Organised chaos under the cover of darkness, amongst a swarm of more darkness that perturbed him. Nearly two decades of growing up beside a dark Tamer was nowhere near enough to prepare him for the army of blackness gathering nearby. He didn’t buy into the nonsensical fear-mongering that spread amongst the common folk of the capital, but his fine hairs still prickled at the number of dark Cali Cituva around. The fear mongering in the capital kept many dark Tamers away. This was the first time he’d been around so many.
The night was wet and chilly. His hood dampened beneath the spitting drizzle. Nothing to worry about yet. Prince Zaki became restless, however, adjusting his fresh under silks before fiddling with his script strengthened armour. He kept Melina’s shield on his arm rather than on his back. Dawn wasn’t in the mood for it to hang off her rump like his bags. At the very least, it kept his arm dry, and the drizzle pinged like a whisper upon it. A soothing tune to calm his growing anxiety.
Jazmin yawned beside him, adjusting her thick woollen shawl with her free hand. Sleep puffed her pretty hazel eyes without distracting from their wonder at all.
Master Sinalo sniffed beside him, stoic as usual, with his hood lowered. Though it seemed he was immune to the gentle drizzle. He was as dry as if the earliest morning sky wasn’t weeping.
Zaki glanced back at the ocean of red-eyed beasts amongst the gold, with the ornately armoured Cheetah Tamers eager to start their journey. All that remained was for Master Anele to return, and their swift ride could begin.
Although everyone agreed about his plan to split the army, Anele writhed at his insistence on the Unblessed soldiers leading themselves. She even went as far as suggesting she take the duty herself. They pulled and pushed for a few hours until she finally agreed. It was a risk to trust their mission on Cheetah generals, to ensure they would be a benefit to the capital, whether it meant breaking a siege or bolstering the defence. He trusted Anele to remind whoever they chose, whatever was important.
Eight hundred Tamers — at least that would be their number once they reached the narrow road through Sanctuary’s Merud. The agreed upon location point for all the Tamers, if the inkokeli were trustworthy. What a strange way to rule, the inkosi placed plenty of responsibility on his subordinates, but who was he to judge as a Lion? There was plenty of rot within the pyramids. He glanced at the yawning lady Isis beside him.
The prince straightened his back when a familiar scent disrupted their abandoned pocket of Cali’Aaraam. Master Anele arrived atop her slender Tamed Cali Cituva, quieting the buzz of all the Tamers gathered. The collective excited scent filled their air and his nose as she rode to the head. She acknowledged their silent greetings, their respectful nods.
“General Unathi is aware, drilled, and ready to lead,” Master Anele said. “She is capable, an understatement.”
“When do they plan on marching?”
“Best left unsaid.”
“Shall we then?” Zaki asked.
His eyes landed on Sinalo at first. Then they shifted towards Master Anele when he received the confirming nod.
“Let’s not waste any more time.”
Prince Zaki nodded, and Master Anele whistled when they moved. Two hundred Tamers, beginning their slow trot into the southwest of the city.
There was hardly a patrolling guard in the abandoned section of the city. The homes were grand and quiet, haunted by the ghosts of their former occupants. Whoever they were. The torches flickered and dimmed for the few who did patrol. Most clung to shade despite the drizzle remaining weak, oblivious to the army rumbling past.
“Ow!” Dawn’s yelp echoed through his mind, and he loosened his grip on her golden ochre fur.
“Sorry, I…”
“Be excited, but spare me your absent-minded actions,” Dawn said through their bond.
He assumed they left behind the borders of Cali’Aaraam.
A city with no defences beyond its walls, more structures, homesteads, and farms. It was difficult to know where the city began or ended. There was only the clay stone road and endless green grasslands.
Their pace increased. It was moist and cool, fresh in his lungs. He was sure the drizzle ceased. His head was exposed to the cool night, or early morning wind, which ruffled his curls.
The landscape remained flat, with yellowwood and thorn trees sparsely populating their surroundings. There were sparks of light on either side of the gravel road. More towns. Then his eyes searched for Tamers joining their ranks. A hope rather, for his doubts about their loyalties lingered.
His fleshed prickled with strength before the sun’s colour shone away the darkness. It was still hours away, and he was awake. He hadn’t slept well, but it didn’t maintain its hold on him, thanks to the slow approaching sun washing all the fatigue away.
As invigorating as the sun was, when its light touched the sky, their pace waned. Zaki glanced back as the road turned southwards. There were more dark Tamers than others to his mismatched eyes. That would explain the collective lethargy.
Their trotting pace continued as they continued further southwards. By Anele’s guidance, who muttered to avoid towns. She forced them off the main road.
Jazmin continued yawning, which became contagious, judging by Master Sinalo’s fist shoved into his mouth. Prince Zaki eyed Master Anele, and the Cheetah rode beside him.
“Perhaps we should rest and continue after the sunrise?”
“Do not take the yawning too seriously. We must push while we can. We are not riding to a battle.”
