Chapter 13: Ba’atan

Asa takes aim, her gaze trained on the rabbit moving slowly through the brush by the clearing. With her arrow notched she observes the rabbit’s movements carefully, her hands twitching restlessly on her bow, a pervasive sense of unease growing inside her. The arrow flies prematurely and misses the rabbit, causing the critter to scamper away. She sighs, having missed several already by this point. She collects her arrow and stalks through the brush with the stealth of a seasoned predator despite her clumsiness with her bow, eventually spotting another rabbit–or perhaps the same rabbit, Asa wasn’t quite sure.

She crouches low and takes a deep breath to steady herself, thinking back to her training with Bam and Chui to give herself confidence. She watches the rabbit carefully, following it with the tip of her arrow before letting the arrow fly once more. The arrow strikes true and Asa lets out a breath of relief as she goes to collect it. This marks the second rabbit she’s hunted successfully today and she carries her kills back to the group where they’re taking a rest in the forest. She lifts the rabbits where she has them tied and shows them to the group. “We can have these for dinner tonight once we reach Takip.”

“Yes! I knew you could do it! Thank you so much, Asa!” Jaemi cheers excitedly, happy to have fresh meat instead of the lackluster rations they’d had for lunch.

Asa nods, silently acknowledging his gratitude. “If you’ve all rested enough, we should keep moving before the sun sets.”

The group gathers their things before setting off again on the final hike to Takip Ba’atan. As Hoen and his aides make conversation, Asa remains silent. The apprehension and fear grip her tighter and tighter the closer they get to their destination. The longer they go without running into a patrolling Saishu, the more Asa’s alarm grows. After a couple hours, when they can finally see a glimpse of the valley through the trees, her breath hitches and she pauses as her worst fear presents itself to her. The group pauses behind her, quieting down.

“Asa?” Hoen asks.

She glances back at how they mirror her movements and her whole body winds tight as she forces herself forward toward the remains of the village. Once the rest of the group see what she sees, they walk into the valley in solemn silence. The state of the buildings standing before her in varying states of wreck more than confirm her fears: the village was empty. No soft lights in windows or doorways, no Saishu patrolling the area–just silence, dust, and ash. Asa drops her bag, carrying only her weapons as she surveys the damage. Hoen and the others remain at the village edge, quietly setting up their camp.

No home was untouched by the fire that clearly ran through this valley, some of them nothing but piles of rubble and ash anymore–even the main hall was completely destroyed–and Asa saw no attempts to rebuild started anywhere. Where did everyone go and why would they leave and not return after so long? A wildfire doing this much damage in a valley with the stream running through the village simply made no sense unless there were no people to stop it. She could understand this damage in the heart of Ba’atan where water was harder to bring to the peak, but there was clearly a threat bigger than the fires that kept her people from returning to their home if the scale of the damage she saw before her in Takip meant anything. Asa felt her previous theories falling apart in the face of the evidence, having had nothing but hope supporting them in the first place. Naiténoza was here–Asa had no doubts about that now– but how could her people have lost against them? Despite everything, however, so far Bam was right and that brought Asa a pitiful glimpse of solace that she has not been betrayed after all.

Asa checks the area close by to be sure, though she already senses that no one is present but her group. She knew that searching through the remains of the village for anything valuable left behind or any evidence of foul play would take much longer than her group had supplies for. Asa’s fists clench but she tears herself away, returning her focus to her mission. She returns to the group with her brow set in a severe furrow, her jaw tense as she grits out the words, “I apologize. We’ll have to sleep in the tents.”

Hoen and Wen look at her with deep concern and Hoen speaks up. “It’s no problem at all. Your apology is unnecessary, Asa.”

Jaemi watches Asa hesitantly near where Shou is already at work putting the tents up a bit further away from the rest of the group. Toge shakes his head with his arms crossed over his chest. “Naiténoza was here.”

