Those Who Walk the Flame Road
At the end of winter on the southern continent, an ancient nation with a proud history was destroyed by the invading Talsh Empire. The name of this ancient nation was Yogo. The people who lived there believed in a god called Ten no Kami, the God of the Heavens. Their leader was said to be descended from the god.
“The Talsh army is coming!”
Hugo awoke to screams and warning shouts coming from outside the house.
“Hugo!” Hugo’s little sister, Nahso, was sleeping beside him. He turned toward her, wrapping his arms around her when he felt her hands move around the nape of his neck.
“Mom?” Hugo picked up Nahso and started looking for their mother. She was awake in the next room, packing their belongings into bags that lay scattered on her bed. Her face was half-illuminated by the fires outside the window, and half in shadow.
They were staying in an old warehouse in Yogo’s capital, Hoshiro, in the lower city. The warehouse was built right against the bank of a large, deep canal. Hugo and his family had been there for about three days, staying hidden from prying eyes. It was widely believed that the capital would stand the longest against the invading Talsh army, but now, they had nowhere else to run.
Hugo didn’t know this, but all over the city, the Mikado’s Shields, their families, and the armies that followed them were locked in fierce combat with the Talsh in secret bases of their own. The Mikado’s Shields protected the ruler of Yogo from danger with their very lives, and were Yogo’s most skilled and experienced warriors. Several of them remained with the Mikado, defending him within the Imperial Palace. They would stay with him until the bitter end. Others protected the city around the palace, hoping to beat the Talsh back before they reached the Mikado, but they were unsuccessful.
The Talsh only killed those who resisted. Ordinary people who didn’t take up arms weren’t attacked. But the Mikado’s Shields had sworn an oath to defend the Mikado and the nation from the enemy. If they could save the Mikado’s life, it was possible that the country could one day shake off its oppressors and regain its lost glory.
The Talsh Empire understood Yogo’s culture, and was determined to hunt down and kill every Mikado's Shield and every member of their bloodline. The Mikado or part of his family might be spared so that they might serve as puppet rulers, but the warriors who defended the Mikado, and their families, would be killed to a man.
Of course, the Mikado's Shields didn’t want to endanger their families in this way. That was why they’d scattered to ten or so hidden safe houses throughout the city. They were trying to make themselves as diffuse a target as possible. If they were defeated, there would be no one left to protect the Mikado from his enemies.
Hugo’s family had fled from their home in the dead of night. Hugo’s father caught his shoulder and said, “Protect your mother and sister.” He spoke quietly, but his voice was full of emotion. Later in life, Hugo believed that this was the moment that his father had decided to sacrifice himself for the sake of his family.
The sky was red with the light of reflected fire. The gates through the outer walls that protected the capital were all ablaze. Flames danced in the air above Hugo’s head. The rhythmic beating of drums in the distance shook the earth. The Talsh army surrounded the city on all sides, striking their enormous war drums in perfect time to the soldiers’ marching.
Hugo’s ears adjusted to the constant sound of the drums. He started to hear other things: screams, shouts, and a high-pitched call like a flute. Hugo had never heard an instrument like that before. Thereafter, he associated that sound with the ultimate destruction of the Yogo Empire.
“Hugo, don’t cry,” his father said. “This is what the Mikado's Shields have commanded. We live to fight for the Mikado and our nation.” His polished armor shone in the bright light of the fires of war. He was a commander in Yogo’s army, and his accomplishments as a warrior meant that he, too, was one of the Mikado’s Shields.
Until now, Hugo hadn’t truly understood what being a Mikado's Shield meant. He was proud of his father, and he wanted to grow up to be equal to him. His father’s armor was pure and clean, shining white in the firelight. He didn’t think the Talsh would even be able to touch him. He was blessed by Ten no Kami, the God of the Heavens, and Ten no Kami would never permit the Talsh to befoul Yogo’s purity.