“Fine,” Zaki nodded, chewing on his own fist when Jazmin’s yawning struck him.
The air was moist, but strange.
“Is something else on your mind?”
“Those buildings in Cali’Aaraam. Why were they abandoned?”
“Their owners suffered justice, a few to the sword, while many chose exile.”
“Justice?” Zaki asked. His frown didn’t last long after her following expression.
“Ah, I see. How grand was that conspiracy?”
“That is the business of the inkosi. I only know of my personal involvement, and my justice served.”
Zaki grunted, cautious to continue their current conversation. He turned away while Anele’s gaze lingered. Jazmin listened as well, riding on his left.
“Cheetahs are superstitious at the best of times; gossip cursed those homes. Inkosi Musa thinks it a waste to tear them all down. He has chosen patience. Superstitions fade over time, whether by memory or challenge.”
He glanced at her matter-of-fact smirk and lingered as she kicked on ahead. With a strange scent emanating from her, one that lifted himself.
The sun blared in the morning, and their pace quickened. Nearby farmsteads forced them off the beaten paths to flatten the lush grasslands. Their green shade faded as the sun rose, but the yellow wasn’t any less beautiful.
Zaki wasn’t under the impression their ride was unnoticed. Their specific numbers remained a mystery, even to himself, for he was sure the promised Tamers joined their ranks whenever they neared.
Midday’s arrival brought a spotty sky. The sun kept its warmth and didn’t grow nor wane. Their pace quickened and slowed as the hours passed without rest. It gnawed at him. Their pace was exceptional, despite their southward turn.
They were not riding to a battle, and undoubtedly, they would all still be up for one and capable of riding through decent numbers standing against them. Still, it didn’t hurt to be prepared for whatever surprises lay ahead. There was still the worst of the journey to come, traversing the narrow road through the Merud.
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
Clouds dotted the clear sky in sparse formations, speeding past their resumed quickness. After a few hours, their pace slowed again when they strayed northwards under Master Anele’s direction. They joined a beaten path, a wide one, after endless farms and homesteads were long behind them on the eastern horizon.
The Tej Province became tree-less. Not once had he come across anything that resembled a forest. There was hardly a grove of yellowwoods this far south. Never more than a trio rising together, he wondered where all the lumber came from. Then again, the architecture of the Cheetahs wasn’t all too reliant on lumber.
“Prince!”
Zaki jumped when Jazmin poked him with a finger, struggling to hide her smirk at his surprise.
“What is it?”
“Forgive me, nothing of importance. I noticed you drifting.”
“I’m allowed my moments of peace.”
“Indeed, it’s just odd to see it on you. An expression that usually decorates your brother’s face.”
“Spend plenty of time watching Prince Mazin, do you?”
“That came out quickly,” Jazmin snorted, before clearing her throat and remembering herself. “Twin princes, you two barely lived lives outside of anyone’s attention.”
“Hardly a reason to call him absent minded.”
“Have I… am I missing something, Prince? Did I offend you?”
Zaki turned towards her wide-eyed, apologetic face and bared a toothy grin.
“Hmm,” Jazmin laughed. “I should consider myself fortunate to be teased by a prince.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t count on it.”
Jazmin’s laughter coincided with the faintest rumble above. Greying clouds snuck up on them and blanketed the sky when they weren’t looking. Yet the usual moisture he tasted that signalled the approach of rain was absent.
“Rain perhaps? Is rest on our horizon?”
“I agree with the girl,” Dawn said through their bond.
Zaki glanced at Anele and Sinalo to his right and watched as they observed the growing greyness above. Dawn insisted through their bond, nudging him as if he couldn’t feel she was far from fatigued. His fellow generals said nothing, and he followed their example.
Thankfully, there wasn’t much wait for the rest Jazmin asked for. A final burst northward later, they came across a vast swathe of browning grass swarming around a grand lake. Thorn trees littered its banks, providing as much shade as bare branches could. Spacious and quiet, more than enough for beyond their numbers and Tamed.
Master Anele shouted for camp to be made as a picturesque sunset pierced through the blanket of dry gloom. The rumbling continued as most of the Tamers dismounted. Their beasts meandered to the water while makeshift tents rose and campfires sparked to life. Master Anele waved away a pair of Tamers attempting to erect their shared tent.
It was a tent fit for ten, plain within, but more luxurious than necessary. There were four bedrolls unfurled in different corners of the round tent. He dumped his bags beside the roll, alongside Melina’s shield, his khopesh, and helmet. Zaki flexed his shoulders and began loosening his ornate scale armour when a pair of Tamers stomped their way towards the tent.
He cleared his throat and ruffled his helm squashed curls with a frantic hand before following Anele and Sinalo to the entrance.
The approaching pair of Tamers removed their helms and straightened their steel reinforced leather armour. Strengthening script littered their plain pieces, with rare opulence to mark their elevated stations. Shreds of silk or a glimmering piece of bronze.
