It was barely dawn when Haitao roused his ten soldiers, the pre-sunrise chill still clinging to the air. Each man quickly hoisted his prepared bag, slinging it over his back, and followed Haitao and Od as they led the way out of the training camp. By the time they neared the entrance to the mountain path, the sun had already climbed, pushing noon.
Haitao glanced back and saw the other eight men lagging farther and farther behind. He yelled at the eight men, "Hurry up! If you want to grab something delicious and fast before we get on the boat, you'd better pick up the pace, or you'll have nothing to eat!"
Erden quickly ran to Haitao and Od. "Food...I love food…" he exclaimed, a wide grin on his face. "I want to eat something really good at the market before we leave. Hey…" He slung his arm around Od's shoulder. "What would you like to eat?"
"Nothing… special," Od mumbled.
"What's with the pale face?" Erden asked.
Od shoved Erden's arm from his shoulder. He looked at Haitao, his expression strained. "Captain, what's the probability the boat will sink at sea?" he asked, his voice tight.
Haitao was taken aback by Od's question. He looked at Od with a strange expression. "Well… I don't know," he admitted. "Why do you ask?"
"Are you afraid of water?" Erden probed.
Od pushed Erden away with a snarl. "Shut up!"
Erden persisted, "Then why are you asking the captain about the possibility of the boat sinking?"
Od hesitated, stammering, "It's because… it's because…"
"Because of what?" Erden pressed. "Just say it!"
"Because I can't swim," Od finally blurted out, his face flushing.
Erden burst into laughter, then bellowed to those following him, "Hey! Big Od can't swim!"
The news of Od's inability to swim energized Och, Chaghatai, Terbish, and Muunokhoi. They rushed towards Od and Haitao, eager to tease their comrade.
"Seriously, why can't you swim?" Chaghatai prodded.
"Don't make fun of the big guy," Terbish said, shoving Chaghatai away from the group good-naturedly.
Chinua glanced back, her gaze falling on Timicin, who was walking not far from her, Khunbish, and Khenbish. She murmured, "Timicin's been acting weird this morning."
Khunbish and Khenbish looked back; Timicin was indeed lagging behind. "Timicin is acting very strange today," Khunbish observed.
Khenbish murmured, "I wonder what General Batzorig told him yesterday."
Chinua voiced her concern. "Could it be news of his father?"
"Minister Esen was perfectly fine when we left the capital," Khunbish reassured her. "Though he has a fiery temper, I believe he'll live a long and happy life."
"Then why is he like this?" Chinua persisted.
Just as they were about to ascend the mountain path, Och darted behind a tree. "Captain, nature calls!" he shouted.
Haitao halted. "Let's take a quick rest," he announced. "Once we traverse this mountain, it's only a three-hour walk to Dav Village."
Khunbish scanned the area, then pointed to four trees growing closely together. "Chinua, you can go over there," he offered.
Chinua bit her lower lip, quickly unfastened her belt, and hurried towards the four trees. She squatted, relieving herself, while watching Khunbish and Khenbish's backs. "Don't you two need to go?" she asked.
"We'll wait for you to finish first," Khunbish replied.
Chinua stood and pulled up her pants. "I'm done," she announced, securing her belt as Khunbish and Khenbish began to relieve themselves.
Och approached from the side of the road and, seeing Khunbish and Khenbish urinating, quickly grabbed Erden and pointed.
"Look!" Och grinned, nudging Erden. "Timicin said they don't have that anymore!"
"I'm so confused," Erden said, his brow furrowed. "What's going on?"
Terbish looked at the two bewildered men. "What's wrong?" he asked.
"Looks like Khunbish and Khenbish still have their little brothers," Erden whispered, astonished.
"But I thought they were eunuchs!" Chaghatai exclaimed.
"Just now I clearly saw them peeing standing up, holding their little brothers," Och argued. "If it was really cut, would they be sitting down to pee like Chinua?"
Terbish smacked Och hard on the head. "Do you dare to peek at Chinua?" he hissed.
Och frowned, rubbing his head. "Hey, that hurt! I didn't peek at Chinua; it's just how women normally relieve themselves."
Muunokhoi interjected, "Why are you all standing here gossiping? If you want to know, just ask!" He strode over to Chinua, Khunbish, and Khenbish, who were now securing their belts. "Khunbish and Khenbish?"
Khunbish looked at Muunokhoi, his expression blank. "What?"
"Everyone is wondering if you two are eunuchs," Muunokhoi blurted out, without preamble.
Chinua slowly backed away, walking towards Haitao and abandoning the men discussing their manhood. She knew she was the one who had started the rumors.
Khenbish bristled at the question. "Who dares to make such a joke?" he demanded angrily.
