The Jongurian Mission (39 page)

The noise that they made cutting and hacking their way through the forest would surly have given them away to anyone who was near.
At this point, however, it was deemed more important to put distance between themselves and the beach.

When several hours had passed, the column came to a halt.

“We need to rest,” Willem said as they all gathered together in a small clearing. The men dropped down where they stood, leaning against tree stumps or large rocks for support, or simply laying down on the ground. When they’d set out their clothes had been wet from the ocean, but now they were damp with sweat. The forest was keeping the rain from their heads and protecting them from the strong winds off the coast, but it was also stifling them with its heat.

“Pass the water skins around, and let’s serve out some of that bread, cheese, and salt pork,” Halam said when they were all seated on the hard, wet ground.
The men ate quickly and in silence, keeping their thoughts to themselves. When they were finished they lay back and rested some more. The silence was broken when Iago asked about their plans.

“
It’s certain that we’ll soon be followed, if we’re not already,” he said, looking around at the tired men lying around him. “But what’ll we do when they catch us?”

“What makes you think they will?” Rodden asked.

“It’d be folly to think otherwise,” Iago replied as he unsheathed his longsword and began to run it over an oily cloth. “We’re fourteen wet and tired men in an unknown land whose only destination is beyond a chain of ragged mountains with nothing but a lifeless desert beyond ’em. Half of us are old, slow, and well past our prime while the other half are young and unseasoned. You figure the odds.”

“So we just wait here until they come for us and hope they don’t kill us where we sit, is that it?” Pader asked incredulously.

“We could stand and fight like men is what we could do
!” Iago nearly shouted.

“We don’t even know that they want us dead,” Millen
said.

“They have a funny way of showing that, firing at my ship like they were,” Sam responded with a laugh.

“Perhaps they were only trying to disable us. They could’ve planned to take us back to Weiling, or even Bindao. We don’t know for sure that they meant us any serious harm,” Millen tried to reason.

“I agree with Sam,” Halam said.
“I’d like to believe you’re right, Millen, but firing on an unarmed ship doesn’t convince me their intentions were anything but hostile.” He turned to Iago. “And I also agree that most of us are old and slow, but that won’t help us in a fight that’ll surely see us outnumbered. I propose we keep moving and fight only if necessary.”

“I agree that we don’t fight,” Trey said, “but what about heading to Bindao.
We may find a different set of circumstances there, even an imperial representative that we can tell our story to, or if nothing else, at least find passage on a ship. This idea of traveling overland to the Isthmus just doesn’t sound feasible to me.”

“He’s got a point,” Pader said.
“We don’t know that all of Jonguria wants us dead. This could just be some personal grudge held by that Yuan Jibao fellow in Weiling. He may have it in for all Adjurians and be acting without any higher authority.”

“So we just walk up to the gates of Bindao and say ‘Sorry, we’re some Adjurians. We were attacked by two of your ships.
Can you please send us home?’” Iago mocked. “Don’t be silly, that would be the death of us!”

“Not anymore than continuing through a land we
don’t know and in a direction we’re only slightly certain of,” Fess spoke up. “If the rest of Jonguria is like this,” he said, pointing at the forest around them, “then taking our chances at Bindao doesn’t seem so bad.”

“I can’t believe I’m hearing this
!” Iago said. “I’m telling you, it would be better to slit our own throats.”

“We’ll get nowhere arguing like this
!” Halam shouted. “We’ll have to take a vote on it. All in favor of continuing on toward the Xishan Mountains show your hands.”

Pader and Millen were the only two delegates not to raise their hands, while Conn, Jal, and Fess chose not to side with their crewmates.

“Well, there you have it,” Halam said.
“Only five votes for going to Bindao versus the nine that think it best to continue on toward the mountains.”

“I still think it’s better to take our chances in the city than out in the wild like this,” Pader said, “but so long as I’m in the minority I’ll go along with you toward the mountains, for now at least.”

“You never know Pader, we may not have to go all the way to the Isthmus,” Rodden said with a smile. “We could all be captured and slaughtered first.”

