Traveler of the Blue Road
Part 2 - Sailing into a Trap
Chapter 3 - The Prisoners at Night
Chagum and the other captive sailors were led into a small hut built in the Sangalese style, with a foundation built on poles. The walls, floor, and roof were made of dried palm leaves woven tightly together. There were many gaps in the weaving; some were large enough to act as small windows for the prisoners. Wind howled through every gap in the walls and roof.
The weather in Sangal was sticky and humid even at night, so the strong breeze was something of a relief. The wind was strong enough to shake the entire hut when it passed through. Some of the prisoners exchanged uncomfortable glances.
“This is a pretty shoddy place to keep prisoners, isn’t it? If we all worked together, we could probably make it collapse in on itself,” a middle-aged officer said. Some of the men surrounding him laughed.
“They know we won’t run away. Where would we go? That’s probably why they put us here.”
Even if the prisoners managed to escape and steal a ship, the currents around Kalsh were so numerous and the dangers of the ocean were so varied that they wouldn’t make it very far. It was likely that the rest of their fleet was already sailing home. It was foolish to think that the men from a single ship could fight their way past the entire navy of Sangal.
The men ate dinner from broad leaves that served as plates. No one spoke. Chicken and pork fried in oil and spiced with unfamiliar seasonings formed the base of the meal. A wide variety of tropical fruits and stewed vegetables were also brought into the hut on large trays. Such largesse was unexpected; the food was both plentiful and delicious.
“I’m not sure we’d be able to feed the sailors from Sangal as well as this if our positions were reversed,” a man muttered.
“The Commander did promise that we’d be treated well.”
Chagum chose a place a little ways away from most of the sailors and sat down. Jin, Yun and Ruin sat in a loose semicircle facing him. Chagum was refusing to eat.
“Your Majesty, you must eat something,” Jin whispered. “Even just a mouthful--please.”
Chagum blinked at Jin. “Why are you suddenly so concerned about my health?” he asked sarcastically.
Jin’s sharp eyes focused on Chagum. Chagum frowned at him. The Hunters were permitted to look upon the faces of the Mikado and his family, but the look Jin was giving him now was in no way reverential or respectful. He’d never looked at Chagum in this way.
“Forgive my directness, Your Majesty, but I thought you were made of stronger stuff than this. I’ve seen that strength in you many times,” Jin whispered softly.
Chagum felt himself blush. He took a deep breath and smelled cooking spices and the faint tang of sea salt in the air. He could suddenly hear and see the people around him clearly; up until that moment, he felt like he’d been wandering in a nightmare.
The other sailors were still doing their best not to look directly at him. With his grandfather dead, Chagum was now responsible for the lives of all these men. Yet here he was, crying in a corner like a child. He’d barely even noticed all of these people trying to take care of him.
Chagum faced the sailors sitting at the long, low table in the center of the room. When the men noticed him looking at them, they stopped eating.
“Please, eat,” Chagum said. His voice was hoarse. He spoke quietly so that the guards standing outside the hut wouldn’t overhear him. “Right now, I’m the same as all of you. We’re all prisoners. Please treat me just like you’d treat one of your own. I promise that I won’t think that anything you say is rude or disrespectful.”
The men at the table all looked down at the floor, then nodded deeply. Chagum’s eyes passed quickly over each of their sunburned faces. Many of them were well past middle age, but there were several men in their thirties. Chagum didn’t know how long they would all be prisoners together, but he suspected that Sangal would probably hold them for a long time. Months, at least.
Up until now, he’d barely given a thought to what these men must be experiencing. His chest constricted and his face flushed with shame. “Please forgive my earlier outburst,” Chagum said. “None of you deserve what’s happened here. I’m just happy we’re all still alive. I’m proud of you all for making it this far. The only thing I want is for all of you to survive.”
Some of the men at the table started crying. Their shoulders shook as they ducked their heads down. Admiral Tosa had sacrificed himself to save them. Chagum couldn’t shy away from that fact, but he could at least encourage his grandfather’s men to keep on living. Being the Crown Prince was good for that, if nothing else. When Chagum swallowed, something in the back of his throat tasted bitter.
When night came, the guards outside the prisoners’ hut distributed hammocks and soft pillows made of the fibers of the kol tree. All the lights were extinguished at sunset. The sounds of the wind and waves seemed louder in the dark.
Chagum couldn’t sleep. He listened to the breathing of the men around him as the walls of the hut shook from the force of the wind. What should he do now? What could possibly be done?
At moonset, the wind started to die down. It was quiet and warm; the even breathing of the men sleeping around him was vaguely soothing. Chagum fell into a fitful doze.
Something pressed down hard over his nose and mouth. Chagum’s eyes snapped open. It hurt to breathe. Someone was sitting on his chest, pinning him down as they covered his nose and mouth with their hands. He struggled, but the person above him didn’t shift. He couldn’t move. His head felt like it was splitting apart. He couldn’t breathe...
There was a loud sound like a thump. The weight on his chest vanished. He sucked in a deep breath and coughed violently.
“Are you all right, Your Majesty?” Jin whispered. He crouched down next to Chagum and pounded on his back to help him breathe better. The sailors near them woke up from the noise.
“It’s fine, everyone,” Jin whispered. “Just a cough. Go back to sleep.”
The awakened sailors stretched out in their hammocks again. Jin rubbed Chagum’s back until he stopped coughing.
As Chagum recovered, he noticed the shadow of someone else lying on the ground near his hammock. He leaned over to take a closer look and recognized Yun, who was clearly unconscious. Yun had just tried to kill him.
Chagum’s shoulders shook. His teeth chattered from nerves.
“Your Majesty,” Jin whispered in his ear. “As I’m sure you’ve guessed, the Mikado sent Yun and I to kill you. Yun takes those orders very seriously.”
Chagum was sweating profusely. He turned toward Jin, trying to make out his face in the dark.
“Someone else begged me to protect you,” Jin said quietly.
Chagum was still shaking. Jin removed something from his breast pocket and passed it to Chagum. When Chagum touched it, he knew who had begged Jin to protect him.
Shuga.
The object he was holding was a medallion called an alsam. Only Star Readers wore them. Chagum looked up at Jin and blinked. He didn’t move in the slightest, but there was pain in his eyes. He’d defied the Mikado’s orders--and the purpose of the Hunters’ existence was to follow those orders. Why would Jin listen to a Star Reader like Shuga instead of the Mikado?
“I was ordered to defend the future Mikado,” Jin whispered.
Chagum gripped the alsam in his hand tightly.
“Our country is at risk of being engulfed by a giant storm wave,” Jin said. “In such situations, people preserve seeds to plant in the future, after the storm has passed. That’s what he told me. I still remember.”
Jin glanced down at the unconscious Yun. “Yun and I don’t think the same way, obviously. But your benefactor foresaw that we would be captured.”
Chagum looked up in surprise. “Really? How?”
“The Princess’ letter was encouraging you to allow yourself to be captured and put up no resistance.”
“Was that it? Was that what she was trying to say?” Chagum tried to remember the exact wording of Princess Saluna’s letter. Shuga must have seen something in the letter that he’d overlooked. That day in the Sunrise Room when Shuga had hidden behind the Holy Sage, he hadn’t intended to abandon Chagum at all. He’d retreated so that he could gain time to think and examine the letter. It was just like Shuga to see through everyone’s plots like this--and to act to save Chagum’s life, even if he couldn’t do so directly.
Chagum bit his lip and looked down. His face felt hot.
Jin looked at him in silence for a while, then said in a severe tone, “Your Majesty, please listen. If we remain prisoners here, it is likely that we’ll be led before Sangal’s royal family. If that happens, you will certainly be recognized. You’ll be used against our nation to make the Mikado capitulate to Sangal’s demands. The one who gave me my orders begged only for me to preserve your life, but I cannot allow you to be used against our nation.”
Chagum looked up at Jin and nodded deeply. He was happy that Shuga had worked so hard to save him, but he was still the Crown Prince of New Yogo. It was better for him to die than to be used by New Yogo’s enemies.
“Then I should run, while they’re still only guarding us lightly,” Chagum said. “But could I even get away? Where could I go?”
“We have to get away,” Jin said. “We’ll steal a small boat, sneak aboard a Sangalese ship, then jump off on one of the islands. I have gemstones and money, enough to last for a long while. I’ve heard that the people of Sangal are clever merchants--always willing to make a profit. There may be someone willing to risk taking us to safety, for the right pay. It’s a gamble, but... will you take it? Will you escape?”
Chagum nodded decisively.
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