“Generals, Prince,” they greeted in unison with a bow for him alone. Smelling of sweet oils and subtle perspiration.
“Inkokeli Khethiwe sends her reply,” the stocky man grunted, with a misshapen nose. “Seventy-two strong, forty with the shadows, ready to spill blood.”
“Inkokeli Ayize sends her reply,” the slender woman continued. Experience marked her dark sepia skin. Old scars did their best to ruin her handsomeness, though the white patches marking her flesh at random did more than enough to combat the scars. “Thirty-nine shadows eager to bloody the Tiger’s stripes.”
“Inkosi Musa is grateful,” Master Anele said.
The stocky man nodded and departed, but Zaki caught the lingering gaze of the other. She bit her lip at him for a flash before sauntering away after a bow.
“Half already,” Zaki sighed when his fellow generals turned away from the entrance. “The other half, I assume, is waiting for us on the road?”
“We won’t know for sure until we arrive,” Master Anele yawned. “I want to speak with our watch, ensure our camp is safe.”
“Wait for me,” Master Sinalo said. “You should eat Prince; I didn’t see you touch your supplies at all. We need you at your best.”
Zaki grunted and fought the urge to shoo the Leopard away for the infantilizing words. It was the truth, however, though he hadn’t noticed it until now. His head was on the lighter side as he rushed for a few sticks of dried meat and a mini loaf.
“That woman was forward,” Jazmin scoffed when he sauntered towards her.
“Beautiful.”
“Indeed.” she offered a few slices of dried peaches to him. “Can’t only have meat and bread.”
“That’s enough mothering for tonight,” Zaki growled, but still snatched the fruit.
They sat across from each other while he nibbled. The water was a bland addition, but there was nothing else.
“They have a name for that condition?”
“Condition? She is a Tamer Prince, there isn’t,”
“You know what I mean.”
“Some might say it is a blessing. It is like you said. She is beautiful, I might say, because of her unique flesh.”
Zaki grunted to spare her watching the mouthful. The spices on the chewy pieces were a consolation for the lacklustre meal. Somehow even the bread disappointed, but it was the road, to be robbed of hot food would always make his tastebuds yearn.
“Don’t wait for me to finish. I’m more than capable of listening while eating,” Zaki said between chewing morsels.
“Like most physically strenuous activities, it’s best to wait until after digestion.”
Zaki’s eyebrow rose at her grin. They stared at each other for some time until she broke and he finished his last morsel. He sipped his water, wet his hands, then sat back down across from Jazmin.
“Right, I’m ready,” Zaki clapped.
Jazmin squirmed, wringing her hands, adjusting her linens. Her scent was minute, but her discomfort was clear.
“Give me your hands,” she squeaked, offering her own dainty, trembling fingers. “Please.”
The moment their palms kissed, her fingers snatched and tightened around his wrist. His arms exploded with a numbing tingle that made him jump, but her grip remained true. It surged up his forearms and rumbled through his biceps and shoulder before finding a home on his head. Specifically in his ears, lips and tongue.
“What is this?” Zaki asked, then startled himself with how his words echoed on unseen walls.
“Temporary privacy,” Jazmin replied through gritted teeth at first, then released his wrists. She sighed as if she shed off a load. “To your best ability, explain to me what ‘power is earned’ means to you?”
“Not this again,”
“Please, just answer for me. I need to know… where you stand.”
“It is self-explanatory.”
There was no knowing whether there was a right or wrong answer, but her following sigh didn’t encourage him.
“‘Power is earned’ was an idea created by the Order of the Nine Lives, according to the oldest text I found. When the Pact came between the Po’Vaj and the wild beasts, I don’t think anyone then or now comprehended the knowledge shared when the first Tamers came to be. There’s a reason the greatness of the Founding hasn’t come again.”
“I take it the Founding was bloody and chaotic?”
“Indeed, glorious as well, rulers seem to enjoy using that term when they’ve spilled… but no, I’m not speaking of the Founding, rather what followed. You’re familiar with the happenings of the first two millennia of our clan?”
“Fondly,” Zaki sighed, then his eyes widened. “The chaos became uncontrollable, and so the Order rushed to control it with that phrase. Yes?”
“Yes, though that is a simplification.”
“All that just to confirm my answer? Self-explanatory like I said.”
Wrong answer. This time, her expression screamed it out at him.
“I understand Jazmin, you fear what powers I may discover to add to my vast control already. The blood I spill will fill how many pools? Imagine the oceans by the time I take the throne?”
Prince Zaki didn’t expect laughter. It was more to amuse himself, but he hoped for a nervous snort at the very least. Jazmin’s fearful scent tarnished his enjoyment and killed his smile before it arrived.
“I was hoping to begin with immolation. There is no need for me to hurt others… again.”
“Give me your hands again,” Jazmin sniffed, but Zaki hesitated. “Do not worry, I’ll guide you. Power is yours.”