“Then everyone will blame the fish.”
“That’s the idea.”
“Where did she even get poison?”
“Er, that was actually on me. I pointed her to an alchemist I knew a few days ago. He likes to make potions for those too poor to buy it themselves, but he has to sell some nasty stuff to some bad people to keep them off his back, so he has some banned ingredients on him. I just thought she wanted some cheaper remedies or something.”
I got up from my chair and stretched. “Okay, so all we have to do is get that guy to order the damn fish, right? She’ll poison it, he eats it, we can go?”
“Uhh, sure. How are you going to get him to order the fish?”
“With my strange outsider powers. Tell Yunsoo to be ready, then follow me.”
“Oh, good, I don’t have to take any blame if the plan fails.”
Ujin got up to do as I bid. He met back with me at the bottom of the stairs. Together we walked toward the table with our target, who sat with a group of six other discriminating individuals.
Right when I walked behind the target, I slapped Ujin’s back and, in a tone louder and more animated than my usual efforts, I said, “Let’s ask these upstanding gentlemen! Excuse me, my friend here claims that the sirs and lords of Shia actually venture to eat the ploplu. I say he’s trying to goad me and other foolish outsiders to eat it. How many of you have eaten it by your own volition?”
“I’m sorry to say that your friend is right,” answered a small, youthfully old man at the head of the table. “Eating the ploplu is a rite of passage in these lands.”
“Ah, so it’s still society that forces it upon you, to prove your courage.” I laid a hand on my target’s shoulder. “What about you? When was the last time you had to test your courage and trust?”
“Hmph, not three fortnights ago! I trust my cook to prepare it at every craving.”
A collective groan. One of the groaners said, “I think we’ve all craved the ploplu more than once these past three fortnights, Master Chegal, so it’s obviously not at every craving.”
“Nevertheless, I do not often restrict myself from the piquancy. It’s the outsider who seems to be searching for an excuse not to partake in the fraught little fish.”
“Very well,” I said. “If this is truly the way here, then I will have the ploplu if at least one other person at this table proves himself just as willing.”
After a little incitement from the table, three of the seven men took me up on my proposition, including Master Chegal, whose previous assertion had put him too much on the spot to refuse otherwise. I was able to secure a seat to his left while Ujin sat on a corner two people away from me. Ujin delivered a sly hand signal to Yunsoo after the order for the fish was made. She made it down the first floor and into the kitchen a minute later.
During our wait, Ujin was able to supply most of the stories to keep the aristocrats entertained. As per my usual cover, I told them I was Ujin’s bodyguard, which allowed him to appear more affluent than he currently was. His knowledge of affluent family names also added to our legitimacy. On top of that, the drenindru’s presence attracted the attention of the server girls, who came up to pet the cuddly creature. The men enjoyed the extra feminine company.
The lively atmosphere I helped usher in became restrained again when someone noticed our fish food on its way. As we were being served, I saw Yunsoo walk over to Ujin and whisper something to him. She left once they spoke for a bit, leaving Ujin to sit in thought for a moment.
When he finished thinking, he got up and went over to me, a false drunken sway moving his hips. Leaning down, he whispered, “She couldn’t get the poison in herself. They watch it too carefully.” I felt his hand slip something into mine. “I’ll distract ‘em in a minute.”
Ujin shuffled his feet toward the two girls still with Shifa. I shifted my focus back to my food. Ten thin strips of white fish meat, a small bowl filled with a brown sauce, and red slices of some vegetable lied on a black plate. Now that it was in front of me, the prospect of being felled by a dead fish annexed my mind. Would Kiku come running into the tavern if she had foreseen me ingesting my death? Not witnessing such a thing, I took a deep breath and picked up my wooden utensils.
No one wanted to eat as slow as the outsider, pushing the others to slurp down their first slice of ploplu just as I my piece landed on my tongue. Its icy coldness was the leading sensation, followed by its oily slickness. Chewing it released squirts of flavorsome salt. A mild yet distinctly bitter aftertaste lingered until I ate the next piece, which I dipped in the sour sauce. Not bad for a meal that could kill me and which pained my jaw, though the price in coin alone would deter me from trying this again.
