by Jeremy Bai
And then the fei beast began to run toward them.
“Dammit,” growled Mao Yun.
Various other curses could be heard.
Bao gritted her teeth. Based on how fast the fei beast was moving, she could tell that they only had a few seconds before it would be upon them. Her thoughts spun as quickly as lightning, and a moment later, she was galloping directly toward the fei beast.
I’m only going to have one shot at this. I’d better not miss. Be confident, Bao. Confident! You can do this!
As she closed in, she leapt up to stand on the back of the horse, using the energy in her body to make herself lighter, her feet steadier. She pulled out one of her trusty knives.
The fei beast’s single eye was staring at her, bloodshot and filled with rage.
When it was only a few meters away, she crouched down and leapt straight into the air, using the energy in her body to propel herself with extraordinary speed and grace.
The fei beast reared its head, but she sailed over it, grabbing one of its horns as she passed, then using her momentum to swing down and lock her legs around the creature’s massive neck. Its muscles were so powerful they fairly thrummed with strength.
Before the beast could react, she reached down with a knife and drew it across the fei beast’s throat, slicing it as deep as she possibly could. Blood immediately began to spill out like a waterfall, and almost instantly, the creature’s legs faltered. Once again channeling the energy in her body, she leapt off its back to land a few meters away.
The fei beast staggered about a bit, but the amount of blood pouring out of its neck was such that anyone could tell it only had a few moments of life left in it. Sure enough, it soon toppled over.
Bao sheathed her knife and smiled.
Confident.
Chapter 29: Scouts
Wang Tian suffered a broken arm but nothing more. They strapped the carcass of the fei beast onto the cart they had brought with them and then headed back to the cave of Ruan the Flamingo.
The return trip seemed to go by much faster than the journey to track down the fei beast.
Before long, the cave was in sight, and this time Ruan the Flamingo was waiting outside for them. He and the disciples were outside sharing a meal when Bao and the others approached on horseback. When Ruan saw the body of the fei beast, he leapt to his feet in surprisingly nimble fashion.
“Incredible!” he exclaimed, placing his crutch underneath his armpit and hobbling over to examine the creature.
“It went surprisingly smoothly,” Bao said as Ruan poked and prodded the beast. “How is the work on the fallen star?”
“Oh, it’s finished.”
Bao was taken aback. “Finished? But I thought you needed the fei beast’s eye?”
“Hmm?” Ruan looked up. “Oh, no. I just said I was missing an ingredient. I never said the ingredient was for the work with your star.”
Bao gritted her teeth. “So we just risked our lives for nothing?”
“No, of course not. That was simply the price for my services. Would you like to see the result?”
Bao felt like smacking the man in his face, but instead she took a deep breath and hopped off her horse. “Yes, I would.”
Ruan seemed to have become very comfortable with the disciples she had left behind, because he quickly ordered them to butcher the fei beast and store it in the “prescribed method.” The young men immediately nodded, but he turned questioningly toward Bao a moment later. She nodded and followed Ruan back into his cave.
He led her to the same room they had met in before. This time, there was a wooden box on the table, simple but elegant. After they sat, Ruan reached out and put his hand on the lid.
“I have to be honest, Chieftainess Bao,” he said. “Working with your fallen star was both easier than I had anticipated, and more difficult. The rituals involved were complex and draining to say the least. Whatever demon or entity is inside of it is powerful indeed. However, the method you used to tame or seal it… is profound. I won’t ask the details, but suffice to say that you have my utter respect.
“As I worked with it, the material began to take shape on its own. It was almost as if the item created itself. Considering that I didn’t touch it, I have no idea its properties or what it’s capable of, but my instincts tell me that they will be a lesser version of whatever it could do in its raw form. For example, if before it could shine with the light of a hundred stars, now it will probably shine with the light of twenty stars, or perhaps fifty.
“But again, I can’t be sure. If the item was dangerous to you before, I would suggest exercising caution in using it now.”
“I understand,” Bao said.
Without any further words, Ruan lifted the lid of the box.
Inside was the fallen star, but no longer was it an ugly rock. It was a crown, as blue as the sky on a summer day, decorated with intricate feather and floral patterns, accented with pearls, gemstones, and gold. Within the flowers, she could see three dragons and five phoenixes. Strangely, the dragons were gold and the phoenixes were bright red.
“This looks like… a wedding crown?” she murmured.
“Yes, I was surprised as well. It’s a wedding crown, but it’s blue and not red? Why? Anyway, like I said, it took shape on its own. It was almost as if I weren’t even doing the work myself. See the gold and pearls, and the gemstones? They came out from within the starstone. I didn’t add them. I’m not sure if there were actually such items hidden within, or whether they were somehow transformed as if by alchemy.” He shrugged. “I’ve worked with many strange objects and powers before, but this was one of the strangest experiences. Most strange of all was… the screaming.”
Bao looked up. “What do you mean?”
“Several times during the process, I heard screaming, faint but powerful. Whatever was locked inside of that star, and now the crown, was not happy.”
