“It took you long enough! Where the heck have you …” ZenTar¹Literally zen (silent) + tar (wind)’s voice cracked mid-sentence as he sprang to his feet. “Why are you here?!”
The other two turned to see what all the commotion was about and also stood up, bowing politely, which VinWei²Literally vin (hard) + wei (crystal) promptly ignored.

“Something smells good,” she happily declared, crossing the camp to take a closer look at what was cooking over the fire. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes with a satisfied expression. “I’m really hungry. This is your doing, right MenMen?”

MenTar³Literally men (lake) + tar (wind) blushed and nodded.

“And you are HawkEye, right?” she wanted to confirm and HawkEye bowed again.

“It is an honor to finally meet you, Jundai⁴Literally jun (work / worker) + dai (light). Or Workers of Light, or in service of the Light. Name given to the priests and priestesses of the Temple..”

She simply smiled and went back to admiring the boiling pot over the fire.

“Hey! Are you ignoring me?” ZenTar demanded but she didn’t even turn to look at him.

“I always ignore senseless noise.”

ZenTar opened his mouth, clearly wanting to respond in kind, but was left at a loss for words. With a second thought he turned his outraged, complaining face to ZaiWin⁵Literally zai (blade) + win (chaos)..

“Why is she here?”

“You still have to ask why?”

ZenTar’s green eyes feel over Snow, standing beside him. A sighed of exasperation left his lips.

“As if I could trust you barbaric men to take care of such delicate matter!” she added, still smiling at the pot.

“Shouldn’t you be heading back home right about now? I’m sure you didn’t tell your father you were following us, right?” ZenTar guessed what had already passed through ZaiWin’s mind. “Do you want us to be hounded by his men all the way to the border?”

“Father would never do such a thing.”

“Yes! Yes he would!” ZenTar urgently insisted.

“Besides, he thinks I’ve returned to the Temple. It’s not like we keep in touch on a daily basis when I’m there. And I told the other Jundai that I was going into isolation for a two-week spiritual retreat. So I’m probably fine.”

“Not fine at all! Go back home right now!” ZenTar demanded, raising his voice, and ZaiWin sighed.

“Are you really sure you want to do this …?” he whispered cautioningly, but the older man ignored him. His green eyes were already flashing angrily, but no less angry than VinWei’s expression when she finally turned to look at him.

“Hah! Do you really expect me to bow down and obey just because you know how to raise your voice? Who do you think I am? I am not some scared little soldier under your command! And I will do as I damn well please! Not happy about it? You’re welcome to leave!”

ZenTar opened his mouth and closed it, and opened it again, looking very much like a fish stranded on dry land. Passing by him ZaiWin lightly patted his shoulder.

“That’s why I asked if you were sure about this …”

“So you’re fine with her staying?” he demanded, still angry, and ZaiWin shrugged.

“Am I supposed to tie her to her horse and send it back to Weiin⁶Literally wei (crystal / precious stone) + suffix in (center), meaning the center of the Province of Wei, in other words, Wei’s Capital. All Capitals of all Provinces are named as such.?”

ZenTar frowned, crossing his arms, but didn’t say another word on the matter.

“Mhm, it really smells good,” VinWei went on, undisturbed. “But an only-guy’s-meal and no meat?”

“Because S-S-Snow … can’t eat those …” MenTar replied, his expression growing increasingly alarmed as the meaning of her presence there finally dawned on him.

“He can’t?” VinWei asked curiously, looking at the boy, and Snow couldn’t help but blush in embarrassment.

“No meat. No fish. No milk. Nothing with an animal origin,” ZaiWin explained what they had all concluded from their past bad experiences, when Snow had gotten so sick that he could barley walk after forcing himself to eat like everyone else.

VinWei’s surprised and curious expression told them that, like so many other things about him, that wasn’t a common behavior for other Celestials.

