Below the Heavens [Trad Epic High Fantasy]

One should never take pride in rage, only in the principles behind it.

— Excerpt from Meditations, by the Red Emperor

The Endless Sands, Between The Black/Gold (?) Pyramid and Oasis

Acceptance.

That was the word Molam could use to describe the reigning emotion sitting in his mind as he walked towards the Mursa's campfire. Well, not just acceptance; calm acceptance. A far cry from the previous turmoil of anxiety, but it was a vast improvement from endless worrying.

The day had been long and they had survived a horde of Sandwurms. His white clothing clung onto his skin, for while the winds running through the dunes wicked away the moisture, it did nothing about the body's oil. Ironically, he welcomed the tactile discomfort as a form of distraction. It did wonders to help him avoid worrying about whether he walked towards death.

Minimize wasting energy worrying about the same thing twice, his mentor had always admonished. Molam understood the concept; it was never too late to worry about something until after it happened, or else you wasted so much thinking on what may never happen. But Molam had always struggled with putting theory to practice considering his mentor also praised the virtue of preparation, or, as it described, the most productive form of worrying. Then, if you prepared well enough, why worry?

Ahhh, but how does one ever know they prepared well enough? Wasn't worrying born precisely from the idea there could always be something better, something different? Not that Molam could do anything anymore, as evidenced by his current state of acceptance. The things spirits said only made sense if you considered their eternal lifespans. A luxury, being able to outlive any mistakes and already having had an eternity to prepare.

If the Oasians wanted to kill him on sight, then that was that. After all, he had removed Oasis' purported control over JiangXi City and proposed the Empire let Oasis take the fall for losing control of the city. He'd prepared as much as he could to deflect blame or criticism, but then again…

Calm acceptance, he reminded himself. Do not react; respond. It was one thing to assume the Shield and Spear of Oasis may not be hostile against him, but another to remember that he had no recourse if they demanded something immediately.

But what was there to respond to? The inevitable meeting with the Oasians was here. Certainly earlier than he had expected, but it was here. He'd prepared so many possible excuses and even more ideas on how he could direct the conversation. Persuade? Convince? Redirect? Hope they hadn't received information about JiangXi? But no, that wasn't possible; Mursa Khan and Mursa Allyce were already in Oasis. Either would have brought the information to the Stewards. Did the Shield and Spear have standing orders to deal with the Dao? The mursashu were protected by treaty, but the Dao were not.

Molam pinched his arm to stop the rising anxiety. Perhaps he was worrying too much. Why assume the Shield and Spear of Oasis would be hostile towards him? Moreover, what could he do if they demanded any reparations, considering the City of JiangXi was now under Sanctuary's control?

And so by the time the messenger rider alerted him of the summons, Molam had to set aside the anxiety and settle for acceptance. The preparations were done. The time was here, and now all he could do was stand up and walk towards the possibility of death.

Kalle stood up as well, patting down his clothes for the mask that would help retain moisture, avoid chapped lips, and minimize nosebleeds.

"We're coming with you," Kalle said as he tied on his mask. "So you don't have to face them alone if they try to give you grief over JiangXi."

Molam blinked. "Oh, that's heartwarming," he said. Surprising even himself, Molam found he meant it.

"They'll bring attendants." Primrose rolled her neck and shoulders, stowing away her waterskin. "Well, you'll have to make do with us," she added sweetly.

Molam wondered if Primrose was trying to make up for having given him an earful for their disagreement that had seen him jump off a sand sled and almost get himself killed. Knowing her, she was probably just staying close to minimize any more of those things she characterized as "dumb mistakes." Out loud, he said as he put on the mask, "You're not my attendants. More like my companions."

Primrose and Kalle both winced. "We should go with 'friends,'" cautioned Primrose. "We've already attracted the Empire's ire. No use riling up their populace if they think you want to lay claim as the next Hero."

Friends. Molam grimaced at the word behind the safety of his mask. "Nothing we do can put us back in the Empire's good graces. It just seems a shame that a whole word has been twisted to only refer to the Companions," he complained. "And isn't 'friends' a bit too casual for this meeting?"

