Book 11/Chapter 1
The Spark of War
(Year 5, Month 10, Day 5)
Sparks flew through the air as Zeil deflected Kante’s spear leaving the young filly to spin around and use her momentum to thrust again at her teacher. With the metal shield being his only weapon, Zeil tried a second time to block the attack as the changeling blocked the attack parried the spear upwards before lowering his stance and spinning around in an attempt to hit her hooved out from under her with the shield’s edge. Seeing the attack coming, Kante jumped high enough to land on the shield as she used his spin to help as she vaulted high into the air with her spear at the ready. Although she already had the advantage of bringing the spear down on Zeil from above, Kante took the extra effort to thrust the spear before beginning her fall making her attack even faster then what most would suspect. As the blade came close, Zeil had barely any time as he shifted his body to evade the spears blade and flung the shield upward as fast as he could as the round metal shield slammed against Kante’s side with enough force to stun, disarm, and toss the young filly a number of feet before hitting the ground and rolling into a sliding stop.
Realizing he may have hit her too hard, Zeil rushed to her side as he called, “Kante! You alright?”
Rubbing her head in irritation, Kante replied, “Owe… what was that?”
Seeing she was alright Zeil smiled, “That was a bit of a reflex… luckily it means you have improved quite a bit. Next match if I'm not careful, could be my last.”
He held out his hoof to help her up as she sighed, “Very unlikely… if that was a reflex, then you were how you say, going easy on me. I’d hate to see what would happen if you used your full skill. I may never be as good as you.”
As she took his hoof, Zeil picked her up as he replied, “All great warriors require time and patients, but you are still much more skilled then I was at your age. At this rate you will be the best warrior the Northern Tribes will ever see, don’t you think chief?”
Zeil looked off to the side as Chief Basarum stood watching as he replied, “She is very skilled, I have no doubt that if she isn’t already, then she will be one of the tribe’s best.”
Hearing praise from the chief made her feel proud as Kante looked to Zeil and replied, “And I owe it all to Brother Zeil. If not for his teachings I would never be this good.”
Zeil smiled, “You owe it to yourself, I only helped to show you the way. That’s what siblings do right?”
Chief Basarum could only smile at their comradery but before anything else could be said, a Northern Tribe warrior rushed up as he called, “Chief!!! Come we have a problem!!!”
With the warrior catching all their attention, the three looked to the approaching soldier as the chief spoke, “What is it brother? What’s wrong?”
Tired from his recent sprint, the warrior took a breath before replying, “It’s the river… there is something you must see… this way quickly!”
Hearing the concern, Zeil placed the shield on the ground as he spoke, “I'll go with you.”
Kante with her spear in hoof nodded, “As will I.”
Normally Chief Basarum would object to either of them following for tribal matters, but since Zeil has become a trusted member of the tribe, and Kante a skillful warrior for her age, Chief Basarum nodded as he replied, “Then let’s make haste.”
With that, the mage in training, the young warrior and their chief followed the guard towards the outskirts of the tribal lands as Chief Basarum spoke while they ran, “Brother, what has happened? What is the problem with the river?”
The warrior replied, “This morning I was making my rounds and decided to go into the village outskirts. But when I got to the river there was a commotion surrounding it. When I investigated… I saw that it had dried up.”
The three followers were surprised as Kante replied, “Dried up… impossible. It’s been two days since the last rains. There should be plenty of water upstream to keep it going.”
The Warrior replied, “That’s what I assumed… and yet it’s dry.”
After that the four continued in silence as they rushed to the river at the edge of the tribe’s lands. As the four arrived, Chief Basarum was immediately approached by concerned farmers and spectators that held him up as Zeil and Kante continued to the riverbed. As Chief Basarum tried to calm the herd, Zeil and Kante were shocked when they saw the dry and cracking riverbed as Zeil spoke, “It is dry… how it this possible?”
Kante shook her head, “I don’t know… the river has had its low years before but never a time where it dried up completely.”
Finally able to get by the herd Chief Basarum approached the riverbed as he looked into the river and spoke, “Dry… this is a poor omen.”
The warrior who showed them to the site spoke, “This is how I found it this morning… not a drop in sight.”
Zeil looked at the surrounding herd, then gave the warrior a suspicious look before mumbling quietly, “Odd…”
Seeing that Zeil was looking at him the warrior asked, “Is there a problem mage Zeil?”
Zeil shook his head, “Not really, but I'm curious… You say you were making your usual rounds, what made you come out here?”