It didn’t take long before they could seat around the fire and have their meal; a potato stew with carrots and a relatively fresh loaf of bread sprinkled with seeds. The others also had some cheese but, even though the smell of cheese didn’t leave him as sick as the smell of cooking meat, Snow still couldn’t bear filling his mouth with it, much less chew and swallow it.

After they ate ZenTar went back to his maps, while HawkEye and MenTar packed their things and made the necessary preparations to spend the night, unpacking everyone’s blankets.

Sitting by the fire, Snow saw VinWei drag ZaiWin away with a resolute expression on her face.

“Don’t worry,” MenTar told him, sitting right beside him. “She may sound fierce and angry most of the time, but the three of them have known each other for a very long time. Well, I should say the four of them, including LanWei⁷Literally lan (white) + wei (crystal),” he added.

Eventually, once they were completely out of sight, Snow had no other choice but to look away, replacing the odd pair with MenTar’s friendly face.

As if he had interpreted that gesture as an inquiry about the matter, MenTar smiled and went on with his tale.

“It was back when the Calzai⁸Literally cal (bright) + zai (blade), or Blade of Light. It can be translated in common language as General, one of military leaders of the Empire. Each Province has it’s own Calzai. was around your age. Back then he was trying very hard to solve Nox⁹Literally nox (night). Nox is the name of the Clan (family name), also the name of a Province. ’s inner turmoil.

“The Province of Nox had been abandoned for hundred of years when it became his responsibility to manage and govern it. Back then the land was split and filled with different self-ruling clusters of people. Gangs of murderers and thieves, and small armed militias were everywhere, each one worse than the other. And so, because he was just a small child at the time, it took him a few years to unify all the people under his banner.

"At the age of sixteen he was still in the middle of doing just so, but he had already managed to form a small trustworthy army to help him attain his final goal. The Province of Nox, however, was still very poor, the people practically starving. There was no coin to buy swords, armor or horses. There was no one to train the men. And so he decided to travel all the way to Wei¹⁰Literally wei (crystal / precious stone). Wei is the name of the Clan (family name), also the name of a Province. and try to come to some sort of agreement with the Nai Calzai¹¹Literally nai (transparent / translucent) plus cal (bright) + zai (blade), or Blade of Light. It can be translated in common language as Invisible General, one of military leaders of the Empire. Each Province has it’s own Calzai. To distinguish them they were given different colors..

“The Nai Calzai, RimMyu¹²Literally Rim (cold) + Myu (water)., who you met before, even though he’s of noble blood, he also descends from a long line of itinerant merchants. And it is widely known that, as long as you present him with a fair deal that might bring him some kind of profit, he won’t mind where you come from or who you are, as long as you haven’t deviated too much from his strict concept of moral righteousness.

"On the other hand, it wasn’t as if our Calzai was completely unknown either. Being as young as he was, and having been given such a huge problem to solve as was the rehabilitation of the Province of Nox, everyone had more or less heard of him. If nothing else because he had actually managed to survive longer than most believed it possible, living in such a dangerous place. And so, unlike most nobles, the Nai Calzai had no qualms receiving him. He was probably even curious to meet the young man that had been acclaimed as both Governor and Calzai of a ruined piece of land that no one wanted to own.

“It so happens that, around that time that, while visiting the market of Weiin, the younger daughter of the Nai Calzai, LanWei, was kidnapped by a group of men who wanted to pressure Wei's government into giving in to their demands. Headstrong and impulsive, VinWei had followed her sister's trail on her own, and so she had also disappeared.

“The Nai Calzai may look like a harsh, cold, old man, but he actually loves and cuddles his daughters very much. He was obvious furious when news of what had happened reached his ears, and he wanted nothing else but to send the entire army under his command to retrieve them. At the same time, however, he was also very much aware that taking such impulsive actions would only place the entire government of Wei in peril. Because the men that had taken LanWei were no soldiers, and no robbers or murderers either. They were simple common folk. And sending an army to deal with them, even though it might be justifiable, would most certainly be seen as an abuse of power by the rest of the people. And so he found himself in a difficult situation, where time was of the essence, since the longer LanWei remained in her captors' hands the higher was the probability of something going terrible wrong. That’s when the Nai Calzai suddenly thought of the perfect solution to his problem.