We’re waiting for a miracle. Ten no Kami will save us.
Hugo’s beliefs were sincere. He’d been told that loyalty and faith would be rewarded for his entire life. His father was risking his life to protect the Mikado, who was the descendant of Ten No Kami. He didn’t think the god would abandon them in their hour of need.
“When you grow up,” his father said, “be a warrior. One that Ten no Kami would be proud to protect.” He smiled.
That was the last time Hugo ever saw his father’s face.
“Mom! Get behind me!” There was a short sword on the floor near his mother’s bed. He picked it up and attached it to the belt at his waist. The fighting was fierce in the city, and they were watching and waiting for a good opportunity to sneak out the back door into the canal. They might be able to steal a boat and get to safety if no one noticed them escaping.
But when Hugo and his family tried to sneak out the back, they found soldiers already there. Hugo’s mother took Nahso’s little hand in hers. Hugo was out front, and he stopped running when he heard the footsteps of the approaching soldiers. “We can’t go this way,” he whispered.
The canal wouldn’t save them. They couldn’t get out of the city that way. The Talsh had cut off every route that the people inside the city might use to flee. The army started occupying the buildings near the canal and other waterways first. Securing a water supply was important, and they knew that the city’s people would try to use boats to escape the battle. That was just common sense.
Many of the soldiers protecting the city were raw recruits that looked like they would blow over in a stiff wind. They were terrified of the invaders. Some of them hadn’t even come of age yet. The cleverer young soldiers stole boats and managed to get away before the Talsh marched into the city, but there weren’t enough boats for everyone to leave that way. Those who managed to get away before the battle began in earnest were the fortunate ones. For the people trapped in the buildings along the invasion route, the city walls crumbled before their eyes, replaced by a sheet of fire.
It was hell.
Hugo’s grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles had discussed their evacuation plans before the Talsh army’s arrival, but Hugo didn’t know where all of them were—and none of them were evacuating to the same location. He couldn’t just pick a city to run to when there was no guarantee of finding help there. And even if he knew where to go, how could they get past the entire Talsh army?
Hugo was the son of a warrior. He was fully prepared to die in the battle himself, but he wanted his mother and younger sister to live. And he didn’t want to entrust their lives to anyone else. He huddled down in a corner of the warehouse, keeping hidden with his family and trying desperately to come up with a new plan.
Eventually, he stood up again.
“Hugo? Where are you going?” his mother whispered. She was agitated—almost crying—but she was trying to keep calm for her children’s sake.
“We need to get to the second floor,” Hugo whispered back.
“We can’t get out of here from there,” his mother said.
“That’s why the Talsh won’t search it thoroughly. They’ll think that no one would try to hide there. I have an idea, but we need to hurry.”
Hugo’s mother picked up Nahso. Hugo took his mother’s hand and led her along the dark corridor in the direction of the staircase. She seemed reluctant to move from their hiding place, but she did follow him and didn’t let go of his hand as they ran.
Windows flashed by. Women and children were pouring into the streets. Hugo crouched down a little as he started rushing up the stairs. His mother and sister were fast on his heels.
From the second floor, Hugo caught sight of a few young men fighting at the door of the warehouse. They were clearly outnumbered. Their screams echoed in the air, and under them, there was still that steady and terrible rhythm of the war drums. The Talsh army was so close and marching in such numbers that their footfalls were like stones striking the earth from a great height. The army was an unnatural landslide, sweeping over the city in a destructive wave.
It was a little quieter on the second floor of the building. The windows were covered with wool and oiled paper. Cold wind blew in through the gaps at the windowpanes. Hugo smelled oil and sheepskin.
Hugo put a finger to his lips. “Walk quietly. We don’t want them to hear us downstairs.”
There was a storage room on this floor where wool and paper were kept. Hugo followed his nose, leading his mother and sister toward the storage room.
