Chapter Ashborn 338: Clandestine Gatherings (One) (Maiya)

As Maiya had told Yamal and Bheem, organizing a meeting with Riyan Savar wasn’t as simple as sending a runner and arranging a meeting point. She supposed they ought to have been thankful that Savar didn’t send their runner’s head on a platter, but the note he’d brought back was quite clear—anymore and heads would start to fly.

Plus, this was Riyan. Maiya knew how his mind worked. To him, Kin’jal was the enemy. It didn’t matter who ran it. Or at least, that was his current, overly limited mindset.

It was Maiya’s goal to… broaden his mind. Via any means necessary. Not that she’d resort to combat. Even if she could beat him—which, while she’d certainly be more evenly matched than she was before—it’d accomplish nothing.

They needed Riyan on their side. Totally and completely.

The logic of the matter was sound—that part wouldn’t be hard. But would she get past his bullheadedness and convince him that this was in Hiranya and Kin’jal’s best interests?

That was another matter entirely.

Which was why the three of them had spent a great deal of time and effort planning this raid.

Maiya piloted Frumpy with Yamal and another handmaiden behind her, and she was joined by two other Acira. In all, they had nine fighters, excluding Yamal, who wouldn’t take part in the attack.

Which, Maiya reflected, was exactly what it would be.

Riyan’s security net was simply too tight. There was no chance of Maiya infiltrating into his compound undetected. As much as she’d have loved to avoid involving anyone else, this was a necessary evil.

The handmaidens on this raid had been hand-picked by Ira herself. They were the best of the best, and Maiya knew they wouldn’t let her down. Rather, it was her own role she was more worried about.

The operation had begun at dusk, flying from Jatan Forest rather than Sonam—to avoid suspicion. Ira’s movements had grown bolder lately, and she was having to take more and more precautions to avoid the notice of her siblings and of course, Andros himself. No matter how dangerous the missions became, Maiya had to remind herself that the princess shouldered the greatest danger of them all.

Now, night had fallen, bringing with it increasingly severe chills as they made their way north. As usual for such an operation, several transfer points had been set up, with Acira flown and fully rested. Every few hours, they would switch to the fresh beasts, speeding up their journey immeasurably.

And unlike on her last trip, Maiya had no pressing need to be back at the Childrens’ Sanctum. With her control over the organization fully solidified, she was free to do as she pleased—nobody dared to stop her, and thanks to the previous Blessed Chosen, such behavior wasn’t without precedent, either. The madness that drove him drove every Chosen before him, and some were better at dealing with it than others.

None as well as Maiya, though. The Foundation Chakra had changed her life, and she was eager to progress to the others. Not so much for the combat application, as Vir seemed to be interested in, but because of the enlightenment it was supposed to bring. That made Maiya giddy.

They made their final stop where they picked up a wide array of supplies, including food, tents, bedding, and specialized gear that would allow them to deal with the Saian winter.

It was almost dawn when they set down at the small forest that bordered Kaiya—the port-side town Bheem and his brother had grown up in—to the northwest of the city.

Riyan’s fight had not gone well. Though he aided the rebel faction in Sai, he was just one man, and the attack they’d launched against the capital of Kartara had ultimately been driven back. Kin’jal intelligence reports indicated that he’d suffered heavy losses, and had retreated underground to lick his wounds.

They only had a vague idea of his location, so it’d be up to her crew to sniff him out before infiltrating his base of operations. As such, she couldn’t know if they’d stay a few days or a few weeks.

Not a simple mission by any stretch, but then again, Maiya wasn’t trained for simple. The challenge called out to her, and for the first time in a very long time, she looked forward to getting on the ground and into some real action.

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“We’ll base out of here,” Maiya said, stepping down into the beautiful, driven snow. The fluffy stuff came up almost to her knees, which she immediately noted would make travel challenging. Good thing they’d come prepared.

Her crew were already donning their snowshoes—woven wooden platforms that strapped to their boots, letting them cross the snow without sinking.

“I want half of you to clear the snow down to the dirt,” Maiya ordered. “The other half, work on setting up a perimeter. When that’s done, get the tents up and establish guard rotations. I want scouts out at all times. If anyone’s in the area, we need to know.”

It was highly doubtful there would be given the frigid weather. Maiya and her people might’ve been immune to it thanks to their heater orbs, but most people didn’t have that luxury. Venturing out into the deep snow like this was a good way to die. Even so, she refused to be lax in her precautions.

“What should we do?” Yamal asked, coming up to Maiya. He was dressed in thick furs—the very best Kin’jal could provide, and cradled a heater orb in his hands. Even so, he shivered.

