by Crane
Ying cocked his head. “Shhhh …,” he wheezed.
Hok listened closely. She heard voices from around the corner at the prison entrance.
“Whew! What a party!” a man said. “The Emperor sure knows how to have a good time!”
“Yes, indeed,” another man replied. “Too bad we had to come back here—”
Ying nodded toward the far corner of the room and Hok noticed a door. As they headed for it, Ying whispered in a wet, wheezing voice, “Tonglong will take Malao … to a place we called … the Riverbank Safe House. It's an … old shack … an hour downriver … from the main Kaifeng bridge. It's on … the southern shore … near a willow … with twin trunks.”
They reached the door and Hok tried the handle. It was locked, but she saw the key was still in the mechanism. She turned it and opened the door. The hinges shrieked.
“What was that?” one man called out.
Hok heard footsteps, and she pushed Ying through the doorway.
“Look!” one of the men cried. “Major Ying is escaping!”
“Who is that with him?” the other man said. “It's—it's the girl from the wanted poster!”
Hok slammed the door closed and engaged the lock with the key from the outside. She leaned Ying against the side of the building and hurried over to the building's front corner.
Hok peered out at the main street, trying to decide which way to go. She didn't know. Maybe Ying had an idea. She looked back at him, but he had disappeared, like dragons were rumored to do.
The two prison guards came barging out of the front entrance, yelling, “SOUND THE ALARMS! THERE'S BEEN A PRISON BREAK!”
Hok turned and ran.
“You didn't kill him, did you?” HaMo asked.
“No,” AnGangseh replied. “He is only sssleeping.”
“Are you sure?” HaMo said. “He hasn't moved in hours.”
“I am sure,” AnGangseh said. She stepped over Malao's unconscious body and handed a small bottle to HaMo. “This is what put the boy in his current ssstate. It's called Dream Dust, and it is very powerful. I make it myself. Never put the bottle near your face.”
HaMo cringed and held the bottle at arm's length. “What do you want me to do with it?”
“If the boy monkey begins to wake up,” AnGangseh said, “sssprinkle a tiny amount of the powder on his upper lip, beneath his nose. A sssingle dose now would keep him asleep until late afternoon.”
“But the sun hasn't even risen yet,” HaMo said.
“As I sssaid, it is very powerful. That bottle will last you a very long time. Keep the boy drugged, and he won't give you any trouble. Let the effects wear off ssslightly each day, though, ssso that you can feed him and give him sssomething to drink.”
HaMo nodded, holding up the small bottle. “Thanks.”
The front door of the safe house swung open and Tonglong stepped inside the single-room shack. He set an oil lamp on a small dusty table.
“It appears as though we are alone,” Tonglong said, “though it is difficult to see. Clouds have formed over the moon.”
“I sssense rain,” AnGangseh said.
“Rain is fine,” HaMo said. “It shouldn't affect our plan.”
“I agree,” Tonglong said.
HaMo scratched one of his enormous chins. “What is it we're after again? A scroll?”
“Yes,” Tonglong said. “A dragon scroll from Cang-zhen Temple.”
“Neither of you study dragon-style kung fu,” HaMo said. “What are you going to do with it?”
Tonglong looked at AnGangseh, and AnGangseh nodded.
“It's a map,” Tonglong said.
HaMo burst into laughter. “A dragon scroll map from Cangzhen! You believe that old wives’ tale?”
Tonglong stared at HaMo, and HaMo stopped laughing. “You're serious, aren't you?” HaMo asked.
“Deadly ssserious,” AnGangseh said.
“We have reason to believe the story is valid,” Tonglong said.
“The story claims there is a secret treasure horde,” HaMo said. “That's a little too far-fetched for me. Besides, there was no such scroll when I lived at Cangzhen. I used to be in charge of the library. If such a scroll exists, it had to arrive at Cangzhen with the last Grandmaster, and we all know how shifty he was. You're wasting your time. Even worse, you're wasting my time. You promised me riches beyond belief. Well, I don't believe it. I think it's best if you just pay me for what I've done thus far, and I'll be on my way.”
