Trapped in the confines of her borrowed carriage, Sarnai passed the time in deep meditation, immersed within her Natal Palace to practice her skills. Initially, she shied away from the void after having spent months lost in the darkness. She worried she might slip back into another period of unresponsive unconsciousness, but after a week of suffering inside this abominable, bouncing box of death, she longed for the sweet relief of peaceful oblivion.

Sensing enough time had passed, Sarnai opened her eyes to a stationary carriage and listened to the bustle of soldiers and servants carrying on around her. Gingerly stretching her aching limbs, she sighed at the sight of her wrinkled hands and pouted as she donned her veil and gloves. In recent times, she’d come to dread going out in public with her husband. She loved him more than life itself, but it pained her to see people's reactions once they learned she wasn’t Baatar’s mother, but his wife. It ran the gamut from morbid curiosity to open disgust, but those were easily ignored. What hurt the most was seeing their sympathy, their pity for the poor, aged woman, growing old and ugly while her lover remained handsome and virile.

Hence, the veil and gloves. Better to be seen as eccentric rather than old, but how would she hide the other signs of her infirmity?

Truth be told, she didn’t spend all her free time meditating just to escape discomfort. Hiding inside her Natal Palace was a different sort of escapism, a denial of reality since she could be as young and energetic as she wished. Unhindered by her weakened physique, she ran through imaginary fields and scaled illusory mountains, reliving the vigour and vitality of her youth. What's more, ever since she woke from her vegetative state, she felt more in tune with her Chi, able to shape and wield it in ways she’d only heard of before the accident. Removing her left glove, she picked at her too-long nails, measuring almost four centimetres long from base to tip after six months of growth. While she appreciated her husband’s efforts to care for her without the aid of servants, she found his overall attention to detail somewhat lacking.

No matter, this served her purposes well enough. With a tired flick of her wrist, Sarnai cast a Honed shard of Chi from the tips of her index and middle fingers. Guiding it towards her Spiritual Weapon sitting on the seat across from her, it struck with a forceful clang, her spear bouncing in place as it absorbed the brunt of the impact while the cushion underneath split apart. Cursing beneath her breath, Sarnai winced with guilt as she surveyed the damage, both pleased and dissatisfied with the results. It wouldn’t take much effort to scale the force of her strike, but the area of focus wasn’t as concentrated as she’d like. She wanted a pin-point strike, surgical and precise, a thrusting needle as opposed to striking hammer. Range was also an issue, but further testing would have to wait.

This would be her hidden weapon, her dagger in the dark. The less people who knew about it the better. As Nian Zu’s second, her husband’s star was on the rise, but she knew from bitter experience that success breeds jealousy. Countless nobles of the Empire would work against him because of his heritage alone, unhappy to have a ‘half-beast cur’ standing above them. As successor to the highest military position in the North, her husband stood higher than most, so his enemies were numerous as the stars in the sky. As his frail and elderly wife, Sarnai knew she’d become his greatest weakness, a target to be captured and used against him, but if their enemies thought her a defenceless old woman, then she would prove them wrong. She was Sarnai, Speaker of the People, and with her spear the Piercing Star in hand, she would sweep aside all who stood before her.

And should the worst come to pass, her new ability could be used to take her own life before she brought harm to her family.

A soft knock on the door signalled her beloved’s arrival and she eagerly called him inside. The carriage door swung open to reveal her handsome husband, his teeth bared in a ferocious grin full of hunger and yearning. Even after so many years together, his smile filled her with the fire of a younger woman, her arms opening to welcome him with an embrace. Closing the door behind him, he took a seat beside her and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her into his lap to nuzzle as if they’d been separated for long months instead of mere hours. “Such a shame to hide your beauty so my love,” he Sent with a wistful sigh. “The world is a darker place without it.”

Sarnai giggled as his hot breath tickled her skin before snuggling deeper into his embrace. “Enough of your lies you honey-tongued devil.”

