The tautness of his expression hinted at some strong emotion, although he kept it masked enough that she couldn’t pinpoint what. Something about the way he looked at her brought the words tumbling out: “I’m sorry to have worried you.”
He softened visibly, lips turned up in a gentle smile. “We were very worried. And there will be many celebrations that you’re found. You will not be lost again, I promise you. I personally will see to it.”
Oh dear. Oh my. He meant it, too. Mei Li was on the one hand glad, the other amazed. She was important, yes, but to have his undivided attention? Her mouth scrambled for an appropriate response and failed to come up with one. “Thank you. Uh, I mean, it wasn’t any fun being lost and I’m glad for any protection.”
His smile widened. “Then you’ve no objections. Good. For now, stay with me. We will discuss what needs to happen later, after you’ve had a hot bath and meal. You’ve no luggage?”
“Uh, well, no. I was supposed to be a sacrifice.”
Shunlei ground to a screeching halt. “You were what?!”
“That came out wrong.” Mei Li winced. “Or maybe right. It’s a bit of a story. Tell you over dinner?”
There was a feral light in his eyes that spoke of mayhem. “Yes, this is a story I must hear, I think. But it can wait until you’re not shivering.”
Mei Li suddenly felt she had the power to get a lot of narrow-minded people into a great deal of trouble. Should she try to tell the story in such a way to keep them from being roasted alive? Or just tell the facts as they were? It would be nice of her to relate the story in a kind, impartial way.
Nice, but not very fun.
The bath was heavenly.
Mei Li sank into the overly large ‘tub’ with a sigh of bliss, her head rolling on the edge of the smooth rock. It was a natural hot springs that had been expanded by someone to make it perfectly comfortable for a large party to sit in. More like, it was for the convenience of Shunlei so he could choose to soak in either form. The hot spring was conveniently attached to the rest of his rooms, burrowed into the rocks, and she suspected he’d chosen this location for that very reason. Either way, she had the luxury of stretching out, the hot water easing her chills and lulling her into a sense of lethargy. She could just sleep here, right?
A polite knock at the door echoed through the room. “Mei Li, you didn’t fall asleep in there, did you?”
She jerked upright, water splashing and rippling around her. “Uh, no! I’m awake. Just reluctant to move.”
Shunlei chuckled, low and earthy. “I understand. Dinner will be here in a few minutes, however. Will you join me or eat later?”
Ignoring her very powerful host in order to keep playing in his tub seemed not a good idea. “I’m coming out.”
“I have a change of clothes and two towels for you here. I’ll be waiting at the table for you.”
“Thank you!” she called to him even as she stood, water sloshing away from her skin. The air wasn’t noticeably cooler, the humidity of the hot water keeping it nice and warm. She waited only long enough to hear the outer door to the bathing area close before tentatively opening the connecting door. No one waited in the changing room beyond, and she was quick to dart through.
Then she paused. Not only was there a change of clothes and the two towels, but a brush, hand mirror, two combs, a small jar of lotion with a lovely minty scent, and shoes. Well, he certainly knew how to be thorough. Or was this the work of some other woman advising him? Either way it was beyond thoughtful and she gratefully used the lot.
The lotion was bliss against her dry skin, and she used most of the bottle before slipping on the fine undergarments. Mei Li wasn’t precisely large, but she was longer in the arms and legs than most women and was accustomed to borrowed clothes not fitting quite right. There was usually a good inch gap on wrists and ankles, and she’d been resigned to it before even reaching for the clothes.
These fit perfectly, as if tailored to her. Did being five thousand years old somehow grant a man the ability to look at a woman and measure her that accurately with his eyes?
Mei Li shook the fanciful thought off. She didn’t have time to speculate; she had a host waiting for her.
