“I heard that there was a fight in the Under log tavern today.”
“There’s always a fight there.” The innkeeper laughed.
“A woman killed three men there.” The musician glanced over at Lady Jin who was wearing her sword as usual. Lady Jin ignored him and looked down at her fish head soup.
“None of my business.” The innkeeper said, though Lady Jin noticed his nervous glances at her.
The wandering scholars whispered among themselves. Lady Jin overhead something about improper women and the failure of the family unit. She ignored them too. After eating Lady Jin went to her bed to sleep.
Chapter nineteen
The next morning she paid for the room and bought some dried meat and vegetables to take with her. Lady Jin rode out of Pei-yo. The caravan that she had seen in the magic mirror was well ahead of her, but she hoped to catch up with it. Lady Jin knew that caravans didn’t go very fast and a woman on a well-rested horse would soon catch up with it.
Lady Jin made it to the caravan by nightfall. The merchants and guards had put up their tents for the night. Lady Jin heard singing, laughing, and music. A little girl danced by a fire as her parents clapped and encouraged her. Others around the campfire watch too. Lady Jin nodded to a guard as she approached.
“Hello, friend.” Lady Jin said.
“Hello.” The man held a long spear in his right hand.
“I was hoping to join the caravan.” Lady Jin tried to make a story on her feet. “I was a little late. Do they still have need for a female for the woman in the caravan?”
“We have one female guard.” The man said. “But they might want another. Go talk to Mr. Lu. That’s him there with his wife and his daughter is dancing there.”
“Oh. Thank you.” Lady Jin slipped off her horse. Lady Jin walked carefully towards the campfire and looked everywhere for her target.
The axeman was seated around the campfire with his arm around a young woman. Lady Jin wondered what to do. Should I walk up and say hi? Do I just attack? What about the innocents merchants? Maybe just get it over with.
The axeman turned to his head. Lady Jin drew her sword. He jumped and grabbed his battle axe off the grass. The woman beside him screamed. The girl stopped dancing. She screamed and ran to parents.
“Guards! Guards!” The girl’s father yelled. “We’re being attacked!”
Another woman screamed. A couple of guards headed towards her. Another watched for more attackers. Damn it! I just want a duel that man. Whoever he is!
Once again thunder boomed in the air. Some of the people around raced off. A portal appeared and Hao grabbed the axeman. They disappeared into the portal just as another thunder was heard.
“Damn it! He got away again!”
“Cease her!” Someone yelled.
Lady Jin saw several men running towards her. Both guards and merchants armed with weapons or tools. “Shit! Leave me alone!”
Lady Jin leaped onto her horse.
Lady Jin smacked aside a spear and rode off. A few men jumped on horses to chase after her. “Damn it!” Lady Jin slapped her horse’s rump. “Faster!”
One of the three men slowed his horse. The other two kept after her.
Lady Jin pulled on the reins just slightly. The man in the lead caught with her. He swung his spear at her head. Lady Jin leaned back and flew by harmlessly overhead. Lady Jin signaled her horse to move closer to him. He tried to pull away, but she hacked through his side. He tumbled off his horse. The horse raced away.
Lady Jin carefully slowed her horse to trot, so she could back at the second rider. He slowed down to help the fallen man and didn’t follow.
Goodbye and no hard feelings. At least from me. Lady Jin rode on.
#
Lady Jin rode on for several miles through a bamboo forest to get some distance from the caravan. Lady Jin camped at the bottom of a hill just outside the forest. This is a good spot. There was little trouble in getting a fire started and she ate some hot roots and dried meat. Lady Jin relaxed and got some sleep under the cold sky.
The next morning Lady Jin checked her horse, brushed him, and feed him. I need to practice. Lady Jin stretched and exercised with her sword before getting a quick breakfast of dried fruit. Like usual Lady Jin buried her campfire to hid her trail. That should keep them off my trail. Lady Jin glanced around one more time. I don’t think I missed anything, did I? Lady Jin rode off with the magic mirror in her hand. Hopefully it would soon show her where her target had gone this time.
