Chapter 17: Chapter 17: Still of the Night

Fei-Lu pulled Zephyr’s reins all the way back, making the horse come to a halt. He stood on his hind legs and whinnied as the others stopped behind him. The tactician hopped off the horse, leaving Lysa on his back, and stared up at the towering wall of stone standing before her. 

“And how did you plan on us getting over?” Koya asked as she dismounted Midnight. She eyed a narrow slope on the side of the plateau as she crossed her arms in front of her chest. “That path is going to crumble apart just by looking at it!”

“If we’re slow and take each step with caution, we should be able to reach the top of the plateau within a couple of hours.”

The kunoichi turned around and looked at the cart attached to Cyrus’ horse. “And what about our supplies? It’s too rocky to roll that thing all the way up the plateau while still attached to a horse.”

The tactician’s eyes darted towards Yaihan. “That’s where you come in.”

“Me?” Yaihan said while pointing at himself.

“You’re the one that can leap hundreds of feet in the air,” Fei-Lu said rigidly. “Would you be able to get our supplies up there? The length and weight of a horse combined with that of a cart makes navigating these slopes impossible with a standard troop. A single misstep and the horse, supplies and the rider all come crashing down. But I’m sure a talented cultivator such as yourself would have no problem lugging our supplies up there.”

“Of course,” Yaihan replied with a bow. “I’m sure I can get the cart up the path.” He walked to Cyrus’ horse and unlatched the handles from the saddle. 

“Do you need any help with that, good sir?” the scout said as he hopped off his steed. He walked around to the other side and began untangling the knots that kept the cart fastened to the horse.

“Thank you, Cyrus.” The cart came off without a hitch. “I can handle the rest from here.” After Cyrus ushered his horse away, Yaihan stood between the opposing handles of the cart and took one in each hand. The other four watched as he lifted both handles with ease, keeping the cart upright without effort.

“You really are what everyone claims you to be!” Cyrus said with a smile. “You’re lifting a week’s worth of supplies like it’s a child’s toy!”

“Lifting it is the easy part,” Fei-Lu said. “Negotiating the path is where the challenge starts. If we lose that cart, then Xiwao is as good as gone.” She stood in front of Yaihan and looked into his eyes. Under the starry sky, he could see a hint of weariness in her eyes. She lifted one hand and let it rest on his shoulder. “I trust that you’ll be able to keep this cart steady.”

“I will.” Yaihan nodded.

“Thank you.” Fei-Lu returned to her horse and took hold of the reins. “Everyone, stay at a steady distance. We’ll have to be both swift and cautious. Make sure you follow Zephyr’s steps exactly. I know the safest way up the plateau, so don’t deviate from trail.”

Everyone showed their understanding with a silent nod. The others mounted their horses as well before forming a single file line. With Fei-Lu in front, the procession travelled further along the side of the plateau before coming to a flat and sloped protrusion parrel to the length of the plateau. 

Zephyr neighed in exasperation until Fei-Lu tugged on the reins to straighten him out. “March on, Zephyr!” she commanded. The horse calmed down and slowly put one hoof on the slim protrusion that stuck out from the plateau’s side. With cautious movement, Zephyr started his trek up the steep slope. 

Once there was another horse’s length between Zephyr and Koya, the kunoichi eased Midnight onto the narrow footing. “Easy now, boy,” she said to the horse as he hesitated to take a step. “I know it’s slim, Midnight. But we’ve got to get going. Trust me, I think you’d rather fall than get scolded by an angry Fei-Lu.”

With a bit of struggle, Koya guided Midnight ahead. Rocks crumbled underneath his first few steps, sliding off the ramp-like structure. Even though the stones only fell less than a foot, Koya couldn’t resist looking down. “Great,” she muttered under her breath before looking ahead. Fei-Lu and Lysa were ahead by the length of several horse. Neither turned around to see if the rest of the team were following them, instead they focused on the trail ahead.

