The deep silence of the mountains was typically stirred only by the passing wind. Today, however, as a hurried breeze rustled the leaves softly, Chinua felt a strange unease; the sound was oddly reminiscent of a knife slicing a chicken's throat.
Khawn quickly pushed Chinua behind him, a small, protective gesture that drew a mocking laugh from Drystan.
Drystan pointed one of his axes at Khawn. "Whoever you are," he sneered, "the Magoli behind you doesn't need your protection. It's her I want to fight."
"If you want to fight her, you'll have to go through me first," Khawn stated firmly.
"What a loyal dog. I'm impressed," Drystan mused, his smile directed at Chinua. "Hey Magoli, you never told me your name."
"I have told you already," Chinua retorted. "You're not worthy to know my name."
"The reason I ask," Drystan purred, "is so when you die, I can put a name on your grave."
No sooner had the words left his lips than Drystan hurled one of his axes at Khawn. Khawn expertly deflected it with his chain. Without missing a beat, Drystan charged forward, snatching up the axe on his approach, and continued his assault toward Khawn and Chinua.
Drystan swung his axe at Khawn, who pushed Chinua back before raising his arm to block the blow. Drystan's axe struck the shackles on Khawn's left wrist with a jarring clang. Khawn then landed a punch to Drystan's stomach so forceful that Drystan stumbled back several steps, away from Khawn and Chinua.
Drystan giggled, the pain in his gut radiating upwards. He smirked at Khawn. "Dirty slave," he scoffed, "your fists are strong. How about you turn around and become my subordinate? I promise you'll have a far better life than trying to protect this Magoli."
Khawn rolled his eyes at Drystan. "I only have one master," he replied dismissively, "and obviously, that's not you."
Drystan smiled. "Are you sure you don't want to consider my proposal?" he pressed.
Khawn remained silent.
Drystan's smile hardened. "Fine…" He raised his right hand, and a wave of figures slowly emerged from the roadside. "The offer's off now." He pointed his axe at Khawn and Chinua. "The only way out for you two is death."
Chinua drew the dagger from her waist, gripping it tightly in her right hand. "Don't act like you're afraid," she whispered, stepping out from behind Khawn to stand beside him. She glared at Drystan, her dagger leveled at him. "Are you sure it won't be you who runs away?"
Drystan smiled, a predatory gleam in his eyes. "I have always admired your strong will, Magoli," he murmured.
Chinua stared straight at Drystan. "If you can capture me," she challenged, "I'll tell you my name."
Drystan smirked. "How about we save ourselves the trouble and you just put down your little dagger?"
Chinua challenged, "If you want my dagger, come and take it."
Drystan let out a booming laugh that echoed across the mountains. "Okay," he agreed, his smile wide. He surged forward, joined by his ten men, and they began their assault on Chinua and Khawn.
"Hold on!" Chinua yelled, her voice fierce. "We won't die here!" She raised her dagger, deflecting a sword blade coming from her left.
Khawn punched a man in the face, while another swung his sword at Khawn's left, forcing Chinua to block the attack with her left arm. Before the blade could connect, an arrow struck the assailant between the eyebrows, killing him instantly. Then, a volley of arrows rained down on the bandits from both left and right.
"Chinua!" came shouts from multiple directions.
Chinua spun around, relief washing over her as she saw her fellow soldiers rushing to their aid. Khunbish lunged forward, grabbing Khawn's right arm and yanking him away from Chinua. He aimed a hard kick at Khawn, who blocked it with his right hand. Khenbish was already at Chinua's side, his fingertips grazing the hilt of his sword.
"Are you hurt?" Khenbish asked, his voice laced with concern.
"Khunbish, don't hurt him!" Chinua quickly interjected, just as Khunbish's sword halted inches from Khawn's throat. Khunbish withdrew his blade and swiftly took a defensive stance beside Chinua. "What about the other bandits?" Chinua asked.
"They're all dead," Khunbish replied grimly.
The four surviving bandits slowly retreated towards Drystan. "Let's regroup," Drystan said, his gaze fixed on Chinua. "You're always lucky."
Chinua quickly snatched Chaghatai's bow and an arrow, leveling it at Drystan. "Kill them!" she ordered. She released the bowstring, and the arrow found its mark in one of the retreating bandits' chests.
"Yes, Chinua!" Khunbish and Khenbish affirmed in unison. They surged forward to engage the five remaining bandits.
Just as Chinua moved to join the fray, Timicin grabbed her left arm. "You stay behind," he commanded. "Och, watch her."
Chinua turned to Och, her eyes scanning him. "Are you hurt?" she asked, grasping his left arm.
Och smiled, a slight grimace touching his lips. "A little injury," he said, shrugging. "It's no big deal."
