Guardian of Heaven and Earth
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Rota
Part 1 - Searching for Chagum
Chapter 2 - A Letter from Jin
That night, Balsa, Sain and his family camped in the shadow of a large boulder. Building a fire so close to the soldiers’ camp had risks, but Balsa decided it was best to make a small one so that Sain and his family could dry their clothes and have a hot meal. Fear made Sain and Toki’s stomachs turn, but they knew they needed to eat to keep their strength up. They’d never be able to cross the mountains if they were starving.
Balsa mixed honey into a warm wheat gruel and passed it around. Sain and his family quickly fell asleep after they ate. Balsa put out the fire. Stars twinkled in the sky between the tree branches above. Balsa leaned against the boulder at her back and looked up.
Chagum is dead.
The Mikado had given him an extravagant funeral. He’d proclaimed that the Crown Prince had returned to Ten no Kami and the gods to become a protector of his nation in death.
The person Balsa had heard all this from had snorted in derision at this point. “Likely story. Haven’t you heard?” the woman had said. “The rakkaral and summer storms were all much worse than usual this year. At the start of the year, these storms were taken as an ill omen--perhaps a premonition of the Crown Prince’s death? But the poor weather continues.”
Balsa had listened to the woman without saying a word.
There were rumors that everything terrible that had happened over the past year was due to Crown Prince Chagum’s death. Balsa had also heard rumors that the Crown Prince was captured in Sangal and negotiated his own release, but committed suicide or was otherwise killed on the way home.
The Mikado made no effort to quash any of these rumors. The most important thing to him was that Crown Prince Chagum was dead.
Chagum wouldn’t kill himself, Balsa thought. She remembered Chagum as he’d been years and years ago, fleeing the palace with clenched fists and tears streaming down his face. He’d only been eleven at the time, but he’d had tremendous strength of will even then. He would never use suicide to escape his problems.
He was probably killed, then.
That’s how things seemed to her. If Chagum was dead, it was because someone else had murdered him. No body had been returned to Kosenkyo for the funeral; perhaps rumors of his suicide had spread so far because his body had been lost at sea. Perhaps some of the rumors were true: maybe Sangal had tried to get him to betray his country. He was such a responsible and honest person; he might choose death over betraying his people and his own integrity.
Whether Chagum killed himself or not, his end was untimely--and devastating.
Balsa closed her eyes. Chagum is no longer in this world. Thinking about Chagum, so bright and full of life as he’d been, having his life so suddenly cut short turned her guts to water. At least he died outside, and not in that terrible palace.
Balsa heard a twig snap from somewhere behind her. She opened her eyes, grabbed her spear and stood up. Someone was coming closer. They were carrying a lantern, but it was small; she couldn’t make out very much of the person’s face or form. She approached the figure with her spear in front of her as a clear warning and didn’t make a sound.
“I’m sorry if I startled you,” a voice said out of the dark. “I don’t mean you any harm. I hunt deer, but I’m short on salt licks and was headed home when I saw your fire. May I approach?”
Toki awoke and sat up. Balsa retreated a few steps and crouched down next to her. She whispered, “Wake Sain and Rai. Get ready to run at any time. He claims to be a hunter who’s run out of salt licks, but I don’t buy his story. Take everyone behind the boulder. If I shout for you to run, run. Understand?”
Toki nodded.
Balsa stood up and faced the man claiming to be a hunter. “If it’s salt you need, we can share some. I’ll bring some to you. Stay there.”
Balsa could see well in the dark. She walked toward the man and squinted, trying to make out the man’s features. He didn’t really look like a hunter. He didn’t have a bow, arrows, rope or any of the tools she’d expect a deer hunter to use. This area also didn’t have much game; there was no good reason for a hunter to be wandering around here at night.
When Balsa stepped into his light, the man gasped. “Are you--excuse me, but are you Balsa? Balsa the spear wielder?”
Balsa’s eyebrows drew together. She didn’t remember ever meeting this man before, but he was clearly interested in finding her and must have gotten her description from someone.
“You’re her, aren’t you?” the man asked. “I’ve been looking all over for you.”
Balsa shushed the man. “Keep your voice down.”
The man nodded. When he spoke again, his voice was softer and quieter. “I’m sorry. I’m just so relieved that I finally found you. My name is Oru. A man named Tanda told me that you might be somewhere in these mountains, so I’ve been searching for days.”
Balsa was still frowning when she said, “Well, now you’ve found me. What do you want?”
“I’m a high-ranking sailor in New Yogo’s navy,” he said. “If you truly are Balsa, then I have something for you. But I can’t just hand it over without verifying your identity. When you were about to start your journey with Crown Prince Chagum, who did you send in your place to buy supplies?”
“Toya,” Balsa whispered.
