Khalem ignored her words. "She knows who you are. She has the power to betray us for a fistful of Hana. I say we leave her right here. She's strong." He glanced over her with a haughty gaze that nearly set Isao's blood on fire. "She'll figure it out."
Isao used all of the lessons in leadership he'd been taught over the years to school his emotions back under control. He had to give the General reason to trust him – and her.
"I disagree, General. I see nothing but sincerity in her eyes. She won't betray us. She'd be a fool to even try. No handful of Hana could get her as far in life as having me in her debt for assistance." He spun around in the saddle again, and was startled to find hints of softness in her eyes as she gazed into his. "What is your name?"
She hesitated, her gaze flickering to Khalem and then back. "Celty."
"Just Celty?"
She shrugged. "I guess. It's the only name I was ever called as a slave."
"Isao. Isao Hiwan," he said with a growing smile. He spread one arm, gesturing between him and Khalem. "Welcome to our small but humble group. For my part, you are most welcome. You and Khalem can agree to ignore each other. That may be for the best right now."
Khalem snorted, peeling his horse away several paces.
"Enough of this," Khalem muttered. "We must ride through the night for as long as possible. We won't rest until we've reached the slope of the pass. Then we'll give the horses a chance to recover and move again. Pushing hard now will save us a day's journey."
Once Khalem turned away, Isao winked at Celty before facing forward again.
The stark, snowy slopes of the Shonin Pass appeared as mere hills hours later.
With their target looming ahead of them, they continued through the night, remaining quiet except for simple commands here and there, stopping only to allow the horses to drink, get a few moments’ rest, and resume again. Whenever the horses left the pitiful streambeds that occasionally popped into their path, Khalem would stop, track back, and cover the hoofprints in the dirt for a span.
While they rode, Isao watched the mountains grow ever closer, his mind reeling.
They seemed a mighty boundary – one that, once passed, he felt he may never return from again. The thought sent a shudder of fear through him. But surely, whatever lay there couldn't worse than what lay behind.
Night shifted toward morning when they arrived at the bottom of the mountain. A reddish color illuminated the mist that clung to the slope, creating an eerie crimson glow. Something out of a nightmare.
Khalem pulled the horses aside at a small lake at the beginning of the slope.
"Rest," he said, sliding off the horse. "You'll need your energy. We still have a long way to go."
Isao's weary legs landed on the ground first. He reached up to offer Celty a hand, but she slid free on the other side, blithely avoiding the offer. He led his horse to the water, where it drank greedily. He squatted next to it, his legs trembling, and filled the empty canteen attached to the saddle. The water trickled down his throat in a reassuring, cool stream.
Once everyone finished drinking, Khalem took both horses and tied them to a nearby tree behind a thick grove. He swept their tracks free again, then nodded.
"Sleep," he said. "We are all exhausted. The horses need to rest, and so do we. We'll start tomorrow. Tonight, it is too dangerous."
Grateful for the reprieve, Isao lay on the ground, an arm beneath his head. He heard the rustle of Celty settling nearby as she rested her back up against the trunk of a tree.
Within moments, Isao dropped into the warm darkness of sleep.
The morning dawned with the gentle twitter of birds.
Isao's eyes flew open. He jerked upright, heart racing, as he sought the Nari enemies who had plagued his dreams.
A pair of rich eyes and silky black hair filled his vision. His heart slowed. He pulled in a deep breath. "Celty," he greeted.
She sat only a few steps away, her arms wrapped around her knees. He groaned, sore everywhere from the fight at the stable and the long ride.
"Bad dreams?" she asked, her eyes bright in the early morning light.
He wiped off his brow with the back of one arm. "Something like that."
"Feel better?"
He paused, taking inventory of his body. He was still sore, but the rest had given him more energy. Although their future was full of bleak prospects, nothing seemed quite as devastating in the sunlight of a new day. Dawn had banished the strange bloody moon, wiping away all its ill effects.
"Yes," he said. "Better."
She managed a small smile, then turned away.
Khalem appeared just as Isao stood up to stretch his taut muscles, enjoying the long pull and deep burn. He nodded once. "Young Sheng."
"Khalem. Good morning. Thank you for bringing me to safety last night, and for helping me to see what was best."
"My pleasure, Isao."
Having that apology off his chest made Isao breathe a bit deeper. He'd been fraught with terrifying emotions last night. Khalem had handled him precisely how he should have, and his admiration for the man increased.
Khalem stopped, studying him. A thoughtful expression marred his face. "Everything will be fine, young Sheng. I am with you. Together, we can take you to safety."
"I'm not worried for myself, Khalem. My father, on the other hand, has me very worried." Isao cast a long glance back in the direction they from which came. "My people. They didn't deserve what happened last night. I still . . . I still feel selfish for leaving."
"We did the best thing we could have done. We followed your father's orders."
Isao struggled to give him a smile. "Yes, of course, Khalem. But it's hard to appreciate when I understand so little." His brow furrowed. He shook his head, but it didn't help clear the thoughts. "The Nari clan. They . . . They would kill so many innocents simply because my father killed a man named Wu?"
"It's a long story."
Isao glanced at the sun overhead. "We have a few hours to pass before it's safe to leave."
Khalem sighed, then motioned to the ground. "Fine. I will tell you. It started a long time ago, back when all clans were reunited under Emperor Saemon by the sacred Saran. Their intent was to defeat the despicable Shuran clan."
"Spider Clan," Celty hissed. She lay back on the ground, peering into the treetops.
Khalem's nostrils flared, but this time he didn't ignore her. "Yes. The spiders."
"I know this already," Isao said, waving a hand. "The old Baran used to tell it to me all the time when he read from the sacred scrolls."
Khalem lifted one eyebrow. "Then you know that the spiders corrupted their own souls using the evil magic of darkness."
"Yes. Eventually they were destroyed by their own madness."
"The Horat-Vu war was fought to defeat them. In the end, their own madness did that. After that, Iskawan was created for a city-prison. It houses the perpetrators of those who commit horrible sins."
"And Wu? What had he done?"
Khalem lifted his shoulders. "I don't know that. But as I said earlier, hatred can be born of envy. In this cause, Wu allowed his soul to be destroyed because he wasn't chosen by our sacred priestess."
"Ah," Isao murmured. "I see."
"Wu couldn't accept this. The Nari clan is very arrogant – always think they're better than everyone, especially as rulers. As if no one else can be intelligent or educated or wise or strong." He spat. "Pah. Fools. They make their own graves."
Or ours, Isao thought.
"When the Hiwan clan was chosen to be the Imperial Clan and command the Empire, the Naris only reluctantly accepted. They've never been happy about it since."
Isao's mind spun back, recalling how all the Naris acted during the wedding celebration. Azuma had showed such hubris. Yuna had seemed strangely sneaky. But not Ren. Ren had been far too frightened. Naive, even. He'd seen no deception in her innocent eyes.
"But Ren," he murmured. "She didn't appear like that at all."
"She's different, my young Sheng. I knew it right away. A fish out of water, that one. Something about her isn't the same."