Even though she thought that, the questions mounted in her head with every piece she put on—the red skirt, matching red long-sleeved shirt, over-shirt of red with the golden embroidery around neckline and short sleeves, and finally the dark maroon belt that peeked out from underneath the over-shirt. It was precisely her size and a perfect fit. Mei Li frowned down at it. It was lovely, too, by far the prettiest ensemble she’d ever worn. But how did…?
She shook the thought off again. She really didn’t have time to think about it, and it was pointless besides. She could always just ask her host and get an answer. Taking the brush to her hair, she combed the damp locks out as best she could, then wrapped it all up and around, tucking the ends in and under a high figure-eight bun on her head. The two combs, both of them a beautiful white jade with the carving of dragons along the edge, were far too expensive for her to wear. But it would be an insult to her host to not use what he had clearly chosen for her. Mei Li would just have to be very, very careful with them.
Slotting them into place, she held up the mirror to check that she hadn’t missed a strand. The white jade combs were very lovely against her black hair and she smiled at the sight. The red was a good choice too, a perfect complement to her pale skin. She looked rather respectable, didn’t she? Instead of a lost child dragged in during a storm.
Satisfied, she used the bandage and ointment he’d also set aside for her. Now that she had cleaned her foot properly, she could wrap it. The ointment, as all ointments did, initially stung. But she slathered on a good deal of it anyway, hoping the jagged scratch on her arch would heal quickly. He’d left both shoes and house slippers for her, which was fortunate, as the bandage made it impossible to put on the shoes. She slipped on the house slippers and went to rejoin her host.
The interior of Shunlei’s home wasn’t quite as it appeared from the outside. The exterior had columns, doors, arches, and windows all carved into the rockface in an intricate way that had caught her eye. The interior was homier, meant for comfort rather than show. There wasn’t a sharp angle to be found, every doorway round with an arch along the top, the floor smooth as it rose to meet the walls. It felt as if the space had always been there, a natural cavity inside the mountain that Shunlei had capitalized on. Someone had used lime to paint the walls, as they were a faint yellow now, but the floors were the natural tan stone with no coloration. Not that they need to be. Every room she passed had a plethora of rich velvet pillows, dark wood furniture, paintings of landscapes displayed. This house was rich with sumptuous tones. And pillows. Pillows on the floor for seating, pillows piled high in chairs, stacks of pillows in front of the fireplace. All the pillows.
Some dragons hoarded gold. She suspected the Master of All Dragons hoarded pillows.
The dining room wasn’t far from the bathing chamber and she found him easily by following her ears. And her nose. The clink of china being set was accompanied by the delightful scents of roasted meat, simmering broth, and something fried. She stepped into the room expecting to see other people, but it was just her host transferring covered dishes to a low, wooden table. No servants?
Shunlei’s head came up and he greeted her with a pleased smile. He’d changed into something more comfortable for sitting about the house, his hair no longer tied up but loose around his shoulders. It still looked windblown, the dark hair coarse in texture as it fell down to his waist. He might have taken it down but had clearly not bothered to do anything else to it. “Come sit. I’m sure you’re famished after a full day’s flight. The clothes suit you?”
“Yes, thank you,” she answered and gave him a pointed look. “They fit so perfectly I’m amazed.”
“That is good to hear,” he answered noncommittally. “I thought snow tea would be nic
e.”
So he wasn’t going to tell her, eh? Fine, he could keep his secrets. “That sounds lovely.”
Mei Li settled on a thick cushion, gaining her bearings as she did so. The dining room was not meant for large crowds. It could perhaps seat eight at a squeeze. The table was old, too, the wood dark with age, although well cared for. The dishes set on it were among her favorites—scallion pancakes, fried chicken, herbal soup, rice, and a plate of delicately sliced roasted pork. Her mouth watered.
Mei Li reached for the bowl of rice to serve her host. It was only right for her to do so. Despite this being his house, she was much younger and lower in status.
Shunlei allowed this with a small smile but he still served her tea, which threw her for a moment. Why was he serving her anything? She should be—Mei Li froze again, her hands hovering over the rice bowl as he put two slices of scallion pancake on her plate.