“Hmph. Were I not a magnanimous soul, I’d put you across my knee for impugning my honour. I, Baatar of the People, would never lie to you, my rose.” Moving her veil aside, he snuck in a kiss and smiled, gazing deep into her eyes for untold minutes before turning to glance at the ruined cushion opposite them. “Practising your new skills?”

“Mhm.” Feeling bad for damaging Nian Zu’s personal coach, she hurriedly changed the subject. It was easy enough to fix, probably. “What time is it? Have Alsantset and Rain arrived yet?” Military law was so bothersome, keeping her from seeing her precious family for an entire week now. Ten days without pinching Tate’s adorably chubby cheeks was enough to drive a woman mad.

“They are on their way and my pavilion awaits. Shall we?”

Nodding in meek compliance, Sarnai melted in her husband’s embrace as he lifted her in his arms and carried her out of the carriage. Closing her eyes to shut out any stray gazes, she smiled and indulged in her husband’s affection. Though her body had yet to recover enough to walk unaided, she’d still been forced to suffer through this long, arduous journey to Nan Ping. One does not ignore a personalized summons from the Emperor, no matter how unwell or unwilling one might be.

Even if it was to be the Emperor’s hostage.

Why else specifically name Sarnai and her family in the Imperial Missive? They’d even mentioned little Tali and Tate in the summons. With their families nearby and in danger from both Defiled and Empire, this made certain Baatar and other experts of the Empire would have no choice but to go along with whatever mad scheme the Emperor’s mouthpiece concocted. Were it up to her, Sarnai would have burnt the Missive and burnt the Imperial Messenger as a message of her own. Hell, she could've burnt everything in sight before retreating to the safety of the village, leaving it all for the Mother to sort out. Nothing would come of her actions, the Emperor could spare no soldiers to invade the Saint’s Tribulation Mountain during this time of upheaval. Should He weather the Defiled invasion and emerge victorious, it’d still be decades before His armies’ strength recovered enough to threaten the People, assuming He was willing to break treaty and invade.

Unfortunately, her sweet Baatar was a patriot at heart, inheriting his love of country from his idealistic mentor. In Sarnai’s mind, the Empire was the Empire and the People were the People, with a clear divide between the two.

They were both idiots, Mentor and Disciple alike. Akanai herself suffered greatly the last and only time she visited Central, with poor Husolt permanently losing an eye in the ensuing power struggles and posturing. Considering what she went through, it defied belief to think she still cared for the Empire, an undeserved loyalty which had long since infected Sarnai’s dog-brained fool of a husband. How could she not understand his heart? This time, her heroic husband intended to use his power to collect on his Master’s outstanding debts, but it was pure folly. These were men and women even the Herald of the Storms couldn’t stand against, so what chance did her sweet husband have?

Bringing her into the massive tent which made up his command centre, Sarnai’s beloved gingerly helped her into the wheeled chair Rain commissioned for her. While not the most comfortable means of conveyance, it offered her both mobility and dignity which was previously denied her, and for this she was grateful to her oh so clever son and skillful son-in-law. Rain even thought ahead and designed the chair to be detachable, turning it into an open litter with the addition of four poles. He was so full of ideas, where they sprang from she’d never know.

Why was he so adamant to choose the Martial Path? He could have been anything else, like a woodworker, smith, herbalist, or farmer, all far more suitable professions given his temperament.

As if summoned by the mere thought of him, Rain strode into the command centre with a cheerful grin, arm in arm with the adorable Mei Lin while Mentor, Li Song, Taduk, and a bevy of well-dressed pets followed in from behind. Watching the over-fed Mafu stride indoors without hesitation, Sarnai couldn’t help but shake her head. Only Rain could turn a self-reliant apex predator into the over-sized and over-stuffed furred sock standing before her, fearlessly sniffing his surroundings in search of treats.

