Tax Trouble

  Aya saddled Kiki for the second time that day. She had only just returned from patrol and hadn't had a chance to rest, but Kemi insisted.

  "I need Ixi with us — so you're coming," he said.

  Earlier that day, Kemi's raven sweep had discovered an incoming caravan, and he had decided to meet it at the checkpoint.

  "It'll be quick," he promised.

  They rode to the checkpoint without incident. The caravan was already there, and they found the merchants in a heated argument with the clerk and the Captain of the Guard.

  "We've already paid your tax!" one of the merchants shouted.

  "What's happening here?" Kemi asked.

  "We already paid the tax down the road!" the merchant fumed.

  "You're supposed to pay here," the Captain replied.

  The checkpoint garrison was manned by three houses, with the captaincy rotating between them. Today was Tezir's turn, and one of his men was acting as captain.

  "They came to us and said the rules had changed — that it was an emergency. They took an entire wagon and carted it away. They gave us papers," the merchant said.

  The clerk examined the documents. "These signatures must be forgeries. Everything's off. The amount is wrong. There's no emergency. And these don't conform to the treaty."

  The merchant glared at them hatefully. Tezir's captain remained grim and silent.

  "Care to explain, soldier?" Kemi asked him.

  "I don't answer to you, Lord Kemi."

  "You're mistaken. This checkpoint has its own rules. As the only representative of the three houses currently present, I have authority over the garrison in all matters pertaining to the treaty. Now explain — how has the caravan already been taxed on Tezir's section of the road?"

  The captain frowned but replied:

  "I don't know anything about this. Must've been bandits."

  "First time I've heard of bandits giving out documents."

  "It's a forgery. The merchant is lying."

  "He doesn't appear to be lying. Very well — we'll ride to intercept these bandits."

  "Step onto Master Tezir's land, and you'll regret it," the captain said grimly.

  "Regret, you say?" Kemi brushed the snow from his sleeve. "I don't think so. I relieve you of your command, Captain. You and your men are under arrest."

  The six of Tezir's men reached for their swords, but Kemi waved his hand, and his squad responded with a coordinated spark barrage. The explosion of purple startled everyone — except Kemi and his soldiers. Tezir's men collapsed or fell to their knees, stunned.

  "I place you under arrest on suspicion of violating the treaty," Kemi said. "Don't make this harder than it needs to be. You! Bind them. The rest of you — stand by."

  Kemi looked at the Xeren's men and the caravan guards, stunned into stillness by the sudden violence. None of them protested.

  "Now to the bandits. Let's find the wagons."

  Ixi sprang into the air and began darting between the riders, dispatching their ravens. One by one, the birds took off and disappeared into the twilight. The sudden appearance of a fairy drew shocked glances from outsiders, and it occurred to Aya how normalized Ixi's presence had become in House Vemer. Soon, the ravens started returning, and Ixi began relaying their findings to Kemi.

  "So few? You sure?" Kemi asked.

  Ixi lisped something in response, showing a count with her fingers. Kemi nodded.

  "Very well. They're stuck in the snow four leagues southeast. We're riding after them. And you," he pointed to the merchant, "will still pay the tax here. Your grain — taken by supposed bandits — will be reimbursed in Bizenki."

  "I need a writ — " the merchant began, but Kemi cut him off.

  "I don't have time for this. Pay up or be stuck here."

  They left the caravan in the care of the remaining guards and crossed the border into Tezir's territory.

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  Skirmish

  The sudden promise of violence put Aya in a strangely detached mood. They rode south, following the caravan's tracks, and soon reached the place where the wagons had been taken. The tracks led east, along a narrow, snow-covered road. It wasn't maintained in the winter, but the horses could pass. They took it, and within minutes, noticed magical lights ahead.

  "Pikemen, forward," Kemi barked. "Mages, cast to kill."

  It was the first time Aya had heard such orders from him — as a soldier, as part of a squad. A wave of excitement and fear washed over her. They had four pikemen, including Kemi himself, and eight mages, including her. Just before entering spell range, the pikemen accelerated. A moment later, lightning bolts started flying. Aya saw figures appearing around the wagons, emerging from them — but as soon as they appeared, they fell to the spells. A couple of bolts came in return, but Aya couldn't tell if they hit. She had been taught to target mages first, but in such poor lighting, she couldn't understand how anyone could tell them apart from warriors. In the end, she didn't cast a single spell.

  It was over in a minute. Then came silence — or rather, everything seemed quiet after the deafening cracks of lightning. A bright magical light illuminated the wagons. She saw pikemen standing over figures kneeling in the snow, hands raised in surrender. Her group rode closer.

  Kemi's clothes were slightly scorched, but he looked unbothered. Another pikeman was leaning in his saddle, clutching his chest. Everyone else seemed unharmed. Her first battle as a battlemage had started and ended — and she hadn't even understood it.