Kalle shrugged. "Cohorts?"

"Allies? Partners? Comrades?" offered up Primrose.

"Colleagues?" Kalle added again. "Coterie?"

"You know what, you two can decide," Molam sighed. "But please don't embarrass me in front of the Oasians."

And that was how it was supposed to be when Molam walked up to the Titled Ones gathered around the Mursa's campfire. He blinked away the brightness which greeted him within the gathered circle. A tremble in his step needed to be stilled before he entered, unclenching a hand in an attempt to appear relaxed the moment he made his presence known.

He was greeted by two pairs of eyes framed with golden aura.

"Welcome, Molam," said Jyuni from Molam's left side. Mursa Jyuni, Molam corrected his thoughts, seeing the golden aura shift on her arm tattoo. She had become Mursa now. He felt two conflicting emotions: the first, a calm acceptance that Mursa Shang was gone and he would need to carefully analyze Mursa Jyuni for mistakes and weaknesses. The second emotion was a gentle wave of sympathy as he noticed the dark circles under her eyes. He'd heard from the other mursashu about the circumstances in which Jyuni had become Mursa. Even if she didn't allow herself to cry, Molam had no doubt she was running herself ragged trying to escape her sense of guilt. "I called you here because as a representative of the Dao, you deserve a seat here while we discuss our next moves to reach Oasis."

Molam felt his own wave of guilt, realizing he was already thinking about how he could use Mursa Shang's death to his advantage if he wanted to influence Jyuni. The act of explicitly calling him here sent several messages; that Mursa Jyuni wanted the Oasians to see him as an equal at the table, that she possibly wanted him to be comfortable knowing she wasn't doing any dealings with the Oasians without his knowledge, and — Molam suspected — she wasn't ready to deal with two Titled Ones by herself.

"I appreciate the invitation, Mursa," said Molam, stepping forward to the seat they had reserved for him. He stayed calm as he observed how the other two reacted when he spoke to Jyuni first; times like this normally dictated he address the Titled Ones by order of rank or age, and Mursa Jyuni did not come first in either. Mursa Jyuni frowned, giving Molam a sharp look he did not usually associate with her. We can't lift each other up if you won't play, thought Molam as he greeted the other two with polite decorum: "I offer my greetings to the Shield and Spear of Oasis," he acknowledged them with a nod. "I've heard many stories."

The Shield raised a hand in greeting, and the Spear gave him an appraising look.

"Well I'll be, it's actually white," muttered the Spear, leaning against a sand sled to his right. The tall woman did not wear a mask over her handsome face, nor did she let her golden gaze linger on Molam. Instead, she glanced at Jyuni, who sat across from her. "Even if it's true, that doesn't mean anything here. Our Lord doesn't seem to hold the Oracle in high regard any longer."

"The mark of the Oracle still means something," said the Shield thoughtfully. The man sat directly across from Molam. He looked bigger than Kalle and Shurra, but his voice was deep yet soft despite his size. Molam hadn't been able to meet any of the Titled Ones the last time he was in Oasis and wondered idly if the muscular Shield of Oasis was the type of man who only looked menacing on the outside. He had dressing on a wounded shoulder; the white bandages were dark red with dried blood. Molam could see that their first plan to move all the injured outside of the Princess' Domain worked. Once outside, the healers had been able to circulate their aura correctly. "I cannot speak for our Lord, but Head Priestess Yara will be overjoyed."

"And these two?" the Spear raised her eyebrows at Kalle and Primrose. "Did they also participate in this so-called 'Liberation of JiangXi'?"

Primrose's features tensed up alongside Molam. Here it was, the topic they needed to avoid. To think the Spear of Oasis brought it up so casually.

But Kalle nodded proudly as he said, "Of course we did. We're part of the same cabal!"

Cabal?! Molam almost rounded on Kalle. Why, oh why did I leave an opening for an alchemist to decide a name? Instead, he stepped purposefully forward to stand in front of Kalle, adding, "What Kalle meant to say is that we've chosen to be called the Dao. And just to clear the air of any possible misunderstandings, the matters of JiangXi were intended to be between us and the Empire. We didn't know Oasis was involved, and did what we had to do in order to survive. The Dao has no enmity with Oasis."