A girl squealed uncomfortably. A louder yelp drew the attention of everyone who could hear it. At a table adjacent mine, Ujin was groping a server’s body. He ignored the young woman’s attempts to get him off her, meaning the bruiser could not ignore him. Two big guys sprinted out of nowhere to act as the woman’s arms. As they dragged my “drunk” companion away, I uncorked the vial in my hand and tilted its clear contents onto my neighbor’s fish.
I had just clasped my fingers around the vial when one of the men sitting in front of me turned back around and said, “Can’t protect them against themselves, eh?”
Picking the third strip of fish, I replied, “I can, but it costs extra.”
Once Ujin and Shifa went through the door, everyone went back to what they were doing. With no hint he tasted anything different, Master Chegal continued to eat his slightly shinier and wetter ploplu. I wished I had asked how quickly to expect the poison to take effect. I looked up to search for Yunsoo. We caught eyes. She returned a nod I scarcely moved my neck to achieve.
I ate the remaining food in relative peace. Only when I consumed it all did I revive the energy in the table. They congratulated me and the others on completing the feat. Once I accepted their praises with all the fake rapport I could muster, I excused myself to get back to Ujin. A second after stepping outside, a concise whistle had me looking at Ujin’s head going behind the corner of the tavern.
When I joined him around the corner, he asked, “You did it?”
“Yeah. How soon will the poison do its thing?”
“Don’t know. I suppose it will depend what kind of poison she bought, how strong it is. Might not even kill him, but we did our part, yes?”
“And when will I know whether the ploplu poisoned me?”
“Can’t imagine it will take too long, but I’m no expert on the matter.”
“Comforting. Did the bruisers try to break anything?”
“Nah, just a quick punch under the ribs. Thanks for caring.”
“I was only wondering whether your own mission was still in play. So, do we wait for Yunsoo out here?”
“Sure. I doubt she’ll be much longer.”
Hence, with nothing better to do, I shut my eyes and paid close attention to the churnings and gurgling of my stomach, waiting for any sign that I needed to expel my stomach’s contents and get to a healer. Moreover, the last thing I wanted to see was a worried Kiku running up to me.
Chapter Nineteen
For about half an hour we waited around the corner for Yunsoo to come out. She actually came out of the back kitchen entrance, but she found us easily enough. She thanked us for what we did with a teary hug. Her hair still carried the woody, spiced fragrance of the tavern.
Ujin asked her about the poison and its effects. According to the alchemist she bought it from, the toxic concoction was intended to mimic a low dosage of the ploplu’s poison. Using anything more devastating would likely be noticed as not being a cause of the fish. This apparently meant that Master Chegal would fall ill over the next couple of hours, then, if the poison was made well enough, would suffer an attack of the heart and nerves. The strength of this attack would be the determining factor in whether Master Chegal lived or died.
Whatever happened to Master Chegal, it at least s
ounded as though Yunsoo would not be a suspect if suspicions were thrown around. As for how I felt about the whole thing, it was surprisingly refreshing to deal out justice without swinging my sword or expending prana. Perhaps I could become an assassin if my position of dragon knight fell through.
We soon brought Yunsoo to her troupe’s home. Ujin went up with her to gather the rope he stashed in their room. Yunsoo did not take long to get ready, so she and her troupe came down in a few minutes wearing long purple skirts and delicate pink mantles. While their clothes matched, their hairstyles ranged from short and loose to long and braided. Two of them held instruments that jingled with every movement. Ujin brought the rope and an excited Shifa liked to leap from one person’s shoulder to another, including mine. She weighed heavier than she looked, but balanced herself well.
Ujin handed me the coiled rope and gave me one last outline of the plan as we promenaded through the neighborhoods. The first part of the plan came into view inside a wide alleyway next to the stone wall of the high-priced residence. Standing at the end of the alley was a leafless tree fifty feet tall. With the rope and the drenindru on my shoulders, I headed for the possibly dead plant. Ujin and the girls walked over to the front gate to present themselves as the distraction.