There were a few nervous and forced chuckles to that, but Pader’s face remained frozen in a frown.
They rested for a few more minutes before picking up their packs and weapons and trudging on into the forest, Willem’s shortsword hacking at trees the only sound besides the beating of their hearts.

They traveled until it was too dark to see clearly, then found an area where the undergrowth was not so thick and made camp for the night.
Dilon had spotted a few rabbits during their trek and been quick enough with the bow so that they had something besides salt pork for dinner. Halam allowed a small fire and after eating they huddled around it for warmth. The forest became much cooler when the sun went down and the sweat in their clothes began to stiffen and grow cold. Not much was said that night. Bryn felt that the group was beginning to split between those wanting to try their luck at Bindao and the others who wanted to go all the way to the Isthmus. Currently the vote was nine-to-five, but with each passing day that they had to grope their way through this forest the chances of more men changing their minds and choosing to go to Bindao would only increase.

TWENTY-TWO

“Raise that sail and secure those lines,” a crewman shouted to the men scattered about the ship’s rigging.

Leisu stared up into the mass of ropes that secured the ships sails to the tall masts and was thankful that he
’d chosen the life of a soldier over that of a sailor. He’d never much liked heights and the sight of the men hanging, swinging, and rushing about overhead unnerved him. He was glad to now be done on the deck.

The teeming docks of Bindao stretched long and
mightily before them. The contrast between Weiling and Bindao could not have been more striking. While Weiling had had more docks and piers than it did buildings, Bindao swelled in size the further it stretched out from the sea. The city occupied a flat plain which rose up from the coast so that those buildings located the furthest from the sea had the clearest view. From the ship Leisu could see the entirety of the city. The docks teemed with activity: large ships were coming to unload their goods and going with more taken on, fishing boats from small to large darted in between the large ships to head out to sea or just further out into the harbor to take in their daily catch, and countless workers scurried about to see to them all.

Their ship sailed slowly into the harbor that was made from hundreds of large boulders thrown into the sea that stretched in a wide arc from the west of the city well past its middle.
Some men on the docks guided them to an open berth along one of the tall piers that stretched out into the water and a short time later they were secure. Leisu told Ko to gather their things while he went to the captain’s cabin to fetch Grandon.

Ever since he
’d been seen in Weiling, Grandon had remained in the cabin and refrained from staring out at the sea as he’d done since they’d taken him on several days before. Leisu was a little troubled by this, but also felt a little glad about it as well. It served the man right for ignoring his advice to stay out of sight. If only he would have listened to him before getting off of the ship then both their minds would have been much more at ease. Truthfully, however, Leisu was not overly troubled by what had occurred on Nanbo. Unlike Grandon, who was convinced the boy had recognized him somehow and already gotten word back to the entirety of Adjuria, Leisu took a more relaxed view of the encounter. The boy, while perhaps convinced himself that he had seen the False King, would be less likely to convince the men that he was with. That was highly unlikely as well, though, Leisu had told himself after they had left Weiling. The boy was merely surprised and caught off guard by the sight of another Adjurian where he was told there’d be none. The men that accompanied him would put his story down to an overactive imagination and the incident would be forgotten. Not for the first time was Leisu happy he had changed his mind and given word for the ship to have safe passage back to Adjuria. There was little to fear from those men, but so much more to be lost by interfering with them.

Grandon was sitting at the small table fastened securely to the cabin floor and looking out the small window at the city.

“So now I will meet this mysterious master of yours,” Grandon said without looking over as Leisu entered the cabin and closed the door behind him.

Leisu stood squarely with his back to the door and his hands crossed in front of him.
“A small group of men will escort us through the city to him. I know it’s hot, but I would like you to wear a hooded cloak as we move through the busy streets.”

“As you wish,” Grandon replied.
Leisu had expected some argument from the man. Before Weiling he’d given him the impression that he wanted to stand tall on a high wagon for the whole city to see, happy to once again be the center of attention and proclaiming to the world that Grandon Fray was back and ready once again to seize the reins of power. It appeared, however, that Weiling had had a very sobering affect upon him, and Leisu was thankful for that aspect of the incident at least.

