“They must have, but with some Joss they might not know we are here,” Hsü said as he joined Talon. His teeth were chattering with the cold. “I hope they think we died in the fall and were swept downstream.”
“At first I thought it might be yet another attempt to assassinate me by my friends in Guangzhou,” he continued. “Now I know that isn’t so. They are after you, I suspect.”
“These people seem just as determined as everyone else to see us off,” Talon muttered, and lifted his head to peer over the edge of the bank again. “That’s the last time I follow you over a cliff,” he added.
“I lead by example.” Hsü took a deep breath and added, “I was sure we would be dashed to pieces on the rocks.” He looked drawn and exhausted.
“At least we still have our swords,” Talon huffed.
“‘Never give a sword to a man who cannot dance,’” Hsü quoted. “We two certainly did a fine dance on the way down through the air!”
In spite of his soaking wet condition, the cold, and his aches, Talon had to laugh. His friend was not giving up just yet.
“There only appear to be two men over there. I don’t see any other signs of life,” Talon whispered. “Perhaps there is a chance we can get to our horses and get out of here.”
“The Mongols most certainly killed our escort, and then set up this ambush. If they had waited for just a few more minutes we would have been well within range of their archers, but someone was too eager,” Hsü commented. Talon agreed with him.
Just then, some men ran into view and Talon sighed; he knew that the opportunity to reach their horses had just passed. “The others have arrived,” he said.
Somehow they had to survive until nightfall, which might present them with another chance. He recognized the man called Muunokhoi who ran up to the sentries and began to gesticulate urgently, pointing to the river. The rest of the Mongols clustered about their chief, apparently having a small conference. Abruptly they split up and began to hurry towards the river, some headed down stream, while one came straight towards where they were hiding. Talon couldn’t see where Muunokhoi had gone, but hoped that he would not come their way. He dropped back to Hsü, who was lying on his back, still recovering. Talon noted with approval that he still had his sword with him.
“It’s Muunokhoi! Perhaps you were right, he’s after revenge. Hurry, we have to get out of sight. They know we went into the river, and it looks like they are going to search for us along the bank to make sure we didn’t live; those reeds over there!” Talon whispered urgently, pointing.
Hsü roused from his torpor, struggled to his knees, and followed. If they could hide in the water among the dense clumps of reeds, they might yet go unnoticed. Talon made sure that evidence of their arrival on the beach was cleared and eased himself back into the water under the overhanging branches of the willows and among the reeds. His feet could only just touch bottom. They pulled some detritus of old dead branches and reeds over their heads and settled deeper into the water. The water was icy cold and they were both shivering, but their lives depended upon staying quiet for hours, until they could look for an escape.
They had only just managed to settle in when Talon became aware of motion on the bank. Someone was walking above them. They both crouched even lower with only their noses above the waterline. The river swirled past their clump of reeds, leaving them in a form of backwater. When the man passed by without pausing, Talon thanked God that he had not made a determined effort to search for them. Perhaps he didn’t believe they could have survived? Talon himself was still amazed that they had managed to fall into a pool rather than a shallow part of the river; broken legs and worse would have been their reward for that.
They remained shivering in the water for many hours. It was a test to the full of their endurance. Talon worried about Hsü, but a glance in his direction met with a responding tense grin that reassured him. He doubted if he could grin back, his teeth were chattering so hard, and his legs felt numb, but they dared not emerge until dusk at the earliest. Talon guessed that the search might have moved further downstream; he hoped it had. Before long the frustrated Mongols would have another factor to consider. Word of their foray into China would soon get out, and the Chinese General Yang Hsün would hear of it quickly enough. He might be riding along this same route before very long looking or the Mongols, and he had several hundred men at his disposal.
Muunokhoi had only a limited time to complete his vengeful mission and then leave without being noticed. Should the Chinese find him here, this far into Sung China, it constituted a clear declaration of war. Talon wondered if that was what they wanted, but discounted it at this time. Muunokhoi just wanted revenge, and it would not have surprised Talon if Badzar had put him up to it. He would never know for certain.
The sun crept overhead and then moved across the western quadrant of the sky. Talon could only judge the position of the sun by some shadows that moved with agonizingly slow progress. No sounds came from the bank to alarm them. At one time, however, there was movement, and they both shrunk deeper into their cold, watery hideout, wondering if they had been discovered. It proved to be a young deer that had come under cover to drink. Its huge ears were flicking back and forth and it sniffed the air continuously, but otherwise it seemed unaware of the two men. Talon watched it carefully to see if it sensed the presence of others, but other than once looking over its shoulder at something, it seemed calm enough. Eventually it leapt up the bank and disappeared, and they were left alone to shiver in the cold water.
Dusk drew in, and finally it was dark enough for Talon to feel safe enough to emerge. He reached over and gripped Hsü’s arm. Hsü took a moment to respond, but then he nodded and they both moved slowly out of the reeds towards the bank. They were very careful not to make any unnecessary sounds as they crawled onto the beach on hands and knees, to lie shaking with cold. Talon struggled to take his boots off and empty them of water. It was a huge effort.