"Many months ago," Muunokhoi explained, "before we even knew Chinua was a woman, Timicin told us you two were eunuchs. So, are you really eunuchs?"
"No, we are not eunuchs," Khunbish stated flatly.
Timicin quickly strode to Khunbish and Khenbish. "How could that not be true?" he muttered to himself. He scanned the group, spotting Chinua attempting to hide beside Haitao. He pointed a finger at her. "Chinua says Khunbish and Khenbish are eunuchs!"
All eyes snapped to Chinua. Haitao looked at her. "You explain this yourself," he said, then left her to walk towards Od.
Chinua offered an awkward, strained smile. "Well, everyone… please… calm down," she pleaded, her voice a little shaky.
The men's collective frowns deepened into growls directed at Chinua.
Chinua cleared her throat nervously. "Well," she began, "it's actually Timicin's fault."
Timicin exploded. "You made it up! How could it be my fault?" he roared. He snatched up a small rock and hurled it at Chinua.
Chinua quickly dodged the small stone. "Hey!" she protested. "A gentleman uses his mouth, not his fists!"
"You're no gentleman!" Timicin retorted, grabbing a handful of rocks, ready to unleash them on Chinua. He suddenly screamed, "Chinua!"
Haitao quickly grabbed Chinua's shoulder, yanking her towards him, just as Timicin hurled his handful of rocks at a man in black who had burst from behind a roadside tree, knife in hand. Another figure, clad in a tattered black robe, seized the first man's head and cinched an iron chain around his neck. The figure then swiftly dragged him back into the roadside bushes. Ten more attackers erupted from their hiding places, launching a furious assault on the soldiers on the road.
Chinua swiftly parried the sword of the black-clad assailant. She drew her dagger and plunged it into the man. Not far away, Timicin frantically searched for Chinua, while desperately fending off the blades of other bandits.
"These are no ordinary bandits!" Khunbish shouted over the din of battle. "They came with a purpose: to kill us!"
"Don't show them mercy!" Od bellowed, his voice raw.
The bandits quickly isolated Chinua from the main group, and two of them converged on her. One bandit slashed at Chinua with a sword, sending her sprawling to the ground.
Khunbish saw Chinua fall. He swiftly dodged a bandit, rushing towards her, but was intercepted by the second assailant.
Just as the bandit lunged to stab Chinua, a black chain lashed out, knocking his sword to the ground. Then, another black chain whipped around, striking the bandit's forehead with brutal force, splitting it open. The bandit crumpled, dead before he hit the earth.
Chinua looked up, her eyes wide with surprise. "It's you…" she breathed, recognizing the face of Khawn, the slave she had saved before.
Khawn grabbed Chinua's hand. "Let's go," he stated, pulling her away from the chaotic fray.
"Chinua!" Khunbish cried out, his voice filled with alarm.
Timicin spun around, witnessing a man dragging Chinua away. He immediately gave chase.
As they put more distance between themselves and the fighting, Chinua knew breaking away from her group was a grave mistake. "Stop… stop…" she pleaded, her voice strained.
Khawn halted and turned to face Chinua.
Chinua, still panting, gasped, "It's not a good idea to leave them! What if there are more bandits hiding here?" She took a few deep, ragged breaths. "We have to go back," she insisted.
"You will die if you go back to them," Khawn stated plainly.
Chinua countered, "How do you know we can survive by fleeing into this open field? Look around! We're surrounded by trees in the open. If the enemy blocks our way from both front and back, we'll be sitting ducks!" The man stared at Chinua blankly, as if she were speaking an unknown tongue. "Do you understand a word I just said?" she demanded, exasperated.
Khawn simply shook his head. "No," he admitted.
"Fine… fine… fine…" Chinua sighed in exasperation. "What's your name?"
Khawn looked at Chinua, a flicker of emotion in his eyes. "No one has ever asked me that question before," he murmured.
"You speak Magoli very well," Chinua observed, surprised. "What is your name?"
"Khawn…" the man replied softly.
"Where are you from, Khawn?" Chinua pressed.
"The far East…" Khawn answered vaguely.
"How did you end up in the slave market?" Chinua then asked, her voice softening.
"I was sold by my parents a long time ago," Khawn revealed, his voice flat.
Chinua felt a pang of sorrow for the young man. "I'm so sorry to hear that," she said softly.
Suddenly, a familiar, chilling laugh echoed through the trees, making both Chinua and Khawn stiffen. Chinua stared at the man standing not far away, a cruel smile on his face, holding two gleaming axes. "Alhu…" she murmured, her voice barely a whisper, recognizing Drystan from her journey to the training camp.
Drystan strode towards Chinua, a predatory smile stretching across his face, his dark blue eyes gleaming. "We meet again, Magoli," he purred, his two axes glinting in the faint light.