“We’re getting farther away from the canal,” Hugo’s mother said, but she didn’t press the issue. She’d seen that the back way was blocked. They couldn’t leave this warehouse anytime soon without being spotted. A woman outside cried out sharply, then went silent. Hugo’s mother went pale. There were more women’s screams coming from below.
“That’s…Samura and Tora. We have to save them.” She was shaking. Samura and Tora were old friends.
Hugo gritted his teeth, then shook his head in refusal. They weren’t safe themselves; they couldn’t save anyone else.
Hugo’s mother seized his elbow, pulling him closer. She cupped his face in her hand, looking down at him with a strange expression. Hugo turned away and started moving again, but his mother stayed completely still. Hugo looked back at her and gestured for her to follow. She didn’t.
“We can’t just leave them all to die,” she said. “Is that something that one of the Mikado’s Shields would do?”
Hugo shook his head again. “I won’t desert them. I’ll get you and Nahso to safety, then come back for them. I promise.”
His mother frowned. “If there’s a way for Nahso and I to escape, we should show everyone the way.”
Hugo was both terrified and impatient. “Even if we could help them, the kids won’t stay quiet enough for us to hide. I promised dad that I would protect you both, and that’s what I’m going to do.” They didn’t have time for this. Hugo briefly forgot to keep quiet and said, “Please understand, mom! I can’t break my promise! And if we stay here much longer, we’ll be discovered!”
There were more screams coming from downstairs.
Nahso started shaking. “That was Anya...” She twisted out of her mother’s hold and landed with a little leap, then took off running. Hugo tried to catch her before she ran off, but her tiny hand slipped through his fingers.
“Don’t be stupid,” Hugo hissed, keeping his voice down. “Get back here.”
Hugo and his mother chased after his sister.
“Don’t go down there!” Hugo said. “You can look, but don’t go!”
Nahso was as light-footed as a mouse as she sprinted down the hallway back to the stairs. She wasn’t listening. When she got to the staircase, she ran down it.
Hugo quickened his pace. Before he was halfway down the staircase, he smelled smoke. He looked up and discovered that the roof of the building was on fire. He found out later that the Talsh used fire arrows to destroy buildings in cities that resisted their rule. The storage areas of the warehouse were full of wool, and they went up in flames in a flash.
Hugo froze. This was a nightmare.
If his mother had only listened to him and followed him, they might have been able to jump down into a wagon from the second floor. They might be away from this place already. Why didn’t she trust him? There were no Talsh soldiers swarming the back roads yet; they were still securing the main thoroughfare. It might have been possible for them to escape.
Hugo’s mother ran out in front of him. They were still chasing Nahso. Talsh soldiers poured through the back entrance and caught sight of them.
“Mom!” He pulled her backward with all his might, then placed himself in front of her again. He slipped and fell before he could draw his sword. It was cooler and less smoky on the floor; he could feel the wind blowing in from outside.
Hugo stood up. Two Talsh soldiers noticed that Hugo had a sword and leveled their weapons at him and his mother. Hugo drew his sword hastily. He blocked the first soldier’s blow, but the second man cut his side open. Hugo felt a burning pain in his stomach and nearly dropped his weapon.
His mother screamed.
If he stayed down, the Talsh would kill them. Hugo sprang to his feet despite the pain. He noticed that the Talsh used swords that were shorter than Yogoese blades and slightly curved. Although he was much shorter than them, his weapon gave him the advantage of a greater reach. The Talsh soldiers had red-gold skin that gleamed in the firelight, and golden eyes. Hugo had never seen people like that before. He didn’t realize it at the time, but some of the Talsh soldiers fighting to take over the warehouse weren’t much older than he was.
Hugo aimed high, cutting the nearest soldier’s forehead with the tip of his blade. The soldier took a step back with blood in his eyes. The blade of his sword had broken while trying to block. The soldier attacked Hugo again, ignoring the fact that his weapon was broken.