Both men knew the urgency of recovering and preparing for whatever might come next, but it took an enormous effort to stir themselves. Talon pulled his sodden boots back on, and leaving Hsü to finish emptying his own boots, he crawled on hands and knees to the bank. He peered over its grassy edge towards the inn and could just see in the gloom that many horses were still there. The dark figures of their guards moved slowly back and forth in front of the buildings. He noted the glimmer of lamplight came from the windows, and thought he heard loud voices, but otherwise there was nothing to alarm him. He tapped Hsü on the shoulder and motioned him over. Hsü joined him and they both examined the distant buildings with care.
“How many would you say are there?” Hsü asked him.
“It is hard to tell in this light, and there are also our horses and our guard’s horses, but I would say this was a small party of about sixteen or eighteen men. Three of them are outside. I can deal with those,” Talon responded.
Hsü sighed. “Far too many for us to deal with, on our own.”
He had to say it slowly, as his teeth were chattering hard; it reminded Talon of how cold he was in his soaking clothes. He had lost his cloak in the river, as had Hsü, so the light wind that had sprung up with the night was chilling them to the bone. His jaw ached from clenching his teeth.
“If I could only get to my bow I could even the odds, even in this light,” he murmured.
“They would charge you, and then we would have to get back into the river. I’ve had enough of that river for a lifetime,” Hsü whispered back. Talon smiled. Then Hsü slapped him gently on the shoulder. “I know what to do!” he exclaimed in a whisper.
Talon turned to face his friend. “Tell me,” he demanded. “Do you have some of that flame powder on you?”
Hsü snorted. “One thing you have to understand about flame powder, Talon, is that it dislikes water as much as I do right now. Bear that in mind for the future, if we have one. No, I am going to get help.”
“From up at the temple?” Talon anticip
ated him. “Are you strong enough to get up there in the night?”
Hsü nodded. “I have no choice. The Abbot and his men will help us for sure.”
“But they are monks, Hsü! Warfare is not their trade. The Mongols will cut them to pieces!” Talon objected in a strong whisper.
“You have a lot to learn about monks in this country, Talon. If I can get to them, they will help us.” Hsü sounded very sure of himself.
Talon was skeptical. “Then you should go up there and bring them down. I am sure they don’t want a bunch of smelly Mongols hanging around pillaging this area. They might be next. I shall stay here and keep an eye on our friends over there.”
“What do you intend to do, Talon?”
“I shall provide a fitting reception for the holy men when you bring them down the mountain.”
“What does that mean?” Hsü asked him.
“You will see plainly enough when you get back. However, if I am not seated on the back of a horse, then know that I have lost and that they are waiting for you.”
Hsü nodded in the dark and said, “Be safe. I think you are almost as mad as Fang. Wish me safe journey.”
“Be vigilant, my friend. God protect you. There might be one or two of them on the trail. Muunokhoi knows what he is about.” They gripped hands, and then Hsü eased himself along the bank and disappeared into the night in the direction of the trail. Fortunately he did not have to cross the river again. Talon could hear tiny sounds for some time after he had departed, but didn’t think the Mongol sentries would notice. He continued to observe the dark patch of the buildings. The horses were tied in a line, and the three guards appeared to be watchful, so he bided his time. Hsü would take the better part of three hours to make it to the top, he estimated, and then another two to come down, so it would be almost dawn by the time he made it back to the inn. Talon intended to do something about the numbers while he was gone.
A thin crescent moon had risen low in the East, shedding some light on the ground, for which Talon was thankful. He was feeling somewhat better an hour later, having rested and moved his arms around to get the circulation going.
Now he moved slowly towards the inn, keeping to every patch of cover available. He arrived within thirty paces of the buildings and stopped in a dense patch of shrubbery to take stock; the noise from within had if anything increased. The Mongols were taking advantage of the Innkeeper’s stock. At one time a door was thrown open and a man, clearly a Mongol by his dress, staggered out and relieved himself against a wall not ten paces from where Talon was hidden.
The man was obviously drunk and the temptation to take him out was strong, but Talon knew it would be stupid to do so, as this would set off all manner of alarms long before he wanted the Mongols to know he was there. The man disappeared back inside, slamming the door behind him, but not before Talon got a glimpse of the crowd of Mongols inside. He wished that he had one of those pots of Greek Fire to throw into the room.
When the Mongol had walked out of the building he had stepped over a dark shape. It had to be the body of one of Hsü’s guards, Talon thought. They had all been cut down and left where they fell. There was nothing he could do for them now, so he waited and watched. He noticed a dilapidated looking shed at the back of the inn yard. It was more of a lean-to with one back wall, but there appeared to be some good cover where he could wait. Within a few seconds he was in the darkness of the shed without disturbing the horses on the line. He knew that they were aware of him, as a couple of heads had gone up, but that hadn’t set off any alarms with the sentries. One of the Mongol guards walked around the building on a cursory check, but then rejoined his companions. It was easy for Talon to avoid him, but he noted the scout pattern for future reference.