I pulled out my thickest dagger at the base of the tree trunk. I used it to stab the soft bark when my fingers alone could not find a good grip. Shifa climbed up ahead of me, either taunting or encouraging my climbing ability by scampering downward and horizontally at her leisure. The ascent became less of a chore on reaching the lowest hanging branch. From there it was easy to gain my footing and pull myself ever higher.
My goal was to get a little higher than a three-story window of the four-story pagoda tower built near the property wall. Achieving that goal, I tied one end of the rope to the trunk and gave Shifa the other end. Then, hearing the jingles of the instruments being lifted by the breeze, we waited for our visual signal.
That signal came several minutes later in the form of the window shutters opening and a woman’s outline being lighted by a small candle. Taking the rope in its mouth, Shifa backed up as far as she could go, then applying prana like a human would, its four limbs bolted toward the tower. It leaped right at the branch’s tip, spreading its limbs outward like a flying squirrel, though she did not have much of that extra skin to aid her glide. Nevertheless, the drenindru cast an outburst of wind beneath her that provided the extra forward momentum she needed.
Shifa gracefully landed at the edge of the eave and was welcomed by the woman when she crossed through the window. The woman took the rope and tied it to a post near the window, making it taut. I pulled on the rope a few times to be certain it could carry my weight and not come loose. Satisfied it would hold, I grabbed the rope with both hands, then wrapped my legs around it. In this upside down way I slinked forward one hand grip at a time.
Not bothered by heights, I made good progress across the gap, not hesitating even in the times I looked down. A tad less elegantly than Shifa, I put my feet on the eave of the building. Hunched over, I crossed the window and entered a mostly darkened woman’s bedroom. That pretty young woman wore a yellow robe and had her hair cut up to her earlobes.
“You must be Lady Cho.”
“That’s right. Ujin did not tell me your name.”
“Mercer. Now, where’s Dae-Won?”
“He’s being held in the cellar in horrid conditions. I persuaded one of the guards who watches over him to leave, but one remains. I ask you do not kill him.”
“As you wish, my lady.”
“Thank you, Mercer. I assure you my servants and guards are honorable. They do not deserve to be seriously harmed even if it frees Dae-Won.”
“Well, not harming anyone probably means I’ll have to fetter him somehow. Some of your clothes and a bedsheet will have to do.”
“My clothes?”
“Your most durable ones. I’m sure you can afford new ones if necessary.”
“Oh, very well.”
She opened her wardrobe as I pulled out her bedsheet. Lady Cho handed me several articles of clothing to choose from. I picked a full-bodied gown and a skirt, rolling them up with the bedsheet.
“Oh! There’s something else…” Lady Cho stepped up to a desk and opened a drawer. From it she pulled out a small, clasped purse. Glancing between me and Shifa, she said, “This is for Ujin. Please make sure he gets it.”
Extending my hand under the purse, I said, “You have my word, Lady Cho.” Shifa chirped. “Oh, right. Our word.”
She nodded and put the purse in my hand. “We must be quick. My father will surely send away the troupe when he hears of it.” She cracked open her sliding door and popped her head out. Her hand motioned for me to follow. Joining her in the dark hall, she whispered, “I was able to send most of the guards and staff to the surprise fun I planned for them. Everyone else should be asleep in their rooms, so stay quiet.”
Shifa scampered ahead of us to help Lady Cho check for people around the corners or down the stairs. She didn’t have to tell us about the giggling children we heard somewhere down in the second story. Lady Cho went ahead and ushered the kids back into their room. The children had apparently been watching the troupe from an open window, which also let in their cheerful music.
As we descended the steps leading to the first floor, Shifa turned around and pointed her paw back up the staircase. I stopped as Lady Cho climbed back to check what it was the little creature heard.
After taking her peek, she sprinted back down and her hushed voice said, “It’s Father! Hurry!” At the bottom of the stairs we made a quick left and entered a short hallway. “The cellar door is at the end of the hall on the left. I’ll keep Father occupied for as long as I can.”
