ONC 2024 Shortlister
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Just one week before his marriage with a chief bloodshaman of the Kurat's army, young surgeon Genul sees his wife, Kenit, die under his care after a terrorist attack launched by the neighboring nation.
As o...
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They traversed the border by the third hour of the day.
The regents had organized the logistics of their stay in Kurat. He handed Genul a certificate for a fake identity before they passed by the border control. For the kuratian guards keeping the border past the left arm of the River Al, Genul was not one of their countrymen, but a foreign lomuman, a petty noble named Hessan, working as a private As Anash for a high noble named Nyr Fidia—the regent.
For the verification of documentation, Genul stayed in the carriage, hoping the night would help keep him a low profile, but the guard's still threw curious stare at him. The regent, on the other hand, deployed a ridiculous effort trying to distract the guards. His accent, already naturally dry and harsh as a lomuratian, now sounded like a knife being wielded against a field of wheat. It was comical and he seemed completely knowing of it, even appearing to take some kind of stupid pleasure in the act.
"I'm sure you agree that two lomumen will enjoy a tour across Kurat much more easily before the war starts," the regent told the border guard, laughing and not seeming bothered by the glacial look the guard threw his way.
The guard kept his professional posture, bringing his lantern close to the documents to check each line written on them. Then he handed the documents to the regent and he dismissively gestured for them to traverse the opening gates that lead inside Kurat.
"You seemed to have forgotten that because you are lomuratian you don't need to try to imitate a lomuratian accent," Genul said when they were away from the entry gates of the state. As the trees around them densified, the darkness also thickened, the lights of the cabins of the border control fading as slim red spots behind them.
"I'm giving them what they want," the regent said, his cold tone suddenly back again, "most kuratians think of us as caricatures. What's better than comforting that conception? In the meantime, I annoyed him fast enough for him not to start having ideas about recognizing you."
They galloped for a long time inside the forest of eastern Kurat without changing drivers since they had left the city of Lomu. It didn't take a long time for Genul to sense the regent tiring.
"It is safe enough here," Genul said. "We can stall and continue tomorrow." It wasn't exactly true. Genul had camped nearby when he had been in his military training. But his patrol not having encountered major threats then did not rule out other dangers several years later. Tired as the regent was, Genul did not need to ask twice.
The regent turned away from the path as if he'd heard an call straight from gospel. He drove inside the forest as of he knew exactly where he wanted to halt. "Here," he said, stalling the horse. "There are sleeping mats in the back wagon."
Genul stared around. There was enough coverage of the vegetation, a ground slant not too steep, with bushes that were edible for the horses. "Good," he said, "but we're not sleeping. Not right away at least." Genul felt the regent's eyes on him but he avoided his gaze at all costs.