This was the first time Hugo had ever been in a life-or-death situation. He couldn’t remember a single bit of all the years of sword training that his father had given him. He focused on dodging and getting close enough to his opponent to land a strike or a slash.
There were footsteps from behind Hugo: more Talsh soldiers. They’d cleared out the back way and the street and were coming inside to support their comrades. Hugo didn’t remember much of what happened just after that. The room was too warm and red with the blood that splashed in the air and fell to the floor. He felt sure that his mother and sister had been slaughtered in the massacre.
There were two Talsh soldiers on the floor in front of him, one with a broken arm. They weren’t much older than him, and both of them were dead. Aside from Hugo, there was no one left alive in this room.
What Hugo felt wasn’t relief, or fear. It was despair. The room around him seemed to recede, so that he couldn’t see anything or anyone in it anymore. He couldn’t hear much of anything, either. It hurt to breathe. The second floor must have finally caught fire. Hugo’s feet took him toward an exit without his conscious will as he searched instinctively for some way out.
One place on the floor was wet. The world was red, but Hugo could tell that the way ahead wasn’t on fire: not yet. He started running. All of the soldiers he passed were dead: consumed by fire. It was like Hugo was in some kind of protective cocoon where the fire couldn’t reach. But he certainly wouldn’t be protected for very long.
Soon enough, he saw soldiers again. They chased him upstairs, but all of them vanished into the sea of flames. Hugo’s throat was burning, but he kept running. As he made his way up the stairs, the smoke became thicker, solidifying into a shape that he recognized.
Nahso.
Maybe she’d saved herself by becoming smoke, so that she could escape through nooks and crannies. She wasn’t dead: no, of course not. Hugo was lightheaded and gasping, but the sight of his sister formed of smoke on the stairs steadied him somewhat. He smiled and followed his sister along the hallway on the second floor. Far ahead of them, he saw his mother’s back, her hair streaming behind her as she fled.
Mom? Was she still alive, too?
Smoke swirled all around Hugo. He coughed and fell, unable to breathe, but he was still smiling as he crawled after his mother and sister, moving slowly along the floor. He passed by a window and stood up, then whispered to Nahso, who was close: “It’s okay. I found a way out. Look.”
Hugo rubbed sweat of out his eyes and took a deep breath of fresher air from outside. His lungs hurt. He took another painful breath and kept following the smoke toward the storage rooms where wool was kept. There was a pulley in front of him that was used to move goods between floors or load cargo onto wagons.
By good luck, there were still wagons in the street. If Hugo used the pulley to get down there, he could hide in one of the wagons and wait for the soldiers to move on. Hugo wrapped himself fully in wool, then jumped into the basket attached to the pulley. His weight would make it fall to the first floor.
Follow me, mom, Nahso. He glanced up and saw his mother smiling at him.
Nahso, find a place next to me. The figure of his sister was gray-tinged and wavered in the air. She was only made of smoke, after all.
“Don’t be scared,” Hugo whispered. “I’m your big brother, and I’ll take care of you.”
Hugo hugged her, wrapping her in the same wool he was hiding in. He was sweating all over and still coughing like he was about to lose a lung, but he was alive.
The pulley chain was kind of rusted, so the descent wasn’t exactly smooth. If anyone had been on the bottom to yank on the chain and slow the pulley down, they would have noticed that it was surprisingly light. Far too light for two children to be riding it down.
Hugo landed heavily and nearly lost consciousness from the shock. He might have broken bones, but he kept moving with the basket still around him. He dragged the basket and pulley chain outside, in too much of a hurry to extricate himself.
The wagons were right in front of him. Hugo coughed, gulping in air, and climbed into a wagon, where he concealed himself. A while later, the wagon began to move, and the basket he was in was lifted away from him, leaving him wrapped only in wool. No one seemed to notice.
Hugo was exhausted and injured. He was unconscious before the wagon left the street where the safe house was.
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