Chinua looked up to see that her fellow soldiers had dispatched the remaining four bandits and were now surrounding Drystan. Chinua, Och, and Haitao quickly joined them.
"Go ahead and kill me," Drystan sneered. "I'm not begging."
"Whose orders did you follow?" Chinua pressed.
"I'm not talking," Drystan retorted, his gaze challenging. "You'd better kill me."
Chinua looked at Haitao. "Captain, what do you think we should do with him?" she asked.
"Since he's a bandit," Haitao replied, "we'll take him to the local authorities to deal with. It's not our place to prosecute him." He then surveyed the fallen bandits. "We still need to notify law enforcement about this ambush."
Terbish unbuckled his belt and used it to bind Drystan's hands securely.
"Terbish," Muunokhoi cautioned, "be sure to tie his hands tightly."
"Don't worry," Terbish assured him. "There's no way he's getting out of this." He handed the end of the belt to Od. "You guard him. Your fighting skill is better than mine."
Haitao and Od led the descent down the mountain, the other soldiers falling in behind them. Halfway down, Drystan noticed Od's attention waver as he spoke with Haitao. He quickly glanced back at the less attentive soldiers trailing them.
Drystan lunged forward with a smirk, seizing Od's right shoulder and executing a swift somersault over him. As he landed, he grabbed Od's hand, attempting to yank the rope free. But Od tightened his grip on Drystan's hand and slammed him to the ground. Od pinned Drystan's chest with his right foot.
Od looked down at Drystan, sprawled on the ground beneath his foot, and sneered. He turned to Terbish. "You lost. You owe me a bowl of stewed lamb."
"Od," Terbish pleaded, "can we talk this through one more time? How about a roasted potato instead?"
Od grabbed Drystan's shirt and yanked him upright. "No deal," he stated. He shoved Drystan forward. "Continue following our captain down this mountain road, or would you rather die by the roadside and become crow food tonight?"
Drystan giggled. "Ha… ha… ha… You're determined to let me live, and I can guarantee you won't kill me now."
"You should be thankful to Chinua," Od warned, "or Khunbish's sword will be merciless when it faces you."
"Are you short on soldiers," Drystan probed, "is that why women are allowed in the Hmagol's army?"
"Shut your mouth," Od growled, "or you'll be gagged with Terbish's underpants."
Khawn slowly trailed behind the rest of the group, dragging his chain shackles, keeping pace with Chinua, Khunbish, and Khenbish.
Khenbish looked back at Khawn and Chinua. "Is he the one you said you rescued in the market?" he asked.
Chinua hummed in affirmation. "Mmm…"
"Are you going to keep him?" Khunbish inquired.
"I can't keep him," Chinua replied, looking at Khunbish. "I'm still in training, and General Batzorig won't let him into the Northern training camp."
Khenbish said, "Chinua, since we're heading south and many dangers await us, why not keep him for now? He seems determined to protect you."
"I'm not used to being called master," Chinua said. She turned to face Khawn, who stopped a few feet away. "You are free. You can go wherever you want."
Khawn didn't look up at Chinua. "Master," he murmured, "you saved me. I am your slave."
"I don't need anyone to be my slave," Chinua stated. She approached Khawn and gently lifted his face. "Look at me in the eyes." Khawn met her gaze. "Don't call me Master. Call me Chinua."
"But…" Khawn began, hesitating.
"I saved you," Chinua reiterated, "but you don't have to follow me."
"I have nowhere to go," Khawn admitted, "except to follow you."
"Then sell me your life," Chinua proposed. "Walk by my side, not as my slave, but as my equal."
Khawn looked at Chinua, and a sudden wave of sadness welled up in his heart. For too long, he hadn't even remembered if he had a name. Panting heavily, he slowly looked up at Chinua again. "Chi… Chi… Chinua," he stuttered, the name foreign yet liberating on his tongue.
"In front of me," Chinua gently assured him, "you can speak freely without worrying about offending me."
"I am Khunbish," Khunbish announced, "Chinua's right-hand man."
"I am Khenbish," Khenbish added, "Chinua's left-hand man."
"Let's go," Chinua said softly. She turned and followed the others down the mountain road.
Khunbish looked at Khawn. "Chinua is also our savior," he stated. "Remember, we live and die for Chinua."
Khenbish added, "Also, we don't have to abide by the master-slave rule in front of Chinua, but in front of other people, Chinua is our master."
Khawn looked at Khunbish and Khenbish and nodded slowly. "I understand," he said.
"Hey, the three of you are too far behind!" Chinua called out. "Hurry up…"
The three quickly fell in behind the others. Just as the group of soldiers slowly disappeared down the mountain road, a bandit who had been lying on the ground, feigning death, slowly stirred. He broke the arrow lodged in his upper left chest, slowly rose, and began to walk, staggering, back towards the training camp.