Kante added, “That’s right, warrior patrols go by usual key points, but I'm not aware of any out in the farmlands.”
The warrior replied, “Well… call it a hunch… plus I live in this area so it was on the way into the village.”
Chief Basarum spoke, “Regardless of that… we should focus on the situation. Zeil take a closer look.”
Zeil stepped into the dry river and trotted along the cracked ground as he swept some of the dried and cracked dirt aside and placed his hoof firmly on the ground. After doing this, Zeil began focusing as hard as he could until a very small vine started growing out of the shadow that his hoof casted on the ground. Though the vine only grew to about three inches in length, it was enough as Zeil gasped from his intense focused before replying, mumbling to himself quietly, “Interesting… yet suspicious.”
Not hearing him clearly Chief Basarum called, “Well? What do you see?”
Zeil looked back, “The ground is cracked but under that its slightly damp. If it was completely dried up, there wouldn’t be groundwater.” He looked up stream, “Something is blocking it. I suggest we investigate.”
Chief Basarum nodded, “Very well.” He looked to the warrior, “You go with Zeil and see to the riv-”
“With all due respect Chief, That won't be nessisary. Kante and I will go. It’s best that you two stay here and ensure the tribe that we are looking into it.”
Basarum was curious, “Are you sure?”
Zeil smiled, “Kante is basically finished with her training and I am the future Mage of Zebrica… I think together we make up at least four good warriors. We should be fine.”
Normally Chief Basarum would disagree, but with more spectators arriving on site, he decided to just accept it, “Go… and be safe. But if you run into trouble return at once.”
Zeil smiled, “Understood chief, Kante lets go.”
Kante smiled, “Yes brother on your lead.”
As the two rushed up the dry river, Kante smiled, “Thanks for speaking in my defense Brother Zeil. It’s good to know my skill is as good as two warriors.”
Zeil chuckled as he joked, “You as two? I was saying I was good as three.”
The two laughed as Kante replied sarcastically, “Oh ha ha ha, very funny.”
Not long after the two set out up the river Zeil and Kante came to an area where they could see a wooden dam ahead as Kante spoke, “Brother Look!”
Rushing to the large wooden obstacle, the two climbed out of the dry river and into the riverbed as Kante spoke, “This was built recently… and not very well I should say.”
Zeil looked around for any other zebra in the area as he spoke, “Okay new lesson, A warrior should be able to investigate an area and determine recent activity by clues on the site so… look around. Anything here can tell us what happened if you look closely enough.”
Kante nodded as she trotted along the river bank and examined the area as she spoke, “There are tracks here… but they are light… at least on this particular spot. I think this was a group effort and the leader stood here.” She looked around some more, “Here… more tracks… but they are deeper… either heavier zebra trotted along this area.”
Zeil added, “Or light zebra carrying heavy objects… perhaps the logs that make up the dam.”
Kante followed the tracks as she pointed, “There… wagon tracks… and they go to the south… whoever did this came from the south. Should we follow them?”
Zeil nodded, “That can wait… we need to find out more here first… what else do you see?”
Kante trotted down into the dry part of the river in front of the dam as she spoke, “The mud in front of the dam is deep… looks like water is still seeping through. Whoever did this doesn’t know much about engineering. Or they didn’t have high quality tools.”
Zeil smiled, “Very good… I didn’t even catch that… but by determining, what do you think happened here?”
Kante climbed back to the top of the riverbed as she replied, “Well it’s obvious that the river was dammed by another tribe. My guess, is the Southern Tribes, aside from the fact that they are the only ones who would do this, the tools used to make the dam were too poor to do it properly, so it wasn’t the Eastern Tribe. And blocking our water would be a strategy that only the south would attempt.”
Zeil nodded, “Yea… and the Western Tribes are more pacifist so they wouldn’t do this regardless.”
Kante looked to Zeil, “Should we go after them?”
Zeil shook his head, “No… we need to report this back to the chief. A good warrior doesn’t attack without orders.”
Kante nodded, “Right. So what do we do?”
Zeil turned to the dam as he replied, “First let me deal with this… it should be good practice.”
As that was said, a cloud overhead seemed to cover the sunlight above as Zeil smiled, “Talk about convenience.”
Zeil then trotted to the riverbank closest to the dam as he placed his hoof on the ground and focused. Though it couldn’t be seen from the surface, small vines started to grow under the waterline along the side of the dam as Zeil tried to focus on digging the vines under the dam to brake the ground beneath it. After a few seconds the poorly constructed dam collapsed under the water pressure behind it as the water flowed down river and Zeil dropped to a knee in exhaustion. Concerned Kante spoke, “Brother Zeil… are you harmed?”
