The Last Dahlia

036

It was approaching the four week mark since they left the Hwa capital. With the route planned by Ru Fei and the speed of the Firebrands' elite steeds, they were already arriving at the gates of Muya—and the Jilin mountain range that marked the north border between the kingdoms of Feng and Gi.

Yuehwa raised her gaze towards the craggy snow-covered peaks in the distance, towering high amidst the swirling grey clouds. Monstrous was certainly the right word to use. The Jilin mountain range was such a good natural border between the two kingdoms precisely because of their treacherous nature. It was only humanly possible to cross from one side to the other through a handful of locations—yet Baixun was brazen enough to think of porting an entire army across. One had to give him credit for his audacity.

"The city gates are already open," Commander Ru Fei remarked. "The governor must know that we are arriving." He was riding alongside her on his black stallion, maroon cape billowing with the wind.

With their crimson armour, the Firebrands cut a ferocious sight—and wariness could be seen in the eyes of the Muya city guards as they approached.

Ru Fei threw a bronze pendant to the nearest guard, as if it was necessary to identify them as anything but the Hwa military, here to fulfil their part of the alliance. The guard took a brief glance at the engraving on the pendant, then stepped aside to let them pass.

Yuehwa and Ru Fei settled their men at the military barracks on the eastern side of the city before making their way to the governor's manor. Along the way, Yuehwa observed the dusty, cobbled streets of Muya, abnormally silent and deserted even though it was midday. There were no street vendors selling their wares, no children playing hide-and-seek behind the pillars, and even the crickets and birds seemed to have abandoned the place.

"The governor must have already evacuated most of the city," Ru Fei said.

It was the right thing to do, especially if they had little confidence in winning the fight against Gi.

They continued down the streets, listening to only the sounds of their horses' hooves pounding the gravel, until the governor's manor came into view. From the outset, it looked neither grand nor extravagant. The manor's external walls were made of bland, grey brick, and a set of simple red wooden doors stood as the entrance.

Inside was more of the same. It was a small three courtyard abode with barely any adornments. The most ornate object in the entire manor grounds was probably the carefully pruned bonsai tree that stood in central courtyard, its gnarled branches curving gracefully towards the darkened skies.

Yuehwa decided that she would like this governor of Muya.

They were brought into the front hall, where the governor usually received guests. But today, the owner of this manor was not alone. Yuehwa recognised the voice of the other man in the room before she even stepped in. She hesitated at the threshold and took a deep breath, then lifted her foot across the wooden doorsill.

The men who had been deep in discussion lifted their heads and turned towards the doorway.

"Yuehwa," Shoya murmured when he met her gaze, unable to disguise the surprise in his tone.

She didn't think she would ever get used to him without his mask, and now he looked entirely different from the White Scorpion she knew, decked in the silver armour of the Feng army. A stranger.

Striding in, she tipped her head in acknowledgement of the governor of Muya's stilted greeting. The latter also looked perplexed to see her, likely not having expected that the regent of Hwa would come to Muya personally.

"What is the situation?" she asked, trying to sound nonchalant. "Commander Ru and I have only managed to bring five hundred men in advance, because the distance between Hwa and Muya is far too great for even our cavalry, but they are our best. If possible I would like to give them at least a day to rest and regroup, after which we can head into the mountains."