Morning Light laughed. The Golden Phoenix sang as she drove Snow Wind back another step. Bleeding from half a dozen wounds, the bounty hunter tripped and fell. At once he regained his feet. Snow Wind howled and attacked, but his stroke was wild and his footing unsteady. Morning Light flitted aside, and as he dashed nearer, her sword pierced him through.
Snow Wind fell into the dust beside Broken Spear, twitched, and lay still.
Clouded Sky leaped back, putting a short distance between himself and the three surviving guards.
“Surrender, and your lives will be spared!”
With terrified glances at Morning Light the three men dropped their weapons. The sound of battle stilled, leaving only the dull roar of the blazing village hall. Morning Light lowered the Golden Phoenix Sword and called her people to secure the prisoners. When Clouded Sky reached her side, she stood looking down at the two dead men.
“Such a shame, dage. Such martial artists they were! Now they will never take disciples, and their unique techniques will die with them.”
“Dage!” As much as he had lost today, he couldn’t help smiling. “You remember me! And you know your martial arts!”
She gave him the smile that he remembered so well.
“Yes, I remember! I think I have dreamed of you during my meditations.” She lifted her hand, and he saw that she still held the strand of black hair knotted around her fingers. “When I touch this, I remember my dreams. It seems to me that I ought to know you well.”
“Then you were Iron Maiden all the time? But how?”
One of the Thorns interrupted them.
“Thousand-years lady! The hall cannot be saved, but we have prevented the fire from spreading to other houses.”
“And the people?”
“Everyone is safe, my lady.”
“Then let’s not worry about the hall. A hall can be rebuilt!”
“And burned down again next time the Emperor sends an Imperial Sword for you!” The voice came from behind them. Clouded Sky and Morning Light turned. Down the road that led away from the secret cave came an old woman leaning on her staff.
“Of course, if he does, you will have only yourselves to blame!” She pointed the tip of her staff at Morning Light. “You could have remained in Heaven, enjoying spiritual enlightenment, young lady! But no, you had to go and wake yourself up!”
Morning Light’s eyes grew wide in recognition.
Clouded Sky stuttered, “Respected One! I know you!”
“I should think so! If it wasn’t for me, you’d still be a prisoner in Wudang.” She narrowed her eyes at the chaotic state of the village—the corpses of Thorns and imperial guards littering the ground, the injured folk being treated for cuts and burns, the still-burning hall and the blackened faces of the firefighters. “Seems like I ought to have been here, too! You’ve made a fine mess of things, haven’t you?”
Morning Light waved her hand with the hair twined around the fingers. “I remember you, Elder! You were the one who did this!”
“Took one of your hairs and made a second body for you to go wandering the martial arts world in?” The old lady grimaced. “Only under protest, girl. Orders from the highest level. It was thought that otherwise, no worthy hero would ever stumble upon you!”
“Then it wasn’t just a dream. I was really there!” Morning Light glanced sidelong at Clouded Sky. “I didn’t remember who I was. But it was me, all the same.”
The old lady sniffed. “Indeed.”
“Thank you! Thank you!” Impulsively, Morning Light threw her arms around the old lady.
There was a flash of light. Suddenly, where there had been wrinkles and white hair, there was the smooth skin and raven hair of a young and beautiful maiden.
“How dare you? Show some respect!” she scolded. “Remember my station! Don’t behave like a peasant girl!”
Morning Light laughed and backed away, cupping her fists and bowing. “Immortal Lady He, humble self thanks you a thousand times!”
“I hope you don’t regret it.” To Clouded Sky the immortal lady said, “You’ll have to teach her some manners.”
“I’d rather learn her sword skill. That is, if she’ll take me as her disciple.”
Immortal Lady He shrugged and gave a shrill whistle. At once there was a flash of white in the sky. A crane drifted down from its perch in the crags and landed beside her.
The lady settled herself on its back. “I’m meant to tell you that the Emperor’s army is already in Hubei. Wudang Temple has refused to send help to Mount Jing, on account of their purpose of heavenly contemplation. If you want to save either of them, you’d better set out at once.”
She winged away. Clouded Sky looked at Morning Light, his joy beginning to recede. How much did she remember about him, really? Did she know how he felt about her? And even if she did, was there any hope for him? It was one thing to ask for a match with Iron Maiden, nameless martial wanderer. It was another to ask for a match with the daughter of the Coiling Dragon King. Worse, if she became his shimu, his martial arts mother, then it was forbidden even to dream of such a thing.
“Heroine?”
She turned back to him with a smile.
“Of course we must go and help them, dage.”
He smiled and nodded, trying not to let his doubt show in his eyes.
“And the Heaven-Relying Dragon-Slaying Sword Skill? Will you teach me?”
Morning Light looked thoughtful. Clouded Sky waited in anxious silence. If she agreed, he’d rise in the martial arts world, but he could never love her. If she refused, he would never be a great martial artist, but at least he could hope to ask for her hand one day.
“You are a quick learner, dage,” Morning Light said at last. “Perhaps you do not need me to teach you at all.” She picked up the end of her golden sash and smoothed the silk thoughtfully between her fingers. “Not many people believe it, but Coiling Dragon King did indeed leave the secrets of the Heaven-Relying Dragon-Slaying Sword Skill written inside a secret sword manual. What do you think, dage? Could you learn from a book?”
Clouded Sky felt the warmth of dawning hope. “Yes, thousand-years lady! Yes, I believe I could.”
“‘Thousand-years lady’? So formal! When you woke me, you called me meimei.” She dropped her sash and turned toward the village square. “Let’s find something to eat. I’m hungry!”
Clouded Sky stood for a moment staring after her. Slowly, a smile broke across his face, and he hurried to catch her up. “Wait for me, meimei!”
S.D.G.
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More books from Suzannah Rowntree
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The Rakshasa’s Bride
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The Bells of Paradise
Death Be Not Proud
Beasts and Queens (Books 1-4 boxset edition)
Ten Thousand Thorns
Arthurian Fantasy
Pendragon’s Heir
Even if the kingdom could be saved, is she the one to do it? Or is someone else the Pendragon's Heir?
About the Author
When Suzannah Rowntree isn’t travelling the world to help out friends in need, she lives in a big house in rural Australia with her awesome parents and siblings, trying to beat her previous number-of-books-read-in-a-year record. She blogs the results at Vintage Novels and is the author of both fiction and non-fiction.
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Table of Contents
Ten Thousand Thorns
Copyright information
Acknowledgement
1.
2.
3.
4.
More books from Suzannah Rowntree
About the Author
Connect with the Author
Table of Contents
Ten Thousand Thorns
Copyright information
Acknowledgement
1.
2.
3.
4.
More books from Suzannah Rowntree
About the Author
Connect with the Author
Ten Thousand Thorns_A Fairy Tale Retold Page 13