Just. What?
As if he hadn’t done something only a family member or lover would do, Shunlei chatted with her casually, his hands already moving to the next dish. “I heard Hui has a badly sprained wing. It was remarkable he kept his head and stayed steady on course, considering. He’ll be down for at least a week in order to recover. Rone relayed that he came from North Sea, the far northern watch post. I’m astonished you were in that area. How did that happen?”
Mei Li snapped her mouth shut before she could collect flies and took a second to gather her scattered wits. Either Shunlei was so old he didn’t stand on formalities—entirely possible; perhaps age made him uncaring about trivial matters—or he wanted her to be at ease with him. Either way, his manner didn’t invite for her to treat him deferentially. He spoke and interacted with her like a friend. It felt beyond strange to respond in kind, but…well, it was a rather nice thought, making friends with the Master of All Dragons. It made her both giddy and somehow jittery.
“I’m not sure,” she answered, and finished serving herself some of the rice. She stole a moment to sip her tea. The flavor was cool and delightful, and she sighed in pleasure. She did so love good snow tea. “I wasn’t up top when the storm hit. I heard bits and snatches, things about the main mast cracking, and being blown off course. We were quite disoriented and lost when the mother storm hit again, and without the main mast to help guide us, I think they lost control of the ship completely. We were slammed against the cliffs. One of my guards managed to get me topside, but I was thrown free before he could do much else.”
Clear blue eyes fixated on her, the food ignored as Shunlei hung on her every word. “You were at the mercy of the sea?”
“Yes, for a bit. I latched onto a boulder, climbed up it. Then watched, helplessly. Everyone else was either lost to the depths or….” She cut herself off at the painful memory and navigated around it mentally. He didn’t need to hear all of this, and it was too painful for her to speak of it. “I stayed on the boulder all night and through part of the morning. There’s a harbor of sorts, sitting under the cliff’s edge, and a fishing village on the top. They saw the ship being dashed on the rocks and came down the next morning to scavenge what they could from it. They found me in the process and brought me up. At first they weren’t sure what to do with me. A foreign girl who spoke of politics and wanted to write was blasphemous to them.”
A dark frown swept over his face, his hand tightening around his chopsticks to the point they creaked under the strain. “Did they treat you well?”
“They weren’t abusive,” she answered honestly. “Just very controlling. I couldn’t manage to get any word out and they wouldn’t let me out of the hut. When winter hit and conditions became bad, that’s when they got the bright idea to sacrifice me to their mountain god. Turns out that was Hui.”
Shunlei didn’t seem convinced of her treatment but let that go in favor of his surprise. Tone climbing, he said incredulously, “They thought a dragon was a mountain god?”
“Shows you how backward they are. I didn’t know either. I’d not seen Hui at all, just heard all these ludicrous stories of the mountain god who saved them when he wasn’t angered. I went up because I thought, if it was a deity of some sort, I could bargain for his help. If it was something masquerading as a deity, I could either still negotiate or defend myself as necessary. You’ve no idea how glad I was to meet Hui instead.”
“Not as glad as I am.” Shunlei graced her with another of those soft, delighted smiles. “Eat, please. I will tell you where matters stand now.”
As that question had been plaguing her for two years, Mei Li nodded eagerly. She’d be lying if she said she wasn’t worried. Abe’s continued absence weighed on her like a millstone around her neck. She loved and missed her mentor, of course, but professionally speaking it left her in a very tight spot. Without Abe, she would be the one to take on the safety of the world, and Mei Li did not feel ready to do that. An uneasy premonition sat in her stomach that she wasn’t going to be given a choice on the matter.
Her hunger overrode her worries and demanded food. Mei Li bit into her scallion pancake, which was deliciously light and fluffy. It almost distracted her from the weighty matter they discussed.