“Since, even though he was still young, our Calzai had already amounted some widely recognized honors and deeds for what he’d been able to achieved in his Province, the Nai Calzai immediately made use of their negotiations to try and solve his own problem.

“He knew that LanWei’s kidnappers were just a bunch of discontent, simple men, and so he decided that it was best if he didn’t have to personally deal with the matter. Being the Calzai of the Province of Wei, if he used his power and authority to apprehend them, he incurred the risk of being regarded by the already unsatisfied people as an aggressive, overwhelming ruler, which could only result in more people joining the rebellious group that was already causing so much turmoil. On the other hand, he most definitely had to do something about it. And so he immediately saw the perfect solution standing right there, in front of him.

“He promised our Calzai that he would grant him as many weapons and horses as he needed in order to help him settle the difficult situation he was dealing with in Nox. In return he was to solve his present problem as quietly and discreetly as possible, so to not turn what was a relatively small matter into the beginnings of what could very well become a global mutiny. And, of course, he had to deliver his two daughters sound and safe back to his Household.”

“And did he …?” Snow asked, his pale eyes glowing from enthusiasm as he closely listened to that amazing tale.

MenTar smiled and nodded.

“He did. Of course the first thing he did was to rescue the two sisters, since the longer they remained in their captors hands the highest the probability that they might get hurt. Well, rescue LanWei anyway. Because, from what I was told, VinWei didn’t need rescuing. In fact, when ZenTar and our Calzai caught up with her she was actually readying herself to storm the kidnappers base all on her own.

“But then, after they had safely apprehended all the men involved in that incident, they actually learned that they were just a smaller cell of what was apparently a much larger organization.

“Our Calzai immediately wanted to send the two sisters back home, so he could pursue the new leads. But, unlike LanWei, who was too scared an eager to be safe back at home, VinWei was just too angry, refusing to return home until she made sure that all the perpetrators had been caught and brought to justice. Since all the children of the Wei Clan follow the imperial decree and are therefore taught fighting techniques since the day they are able to walk, it wasn’t as if she was just a pair of useless hands. And so, for the next six months or so, they traveled together across Wei, until all the dissident members were caught.”

Snow looked into the fire, trying to imagine a younger ZaiWin. Imagining an angry VinWei holding a sword, however, wasn’t all that hard.

“Why were they unhappy …?” he finally asked, to MenTar’s surprise. “Isn’t Wei rich and prosperous?”

“So it is. They have mountains filled with precious stones and high quality crystals. You’ve already seen what crystals can do, right? Crystals are like receptacles. They can store and activate the effect of one’s daitai¹³Literally dai (light) + tai (mark), or Holy Markings, considered Heavenly Blessings. They’re the source of power.. So people charge them with lots of different effects, and they can be sold and traded. This way, for example, even if you aren’t naturally able to produce fire, as long as you have a crystal charged with that element and effect, you’ll be able to make fire wherever and whenever you need. For those who have no daitai, crystals can be even more useful. They can help a normal man easily carry many times his weight. They can make sure all your livestock have healthy offsprings. They can purify the water in places where drinkable water is scarce. They can even make it rain, or make it sunny so that your crops grow larger. So you can see how lots of people from different Provinces and social status would want to buy them As the main producer of these crystals, it is obvious that Wei quickly became one of the richest Provinces of the Empire.

“However, being rich is rarely a synonym of being content. People always want more, even when they already have enough.

“Wei’s mines have been in the hands of very old Clans, for a very long time. You could say that these Clans are the main supporting pillars of the entire Province. The rest of the people either work in the mines or work the fields. Or they can become merchants, but that will mean traveling around a lot, facing the dangers of the road, which not everyone feels inclined to do. It is a well balanced, well structured and fairly just society. But back then a few voices had started to contest and argue that the mines’ exploration shouldn’t be inherited from father to son. They defended that they should be awarded as a reward to those who work the hardest, or to those who have somehow achieved some heroic deed. Apparently, the one who started the whole thing was one of the miners, a man called HardSteel.

