by Ryan Kirk
A minute later she heard Shu climbing up the roof to join her. The older warrior looked around. “Where’s Rong?”
“Watching the rear.”
“Why? The meeting is already happening. We need to attack.”
Bai kept her face carefully neutral. Either Shu was a warrior with a single strategy or she was up to something. “There’s no need for us to attack. The streets are better for Rong and me. We wait until we see them come out.”
Shu grabbed Bai’s shoulder and turned her so they were facing each other. “Bai, we can’t risk any of them getting away. We need to attack.”
Shu sounded determined, but there was something else in her voice.
A hint of fear.
She was lying.
Bai’s eyes narrowed. “We won’t let them escape. Trust me. But Rong and I aren’t going in there. It’s too dangerous.”
Shu snarled and turned away. Bai kept one of her eyes on the woman. She didn’t trust her.
Bai didn’t sense anyone in the building, but that definitely didn’t mean it was empty.
They waited, a bright sun warming them on the chilly afternoon.
They continued to wait. Hours passed with no sign of anyone. If there was a meeting, it was one of the longest Bai had ever heard of. She gestured at Rong, who came across the rooftops and rejoined them. The sun was beginning to set. Shu sat sulking on another corner of the roof.
“Let’s flush them.”
Rong nodded. “How?”
“Let’s burn it.”
Rong smiled. “I’ll get some oil. I saw some a few blocks back.”
Bai began a small fire while she waited. A few minutes later, Rong returned with a jug of oil. She began dousing the walls of the house. Bai dropped down with the fire and set the house ablaze.
A few minutes later Shu came down from the roof, looking dazed. She approached them. “What are you doing?”
Rong looked over at the woman she’d once considered her mentor. “I was cold.”
Shu stuttered but said nothing. She knew Bai and Rong didn’t believe her. Bai was surprised she didn’t try to run.
A few minutes later, five men in black robes came through the front door, coughing and choking.
Bai and Rong set on them the moment they stepped out of the house. Knees and elbows dropped the men to the ground. Bai considered killing them, but hated the idea of killing without need. The danger had passed, and Shu was caught in the act.
The battle done, the two warriors turned on Shu. She didn’t run or fight. She just held up her hands in a gesture of surrender.
“Who are they?” Rong’s voice rang with the hurt of betrayal.
“Questioners,” Shu confessed.
Bai looked back at the downed enemies. Weren’t the questioners helping them fight the wraiths?
“I don’t know their game. But I do not think they are your allies.”
Bai wasn’t surprised, but Rong was still hurt. “Why?”
Shu looked at her young friend. “They took my family and threatened them. I had left them behind to spare them the consequences of my life, but the questioners still found them. They leaned on me and I couldn’t resist. My daughter is too young to come to harm.”
Rong turned to Bai. Bai saw the hope in her eyes, the desire for a new leader. “What should we do?”
Bai glanced between the two women. “She was your master. She has done no harm to me. The punishment is yours to assign.”
Part of Bai regretted trusting Rong with that responsibility. Rong was a sharp blade, but she could cut a friend just as easily as an enemy. She didn’t seem as though she’d suffer betrayal well.
The struggle flickered across her face. “You were the one who let them know exactly when we were leaving Kulat, weren’t you?”
Shu nodded.
Rong shook her head. “Run from here, Shu. Find your family. And never show your face to us again.”
Shu nodded, a tear in her eye. She bowed deeply to Rong, then gave a nod to Bai. Then she turned and was gone, leaving Bai to wonder who in this city she could still trust.
35
Armed with permission to visit the princess, Delun arranged an official meeting with her. Instead of just knocking on the door, he did his best to mimic the etiquette he’d been taught in the monastery. He sent a written request, which was replied to within a few minutes.
She had smiled a little at his attempts when she hand-delivered her reply, as though it was a kind but useless gesture, but Delun did not believe that. It was true that he could visit the princess at any time. But his attempt at etiquette wasn’t just about permission, it was about preparedness. This way the princess was prepared for his visit, ready to discuss her captivity and future. There was no point springing such a conversation on her when she wasn’t ready.
At the appointed time, Delun arrived, knocking softly on the princess’s door. This time, she welcomed him in. He bowed deeply and offered a gift. She looked down at it in surprise. “Tea from one of the finest local shops,” Delun explained.
That brought a genuine smile to her face. Delun imagined that she had been eating the same food as him since her arrival. The food in the warehouse could have been worse, but it was basic fare that only filled the body. It didn’t touch the soul. Besides that, the tea would provide an excuse for each of them to delay their answers.
The princess began to heat water. From her practiced motions Delun noticed two facts. The first was the evidence of her martial training. She moved well, maintaining balance and poise at all times. Delun suspected her training was deeper than anyone in the warehouse suspected.
The second fact he noticed was that her hand didn’t shake one bit. Though she was a captive here, fear had yet to seize her heart. Her motions were calm and controlled, not the movements of a woman who feared for her life.
