Traveler of the Blue Road - Part 3 Chapter 1 - Encounter

  Traveler of the Blue Road

(Book 7 of the Guardian of the Spirit Series)

Author: Uehashi Nahoko

Translator: Ainikki the Archivist

 

  Part 3 - Chagum and the Hawk

Chapter 1 - The Voyage

 

    Chagum felt the pain of his injured shoulder in his bones.

    A shark must have bitten me.

    Chagum fought off sharks in his nightmares. Their teeth cut into his left shoulder and yanked him forward; pain wracked his entire body.

    Save me! Please! Someone! Anyone!

    When the pain finally receded to a dull throb, Chagum developed a high fever. The sharks in his nightmares were joined by flames that engulfed him on all sides, just like they’d engulfed New Yogo’s flagship.

    When Chagum regained consciousness, he was lying on the floor with a pillow under his head. Two men stood over him.

    “Sure hope he hasn’t got tetanus,” one man muttered.

    Chagum heard his voice clearly. Where was he? Was he dead?

    “It’s not tetanus; just a fever,” the other man said. “It’s surprising that he’s held on so long. Fevers this bad can kill people.”

    Chagum felt rough fingers against his forehead and opened his eyes with great effort. The hand against his forehead felt wonderfully cold.

    “I wish the fever would go down more.” The man was frowning at him.

    “It’s not a fever,” Chagum whispered hoarsely. “It’s a fire. It’s so hot. And it’s still burning.” Chagum couldn’t think of anything except the heat. He was unconscious again the moment he closed his eyes.

 

 

    Chagum didn’t know how long he slept. Nightmares chased him inside his mind for days on end. When he opened his eyes, he felt a faint breeze on his forehead. It was quiet all around. Chagum heard boards creaking and sails flapping, but nothing else.

    He remembered passing out and waking up several times. He shifted to take in more of his surroundings and realized that it was getting dark. He could see the sun dipping below the horizon through a small porthole. There was a temporary wall at his back made of slatted wood and rope.

    Chagum had no idea where he was. His left shoulder throbbed. He brought his right hand up to touch it and suddenly remembered how he’d injured it.

    We were escaping. A harpoon went through my shoulder; I passed out, and then--then, what? Where am I?

    This place didn’t look like the inside of the fishing boat that he, Tagal and Oru had stolen. Whatever ship he was on now was definitely bigger than that one. As he turned his head to look around the room, he saw a man kneeling in the corner near the door.

    Chagum’s heart beat faster. The man’s face was hidden in the shadows, but Chagum could clearly see his eyes staring fixedly at him. Chagum suspected the man was a warrior. He appeared Yogoese, but his clothing was foreign and strange.

    The wind picked up suddenly and the waves became choppier; Chagum felt his back rise and fall. A shaft of red-gold sunlight fell across the man’s face. His eyes and hair were black. The sharpness of his features reminded Chagum of a knife.

    “Are you awake, Your Majesty?” the man asked. His Yogoese was flawless.

    Chagum frowned at him. “Who are you? Why am I here?”

    “My name is Hugo Arayutan,” he said quietly. “This is a Sangalese merchant vessel, though it’s probably more accurate to call it a pirate ship with a veneer of respectability. No one here intends to harm you. Please ease your mind, Crown Prince Chagum.”

    Chagum’s eyes widened. This man knew who he was. Anxiety made the muscles of his chest tighten. Some of the confusion and mental fog caused by his fever lifted as he took in the man’s explanation. He was on a pirate ship? He didn’t remember boarding a pirate ship. What had happened to the fishing boat?

    Chagum looked at Hugo. Maybe he knew that Chagum was the Crown Prince because he was Yogoese; it was possible that he’d seen Chagum before.

    “But who are you?” Chagum insisted. “You seem Yogoese, and yet…not.”

    Hugo smiled at him. “You’re absolutely right, Your Majesty. In the language of the Talsh people, I am a tolan. That means I am a military officer with three hundred men under my command.”

    Chagum held his breath. All the blood drained from his face. Hugo was a Talsh officer. How had this happened? His thoughts were still jumbled, but he understood immediately what he had to do.

    Chagum forced his expression blank and asked, “Where are Tagal and Oru? Are they safe?”

    Hugo blinked in surprise. The question was clearly unexpected. “Yes, they’re safe. When you boarded this ship, you were near the island of Aju. We docked there and delivered them to the Sangalese army. They won’t be killed; don’t worry. They’re still valuable hostages. The royal family of Sangal has commanded that all Yogoese prisoners must be treated well.”