The two Titled Ones shared a knowing look.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

The Shield responded first in that slow, contemplative way of his. "You seem determined to influence our opinions first, but there's not much to say here. We haven't been given any orders related to your… ah, Dao cabal? – by the Lord."

"Our opinions don't matter much when it comes to these affairs either way," the Spear added. "I remove the enemies of Oasis." She jerked her chin towards the Shield, saying, "and this one protects the people of Oasis. That being said, we were just beginning to discuss with Mursa Jyuni about the matter of some resources intended for our City. I believe you ended up being the recipient?"

The second dangerous topic. Molam had been hoping these two wouldn't be informed about it, or had forgotten it. But when was life ever convenient?

He met the Spear's golden gaze with his own. No lies. "We were desperate. IceMourne had already flown overhead when we realized the City Lord had left JiangXi with few reserves to survive Winter's Sorrow. Mursa Shang was kind enough to trade with me at the time."

Molam regretted the last sentence as soon as he said it. A less charitable interpretation would read it as him putting the responsibility on the mursashu's decision to sell it to him. The pressure would be on Jyuni now, and they hadn't discussed beforehand how to navigate this specific question. She would be fully right to take offense at it.

Mursa Jyuni spoke up then. "The Dao traded fairly for the goods. While they were intended to be transported to Oasis, City Lord Agytha had transferred possession to us as collateral while we waited for payment. After the events called the Liberation of–" she paused before finishing, blinked twice, then continued, "JiangXi, Mursa Shang determined Agytha's death to be a barrier to fulfilling her side of the deal, and so we assumed ownership of the collateral. No one stole from Oasis."

"You assumed ownership of the collateral, which belonged to Oasis," the Spear clarified. A spear was in her hand. She held it lightly in front of her, sliding a fingertip down its shaft before flicking the metal rod.

Ping.

The sound vibrated through the air, higher pitched than Molam would have believed. It lingered in the air longer than it should have and left an even longer silence. Molam's ears heard the lightest swish of clothing as Primrose shifted behind him. Kalle had taken a step back. Mursa Jyuni's face seemed pale in the orange glow of the campfire.

"And then the Dao traded for it, yes," Molam spoke up. He forced his tone to be mild even while the skin on his neck crawled. The choice was being thrust upon him and he had to gamble now. She can threaten, but I can strike first. If she was reasonable at all, the Spear wouldn't be looking for a fight right now.

If she was reasonable.

Giving the most polite of smiles he could muster, Molam added, "I wouldn't want to accuse Oasis of reneging on their promises when it comes to collateral, but I understand the difficulty of parting with things when it comes time. Is there a lingering sentiment of ownership?"

Mursa Jyuni's eyes darted towards Molam in surprise. Even the Spear seemed taken aback at Molam's choice of words, wearing an expression as though she hadn't expect him to challenge her directly. She paused with her grip loose on the spear, then took a half step forward. The speartip now angled towards Molam, point glinting in the firelight.

"Our City was expecting a large shipment of food, only to find out it was stolen from us. I don't have an opinion on whether you're an enemy… but this is a different matter altogether. Lingering sentiment? More like–"

"Enough, Kyra," the Shield barked. "Unless you mean to escalate this further, we'll be heading back with them and I don't care for any sort of animosity. They just fought for us. Leave that problem to the Stewards."

The speartip pointed towards the Shield, and it seemed for a moment as though Kyra the Spear would not let the matter rest. Then the spear stabbed into the sands and stayed there. Kyra leapt backwards to sit atop a sand sled, then gazed down at Molam. Her face was barely lit by the campfire. Only her eyes glowed golden in the night.

"One final question then. Are you an enemy of Oasis?"