“HardSteel was actually a good, honest man, and he had worked hard his entire life. One day, when a section of a mine collapsed, he even risked his life to save those of his fellow miners. But, even after being applauded for his great deed, his life remained pretty much the same, filled with hardship and hard labor.

"Looking at the youngest son of the Clan that owned the mine where he worked, and at how idle and pompous he was, HardSteel didn’t think this was fair. He argued that being rich and having a plentiful table should be a result of one’s hard work, and not a birth right. After all, even if he worked hard his entire life, even though he had been courageous enough to risk his life to save others, he’d never be anything but a poor miner. He would always live in a small house, counting every month’s coin to make sure he had enough to feed his family, while there were others who didn’t have to do a thing. They simply opened their mouth and all their desires were immediately attended. Naturally many other workers agreed with his point of view.”

“It doesn’t sound like they were wrong …” Snow argued pensively.

“If you ask me, they weren’t. But, on the other hand, if the govern of Wei decided to do things their way, and grant the mines to those who were deemed deserving, that would also create a problem of its own.

“The old Clans may be rich, their families obnoxiously pompous, but they have a lot of experience exploring the mines. They know what they’re doing, which crystals are of better quality, when to dig and when to stop, when to slow down production and when to increase it. They also have established old alliances with other Clans all over the Empire, assuring that Wei is able to safely sell their crystals to other Provinces for a fair price. And they all understand and respect one another, trusting that no one will go behind anyone’s back, trying to sabotage the other person's business in order to get a better profit. That’s why I said that they are Wei’s main pillars, supporting their entire social structure.

"If you were to simply take the mines away from them and give them to someone inexperienced, someone the other Clans don’t trust, it would most certainly lead to an even graver problem. Mining, like farming or fishing, is easy enough. The hard part is wisely dealing with all the politics that come after that, when you have to sell your product or even export it to other Provinces.”

Snow could understand that as well.

“Besides, even though they may have been right, the way they chose to show it was definitely wrong. Creating unrest, threatening other miners to stop them from going to work, destroying entire shipments of fine crystals, ultimately kidnapping the Calzai’s daughter.”

“Because no one would listen …” Snow said in a small voice.

“Well, they had their wish come true. They were heard loud and clear. And dealt with accordingly.”

They were all probably killed, Snow concluded with a sad expression. ZaiWin had probably killed them all. That was usually the way he solved things.

“It’s getting late,” MenTar declared, looking up at the dark sky above their heads. “You should get some sleep.”

Snow looked around and noticed that HawkEye was already lying by the fire, wrapped in his blanket, and ZenTar was also putting away his maps, readying himself to sleep. But ZaiWin and VinWei still haven’t returned.

“Don’t worry. VinWei would never do anything to harm the Calzai. Besides, she’s always been crazy about everything Celestial-related, even before she became a Jundai,” he added with a chuckle, making Snow blush from embarrassment. “I’m sure you’ll soon understand what I mean. She won’t rest until she’s poked and studied you from head to bottom.”

Snow shivered at the thought.

“So trust me. Get some rest. I can already envision some very long, hard days ahead of you,” he laughed, getting up and playfully ruffling his hair before he walked away.

Snow cringed at the friendly touch, touching his own head, straightening his short hair that had become a mess. It still felt strange, he thought, feeling the smooth locks of hair slide between his fingers. But it also felt good, he concluded with a small smile, grabbing his blanket and searching for a patch of grass a bit farther away from the fire, where he could lay down for the night.

Silvareiel

Yeah, I know this chapter is a bit longer than it should be, but I just didn't want to split in two. I felt it would break the rhythm of the story. So, for those of you who dislike long chapters, I'm sorry for any inconvenience ?