Asa nods, busying herself with making a fire. “Mh. Most likely.” If Takip was destroyed, just how much further did Naiténoza make it into the mountains? The next closest village was the heart of Ba’atan–the village Asa, Bam, and Chui grew up in–and while it was much harder to put out a fire there, the rocky peak was also much harder to burn at all. Their next stop was her best bet as to where the Ba’ata of Takip had fled, if they’d fled at all. Her heart wars between her love for her people and her trust in Bam as her ally once again, leading Asa into a state of mental exhaustion. After the fire is made, she gets to preparing the rabbits in stony silence. Hoen and his aides watch her hesitantly, only being able to imagine what she’s thinking, let alone feeling, seeing her home like this.

“...may we take a look around, Asa?” Hoen asks carefully.

“If you must.” Asa replies brusquely, focusing on the rabbits, skinning them with practiced precision.

Jaemi cringes at the sight and looks away, Wen following his lead. Shou returns to the group after setting up the tents and with a silent nod the group heads into the village under the last rays of daylight to look around. Hoen glances back at Asa one more time before going with them. “Let’s not touch anything,” he says softly, though firm in his order.

Everyone, even Toge, nod in agreement without protest. “The chances of finding evidence after this long are slim to none, anyway,” Toge says.

Wen hums thoughtfully, taking in the damage. “Hmm…true. Naiténoza wouldn’t have wanted to make it easy to pin the blame on them. Taking into account the fact that virtually no one saw any soldiers near the mountains around the time of the fire means they were extremely careful about it.”

“A handful of people at most. Likely not in uniform or dress of any identifiable allegiance,” Shou adds.

“But this stream!” Jaemi interjects, “How’d a few people light a fire that grew to this scale without the village just putting it out? Did everyone just disappear?”

Hoen nods, “Yes, I find it strange as well. Seeing the geography of the area in person makes a wildfire improbable, so someone clearly lit the fire. However, in either case, it is as if everyone in the village just disappeared.”

“If they were under attack, it’d explain why they didn’t just put the fires out,” Toge says grimly, “You don’t think there was a massacre here, do you?”

Shou shakes his head doubtfully. “With only a few people? They’d have to be highly skilled–and the evidence would still be everywhere unless they were skilled enough to dispose of all the evidence, as well.”

“...so everyone in the village left willingly?” Jaemi supplies hesitantly.

“Everything is burned down–another fire to get rid of the bodies wouldn’t have been so difficult, would it, Shou? Or perhaps everything is burned down in order to hide any evidence,” Wen provides.

“...a massacre isn’t likely, but both options are still on the table,” Hoen concludes, “We should ask Asa what she thinks.”

Hoen is already turning around to head back to the fire when Wen clears his throat awkwardly. Hoen glances at Wen curiously and Wen speaks up quietly, despite being far enough from Asa that she couldn’t eavesdrop. “Ahem–now doesn’t seem to be the best time for a question like that, Hoen…”

The group all glance back instinctively toward where Asa was roasting the rabbits on a spit now, her usual calm lack of expression now replaced with a hard, cold wall of intense focus on the flames. Hoen stares at her a bit longer than the others before he nods. “...you’re right…I will try asking her in private later. For now, let’s keep our thoughts to ourselves.”

Jaemi comes up beside Hoen and pats him on the shoulder. “We’re counting on you.”

Hoen nods once more and the group all make their way back to where Asa sits. They have their meal mostly in silence, the somber atmosphere of the ruined village around them subduing the urge for pleasant conversation. One by one, Hoen’s aides make their way to the tents, Toge clapping Hoen’s shoulder as he leaves, until only Hoen and Asa are left. Hoen retrieves a lantern and takes from the campfire to light it. “Asa, let’s walk,” he says.