“If you’re nervous, I can go first,” Cyrus said. “Lancer and I used to traveling along dangerous paths!” he shouted with a smile. “To us, this is just another day in being a scout for the Xiwaoan army!”

Koya turned around and moved Midnight out of the way. “It’s all you Cyrus. Midnight is still uneasy.”

Cyrus’ horse galloped head, getting on the slope without hesitation. Even though the width of the footing was just enough for one horse to fit on, Lancer trotted with confidence and caught up with Zephyr in a matter of moments. Midnight remained at the bottom, still hesitant to take the first step. 

“Is something wrong with Midnight?” Yaihan asked with the handles of the cart still in his hand. 

“I... I don’t know...” Koya said with concern. The horse lifted his head, neighed and turned away from the start of the path. “He only gets this anxious when Oni are near.”

“You think they could be trying to ambush us?”

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“How would they know that we’re here?” Koya asked. “I don’t think they’re expecting us. But this plateau is on the edge of Oni-Zhen territory. Wouldn’t surprise me if there was a camp somewhere nearby.”

“We’d make easy targets for them,” Yaihan said as he watched Cyrus follow behind Fei-Lu and Lysa. “And three of Xiwao’s most powerful warriors are vulnerable.”

“I know, I know,” Koya said with a sigh. “We need to tell Fei-Lu and the others.” She glanced up at the pair of horses slowly navigating the trail. “But it’s too late to turn back now. It’s hard enough going forward when the path is barely wide enough to support a single horse. It’ll be impossible to turn them around without reaching the top.”

“I’ll carry Midnight if I have to,” Yaihan replied. 

Koya squinted her eyes at the cultivator. “You know, it’s hard to tell when you’re serious and when you’re just joking around.”

“You know I’ll do whatever’s necessary.”

“Let me try a more practical solution, first. If Lysa were here, she’d be able to convince Midnight to keep going.”

“Maybe you could channel some of her affinity with nature.”

Koya shrugged her shoulders. “Worth a shot. Can you put the cart down for a second so I can look through it?”

“Yes.” Yaihan carefully lowered the cart to the ground. Koya dismounted Midnight and promptly sorted through the contents underneath the tarp. 

“Here we go.” Koya emerged with a small brown pouch in her hand. “A little incentive might get him moving.”

“What’s in it?” Yaihan asked as he lifted the cart again. The kunoichi opened her palm and emptied the pouch’s contents.

“Sugar.”

“It’s that simple to get Midnight to cooperate?” 

“I hope so.” Koya brushed back the horse’s mane while sticking her other hand in front of the horse’s mouth. “Here, boy. Just a taste.”

Midnight giddily lapped up the small bit of sugar before Koya pulled her hand away. “There’s more of that if you can get us up the plateau. What do you say?”

Still on the ground, Koya tugged on the rein and guided the horse towards the start of the trail. Midnight still gave the slope an awkward glare, but with some firm guidance from the kunoichi, the horse placed a single hoof at the start of the slope.

“Progress!” Koya exclaimed. She leapt on Midnight’s back kicked her heels against his side. “Just think of the treat at the end, boy.” The snorted before taking another step up the plateau. Within a few seconds, all four hooves were on the steep ground. 

“There we go. You got this Midnight.” She gave the horse a friendly pat on the neck. Midnight moved up at a steady pace, narrowing the gap between him and Cyrus up ahead.

“I’ll be right behind you,” Yaihan said from the bottom of the path. Koya turned around and gave him a prompt wave before staying focused on keeping Midnight steady. The cultivator took one step on the ramp and followed Koya. 

The cart shook once the rear wheels reached the sharp incline. Its contents rattled with each step that Yaihan took as the wheels bounced off the jagged rocks that littered the trail’s surface. Koya glanced behind her again, looking at the cultivator with worry once she heard the wood of the cart clunk around. 

“You got that, Yaihan?”

“Nothing I can’t handle,” he replied without taking his eyes off the winding trail ahead. 

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