{"id":5657,"date":"2020-02-25T21:31:59","date_gmt":"2020-02-25T13:31:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.benjamincheah.com\/?p=5657"},"modified":"2020-02-25T21:31:59","modified_gmt":"2020-02-25T13:31:59","slug":"bayani-part-6","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/?p=5657","title":{"rendered":"Bayani Part 6"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Kerala,<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

There was no homecoming ceremony for them. There was no time. Alejandro spared a moment to check in on the wounded men, but no more. Bayani caught Perla\u2019s eye as the Maestro made his rounds. He met her wave with one of his own, but that was all. He was a man on a mission, and if the Maestro\u2019s heart held no space for private emotions to leak through, Bayani\u2019s could not. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their last call was Salazar\u2019s hut. The headman was\nwaiting for them inside with two green coconuts. He opened them with his bolo<\/em> and served them to the warriors.\nBetween mouthfuls of sweet juice, Bayani and Alejandro recounted their tale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Inrun have returned,\u201d Salazar said quietly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur witch was right.\u201d Alejandro paused. \u201cAnd it may\nnot be the only landing site. The last time they attacked, they came in\nthousands. If this were an invasion\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe must unite the tribes,\u201d Bayani said. \u201cLike we did\nthe last time the Inrun came.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salazar sighed. \u201cOh, Bayani, if only we could.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe young ones aren\u2019t staying. They have gone to the cities\nor across the ocean, seeking to work for the Hesperians. There may be more\npeople on this island than before, but most are too old or too young for war.\nAnd of those who can fight, most do not keep to the old ways. They have traded\ntheir swordsfor coin.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t understand. Why would they do that?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A dark expression crossed Alejandro\u2019s face. \u201cThe conquistadores <\/em>promise gold, food and honour.\nAll they need do is surrender weapons they have not used in a generation.\u201d He\nsighed. \u201cHow soon the young forget.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bayani stuck out his chin. \u201cI didn\u2019t forget.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The headman smiled. \u201cAnd that makes you a man,\nBayani.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bayani glowed. \u201cWhat can we do?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe must fight,\u201d Salazar said. \u201cBut not alone. I will\ngather the men of the village, and send messengers to the other tribes for\nhelp.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Maestro shook his head. \u201cThey have muskets, my\nfriend. This is no raiding party. They will not risk the wrath of the conquistadores<\/em> unless they are confident\nthey can stay.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat is all we can do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNot all. The conquistadores<\/em>\nhave a garrison at Pulaka.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhy would they come here and dirty their pretty\nuniforms?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe pay tribute. The Inrun won\u2019t. More importantly,\nthey have more muskets than the Inrun, and with their horses they can move\nfaster than the Inrun.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey only visit to collect \u2018taxes\u2019. Why would they\nlisten to us?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maestro Alejandro\u2019s voice took on a hard edge. \u201cThey\nwill listen to me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salazar frowned. \u201cI\u2026Maestro, among us you are the most\nskilled at war. You are needed here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo. You<\/em> are\nneeded here. I am not. You are the headman, and I\u2026I am merely the outsider whom\nyour father welcomed with open arms so many years ago. I have passed on my\nknowledge to the men of the village. And I am the only one here who can speak\nto the conquistadores<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bayani blinked. There was more history here between\nthe men than he thought he knew. But he kept his mouth shut.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cVery well. You will be going alone?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBayani comes with me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bayani blinked again. \u201cMe, Maestro?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI am an old man, and old men sometimes need strong\nhands to help.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Maestro didn\u2019t look<\/em>\nold. He moved with the grace and vigor of a man thirty years younger. But\u2026he had\nno hair on his head, his brows had turned white, and his wiry torso was\ncriss-crossed with an impressive collection of scars. Even Salazar, headman as\nlong as Bayani could remember, was younger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBayani is barely a boy,\u201d Salazar said. \u201cSurely a more\nexperienced man would be a better companion?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Inrun may be coming here next. Bayani\u2019s absence\nwould not be as keenly felt as a more experienced sword arm.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAh. You are wise as always, Maestro.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut my mother\u2014\u201d Bayani started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t save her if we\u2019re all dead,\u201d Alejandro\nsaid. \u201cUnless you care to fight them all by yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI understand, Maestro.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The warriors finished their drinks and left.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cClean your weapons and gather provisions,\u201d Alejandro\nsaid. \u201cMeet me at the banana grove. We will leave when you are ready.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow long do I have?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor every minute you tarry, the Inrun march that much\ncloser to the village.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bayani sped home. The hut seemed too large for him. He\ncleaned his sword and scabbard with rags and oils, then filled his sack with\ncured meat, nuts, potions and herbs. The journey to Pulaka would take three\ndays on foot, and he packed accordingly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His preparations complete, he paid a visit to Perla at\nher home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\u2019re back,\u201d she said, smiling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNot for long,\u201d Bayani replied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLeaving again?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes. The Maestro has a mission for me. He wants me to\naccompany him to Pulaka.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\u2019re going to ask the garrison for help?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow do you\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI heard the wounded men speak. The Inrun are here.\nThe Maestro wouldn\u2019t leave unless he were going to get help.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow long will you be away?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSix days, maybe.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She sighed. Nodded. \u201cAll right.\u201d She touched his face.\n\u201cGo. Waste no more time on me, Bayani. Save our people, then come back for me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He wanted to stay here forever. But she was right. He squeezed her hand. \u201cI will. Count on it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Monsters, martial arts, and displaced samurai on a death march through a world-spanning dungeon!<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sign up for my mailing list here<\/a> to stay up to date on my latest writing news and promotions!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There was no homecoming ceremony for them. There was no time. Alejandro spared a moment to check in on the wounded men, but no more. Bayani caught Perla\u2019s eye as the Maestro made his rounds. He met her wave with one of his own, but that was all. He was a man on a mission, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[69,136,143,208,253,289,306],"class_list":["post-5657","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fiction","tag-bayani","tag-fantasy","tag-free-story","tag-martial-arts","tag-pulprev","tag-singlit","tag-steempulp"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5657"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5657"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5657\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5657"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5657"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5657"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}