Bao didn’t respond. Instead she reached out slowly toward the crown. As her hand neared, she half expected something to happen, but nothing did. When her fingers touched the crown itself, she felt as if a burning yet freezing wind was blasting her mind.
The sensation quickly passed. She picked up the crown and put it on her head. Somehow, she could tell that the phoenix was still in the crown, restless, angry, but unable to do anything to her. Having bested it in a battle of will, it would now be forever subservient to her.
“Well?” Ruan asked.
“It fits perfectly,” Bao replied.
“And the… effects?”
“You don’t want to know what it does,” she said.
He nodded. “That’s true. I don’t want to know.”
She smiled. So it does work as I expected it would…
With that, she took off the crown and placed it back into the box. Then she clasped her hands and bowed her head toward Ruan. “Many thanks.”
He grinned. “It was nothing.”
***
It would have been difficult for the trip back to the stronghold to go any worse without it turning into a complete disaster. They got lost three times. They got caught in a torrential downpour twice. One of them lasted for three straight days. One of the horses broke a leg and had to be put down. Two disciples became ill.
Bao wondered more than once if it had something to do with the crown.
It got worse when they entered the forest, which was about the time the final bout of rainfall set in. Because of the dark clouds, the choking rivers of mud, the fallen trees, and other such things, their path was almost determined for them.
It was one of the most miserable things Bao had ever experienced, and that included being kidnapped and locked in a cage.
Eventually they emerged from the forest and found themselves on a hilly part of the mostly flat lands between Tung-On and Fan. For the time being, they were content to be out of the forest, and they set up camp and waited for the rain to pass.
When the rain clouds finally belched out the last raindrops
, it was late in the evening. The stars came out, and the wind blew. The entire party breathed a sigh of relief, and Bao issued orders that everyone was to rest for the morning. They would set out at noon for the stronghold.
The following morning after breakfast, a scout was sent out as usual. He came galloping back into camp less than ten minutes later.
“Chieftainess,” the scout said, “there’s a large force on horseback, just to the east. Only a few hills that way.” He pointed in the general direction. “They’re definitely Demon Emperor soldiers.”
“What were they doing?”
“Nothing at the moment, just sitting there. Looks like they were doing the same thing we were, camping to wait out the rain.”
Bao bit her lip. It could be nothing, just a patrol or something. But he said a large force. “How many were in this large force?”
“About fifty, Chieftainess.”
That’s no patrol. That’s more like a platoon.
“I want to take a closer look. Mao Yun, you stay here, get the men ready to move. I’ll be back shortly.” Looking at the scout, she said, “You lead the way.”
It was a short ride. Eventually Bao dismounted, leaving her horse with the scout while she crawled to the top of the hill overlooking the camp. Just as the scout had said—the soldiers weren’t doing anything at the moment.
However, it only took a moment before Bao’s heart began to pound. In the center of the camp was one particularly large tent, outside of which stood two men wearing very distinctive armor. Armor made of bone.
The Bone General.
Moments later, someone rode into the camp from the north, a soldier who was clearly a scout. After dismounting, he hurried over to the tent in the center of the camp and was admitted by the bone-armored soldiers.
From the direction he was riding, it’s not likely he came from Tung-On. Which leaves only… the Little Demon Forest. The Bone General has finally come back for us!
There was no more time for contemplation. Bao scurried back down the hill and used a bit of the energy in her body to propel her through the air, and she literally jumped up into the saddle.
She and the horse hurried back to camp. When she arrived, she was pleased to see that everyone was already prepared to move.
Not bothering to mince words, she said in loud voice, “It’s the Bone General. And he’s likely going to be heading to our stronghold. We need to get back and warn everyone right away!”
Eyes went wide, and faces drained of blood. Bao didn’t give them any more time to think. “Let’s go!”
***
Back in the very camp Bao had just been observing, in the central tent, the Bone General sat with his top lieutenants, listening to the report of the scout.
The scout described Bao’s stronghold in detail, including how many people were there, the defensive capabilities, the surrounding terrain, the path leading to the stronghold, and numerous other details.
When he was finished, the Bone General said, “What about the girl? This Chieftainess Bao?”
“I didn’t see her. I suspect she might not be there.”
“Hmm. I see. I think the best move would be to take action immediately. If the girl is there, we take her. If not, we extract her location from the people she left behind. We’ll get to her eventually. Any other opinions?”
One of his lieutenants took a deep breath and said, “Perhaps we should send squads around to the north and west. If she is in the stronghold, she’ll likely flee either to the river or into the mountains.”
“Agreed,” the Bone General said. “Make the preparations. We leave within the hour.”
Chapter 30: Tree Protectors
“Ride like your lives depend on it!” Bao said. And that was exactly what they did. The pounding of the horses’ hooves was like war drums that filled their ears as they raced north.
There was no talk or conversation. Everyone was focused on one thing: escaping.