#
Lady Jin journeyed through the state of Chu all day without a single view of anything within the mirror. The sun slowly fell from the sky as if shot down by powerful archer. The night found Lady Jin sitting alone beside another campfire after checking on her horse and removing his saddle. Lady Jin stretched and practiced some solo sword drills. After a meal of dried meat and bamboo shoots she laid on the grass to sleep. Within the darkness Lady Jin turned, twisted, and flopped about in the pain of a nightmare.
“Nooooo!” Lady Jin screamed. She reached out at someone who wasn’t there. “I’m sorry! Please forgi-”
Lady Jin stopped. She panted. Lady Jin’s clothes were soaked. “Damn it.” Lady Jin looked around and finding no one nearby she tossed off her hot clothes. There! Naked for all the gods and animals to enjoy! Lady Jin laughed. Then she dug a hole away from the camp to relieve herself in. The clothes would dry beside the fire, so she set up a stand for them that would help. Lady Jin checked on her horse and gave him the attention he needed. After that Lady Jin got her second pair of riding clothes out and dressed.
The mirror shined. Lady Jin looked at it and knew where to go now. She stretched and exercised. Lady Jin rode off on her horse with the magic mirror in her hand.
Chapter twenty
In mid afternoon Lady Jin rode into a city called Maoji. Lady Jin led her horse to an inn and looked for the innkeeper. A stable boy walked her horse away to be cared for. I need to be cared for too. Lady Jin paid for a bath and afterward she laid her bare stomach on a table. An old woman gave her a wonderful massage. Oh that feels sweet. Mmmm. Her riding clothes had been taken by girl to wash. Once the massage was over Lady Jin put her blue dress on with her best boots. This including a sword and belt hung at her feminine hips.
#
Lady Jin walked out of the inn with the magic mirror in her hands. He’s near! Very close!
“So we meet again!”
Lady Jin looked to her right to see the man she had been chasing since the Wan forest.
“Yes. Here we are.” Lady Jin set the mirror on the ground and walked across the street to where he stood. He removed the leather covering his battleaxe’s head. It fell to the mud on the side of the street. It had rained earlier this morning. The mist was still in the air. Lady Jin pulled out her sword.
“I am Gou.” He bowed.
“I am Lady Jin.” She bowed. “Hopefully that wizard won’t interrupt us again.”
“Yes.” Gou agreed. “We need to finish this once and for all.”
This feels so wrong to me. He seems so honorable. But I have no choice. I must kill him. Hao needs to be stopped. The large powerful man swung his axe at Lady Jin. She slipped back to avoid it. Gou twirled his axe. Gou stepped back from the street to where an old broken temple was. Lady Jin followed him. A good enough place as any. Lady Jin hopped over some rubble to an open area where Gou stood with his axe.
Gou charged in with speed she hadn’t suspect of him. His axe spun so fast it looked like a circle. Lady Jin cartwheeled away from him. Lady Jin lunged at him. Gou dodged her attack like a man half his size. Shit! He’s quick! What do I do?
Lady Jin lunged at his chest then flicked the blade up at the last moment. Gou blocked. He swung his axe backhanded and caught her across the side. Shit! Lady Jin held her side. It feels like a mere shallow slice. Nothing to worry about for now.
Gou’s axe buzzed pass and Lady Jin shoved it downward. She moved in close to strike. He st
ruck her with his elbow. Lady Jin flipped back to avoid the crushing axe.
Gou spun his axe overhead and brought it towards Lady Jin’s hip. She barely got away in time. Why didn’t I see that? He’s so fast! Lady Jin somersaulted forward. She stabbed up at his throat. He slipped back and swung his axe. Lady Jin parried it and chopped at his legs. Gou hoped to avoid her blade and chopped down. Lady Jin rolled away from him.
Lady Jin jumped on a big stone. She looked down at him with her sword pointed at him. There’s got to be something I can do against him. I’ve fought hundreds of men and creatures stronger than me. What is my problem with him? I don’t understand this. Something is wrong.
Gou swung his axe not at Lady Jin, but at the stone she stood on. It shattered and she flipped over his head. He turned around to face her. The axe looks undamaged! How is that possible?
The man attacked and Lady Jin got in a slice to his forearm. A cut! Not deep.
The two warriors fought back and forth. Their blades meeting and parting.
