“One day! How does an army that size lose in a single day?” Vir said in shock. He couldn’t even imagine ten thousand people in one place, let alone a hundred thousand. The sheer size bent his mind. A force that large should be unstoppable.
“I know, right? It gets worse. They routed. Kin’jal Balarian Warriors routed, can you believe that? They had superior numbers, but the Altani had better technology. Like, way, way better. Seems they unveiled a new type of pranic skyship. Fast attack skyships. Even today, they’re said to be the only country in the world who can build and fly something like that.”
“So… they’re fast, I take it?” Vir said.
“Yep. Fast and deadly. Seems they fly even faster than an Acira does. With their magical power, the Altani just bombed the Balarian Warriors from above, and the Kin’jals didn’t have a single thing that could stop them. They decimated the Kin’jals in just a few hours, forcing them back.”
Vir listened while guiding Bumpy down toward the sand. The terrain had changed, and the ground near the beach had become harder and flatter. It looked like the going would be easier and smoother for the time being.
As he coaxed the Ash’va closer to the shore, he idly wondered if the Altani knew about the affinities he’d discovered. Affinities that seemed like a secret to the rest of the world couldn’t possibly be unknown to the most powerful mejai, could they?
“Yeah, so most people consider the Altani to be the most powerful nation in the Known World. Seems like they inherited a bunch of lost magic from the Age of Gods. Some even say their capital, Alt Ashani, was actually built by the gods themselves. They say it’s the prettiest city in the world, with half the city floating in midair.”
Vir didn’t need to see Maiya’s face to know that she’d been smitten by that story.
“Maybe you’ll get to visit one day,” he said. That was what she wanted to hear.
“Can you imagine, Vir! Life in a city like that? I could die happy.”
He’d only mentioned visiting, but of course, her overactive mind immediately jumped all the way to living there. Vir smiled, hoping his dear friend never lost that enthusiasm of hers.
“What about the Pagan Order? I heard they hunted demons… and maybe also Ashborn?” The Pagan Order worried him a lot more than the Altani.
“Pagan Order’s in the Voidlands, way off to the southwest of the Known World. There’s no prana there. Like, at all. They can’t use magic for anything. They can’t even heat or cool their food with magic.”
Vir had wondered about that ever since he’d heard of the Voidlands. “It’s not just heating and cooling, right?” he remarked. “They don’t have magic to heal wounds or prevent infections from spreading. I wonder how they’ve managed until now. And their military must look completely different, too.”
If only they didn’t hunt Ashborn, life in the Voidlands might actually have suited him perfectly.
“Right,” Maiya replied. “The Pagan Order’s ruled by Lord Reth. He’s a fanatical demon hater. The Order’s kinda a thorn in every country’s side. They apparently kidnap people from other countries and bring them back to the Voidlands.”
“People? Or demons?” Vir asked. Truthfully, he had no idea what demons looked like, or even where they came from, but the four-armed giant popped into his head. If anything screamed demon, that was it.
“Demons,” Maiya confirmed. “But I’ve never actually seen a demon, so I dunno what they do. Maybe they kidnap ordinary people and claim that they’re demons? Anyway, they say they do it to make sure they’re purged correctly. Sounds like a bad way to go, if you ask me.”
Vir gulped. “And now they’re after Ashborn too…”
“Well, the good news is they’re a small nation. The only reason the others haven’t put an end to them is because they’re so out of the way. Sending an expedition to wipe them out isn’t worth the cost. At least, that’s what Riyan thinks.”
Whatever it was, Vir made a mental note to stay as far away as humanly possible from those lunatics. He’d be happy if he lived out his entire life without ever seeing them. Having dealt with one cultist already, he had no desire to meet another.
They continued on for the next several hours, chatting about kingdoms and queendoms and princes and princesses. Vir’s eyes glazed over at one point. There were just so many names, he couldn’t possibly hope to remember them all.
Vir wondered exactly why Riyan was spending so much effort teaching Maiya these things. The man was not one to indulge in frivolity, which meant she’d likely need this knowledge down the line. Perhaps whatever favor the man wanted from Maiya required this kind of knowledge. But even knowing that, he found it hard to guess what Riyan had in store for her.
Their conversation passed the time, and a few hours later, the rays of dawn broke above the sea. Vir would ordinarily stare at the sunrise whenever he caught it, but today, all he could think about was sleep. He longed to pitch the tarp and get some shuteye.
But the moment the sun’s rays illuminated dark masts and sinister black sails in the distance, all thoughts of rest vanished.
And when he saw the skulls and crossbones on those black sails, his fear ballooned into full-blown panic.
Bumpy growled as Vir jerked his reins, forcing the beast to a halt.
“Vir? What’s wrong?” Maiya said, looking around. Then she saw it as well. “Oh, no…”
“Pirates,” Vir said, his throat dry and cracked.
And not just one or two. Dozens of them, milling about on the shore. Several dinghies lay beached nearby.
It got worse.
“We’ve been spotted,” he said with a scowl. Who would have guessed that their idyllic bumpy ride would end with a battle for their lives?
29THE TASTE OF PROGRESS
“‘The coast is safe,’ he said! ‘Travel by night,’ he said!’ I’m going to wring Riyan’s throat when we get back!” Maiya shouted from behind Vir as they fled from the pirates.
What rotten luck, Vir thought. They’d avoided the road. They’d traveled by night. They took every precaution possible. Who could’ve predicted pirates showing up on the beach?
“We’ve got Ash’va on our tail!” Maiya cried, spotting two black silhouettes against the rays of the rising sun.
Complaining would have to come later.
The pirates had forced them to flee into the desert, where the endless dunes slowed Bumpy down. The sand would impede their pursuers too, but Bumpy grew tired quickly. He didn’t know how resilient the enemy’s beasts were, but he doubted they’d be any worse than their own.
Vir pulled out every trick he knew. He led them behind sand dunes before turning abruptly, hoping to throw them off. He made it look like he was headed one direction to get them to intercept him, only to change directions.
“They’re gaining on us!” Maiya shouted. Sure enough, the enemy was closing the distance despite Vir’s efforts.
“We can’t keep this up for much longer!” he said. His ignoble steed bucked and snorted, unused to being pushed this hard.
Bumpy’s breaths were much more audible now. The beast panted hard, and its gait became even more ungainly than usual. Vir felt bad for pushing the Ash’va, given its injury. The beast was no doubt in great pain. He had to act fast.
Vir wracked his brain for ideas, coming up empty. There was simply no way they could outrun their pursuers, and engaging them in combat was a death sentence. These were no doubt hardened criminals, and while Vir had concealed his katar, he didn’t think he could go up against two or three experienced fighters and win, even with Maiya’s help.