Straight and direct. Molam followed suit. "I am not. I'm only here to trade. The Dao would like to purchase a large amount of jade. Once we have it, we'll return to Mur with the mursashu and hope to be back in the Central Valley before Autumn's Colors." After a moment, he added carefully, "I am certain the Lord of Sands would appreciate the thorn we've been in the Empire's side and welcome us as allies."

The calculated statement paused the conversation just as he intended. Molam noticed a quick flicker of eye contact between the Shield and Spear, and even Mursa Jyuni crossed her legs and folded her hands together as she waited for them to respond. He would make it a point to ask Primrose if she had glimpsed any communication between the two Titled Ones.

Finally, the Shield grunted. "You shouldn't call yourselves a cabal if you want allies."

"Now about that–" Kalle began, but Molam stepped on the man's foot.

Why did I trust an alchemist to name us? Molam resolved to never ask for Kalle's opinions on naming again. He spoke to the Shield, "Names are malleable, and our identity changes to suit our needs. Just the 'Dao' will work for our purposes if any official relationship needs to be inked when we meet the Lord of Sands."

The two eyed each other again. The Spear folded her arms together, seemingly content with letting her brother speak.

"Our Lord has been in seclusion since the Festival of the Hero," explained the Shield. His voice was still strong, even if the man himself seemed exhausted from the day's events. "The Stewards will determine what needs to be done when it comes to diplomatic matters. All I know is I should offer my thanks." He stood up, a hulking dark mass, and faced Mursa Jyuni before offering a bow of his head. "Many lives were lost today. I am not oblivious to the fact that Mursa Shang has left us. I respected him greatly as a person who fought to keep his people safe. I think he and I had that in common. His selfless decision to extend aid saved the lives of my riders, and I think mine as well. I will apologize for my sister's zealous remarks."

The Shield affixed a flat stare at the Spear. She squirmed, then bowed her head as well. "I'm grateful to the mursashu for saving our people, including my brother. I'm sorry for coming off harsh earlier. You are welcome to Oasis." Another stare from the Shield later, the Spear added, "I am sorry about Mursa Shang's fate."

Mursa Jyuni stood up, smoothing out her clothes. She bowed her head to the Shield of Oasis as well, though a quiver entered her voice. "I have yet to finish understanding the memories he left me, but I know he always spoke highly of you two." A moment later, she clapped her hands together, "But, he would not want us to waste valuable time mourning his passing. We have much to discuss while our people salvage what they can, particularly with how to deal with the messy aftermath. And finally, Molam from the Dao may have certain insights into what you experienced in the … Pyramid."

The topics of discussion went towards how they would treat the dead, for the heat of the Sands would spoil the bodies on the morrow. There was no Priestess to conduct a proper funeral rite, but the needs of the living took priority. The mursashu settled on burning the bodies, using the owner's waterskins to hold their ashes. The Oasians offered up their own sand sleds to carry the mursashu cargo, for many of the mursashu sleds had been ruined in the fight with the Sandwurms. All in all, Molam observed that the two groups worked well together when their differences were set aside, a testament to their decades of history.

Then finally, Mursa Jyuni gave a surreptitious signal to Molam before asking the Shield a pointed question: "Our entire caravan experienced a moment of madness when the dragon's Domain pulsed out of the Pyramid. Many were already injured then, and it was that pulse that caused the horde of Sandwurms to converge on our location. I think we deserve to know what happened in DuskWing's Lair. So… I ask you, Shield of Oasis Taryk. What happened?"

All eyes turned onto the Shield of Oasis. From the Spear's attentive expression, Molam guessed even she was in the dark as to what had happened. Molam scanned the two riders standing behind the Titled Ones of Oasis. Rider Jyuyan remained expressionless, but he had been uncharacteristically quiet. Had the Shield commanded them to remain silent?

"Mm." Taryk himself shifted slightly before answering. "Yes. It wouldn't be fair otherwise." Another pause. Molam felt himself tense up, waiting to see if the Shield of Oasis would be able to confirm what they all suspected. "Yes, it's important to be fair," the Shield muttered to himself, as though convincing himself. "As you all suspect, we were nominally tasked with retrieving leftover jade and mining tools from the Pyramid, but the Stewards wanted me to approach the new dragon. I met her in human form. What would you like to know?"