Asa glances up from where she was deeply absorbed in her thoughts and shakes her head to get rid of them. She stands up and puts out the campfire properly, Hoen patiently waiting. Then, they walk along the water downstream away from the village and the tents, the lights from the lanterns within them getting fainter and fainter as they go. They walk in silence for a long while, both of them stuck in their own minds. Hoen takes a deep breath to collect himself and his thoughts before turning to Asa only to find her expression hollow, tears running down over her cheeks and dripping off her chin as they walk. Hoen stops but says nothing. Asa stops with him but does not look at him yet. He watches her quietly and she does not protest it, taking care to breathe in and out in even, steady breaths. “...Bam was right.”

Hoen winces at the devastation in her tone. “You don’t know for sure, we still haven’t–” He cuts himself off witnessing Asa shake her head.

She begins to wipe her tears roughly with her forearm. “No, I do. Whatever home I knew before, it can’t exist anymore. Not the way it used to. She was right,” she says, sniffling loudly, “Whatever happened, I can only pray death was not everyone's fate.”

Hoen sighs and stares at her for a long moment before stepping forward and pulling her into a tentative hug. Asa freezes awkwardly in his hold but doesn’t stop him, her arms eventually falling limply at her sides as she allows the tears to simply fall. She takes a deep breath and closes her eyes.

“I never would’ve thought this could happen. I always thought my home would exist forever,” Asa says quietly, her voice muffled against Hoen’s chest.

Hoen pulls back and looks at her. Asa continues, her gaze focused down, “I didn’t think Bam was lying to me but I still didn't fully believe her. What a fool I was.”

Hoen shakes his head. “If someone told me Sehchoh disappeared, I wouldn’t know what to think either. You had to see it for yourself, Asa. You’ve done nothing wrong.”

Asa is silent for a moment before she raises her head to look at him. At her continued silence, Hoen asks hesitantly, “...do you truly believe everyone is alive?”

Asa nods without hesitation. “They must be. The damage done by this fire only makes sense without them. Though, Ba’ata have never been the type to flee…”

“So you find their absence strange, as well…” Hoen murmurs.

“Very strange,” Asa confirms.

“We, too, think everyone likely left…but there’s still the possibility they’ve come to harm, Asa. Do you understand what I’m saying?” Hoen asks carefully.

Asa grimaces but nods, her fists shaking with the might with which she’s clenching them shut. “I understand.”

Asa knew exactly what he meant–a disaster like this couldn’t be without any casualties, even if the Ba’ata retreated into the mountains–and she was dreading to find out just how far Bam’s words were indeed true. However, she knew she had to keep pushing forward and ascertain the truth with her own eyes. Seeing her begrudging acceptance of his words, Hoen continues, “In the first case–and I want to believe it, too–there must’ve been a threat before the fires that caused them to abandon the village. I know Naiténoza has been on the mountain several times before the fires, but what do you think?”

Asa shakes her head vehemently, her voice rising in frustration. “I cannot fathom those soldiers posing a threat to our Saishu, especially not on the mountain terrain. We’ve always driven them away without fail, I do not see why we couldn’t do it again.”

Hoen’s expression falls slightly in disappointment at her resistance. “I see…”

She takes a deep breath and turns around. “Let’s head back. We leave early in the morning.”

Hoen follows behind her as he looks upon her empathetically, giving her a bit of space as they return. They settle down for the night, both absorbed in their thoughts with Asa doing everything she can to keep it together and rest before the long trip tomorrow. Early the next morning, the group continue their hike from Takip to the heart of Ba’atan. Asa leads them a bit wearily, having lost her energy to a restless, dreamless sleep the night before. Hoen watches her carefully during their trip and Toge takes note of this, pulling him to the back of the group and whispering to him, “Did you speak to her?”

The other aides glance back at them knowingly before silently continuing behind Asa. Hoen nods. “Not much, but I did confirm some of her thoughts.”

“And? What’d she think?” Toge asks.

“She believes the people from this village fled, too. Likely further into the mountains,” Hoen replies.

