An Unexpected Encounter

October's wind was full of killing chill, and even the sun had turned faintly cold. Thousands of warriors marched in silence through the scorched woodland, each step landing with a crackle. When they lifted their feet again, their straw sandals were stained black with wood ash. Along the way, human-shaped charcoal could be seen here and there, though their identities could no longer be made out. The dangerous mountain fire had only just passed; the birds and beasts of the hills had fled far away and never returned. All along the road, there were only traces of godlike destruction, leaving reverence in mortal hearts.

"Blessings of the Main God! Praise His Highness!"

Devout prayers rose from the ranks of warriors and drifted beneath the Black Wolf Royal Banner.

The king stopped and rested for a moment. He raised his head, watching birds wheel in the cloudy sky, with high mountains rising to the northeast. The farther they advanced, the mountain road had not narrowed, but the terrain was beginning to steepen. He looked into the forest again. The scorched woodland opened the view, and he could see very far with one glance. The Guachichil People had not harassed them here, and the great army's passage had been extremely smooth.

"We set out at the beginning of August, and now it's already past mid-October. The corn has just about been harvested, and the Guachichil People are no longer short of food. I hope they're still staying in the valley and haven't scattered in a swarm, fleeing into the boundless wasteland!"

Xolotl gazed into the distance, lost in thought and silent.

When they had departed from the Otomi Mountain City, the three columns had numbered more than twenty-seven thousand men, with several thousand Militia maintaining the grain route. The great army had