Don’t lie to your parents, Silene! We got all dirty because of you, everyone saw it!” Elio says, pointing to the other kids who nod hesitantly, only emboldened by the presence of Silene’s parents. She huffs and looks away stubbornly, refusing to speak anymore.

The woman says, “Ah, this daughter of mine–where’d you learn this from, huh? We’ll take her home now, she won’t bother you all anymore.”

Elio turns and bows politely to the adults. “Thank you, ma’am, sir! Bye!”

As Silene’s parents lead her away and the other kids disperse with unsure glances over their shoulders, Elio turns to Asa excitedly and says, “Come on, we’ll go back to my house and clean up!”

Asa glances back at Silene and her parents worriedly, but follows Elio away, the path slowly growing darker and darker until she blinks her eyes awake into the darkness of her room at the inn. Asa sits up, thinking about the old memory come to life in her sleep for a while with her feet hanging over the bedside. Then, she looks up at Hoen, still asleep in his bed next to hers in their shared room. She gets up and gently wakes him with a shake of his shoulder. “It’s time to get up, Hoen. We leave at sunrise.”

Hoen slowly blinks awake and rises with a nod, rubbing his face. “Thank you. This schedule is just a bit earlier than what I’m used to.”

Asa nods and goes off first to get ready, gearing up and seeing Jaemi and Toge downstairs already. Eventually, everyone meets and has an early breakfast at the inn at Asa’s insistence. “You’ll want your energy up,” she says.

When the group step out into the chill morning air, the cool breeze of the foothills pulling a shiver out of more than one of them, Jaemi turns to Asa as they begin their trek on foot up the mountain.

“I know Ba’ata are tight-lipped about Ba’atan, but what about the mountains, Asa? I didn’t ask earlier because I was afraid of your answer, but are there…dangers we might encounter? Say… any predators, for example?”

“Don’t worry, I won’t lead us through bear or puma territory. We might encounter boars since they wander, but that’s not an issue.”

Jaemi nods solemnly, falling behind a few steps as he takes in the information, his usual energy seemingly drained from him. “Bears and pumas…I see…”

Hoen smiles at him. “Do you not trust our guide?”

“I do! We just don’t know what we’re getting into!” Jaemi explains.

“You’re safe,” Asa assures him, “The first thing Saishu learn is hunting and tracking. We know how the animals behave on the mountains.”

“What’s a Saishu, Asa? Can you tell us?” Wen asks, his eyes lit up with academic curiosity.

Asa glances at Hoen before she sighs. “...this information I will tell you is to help our investigation. It also cannot be spread around easily.”

The group nod and affirm their understanding before Asa continues, “Saishu are…they protect Ba’atan. Hunt, guard, scout in the mountains…” She trails off as she thinks, the nuance of a Saishu proving difficult to explain. “...they are warriors. They face danger so others do not have to. The mountains are dangerous.” Hoen nods along, having heard some of this information before.

“You can say that again. I’ve seen roasted boars whole and they’re huge! I can’t imagine pumas or bears,” Jaemi exclaims.

Asa says, “Pumas are about one and a half of you. Bears are about…three of you… maybe more.” Her face screws up as she thinks about it carefully. Jaemi shudders, holding himself comfortingly.

“So you’re a Saishu, Asa?” Wen follows up. Asa nods.

“She oughta be, forcing her way into the palace and defeating all the guards in Naiténoza…” Toge adds with a grumble.

“...so, is Bam also a Saishu?” Shou asks. Asa nods again.

“I see. So Saishu are trained in different specialties, then…not unlike our own soldiers,” Wen notes to himself as they walk.

“Huh. For Ba’atan to trust you enough to send you away when they’re so reclusive and with you being Gifted–you must be a pretty important Saishu,” Toge points out. “No wonder Bam wanted to keep an eye on you–speaking of, she must be pretty important, too.”

Jaemi grins and looks at Toge. “Oh? You aren’t calling Bam a villain anymore?”

Toge frowns and shouts, “Hey, I’m just following Asa’s lead on this, alright? If she’s giving her the benefit of the doubt then I will, too!”