“You’re really not a cold weather person, are you?” Maiya asked with a smirk.

“No! I hate the cold. So let’s get out of here and into a nice, warm tavern.”

Bheem placed a comforting hand on the smaller man’s shoulder. Unlike Yamal, he at least seemed to have no trouble at all.

“Well, you’ll get your wish. Today, we’re scouting. We’re to meet with a Kin’jal intelligence agent in the city, and I’d rather not be late.”

The smile that lit up Yamal’s face could have warmed the entire city.

The group trudged through the snow until they reached one of the roads that led into the city. It, too, was covered in snow, but tracks cut by wagon and Ash’va allowed them to find it without too much trouble.

There was little Maiya could do about their tracks that led to the forest, but she hoped the wind and the lightly falling snow would hide it before too long.

“I can’t even see the city,” Yamal muttered, his teeth chattering. “Hope it’s not a long walk.”

Maiya rolled her eyes. “With as well-clothed as we are, we could walk for hours without feeling the chill. You do realize those clothes cost more than anything you’ve likely ever worn?”

Yamal nodded. “By about thirty gold, yes. I was a merchant, remember?”

“Oh, I remember. I’ll be relying on those skills once we get to town. You’re going to help me find Riyan.”

“I’ll do anything you wish, so long as I have a nice, warm room.”

Despite his hissy fits, it wasn’t Yamal Maiya worried about. She snuck an anxious glance at her big friend, but Bheem’s expression remained unchanged. She’d brought him along precisely because of his knowledge of the city. Though it’d been some years since he lived here, he’d be well suited to guiding them to good hiding spots. There weren’t that many locations that could safely hide a force of any meaningful size, after all.

The town appeared shortly thereafter. The gates were open, so the trio strode in. All the major streets had been paved, and smoke rose from nearly every chimney, evidencing the warm fires within.

Life continued despite the cold, and there was traffic on nearly every road.

Maiya found the tavern she was looking for—one of the larger ones with the symbol of an Acira clutching mugs of mead, and entered, finding a table in a corner. While Bheem’s stature earned him a few looks, their presence went mostly ignored.

They all ordered hot ciders to warm up, and Maiya needed only a single glance at Yamal to know just how satisfied he was.

“Humans weren’t meant to live in the cold,” he said, smiling as the mug warmed his fingers.

Bheem simply shrugged. To him, this was normal weather.

They chatted awhile as Maiya waited, and ended up ordering some fried potato fritters and other Saian street food snacks that Bheem recommended.

While delicious, Maiya never ceased scanning the tavern, making careful note of any notable figures. She might as well not have bothered—when the Kin’jal spy arrived, it was without warning.

A stranger—a woman in thick furs—walked up to Maiya’s table and took a seat, jovially waving, as if they were good friends.

As Maiya had come to expect from Ira’s handmaidens, this one cut right to the heart of the matter, failing to exchange pleasantries, or even to introduce herself.

“He’s hidden himself well,” she said. “I believe he may be hiding in one of four locations around the city. All are criminal dens, so exercise caution.”

She unfolded a cloth map that had several spots marked in red. “Here, here, here, and here. An old factory complex, an abandoned residence in the slums, an abandoned shop, and a cluster of storehouses—also in the slums.”

“Which do you feel are the most likely candidates?” Maiya asked.

“The storehouses,” the girl replied without hesitation. “Followed by the factory complex. The others don’t feel large enough to me. Unless they’re using the sewers. Which they very well could be. I don’t dare navigate those depths. It’s a labyrinth down there.”

Maiya exchanged glances with Bheem, who nodded. This was the other reason she’d brought him. The sewer system sounded like the perfect spot for Riyan to hide his forces. If he managed to deal with the sanitation issues that constantly plagued such places.

Bheem and his brother certainly had, and Maiya doubted anyone knew those depths better than her friend.

“Very well,” Maiya said. “Any estimates on the size of his force?”

“Unclear,” the handmaiden replied. “As few as fifteen. As many as a hundred. They take great care not to send the same people above ground, so it is difficult to know for certain.”

“I see. Thank you. This is good work. Is there anything else you had for us?”

The girl shook her head. “I shall take my leave.”

As if some other personality had taken over, a bright smile blossomed on her serious face, and she reached out and grabbed a fritter.

“Mm! Delicious,” she said, standing. “It was great seeing you after so long! Do take care!”

And then she was gone, disappearing into the crowd of the tavern.

Yamal shook his head in exasperation. “You handmaidens are terrifying, you know that?”

Maiya gave him a coy smile. “You don’t know the half of it. Now c’mon. We’ve some warehouses to scout.”