    Chagum remembered Princess Saluna’s letter and felt a bit calmer. He was fairly sure that Hugo was telling the truth. He smiled slightly. Tagal and Oru were alive.

    Hugo frowned. Chagum’s expression was difficult to interpret. He still looked more like a boy than an adult, but there was a world-weary sadness in his eyes. He was able to hold Hugo’s gaze without looking away.

    Goosebumps rose on the nape of Hugo’s neck. The light in Chagum’s eyes was like a challenge.

    Shit!

    Hugo dashed to Chagum’s side and forced his mouth open to prevent him from biting out his tongue. Chagum groaned and bit down on his fingers. Hugo pinned him down to prevent him from moving; Chagum struggled but couldn’t break free. He summoned all his strength and twisted away from Hugo.

    Hugo’s grip loosened, but he didn’t let go. When Chagum tried to free himself again, Hugo struck Chagum on the side of the head with his open palm.

    The strike hurt so badly that Chagum’s heart faltered. His vision went dim. Hugo forced his mouth open again and forced in something that smelled like blood and metal; Chagum nearly gagged.

    “Sodok! Come here!”

    An older man came through the door.

    “Put him to sleep,” Hugo commanded.

    Sodok soaked the corner of a clean cloth in liquid he kept at a pouch at his belt. He brought the cloth over Chagum’s nose and mouth. Chagum collapsed almost immediately, like a puppet with its strings cut.

    Hugo removed the hilt of his dagger from Chagum’s mouth.

    “What happened?” Sodok asked.

    Hugo sighed and stood up. He wiped his hands on his pants. “He tried to bite out his tongue.”

    “He what?”

    “He asked about his men,” Hugo said. “After he learned they were safe, he tried to kill himself. He’d rather be dead than fall into Talsh hands.” Hugo looked down at Chagum with a complicated expression.

 

 

    The sleeping drug didn’t wear off until well past midnight. When Chagum awoke, his tongue was tied down by a cloth gag that wrapped all the way around his head. The gag made it difficult to breathe; it was also completely soaked with his spit.  

    His hands were bound firmly in front of him. Chagum groaned and tried to sit up. Someone’s hand pushed his forehead down.

    “Forgive me, Your Majesty,” Hugo said. “If you swear to me that you won’t bite out your tongue, I’ll remove the gag.”

    The room was lit by several lamps, so Hugo’s face was faintly visible. Chagum put all of his rage into the glare he gave Hugo.

    “Your anger is understandable,” Hugo said. “Before you rush to any conclusions, I would like you to hear me out, Your Majesty.” He sounded completely calm. His hand smelled like sea salt and choru; he must be a smoker.

    Chagum relaxed incrementally. There were a lot of ways to die, after all, and the gag was unbearably uncomfortable. He looked up at Hugo and nodded.

    Hugo quickly untied the gag and ripped it out. After setting it aside, he worked on freeing Chagum’s hands.

    Chagum sucked in air like someone drowning.

    “You might be thinking that death will save you from being used as a hostage,” Hugo said quietly. “But the situation is a bit more complicated than that.”

    Chagum remained silent. Hugo smiled at him. “It may not seem like it, but this encounter is beneficial for both of us, Your Majesty. If you do as I ask, I can give you something you want.”

    Chagum frowned. Something about Hugo’s voice irritated him. “Just get to the point already.”

    Hugo’s smile vanished instantly. “I’ll be brief. The reason for your capture is simple. The Talsh empire intends to make you the next Mikado of New Yogo.”

    That wasn’t simple at all. That was inconceivable. Chagum stared straight at Hugo and didn’t move. When Hugo noticed the blood draining from his face, he said, “I can understand why you doubt my motives, but--”

    “Stop,” Chagum interrupted him. “I don’t need any nation’s help to become the next Mikado,” he said angrily, glaring daggers at Hugo.

    Hugo held his stare, then spread his knees slightly and brought his forehead to the floor. “I beg your forgiveness, Your Majesty,” Hugo said. He took a deep breath and lifted his head. “There are implications to the Talsh empire wishing for you to become the next Mikado that may not be immediately apparent. Please listen to what I have to say.”

    He paused. “First, I am curious: how much do you know about the Talsh empire?”

    Chagum didn’t answer, and Hugo didn’t pause for his reply; he kept speaking in a calm and even tone.

    “I am a spy for the Talsh empire. My rank is called ‘taku,’ which means ‘hawk.’ I’ve investigated New Yogo’s military forces for many years. You may already know this, Your Majesty, but New Yogo’s combined forces amount to roughly thirty thousand men. The Talsh are prepared to commit two hundred thousand men to invade New Yogo. Even after the war with Sangal, the Talsh navy has more than a thousand ships at its disposal for both trade and warfare.”

    Chagum’s expression didn’t shift, but he felt genuine fear in the pit of his stomach. A thousand ships! New Yogo’s entire navy, including ships used only for trade, had only a hundred. If Hugo’s words were true, then New Yogo was no more than a flea on the leg of the giant that was the Talsh empire.

    Chagum suddenly remembered what Commander Olran had said to his grandfather: Have you ever seen the Talsh navy, Lord Harusuan? Their ships fly black sails. When they gather and sail together, they appear as a giant stormcloud floating over the ocean. No matter how many of their ships we sank, they just kept coming. Then their true warships came, larger and stronger than the others--and there was no end to them, either.

    Chagum closed his eyes. Hugo wanted him to give in to despair.

    “What do you think, Your Majesty?” Hugo asked. “Everything I’ve told you is true.”

    Behind his closed eyelids, Chagum imagined the land surrounding Kosenkyo burning. He composed himself with great effort. Hugo was trying to manipulate him, but he refused to be moved. What purpose did making Chagum lose hope serve? What was Hugo trying to achieve?

    Hugo kept speaking. “Are you thinking about what will happen when the Talsh come to destroy your country? They’ll defeat you easily. Imagine the sound of their footsteps marching closer to your home. Think of Kosenkyo and your palace sacked and in flames.”

    Hugo paused, then said, “I don’t need to imagine it. I remember the fire staining the sky red and making the air so thick with smoke that people choked to death. I remember soldiers fleeing the capital, leaving the city undefended as the Talsh marched through the main gate in time to their massive war drums. The drums were louder than the roar of the sea in a storm.”

    Chagum’s eyes widened slightly in surprise. Hugo was still speaking dispassionately, but he was sweating. “I… I still dream about it. All of it. I come from Yogo, which the Talsh empire subjugated and destroyed.”

    Hugo was from Yogo. Chagum looked at him with new eyes. He came from the southern continent, where Chagum’s ancestors had come from. The reason his voice sounded slightly strange was that he had an accent.

    Chagum felt like someone had just lifted the lid of a treasure box to reveal the contents inside. Hugo had probably been a child when Yogo was destroyed. Why would he become a Talsh soldier after living through such a terrible experience?

    Hugo rubbed his chin and lapsed into silence. When he spoke again, his voice was louder and his accent was suppressed to the point that Chagum could barely hear it. “There were countless casualties in Yogo’s war against the Talsh, but they didn’t simply kill the people and burn the cities. They destroyed our way of life.

    “Crown Prince Chagum, I know better than most how the Talsh empire conquers a nation. If you want to save New Yogo from suffering the same fate, you only have one option.”

    Chagum’s heart beat faster. He clenched his fists. The movement sent shooting pain up his left arm, but he barely noticed. Shuga had taught him to never expose his true thoughts to an enemy. But he couldn’t just hide behind his politician’s mask and pretend that what Hugo said had no effect on him. He had to ask.

    “And what’s that, exactly?”

    Hugo smiled at him in relief. “I think you already know, Your Majesty. I must ask again for your forgiveness. I’ve said too a little too much, I think. Let’s leave the conversation here for tonight. We can speak again in the morning.”

    Hugo got up and retrieved a stoppered jar from a box in the corner of the room. He removed the stopper from the jar and passed it to Chagum.

    “This is a strong medicine that will help heal your wound. Please take only a single sip, or you’ll be sleeping for a long time.”

    Chagum hesitated for a moment, but his throat was parched and he was desperate for any liquid. He took a sip of the medicine and swallowed almost without thinking. The jar felt cool in his overheated hands. The liquid smelled like unfamiliar herbs, but it had no taste. Chagum handed the jar back to Hugo.

    “Is there anything you need before I leave, Your Majesty?”

    Chagum shook his head. He’d sweated so much that he didn’t need to pee, and he was no longer thirsty.

    Hugo nodded and stood up again. “Good night. I’ll be in the next room. Knock on the wall if you need anything, Your Majesty.” He blew out the candles that were lighting the room, then left.

