"I hope you find what you're looking for," he murmured, drawing in a deep breath. "And that you are able to do it safely. I will miss you. Traveling with someone as courageous as you has been an honor. But it's time for you to see the world, and find your own place in it. I am happy for your freedom, and proud of you for going out to meet it so bravely."
"No more slaves?" she requested in a gentle but serious tone.
Isao smiled softly. "No. I will keep my promise and make the Empire better. No more slaves. No more abuse. I will create a unified reign with equality. I promise you, Celty, that I will fight for it."
A fleeting expression crossed her face, half wistful, half mournful. She murmured, "Thank you," to Isao, so soft that Ranbelt and Khalem couldn't hear it, then angled her body to face all of them. "Thank you for being . . . for being so humane with me. Amongst you, I am not a slave."
With that, she stepped back, swung around, and started off toward the distant blue horizon. The group watched her depart as one, watching as her figure shrunk the farther off she got. Then, when she was far off in the distance, she stopped and lifted up her nose. She stayed that way for a moment, sniffing the air. Finally, she shook her head and moved on without turning back.
Ranbelt picked up his mandolin and began to strum. Low chords rose from it, swelling in a melancholy song that matched the somber mood of the group.
A little piece of Isao's chest seemed to crumble away when he lost total sight of her. Although he hadn't known Celty for very long, she had become a close friend. Their lives had no similarities, but nonetheless, Isao held her in deep affection. He'd never met anyone like her.
"Well," Khalem said when Celty disappeared around a corner in the path. "She wasn't so bad, I suppose."
Isao snorted. "You didn't want her to come from the very beginning. Now you think she's all right?"
"Distance makes the heart grow more affectionate, you know," he quipped.
Ranbelt continued strumming the melancholy tune until his fingers seemed to run out of energy. Finally, he brought the mandolin down to his side, his arms hanging loose. "Well," he said quietly, "good travels to the tiger girl. And now, we must be on our own adventures."
Isao opened his mouth to ask Ranbelt how long it would take them to reach Havin when a flicker of movement caught his gaze. He whirled around just as Khalem let out a guttural shout. A man dressed in black was only a few feet away grappling with Khalem.
Both fell to the ground, into a thick tangle of grasses. A long, curved bone knife flashed in between them as they rolled, one on top of the other.
"Khalem!" Isao cried.
"My Sheng, RUN!" the general hollered.
Ranbelt grabbed Isao by the arm. "Listen to him! We must go!"
"No!"
But Ranbelt, surprisingly strong for such a lithe man, jerked Isao away from the man in the grass, shoving him toward the far end of the glade.
Just then, Khalem broke free of his attacker. He surged to his feet and stared at the intruder with flared nostrils and a threatening expression. The two scrutinized each other until Ranbelt let loose another cry.
"THERE!"
A woman stood on the opposite side of the small meadow, her body blocking the footpath they were planning to take. Black robes fluttered around her thin body as her long ebony hair drifted in a gentle breeze across her face, nearly obscuring her vision.
And in that instant, Isao knew. His stomach churned with disbelief and fear. Something about these two intruders wasn't right. Their mannerisms were too still, their expressions too neutral. And the man; he had scars crossing his eyes. Was he blind? If so, how did he know where to charge Khalem? A shudder went all the way up Isao's spine
"Me," he murmured to Ranbelt. "They're here to kill me and Khalem. They're assassins. I'm certain of it. "
Ranbelt opened his mouth to say something, only to close it again.
The woman moved, placing a bone ocarina on her lips. Seconds later, the instrument hissed like a snake into the air.
The sound coiled in Isao's head, wrapping around his brain. He put his hands to his ears and let out a cry. He stumbled back as his surroundings tilted. Everything seemed to fall upside down, including him. Next to him, Ranbelt pitched to the side. Khalem let out a guttural cry.
Isao forcibly pried his eyes open, attempting to find something stable, something not wheeling around him like a ship in an ocean storm
Not far away, the woman stood still as death, the instrument at her lips. Still hissing. Still controlling his brain.
"Air magic!" Ranbelt screamed. "They're using magic!"
The man advanced toward Khalem again, clenching his knife made of bone. The woman unsheathed a knife from a belt at her waist, the ocarina still dangling between her pursed lips. Without a word, she closed in on Isao.
Khalem screamed, "Stay close to one other! Keep your backs to each other."
Somehow, Isao managed to right himself and back up to Ranbelt. Khalem struggled forward and made it to their sides, throwing his sword up high just as the man with the curved sword advancing on him dropped his toward Khalem. The two weapons clashed. Khalem fell under the force of the blow, toppling to the ground.
Isao drew his jiang, still staggering in this moving world. Next to him, Ranbelt pulled out his hunting knife, and the two attempted to face the woman together.
She leapt right at them, but they plunged away in different directions, avoiding the sharp edge of her knife. The sound of tearing fabric followed, and Isao felt something jerk him back. He ducked, dodging a follow-up blow.
Ranbelt thrust his knife arm out, but missed the female assassin, and fell. Isao struggled to stand straight, but fell back to his knees, overcome by dizziness. The woman stepped up to Ranbelt, but Isao threw his body toward her. She dodged him, stepping away. Ranbelt managed to swing up, stabbing her in the sleeve as Khalem and the male assassin grappled in the background.
Isao panted from his place on the ground, aware in a very real sense that he might not make it out alive. His attempt to stay alive in the Imperial City – escaping the burning stable and the enemy soldiers – was nothing to compared to what was going on here.
Dizzy or not, he had to attack with all he had left. He would make his father proud, even if these were his final moments.
The woman lifted the ocarina back to her lips, making it hiss again. The resulting feeling of disorientation hit Isao like a stone in the chest. Ranbelt let out a strong yet desperate cry. Isao struggled to his knees and spied blood dripping from Ranbelt's shoulder.
There was another grunt from Khalem, who stepped quickly from one foot to another, ducking a blow from the male assassin before falling down onto his side. The man swung his blade down, catching Khalem in his right arm. He shouted, jerking himself back from the blade and rolling onto his stomach.
Isao threw himself at the male assassin and hit him with his body in the small of the back. The man fell forward, tripping over Khalem and buying both Isao and Khalem a moment to stand up, pressing their backs together again.
"Khalem," Isao panted. "You're injured."
"Flesh wounds."
"Can you still fight?"
"To my death."
"So it may be, my friend," Isao murmured. "I will be right there with you."
The woman locked her eyes on Isao. She lifted her palms, rolling her hands forward with her fingers. The air around her distorted, as if growing and shimmering, but oddly . . . sharp. With a flick of her wrists, a mass of air drove toward Isao, cutting toward him at a super speed.
Isao turned to the side and lifted his jiang, exposing the flat outer side. The air mass slammed into much of him, but bounced off his blade and blew off to the side. Pain tore through Isao’s shoulder. He let out a cry and fell to his knees.
"Sheng!" Khalem called as he stumbled over a rock.
Ranbelt stopped the male assassin from kill Khalem with a dexterous swipe, slashing the man in the ribs. The man screamed and spun away.