68: Backstabs, Battles, and Betrayals (Patreon)

NOTE: For those of you who choose not to read this chapter, please at least check out the map at the end. It's my finest city map to date, and has a LOT of detail if you zoom in. This is a Maiya pov chapter. We'll be back to Vir next chapter.

The capital city of the Kin’jal Empire defied Maiya’s expectations. She thought Sonam would be a majestic place, filled with beautiful architecture, sprawling wide streets that never seemed to end, and buildings that soared high into the sky.

Well, some of that was present, but it wasn’t on account of the Kin’jals. The Vimana that floated high above the city shocked Maiya still. She found herself unable to rip her eyes off the gilded magical palace that somehow hung in the air, in defiance of everything she knew possible.

Big cities are so wonderful, she thought, swooning dazedly.

It was only after peppering Tanya for a good ten minutes that she regarded the city itself.

Built by a nation of battle junkies, she should’ve expected that the gates into the city led into the walls, and that the real checkpoint into Sonam was inside the absurdly thick and tall walls that protected the city.

It was as if the Sonamite city builders had said ‘let’s build a wall no one could possibly ever breach… and then double it in every dimension for good measure.’

The ramparts atop those walls looked wide enough to be a city thoroughfare, though it was difficult to tell from ground level, owing to their incredible height.

Once through the in-wall checkpoint—and a swift, efficient inspection by the Balarian guard—Tanya and Maiya entered the city proper.

Clean and immaculate, it bustled with activity as warriors moved to and fro.

What it was not was wide, or in any way architecturally interesting. Sterile, and utterly lacking in soul, the only part that looked ostentatious and impressive was the enormous Vimana that floated silently high above the city. Currently obscured by clouds, or Maiya would still be gawking at the thing.

“The whole city’s basically a fortress, isn’t it?” she asked from behind Tanya’s Ash’va. The woman had named the female beast ‘Gaurey’, but Maiya hated that name. She called it Dumpy, for obvious reasons. The long ride to Sonam was not a pleasantly odorous one.

“The design befits Kin’jali culture,” Tanya responded, maneuvering the Ash’va deftly around the crowd. “To them, military strength is everything. The streets are narrow to thwart attackers during an invasion. The fields outside the city, and the gauntlet itself, are killing fields. Traditional military strategy calls for three times the defenders’ numbers to successfully invade a city. In Sonam’s case, it is likely closer to six. This city has never once fallen, and it never will.”

There were no flags or decorations or paint of any kind. Just narrow gray cobblestone roads and equally dull stone walls.

“Sure, but doesn’t it make life horrible for people who live here?” Maiya asked. “I mean, just look at how narrow these roads are! It’s like Brij, but with a hundred times more people!”

It was only after they had crossed through the Fire Fields, another set of gates, yet another set of gates, did they make it to the Commons North District, where their inn was located. Sturdy gates and towering walls surrounded each district, allowing it to be sealed from the rest of the city during an attack. In such a situation, the soldiers would use the vast ramparts to navigate the city.

Maiya was beginning to think that even a sixfold numerical advantage wouldn’t take down this city. It was practically a castle, just on the scale of an enormous city. The largest in the Known World.

When they’d checked into their room—a modest, single room with two beds—Tanya ordered Maiya to hand back all of her borrowed orbs.

“Why?” Maiya asked, growing suspicious.

“They are mine by right, and are each worth a fortune. Or do you intend to steal them from me?”

“N-no, nothing like that,” Maiya said, begrudgingly handing over the C grade orbs she carried. The journey here, while uneventful, passed through Hiranyan territory; she’d learned after crossing the border that Kin’jali roads were far safer and better maintained than anything she’d seen in Hiranya.

“Now,” Tanya said, stowing all but a handful of orbs, “let me tell you the real reason we are here.”

“What do you mean? We’re here to meet your instructor, right?”

“Wrong. My instructor currently resides in the Altani capital city of Alt Ashani.”

“You lied to me?” Maiya went silent as she understood what was going on. “Why am I really here?”