Lady Jin stepped backwards inside the ruins of the temple. Gou followed. I thought it might be tighter in here, but the ceiling that remains is higher than I thought it would be. Damn it! Gou twirled his axe. He rushed at her with upward cuts. Lady Jin retreated from his axe. She sidestepped and tripped over some pebbles.
Gou chopped down on his fallen prey. Lady Jin rolled away. She came up on her knee. He charged in before she could stand. Lady Jin blocked his axe head with her slimmer blade. Lady Jin felt the power of his muscles and axe deep in the bones of her arms. Don’t break! Please don’t break! Lady Jin begged her sword.
Lady Jin held her sword tight with her right hand. She struck out with her left hand. Her index finger hit a pressure point on Gou’s bicep.
“Damn it!” Gou broke the contact of their weapons. He shook his right arm.
Lady Jin stood up. They stood away from each other for a while. Both were breathing hard and sweating. Lady Jin’s ponytail had come undone. She brushed back some soaked hair from her eyes.
“Arrrh!” Gou yelled with his axe overhead.
Lady Jin dodged his next attacks. I hurt him! He was probably still hurting from the pressure point strike. Lady Jin flipped her sword over to hold it in an icepick grip. She blocked his next attack. Lady Jin swung her upside down blade at his legs and groin. Gou was surprised. He stumbled backwards. Lady Jin slashed his thigh open.
Gou stood up slowly on his right leg. Lady Jin charged. He stumbled. Lady Jin stabbed into his ribs. She pulled her blade free. He tried to stand, but was too weak. Lady Jin shoved her sword down into his heart.
Thunder exploded.
It was Mountain Lady who stepped out of the portal.
“So you won the fight, Lady Jin?”
“Yes.” Lady Jin was one her knees, but not because she was kneeling to the other woman. She was tired. “He was a great warrior.”
“Yes. He was.” Mountain Lady nodded. “And he was a man of honor. I didn’t think you would wish to kill him.”
“I had no choice.” Lady Jin swallowed. It hurt.
“We always have a choice.” Mountain Lady told her. “You could have said no. Found a different way to defeat Hao.”
“I…I had no choice.”
“If you wish to believe that I want stop you.” Mountain Lady said. “Follow me back to my mountain. I will free your friend and give you what you have earned.”
“Thank you.”
Chapter twenty-one
“Mistress!” Nu was still entrapped by the roots. “You’ve come back!”
“Of course, Nu.” Lady Jin said. “I never would have left you here.”
“I know. I just thought you might hav-” Nu mumbled, but couldn’t say it.
“No.” Lady Jin interrupted. “I won.”
“Good.” Nu smiled.
“Now you are free, young one.” Mountain Lady waved her hands. The roots disappeared into the floor.
Nu rolled her shoulders and flexed her hands. “Everything hurts!” She stood and shook her legs.
Mountain Lady reached for a brown box underneath the blankets by her cushion. She opened it. It was full of a variety of jewels and relics of things Lady Jin could not imagine. Mountain Lady pulled out a bracelet.
“Here it is.” She said to Lady Jin. “I hope it was worth it.”
“Yes. So do I.” Lady Jin nodded. She tossed the bracelet in her hand. “Do I just put it on?”
“Put it on your sword arm.” Mountain Lady sat on her cushion. She pulled a stick out of the ground and stuck it in her mouth to suck on. “You will fill a sharp pain at first, but that will pass.”
Lady Jin slipped the bracelet on. A shocking pain knocked her to her knees.
“Mistress!” Nu came to her.
Lady Jin held up a hand. “Just…pain. It’sss…going away.”
Lady Jin stood up with a sigh.
“Better?” Mountain Lady asked.
“Barely noticeable.” Lady Jin rolled her right shoulder.
“The pain will disappear in time.” The bird woman waved her hands. Thunder exploded. A portal appeared. “Goodbye and may the gods shine on you.”
Lady Jin nodded gratefully. Lady Jin and Nu walked into the portal. Once they stepped out of the other side of the portal they were outside the mountain. Their horses stood nearby.
#
“So will that bracelet tell you how to find him?” One-eyed Nu asked.
