Though she’d only recently visited, she yearned to be back there, amongst its people. Her people. She might’ve grown up Hiranyan, but her soul was now dyed Kin’jal crimson and black, and she wouldn’t have it any other way.
They rose even farther as they flew northwest. To Sai.
Even now, Maiya knew little of Sai, other than of their support for Imperator Andros. They were a smaller nation to the north of Hiranya, which itself was located to the northwest of Kin’jal, and both Hiranya and Sai shared a border with the inland sea, as did the Altani.
Like Hiranya, Sai was far from the Ash. Worse, their country’s northerly locale meant the place was frigid, and its weather austere.
Perfect for an Ice and Wind mejai like me, I suppose, Maiya thought wryly. Despite her affinities, she hated the cold.
Given their inhospitable climate, Sai’s economy was built on ore mining and the crafting of non-magical weapons. The latter was like Hiranya, though Sai was better known for their quality craftsmanship. Saian blacksmiths were to steel what Altani Thaumaturges were to orbs.
Of course, Sai, like Hiranya, was also under the thumb of the great powers. In their case, they’d allied with Kin’jal, putting them at odds with both the Altani and Hiranya. This, however, gave the Kin’jal presence to the north, splitting their enemies in two.
It was a delicate political and military balance, and Maiya wanted nothing to do with any of it. Her orders were simple. Get in, light up a few buildings, cause a ruckus, then get out.
With any luck, she’d be returning home before the break of dawn. She’d claim she’d had nightmares and would shirk her duties for the day to catch up on sleep.
Duties, Maiya scoffed. Animal sacrifices, blood rituals, and profane worship.
Maiya felt tainted. The longer she spent among their ranks, the worse the sensation became. Like she was soaking in a substance that couldn’t ever be washed off, regardless of how much soap she used.
The switch-off points allowed Maiya a much-needed chance to stretch her body… and to clear her mind. At each point, another handmaiden awaited, ready with fresh water and food for the avian beasts, ensuring they’d be ready for the return journey.
In scarcely any time at all, they crossed the Kin’jal border with Hiranya, with the lights of Hiranya’s northernmost city—Bram—shining far below them, to the west.
She’d never visited, though she doubted there was much to see there. It was a Hiranyan city, after all. She said that not with condescension, but an acute understanding of where the countries stood. Hiranya was poor. That poverty was evident in every nook and cranny of the kingdom, with one glaring exception—Rayid’s palace.
The temperature plummeted soon after they crossed the Hiranyan border with Sai, and Maiya found herself activating more Magic Heat orbs to stay warm, continuously moving them to the parts of her body that needed them most.
Maiya breathed in relief when Sai’s capital of Kartara came into view, nestled against the soaring Glacial Alps, their black silhouettes blotting out the sky.
I’m getting cold just looking at them, Maiya thought, shivering.
Their glossy peaks were frozen over and reflected the starlight with an immense coating of ice and snow.
The city itself was no less impressive. Ablaze with light, it resembled a large slice of a multi-tiered cake—the kind often seen at Sawai balls and banquets. Each tier was walled, and ringed the tier above it, making Kartara one of the prettiest cities Maiya had laid eyes on.
She wished she could spend more time there one day, exploring the city’s shops and inns and attractions. Maybe with Vir. Maybe even romantically.
Maiya blushed, a sudden warmth filling her chest and driving away the cold.
The handmaiden ordered their Acira to descend rapidly, overflying the outer rings of the city before landing in what must have been the Sawai district.
Yet even before they landed, Maiya knew.
Something had gone terribly wrong.
Despite the frigid nighttime conditions, tiny dots ran chaotically, this way and that.
The people are panicking, Maiya thought, her concern growing with each passing moment.
And then finally saw it. The lights that had blazed so brightly weren’t all the same. Some were steady, while others danced, shining a redder hue.
Fires! Maiya realized.
Fires blazed through the Sawai district, and when they landed, it wasn’t to frigid cold, but searing heat.
“I can’t land here!” the handmaiden said, tying a handkerchief around her mouth to ward off the fumes. Maiya did the same.
“It’s fine. Leave me here and set down where you can. I’ll contact you via the communications orb when I’m ready to be extracted.”
The handmaiden nodded. “Then may Vera be with you, milady.”
The Acira took to the sky, leaving Maiya alone in a burning city, saddled with an impossible goal.
How in all the realms am I supposed to make sense of this mess?
34
KARTARA NIGHTS (PART TWO) (MAIYA)
“This could be a problem,” Maiya muttered, monitoring the carnage that devoured the city from her perch atop a temple spire. The rioters, while clearly trying to minimize civilian casualties, had no qualms at all about butchering the guards. And if innocents got in the way, well, they didn’t seem to mind that, either.
Maiya had incapacitated more than one rioter to save people. They weren’t her people, but well, they were still human, and Maiya couldn’t just stand idly by and watch a tragedy unfold. Undercover mission or not. She’d worked too hard to earn that privilege.
Which put Maiya in a dilemma. The original plan had called for her to make a scene, but to not actually kill anyone. Princess Ira didn’t want to risk the sort of escalation lethal assault would bring, fearful that such actions might accelerate events, thus giving Andros a reason to swoop into Sai and seize them as a vassal territory.
That would only give the Kin’jal Imperator more power, undoing all that Ira had worked for.
The smart thing to do would be to abort the mission, yet Maiya was keenly aware of how difficult it’d be to get another shot at this. For one, sneaking out of the Children’s Sanctum with no one noticing was a feat in and of itself. Ira’s logistical preparation was also quite the investment. It’d be many months before they could try again. If they could try again. Who knew how much the political situation would have changed by then? Especially in light of this ongoing rebellion.
It hadn’t taken much to deduce that the rioters were, in fact, rebels, what with their cheers of ‘down with the king’ whenever they wrangled a victory against the guards. Not exactly subtle, but then again, rebellions rarely ever were.
They can’t be allowed to succeed, Maiya thought with worry. Though their causes were seemingly aligned, that was only on the surface, and Ira was right to fear. Any destabilization of Sai’s government would create a perfect excuse for Andros to move his troops in, under the pretense of ‘reestablishing order.’
No, if the rebels won, the only way Maiya saw for the rebels to keep their sovereignty over Sai was to pledge fealty to Andros. Either outcome was detrimental to Ira’s plans for a peaceful Kin’jal.
Plans Maiya wholeheartedly supported. Her goals, then, were twofold. Cripple the rebellion and advertise to the world that Princess Kira, while not aiding the rebellion, was seen sowing chaos within the city.
Maiya’s lips curled up into a smirk.
This might actually work…