“You are here to repay your debt to Riyan. You will infiltrate the royal palace as a handmaiden, and you will feed back information to me, which I shall forward to Riyan.”

Maiya’s face went white. “What? T-that’s impossible.”

“It just so happens that one of the junior handmaidens in Princess Ira’s employ has fallen terribly ill,” Tanya continued, ignoring Maiya’s tantrum. “She has been bedridden for months, and there is little chance she will recover. As such, there is a posting for her replacement.”

Tanya pulled out a writ and handed it to Maiya. “Riyan has seen to everything. You have an audition tomorrow. Do not mess this up.”

Maiya glared at her instructor. “I trusted you. I honestly thought I’d finally earned your respect. ”

Tanya sighed, and Maiya thought she caught a flicker of anguish in her expression. “Look, Maiya. This is not a dangerous posting. As a handmaiden, your life will improve greatly. You will have more money than you could ever have imagined. Wasn’t this your dream? Didn’t you want to become a famous mejai in a big city? Well? Here we are, in the largest city in the Known World. Prove yourself to the princess, and you will receive Mejai training second only to the Altani.”

“I don’t appreciate being manipulated like this, Tanya. Why didn’t you just tell me? And besides, how long am I supposed to do this, anyway? It feels like you want me here for a while.”

“Just one year. Truly nothing in the grand scheme of things. The gen—er, Riyan is worried that the Kin’jals are plotting something behind the scenes. He wants to know what, precisely.”

“And if it ends up being nothing?”

Tanya shrugged. “Then you may go on your merry way.”

“I refuse,” Maiya replied immediately.

“Then I’m afraid Vir’s life is forfeit. One message from me, and Riyan kills him in his sleep.”

“You bluff. He’s invested too much into Vir to off him like that.”

“I’m afraid I’m quite serious. But even if I was lying, can you risk it? You know fully well what that man is capable of. Do you think he would blink before killing someone? Trust me, he has killed hundreds already. One more would be nothing to him.”

Maiya ground her teeth. “You played us. You played us so well. This was all intentional, wasn’t it? Separating me from Vir so we couldn’t escape?”

Tanya frowned. “Just do as we ask, and one year from now, you will be free to do as you wish. We’ll even tell you Vir’s whereabouts.”

“What’s Vir’s task? What’s he going to do?”

“I’m afraid I cannot say.”

Of course you won’t… “So Riyan’s having him assassinate princess Mina after all.”

“You can guess all you want, but you’ll learn nothing from me,” Tanya replied with a neutral expression.

Maiya hoped Tanya’s reaction would give it away, but she had no such luck.

“So? Will you do this? Or must I inform Riyan?”

“I—” Maiya opened her mouth, then shut it as a thought occurred to her.

To this day, anger smoldered within her, ready to spark at any moment. She fully realized she had no power. No way of getting back at those who murdered her parents. Hiranya’s head priest, Knight Captain Vastav, and their entire chain of command.

But Kin’jal was Hiranya’s sworn enemy. Without the Altani’s support, Hiranya would have fallen Kin’jal long ago.

What if…

By becoming a handmaiden, she could grow close to Kin’jali royalty. Tanya wasn’t wrong. She could obtain the sort of power she sought.

Power she could use against Hiranya. Because while Riyan’s actions irked her, he wasn’t her true enemy. Hiranya was.

There was another benefit to this opportunity. By gaining power, she could shield herself from this kind of blackmail in the future, ensuring that no one ever took advantage of her again.

Because come what may, it was time she started taking charge of her own life.

“I’ll do it,” she said, gazing into Tanya’s black eyes. “But not because you’re strongarming me. I’ll do it because I want to. Because it’ll benefit me.”

“Excellent. Now, we have preparations to make…”

— —

“You who have gathered here this morning are here because of your prodigious talent. Each of you has a long history of excellence, and it is that very excellence that this position demands,” the head handmaiden said, her polished black heels clacking upon the equally polished castle stone floors.