    Chagum was alone. The sound of the waves echoed all around him. He was completely exhausted. There was a tingling sensation behind his eyes. When he closed them, he fell asleep immediately.

 

 

    Hugo smoked choru on the upper deck of the ship while looking up at a sky full of stars. He saw a tiny pinprick of light on the other side of the deck. A middle-aged man with a slight build approached Hugo from that direction. He was a magic weaver who had worked with Hugo for many years. His name was Sodok Yatonoi; he was the younger brother of Rasugu Yatonoi, the magic weaver that had infiltrated Sangal before the Talsh invasion. Rasugu had plotted the successful downfall of Sangal’s royal family. 

    “We’ll probably reach Ashan in three days,” Sodok said. “Ashan sells toro. I wonder if I should send some to my brother.”

    “I don’t want Rasugu to know about this yet.”

    Sodok frowned at Hugo with a doubtful expression. “Do you distrust my brother? Do you think to disparage his achievements by withholding information?”

    Sodok felt no actual affection for his brother, but Rasugu was a magic weaver with a reputation for intelligence and tenacity. That reputation may have been more important to Sodok than the man himself. The successful capture of Crown Prince Chagum could not have been achieved without his information. He wouldn’t have fallen into Sangal’s trap so easily if Rasugu hadn’t used his knowledge of the Crown Prince’s friendship with Princess Saluna of Sangal.

    Hugo wasn’t the slightest bit concerned about Sodok’s insinuations. He exhaled slowly, breathing out smoke.

    Sodok spoke softly so that he wouldn’t be overheard by the Sangalese sailors on the deck. “Or do you think Crown Prince Chagum would be too tempting a prize? Do you fear he’ll be snatched from you?”

    “No. Don’t needle me with your ridiculous ideas and accusations. It was hard to get this far, and there is a plan, if you remember. All I need is a little more time.”

    Sodok shrugged. “Fine. There’s no such thing as being too careful.” He spun on his heel and was about to return to his cabin when Hugo called him back.

    “Sodok, you might want to make yourself scarce. You and Rasugu look alike, don’t you? We don’t want our new friend to notice the, um, family resemblance.”

    Sodok didn’t turn around, but he waved in acknowledgement of Hugo’s advice. Then he descended the stairs that led to the ship’s cabins.

    Hugo remained on the deck. He didn’t understand what he was feeling. He extinguished his pipe and stashed his remaining choru in his pocket. Then he paced back and forth across the deck.

    Sailors stood at the ship’s helm and all along its rigging. Many of them were talking among themselves or nudging their companions to help stay awake.

    “You going to bed, sir?” a sailor asked him as he passed.

    “Yeah,” Hugo said. “No falling asleep at the wheel, all right? And no drinking, either. I’ll tell the captain.”

    The sailor laughed hugely and slapped his knees. “Everyone knows a bottle of something helps you sleep, sir. Just one bottle, though.”

    The sailor was still quite young; perhaps younger than Crown Prince Chagum.

    “If you sold that kid to the right person, you’d be rich, sir,” the sailor said.

    Hugo smiled bitterly. “You have no idea. Selling someone like him would make everyone on this ship filthy rich. You could buy three wives.”

    The sailor howled with laughter again. “I don’t need three,” he said. “Don’t you know how scary Sangalese women are?”

    Hugo’s smile deepened. “Isn’t that because they have to support you as well as themselves? I’ve never met a sailor with savings.”

    “Eh, maybe. But you’re not married, are you, sir? I think I like this better. It’s fun and exciting. I’d never even seen a noble from New Yogo until today.”

    Hugo clapped the man on his shoulder, then retired to his cabin. He envied the carefree life of the young sailor. Hugo’s family had been pirates since before Sangal was founded. If his family had lived, he might have continued in the family business, but the Talsh had destroyed any possibility of that. Hugo liked to think that he kept the spirit of his family’s livelihood going, even if they were gone.

    He suddenly remembered fleeing a burning city as an orphan and returning to it as street urchin desperate to survive. Common people suffered the most in times of war, but they always managed to scrape by somehow. Hugo remembered long stretches of time where his only goal was to live to see another sunrise. That desperation reminded him of Crown Prince Chagum staring stoically at him as fear made his shoulders go rigid.

    The night air was humid and sticky; fortunately, Hugo’s cabin was small and well-ventilated. He threw off his shirt and stretched out on the floor. He was tired, but he couldn’t fall asleep. He stayed up all night staring at the sea through the porthole of his cabin.

 

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