Oru’s shoulders relaxed immediately. “Ten no Kami, I offer thanks!” He produced a thick envelope from his breast pocket and handed it to Balsa. “I sailed with Crown Prince Chagum to Sangal and was also taken captive. Crown Prince Chagum freed me and many others. But before we all arrived home, Crown Prince Chagum left the ship in secret with help from lord Amusuran and his servant, Ruin.”
Balsa’s heart beat faster when she heard Chagum’s name. She remembered that Amusuran was the true surname of one of the Mikado’s Hunters, Jin. Had Jin sent her this message? Why?
She wanted to hear everything Oru had to say immediately, but Sain and his family were waiting for her behind the boulder. “I’d love to discuss all this in more detail, but I have something to take care of first. Can you wait a moment? I’ll be right back.”
When Oru nodded, Balsa went to tell Sain and his family that there was no danger and that they could come back to the camp and sleep. Sain, Toki and Rai all expressed open relief as they returned to the smoking embers of the fire and lay back down for more rest.
Balsa returned to Oru and whispered, “Thank you. We can talk more now. Please continue your message.”
Apparently, Oru, Jin and Chagum’s servant Ruin had all worked together to arrange Chagum’s escape from the ship that had been bringing him home from Sangal.
“I also helped lord Amusuran when Crown Prince Chagum tried to escape from the prisoners’ hut in Sangal, so lord Amusuran took me into his confidence,” Oru said. “When the ship was close to the Sangal peninsula, the eyes of our watchers became difficult to avoid, so lord Amusuran passed several messages to me and helped me leave the ship without being seen. He ordered me to find you and deliver this message no matter what.”
The envelope that Oru had given Balsa was slightly wet and wrinkled at the edges, but still largely intact.
“He also told me to ask that question to verify your identity and gave me a list of places where you might be found. I went to Tanda the herbalist’s hut first and he made me a map of the paths you might be traveling through the mountains. But you move like a cloud--you’re never in the same place for long.”
Balsa nodded absentmindedly at Oru, then opened the envelope. Jin’s letter was brief, but it had a powerful effect on Balsa’s heart and mind. The first few lines made her smile, but by the time she reached the end, she was frowning. She stared at the letter for a long time after she finished reading it. Oru thought she looked a bit uncertain, or maybe even a little afraid.
Three gold coins were enclosed along with the letter. Balsa clasped them tightly in one fist.
“It seems you understand the situation,” Oru whispered.
Balsa lifted her eyes from the letter, then nodded.
“Please hurry to Rota as fast as you can,” Oru said.
Balsa shook her head. “I am definitely headed for Rota, but I have to make sure this family gets home first.”
The skin under Oru’s beard turned red from rage. “What?! You would prioritize commoners over such an important task?”
“I can’t just quit in the middle of a job,” Balsa said quietly.
Oru felt nothing but cold rage. Before he could do anything, he heard Balsa’s spear point cut the air and felt it rest lightly along the edge of his neck.
“What do you intend to do?” Balsa asked in a muffled voice.
Oru looked into Balsa’s eyes and remained silent; her eyes looked as sharp and cold as her blade. He took a few careful, shallow breaths and said, “Let me take that family back home for you. That way you can head to Rota right away.”
Balsa removed her spear point from Oru’s neck. “I can’t do that. I have no doubt that you’re a brave warrior, but I’m not sure how well you can hide yourself and others in these mountains. I can’t just entrust this family to you.”
Balsa placed the three coins from Jin’s letter into her breast pocket, then sheathed her spear. “If I wrote you a reply, would you deliver it to lord Amusuran?” she asked.
Oru wiped cold sweat from his forehead with the palm of his hand, then nodded reluctantly. “Yes, I’ll deliver your reply. I have paper and writing tools if you need them.”
Balsa accepted paper, ink and a brush pen from Oru, then wrote a reply. It was hard to suppress her own impatience and anxiety. She couldn’t just abandon Sain and his family, but she wanted to go to Rota as soon as possible. Chagum was there. She had to look for him.
This is impossible. How did he do it? Did he jump from a boat at night and swim all the way to Rota? He apparently had treasure given to him by Sangal’s royal family, but that would likely be stolen by the first people he met.
She took a deep breath to still her hands and continued writing her letter. Remembering the last words Jin had written made her heart beat faster with worry and anxiety.
There’s probably not much hope of saving Crown Prince Chagum at this point. Not many people believe in him anymore; most people think he’s dead. If his enemies know he’s alive, I’m sure they’re after him. Crown Prince Chagum didn’t want anyone to know he was alive--not the Talsh, and not our own people. If the Talsh knew his plans, they would certainly try to stop him. The only one who can move freely here is you, Balsa. If Crown Prince Chagum still lives, please protect him.