  For several minutes, there was a flurry of activity, but Aya couldn't focus. Someone searched the wagons and counted grain sacks. The captives mumbled something, as if talking to the pikes leveled at them. Ixi flew off. Several mages began turning the wagons around, which was difficult on the narrow road.

  "Aya! Aya! Are you here?" Kemi said loudly by her ear.

  His voice brought her back to herself.

  "Yes. I'm fine," she said, focusing on Kemi's face. He just nodded.

  The struggle with the wagons continued. They turned the first one around, but the second became stuck. Aya thought it would take at least an hour to pull them both back to the main road. Then Ixi flew down from the sky and lisped something to Kemi.

  "Enemy incoming!" he shouted for everyone to hear. "Kill the prisoners. Burn the wagons."

  Three prisoners were immediately skewered by spears. The mages hastily set fire to the wagons.

  "Retreat!"

  They rode back but stopped several hundred paces away from the burning wagons, laying in ambush under cover of darkness. From their position, they could see the poor wagon horses thrashing and neighing, trying to break free from their harnesses. When the enemy arrived, the riders were clearly visible, illuminated by the flames. Kemi's mages unleashed a barrage of lightning, killing several. Then the squad retreated further. The enemy didn't pursue — instead, they fell back and regrouped. Guided by a single light from a warrior riding at the front, the squad reached the road. Ixi darted around, flying up into the sky and back, speaking to Kemi before flying off again. Aya still couldn't quite focus.

  Soon, they reached the checkpoint.

  Council

  Kedi stood in the yard, talking to Rogri and Rasa. The first message had come from Kemi an hour ago. It had been worrying enough, but the second one spelled disaster.

  "We should wait for Kemi. He'll be here soon," Rasa said.

  Rogri just nodded in agreement. The captains acted as if nothing drastic had happened, which annoyed Kedi. His own helplessness annoyed him even more. He was out of his depth in matters of warfare. He tried to calm himself, to become cool and logical.

  "Shouldn't we move out to protect the border? What about the villages?" Kedi asked.

  "Meeting Kemi halfway is wasting time," Rogri said. "As for the villages — we shouldn't do anything. If Tezir planned this, it's already too late. If he didn't, he won't strike so soon."

  Kedi took a deep breath. He could see what they meant.

  "If you think it's unnecessary, then let's not waste our strength. We'll wait for Kemi, then hold a small council. We're not rushing into anything — but keep the horses saddled."

  This elicited nods from the captains. In effect, he had simply confirmed what they already intended. A hallmark of a powerless leader. Still, his captains were right. Not ten minutes later, Kemi rode in with his squad. A wounded man was sent to the healer, and the house leaders gathered in Kedi's study.

  "Don't you need a healer yourself?" Xia asked, noting Kemi's burned clothes.

  "Nah. The mage was weak, and the amulet worked well. It's my coat that suffered."

  "Tell us everything that happened," Kedi said.

  Kemi took out a sheet of paper.

  "Here — a copy of the merchant's documents. Tezir took two wagons from his train and gave them this paper. They were surprised, but complied. When they reached the checkpoint, they refused to pay. 'You're taxing us twice,' they said. Tezir's captain denied everything — I've arrested him and his men. Then we located the wagons and rode after them. They were stuck on a snowy road. We rushed them and captured the wagons. We tried to bring them back to the checkpoint, but the snow was too deep — we couldn't even turn them. Then Tezir's reinforcements arrived. We ambushed them, but there were too many. So we retreated."

  It was worse than Kedi had imagined.

  "Are you sure they were Tezir's people? Did you capture anyone?"

  "We captured three but had to kill them. I'm pretty sure they weren't bandits. They had real mages."

  Kedi took the paper, read it, and passed it to Xia. She read in silence, then placed it on the table.

  "So?" Kemi asked.

  "It's designed to undermine the treaty — to make us look bad in court. But it wasn't war... until you massacred their men," Kedi said evenly.

  "And what was I supposed to do? Let them rob us? This was war the moment they betrayed us."

  Kedi didn't answer. His mind was racing, searching for a way out — any legal way.

  "Why would he do this?" Xia asked. "Didn't he benefit from the treaty?"

  "Spring is upon us. I'd guess he no longer needs grain," Kedi said absently. This didn't really answer her question. Why, indeed? Why would Tezir knowingly risk disgrace in court? He wouldn't do it just for the thrill. But what could he gain?

  "But what could he gain from it?" Xia asked, echoing his thoughts.

  Kedi sighed.

  "Someone's offered him something, I'm sure. Suppose the Magistrate wants to ruin us. First, he drags us through the mud in court, so we lose our reputation. Then he pressures us to sell our land to pay the fines. He could have used Tezir with the promise of land — or something else. The details hardly matter."

  He looked around at the gathering.

  "Whoever crafted this," he said, tapping his finger on the document, "intended to destroy our House. Kemi's right. This is war. The question is how we wage it."