Delun revised his opinion of the princess. He’d first judged her as a spoiled young woman. Yet, the person he saw in front of him was anything but. She’d grown up in luxury, but she had still developed an enviable character.
She sat down across from him as the water began to heat. “What do you want?”
The question wasn’t asked with the same dismissive attitude as last time. Now, she was genuinely curious. Delun considered his response carefully. “Answers.”
“A difficult demand.”
Delun detected no trace of sarcasm in her voice. He pushed forward. “What is the extent of your powers?”
She shook her head. “I might be a captive, but information is power, and I would be a fool to give it away freely. What would you offer me in return?”
“What do you desire?”
“Answers.”
Delun smiled at that. His respect for her grew. Being as he was the captor, he offered a token of his trust. “The first question is yours.”
“What goal do you seek?” Delun couldn’t help but notice the emphasis on “you.”
He considered the question. He suspected that the rote answer wouldn’t get him very far with the princess. If he wanted her knowledge, he would need to part with some of his own. A thorough examination of his heart revealed an answer that he hadn’t expected. “I seek an end to the fighting within the empire. I wish to live in peace.”
The princess looked skeptical. “If that was true, all you would need to do is move out into the country and begin farming. Peace is not so hard to find.”
He shook his head. “That would be too selfish. It is not just for me, but for my brothers as well, and the citizens of the empire.”
“But mostly for you.”
“Mostly for me,” he echoed.
She considered for a moment, then spoke. “Attack me.”
Delun was confused for a moment, then realized what was being asked. He nodded and formed the first attack with his right hand. When she nodded, he released it at her.
Her reaction was almost too quick for him to follow. Out of nowhere, a blade of energy formed around the edge of her arm.
She swiped across his attack and watched with pleasure as it unraveled in front of her. The attack hadn’t been strong enough to do anything but blow her hair back, but she had sliced through it as though it were nothing at all.
Delun’s jaw dropped. In all his years he had never encountered such an odd gift. The power of it immediately occurred to him. Many monks liked to compare absolute strength, but absolute strength was not the ideal marker of martial prowess. Focus was just as important, if not more so. That was the reason why those who used bladed weapons were so dangerous. It allowed them to focus energy into a very tight space. A weak monk who could use a weapon was more dangerous than a strong monk who couldn’t. The princess had gained the ability without the use of a weapon. If she could project that power, she might be one of the most dangerous people in the empire.
And she sat in captivity.
Delun shook his head to clear it. “How strong are you?”
“I have unraveled attacks through the fourth sign. I have not trained with anyone stronger. Although, I do believe the fourth might be near my limit.”
If that was true, it was an incredible feat. The princess wasn’t nearly as strong as Delun, but he did not wish to encounter her in a fight. Her ability virtually negated his. It would be like fighting Bai, but worse.
“What does Chao plan?” the princess asked.
Delun shrugged at that. “I wish I knew. I have the sense he is a man who has plans within plans, and contingencies for all possibilities. He will see either a gifted on the throne or members of the wraiths on the emperor’s council. How he gets there is beyond my knowledge. I suspect that he will follow one course of action while preparing another.” Delun paused, uncertain if he should continue. “He claims your father wants you killed.”
Her response was immediate, as though she’d already suspected. “Possible, although unlikely.”
Her calm acceptance floored him. “You are his daughter.”
She smiled and took the water from the fire, pouring it over the tea leaves with a practiced motion. “He is my father, but he is driven far more by duty than by any sense of affection. He will not allow a gifted to sit on the throne. Although I doubt he would resort to such dramatic actions.”
“Chao says he saved you from assassins.”
“I suspect that is more for fools to believe than the truth.”
Delun drank his tea. The fragrant beverage warmed his throat and helped stop his head from spinning. “How did you end up here?”
The princess sipped at her own cup, her smile evidence enough that Delun had made the right choice in bringing the tea. “There is little to tell. One night I went to sleep, the next morning I woke up here.”
“You were drugged?”
“I believe so.”
“How did the wraiths manage that?”
“Chao has many connections in the palace. No doubt one of them assisted him.”
“Who is Chao?”
The princess eyed him. “You really don’t know?”
Delun felt self-conscious. He didn’t.
“He is Lord Xun’s younger brother. And Lord Xun is the emperor’s closest adviser and most likely successor.”
That was the resemblance Delun had noticed. Now that the princess made mention of it, he couldn’t help but see the similarities. That was how Chao had access to so many resources and so much knowledge.
“How did Chao first come in touch with the emperor? It seems unlikely a wraith would do so.”
“That I also know. It was just a year ago. Chao had built up his following, and he used that influence. I believe my father, Lord Xun, and Chao formed an alliance of sorts. My father traded the promise of a council seat for Chao’s promise of an obedient monastic system.”
Delun didn’t understand. Politics had never been something he knew how to manipulate. “Why would the emperor believe the wraiths would be more obedient?”
She frowned at him. “You don’t?”