Asa falters slightly at that, reminded of her inner conflict. Jaemi snickers at Toge and Wen speaks up after his contemplative silence. “How big is Ba’atan for there to be a dedicated warrior force? We’ve always assumed in Sehchoh that Ba’atan was a few small villages at most.”

“And where do you rank?” Shou adds.

“And where does Bam rank?” Toge interjects quickly before he misses the chance to ask.

Asa glances at Hoen and he nods at her with a soft smile. “You can trust them, Asa. They will keep the information safe.”

“Oh? So you two have been talking more on your own–I knew it!” Jaemi exclaims, “If you told Hoen, you can tell us, too, Asa! We’re trustworthy!”

“...there are six villages in total. We’ll be going to one of the smaller villages, Takip Ba’atan. It is in the valley over this mountain range,” she reveals, “And you’re right to think I am an important Saishu, but we are all equal rank underneath the Crowns. As Wen said, we all simply train for different things.”

“The Crowns? Are these like…the most important Saishu?” Jaemi asks.

“They are, and for good reason. They are the strongest and most accomplished Saishu,” she explains.

Toge raises an eyebrow at her. “You’re Gifted, though. Are there really Saishu stronger than you? How many Gifted does Ba’atan have?”

“...” Asa contemplates the question for a long moment in silence. “...perhaps none other than me. Maybe I am the strongest, but I am not a Crown. Not yet.”

“Wow, I would’ve been shocked if there turned out to be more Gifted in Ba’atan!” Wen says, “Which of your ancestors was Gifted, Asa?”

“I don’t know. I grew up without my parents,” she answers.

“Oh…I’m sorry,” Wen replies hesitantly.

“It is alright. Ever since I became a child of the village I have not grieved that fact.”

Toge huffs, rolling his eyes. “You gotta explain all this stuff, kid. What’s a child of the village?”

Asa winces when her shortness of speech is called out. “I apologize. A child of the village is a Saishu. You earn a name and your earrings through hard work and training.”

“So what’s your name?” Toge asks.

“Asa,” she answers.

Jaemi chuckles. “He meant what name did you earn?”

“Asa,” she answers again, now looking at Jaemi.

Hoen looks at her with wide eyes, learning something new. “...is Asa not the name your parents left you?”

Asa shakes her head, looking at Hoen now. “I was left in the mountains with another name. Asa is my given name. I’m sorry if I confused you.”

Hoen simply sighs, shaking his head. “In Sehchoh, your given name is the name your parents give you. I misunderstood you before, Asa, there’s no need to apologize.”

“...I apologize. I will try and speak more when it is necessary,” she apologies again.

“It’s really okay, Asa,” Wen assures her, “If we may ask, what is the name your parents gave you?”

Asa hesitates before she shakes her head, not saying a word. Hoen watches her carefully, studying her suddenly tense demeanour silently, but Wen hurries to correct his offense. “It’s okay! You don’t need to share anything you aren’t comfortable sharing!”

At Asa’s continued silence, Wen adds, “...I, myself, was an orphan, so I understand any hesitancy sharing things like that, Asa. Truly, I am sorry.”

At that, she turns to him and studies him as if reassessing everything she thought about him. Wen offers a tentative smile. “My last name Alumnus was given to me after I joined the academy. This was before Hoen sought me out to become one of his aides, but still pretty recent, so I have mixed feelings about it…” Wen’s gaze searches Asa’s, unsure but hopeful.

Asa swallows thickly, maintaining her silence for a moment before she speaks. “...a Saishu’s treasured name from their parents is meant to be uttered by their parents only, but since I have none in the village mine hasn’t been uttered since I received the name Asa. It will only bring us misfortune, so I’d rather not share it…but thank you for sharing your past with me. It means more than I can say.”

Wen nods and smiles at Asa, accepting her sincerity. “Of course.”

Hoen, however, simply watches her carefully, taking in her words and her behavior–the way her voice wavers a bit as she speaks and the unusual quietness of her speech–and filing them away to bring up later in private. Thus, with the peace mostly restored within the group aside from the unrest within Asa, they continue to make their way over the mountain toward Takip Ba’atan, hours away from finally finding out the cause and fallout of the fires in the mountains months ago.