Balsa removed her brush pen from the paper and waited for the ink on her own letter to dry. I promise I’ll find him--even if he’s dead.
She accepted a small lump of wax from Oru and melted it slightly with the flame of his lantern. Then she rolled up and sealed the letter.
“Only deliver this to lord Amusuran,” she said. “You can’t let this fall into the wrong hands.”
Oru nodded and tucked her letter into his pocket. A shiver went up his spine.
“Lord Amusuran and I are of like mind in this,” Balsa said. “If he can be saved, I’ll save him.”
Oru’s face was bright red. “I would never betray you or lord Amusuran. I expect you to do everything in your power to fulfill your mission.”
Balsa nodded.
Oru turned around and started heading down the mountain. Balsa stared at his retreating back for a few moments before returning to Sain and his family.
The next day, Balsa, Sain and his family descended into a gorge. There was a village near the river at the very bottom. When they had almost reached the village, the weather took a turn for the worse. The sky was thick with clouds and the wind blew in strongly from the south.
Another rakkaral, huh? Balsa thought. At sea, rakkaral caused enormous whirlpools and windstorms, but on land they rampaged over the earth in a vortex of wind and rain.
Sain’s village was at least a day away in decent weather. The nearby village was called Maru; Balsa had promised to get Sain and his family to Tanoru.
Rain fell in sheets as Balsa and her charges entered Maru. She decided to stay at the village’s inn to wait out the storm.
The howling of the wind and rain was clearly audible even inside the inn. “It’s looking pretty rough out there,” the inn’s proprietor said kindly. “I’ll bring some water for you to freshen up. It’s been so hot.”
Sain and his family nodded gratefully and sat down near the inn’s door. Sain looked up at Balsa and said, “You got us here; it’s all right if you need to leave.” When he smiled at her, she smiled back. It was the first time she’d ever seen Sain smile.
Sain stood up and bowed to Balsa. “You saved us. I’ll never forget it.” He removed the rest of Balsa’s payment from his pocket and passed it to her.
Balsa nodded in thanks, then turned toward the inn’s proprietor. “Hm...forgive me for being so abrupt, but I need a few things. I’d like to eat as soon as possible. Then I need some new straw sandals and rain gear. I want to be on my way in an hour.”
The inn’s proprietor appeared stunned. “What? You intend to go back out in that storm?”
Balsa nodded. She removed her sodden sandals, then sat down near Sain and his family. “I’ll rest a little and get cleaned up, but then I have to be on my way.”
Sain and Toki both looked worriedly at Balsa. The wind was getting louder; they could hear it cutting through the bamboo trees in the forest outside.
“Balsa, you can’t go outside when it’s like this,” Sain said. “You didn’t sleep at all last night, and our journey has been long and tiring. You must be exhausted. You should rest and wait for the storm to blow over.”
Balsa smiled a little. “Thanks for your concern, but I’ll be fine. Really. I’m used to traveling in all kinds of weather.”
A man carrying hot water for the inn’s guests entered the room. Balsa stood up and approached him. Sain and Toki still looked at her with worried expressions, but didn’t say anything else.
I know she's often quite stoic but I would have thought Balsa would had been a lot more vocally emotional about the apparent death of Chagum. I guess maybe she grieves quietly compared to most other people? I imagine Tanda would probably weep loudly over the death of a loved one, and Chagum cried himself to sleep when his grandfather died, didn't he? Its interesting how in this universe men seem to be the emotional ones and women are a bit more stoic. That's what I like about the characters in Moribito. I think in a more conventional Western fantasy its likely somebody with Chagum's personality would be a girl; boy heroes are more rough and tough in stories like Lord of the Rings.
ReplyDeleteI wonder what sort of being Ten no Kami is? They are obviously the chief god of the Yogoese pantheon and I think if transliterated this becomes something like "God of Heaven" or even "Spirit of Heaven" but a more accurate translation would probably be something like "the Heavenly Deity", right?
Well, this is some months after she learned he was dead. I wouldn't expect Balsa to be crying now. And Balsa is always stoic; not all the women in the series are like that (remember the Second Queen in the anime/first book? She had what might be called a more typical reaction to the idea that her child would die). And Tanda has always been more openly emotional than Balsa, and I think anyone would cry if their grandfather essentially killed himself before their very eyes. I think it's down to the characters just being themselves--individuals. No cookie cutter patterns for anyone.
DeleteTen no Kami literally means "God of Heaven/Sky" - The "ten" is also in "tenki," weather, so it is literally referring to the sky above. "Kami" means "god." Hugo tells us that he's a lightning deity, similar to Kanbal's Yoram, god of thunder. Many of the most revered deities in history were lightning gods: Zeus, Thor, etc.