The silence was short-lived before everyone interjected, asking a cacophony of questions. What is human form exactly? What did she look like? Did they speak? Did dragons wear clothing? Did he see her draconic form?

Even Kalle and Primrose had stepped around Molam, though for different reasons: Primrose had taken a defensive stance at the uproar, while Kalle was also trying to get his question heard. Molam stayed impassive, grateful that it was so loud he could be certain no one would hear the thumping of his heart. His own question seemed silly compared to the others flying around his ears: Is she doing well?

Of course she would be. Dragons enjoyed perpetual youth and did not become sick.

But they could be injured and be dealt a mortal blow.

"Be quiet." Mursa Jyuni's voice rang out, stopping the flow of questions. Molam was surprised; she had learned that quickly. When the sounds died down, she gestured politely toward the Shield of Oasis, "Instead of taking questions, it would be easier if you just told us what you saw, and what you did."

The crackle of the fire emanated throughout the surroundings as everyone waited. It was the complete opposite of the noise just earlier. Eyes were on the Shield of Oasis as some of the riders fidgeted behind him.

"I did not see her dragon form," he shook his head. "I don't…" he paused, as though struggling to think. "I'm not a very descriptive person," he apologized, then said, "But she looks like the statue of Goddess Ustl. Just… her hair is the same color as the Pyramid. And the horns around her head," he pulled two hands from behind his head then curved his thumbs forward. "They looked like a crown."

"We spoke. I knew what she was the moment I saw her, and asked her if she had a Title or a name that we might look into. She said she had none. I then asked her why she was in DuskWing's Lair. Her answer was that it belonged to her now. I think she referred to DuskWing as her uncle. She said we were allowed to take our belongings away. Then… I asked if we were allowed to return to mine jade." He hesitated. "She said the Lair was her home now, and we weren't allowed to enter. I almost forgot who I was standing in front of when I said that it had been claimed by the Lord of Sands. She said he can come speak to her if he wants."

"But one of the riders took offense at her demeanor to the Lord and reached forward to grab her for the affront. I was too late to save him from a lethal blow." Molam spied the Shield's right hand half-reach up to where his shoulder had been injured earlier. "That was when she became angry and exerted her Domain before we lost sight of her. We rushed to leave before we couldn't, even though some riders had seen the Sandwurms arriving. I thought I'd take our chances with them rather than an angry dragon. And the rest… well," Taryk shrugged, "the mursashu converged to help us survive the Sandwurms. Then Kyra, you arrived in time to fend off that large one."

Molam's eyes flicked around, focusing on the reactions of Mursa Jyuni and Kyra the Spear to the verbal account. Around them, the fire crackled but no one spoke out loud. Several riders murmured among themselves, and unease spread throughout the crowd like a ripple. The whispered voices all mentioned one thing. Jade.

"Thank you for recounting the encounter. I think there's quite a bit we need to think about on our way to Oasis," Mursa Jyuni commented in a light voice. "I assume you would like this information to be strictly controlled until the Stewards make an announcement?"

"You're quite understanding. We appreciate that," answered the Spear of Oasis. "Not that there's much that can be controlled at this point. The Upper Tiers have been demanding answers and we only have more questions."

The campfire crackled down as the Oasians and mursashu deviated into other topics related to tomorrow's transport and travel logistics, but Molam's mind was abuzz with ideas.

Oasis was no longer in control of the Black Pyramid, and that meant Oasis no longer had a steady supply of jade. The Upper Tiers would panic, wouldn't they? It was either jade or disciplined auramancy training to stave off aging. This also didn't bode well for the amount of jade he needed. He had never thought anything could make even jade defy the basic laws of supply and demand.

His mentor had always said: It's not what you know, but what you do with it. Molam allowed himself a small smile. Despite everything that had happened, it always came down to the basic lessons. If the Upper Tiers acted as he expected, they would buy up any amount of jade they could find and there would be little he could do to stop them.

It was far from ideal, but at least he knew what they would do. Now it was a matter of thinking what he could do.