Dreams of the Quill

by Flak

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If Byhr had set boundaries, it would have its own great wall, some huge expansion of masonry that separated its people from those of other empires and countries. However, due to the constantly fluctuating nature of its shape and size, barbed wire and rough trenches served as the only markers of its border. Beyond those lay the wilderness, and beyond that lay the rest of civilization. Many times, Byhr would swallow up these tracts of wilderness, and often, other countries would beat their way through them, meaning that the fences were constantly being moved and the trenches constantly being filled up and dug once more.

Over the fifty odd years of Byhrǃ�s existence, a lot of land was made useless in this manner. In the last year, due to a series of thundering victories on the southern front, Byhrǃ�s forces pushed through a good amount of jungle and now have border patrol huts set up every few miles in the rather dense woodlands that once belonged to other kings. It was through this heavy environment that Jeuni and his younger companion made their way in the dead of night, with the odd ray of moonlight scarce and dim. They finally reached one of the shacks that served as a hut for the border patrol, silencing their footsteps and treading carefully before dropping to the ground and concealing themselves.

“Youǃ�re surprisingly quiet,” Jeuni muttered, feeling only respect for the girl crouching at his side. She nodded, determination reflected in her facial expression. They were positioned behind a stack of crates, hiding in the shadows against the border guardsǃ� shackǃ�s wall. Behind them was Jeuniǃ�s hometown, before them, the sound of pacing footsteps and a pattern altering light. A border patrol, as expected.

It was night still, but both travelers were wide awake.

“Whatǃ�s your plan, Master Huros?” the girl asked, not taking her eyes from the ground beyond the crates and the light falling on it.

“Last time, several years ago, I just walked through, and got tossed back. If weǃ�re going to go, weǃ�re going to have to get the guards out of the way somehow. The problem is, we donǃ�t know their numbers, their equipment, or how well theyǃ�re rested.”

“We know their numbers,” Kihara replied. “There are four of them.”

“How can you tell?” the juggler demanded skeptically.

“Footsteps.”

“If itǃ�s four, I can take them out, most likely.”

“What shall I do?”

“Stay here.” Jeuni fumbled with something under his cloak, then brought out a handful of knives. He placed one between each finger on his right hand, then gripped two in his left fist. “You take thisǃ? in case you need to protect yourself.” He gestured towards an extra blade heǃ�d removed from his clothes and stuck into the ground.

“I donǃ�t need that to protect myself,” Kihara said quietly. She reached out slowly and parted Jeuniǃ�s mantle. After a little rummaging, she found one of the straps in which he kept knives, and replaced the one heǃ�d offered her.

“I hope this isn’t folly,” the juggler grimaced. “Iǃ�m going.”

Kihara smiled at him confidently, and then settled back against the crates. Jeuni turned and dashed into the open, keeping his hands beneath his cloak.

“Whoǃ�re you?” one of the patrol, a stocky, heavy-set man clad all in chainmail, asked with a drawl.

A whistling sound answered him, and a dagger appeared embedded in his foot, pinning him to the ground. Surprise smothered his words, and then cries of agony. He fell to one knee and raised his head. Just as Jeuni was about to look to dealing with the others, he noticed that the guard on his knee had not submitted himself, but was instead readying himself for physical shock. In his hands was a Byhryn crossbow, one of those that shot inch-diameter bolts and could blast a standing man so powerfully that there would be little other than blood and splintered bone left.

One hit from that weapon could easily shatter some of the flimsier buildings in town, let alone a single cloth-clad man.

Jeuni, reacting as fast as he could, sent another dagger straight into the head of the crossbow. The blade sunk into the wood just as the guard pulled the trigger, and the crossbow splintered.

“Stay down,” Jeuni advised him. “And be glad youǃ�re wearing gauntlets.”

Just as Kihara had said, there were three more guards in the vicinity, and they came rushing as their injured companion cried for help. A swift thrown dagger took out one, two, of them as they arrived, and then a mad dash took Jeuni straight towards the fourth man, his left hand flashing out and slicing tendons through the soft padding around the knee. In a few seconds, with minor risks, heǃ�d finished the patrol and their ability to stop him.

“Better than a few years ago,” he said calmly, to himself, surveying the four men, all with debilitating injuries, none on the brink of death.

“Master Huros!” came Kiharaǃ�s voice, not exactly quiet anymore. She came out from behind the crates.