Zeil nodded, “No I'm fine… I'm just trying to get used to how badly my ability drains my energy. But luckily I did find that using it in or near water is much easier. None the less we should report back to the chief. I have a bad feeling about all this.”
As the two started to leave, Zeil paused as he looked down to the ground where the leader of the Southern Tribe supposedly stood. Looking at the hoof prints for a few seconds, Zeil could tell that instead of traveling south with the wagon, these tracks moved towards the Northern Tribe village as Kante noticed Zeil’s hesitation, “Brother?”
Zeil shook his head, “It’s nothing… let’s get back.”
After that was said, the two traveled back down river until they met Chief Rafi in the same place that they left him as the chief spoke, “I see you fixed the problem with the river.”
Kante started to speak, “Yes Zeil and I found a d-“
Seeing the spectating herd Zeil interrupted “A downed tree blocked the river… probably fell over last night… but… we need to talk, lets head back to the village.”
That said, Chief Basarum, Kante, and Zeil started traveling up the road as Chief Rafi spoke, “I can tell you were trying to avoid too much attention from the tribe. So tell me… what did you really run into out there? An ambush?”
Zeil shook his head, “No… but we did find a dam that was built blocking the river.”
Kante added, “Yea… we think it was the Southern Tribe’s doing.”
Chief Basarum replied, “I see… do you have any proof?”
Zeil shook his head, “Nothing viable, but I think you and I both know it’s the truth regardless?”
Chief Basarum nodded, “I do… unfortunately we need better evidence to really do anything about it.”
Kante was surprised, “So… we are just going to let them get away with it?”
Thought he didn’t like it, Chief Basarum nodded, “We have no choice. If we assemble the tribes it will only lead to petty excuses and wasted time. Since it only resulted in late watering times for the crops we will just overlook it for now. But I have a feeling this is only one of what’s to come.
(Year 6, Month 01, Day 2)
Months later, Zeil and Chief Rafi were on the outskirts of the tribal lands as Zeil sat focusing his magic. As Zeil Focused on his training, Kante trotted into the area as she approached Chief Basarum and spoke, “Chief, what is brother Zeil doing?”
Chief Basarum replied, “He is trying to focus, I buried a seed in the soil before him. I want to see if he can locate it, and if so, if he can make it grow.”
Kante looked at Zeil with surprise, “He can do that?”
Zeil sighed in defeat as he replied, “Apparently not… I can’t see or sense the seed anywhere. Even then I don’t think I'm capable of making it grow. But…”
Zeil closed his eyes again and focused again. This time however, the seed slowly pushed itself out of the ground until it was apparent that it wasn’t the seed that was moving, but a vine beneath it that pushed the seed out of the soil until the sunlight touched it causing the vine to stop moving. After seeing this Zeil stopped focusing as he spoke, “I guess I can only manipulate the vines. And only when they’re in shadows. But it’s strange that I feel where they are when they grow. Or at least I can feel the texture of the soil around them as if… it were an extension of myself.”
Kante thought to herself before speaking, “I have a question… if you can't grow regular seeds, then how can you grow the vines?”
Zeil thought to himself as he replied, “That’s the weird part. I gave a piece of the vine to the Chieftess Mimea of the Western Tribes so that she and her herbalist could examine it, and she told me that not only was the vine ancient in origin. But it was dead while growing.”
Kante was surprised, “Dead?”
Chief Basarum nodded, “Yes, I know of a plant that is capable of growing long after it dies, but there isn’t any remnant of it in any soil around here. In fact the only place I knew of it ever growing was in Equestria a few years ago. Seems the plant caused quite a stir when it grew from the Everfree forest and tried to overtake the nearby towns.”
Zeil trotted to the vine and plucked it from the ground as he replied, doesn’t explain how it’s here… nor does it explain how it grows after death.”
Chief Basarum nodded, “Perhaps your ability is to conjure these vines from magic. It would explain the mystery behind them.”
“Chief!!!”
Confused, the three turned towards the village as a farmer zebra approached, “Trouble… there is a commotion outside the village that needs your attention!”
Chief Basarum nodded, “Understood… Zeil, Kante, with me.”
Zeil nodded, “Understood chief.”
As they rushed to the area just outside the village, they soon arrived at one of the tribe farms as there was a commotion huddled around the entrance to one of the storage huts. As they arrived Chief Basarum spoke, “What is happening here?”