“Of course not. The wraiths want more authority. They won’t accept the yoke of another.”
The princess took another sip of her tea. “How many wraiths demanded evidence of wrongdoing the night you attacked the Order?”
Delun felt his stomach twist.
“You took Chao at his word. Who is to say every house you attacked held members of the Order? Perhaps some held activists, or other men the questioners wanted killed. The wraiths killed dozens, if not hundreds, on that night, based only on the word of Chao.”
The princess paused for a moment. “Wraiths don’t want authority, and the responsibility that comes with it. What they really want is to flex their power. My father and Chao understand that. Chao promises to direct that desire, and in return my father will provide what the wraiths ostensibly desire.”
Delun hurt. His beliefs had been quietly decimated as he sipped his tea. He wanted to shout at the princess, to tell her she was wrong. But such action would be a lie. “A risky gamble.”
“Perhaps, but my father is no fool. The two systems of monasteries and government can no longer exist as they have in the past. He saw an opportunity for both sides to win. Chao will get his seat on the council and an eventual path to the throne. My father gained the monasteries.”
“If Chao can deliver on his promise.”
They each returned to their tea. Delun tore through the new information, trying to make sense of it. His head was still muddled.
The princess took her question. “So, why did Chao abduct me?”
Delun considered that. Chao wouldn’t want to see the princess on the throne either. If he believed her claims, the emperor and Chao would agree on that much. So why take her from the palace? His own last words came back to him. Chao needed to deliver the monasteries to the emperor to gain his seat on the council. “You’re bait.”
She looked up from her tea, surprised. “For who?”
“The monks who don’t agree with Chao. They’ll find out you’re gifted and will want to rescue you.” Delun’s thoughts raced. “Chao’s enemies will come to him. They’ll come here.” Delun looked around the room, but his thoughts were about the building. The whole place was a trap. Delun focused back on her. “What will you do?”
“I’m undecided. For now, I must remain here.”
“Why?”
“Chao is threatening violence against vulnerable targets if I attempt to escape. At some point, the benefits of escaping may outweigh the potential risk, but that moment has not yet arrived. For now, I am content to bide my time.”
Delun’s respect for the woman increased yet again. He realized that for the first time in his life, he had found a noble worth following.
36
When morning came, Lei left Daiyu’s body in bed while he visited a small grove of trees not far behind the house. He selected an appropriate tree and went to work, chopping the old birch down with the help of an axe he had found behind the house.
He could have cut through the tree with one swing, using his gift. But he craved the labor. He wanted to honor Daiyu’s life with his sweat. He worked his way through the trunk of the tree, cutting out a larger wedge from the base, one swing after another.
In time, the repetitive nature of the work calmed him. His world narrowed until there was nothing left but the swing of the axe and the sound of the sharp blade slicing deeper into the heart of the tree.
When the tree fell, the sun was already well into the sky. His work had just begun. Lei started cutting the tree into more manageable logs.
Now and then he looked over his shoulder, feeling as though someone stood behind him, watching him. But the fields surrounding the house were empty. He hadn’t seen anyone come this way since they’d first woken up here. Delun had stashed them well off the beaten path.
He believed Daiyu’s spirit remained close, observing the preparations for her last rites.
Lei worked at the tree with a practiced ease. Back home, he often used chopping wood as a way to distract himself. The work demanded focu
s, emptying the mind of the meaningless thoughts that tended to crowd in day after day.
The axe head rose and fell again, cleanly splitting a log in two.
Lei thought of the years he and Daiyu had spent together, the meals she had made for him, the nights they had spent on the balcony of their little house watching the stars come out and dance above the mountain peaks.
He focused on the wood and drove the axe into it once again, hands sliding smoothly along the shaft as it picked up speed.
More memories, older memories, of a time when they hadn’t been together. When he had treated her poorly and almost lost her for good. Bitter memories of the pain he had caused, softened only by the knowledge of the married life that had come to pass as a result.
The sound of the axe, sharp as it bit into the tree.
Daiyu’s insistence that he do something to help Bai and her friends, to be involved in the affairs of the world after spending so much time divorced from it.
When he looked up, the tree was done, chopped into pieces suitable for carrying, suitable for building a small pyre.
Lei carried the logs and pieces of the tree closer to the house for the rest of the late morning and early afternoon. He took a short break to eat, the food tasteless in his mouth. Then he returned to the work, grateful for the mental oblivion the physical labor created.
By late afternoon the pyre was finished. The wood sat nicely stacked, with plenty of kindling prepared to light it. Lei had cleared the grass away from the structure to ensure the fire wouldn’t spread.
He dreaded the next part.
Lei walked back into the bedroom and prepared Daiyu’s body for the pyre. There was blissfully little to do. He dressed her in her favorite robes, then wrapped her in cloth. He picked her up, amazed at how light the body was, no longer burdened with the weight of life.
Lei carried the body and placed it gently on the pyre. Then he took a few steps back to ensure everything was as it should be. He didn’t want anything out of place for tonight.