A slight knock came at the door and Leisu turned to open it.
Ko stood with two small packs hanging behind each shoulder and a long, thick woolen cloak hanging from his arm. “Sir, the men are ready to take us through the city now.”

“Very well, we
’ll be down in a moment,” Leisu replied, taking the proffered cloak from Ko and closing the door behind him.

“Quite kingly,” Grandon said mockingly as he looked at the drab brown attire.

“Yes, fit for the king of beggars,” Leisu said as he handed over the cloak.

“Smells too,” Grandon replied as he began to wrap the garment around him
self.

“How do I look?” he asked when he was done putting it on.

It covered him from head to toe and with the large hood drawn Grandon’s face was
n’t even visible. “Like a man that no one would pay a moment’s notice to,” Leisu said as he opened the cabin door once again and gestured for them to head out onto the deck.

Grandon stepped past him and they were soon across the deck and walking over the gangplank and onto the pier.
Ko stood waiting for them near three other men. Leisu recognized them as low-level guards for his master.

“If you’ll follow us, sir,” one of the men said as they walked toward them, indicating the end of the pier.

Ko fell in behind them and Leisu and Grandon followed a few paces behind.
They made it to the end of the pier and onto the wooden boardwalk which separated the docks from the cobbled streets. The crowds of people increased, but few if any paid Grandon any mind, Leisu was pleased to notice, while any who might have thought to approach them to sell their wares or beg a coin were quickly dissuaded from such an act by the striking snake emblem that the three guards wore on their left breast. It was well-known that Zhou Lao controlled much of Bindao and that he wasn’ a man to trifle with.

They came to the streets, crowded with the traffic of carts and wagons, livestock and people.
They were led to a small cart with a single horse held by yet another guard. The men motioned for them to climb into the back. It was a tight fit with five of them crammed in and the other two on the narrow bench behind the horse, but they were soon moving and Leisu knew that it would only be a short while longer before he was in front of his master, his task complete.

The streets twisted and turned as they gradually moved up the gentle rise of the city.
If Grandon was impressed with the amount of people and the sheer volume of activity he didn’t let it show as he sat implacably next to Leisu in the wagon, bumped and jostled all the way. When they neared the center of the city the wagon moved off of the main streets and down a few smaller lanes. Fewer people moved about them, and with another few turns they were completely alone. The buildings looked the same as all of the others that they had passed coming up from the docks, and that was the beauty of it, Leisu knew. No one would guess that the most powerful man in all of Bindao resided here, and that was how he wanted it. Leisu was happy to have such an unassuming master; a man whose attentions were not wasted on the frivolities that power could bring, but instead on the aspects necessary to keep that power.

The wagon came to a stop outside of a two-storey building and they all rose up and jumped down the narrow lane.
Two of the guards led the horse and wagon away while the other two moved to the door. It was opened for them before they were a few steps in front of it and the men walked in and up the narrow staircase set just opposite of the entryway. They were led up to the second floor where one of the guards moved off to the left and down the hallway. The other motioned for them to keep following him. It was all unnecessary; Leisu had been here countless times, but he knew that his master was a creature of habit, and that this protocol must be followed. The guard showed them to the door at the end of the small hallway and knocked twice, then took a few steps back and stood against the wall. A moment later the door opened and Leisu walked into the room with Grandon behind him and Ko taking up the rear.

“Leisu, you are back already,” a voice said loudly from the swivel chair behind the large desk in the center of the room.
The chair was turned so that it was facing the large windows behind the desk, hiding the man who occupied it.

“Yes, master, I’ve returned from Desolatia Island as you bid me, and have brought back the man you requested,” Leisu said.
He and Ko took up positions directly in front of the desk with Grandon between them. Both stood tall with their hands at their sides and their heads held high. Even Grandon noticed their posture and emulated it somewhat, though he had a tendency to shy away from overt displays of subservience, thinking his own authority sufficient to withstand any displayed by another.