Tonglong straightened. “Your payment will come from the treasure. That was our agreement.”
“Well, you were obviously withholding some key information,” HaMo said. “I want out. What do you have that's worth something?”
AnGangseh looked at Tonglong. “If he wants out, let him out.” She pointed to Malao, lying on the dirt floor. “You can have the boy, as well as the bottle of Dream Dust to keep him manageable. Take him to Jinan and sssell him to LaoShu.”
HaMo scratched one of his enormous chins. “Sell him to Rat? That sounds appealing, but I was expecting more compensation than that. After all, I did get you access to the bandit stronghold.”
“What if I were to throw in something else to sweeten the deal?” Tonglong asked. “How much do you think LaoShu would pay for a twelve-year-old girl from Cangzhen? One who can fight.”
HaMo's eyes widened. “Now that's more like it! You wouldn't be thinking of the girl dressed all in white from the acrobat camp, would you? I noticed her being protected by the bandits.”
“The very same,” Tonglong replied. He tugged at the silk thread around his neck and the tiny jade crane popped out of the folds of his robe.
HaMo's flabby cheeks rose up in a corpulent grin. “My friend, I think we have a deal.”
Hok spent the night in flight, successfully steering clear of both the prison guards and Tonglong's soldiers by weaving in and out of Kaifeng's narrow streets. She stayed on the move, not daring to stop. More than anything she wished she could return to the Jade Phoenix, but the last thing she wanted to do was endanger anyone there by showing up. Besides, she wasn't sure she could find it in the dark.
Shortly before sunrise, it began to rain. Chilled to the bone and soaking wet, Hok decided to try to find shelter. She was near the river, and she began to think about the acrobat camp. The acrobats had probably fled the city, and soldiers might be occupying the camp. Still, it was worth taking a look. Even if she couldn't take shelter there, at least she might be able to find some food or dry clothes to change into once the rain stopped.
Hok was upstream from the main bridge, and she cautiously worked her way downstream along the riverbank until she neared the camp. It appeared abandoned, but in the darkness she couldn't be sure. She approached cautiously.
The first tent she came to was the one that Charles and the acrobats had used to put on their costumes before their lion dance performance. Hok remembered Charles complaining about not having his qiangs. Perhaps they were still inside.
Hok eased up to the back of the four-sided structure. The door flap was directly opposite her, facing the center of the camp. She would have to sneak around to the front.
As Hok silently rounded the first corner, she sensed someone nearby. She began to retreat, but she was too slow.
A boy poked his head of thick, short black hair out from under the bottom edge of the tent. He stared up at Hok in the rainy darkness.
“Seh!” Hok whispered.
Seh nodded and slithered from under the tent edge, over the muddy ground. He stood and pointed back upstream. He wanted to leave.
“Wait a moment,” Hok whispered. “Is anyone in there?”
Seh shook his head.
“I'll be right back,” Hok said. She dropped to the muddy ground and slipped into the tent. Her eyes took a moment to adjust to the darkness, but she soon saw what she was looking for—a pile of dirty clothes. Charles didn't seem like the type of person to leave his qiangs out in the open, and a pile of dirty clothes is
exactly where Hok would hide something important.
Hok pushed the clothes aside and found a matching set of short qiangs. The metal barrels were scratched and discolored, and the wooden handles were well worn. These weapons had seen a lot of use. Hok wrapped them in a robe that was lying there and slipped back out of the tent.
Without a word, Seh began to run. Hok followed on his heels.
Seh led Hok much farther upstream, following the riverbank. Dawn was breaking, overcast and gray, when they finally stopped before the crooked door of a battered boathouse. Seh knocked once, paused, then knocked four times in rapid succession. The door swung open, and Hok followed Seh inside.
Mong stood just inside the doorway. He closed the door behind them and Hok glanced around. The room was dimly lit by a single oil lamp on each of the building's three rickety walls. Where the fourth wall would normally have been was nothing but open air. This wall-less section dangled out over the river, and floating on the river inside the boathouse was a small skiff. It was empty except for a long pole that Hok knew was used to push the skiff along the shallow riverbank.