After greeting Rain and Lin with a kiss on the cheek, Sarnai reached out and gave the fat quin a scratch on the chin. Squeaking with delight, Mafu crouched down and rested his head in her lap, eliciting a laugh from Sarnai as the cats and bears swarmed her for their share of affection. She’d never been too keen on Rain keeping wild animals as pets but their adorable behaviour and exceptional training eventually won her over. While two of the cats sat prettily and stretched their necks for pets, Aurie flipped over and presented his belly. On the other side, Banjo and Baloo reared up on their hind legs and stumbled about, their paws tucked against their chest as if afraid they might accidentally hurt someone. Petting each of them briefly in turn and getting her hands licked until they were sopping wet, she crooned “Hello my sweetlings. Yes, I’ve missed you all too.” Shooting her husband a look, she ignored his teasing grin and nodded in approval as he handed her a bag of dried meat.

Since Rain treated these animals like his children, that made them her pseudo-grandchildren, which meant it was her job to spoil them.

Soon after, Alsantset, Charok and the twins arrived. Skipping over, Tali shoved Mafu’s fat head aside to take his place on Sarnai’s lap. “Hi granma,” Tali said, smiling sweetly as she tugged on Mafu’s ears, the quin unyielding in his hunt for treats and affection.

“Grandma, dear heart, grandma. Enunciate.” Bringing out a bag of candied fruits, she let the twins take a few pieces before feeding the rest to Mafu and the bears. “Are you enjoying the trip?”

“Yup, but tomorrow’s gonna be better ‘cause we gonna ride quins! Rainy’s taking us to see a turtle.”

“Yes, I heard. It sounds so exciting.” Only Rain would think to take a pleasure trip during the long trek to Nan Ping, wholly indifferent to the pressure weighing down on him as the number one talent in the north and youngest Second Grade Warrant Officer in history. Unsurprising, since Rain always was a tenacious child, and that tenacity had rubbed off onto the twins. Tali’s enthusiastic response didn’t surprise her since the twins seemed fearless to the extreme. Neither one appeared worried about revisiting the Society; Tate even seemed eager to return, perhaps dreaming of righting wrongs suffered during their last excursion. Sarnai loved seeing the fire within him, so long as said fire stayed within and he kept his mouth shut. They had enough problems with Rain running his mouth, it wouldn’t do to have a second wagging tongue adding to their workload.

Reunited for the first time in a week, the minutes passed quickly as they shared a meal and all too soon the hour grew late. At Baatar’s request, Alsantset and Charok brought the twins to bed while Li Song did the same with the pets, leaving only Rain, Mei Lin, Taduk, Mentor, and herself in the command centre. Closing his eyes, her husband channelled his Chi and erected a sound barrier around them, one which was instantly overlaid by five more layers. Rolling her eyes at the juvenile display of strength, Sarnai glared at her Mentor, though the old blockhead merely shrugged and Sent “Only two of them are mine.”

Hmph. No matter. Caution was well warranted given their circumstances. Clearing his throat, her husband patted Rain’s shoulder and asked, “Who are you bringing with you tomorrow?”

“I brought Ravil to lead, with Jorani and Chey’s squads to bolster our numbers. Wang Bao, Argat, and Jochi should be camped out a half day’s ride from here. Oh, Pran and Saluk are coming too, they appointed themselves as my guards sometime while I wasn’t looking.” Shrugging, Rain added, “Not that I’m complaining, but like... should I pay them more? Anyways, after meeting up with them, we’ll have close to a hundred and fifty soldiers. It’s a good size, big enough to quietly deal with Captain-level threats and small enough to escape anything larger.”

Hearing his thoughts, Sarnai choked on her laughter, the silly child still ignorant of Mentor’s true strength. Though her decision making process bordered on the idiotic, Sarnai’s Mentor could easily handle any physical altercations they might encounter. Even if a dozen Demons and a hundred Wraiths laid in wait to take Rain’s head, Sarnai’s Mentor would see everyone safely through after killing every threat within ten kilometres.