One of the farmers turned to the chief as he spoke, “Chief, we just discovered that a few straw bales have gone missing.”
Chief Basarum was confused, “Missing? How?”
A warrior in the area approached as he replied, “It’s alright chief, I looked at the hut myself and it seems like there was no signs of break in. perhaps there was just a miscount in the supply.”
The farmer argued, “I have farmed for this tribe for many years, and not once have I ever miscount the crops. This is my placement and I refuse to be accused of anything so demeaning!”
Kante spoke up, “Calm down, he didn’t mean any offence. Maybe there is another explanation… maybe some zebra misplaced the bale.”
Hearing this the farmer turned to Kante with an angry look, however before he could reply with another angry response, Zeil intervened, “Calm yourself before you say something you will regret… I can feel your anger from here, but that isn’t reason enough to create conflict with a warrior… no matter how young!”
Realizing his actions, the farmer looked to Zeil in surprise and silenced himself as Chief Basarum spoke, “Enough of this… I will not allow infighting in my tribe. Tell me… how many bales are missing?”
The farmer looked to the chief and replied, “I only counted two missing.”
Chief Basarum nodded, “Then we should be fine.”
The Farmer replied, “But chief, that food was from our winter stalk.”
Zeil replied, “Then it’s my share.”
Kante stepped forward too, “Also mine. That way there will still be plenty of food and we can stop worrying about this.”
The farmer gave the young warrior a confused look as Chief Basarum smiled, “That won't be nessisary, we always plan for a poor harvest, so this little amount won't be a problem.”
The farmer was still concerned, “But even then, what if this means there is a thief in the tribe?”
Zeil looked to the warrior as he asked, “You… You’re the same warrior who found us when the river was dammed right? What’s your name?”
The warrior replied, “My name is Maximus.”
Zeil continued, “And you say there were no signs of break in?”
The warrior shook his head, “No none at all.”
Zeil gave the warrior a suspicious look as he replied, “Well despite the dust on your shoulder… you seem like you can be trusted enough.”
Realizing there really was dust on his shoulder, Maximus brushed it away as Chief Basarum nodded, “Then perhaps this really was a misunderstanding. Whether it is or not, it is settled now. Let’s put it behind us and move on.”
The farmer nodded as he sighed, “Of course chief… as you say.”
With that settled, Zeil, Chief Basarum, and Kante started trotting back towards the village as Kante spoke, “Thanks brother Zeil, for standing up for me when the farmer lost his temper.”
Zeil nodded, “And you little sister for offering your food to settle the dispute. Selflessness is a redeeming quality for any warrior to respect.”
Chief Basarum looked at Zeil with concern, “You were lying back there weren’t you? What are you planning Zeil?”
Zeil thought to himself, “I have a feeling I wanted to test… if all goes well, then I'm wrong and this truly is settled and things will be fine. But if what I'm assuming is right, then we have a problem that will need our attention soon.”
Chief Basarum asked, “A problem… can you handle it?”
Zeil nodded, “I can…”
The Chief nodded, “Then I'll trust your judgement and leave it in your hooves, just keep the tribe in mind should you act recklessly.”
Zeil nodded, “I always do.”
That night, Zeil was sitting in his hut deep in meditation until Kante charged into the room, “Brother Zeil!!! There are fires at the farmlands!
Zeil stood up, “WHAT!!!”
Kante and Zeil rushed out of the Hut as Kante replied, “The chief is there attempting to contain the fire, but its moving onto the crops.”
Zeil ran beside her as he replied, “Okay… then let’s do what we can to save the crops.”
As soon as the two arrived, the warriors and farmers were working together to move water to the blaze as Chief Basarum was trying to direct them. As Zeil approached Basarum smiled, “Good you’re here. Kante, go evacuate the farmers huts. Make sure all zebra are out of there and at a safe distance.”
She nodded, “Yes chief.”
Chief Basarum looked to Zeil as he spoke, “The fire started on the northern field and is spreading fast… any ideas?”
Zeil nodded, “Yes, from the looks of it, the north field is lost. But if we lay water along the line separating it from the southern field we may be able to save it.”
Chief Basarum nodded, “Then let it be so…”
For the next hour and a half, Zeil Chief Basarum and the rest if the tribe did all they could to contain the blaze as Zeil used the darkness of night to create a thick wall of vines to contain the fire in one area. Shortly after, the fire was finally suppressed and put out, Chief Basarum had the warriors keep the area clear as he and Zeil entered the field to investigate the cause. As they traversed the ashy field, Zeil found a square shaped pile of ash as he spoke, “The soil is driest here which means these scorch marks are where the fire originated.”
As they sifted through the ash, Chief Basarum picked up a small staff as he spoke, “Here… this looks like it used to be a torch… but something like this wouldn’t have caught quickly.”
Zeil approached a large pile of ash as he nodded, “Your right… look here, it looks like something was burned here as kenneling, something dry and very flammable.”
Chief Basarum thought to himself as he nodded, “Exactly… something was burned here… it’s the only way the fire could have gotten hot enough to spread like it did.”
Zeil looked around, “Are there any warriors in the area?”
Chief Basarum shook his head, “No I told them to stay behind for their own safety, we don’t need the fire to catch again should there be some smoldering embers out here.”
Zeil nodded, “Good, for the time being only you and I should be allowed in this area… I have an idea of what happened but it may require a little… dishonesty.”
The chief thought to himself, “Dishonesty? What do you mean?”
Zeil nodded, “I have a feeling the one responsible for this was from another tribe… and I'll give you one guess as to who.”
Chief Basarum sighed, “The Southern Tribe… but there is a definite lack of proof in this theory that we must take into account. If we assume and accuse them of this with nothing to show, then we only entice them to react with hostility.”
Zeil shook his head as he replied with disgust, “So… damming the river and trying to burn our food isn’t hostile enough?”
Seeing what Zeil was thinking Chief Basarum replied, “On any other instance, this would be a deliberate attack on the tribe. One that would justify a declaration of war… but without proof, declaring such a thing would both go against the lessons taught by Chief Rafi, and provoke the other tribes to become hostile to the tribe that declares war.”
Zeil shook his head as he turned away, “Then I'll be the one to go.”
The chief was confused, “Go? Go wh- Wait… Don’t tell me…”
Zeil nodded, “I'll travel to the Southern Tribes and demand he put a stop to these games.”
Chief Basarum spoke in anger, “You will not! I forbid it!. Any action you make will be a direct response of the Northern Tribes.”
Zeil shook his head, “Chief, I understand where this puts you… but this thorn on his side is deliberately my fault because he can't handle the fact that I'm supposed to become the mage. If I meet him face to face… then maybe we can settle this peacefully. And if it makes you feel any better, I can take a few warriors with me, you know, as witnesses.”
Chief Basarum gave Zeil a curious look, “Witnesses?... who?”
Zeil replied without hesitation, “Kante, and the guard we talked to yesterday. You know, the one who searched the storage hut, Maximus I believe his name was.”
Chief Basarum replied, “You answered rather quickly… any reason why you chose those two?”
Zeil replied, “Maximus because he is a witness to the whole dam incident a few months ago, as well as this one. And Kante?... well she is a capable warrior now, and I'm sure with her age, the Southern Tribes is less likely to respond to our visit with hostility.”
Chief Basarum was unsure as he replied, “No zebra will be harmed… I want your full guarantee that you will not so much as raise a hoof to any member of the Southern Tribe.”
Zeil nodded, as he replied, “As future mage of Zebrica, you have my word. No harm will come to anyone during this visit. Not to them and certainly not to us.”
Chief Basarum sighed in defeat, “Fine… then I will trust to hold you on your word. Just… watch over Kante. She will obey your instruction, but I worry her age may be too much of a hindrance on her self-control.”
Zeil smiled, “I think your underestimating her. Kante is young, and very inexperienced, but she knows that following instruction is one of the most important rules of being a tribal warrior. I know, I taught her that lesson personally.”
Basarum nodded, “Just watch over her… whe- if she should ever lose herself to instinct… I only hope you can accept what happens next.”
Zeil nodded as he turned away, “Don’t worry chief, I'll be sure to watch her closely, and if she losses herself, I'll be sure to regain control for her. After all a war between the tribes is bad for all of us, myself included.”
As Zeil trotted off, Chief Basarum mumbled quietly to himself, “I hope so… I’ve lost a daughter before, and I don’t want to lose one permanently.”
Hours later just after sunrise, Zeil, Kante and Maximus were nearing the edge of the southern village. Kante and Maximus traveled with their padded warrior garb and spears while Zeil traveled only with his cloak giving the appearance of a VIP with his body guards. As they neared the village Maximus nervously spoke, “Mage Zeil… w-why are we here again? I'm having a hard time understanding why we traveled all the way to the Southern Tribe.”
Zeil replied, “We traveled here to inform Chief Muji of the events in the Northern Tribe… I have reason to suspect that he is somehow involved.”
The guard replied, “And… why am I here?”
Zeil replied, “You were the one who informed us of the dam incident a few months ago, and the one who investigated the missing straw bale that is suspected to be used in last night’s fire. Your whiteness is important evidence in also claiming our suspicion against the Southern Tribe. However… take note that for the most part, you and Kante are supposed to be my whiteness and bodyguard to ensure our visit doesn’t become hostile. So you will follow my instruction and say nothing unless I tell you to. I want to test the chief myself before pushing any blame.”
Kante nodded and spoke with authority, “Understood brother.”
Maximus hesitated then replied with a less enthusiastic response, “Yes Mage Zeil.”
As soon as the three approached the first huts at the end of the Southern Tribe’s village, a small number dust coated warriors approached them and pointed their spears as one spoke, “Stop there! You will go no further!”
As the southern warriors moved to surround them, Zeil spoke, “We are of the Northern tribe… we come bearing no harm but we have come to see Chief Muji of an important matter.”
The warrior shook his head, “Northern Tribes requesting to see the chief? Under what business have you come to speak?”
Zeil lowered the hood on his cloak as he replied, “Business set by the Mage of Zebrica.”
As soon as he heard those words, the guard hesitated as the rest of the northern warriors whispered amongst themselves until finally the lead soldiers spoke, “You are mage Zeil?”
Zeil nodded, “I will be, once my training is complete. Either way, you know as well as I that any business of the mage whether he be trained or training isn’t to be ignored.”
The warrior nodded, “Then I will show you to the chief… but your body guard and the filly will leave their spears behind.”
Kante started to speak in anger, “I'm a warrior t-“
Zeil interrupted, “They will leave their weapons here… so long as you assure us that we will have no need for them while here… and that includes defending ourselves from you.”
Zeil gave the lead guard a serious look as the guard felt uneasy as he replied, “We will abide by Zebrican law, you came harboring no harm to us and we will show none in return.”
Zeil nodded, “Thank you… Kante, Maximus…”
Nodding at the instruction, both Kante and Maximus handed over their spears as the leading southern guard spoke, “This way, I will show you to the Chief.”
Nodding, Zeil and his party followed the surrounding warriors towards the Southern Tribe’s temple. As they arrived Zeil was surprised, the Southern Tribe’s temple wasn’t as tall and majestic as the north, but what it lacked in height it made up for in mystery as the stone building seemed to curve down underground for what seemed to be a deep and fortified building. Carrying on, the leading guards led Zeil and his group into the temple, down a large set of stone stairs and into a throne room that seemed much larger then Chief Basarum’s.
As the doors to the room opened, Chief Muji sat in a stone throne at the back of the room as he took one look at the party before standing and beginning to chuckle. With no words the chief’s chuckles turned to simple laughter, then continued into a fit of hilarity as Zeil, Kante, and Maximus continued into the room. With the chief laughing too hard to speak, Zeil and his party stopped a few feet from the ruling zebra as they paused and waited patiently to be addressed. Finally Chief Muji was able to cease his laughing enough to speak through his chuckles, “This… this is all they could muster? A wannabe Mage, A single warrior, and a filly? Either Basarum has gone senile in his old age, or else he intended on playing this joke for my amusement.”
Annoyed, Kante stepped forward as she started to speak, “What did you say y-“
Zeil held his hoof out to silence her as he spoke using what Zebrican tradition he knew “Chief Muji of the Northern Tribe, I have come to address you with a matter of concern… will you hear me?”
Able to stop his laughter but holding his smile, Chief Muji sat back in his throne as he replied with an interested look, “I suppose you humored me enough, so I shall humor you… speak freely false mage.”
Ignoring the insult, Zeil spoke, “Recently, we’ve had a string of incidents in the Northern Tribes that are quit peculiar.”
Chief Muji rested his head on his hoof, “Is that so?”
Zeil nodded, “Yes… a few months ago, a dam was constructed across the river that flowed through the tribe’s farmlands. The dam was constructed poorly, but it carried out its purpose which was to block water from entering the Northern Tribes.”
The chief smiled with pride, “I see… yet I don’t understand how this concerns the Southern Tribe in any way.”
Kante stepped forward, “We know you built it! Why don’t you admi-”
“Kante! That’s enough!!!”
Recoiling at Zeil’s command, Kante stepped back as Chief Muji stood from his throne and spoke, “That is a strong accusation little filly… one that would require proof. So… do you have any to present?”
Hanging her head in shame, Kante stayed quiet as Zeil spoke, “No… though I agree what the theory, we don’t have any evidence to support it.”
The chief shrugged his shoulders, “Then as far as I'm concerned, we cannot be held accountable. With no proof of our involvement who’s to say it even happened, let alone that we caused it.” he sat back down, “luckily I'm in a happy mood so I won't take offence to your outburst little filly. Provided you leave since this business is finished.”
Zeil shook his head as he spoke with a little more authority, “Actually… there is more. Last night before sunrise, a fire was started in the farmlands of the same tribe. The fire claimed a large amount of the farmland… and when Chief Basarum and I investigated where it started we found more. Evidence that it has been started deliberately… and… a victim.”
Both Kante and Maximus gave Zeil a shocked look as the chief replied with intrigue, “A victim? Do tell…”
Zeil replied, “Yes… a victim. A foal caught in the fields at the time of the fire. Seems the poor soul was surrounded and couldn’t escape the blaze. He burned to death out there.”
The chief nodded with a smile, “I see… and you suspect me for this blaze?”
Zeil nodded, “I do…”
“And your proof?”
Zeil hesitated for a few seconds as he stared into the face of a calm smiling chief, then the mage smiled as he replied, “I have more than just proof.”
Zeil with a smile on his face took a few steps back from where he was standing until he found himself standing right between Kante and Maximus. Then with force, Zeil grabbed the back of Maximus’s neck as he threw the warrior to the ground in front of him as the unexpected action caused Chief Muji to stand in shock as Zeil spoke with authority, “I have the one who started the fire… YOU’RE SPY!!!”
Confused the entire room looked at Zeil in shock as Maximus shuffled to his hooves and backed away from Zeil as he spoke, “Wha- but ho- I mean, why would you say this?”
Zeil replied, “I had a suspicion about you since the dam incident. First, you said you decided to look into the river even though it is well outside normal guard routes. Next when I was feeling the earth for moisture, you said it had to had dried up overnight… but with the amount of moisture just under the soil, it had been less than an hour. My guess, you never investigated that site did you? I’m guessing you ran to get us and let us know about the incident right after you finished directing your fellow northern warriors in constructing the thing. But what really gave you away… was your emotions.”
Maximus was nervous, “M- my emotions?”
Zeil nodded, “Yes… I am a changeling. I can sense the emotions and species of many creature within a certain distance of me. And that day… you had it radiating from you like a stench.”
Maximus looked at Chief Muji in worry before looking back as he replied, “But… I didn’t feel any emotions that could have said I was responsible that day. At least… I don’t think I did.”
Zeil nodded, “No you’re right, you didn’t have any emotions that day… amongst that herd of nervous farmers, warriors and even the uneasy chief who was worried about what could have stopped the river… you were as cool as a cucumber. You felt so sure of yourself that you didn’t need to feel pride or guilt. All you had to do, was stand by, and react the same as every zebra else. Then… there was yesterday… you investigated the possible theft of a missing bale of straw correct? Then… I noticed the dust on your shoulder… grain dust.”
“Wh-what?”
Zeil continued, “You took those bales of straw and hid them off somewhere. Then that night, you brought them back set them out in the field and lit them on fire.”
Chief Muji smiled in amusement, “This is interesting and all… but I hardly see how this stallion’s crime ties me to any of this… perhaps he worked alone?”
Zeil shook his head, “He did… but under your order.”
“Oh? What makes you say that?”
Zeil replied, “Once again… his emotions gave it all away. I said that a foal was killed in the fire right? Well that was a lie. I said that to gauge the emotions of every zebra in this room… and do you know what the results were? Kante, was shocked as she is right now. The guards surrounding us, felt a sense of sympathy, after all it’s tragic to hear the life of one so young being taken before its time.” He looked down to Maximus, “This traitor, felt a deep sense of guilt as if he were deliberately responsible for the fire… but what set apart from all else.” He looked back to the chief, “Was you… your emotions, chief of the Southern Tribes… was of pride. Pride, that you have achieved something that pulls you closer to your goal, pride that you have secretly won with none other the wiser, Pride… as if the plan you had set in motion was coming together nicely… am I wrong Chief?”
Maximus gave his chief a worried look as Chief Muji hesitated for a few seconds with a look in hidden anger on his face. After a few more seconds, the chief smiled as he replied, “Very amusing Mr Zeil… truly it is. And spoken with such authority and confidence… I could believe you were some sort of storybook detective with that speech… but… I and the rest of the tribal chiefs can't take your word on your so called evidence. After all, we can't be sure what you say is truth at all, and it’s not like any of us can feel emotions as you so claim… so your argument is null and void. As for this stallion… I’ve never seen him before in my life… perhaps he is a drifter trying to sow seeds of distrust within the tribes… so if that is the case…” He looked to his closest guard, “Silence him.”
Nodding the warrior raised his spear and with one accurate throw, pierced the Maximus’s chest as the fatal impact pierced his heart, killing him in less than three seconds after impact. Although the attack was a shock to both Kante and Zeil, Zeil still held his composure as Chief Muji stood from his throne and spoke, “I will thank you for bringing this criminal’s action to my attention Zeil… though it would be better next time, if you brought it to your chief’s attention. I don’t feel like cleaning up after the Northern Tribe’s incompetence.” He turned his back to Zeil in dismissal “Now go… I’ve had my fill of your company, and now I find it less amusing then before… Leave.”
Zeil nodded as he replied, “Very well, I will take my leave. And speaking of incompetence… perhaps you can choose a better spy next time… I grow tired of meaningless brain teasers. If you are the Southern Tribes known for unmatchable strategy… perhaps, you can take it up a few notches so that you can reach my level. Otherwise I'll grow bored of these games you choose to play.”
With no concern to his insult, Zeil turned away as he spoke, “Let’s go Kante, we have a few hours till we get back to the tribe so I’d rather leave now while the sun is still low.”
Trying not to laugh at Zeil’s cleverly disguised insult, Kante cleared her throat as she replied, “Yes brother Zeil.”
As the two started to leave, Chief Muji turned and yelled while failing to hold back most of his anger, “You will never be mage Zeil… I'll make sure of that. My brother was the one true mage, you are nothing compared to him! You hear me? NOTHING!”
Zeil paused just before leaving the throne room as he spoke with his back turned to the chief, “I cannot say what type of stallion your brother was… but if he failed the final trial, then he wasn’t meant to be Mage.”
With that as his only response Zeil without taking a single look back to the southern chief continues out of the throne room as Chief Muji began trembling with rage.
As Zeil and Kante left the temple, and exited the tribe, the Southern Tribe warriors gave Kante back her spear as they started making their way further from the village’s edge. As they continued Kante was smiling with pride in their accomplishment, however something was on her mind as her smile faded and she spoke, “Brother Zeil?”
Zeil nodded, “Yes?”
She replied, “Something feels…. Off. I mean… we completed what we came to do… and then some. But… why do I feel like this was too easy?”
Zeil replied, “It’s not that it was too easy… it feels foreboding. That’s your warrior instincts, we both know that this isn’t over. And even though I did speak with hostility at the end… it will probably escalate what may come next.”
Kante was curious, “And what will come next?”
Zeil sighed, “I know the type of zebra Chief Muji is, he is proud of his knowledge and doesn’t like to be outsmarted in any way. His response I’m hoping will be directed towards me and me alone, but he will respond. Let’s just get back for now, we need to report to Chief Basarum about Maximus and his treason.
Kante asked, “Was he really a traitor?”
Zeil nodded, “He was, that’s why Chief Muji killed him. He wanted to silence Maximus before he had a chance to spill the beans on his plans.”
Kante was confused, “Beans?”
Zeil smiled, “It’s just an expression. I'll explain it later. For now, I have to brace myself. Chief Basarum is going to be angry when we get back.”
Kante replied with curiosity, “Why? You exposed a spy and showed proof that Chief Muji was responsible. Why would he be mad?”
Zeil sighed, “I gave him my word that no harm would come to anyone.”
Back in the Southern Tribe’s temple, Chief Muji sat in rage as he looked at the dead spy that laid in the center of the room. Though the other guards would have removed the corpse by now, no word was given by the angered chief as a warrior approached, “Chief… would you like us to remove Max’s body and prepare him for burial?”
The chief replied, “Five years… five years he had been amongst their warriors. And the fools didn’t notice a thing. And within one of those years this false mage comes out of nowhere and points him out. Then he makes a fool of me by insulting my brother right to my face… I will not stand for this.”
With the obvious anger in his tone, the warrior backed away without a reply as Chief Muji continued, “Well if anything I think I agree with him. These games have gone on long enough.” He stood from his throne, “Assemble the war party and begin attack plan Z.”
The warrior was surprised, “Attack Plan Z?”
Chief Muji smiled, “Yes… gather every able-bodied stallion in the tribe. And assemble four blockade parties to lock down the other tribes. Then with our main force, we will attack the Northern Tribes. Its times I reduce that village and their false mage to ash.”