Akira and Captain Yung lay in a dense patch of grass less than a league away from Hope. To say the monastery had changed would be an understatement. Akira had only visited it once before, but his memories of the place were of a small, welcoming monastery. It was located in the middle of the plains, and once you entered its walls, it was easy to believe you had found a place of true peace. It had been a silent and relaxing visit the last time he had come, and Akira remembered he had regretted leaving so soon.
Hope was no longer a center of peace. All around the monastery people were swarming about in activity. From what Akira could tell, the vast majority of people were preparing and planting land. For hundreds of paces, fresh black dirt stood in stark contrast to the green grasses of the prairie. Akira was no expert in farming, but it looked like the monastery was trying to raise enough food to feed dozens, if not hundreds of people.
The walls had changed too. The last time he visited, the walls had been beautiful wooden structures, the wood brought in from a small forest many leagues away. The walls had been more symbolic than defensive, a symbol of separation between the everyday world of the Three Kingdoms and the world of the sense. But now the wall was reinforced with stone twice as high as Akira stood. There was little doubt the monastery was no longer focused on peace.
Nothing that Akira saw made him happy. The monastery was preparing for war, preparing to last for a siege, reinforcing what Ryuu and Moriko had said. To make matters worse, they only rarely saw monks partaking in the labor. When Akira did see a monk, the monk would wander around the workers, clearly providing supervision. From their distance, the workers didn’t seem happy.
Anger built in Akira. Those were his people, and no one should be forced to work against their will. The monks thought they were superior. They always had.
Akira looked at his captain, "I need to get closer to see what is going on."
His captain shook his head, and Akira suppressed his frustration. There was no one better at defending Akira, but a large part of that was because Yung was a cautious man. Akira appreciated his caution most days, but on others, like today, the caution could be infuriating. He knew what his captain was going to say even before the words left his lips.
"I do not think it is a good idea, my king. If it is more information you seek, let me send one or two of the men. Their loss would mean little compared to yours."
"This is something I need to see with my own eyes. If the monasteries have betrayed our trust, I need to see it myself. I will only go and observe. I will return in the morning."
"If you are set on this course of action, at least allow me to accompany you."
Akira gave his captain a mischievous grin. "I'm afraid not. You need to stay here and remain in command of the troops. If something does happen, I need to know somebody will come and rescue me."
The captain cursed under his breath. “I might just leave you there.”
Akira laughed out loud. Such humor was rare from Yung. "It will be fine. You worry too much."
The captain ordered one of his best swordsmen to join Akira. Together they changed out of their riding clothes into peasant garb. They didn't have any way of concealing swords, so instead they hid knives and daggers wherever they could. Akira's captain watched the proceedings with a disgruntled eye, but he said nothing. He had served under Akira for many cycles, and was well used to the behavior of the man who was his king. There were some battles he wouldn’t win.
Without fanfare, Akira and the swordsman, named Yuki, left for the monastery. The sun was setting by the time they reached the gates.
There was a monk stationed there. He had, of course, seen Akira and his retainer approaching from a long ways off, but he made no move to greet them, waiting until they approached close to the gate. "Who are you, and what brings you to Hope?"
Akira and Yuki gave fake names, claiming to be farmers who were seeking sanctuary at the monastery. Akira figured this to be the most likely explanation for why the monastery was so crowded. People had to be running to them as places of refuge. The monk eyed the two of them carefully. "I do not recognize either of you from around here." It was half a statement, half a question.
Akira wasn't prepared for the increased scrutiny, but Yuki was. He spun a story, saying they were from lands further to the south, driven north in front of a clan of Azarians. It was a good story, and by the time the soldier was done, Akira half-believed it himself.
The story seem to assuage the monk, and he gave them a welcoming smile. "I am sorry I had to ask, but these are hard times. I hope you will forgive me."
Yuki replied, "No offense has been taken. We are simply grateful to find a place where we can be safe."
The monk nodded. "If it is safety you seek, you have come to the right place. Have no fears on that account, we are strong enough to withstand the might of the invaders."
The monk led them into the monastery, crowded as it was at night. There were dozens of people here, all of them with a look of fear in their eyes. Akira wasn't sure if the fear was of the Azarians, or of the situation they found themselves in now. The people were dirty, and the monastery smelled much worse than Akira remembered. They were huddled close to one another, and at night they shared a common sleeping space far too small for all of them.
That evening, Akira struck up conversations with many of those at the monastery. The stories they told were much the same as the one Yuki made up for them. They were farmers, villagers, traders. In one way or another, each of them had been driven from their homes and their lands by the advance of the Azarians. They had heard from flyers, traveling monks, or from family and friends that the monasteries were places of safety. While the stories were all slightly different, they were all at heart the same.
Safety, they had. But the safety that was promised came at a price. As soon as they arrived, they were put to work. As Akira had seen, many of them were out farming the lands around the monastery, trying to grow as much food as possible. Those who had been farmers were put in charge of these groups, under the supervision of at least one monk.
Others were assigned the task of building the wall. Anyone with expertise was tasked with helping to lead the efforts. Stones were taken from soil that was tilled by the farmers and brought to the wall for construction. It was a haphazard business, but day by day, the wall grew higher and thicker.
There was another group Akira hadn't seen from his scouting. They were the dirtiest and the most unhappy with their stay at the monastery. The monks were digging underneath the monastery, trying to create more room both for people and for food. Those who were not able or willing to help with the farming or the building of the wall were tasked with digging, a task in which they saw no sunlight for almost the entire day.