They veered northeast as the hills began to fill with more trees, allowing them to travel faster than if they entered the thickest parts of the forest itself.
The horses were soon sweating profusely, but it almost seemed as if they could sense the danger the group was in, and they focused completely on the rhythm of galloping.
When it came time, they entered the forest, using their knowledge of the area to pick the route most likely to be free from problems because of the recent rains.
They drew ever closer to the stronghold.
Meanwhile, the Bone General was not in such a hurry.
Despite his previous order to leave within the hour, a message arrived shortly after that from the south, something that required immediate attention. There had been an assassination attempt on Magistrate Zhou in the southern city of Huisheng, an incident which the Demon Emperor took extremely seriously. The council meeting which the Bone General had just adjourned was reconvened. Deliberations with his lieutenants stretched on for hours, and soon the sky was growing dark.
The soldiers waited the entire time, ready to gallop off at a moment’s notice. In the end, though, the Bone General called for another night of rest.
The following day, they set out early. They had only been riding for a short time before they came across the tracks left by the frantic flight of Bao’s group.
However, considering that the tracks headed to the northeast, there was little information to indicate who the group was, so the Bone General simply passed them by.
Soon they were in the forest, and the luck which had befallen Bao seemed to be transferred over to them almost immediately.
A horse broke a leg and had to be put down. They got lost. Every form of misfortune seemed to hit them at once.
As a result, their progress was excruciatingly slow, and the Bone General’s fury began to mount. And yet, they drew inexorably closer to the stronghold.
***
As soon as Bao arrived back at the stronghold, she issued orders to evacuate.
Unfortunately, she quickly realized that it was no small task to uproot the lives of enough people to form a large town. Bags had to be packed. Wagons had to be loaded. Even the name of the Demon Emperor didn’t seem to speed them along any faster. Perhaps things might have moved more quickly if the stronghold had been engulfed in flames. In fact, Bao couldn’t help but think back to the incident at Tung-On and seriously considered tossing oil lamps into some of the empty rooms to spur things along.
Scouts were sent out to the north and to the south. Although they were relatively familiar with the area, considering the recent storms, Bao wanted to make sure that the way north to the Chezou River was clear. Word soon came back that the path north was without obstacle.
As for the scouts who headed south, thanks to a particularly odd way that the path wound through a gorge, they ended up running right into two scouts that the Bone General had sent north. The two parties clashed, and Bao’s men managed to kill one of the Bone General’s scouts. The other escaped.
Based on the distances and times involved, it seemed likely that the Bone General was about one day of travel away from the stronghold at that point.
There was no time to waste. The final preparations were made, and the stronghold was emptied. They fled north at the fastest pace possible.
The entire time, Bao felt as if the Bone General was breathing down her neck. Originally she wanted to lead the group personally, but Mao Yun convinced her that it was too dangerous, and that she should ride farther back in the middle.
As she rode along, Bao kept the wooden box close at hand. If necessary, she could open it at a moment’s notice and don her Phoenix Crown. An idea had taken root in her heart, a possibility that seemed preposterously dangerous. And yet, if worse came to worst, and they ended up being cornered or trapped by the Bone General, she wouldn’t hesitate to use the crown.
When night fell, they lit torches and lamps and proceeded through the forest despite the darkness. Bao didn’t push them through the entire night, th
ough. A few hours after nightfall, they set up camp to rest.
The following morning, they woke with the sun and continued north. Before long, the trees began to thin out, and they could tell that they had reached the edge of the forest.
At a certain point, only about an hour after they began moving, Mao Yun fell back to ride next to Bao and said, “We’re being followed.”
She looked over at him and cocked an eyebrow.
“Not the Bone General,” he added.
“Then who?”
He shrugged. “Three men and two women wearing plain clothing. They’re spread out about ten meters apart from each other. Shadowing us about thirty meters to the east. No weapons visible. Quite odd, if you ask me.”
Bao frowned. “Keep an eye on them.”
He nodded and rode back toward the front of the procession.
An hour later, Mao Yun fell back again. “More people, this time to the west.”
“What about the group to the east?”
“They’re still there, just walking along at the same pace.”
Over the course of the following hours, the number of people flanking them grew. There were men and women, young and old, all of them dressed in plain greenish clothing, without a weapon to be seen on any of them. More people were visible farther off in the distance. Eventually it reached the point that Mao Yun and Bao were convinced that they were outnumbered.
Sometime in the hours before evening, they reached a part of the forest that looked different than the others. The forest in general was filled with a wild assortment of trees and vegetation, but this area had only small maple trees, and virtually no other vegetation. It almost seemed like a grove.
Mao Yun called a halt and rode back yet again to confer with Bao.
“There’s a group of people up ahead led by a woman. She demands to speak to the leader.”
Bao looked down at the wooden case she held in her hands and gritted her teeth. Well aware that the Bone General could be arriving at any moment, she decided that now wasn’t the time to worry about ethics. Without any further hesitation, she opened the box and put the Phoenix Crown on her head, then rode forward.