On a small section of dry riverbank inside the boat-house were Bing, Fu, and Charles, plus a girl with smooth dark skin and a curiously flat face. Hok thought the girl looked a surprising amount like an eel.
Bing smiled, and Hok walked over to Bing's side.
“I am happy to see you,” Bing said.
“And I am happy to see you,” Hok replied. She glanced around the room. “All of you, as a matter of fact. But where is GongJee?”
“She is with the others back at the Jade Phoenix,” Bing said. “NgGung and Gao are keeping her entertained.”
“Oh,” Hok said. “So the soldiers did not discover you there?”
“Most of those soldiers couldn't find honey in a beehive,” Mong replied. “They took a quick look around, but left soon after Yuen offered them a meal. It seems they saw the condition of her dining hall and lack of customers, and decided no one in their right mind would visit there, bandits included. If they only knew how delicious her soy sauce chicken was!” He laughed.
Hok grinned. “How about the two men who were injured rescuing us? I believe their names are Hung and Sanfu? Are they all right?”
“They are just fine,” Mong said. “Those two have shrugged off injuries far worse in the past. It's considerate of you to ask about their well being, though. I'll tell them you send your regards.”
“Thank you,” Hok said.
Mong nodded. “So, what is it that you have in your hands? Tomorrow's laundry?”
“Oh, sorry,” Hok said. She turned to Charles and handed him the bundled robe. “This is for you.”
“Huh?” Charles said. He unwrapped the bundle and his face lit up. “You went back and got these for me? Thank you!”
Hok grinned. “You are welcome.”
Bing looked at Seh and nodded. “Thanks are in order for you, too. I offer you my sincerest gratitude, young man.”
Seh shrugged his shoulders. “I didn't do anything.”
Bing stared, unblinking, at Seh. “It was your idea to wait for my daughter at the camp. You took a great risk. You should accept my thanks.”
Seh looked embarrassed. He bowed toward Bing. “You are most welcome,” he said. “I was very glad to sense Hok's chi outside the tent. Her chi is a lot like yours.” Seh turned to Hok and bowed. “I … we … missed you.”
Hok returned the bow, now embarrassed herself to be bowing so formally to her brother. She was about to thank Seh when she noticed Charles growing tense. Hok glanced at Charles, but he looked away, his pale cheeks turning red.
Fu growled softly, and Hok saw that Fu was staring at Charles. Fu must have noticed Charles’ reaction, too. Was Charles … jealous?
Mong chuckled. “I see you have a couple of very protective brothers, Hok. One that will do anything to find you, and another that will defend your honor. That is good.”
Hok blushed and looked down. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a strange movement. She glanced at Seh's sleeve and saw a snake's head poking out! She pointed to it. “What is that?”
“Just a friend,” Seh said. “Would you like to pet it?” He reached his arm out toward Hok and she recoiled. Seh smirked.
“That was mean,” Hok said. “You know how much I dislike snakes.”
“Oh, well, thanks a lot,” Seh the “snake” said in a joking tone.
“Yes, thanks a lot,” Mong the “python” added. He winked.
Hok blushed even more.
“That's enough fun for now,” Mong said. “Let's get down to business. What happened to you, Hok? Are you okay?”
“I'm fine,” Hok replied. “I went to see Ying. I … helped him escape.”
“You did WHAT!” Fu roared.
“Quiet!” Mong said, glaring at Fu. “Do you want to get us captured?”
Fu bit his lip and lowered his head. “Sorry,” he mumbled.
“I am sorry, too,” Hok said. “It felt like the right thing to do at the time, but now I'm not sure.”
“What happened?” Bing asked.
“I made a deal with him,” Hok said. “I knocked out his guard—a general named Tsung—and released Ying. In return, Ying told me where we might find Malao.”
“You knocked out Tsung?” Mong said. He smiled. “Your kung fu must be exceptional. I'm sorry I missed it. You now need to be more wary than ever, you know. Tsung will hunt you down.”
Hok nodded. “I understand. Ying thought we should have killed him.”
“You probably should have listened to Ying,” Mong said. “No matter now. What's done is done. What did Ying have to say about Malao?”
