Guardian of Heaven and Earth - Kanbal - Excerpt from Chagum's Diary

 Guardian of Heaven and Earth
-
Kanbal

(Book 9 of the Guardian of the Spirit Series)

Author: Uehashi Nahoko

Translator: Ainikki the Archivist

 

 Excerpt from Chagum's Diary

    

    Balsa is still sleeping--she seems to be sleeping very deeply. She does that: falls immediately asleep and sleeps like the dead, and immediately springs to wakefulness, like sleep is a state she can snap out of by conscious will.

    I can't sleep, and even if I could, I doubt I'll ever be able to sleep as deeply as Balsa. Whenever I sleep, I dream. My heart urges me to hurry on as fast as I can, whether I'm sleeping or awake.

    I wonder if the King of Kanbal really will agree to an alliance. The future depends on it, but I’m not very hopeful. When I tried to persuade him in Sangal using the very best reasoning I had, he still put off giving me an answer.

    Talsh is breathing down our necks. By the time they actually get here, any alliance I make may be too late. I know there’s a Talsh spy close to the King of Kanbal as well, and he’ll do anything he can to prevent the alliance.

    I’ve learned that the Talsh are clever. They know how to use people. I need to prepare myself. Prince Hazar is the one who encouraged the southern clan lords in Rota to revolt--not Prince Raul. I don’t know why that is, but I have to figure it out. The reason may give us an advantage.

    Prince Raul has the right to conquer northern Rota and New Yogo. I’ve met him; I can’t believe he’s happy about sharing the right to subjugate different pieces of the northern continent. He wants it all to himself. It seems clear to me that whoever conquers the whole of Rota will gain Kanbal to their cause next.

    So my guess is that Prince Hazar sent spies or messengers to Kanbal first, before his younger brother Prince Raul could pre-empt his plans. Talsh has no force of arms here yet, so they’ll be moving quickly and quietly, using their spies. A spy capable of winning over the King of Kanbal would have to be very convincing--I’m certain that the King would have to trust the spy to agree.

    Prince Hazar and Prince Raul are engaged in a desperate struggle; it’s sibling rivalry on a grand scale. The prize they’re fighting over is the entire northern continent.

    I should probably thank Hugo, if I see him, for setting me on this path. I don’t trust him, but I believe him when he says he hates war and doesn’t want to see people killed.

    Still, Hugo is a spy for Prince Raul. If I manage to thwart Prince Hazar’s spy and successfully broker an alliance between Rota and Kanbal, that means that Prince Hazar’s side would lose to Prince Raul’s. I expect that’s why Hugo suggested this course of action. If I succeed, so will he, while I do all the work.

    I’m prey caught between two hunters. Neither has caught me yet, but maintaining my freedom will be hard… Prince Hazar sent assassins once. I’m certain there will be more.

    It looks like the blizzard’s finally ending. I can’t hear the wind anymore.

    Balsa’s still asleep…