Yeah, not me. This is gonna be tough, Maiya thought, eyeing her competition. A dozen young women stood in a row within the great dining hall. In front of them sat a long rectangular table. Each of them wore intricate black-and-white maid outfits, though the frills, buttons, and designs varied slightly.

The head handmaid strode past each of them, looking them up and down with judging eyes.

She’s strong, Maiya sensed, unconsciously touching the orbs under her dress. She knows how to fight.

Tanya had taken the orbs, then given her back a handful this morning. Maiya couldn't fathom why she'd need orbs for a handmaiden's audition, but she'd happily accepted them regardless.

The head handmaid’s every movement was crisp and practiced, and she looked at the candidates the same way Tanya did—with the eyes of a predator.

“The exam will last for one full cycle. During this time, you will receive no food or water, and you will be expected to complete each of your chores to the highest degree of perfection possible. The first candidate who completes their chores to our standards shall receive the position. Do I make myself clear?”

A whole day!? Intense… Maiya wondered why handmaidens needed such a rigorous test, but this was royalty, after all. Who knew what went on in their heads?

The young women all looked a bit on edge, sneaking glances at one another. Clearly, none of them had expected such a strict competition.

“Your task list,” the head handmaid said, passing out small chits of paper to each candidate. Actual paper.

Maiya scanned the list—Bedmaking, room cleaning, dish cleaning, dish serving—all of which looked quite standard.

In essence, the worst-case scenario for Maiya. Yes, she knew how to complete these chores—both Riyan and Tanya had been training her on the side—but she’d never honed these skills to perfection. She’d always focused more on her magic.

Maiya let out a long breath, which earned her the ire of the head handmaid. A hair clip flew across the room at her face, but she dodged it without even thinking.

The woman cocked a brow, but said nothing.

“One last thing. You may use any means at your disposal to win, so long as you do not inflict any mortal wounds on your competitors. The timer begins now!”

Before Maiya had even processed what the head handmaid said, the room devolved into chaos.

One girl flung water magic at the candidate next to her, and another unsheathed a hidden dagger, lunging at a competitor.

“We can attack each other!?” Maiya exclaimed, but her question went ignored.

What kind of crazy place is this?

Maiya dodged an incoming fire spell and backed up several paces. Luckily, the girl’s aim was terrible and her spell sailed past, slamming against the stone wall.

In fact, Maiya realized, most of the candidates seemed quite pitiful in combat. In their movements, Maiya saw only flaws and inefficiencies. Their attacks were all wrong, and they made poor decisions during combat.

A girl lunged at Maiya with a dagger, which she deflected, grabbing her opponent’s wrist and twisting it, causing the dagger to fall out of her hand.

Maiya grumbled, picking up her opponent’s dagger and taking it for her own. Her stunned opponent quickly ran away.

Great. Now I’ve gotta watch out for the others while trying to get my chores done.

A knot formed in her stomach. Even under ideal circumstances, she had little chance of doing her chores well. But now?

Oh, wait… What if I took them all out instead?

She knew she couldn’t beat them at the tasks. But what if there weren’t any other candidates? What if she was the only one left?

This could work!

The only question was how she went about it. Sure, she could fight them all, but that would be foolish. No, she’d just slip quietly away and hide somewhere, monitoring her competitors. She’d wait until they took each other out and stalk the ones who went about their tasks. Then, from the shadows, she could eliminate them one at a time.

Plan made, Maiya backed away—only to find herself beset by another woman. This one aggressively lunged with her knife, slashing haphazardly.

Instinctively, Maiya moved in right after one of the girl’s thrusts, ducking low before explosively lunging upward to deliver a palm strike to the girl’s chin.

The girl reeled for a moment. Then her eyes rolled up into the back of her head and she collapsed.

It was as if a bell had been rung. The remaining nine combatants all ceased their hostilities and stared at Maiya, eyes full of wariness.

“She’s a threat!” one of them said. “Get her!”

Well, so much for my plan…

Maiya pulled out a precharged B grade Ice orb. “Alright then. Let’s do this.”

Kin'jal City Map (zoom on, there is a lot of detail):

Vimana Kin'jal: