The morning had arrived with a bitter wind.
It swept across the northern road, slipping between the trees and rolling over the uneven ground. The sky remained pale and overcast, and the mountains in the distance were partly hidden behind a thin veil of mist.
The imperial convoy continued its journey.
Wooden wagons creaked beneath their loads. Oxen pulled steadily along the road, their breath visible in the cold air, while horses carried guards and scouts between the carts. Merchants sat wrapped in thick outer garments, occasionally rubbing their hands together to restore some warmth.
It had been another day since the massive explosion.
Another day since the convoy had narrowly escaped a disaster that could have ended the expedition before it had truly begun.
And Tara had no intention of giving their enemies another opportunity.
Tara rode near the front of the convoy, a woollen shawl wrapped around her shoulders. She had pulled it tightly around herself that morning, and every time the wind found its way beneath the fabric, she adjusted it with visible irritation.
Tara: "Can we move any faster?"
The driver beside her glanced at the oxen.
Driver: "We are already moving faster than yesterday, Minister."
Tara: "Then make sure we don't slow down unnecessarily."
Driver: "Yes, Minister."
She looked ahead at the road.
The convoy had already lost precious time because of the explosion. Their wagons carried supplies, equipment, and belongings that could not simply be abandoned. Even if the guards were willing to ride ahead, the merchants and animals could not keep pace with them indefinitely.
They needed to reach safer ground before the surviving barbarians could regroup.
Tara (thinking) : "If their reinforcements arrive before we've put enough distance between us, they'll come after us. And after losing so many men, I doubt they'll be interested in negotiating."
She pulled the shawl closer around her neck.
Tara: "Wonderful. First someone tries to blow us apart, and now the weather is trying to finish the job."
A few paces behind her, Kavya heard the remark.
Kavya: "You were complaining about the heat a few days ago."
Tara: "I would happily accept that heat right now."
Kavya: "You said the sun was trying to cook you alive."
Tara: "At least it was honest about its intentions."
Kavya laughed.
Malini, riding beside them, gave Tara a disapproving look.
Malini: "You should have brought a thicker shawl."
Tara: "I brought the thickest one I could find."
Malini: "Then you should have worn it properly."
Tara looked down at the shawl, which was already wrapped around her almost completely.
Tara: "Malini, if I wrap myself any more tightly, I'll have to ask someone to carry me like a bundle of cloth."
Kavya: "That might actually make the journey more comfortable for you."
Tara: "I will remember that when I decide who gets the smallest tent tonight."
Kavya immediately stopped smiling.
Kavya: "You wouldn't."
Tara: "Try me."
Malini sighed, though the corners of her mouth lifted slightly.
For a brief moment, the conversation made the journey feel ordinary again.
Then a gust of wind swept across the road, and Tara shivered.
The temperature had dropped noticeably since they had begun travelling north. The cold was no longer a passing inconvenience. It settled into their clothes and made their fingers stiff whenever they exposed them to the air.
The animals were suffering as well.
At the next brief stop, attendants moved between the wagons, checking the harnesses and adjusting the protective coverings placed over the backs of the oxen and horses. Thick cloth and blankets were secured around the animals to shield them from the wind without restricting their movement.
One of the horses stamped its hooves impatiently as a guard tightened a strap.
Satyadhara approached, examining the animal before looking toward the road.
Satyadhara: "Keep the coverings secured, but don't make them too tight. I don't want an animal stumbling because someone has wrapped it like a festival gift."
The attendant bowed.
Attendant: "Yes, Officer."
Aryav stood nearby, his own shawl draped over his shoulders. He watched the guards inspect the animals before turning toward Tara.
Aryav: "We should not remain here much longer."
Tara: "I agree."
Aryav: "The animals need rest."
Tara: "And the enemy needs time. Unfortunately, we cannot give both what they want."
Aryav studied her.
Aryav: "You genuinely believe they'll pursue us?"
Tara: "If their reinforcements arrive and discover what happened, yes."
Aryav: "They may decide that the losses are too great."
Tara: "Or they'll decide that the losses are precisely why they cannot let us escape."
Aryav fell silent.
Tara: "We destroyed their plans, Aryav. Whatever they expected to accomplish, they failed. I wouldn't count on them accepting that gracefully."
Aryav: "Neither would I."
He looked toward Satyadhara, who was speaking quietly with two guards.
Aryav: "I'll ask the scouts to extend their watch."
Tara: "Do that. And tell the drivers to keep moving as soon as the animals are ready."
Aryav nodded and went to carry out her instructions.
Within minutes, the convoy was moving again.
The wheels rolled over the frozen patches of earth, and the line of wagons gradually stretched along the road.
Tara watched the landscape pass.
She had no way of knowing that, far behind them, the reinforcements she feared had finally arrived.
The remains of the decoy convoy lay scattered across the ground.
Broken wheels, torn harnesses, abandoned equipment, and the bodies of fallen men marked the place where the barbarians had expected to find an easy victory.
Instead, they had walked into a disaster.
The reinforcements arrived in a long, disordered column. Their horses were tired from the journey, and several men carried supplies that had been intended for the troops they were coming to reinforce.
Their leader rode at the head.
He slowed as the destruction came into view.
For several moments, he said nothing.
His gaze moved across the wreckage, searching for signs of an organised retreat or some indication that the situation was less disastrous than it appeared.
There was none.
An officer approached his horse.
Officer: "These are the men who were sent ahead."
The leader stared at the remains of a wagon.
Leader: "I can see that."
The officer lowered his head.
Officer: "We have found only a few survivors. Most of the men are dead or missing."
Leader: "Missing?"
Officer: "Some may have escaped into the surrounding hills. We have not found them."
The leader dismounted.
He walked toward the wreckage, his boots crunching over broken pieces of wood. A strip of scorched fabric had caught on a wheel. He pulled it free and examined it before throwing it aside.
Leader: "Where is the convoy?"
No one answered immediately.
The leader turned toward the survivors.
Leader: "I asked you a question."
A wounded soldier, his arm bound in a bloodstained cloth, stepped forward.
Soldier: "They were not carrying the supplies we expected. The convoy was a decoy. Our men were led into a trap."
The leader's jaw tightened.
Leader: "A decoy?"
Soldier: "Yes."
Leader: "And you discovered this when?"
Soldier: "When the attack had already begun."
The leader stared at him.
Soldier: "We thought the explosion would destroy their formation. But the enemy had anticipated us. Their men were prepared, and the wagons were arranged to draw us into the attack."
The soldier hesitated.
Soldier: "We never had the advantage we thought we had."
The leader struck the side of a broken wagon with his fist.
The sound echoed across the ruined site.
Leader: "They made fools of us."
Nobody dared to answer.
He looked toward the road leading north.
The imperial convoy had already continued its journey. While his men lay dead or wounded, the enemy had gained an entire day's advantage.
The realisation made his anger worse.
He had expected to arrive and find the remains of an imperial force, perhaps even a handful of captured officials. Instead, he had found a battlefield that offered him nothing except humiliation.
An officer approached cautiously.
Officer: "We should return and reorganise. The men are exhausted, and we do not know how many soldiers the enemy still has."
The leader slowly turned toward him.
Leader: "Return?"
Officer: "We have lost too many men to pursue them blindly."
Leader: "And what do you suggest we tell our commanders? That we arrived too late? That the imperial convoy escaped while our soldiers died chasing a phantom?"
Officer: "We could still follow them once the men have rested."
Leader: "Rest?"
His voice rose.
Leader: "They are travelling with wagons and animals. They cannot move as quickly as our riders. Every hour we delay gives them another stretch of road."
He stepped closer to the officer.
Leader: "They have already humiliated us once. I will not allow them to reach their destination believing they can strike us and walk away."
The officer lowered his eyes, but his expression suggested he remained unconvinced.
Officer: "The road ahead is unfamiliar. If they have prepared another trap—"
Leader: "Then we will find it."
He turned toward the surviving troops.
Leader: "Gather every man who can still ride. Take fresh horses where they are available, and leave behind anything that will slow us down."
One soldier looked toward the wounded men.
Soldier: "And those who cannot ride?"
Leader: "They remain here with the wounded."
The soldier bowed his head.
The leader mounted his horse.
Leader: "The rest of you will follow me. We will catch the convoy before nightfall, and when we do, I want no hesitation."
He raised his hand toward the northern road.
Leader: "They have taken our men, destroyed our plans, and left us nothing but wreckage. Let them discover what happens when we return the favour."
The remaining barbarians began preparing to move.
Some were reluctant. Others were too exhausted to hide their unease. But the leader's fury left little room for objection.
Within a short time, the surviving force was riding north.
They were fewer than the army that had first set out.
They were tired, angry, and increasingly careless.
And they were determined to catch the convoy.
By midday, the convoy had covered more ground than it usually managed in the same amount of time.
The cold remained unpleasant, but the wind had begun to weaken.
Tara noticed it first.
She had been sitting quietly for several minutes, watching the trees along the road. The breeze that had been cutting through her shawl earlier had almost disappeared.
She loosened the fabric around her neck.
Tara: "That's strange."
Malini looked toward her.
Malini: "What is?"
Tara: "The wind."
Kavya glanced at the trees.
Kavya: "Perhaps we're moving into a sheltered stretch of road."
Tara: "Perhaps."
But Tara did not sound convinced.
The road had begun to descend through a region where low hills rose on either side. Trees crowded the slopes, and patches of dry vegetation covered the ground beneath them.
The landscape looked ordinary enough.
Still, something felt different.
A faint haze had appeared above the distant hills. At first, Tara assumed it was mist, but the colour was wrong. It was darker than the pale vapour that usually clung to the mountains.
She narrowed her eyes.
Tara: "Aryav."
He rode closer.
Aryav: "What is it?"
Tara pointed toward the hills.
Tara: "Do you see that?"
Aryav followed her gaze.
For a moment, he said nothing.
Aryav: "Smoke?"
Tara: "I think so."
He straightened in his saddle.
Aryav: "Satyadhara!"
The head guard approached immediately.
Satyadhara: "Yes?"
Aryav pointed toward the distant haze.
Aryav: "Look at the hills."
Satyadhara studied the sky.
His expression grew serious.
Satyadhara: "Send a scout ahead. I want to know what is burning."
One of the mounted scouts broke away from the convoy and rode forward.
Tara continued watching the haze.
The sky seemed to be changing colour. The pale grey above the road had taken on a dull orange-brown tint, particularly toward the horizon.
The change was subtle, but it spread across the landscape.
Tara pulled her shawl away from her face.
Tara: "Is it getting warmer?"
Kavya looked at her.
Kavya: "Now that you mention it..."
She held out her hand, feeling the air.
Kavya: "Yes. It is."
Malini frowned.
Malini: "How can it be getting warmer so quickly?"
Nobody answered.
The temperature had been dropping for days. Even at midday, the cold had remained unpleasant enough to keep everyone wrapped in layers.
Now the air felt strangely warm against their faces.
It was not the pleasant warmth of sunlight.
It felt heavy.
Tara looked toward the hills again.
A small black fleck drifted past her.
She watched it fall onto her shawl.
Ash.
She brushed it away.
Another fragment landed on her sleeve.
Then another.
Within moments, more dark particles were drifting through the air, carried by a breeze that seemed to have returned from the direction of the hills.
Tara rubbed one of the fragments between her fingers.
It crumbled into fine black dust.
Tara: "This isn't ordinary smoke from a cooking fire."
Satyadhara had already drawn his sword.
Satyadhara: "Stop the forward carts. Keep the animals together, and do not let the convoy spread out."
The order travelled down the line.
Drivers pulled on the reins. Oxen slowed, and guards moved between the wagons, trying to keep the animals from becoming restless.
Merchants began looking around in confusion.
Merchant: "What's happening?"
Another called toward the front.
Merchant: "Why are we stopping?"
Nobody had an answer.
Aryav approached the nearest scout.
Aryav: "Ride ahead. Find the source of the smoke, but do not approach the flames if the road is blocked."
Scout: "Understood."
The scout rode away.
Tara watched him disappear around a bend.
The warmth was growing more noticeable. The smell of burning wood had begun to reach them, carried by the wind.
She glanced at the animals.
Several horses were tossing their heads, while the oxen shifted uneasily in their harnesses. One of the drivers struggled to calm his team.
Malini moved closer to Tara.
Malini: "Stay beside us."
Tara: "I'm not planning to wander into the forest, Malini."
Malini: "This is not the moment for jokes."
Tara's expression softened.
Tara: "I know."
She looked toward Satyadhara.
Tara: "Could the fire have started naturally?"
Satyadhara: "It is possible."
Tara: "Do you believe it?"
He studied the smoke.
Satyadhara: "Not yet."
His answer made her uneasy.
The scouts had been watching the road. The convoy had not received any warning of a fire, and the change in the atmosphere had occurred too suddenly to be ignored.
Then a rider appeared around the bend.
He was travelling at speed.
His horse's sides heaved as he brought it to a halt near Satyadhara.
Scout: "Officer!"
Satyadhara stepped forward.
Satyadhara: "Report."
Scout: "There are enormous flames ahead. The fire has spread across the road and into the surrounding vegetation."
Aryav moved closer.
Aryav: "Can we pass through?"
Scout: "No. The flames are too high, and the smoke is making it difficult to see the road. The heat is already reaching the approach."
Tara looked toward the horizon.
A thick column of smoke rose above the trees, its edges glowing orange in the light. Beyond the bend, the sky appeared darker, stained by the burning landscape.
Tara: "How far does the fire extend?"
Scout: "I could not see the end of it, Minister. It appears to stretch across the route."
Aryav swore under his breath.
Aryav: "Then we turn back."
Satyadhara: "We cannot turn the entire convoy around quickly. The road is too narrow."
Aryav: "Then we find somewhere wide enough."
Tara studied the surrounding terrain.
The hills rose on both sides of the road. Trees crowded the slopes, and the ground beyond the roadside was uneven. A few narrow tracks disappeared into the vegetation, but none looked suitable for a long line of wagons.
They could not simply abandon the carts. Nor could they send the animals scrambling into unfamiliar terrain without knowing what lay beyond it.
Tara: "Is there another route?"
The scout hesitated.
Scout: "There is a narrow track farther ahead, but I don't know whether it can accommodate the wagons. It may be little more than a path for people and animals."
Tara: "Then we need to find out before we commit ourselves to it."
She turned toward Aryav.
Tara: "Send another scout to inspect that track. Have him check the ground and report whether the larger animals can pass."
Aryav nodded.
Aryav: "I'll send two."
Tara: "Good. And keep the drivers ready to move. We cannot remain here if the fire spreads behind us."
Satyadhara turned toward his guards.
Satyadhara: "Keep your weapons ready. Watch the tree line and the rear of the convoy. No one leaves the formation without permission."
The guards obeyed.
For a moment, Tara thought they might still have time to find another route.
Then a shout came from the rear.
Guard: "Riders!"
Everyone turned.
At first, Tara could see only movement between the trees. Dark figures emerged through the haze, their horses kicking up dust as they spread along the road.
The riders were not approaching from a single direction.
They were dividing.
One group appeared behind the left side of the convoy, moving between the trees and the road. Another emerged farther to the right, taking positions beyond the last wagons.
The riders carried weapons, and several wore pieces of armour darkened by travel. Their horses were tired, but the men continued advancing.
Aryav's expression hardened.
Aryav: "Those are the barbarians."
Tara stared at them.
The reinforcements had arrived.
The leader rode at the centre of the rear formation, his eyes fixed on the convoy. Even from a distance, his anger was apparent.
He had followed them through the cold and across the uneven road. Now he had found them facing an obstacle they could not easily overcome.
He raised his arm.
The riders behind him began to spread farther apart.
Satyadhara: "They're attempting to surround us."
Aryav looked toward the fire.
Aryav: "They've blocked the road ahead and are closing in from both sides."
Tara felt the warmth against her face.
The falling ash had grown thicker. It drifted over the wagons and settled on the animals' coverings, leaving dark marks across the cloth.
She understood then that the fire was not merely an unfortunate obstacle.
The barbarians had chosen their moment carefully enough to exploit it.
The flames prevented the convoy from continuing along the main road. The narrow terrain restricted the wagons' movement. The riders were positioning themselves to cut off the rear and both sides, forcing the convoy into a shrinking space between the enemy and the fire.
They intended to trap them.
Tara (thinking) : "They don't need to defeat us in an open battle. They only need to leave us nowhere to go."
The barbarian leader finally brought his horse to a halt.
He looked across the convoy, searching for the people responsible for the destruction of his men.
His gaze settled on Tara's party.
Leader: "There you are."
His voice carried across the road.
Leader: "You thought you could escape us?"
He raised his weapon.
The riders on the flanks moved closer.
Satyadhara stepped forward, placing himself between the enemy and the ministers.
Satyadhara: "Guards! Protect the ministers. Hold the formation, and keep the wagons from separating!"
The guards formed a defensive line around the nearest carts.
Aryav drew his sword.
Aryav: "Tara, we need to move before they close the remaining gaps."
Tara looked toward the narrow tracks, then at the flames ahead.
Tara: "I know."
Kavya had moved beside Malini, her face tense but composed. The merchants were beginning to panic, and several animals were pulling against their harnesses.
Tara could hear the crackling of the fire beyond the bend.
The barbarians were behind them and on both flanks. The main road ahead had become a wall of smoke and flame, while the surrounding ground offered no obvious escape for the wagons.
Tara tightened her shawl around her shoulders.
Only a short while ago, she had been complaining about the cold.
Now the heat was rising, the air was full of ashes, and the enemy had finally caught up.
She looked at Aryav and Satyadhara.
Tara: "Keep everyone together. No one abandons the convoy unless I give the order."
Aryav: "And what do we do?"
Tara watched the riders closing around them.
For a brief moment, she said nothing.
Then her expression sharpened.
Tara: "We find a way out."
The barbarian leader lowered his weapon.
Leader: "Attack!"
The first riders surged forward.
And the road disappeared beneath smoke, ash, and the approaching clash of steel.