“I do not have a complete list of matters that must be attended to, but I’ve received regular reports on the most troublesome. First, as Hui no doubt informed you, we weren’t able to salvage all the records. A quarter of them were lost to the sea, and though I’ve thoroughly checked, I’ve found no other copies. I’m afraid you and Abe of Tomes are the other copies.”
“More like Master is,” she corrected sourly. Mei Li stopped eating, that four-hundred-pound millstone around her neck doubling in size. She’d curse, if she could think of any words strong enough. “I didn’t get a chance to read everything before we were separated. I can only hope most of the ones lost are ones I did read. Then I’ll be able to transcribe them.”
“Yes, that is our hope as well. I requested a complete list of all the records we do have. After dinner I will show it to you.”
Bless the man for that foresight. “That would be very helpful, Elder Shunlei.”
His brows compressed briefly and he held up a staying hand. “Shunlei. Do not stand on formalities with me.”
Mei Li did not feel she was ranked highly enough to casually address the Master of All Dragons by his given name. She was still an apprentice. But she also wasn’t of the status to argue the point with him. And she was supposed to be friends with him, right? As odd as this all was, she liked that he wasn’t one to stand on formalities. As awkward as it felt, she’d abide by his wishes on this point. “Shunlei, then.”
That pleased him enormously; he practically glowed under the force of it. “Good. At any rate, there are certain matters you must attend to first. The dragons will, of course, aid you.”
“Let me guess. The Sea Walls of Tanguay?”
“Not holding up well,” he confirmed darkly. “There are visible holes in the walls.”
Mei Li winced. That was worse than she’d expected. The Sea Walls of Tanguay were what created an artificial harbor, allowing Tanguay not only a seafaring harbor but also protection against the storms known to ravage the coastline. It had been created two thousand years ago and was maintained by a series of overlapping spells that held up each corner of the wall. It was one of the many tasks the Tomes Masters had, to keep those spells charged in order to maintain the wall. If it fell…well, it would mean more than the loss of trade for a major city. It would likely create a tidal wave as well and destroy a good portion of the coastline in that area.
“I think you should go there first, assuming you know how to handle it?”
“Fortunately, Master had me read some of the more current artifacts. I know how to handle the Sea Walls, yes. What about Zaffi’s seal?”
“The demon is restless and awake enough to influence the people within a radius of where he is sealed. I do not think it will hold much longer, either.”
Mei Li let her shoulders slump. That didn’t
sound good at all. He was supposed to be so asleep he couldn’t even twitch while dreaming. “I’m almost afraid to ask….”
“His wife, Jingfei, is awakening as well.”
Both demon and demoness, how lovely. And they were on opposite ends of the country of Horvath, too. Granted, most of the time that worked in humanity’s favor, because no one wanted two powerful demons right next to each other. But right now, that meant time was not on her side. Mei Li could only pray Zaffi was sealed in the same way Jingfei was, because she had not managed to read the records for Zaffi before being evacuated. That, or pray the record for him managed to survive.
If there was no record, and the demon was sealed differently…just the thought made Mei Li lose her appetite. Zaffi had nearly destroyed a country, killing tens of thousands of people, before he was sealed. Being asleep for over five thousand years would not have weakened him. Once free, he’d be worse than any plague this world had seen. The mental picture of it sent cold shivers racing up and down her spine.
A gentle hand caught hers, gripping it soothingly. Mei Li’s head came up to see Shunlei watching her steadily.
“You will have all the dragons to aid you. I myself will take you wherever you need to go, to help you in whatever way you need.” He paused, carefully forming the words and keeping a careful watch on her face as he said them. “I wish to take you under my wing, Mei Li.”
He wanted to what? The enormity of what he had said failed to compute. Her heart actually skipped a beat, she was so astonished, as if even that basic biological function was beyond her. When a dragon took another under his wing, it was a closer tie than even family. There wasn’t even a human equivalent to it, something she could equate it to.
Tomes Apprentice Page 4