I nodded and stepped deeper into the hall using the lightest steps my weight and training allowed. Regardless, a floorboard or two couldn’t repress their creaks. Shifa was better at not revealing her location. I reached the open cellar door as Lady Cho and her father began a conversation in their native tongue. Their voices receded as they headed outside.
Not knowing where the guard’s exact position or awareness level, I crouched to be nearer Shifa’s ears and said, “Go in first. Pretend you’re a scared fox or something. Make sure the guard is facing away from the entrance. Squeak like crazy if he reacts by going toward me, or just come get me if he’s sleeping.”
Shifa patted my knee to assert her understanding. The summoned beast got on all fours and hopped down the stairs. I could see her halt and look about at the last step. At the same time I overheard a man say an unfamiliar word, she scurried off to her left. A human shadow chased after her. Taking that as my cue, I pursued the shadow.
The guard was in the process of scooping up Shifa when I dropped the bedsheet, hooked my arm around his neck, and put a hand over his mouth. Using a technique taught to me by the pirates, I placed a great deal of pressure on the neck’s blood vessels. The guard resisted, of course, but my response to him walking backward was to control my fall. I fell on my back and wrangled him on top of my body rather than make a commotion on the noisy ground.
I was just able to avoid his fingers’ attempt to claw my eyes, and his elbow hit only armor. He went for the short sword hanging by his hip, but I pinned the sword to the floor by turning him on his side. From there I sensed him losing consciousness. Even after he stopped moving I held the chokehold for another few seconds. Not wanting to cause him lasting damage, I ultimately let go and pushed him off me. I bought myself maybe a couple of minutes before his unobstructed blood woke him up.
I twisted the bedsheet into a crude rope and tied his hands and feet together like a farmer would one of his animals. Not too strong a restraint if he could cast a fire or strength spell, but it was better than nothing. I put as much of the balled up skirt into his mouth as possible, then tied the coiled gown around his eyes and forehead. Waking up blindfolded hopefully stopped him from thrashing around too much when he woke up.
Meanwhile, Shifa chatted with a door at the end of the not-so-big cellar. Behind the door, someone said a line of words, with “Shifa” being the only one I recognized.
When I finished up with the guard, I said, “You in there. You’re Dae-Won, I presume?”
“Yes! You’re with Ujin, right?”
“Aye. I didn’t see keys on the guard, so I’m going to have to burn the lock off. Stay back.”
“Fire? Is that a good idea?”
“It’s a brilliant idea. Now get back.”
I ignited a dragon stone and waited until the stone dissolved away to use it to bore through the lock’s shackle. The flame I focused only needed a few seconds to melt away the piece of metal. I let it drop on my boot to lessen its noisy impact with the ground, leaving a burn mark in the places the searing metal touched. Pushing open the unlatched door exposed the tiny room the overweight man had been caged in. A stinking bucket, an empty plate, a pile of straw, and a ratty blanket crowded the tight space originally meant to hold cases of wine or small barrels.
The free man, whose nice clothes were turning into rags, did not hesitate to embrace me. “Thank you, new friend.”
Slipping away from his strong but still squishy arms, I said, “You’re not free yet. I hope you realize how we plan to get you out of here.”
“Yes, Ga-Min was able to tell me one or two things about Ujin’s plan. I have to climb down a rope or something, right?”
“Close enough.”
“Do you think I can see Ga-Min before I leave?”
“If we happen to cross her path, but she should be busy distracting her father right now. Otherwise, follow me and keep quiet. Go against what I say or where I go and I’ll have no problem leaving you behind.”
“Message received. Lead the way.”
To Shifa, I said, “Lead the way.”
The fox-monkey bounded up the stairs. Her tail and paw flicked at us to come forward once she confirmed the coast was clear. Signaling Ujin and Lady Cho’s continued success, we could still hear the troupe’s bestowing their performance onto their captive audience. Things were quieter on the second floor, forcing us to tiptoe a little slower. I felt sorry for Dae-Won’s toes.
The Dragon Knight and the Light Page 24