FIRST BOOK OF THE PIPER OF MIRCHAEK TRILOGY
When the walled city of the gods, Dansarun, opens its doors for trade, Xuijae's ruling clan sends its perfect representatives: the troublesome prince, Kai-Se, who wants nothing to do with palace life, and...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Nao-Zai got tired of craning his neck, knowing full well everything he had seen and he would see would be a ceiling of dark earth. Debris rained over his head with every thundering footsteps the boar man in front of him made. Flickering light from the torches the other people carried reflected shadows against the narrow walls of the passage.
His hands rested on the hilt of his sword, finding comfort on the piece of wood wrapped with tanned leather. They had been walking for over an hour and there weren't any changes in his surroundings except for a random protruding tree root or a colony of burrowing worms disturbed from their nest. For all Nao-Zai knew, these animal hybrids were only leading him in circles until he collapsed of thirst or lack of air.
True enough, the air in the tunnel was thin, carrying the faint smell of upturned dirt, decomposing leaves, and an odd whiff of blood. Did someone die somewhere above them? A shiver ran down Nao-Zai's spine. Best to not think about that.
Another set of thundering footsteps resounded in front of him. He stared at the broad back of the boar man. It seemed to be the leader of this specific platoon, seeing as how the other hybrids steered clear of his way or threw admiring gazes his way. Nao-Zai still didn't know its name or even what it was.
"Excuse me," Nao-Zai cleared his throat as he lengthened his steps to catch up to the boar man. The curved tusks looked even more menacing in the limited light from the torches. "Where are you taking me? I hope it's not towards my deathbed."
A huge grumble that Nao-Zai could only associate with laughter rumbled deep in the boar man's throat. "No, young human," it said. "We are dropping by to our safehouses where you will prove your worth to our cause. If you prove yourself to be a liability, we'll revisit that deathbed talk."
Nao-Zai swallowed against the growing lump in his throat. "Okay, um," he blurted, his mind running wild just to divert the topic away from his impending death. "What exactly do you need from me? Just who are you? What are you?"
The boar man stopped so abruptly Nao-Zai almost slammed against his meaty back. Nao-Zai scampered back when the boar man whipped towards him. "I am Gang Sen of the Jou Mei clan from Shencai," he roared, enough to send all of Nao-Zai's blood cells away from his face. "And we are the Liberation Army. We fight to establish Shencai away from Dansarun's control. We will see our beloved empire back from its former glory, free from the grasps of heathens."
Then, their walk resumed when Gang Sen snatched a torch from a lanky man with a snake for a head. "Whoever it is you're trying to get out of Urkaze, they're in big trouble," he said, his deep voice echoing against the thick, earthen walls. "It seemed like your friend was roped into Dansarun's scheme. It's like stringing two beads in one strand. This way, they can root us out and take over Xuijae at the same time. You pipers are from the west, correct?"
Nao-Zai bobbed his head even though Gang Sen wouldn't probably see it. "Yes, we are," he said. "Why do you think Xuijae would crumble if Dansarun touched one of its citizens?"