“Hmm…” Toge glances forward at Asa’s back before he murmurs, “So a tactical retreat is what we’re going with, huh? Then did she say who they were–”

“Speak to me if it concerns me,” Asa snaps, stopping momentarily with her eyes narrowed as she looks back at them.

Toge lifts his hands defensively. “We were discussing what happened at the village.”

“And the village concerns me, does it not?” She retorts.

Wen speaks up, attempting to dispel the sudden tension. “Ah–the rest of us would like to hear it, as well. It’s better if we all know, right?”

Jaemi looks between Asa and Toge and Hoen curiously, silently taking in their dynamic that’s suddenly shifted for worse. Hoen sighs, his eyebrows pinched together in frustration with himself as he bows to Asa. “You’re right. There’s no need to speak as if you aren’t there. I’m sorry, Asa.”

Toge looks at Hoen in disbelief. “You–that’s not what happened!”

He turns toward Asa. “We didn’t want to upset you, that’s all!”

Asa glares at them. “I don’t need you to protect my feelings. If it’s about Takip, speak to me.”

Toge huffs with a wave of his hand, “Alright, alright. I’m sorry.”

Hoen raises up from his bow and Toge continues, his arms crossed stubbornly over his chest, “I just wanted to know who the village was fleeing from since that’s the story we’re going with for now.”

“...I don’t know. Naiténoza soldiers have hardly been a threat to us. If anything, they were simply a nuisance,” Asa replies hesitantly.

Wen takes note of her reaction and looks at Shou. “So it's a skilled group like you said? If the normal soldiers we’ve seen wouldn't pose a threat…”

Shou nods. “Though they likely didn’t kill everyone, there could have been a special force that posed enough of a threat for the village to retreat.

“But to burn the village down after?” Jaemi interjects, “That’s beyond cruel. Naiténoza must know how this looks for them.”

Toge huffs, “They were either counting on us not to find out or not to care.”

Asa turns with a scoff and moves briskly forward, the others taking a moment to notice before scrambling after her.

“Sehchoh would always have suspected them,” Hoen adds hastily, “We just don’t have the hard evidence to pin them with yet. That’s what they were counting on, given how methodical and thorough this whole ordeal has been–the events at the palace included.”

Jaemi hums. “Hm, true. Though who knows how they were able to call that Ba’atan wouldn’t retaliate.”

“...perhaps there was a betrayal within the Saishu,” Shou supplies carefully, eyeing Asa’s growing agitation with a keen gaze.

“Enough!” Asa snaps, turning suddenly and stopping everyone in their tracks once again, “Bam would never work against Ba’atan like that! We all saw that she wasn’t lying and there’s no proof she’s betrayed me, either!”

Jaemi puts his hands up in surrender, his eyes wide. “I didn’t mean it like that, I swear!”

Shou, however, doesn’t back down or avert his gaze, taking a step forward. “Then maybe Naiténoza was reckless or cocky and simply got lucky no one went after them. Either way, Bam is still suspicious. You doubt her, too, don’t you?”

Asa winces at this before her face hardens into a glare. She steps forward, as well. “...we’ll all see the truth once we get to Ba’atan. Bam has her reasons–”

“What reasons? Why are you protecting her?” Shou interrupts.

“Because I made a mistake first! She has every reason to be upset with me, but she hasn’t betrayed our home!” Asa yells back.

Hoen steps forward between them, his voice gentle. “Alright, let’s calm down. What do you mean, Asa? What mistake?”

Asa stares at him, torn. “...Bam was right, wasn’t she? If Takip Ba’atan is gone, then why’d I…We need to keep up the pace,” she says, her expression hardening as she shakes her head, turns around, and keeps walking.

Shou simply nods and starts walking, neither apologizing nor pushing his point anymore. Hoen sighs and follows second, the others soon coming after them. Hoen asks after a moment of silence, “How far to the next village, Asa?”

“A day and a half,” she responds curtly.

The tension lingers, following and weighing on them each as they quietly continue their hike through the mountains.