A thin shaft of moonlight illuminated a patch on the ground outside and part of the floor of the shed, which he stayed away from. His eyes roamed around the shed; it was full of hay and straw at the back for winter fodder, while at the front were a plough and other metal objects, several of which hung from a beam. He looked them over carefully, and one item that looked like a metal trap of some size gave him an idea. He burrowed into the hay at the back and lay down to rest. He allowed himself to relax to gather his strength. His shivering abated as he warmed up, and then he dozed off.
Four hours later Talon woke up and listened to the night. Apart from the chomping sound of horses still eating along the lines, all was quiet. The noise from inside the inn had stopped. He reasoned that the Mongols had finally drunk themselves to sleep. He eased out of the hole in the hay and slipped along the shadows to see where the sentries were positioned.
One was ambling around the building on one of the sporadic checks; he stretched and yawned as he went. Another was standing at the far end of the horse lines, while the third was squatting with his back against the inn wall at the corner nearest to where Talon was hiding. He glanced up. Clouds were now scudding across the sky plunging the surrounding area into deep blackness. Talon liked that and began to move.
The first sentry didn’t hear Talon come up behind him, nor could he react to the dagger that went into his heart from behind. He gave a small gasp, but a hand was placed over his mouth, and he went down with a convulsive twitch and no other sound. Talon dragged him out of sight into the bushes.
The second sentry was still squatting comfortably against the wall when a knife came around from behind and cut his throat from ear to ear. He toppled over on his right side and was dragged, still twitching, around the corner by his killer.
That left the man at the far end of the horse lines. The horses were now aware that something unusual had happened. Their noses told them so with the smell of fresh blood in the air, and several became restless. Talon knew he had only a couple of minute’s grace. He pulled off the dead man’s cap and hauled on the smelly jacket, took up the fallen spear, then stood up and began to walk towards the far end of the horse lines. He had the good luck to pass his own horse, which whickered to him in recognition, but he patted it on the cheek and whispered it to silence. Then he reached for his bow and two arrows. Cautiously he began to walk towards the sentry, who now became aware that someone was coming.
The man called out something in a low voice. Talon did not understand but assumed it might be a greeting. Noise carried in this quiet night, so he grunted a reply and kept moving with his head down, his bow ready. The other sentry must have sensed that something was not quite right because he spoke more sharply. They were now only ten paces apart. In one swift motion Talon brought up his bow, pulled hard and released an arrow. Almost as soon as the first arrow thumped into the upper chest of his victim he had another arrow set, and this too he released straight into the throat of the Mongol, who had begun to fall to his knees, his mouth open in the beginnings of a scream. Talon raced up and clamped his hand over the convulsing sentry, who tried desperately to pull his hand away. The Mongol’s attempts became more feeble by the moment, and then the body went slack. Talon finished the man with a knife to make sure. He then remained absolutely still, listening to the night. All was quiet except for the distant cry of some animal in the deep valley behind him.
It was time to take the horses out of sight. Talon worked for the rest of the night, and by the first light of morning all was ready. He glanced back at the woods, which covered the temple mountain, wondering if Hsü had been lucky with his venture. He hoped so, otherwise he was going to have to face a large number of Mongols on his own who would be as angry as a nest of hornets. He was mounted and about sixty paces from the main entrance of the building, waiting.
As he had expected, when dawn arrived a man threw open the wooden doors of the inn with a crash and stamped outside. The Mongol made for the grass down two steps from the raised porch floor, fumbling with his pants as he went. He was so preoccupied with wanting to relieve himself that he didn’t notice anything else. Suddenly he stumbled, and there was a sharp metallic snap. The Mongol fell over screaming with a large metal trap gripping his s
hin. The trap was intended for wolves or bears and it was a substantial contraption, easily strong enough for a man. The Mongol rolled over screaming in agony, clutching at the iron jaws which had shredded his shin, breaking the bone in the process.
It was only moments before the noise brought the rest of the Mongols boiling out of the door onto the porch to gape at the sight before them. The first thing they noticed was their man rolling about in agony, clutching his leg and screaming with pain. The next thing they noticed were the three sentries standing a few dozen paces away, facing them. There was something wrong about that picture, however. The three limp forms were held upright by spears planted at their backs, but clearly they were quite dead. Any Mongols who looked around might have noticed that their horses were gone.
The dazed men didn’t have time to do more than stare stupidly at their comrades when yet another unwelcome event occurred. An arrow flew towards them from behind their dead companions and thumped into one of their number, who tumbled off the porch to fall next to his screaming companion. More arrows flew, and more men fell wounded or dead, before the rest stampeded back into the doubtful safety of the inn.
Within a minute, however, three Mongols reemerged with bows held ready. They spread out and loosed arrows at Talon, who danced his animal out of the way of the running archers. He allowed his horse to canter away from the nearest one and twisted right around to send an arrow plunging into the Mongol’s midriff. The man tumbled over with a cry to roll about in agony clutching his stomach. His comrades, undeterred, continued to race towards Talon, who cantered away from them and, despite the arrows now coming very close to him, sent another of his enemies falling with a well aimed shot.
The Dragon's Breath Page 46