The man in the desk turned his chair around to face them, and Leisu noticed Grandon flinch for a moment at the sight of him.
It was obvious that Zhou was tall even sitting. He had broad shoulders and a thick neck, and the body under his close-fitting tunic and shirt were obviously well-muscled. His black hair was tied in a neat top-knot and allowed to cascade down to the back of his neck. Leisu knew that what made Grandon jump for a moment, however, was not Zhou’s body, but his face. A long scar ran from the top of Zhou’s head above the forehead and all the way down his face. It ran through the left eyebrow, shearing it in two, where it vanished behind a large eye-patch that covered Zhou’s left eye. The scar resumed its course along his cheek before disappearing off of his face an inch away from his pointed chin. Zhou had fitted his eye-patch with a large emerald which nearly matched his right eye in both color and shape. It was rare for Jongurians to have any other eye color than black or brown, and that sight alone was unnerving. But to now stare at another green eye of sorts on the patch of his missing eye made Zhou both intimidating and fearful to look upon. Leisu knew that there were few men who were able to even meet his frightful gaze, let alone hold it.

Zhou
stood up from his chair and came around the desk. He walked up to Leisu and grasped his shoulder with his right hand, smiling into his face, then moved over a few steps and did the same to Ko. He was now standing directly in front of Grandon. He looked the man up and down for a few moments, taking his measure, then offered his right hand to him while locking his ‘eye’s’ onto Grandon’s.

“
Zhou Lao. I am very happy to have you here your highness,” Zhou said.

Grandon put out his hand and they shook.
“Thank you for having me,” Grandon replied in as meek of a voice that Leisu had yet heard from him.

“Please, have a seat,” Zhou said, gesturing to a hard-backed chair in front of the desk.
Grandon sat down and Zhou moved around the desk to retake his chair. Leisu and Ko both moved to stand against the wall beside the door.

“I’ve no doubt you are wondering exactly what it is you are doing here in Jonguria,”
Zhou said as he reclined back in his seat, eyeing Grandon with the edges of his mouth drawn up in a slight smile.

“Well, your man Leisu has told me a little, but not much,” Grandon replied, turning with his body to look toward where
Leisu stood by the door. “Is it true that my nephew is hatching some plots in Regidia?”

“In all of Adjuria, actually, if my understanding of the situation is correct.”
Zhou put his hands behind his head and looked up at the ceiling as he explained. “Like much of my own country, Adjuria has been slowly suffocating under the lack of trade these past thirty years. It was not so pronounced while the war was being fought, mind you. Then there was enough work to keep everyone who was not fighting quite busy and rather well-off. These past ten years since the war has ended, however, have been particularly cruel, to my country most especially.”

“Yes, I knew of the reality of this while I was king,” Grandon replied, “but what has all of this got to do with me now?”

“The poor economy which has plagued my country for these past ten years is just now beginning to be felt more in Adjuria. Your nephew is stirring up that resentment quietly, and with little or no connection to him, all across the country. More and more people begin to question a king that will do nothing to assuage their growing concerns over a worsening economy.”

“But I thought that something
was
being done. While we were in Weiling an Adjurian ship appeared full of trade representatives ready to discuss the possibility of renewing trade.”

“Yes,”
Zhou said, his eye moving from Grandon to Leisu for a moment, “I know all about that ship.” He leaned forward and fiddled with a pen on his desk for a moment before looking at Grandon once again. “From what I understand, a trade conference was recently held in your capital city of Baden. The idea was put forth by the provinces of Culdovia and Duldovia, and they convinced a delegation from each of the other provinces to attend. Your nephew Jossen headed up the Regidian delegation. He came very close to having his plan adopted by the conference, but his efforts were thwarted at the last minute and a plan put forth by the province of Tillatia was agreed to. If it wasn’t for that, then Jossen would have been on that ship you saw in Weiling.”

Grandon looked down at his feet for a moment.
“Was that part of my nephew’s plan,” he finally asked, looking up, “to come to Jonguria himself?”

“It was one plan,”
Zhou replied, his level gaze boring into Grandon, “but there are others.”