Flower of Bulann

Chapter 17

Hirro Hyenta gritted his teeth against the pain in his leg. He and his bodyguard had been riding for five days straight now, stopping as little as possible to make ground up on Vior and his sister.

He had planned on a more timely pursuit, but the stable owner in Hanabe had told him of a pretty woman staying there. Though she had seemed deathly ill, so much so that she could not even walk by herself.

Hirro had immediately cancelled their rest that night and had his men back in the saddle, pushing their horses that night and as much as they dared each day following.

"Do you wish to stop, lord?" Hinatchi asked him, though how could they? his champion rode on without complaint, even with his right arm in a sling.

"No! we ride on until nightfall. I cannot bear the thought of my sister with that man" he lied, spurring his horse on to prove his point.

The pain only intensified, but he must set an example. His sister could be dying and here he was worried about his own pain.

The lush and beautiful countryside of Bulann would soon give way to the lawless and barren wasteland of the frontier.

They came upon a shanty town some hours into the afternoon, Hirro's leg pain threatening to sour his mood even further by this point.

"Form up!" Hinatchi commanded his guards, the orders followed immediately as they closed ranks on him.

Entering the town Hirro could smell the acrid stench of burnt flesh, a smouldering pile of burned corpses evident outside the border of the town.

"Cover your faces, there is likely to be a plague," Hirro told them, tying a cloth around his nose and mouth before wetting it with water.

His men followed suit and as they rode into the town, it was apparent this place was a ghost town.

Hinatchi led them to what must be the lord's manor, passing through what looked like abandoned wooden structures along the way. Upon reaching it his champion called out for the lord to make his presence known to no reply.

After a long time, only a single man emerged, his clothing marking him as a mere peasant and the looseness of the clothes suggested he was starved and ill as well.

"Where are your able-bodied men and women?" Hinatchi demanded, wheeling his horse as it stamped nervously.

The peasant coughed, a smattering of blood now covering his hand.

"They followed a man claiming to be the black demon, Vior Faden, lord" the man replied weakly, resting upon the nearby gatepost.

"And where did they go? quickly now, peasant. Lest you deter my lord further," his champion continued, his horse stamping nervously at its closeness to the sick man.

"He announced he was heading east, lord. To reside with the lord of Mahinoko," the peasant said before collapsing, his frail body's impact stirring up a faint cloud of dust.

"Your orders, my lord?" Hinatchi asked riding back to him.

"You will take five men and ride for Mahinoko, make inquiries, but do not engage Vior if he is found" Hirro commanded, Vior was no fool... and this felt like a ruse.

"And you, lord?" Hinatchi asked, his reluctance at leaving his side evident.

"I will head north, for though it is unlikely, he may have decided to head back to his land of birth" Hirro guessed, knowing this was the more likely option in truth, for any lord would be all too happy to seize his sister as a hostage and claim Vior as their Daimyo.

Hirro shuddered suddenly, as did all those present as a ripple seemed to pass across their shadows. He shook his head and put such a thing down to the wind.

"Your will shall be done, lord" Hinatchi said with a bow, splitting off his five newest members to ride east.

Once Hinatchi had vanished over the horizon Hirro stared down at the passed out peasant on the ground, observing the town with a shrewd eye.

"You three, come with me" he commanded his most long served men. "The rest of you. Burn this place to the ground. Not a single infected man, woman or child must reach Hyenta lands."

His men bowed as he rode north on the trail of Vior and his sister.

After several days travel he had become fearful his guess had been wrong, with a nearly day-long shower covering Vior's tracks on the dirt road.

"Have I made a mistake?" he asked Lu Han, his acting champion.

The older man shook his head before leaning upon his yari. The two of them staring out into the dark, rain-swept night from their camp.

Lu Han could not answer him, a throat injury during the fight with Vior having severed his vocal cords. He made an excellent man to vent his frustrations to though.

After a short rest, Hirro's remaining guards caught up to them. The necessary and bloody task completed.

By all estimations, they should arrive within the old Faden lands in the next few weeks, though he hoped to have caught up to Vior before then. Should he gain a castle, even a minor one, removing him would be impossible with his current numbers.

Their journey passed by in a trudging mundanity that made Hirro feel every bit of pain in his leg, their chances of catching Vior bleeding away by the day.

But a few days later, as they crossed the border into Faden lands a ray of hope sprung forth, a group of peasants making their way into that damned place coming into view.

"Where is Vior Faden?" he demanded of the first peasant he encountered, though he cowered from Hirro's sudden question.

Hirro ground his teeth in frustration as he rode further up the column, hoping that Vior had held back on his progress to aid these people.

Reaching the head of the group he spotted one of Kinna's maiden guard, her distinctive blue armour standing out against the drab greys, browns and greens of the peasants' clothing.

And there, at the very tip with a heavy guard was the black armoured form of Vior, the black dragon.

As he spotted Vior though, he himself was spotted in return, Hirro's overeagerness had left him exposed now, for if the people were following Vior, they would surely fight for him.

As maiden guard began to wheel their horses towards him Vior rode on, Kinna's face clearly visible from in front of him. She looked drawn and pale, seeing her in such a state enraged him beyond sanity.

Without rational thought, Hirro drew his katana and spurred his horse onwards towards Vior.