“Ying told me about a small shack downstream from Kaifeng that he once used as a safe house. He says it's about an hour away and thinks Tonglong may have taken Malao there.”
Mong nodded. “I always suspected Ying had a hideout somewhere along the Yellow River. I don't know much about Tonglong, but I wouldn't put it past him to try to use Malao as bait to obtain the map scroll from you. He's probably already planning a trap. You'll have to be careful.”
Hok's thin eyebrows raised. “Be careful?”
“Your brother Malao needs you,” Bing said. “You must go to him.”
Mong walked around the table to where the dark-skinned girl was sitting and placed one of his enormous pale hands on her shoulder. She twisted her head up and grinned at him.
“This young woman is called Sum,” Mong said. “She and her twin brother, Cheen, lived at the stronghold with us, and they followed me and my colleagues here to Kaifeng after Ying and Tonglong overcame us. She and her brother are as at home in the water as they are on land. Neither of them speaks and we don't know their names, so we've taken to calling them Sum and Cheen, Shallow and Deep. I saw them both in the water yesterday when Malao was captured, and we came to this boathouse as soon as the soldiers left the Jade Phoenix because I knew Sum and Cheen have been living here. Sum was waiting for us, and from her gestures we believe her brother has followed Tonglong's boat. She wants to take us to locate her brother, and find Malao.” Mong nodded toward the skiff.
“Sum wants to travel by boat?” Seh said. He swallowed hard.
Hok remembered that Seh hated boats. In fact, he disliked water in general. He wasn't a very good swimmer.
“A boat makes the most sense,” Mong said. “It's the quickest way to get down the river. If you hurry, you might be able to surprise them.”
Hok nodded and looked at Charles. This time, Charles held her gaze.
“My job is to stay here with your mother and GongJee,” Charles said. “I'd like to help you, but I must stay. I'm sorry.”
“I understand,” Hok said. “Thank you for helping my family.”
Charles blushed again.
“You can count me in,” said Fu with a low growl.
“Me too,” Seh added.
Sum nodded to Hok, and Hok nodded back.
Hok looked at Mong. “I
guess that makes Fu, Seh, Sum, and me.”
“Excellent,” Mong said. “The four of you should fit in the skiff with enough room for Malao on the return trip. I suggest you leave immediately. With any luck, you'll be back by tomorrow. Someone will be waiting here for you.”
Hok straightened up. She realized that if something were to go wrong, she might not see her mother again for some time. Bing seemed to read her mind.
“We shall see each other again,” Bing said. “Soon.”
“Yes,” Hok replied. “Soon.” She bowed to her mother, and her mother stood and bowed back, low and deep. Hok knew that a mother could not give her daughter a greater sign of respect.
“Let's get you four moving,” Mong said.
Hok, Seh, and Fu spent the next two hours hiding beneath a moldy tarp on the floor of the skiff. They peeked out occasionally peering at the southern shore through the heavy midmorning rain. Sum stood at the back of the boat, steadily poling it downstream.
The stretch of river they were currently on was strangely devoid of people. They hadn't seen another boat in quite a while, and they hadn't seen any buildings for more than an hour. Hok was considering closing her eyes to take a little break when Fu spotted something with his keen vision.
“There!” Fu whispered, poking one finger out from under the tarp. “A dragon boat.”
Hok strained her eyes. Soon she saw it, too. A boat had been pulled up onto the bank beneath a huge willow tree with twin trunks. The boat, and the trunks, were barely visible through the thick wall of leaves and pouring rain. This was the place.
The skiff turned toward the willow, and Seh tensed beside Hok. “What is Sum doing?” Seh whispered. “We shouldn't head straight for shore here. It might be a trap.”
Fu swiveled his large head left, then right. “I don't think it's a trap. The closest line of cover is hundreds of paces away. There aren't any ambush points.”
Hok scanned the shore. “I think Fu is right. Tonglong's men probably just put their boat under the tree to keep it from filling with rainwater. Or maybe they're trying to hide it. If Fu hadn't pointed it out, I don't think I would have even noticed it. The willow leaves hang all the way down to the water's surface.”