The rams moved slowly and steadily over the landscape. We soon left the trail entirely, and Nico took the lead, guiding his animal using the position of the sun. Their uneven gate jostled their hindquarters and soon stripped my thighs raw. From the way Nico shifted in his saddle, I could tell he was suffering too, although he never complained.

The day progressed as we traveled over the rolling hills, only stopping to stretch our legs and let the animals drink. As promised, they were hearty and showed no signs of tiring. When we did dismount, they stayed without needing to be tied to a tree or rock.

Over the clopping of the hooves, we talked about the fate of Chibron. “Will the resistance have to cut the town off completely?” I asked.

Nico’s eyebrows pinched together. “Losing Chibron’s aid would be devastating. We rely on them when our provisions run low in the summer, and they’re an extra line of defense if Keon turns his attention to this region.”

“So what will you do?”

“When I return, I’ll suggest that we send a delegation to talk to the town leaders. Although, I suspect some of the Resistance elders will contest it.”

“Why?”

“Two reasons: it is possible that the people of Chibron have already decided to abandon the resistance, and some of our leaders were already pushing for the base to become autonomous. I do understand their stance–if Keon were to discover Chibron, he would destroy it just as he aims to destroy Solokia.”

I clenched the saddle tighter. “I don’t understand. I know the king doesn’t agree with Solokia’s way of governing, but why would he go to these lengths to declare war? I thought his grandfather promoted union between the two countries.”

Nico glanced back at me. “Anabelle, that’s bullshit. It may be what they taught in Historical Amberasta, but it contains only a grain of truth.”

I froze in the saddle. “You said that before. Tell me, what does it mean?”

“What do you know about World War III?”

I thought back to school and Keon’s speeches. “Well, before the war, most countries had their own governments. They were in constant conflict, and trade almost reached a standstill. So the king’s grandfather, Akli, proposed that the countries unite. Of course, there were those who resisted, so eventually two countries were formed instead of one: Solokia as a democracy and Amberasta as a monarchy.”

“That’s technically correct,” Nico began. I pushed my ram to walk closer to his and listened with rapt attention. “Keon’s grandfather, Akli, was the leader of a small country in a region called Northern Africa. At the time, the region was very divided, as you said, and his ideas gained traction quickly. But still, his power was limited in scope.

“Akli was a brilliant strategist. He bided his time, and in due course, he managed to attract the attention of some leaders far north by declaring war on their enemies’ colonies. They lent him their resources, thinking that he would offer them African land if he won. It was during a meeting with with these leaders that Akli became familiar with a weapon called an atomic bomb.”

It was my first time hearing the term. “Atomic?”

“It’s an extremely powerful weapon–probably too powerful. It uses high temperature and pressure to alter the inside of atoms, the most basic building block of our world. At the time, there was a law that stated that no country could use these bombs, since just one was powerful enough to level a major city.”

I shook my head in disbelief. “Does such a weapon still exist?”

“I’ll get there. Anyway, when the law was made, no one predicted that a leader would come about who had both the resources and the willingness to use the bomb in combat. At the time, the world’s powers had ceased to produce the bombs, and very few were in existence. Those that did exist were well hidden and ill-prepared for deployment.

“Through empty promises, Keon’s grandfather gained the trust of a European country that had been producing the bombs in secret. When he attacked, there was not much the rest of the world could do. He wasn’t strong yet, but he was cunning, and he had a smooth tongue.” He took a deep breath. “One thing they taught us was true–back then, the world was very divided. Akli’s greatest skill was taking advantage of the political tensions of the time. He bombed major cities in America and China, two countries that were very powerful but had a poor relationship. He planted evidence that indicated China was responsible for the attack on America, and vice versa. It was a weak facade, but they saw through it too late. In retaliation, they damaged each other almost beyond repair.”

Goosebumps pricked at my arms. “Didn’t the other countries resist him? How many were there?”

“There were about two-hundred countries at the time, but most were in no position to fight his army. Some joined him, hoping for the spoils of war, while others supported him in secret, glad to see America and China fall. Of course, there were those who fought him bravely. That’s why the war lasted ten years.

“Unfortunately, Keon’s grandfather and his allies were far too ruthless. They used the bomb to kill everyone and everything: women, children, and billions of civilians died. Great swaths of land, like those beyond Amberasta and Solokia, are still uninhabitable today. The country that was called China is now nothing more than a terrible wasteland. For close combat they created new, brutal chemical weapons that reacted with substances inside of the human body. It was a very dark time.”