“No.” Lady Jin replied. “We’ll have to find him on our own.”
They had rode their horses down from the mountain. Lady Jin led the way through a valley. Up ahead was a forest with a path that would lead to a nearby village.
“How are we going to do that?” Nu asked. “Should we go search for Blue Dove or someone like that?”
“Maybe.” Lady Jin pulled on the reins of her horse. She glanced back at the mountain. It was gone. No thunder or any other sound. It was just gone.
“It’s gone.” Nu said. “Will it appear at a different spot next time.”
“Yes.” Lady Jin nodded. “If there is a next time. She is a strange creature and her mountain too.”
They rode off towards the village.
They stayed for only a short time at the village before moving on to a city five miles away.
“What’s this city called?” Nu asked. “Are we still in Chu?”
“Mei-yo and yes. We’re still in Chu.” Lady Jin nodded.
A small caravan of merchants and hired guards passed them on the road. Lady Jin had been tensed since she first sighted the caravan. She remembered the caravan that had chased after her. They probably thought she was a bandit or mad. Luckily she recognized none of them. Lady Jin sighed in relief.
“Is there something wrong, mistress?” Nu asked. She must have noticed my fear. Damn it.
“I might have made some enemies here.” Lady Jin confessed. “I thought that might have been them. But it wasn’t.”
“Oh.”
Lady Jin led the way into the city to an inn. A boy takes their horses away to the stables. They get some food and a room.
“I need a bath.” Nu complained.
“We can do that later.” Lady Jin told her. “I want to go searching for Hao right away.”
“Yes, mistress.” Nu mumbled.
Lady Jin smacked Nu’s shoulder with a laugh. “Later.”
Chapter twenty-two
Lady Jin decided to check out a tavern, but they were stopped by three men on the way there. They had entered a thin alley for a shortcut. Two men followed them into the alley. A third man appeared on the other side and he headed towards them. His sword was in his hand. A scimitar.
“Aren’t these Big Dog Liu’s men?” Nu asked and drew her sword.
“I believe your right, Nu?” Lady Jin smiled. “I’ll take them two. You get him.”
“Yes, mistress.” Nu eager walked forward.
Lady Jin smiled at the two swords men coming for her. They probably wondered why she h
ad drew her sword. Instead she drew her knife. She flipped it upside down and held it close to her breast with her other hand out in front. The alley was so sight her shoulders almost touched both walls.
The first man swung his scimitar side ways. It missed her and hit the wall. Lady Jin grabbed his arm. The second man chopped at her head. Lady Jin blocked the sword with her knife. She twisted the first man’s wrist to get him between her and his comrade. The second man tried to reach around his comrade to stab her. He had no room to do it. Lady Jin headed but the first man. She slashed the second man’s sword arm. The second man could have just stepped back to wait for her to come to him or run. But he just kept trying to reach for her with his sword. Lady Jin head butted the first man again and slipped back. He dropped to a knee to clutch his face. The second man tried to leap over his comrade. Lady Jin threw her knife. Right in the forehead! He flipped backwards.
Eventually the first man stood up. He shook his head and held up his sword. Lady Jin stabbed him through the heart. End of fight. Lady Jin looked back at Nu to see the girl wiping her bloody blade. Lady Jin pulled out her knife and slipped it back into the sheath on her right.
“Not much of an ambush, mistress.” Nu commented.
“Their ambush or ours?” Lady Jin chuckled dryly.
Nu snorted.
They left the alley to find Hao waiting for them.
“It would appear that I need better warriors to defeat you.” Hao nodded. “Yes. I should look into that later.”
“There won’t be a later, Hao!” Lady Jin pointed the tip of her sword at his face.
“Really?” Hao smiled. “What a pretty bracelet you have. I wonder what horrible things you had to do to get it.” Hao laughed.
“I hate you!” Lady Jin chopped at his head. Her blade struck a magical energy shield that deflected her blow. She tried again with both hands. Hao stumbled back this time. A little less of a smile on his face. Hao created a ball of fire and threw it at her. Lady Jin dodged. She heard an explosion behind her, but didn’t look.
Evil Wizard Hao: A Lady Jin and One-eyed Nu novel Page 11