“Kihara, stay down! Iǃ�m not sure if that was all-” Jeuni was cut off as moonlight showed him the girlǃ�s face, paler than normal. “Whatǃ�s wrong?”

She took two steps more before falling to her knees, her small body trembling as if she were shivering. Heǃ�d told her to make sure she was warmly dressed, since there would be no warmth from the sunǃ?

“Iǃ�ve been found, Master Huros” she spoke low, her voice shaking much less violently than her body. “Heǃ�s got his eye on me.” Light, not from the moon, began surrounding her. “Iǃ�m sorry, Master Huros, but Iǃ�m going to need to show you something you wonǃ�t like. Close your eyes if you so desire.” She seemed to have calmed herself, and she stood, the light intensifying to the point where Jeuni needed to squint. “In fact, it might be better if you did.”

“Iǃ�m more interested in the man with you,” came a gentle voice from behind Jeuni.

Jeuni turned swiftly, and found himself looking into red eyes similar to Kiharaǃ�s. Framing them was a curtain of brown hair and a high collar. Everything else was black; the trench coat, the top hat, the gloves, the pants, the boots. Everything save for the gold badge on his chest, gleaming with reflected light.

“Who are you?” the juggler asked, glad he hadnǃ�t dropped his last knives.

“Ah, you donǃ�t know my face, I suppose. Iǃ�m not exactly famous in the papers,” the man chuckled. “Iǃ�m Ynthon of the Byhr Southern Operations. I guess you could call me a captain or something, only youǃ�ll find exactly twenty registered officers in this branch of the army, and Iǃ�m not one of them.”

“An officer, hanging around some jungle shack? Donǃ�t try and mess with me!” Jeuni shouted.

“The best leaders spend time with their subjects,” Ynthon said softly, and Jeuniǃ�s anger faded. The juggler fell to his knees, losing all will to contradict anything the man said. He suddenly no longer felt like leaving Byhr. “Itǃ�s unfortunate for you that I was here when you decided to come by, I suppose. But this is the way things are. Now, I was rather impressed with how you dealt with my men, and I was wondering if it would be possible toǃ? take you apart and inspect your mechanisms. Remove your cloak.”

Jeuni reached for his mantleǃ�s clasp, ready to drop the cloak, but another personǃ�s hand stayed his.

“Donǃ�t listen to him,” Kiharaǃ�s words brought back everything heǃ�d been thinking, and he jumped to his feet. “His voice is powerful.”

“You know him?” Jeuni asked.

“We all know eachother.” Kihara had moved so that she stood between the two men, and then flung her arms out, signaling Jeuni to stay behind her. “We took the same covenant, after all. Now, please, Master Huros, stand back, and try to cover your ears. Iǃ�ll deal with him.”

“I thought I told you I was more interested in the man?” the Byhryn officer said, as if he was puzzling over a young childǃ�s misunderstanding. “Step aside, Kihara.”

“I donǃ�t remember being on such informal terms with you, Master Ynthon,” Kiharaǃ�s eyes closed slowly as she said this, the light surrounding her spreading its radius.

“Before you chide others for the things they say, Kihara, think twice about your own. I don’t remember you ever having the power to ‘deal with me.’” Light began to stream from the man. “Shall we do this quickly, so that I can move on and dissect your companion?” Shadows from the trees began twisting around him, and the image of a grim face formed behind him. Two bright red eyes glared out of a darkness that seemed almost physically tangible.

“Just because Iǃ�m your opposition, donǃ�t forget what similarities we have.” Kiharaǃ�s voice cut into the darkness, and the opponentǃ�s image seemed to flicker momentarily. Jeuni felt a massive amount of energy rush around him and swirl through his being. He looked away from the other two and saw an equally grim-seeming face woven into the shadows behind him. He looked from girl to officer, from officer to girl, and back and forth between the two patches of darkness.

“Holdersǃ?” Jeuni muttered, and then followed Kiharaǃ�s advice and shut his eyes.

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Chapter SelectPrologue - The Frozen WastelandsChapter One - Trade SecretsChapter Two - Legend of the Frozen SouthChapter Three - Master HurosChapter Four - Something to Throw AwayChapter Five - One More Try (Part 1)Chapter Six - One More Try (Part 2)Chapter Seven - The Second Holder

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