I stared at Nico. No one had ever mentioned that Akli had used such underhanded tactics. In Amberasta, he was hailed as a hero and the very personification of morality. “How did Solokia come into existence?” I asked. “It seems as though Keon’s grandfather would not have wanted to share power.”

“That’s right, he didn’t. In the middle of the war, Akli began what are now called the Great Purges, in which he assassinated almost all of the leaders that had allied with him. At this point, most of the soldiers were loyal to him anyway, but this was the beginning of the tensions within his army. Near the end of the war, there was an uprising amongst his forces. The rebels were brilliant, cunning, and strong in numbers, and they attacked the army’s nuclear bases and stole atomic material. There were accidents, and many of the rebels died, but eventually they stole or destroyed all of Akli’s nuclear resources. They killed or recruited his scientists until none were left, and they burned all of the books and records in the labs. In the process, many innocent people died.”

I grimaced. Some might say that they don’t sound much better than Akli… yet sometimes only a greater evil can defeat evil itself.

“It was necessary,” Nico said, as if reading my mind. “By the end of their campaign, Akli’s forces had lost the ability to make new atomic weapons. He was forced to sign a treaty with the rebels, and the two groups formed Solokia and Amberasta: the rebels in Solokia, and Akli’s forces in Amberasta.”

I shook my head. Nico’s story challenged everything I knew. Like the current king, Akli had manufactured a war to increase his personal power. He had been a tyrant, not a benevolent leader who had wished to unite the countries. “Since the rebels formed Solokia, does that mean they have the bomb?” I asked.

Nico sighed. “They may, but they have yet to use it in this war.”

I rubbed my thighs, dulling the sting from riding. “Now I understand why Keon is so determined to eradicate Solokia. It’s his legacy.”

“Yes. As long as Solokia exists, it’s a threat to his power.”

“The teachers made it sound like Akli cooperated with Solokia out of the kindness of his heart.”

Nico laughed. “He didn’t, and neither did his son or grandson. They simply had no choice. Although now, with this war… Keon may finally be able to achieve his grandfather’s dream.”

***

When dusk came, we found shelter underneath a cluster of trees. Nico made a small fire to cook beans and pork fat, using the empty can as a pot. The savory aroma made my mouth water, but I felt too uncomfortable in my soiled riding clothes to wait by the fire. Instead, I walked partway down the hill to clean up.

As I stripped off my pants, I gasped. My legs had been rubbed raw, and my inner thighs were wet with dark blood. My skin had given way against the stiff leather saddle, forming welts the size of a silver coin. Using the pants as a rag, I cleaned off as best I could and limped to rejoin Nico.

We sat by the fire, eating beans and watching the animals pick at the shrubs by the light of the moon. I glanced at Nico, who appeared deep in thought. I felt a surge of fondness for him–throughout the day, we’d talked just like normal friends or travelers. Somewhere along our journey, his cold persona had thawed.

A bleat sounded nearby. Nico’s ram, Sudlic, was using his horns to prod at the slightly smaller Alpizeep, who grunted and kicked him away. Sudlic shuffled backwards, tossing his head and rocking onto his back legs like a toy horse. Next to me, Nico laughed–a true, full-bodied laugh–and I couldn’t help but join him. As the rams continued their strange ritual, we were soon both holding our sides and gasping for breath.

***

Nico stretched one arm above his head in the first position of his aikido routine, and I followed. The movement seemed to bring out every shred of soreness that my body had accumulated since the start of our journey, which was now on its thirteenth day. I watched him carefully, matching each foot and hand position. Despite his shoulder injury, he was as lithe as ever, and only modified the positions when they involved raising his bad arm. The hills were quiet except for our breathing and the occasional grunts from the rams. When we finished, my leg muscles felt as though they had been completely unraveled.

I stumbled back to the camp, rinsed my face, and saddled Alpizeep. It was early morning when we began our second day of travel since leaving Chibron. We rested at noon, when it was hottest, and then set off again as the sun started to sink below the horizon. As we crested another hill, my eyes caught a tall juniper tree with a red flag billowing from its trunk. In the distance, the other hills were topped with the same flag, like lonely sentries marching into the distance. “What are those?” I pointed.

“They mark the border between Amberasta and the lands beyond.”

I stiffened in my seat, holding onto the saddle to steady myself. “You mean… we’re leaving Amberasta?”