Four Farewells
Marta's hands fiddled with the hem of her dress, the way she always did when she was worried. Nameless Ravine noticed this, opened his mouth to speak, and closed it again. Finally, he said "Maybe I shouldn't have come."
She balled her hand into a fist, reached over and socked him in the arm. "You're just like Rivers Between Us, you know that? You go off and do whatever it is you do out there in the wilderness, and you leave me here to worry about you. And not just about you - whenever you're away, I worry about Rivers, too. He doesn't listen to me anymore, you know. If you're not here, who's going to drag him out of that awful city and into the sunlight every once in a while?"
"I'm sorry, Marta. You do so much for all of us, and I'm sorry to do this to you."
"And why are you telling me? Why not tell Storm of Amber or Sapphire River at Midnight?"
He shook his head. "Because, Marta, I know they'd try to talk me out of it. This is something I have to do, and I have to do it alone. I hoped you would understand that."
She sighed, and quite in spite of herself, her gaze idly turned to the west and north. "Yes, I do understand."
"Also, I wanted to tell you that if you do go through with the marriage plans, I want you to have Choshu Ishi or one of the other Dragon-Bloods get a message to me at least two weeks before the ceremony. You're my brother's sister, and Lookshy or no, I intend to be there."
She smiled, wiped her face with a handkerhief, blinked a few times, and once more donned the demeanor of a gracious hostess. She rose to her feet and offered him her hand. "Well, brother's brother, let's go to the storehouses and get some supplies for your journey. Before you go, you should see Chi Wen. She'd be heartbroken if you left without saying goodbye. Also..." A slow smile crept across her face, eventually turning into a wicked grin. "Have you told Sha Yan Shi yet?"
The Plum Blossom Retreat was a place of peace and tranquility. Guarded by Lion Dogs, by loyal Zephyrs, and by the Eyes of the Unconquered Sun, this was perhaps the only place in Creation where one could truly be unafraid of violence. Here one could be at peace with nature and relax one's vigilance.
Sha Yan Shi was counting on that.
"Silent Sandstone Strike!"
With sudden and threatrical poise, she plunged from the branches of a plum tree, her wooden sword arcing down. A lesser antagonist would have been caught totally unprepared. Even so great a fighter as Cathak Nekuto would have been hard-pressed to parry.
The concussive sound of wood striking wood echoed through the trees as Nameless Ravine interposed his Unconquerable Staff without breaking stride, and with a single motion of his wrists he flung the now-flailing catgirl away. She landed on her feet, of course.
"You've been practicing."
Sha Yan Shi struck a defiant pose, and began circling around him, her tail twitching excitedly. "Indeed I have! I'm twice as good as when we met. And, you have a staff today, not a sword, so the advantage is mine. It's only a matter of time before I find a weakness in your defense, so you should just give up now and agree to marry me."
He chose to ignore that last remark. "When you challenged me to this little game, didn't we agree that the Retreat grounds were off-limits?"
"Oh. Did we? Too late now. Prepare yourself, Nameless Ravine!" She charged forward for a second strike. He made no attempt to avoid the blow. Her form was excellent, if a bit overeager. Her blow should have come crashing down on the Exalt's forehead. But in her haste, she failed to notice that Nameless Ravine's first parry had shattered her bokken mere inches above the hilt. The bladeless handle swung harmelessly through the air.
"Some new trick, love? It won't work a second time! Prepare yourself..." He pointed with his off-hand, and she glanced at what remained of her weapon. "...Oh. mrow. hrm." She discarded the broken handle and scratched herself behind the ear. "I guess I need to go find another one. Wait right here, I'll be back."
"Sha Yan Shi, wait..." But it was too late; she'd already scampered off in the direction of the military ward.
Nameless Ravine smiled. "Ah well. Perhaps it's better that she doesn't know that I'm leaving for a while."
Chi Wen looked at her mentor, her eyes full of tears. "Has it really come to this? Must you truly leave?"
"Yes," he said softly. "But only for a time."
Nameless Ravine forced himself to keep his composure. The Amalgams of the Bureau of Enlightened Theology were sorcerously loyal to Rivers, not to him... but their eyes burned even brighter when he was near. Why was this surprising to him? They spent their days reading and re-reading his writings, internalizing his brushstrokes, and pouring it forth for the enlightenment of Marukan. They perhaps knew him better than he knew himself. They believed in him. Perhaps they even loved him.
For his part, he looked at them felt only sorrow. They would march into the abyss if he asked them to; The Torrent of Woe would gladly abuse this trust.
Chi Wen spoke once more. "How long will you be gone?"
"Until I learn something more about who the Torrent of Woe is... and perhaps who I am as well. If I cannot withstand him, I have no choice but to submit myself to Lytek's Catharsis. Yet if I can withstand him, if I truly can marshall the wholeness of his shard, then to accept the Catharsis, that would be... that would be cowardice. I would be sacrificing my true destiny and settling for a safer, lesser path."
"Would that really so terrible? You could be free of this burden. You wouldn't have to suffer anymore. Your father's teachings say that it is a noble thing to submit yourself to Heaven's correction."
"Yes, he said that. And when he himself faced the same choice, he chose the safer path without hesitation... and look at the consequences. Whether he realized it or not, this was my father's final lesson to me. I will not simply abdicate my suffering to a future generation."
Neither said anything for a long time.
"My father has nothing more to teach me, and for the time being, I have nothing more to teach you. Be strong, Chi Wen, for you must teach the Marukan in my absence."
"I will be strong, Nameless Ravine. I have your sutras to guide me, and I have everyone here at the Retreat to help me. But what about you? You're leaving your sworn companions behind; what can you do by yourself?"
Nameless Ravine shrugged. "That's exactly what I need to discover."
At last he stood at the gates of the retreat, with a long road ahead. One final friend stood there, waiting for him.
"You're going east of the river."
"Yes, eventually. But first to Varsi, then north to Great Forks."
"But if you're looking for 'her', you'll have to go east sooner or later. And if you'll go east, you'll find Ma-Ha-Suchi."
He shrugged. "I'm not looking for Ma-Ha-Suchi, though. The old goat is no fool. He knew my predecessor, and he will realize that it's not to his advantage to have Lord Boameth running loose in his territories. His lieutenants may cause me trouble, but he personally won't dare push me past the point of no return. He's too patient to let his plans be foiled so easily.
"You can't possibly know what his plans are."
"This is true. But no plans, however carefully laid, can withstand a Torrent of Woe."
He mounted his horse, and checked his saddlebags one last time.
"Nameless Ravine."
"Yes, Alabaster Sunset?"
"We fought a practice duel once. It was inconclusive. When you return, if it is truly you, I would welcome a rematch."
"Then you shall have it!"
With that, he spurred his horse, rode off to the East.
