With the cover of the night, Muet left her lair for the first time in months, with Captain Riay’s message weighing heavy on her heart. Her decision to push forward with the attack on the palace was meant to inspire the Night Army. To let her allies celebrate the feeling of terrorizing the elites who look down on them. But the urgent message from her captain shocked all her senses and prompted her to leave.
Muet pulled her tattered, royal blue-colored velvet cloak tighter to shield herself from the dusty chill of the Banished Lands. She had grown accustomed to the emptiness here, nothing like the hustle and bustle of her previously sheltered life. Yet she would rather embrace this bleak and rugged terrain over the falseness of the city any day. Her freedom, as lonely as it may be, was worth more than any comfort the palace claimed to provide. The right to live your own life stood at the center of Muet’s heart, which fueled her fight against the palace.
She reached the vast flatlands behind her lair and took to the sky in a single leap. The crisp air danced through her wings, reminding her how much she missed it. Waging war left little time for leisurely flights.
With the peaceful embrace of the night sky, Muet felt at ease despite knowing the chaos she was about to enter willingly. Memories ran through her mind as she continued her flight to the Night Army’s base. The clearest picture burning bright in the front of her mind was of Captain Riay shimmering in her scrying bowl. Her mind replayed the scene.
Agitated by his interruption, Muet had asked her captain to cut to the chase and explain his urgent news. Without an ounce of emotion, Captain Riay gave his report.
“An injured soldier arrived at our base this morning, and he claimed to have been attacked by the princess. He’s recovering now, but I don’t know what to make of his story. I was under the impression the princess was recovering back at the lair.”
She dismissed him, and the image dissolved, leaving Muet frozen beside her scrying bowl. Outwardly, she matched Riay’s lack of emotion with composure of her own. In reality, her mind was stirring wildly. Reports of the princess attacking the Night Army on the battlefield would devastate her troops and reputation. There was only one way something like this could happen.
Plaek.
In the distance, a raven’s caw from the Northern Forest brought Muet back into the present. She surveyed the ground and saw the Night Army base camp several kilometers away. The telltale glow of the temporary portal filled the emptiness like a guiding light. Muet set aside her thoughts of Plaek and made her descent. Their numbers were substantial, and she was extremely proud of her ragtag army. Their willingness to fight gave her all the more determination to continue her mission against the tyranny of the palace.
Muet landed just outside the camp near her rendezvous spot with the captain. She calmed herself and cleared her mind before meeting him. The cool night breeze kept her focused on her mission—to speak directly to the injured soldier. Perhaps he imagined being attacked by the princess and used a false story to justify his failure, knowing that she did not take kindly to dissenters. It was highly unlikely that this was the case, but Muet considered them anyway to calm her nerves.
“Besides, they are too slow-witted to create such an elaborate excuse.”
“I did not make any excuses, Mistress,” a familiar voice sang. The shape of Captain Riay emerged from the darkness. “I would never resort to such base behavior.”
“I wasn’t speaking to you, Captain,” Muet replied, irked by the appearance of Riay despite it being an agreed meeting. “Take me to the infirmary immediately!”
Captain Riay nodded, turning about-face to lead his mistress into the camp. As they moved with a sense of urgency, the pair maintained their air of control and confidence in the presence of the troops. As a sign of their respect, soldiers saluted their mistress as she walked by, then bowed low until she passed them completely. She returned the honor with a simple nod to acknowledge their gesture. Muet and the Captain arrived at the infirmary tent and met her soldiers.
“Step aside for the mistress,” Captain Riay ordered, but they both remained in place, petrified like statues in their desert garden. “She needs to see the injured boy.”
Their eyes were glued to the ground, but the rattling of their weapons betrayed their act of bravery. Neither wanted to be the bearer of bad news out of fear of their mistress’s reaction. Eventually, one whispered something under his breath.
Captain Riay stepped in closer to hear his soldier’s plea. After ordering him to repeat his sentence, Captain Riay’s eyes widened in shock and disbelief.
“Why the delay, Captain?” Muet shouted, irritated that they remained outside the infirmary. The Captain’s hesitation angered Muet even more as she stepped up and pushed the men aside.
Opening the flap of the infirmary tent, Muet stood in the entryway. Her wings trembled with fury as she slowly turned around, her right hand reaching up to strike the throat of the closest guard like a viper.
“Where is the injured boy!?”
Struggling to breathe from the strength of his mistress’s grasp, the soldier wheezed, “Mmm, mai...lll, luu, kkk, krub, Mohm Thaan.”
Muet squeezed harder until the guard fainted and then dropped him to his knees. She wanted to kick him as well but restrained herself. Without another word, she stomped into the infirmary tent, knocked things over, and began yelling.
“How does an injured soldier escape from the infirmary, Captain?”
“I’m not sure, Mistress,” Captain Riay responded, schooling his expression to hide his bewilderment. “He was here before I left to meet you, and I am certain he was sound asleep from the pain medication.”
Muet continued her rampage, furious with the entire situation. Why does nothing ever go my way? What curse am I under? The tent was in total disarray, with sleeping cots flipped over, gauze wildly strewn all over the room, and medical supplies crushed into the floor. She continued her tantrum until nothing was left to destroy.
With her anger quelled momentarily, Mistress Muet faced her captain. “I will only say this once, Captain,” she whispered, stepping closer to him. “Find the boy and bring him to me. I will be waiting in your tent. You have one hour before I set this entire camp ablaze.”
Muet shot out of the infirmary like a speeding bullet. She needed to get away from everything and everyone to collect her thoughts. Her brisk walk through camp was an exercise of restraint. She pushed past rows of soldiers while her anger burned like wildfire. Ignoring their shouts of support and admiration, Muet blocked out every voice around her. She would not be able to control her actions if someone said the wrong thing.
Suspicions crawled through her mind like earworms, eating the sliver of trust she had in Captain Riay. He was the only one who believed in her ways and followed her into banishment. That loyalty meant more to Muet than she let on. While she was certain he did not intend to let the soldier escape, he was responsible for the failure. Muet could not afford any mistakes in this war.
She took a moment to remind herself of why she waged this war in the first place. At the core of her being, Muet believed that things needed to change, which required the complete dismantling of the power of the Royal Family. Why should one bloodline control the fate of every other person in the kingdom? They shouldn’t.
“Nothing is guaranteed in life, not even for royalty, so I need to remind them of their vulnerability. I want them to be restless with every battle we bring, to worry about every breached border, and to feel the hurt for every loss we give them, just as I have over the last two decades.”
Muet paced through the captain’s tent, awaiting an update on the escapee. Even though she did not intend to set her army’s camp ablaze, the longer it took to find the boy, the more likely he was gone for good.
As the clock ticked on, Muet began to feel uneasy. Because she could sense the ever-changing energies of the Banished Lands, Muet caught wind of seven new auras entering her territory through her army’s portal. They moved quickly behind her troops and appeared to be heading toward her lair. Laughing out loud, Muet became intrigued with the new development.
“Tonight just became a bit more interesting.”