Unless the enemy somehow tricked her or led her away, which was always a possibility to keep in mind when dealing with Mentor. How she survived so long on her own, Sarnai would never know.

“Good, but not enough.” Arriving on cue as if they’d rehearsed this, Jochi and Argot marched in leading a band of unfamiliar scruffy ruffians. “I sent someone ahead to collect them. Safer you all travel as a group from the start.”

Raising a single eyebrow, Rain glanced over the new arrivals, confusion etched into his face. “Jochi, Argat, nice to see you both again but uhh... Where’s Wang Bao and who are these people?”

The scuffy ruffians collectively fell to their knees and kowtowed towards Rain, surprising almost everyone in the room. “Great One,” the lead ruffian said, face still pressed to the ground. “We lowly slaves had the fortune to be rescued by your benediction.”

“Oh... OH! You’re the miners from the island. Please stand, please.” Eyes wide with disbelief, Rain studied the former slaves one by one. “Wow, what a difference half a year makes. I don’t recognize any of you, all healthy and fit. Could use a tan though.”

“We owe it all to Great One’s benevolence, providing food and care through it all.” The leader spoke up and bowed again, while the others followed his example. “This lowly one hopes to repay Great One’s generosity with his life, bearing spear and shield at Great One’s side.” The other’s echoed the leader’s sentiments, their eyes burning with adoration as they gazed upon Rain.

And it was only right they should. Even after hearing what Rain did, Sarnai still had trouble believing it was true.

Hearing how these former slaves wanted to fight at Rain’s side filled her with a mix of pride and sorrow. These strangers treasured her son more than her own people did. It disgusted her to know none of the People’s Sentinels had joined his ranks, leaving the safety of their greatest talent in the hands of former cripples, bandits, and slaves. All her life, Sarnai had taken pride in being one of the People, but lately, she felt nothing but disappointment for them.

If only they knew about Falling Rain’s miracles, how he pioneered the healing technique their greatest warriors were learning, or how he formed his Natal Palace at the tender age of seventeen without anyone noticing, or that he bonded with a drop of Heavenly Water and used it to cleanse the Father’s Taint from countless victims, then they too would look at Rain with fervent zeal. Instead, this sweet, talented young man lived his life as an outcast to his own people all because they feared what might happen should the truth escape.

It wasn’t right.

She was too weak, that’s what this all boiled down to. If she and the People possessed enough strength to oppose the Emperor, then life would be so much simpler. Her family wouldn’t be travelling south to become imperial hostages and there’d be no need to hide Rain’s incredible accomplishments. They could release his healing technique for all to learn, as he’d first intended. Then, with the Heavenly Water at his beck and call, Rain could travel across the Empire and cleanse away the Father’s touch, making the world a safer place without fire or steel.

She was so proud of him. After all he’d been through, Rain never turned to hatred or despair, only wanting nothing more than to make the world a better place, yet the world itself worked against him.

Strength. That’s what she needed. If Mentor refused to give it her all to protect Rain, than Sarnai would step up and do so instead. She still had forty odd years of life in her yet, plenty of time to reach the pinnacle of strength. After Rain reluctantly accepted the former slaves into his retinue, she bade him goodnight with a tearful goodbye. Fixating on Mentor’s back, Sarnai Sent “Make sure he survives the coming turmoil. Even if you must leave everyone else behind, bring my son home.”

Mentor’s footsteps paused ever so slightly before nodding once. Reaching over to take her husband’s hand, she squeezed it with all her might. Given ten or twenty more years, Rain would play an integral part in the war against the Defiled, but this was too soon. Even with all his skill and talent, he was still little stronger than an ant, easily crushed underfoot, but such is life. There was no sending him home, those with great talents must endure great hardships. She could only pray for his safety, for the Empire faced the greatest threat it had ever known.

The Enemy was here and they would need every bit of fighting strength the Empire had to offer in order to survive.

Chapter Meme