As Akira looked around at his fellow disheveled occupants, he saw the signs of strain already written across their bodies. Skin was hanging from several of them, and almost everyone had a haunted look about them. They had found safety, but they had not found peace. Akira's anger was kindled. He couldn't believe the monks would be so bold and so callous in the treatment of the others. He had never been overly fond of the monasteries, but he had always assumed their best intentions. As he looked around the room, it became harder and harder to do so. This was a blatant grab for power. Like the others, he desired rest, but as he struggled to find sleep, he was not thinking about what chore he would be assigned the next day. He was thinking how he could save his people.
When the sun rose the next morning, Akira was still unsure what he should do. On one hand, his people had a level of protection and safety here they wouldn't were they out on their own. Even though the monks' behavior angered him, he couldn't believe that they fail to protect people within their walls should the threat appear. He wasn’t pleased. No one should have to exchange their freedom for their safety.
His final decision was to make no decision at all. They would leave immediately. Everything he had seen confirmed the report Ryuu and Moriko had brought to him. The monasteries were making a grab for power, and they were doing it on the backs of Akira's people. But Hope was not the center of the problem. As near as he could tell, there were still less than a dozen monks inside the monastery walls, and if change was going to begin, it wasn't going to start here. The Chief Abbot of the monasteries was in the land that used to be the Western Kingdom. If Akira was going to change anything, that had to be his next destination.
He whispered his plan to Yuki as soon as he was up, and the guard agreed. Even though there were only a handful of monks here, they were well known for their martial prowess, and should the situation turn violent, Yuki wasn't sure he could protect his king.
As the monastery woke up around them, Akira and his guard packed their belongings. They would attempt to leave with as little commotion as possible.
As soon as people started going about their daily tasks, Akira and Yuki made for the exit. Akira glanced left and right, looking to see if their exit was drawing any attention. As near as he could tell, none of the monks seemed concerned about them.
Their success lasted only for a moment. Akira heard a voice behind him. "Excuse me, but I don't think I've had the pleasure of meeting you yet."
Akira turned around, and his heart sank as soon as he saw the speaker. Of all the monks in the land, the one that stood in front of them was one who had been at Stonekeep for the Conclave. It was one of the monks who had lied to Akira, who told him Renzo was not a nightblade. Akira knew his face would not be known by everyone, but this monk certainly knew who he was. He threw off his hood, all pretense of hiding done for.
The monk did not seem surprised to see Akira. He had probably been spotted yesterday when he came in. He cursed himself for his stupidity and not listening to his captain. He should learn to trust his men more.
The monk let out a sly grin, and all around him Akira could feel the other monks closing in a loose circle. "Lord Akira. What a pleasant surprise."
Yuki burst out, before Akira could stop him. "He's your king now."
The monk didn't seem disturbed. "He might have been our king, once, but - I don't know if you've noticed - the land has fallen, and there is no order now except that which we provide."
Yuki was about to draw his sword, but Akira laid a restraining arm on his shoulder. "Let it be. We did not come here for a fight."
Akira squarely faced the monk. "Your treachery runs deep. I hoped not to believe it, but I needed to see it firsthand."
The monk shrugged. "What you call treachery, others may call our best hope for survival. You were not strong enough to stop the invasion. The only people left who can defend this land are the monasteries. We only saw what was coming and prepared for it."
It was hard for him to contain his anger. "You only knew what was coming because you helped plan the invasion."
The monk’s look turned stern. "That is a terrible accusation to make."
"It's easy when one has intercepted the papers between your monasteries and the Azarian invaders."
The monk seemed startled by the fact. He glanced around the circle. "Come now. I know you did not come to argue trivialities." Akira looked around and saw what the monk saw. Their argument was attracting the attention of all the people in the yard. Akira held out hope. If he could sway the people to his side, they would far outnumber the monks. Already, many of them would've overheard his guard state that Akira was king.
"I know you have betrayed us to the Azarians," Akira said, his voice echoing in the small monastery. "I know you helped them plan this invasion, telling them where our forces were weak and where our supplies were. Perhaps, just perhaps, forgiveness can be found for that treachery. But I will not stand by as you enslave my people under the pretense of safety."
There was a silence all around them, and Akira knew the situation was balanced on the edge of a blade.
"I do not know about what you speak, Akira. But I do know this. We are here to provide safety for the people. We are the only ones who can stand up against the Azarians, and you are only angry because you have not yet understood this truth. Yes, this is a hard life, but each man, woman and child here is doing everything they can to promote their own safety. We did not tell them that life in the monasteries would be easy, we only told them we would keep them alive. They, at least, have better things to do with their time than run around shouting baseless accusations at everyone."
Akira could tell the crowd was swayed by the monk’s arguments. It was easy to underestimate how much power the monasteries had over the common person in the Kingdom. He had to force the issue. "You've not heard the last of me. It seems I have business with the Chief Abbot."
Akira turned to leave, daring the monk to try anything in front of everyone watching. He was surprised when the monk didn't even hesitate.
"My brothers, the king is feeling unwell. Perhaps an honest day’s labor scares him too much. Make sure he makes it to my chambers." The loose circle of monks closed in tight, and Akira's guard looked at him for direction. Each of the monks was armed with a staff, giving them a much longer reach than the short knives Akira and Yuki had. The skill of the monks was well known, and although they might be able to defeat one or two, there was no way the two of them could defeat all the monks. Akira gently shook his head.
He looked around to see if any of his people would stand up for him, but already people seemed to believe the conflict was at an end, and they all started going their own ways, ready to start their daily chores. Akira had a hard time believing what he was seeing. His people wouldn’t stand up, not even for their king. It was a blow harder to take than the monasteries’ betrayal.
Without argument, Akira and Yuki allowed themselves to be prodded back towards a small room near the back of the monastery. Once they were in, a bolt slammed shut on the outside.