The Stone Road

by G R Matthews

  “I’ll come back, when there is time. Do all that I say. It will be alright, I promise you,” but he could not look in her eyes.

  “Daddy,” his son smiled at him.

  “Look after your mother,” he replied.

  The cart trundled down the street to the next intersection then turned out of sight. He let out a quavering breath, pulled the armour over his head and cinched the belt tight. The bow he placed in the quiver, now strapped to his back, and carrying the staff he ploughed through the crowds to the city walls.

  Chapter 16

  Haung led the army around the final curve in the road and crested the rise to see the city of Wubei before him. A high stone wall surrounded the front and sides. Behind those, the mountains the city was built against pierced the clouds.

  “Corporal, send back the word, we have reached Wubei. Bring up the cattle and the special troops.” He sat on his horse as the corporal rode back through the lines of men who had come to halt behind him.

  Haung watched the city walls. The gate, a tiny brown smudge against the shades of grey, looked closed but it was impossible to be sure. He took a drink of water from the skin hooked over his saddle bow and waited. The sun, even as summer approached, was not as warm as it had been on the plains and he felt a chill creep its way across his skin.

  “So that’s Wubei, is it?” Biao said from beside him.

  “Apparently so,” Haung answered. “It has been a long time coming.”

  “But it will soon be over.” Biao gave a short bark of laughter.

  Around Haung and the Fang-shi, troops began to move aside as the cattle were brought to the fore. Their carers were with them, as were troops in the colour of Yaart and others in the uniform of Wubei.

  “What if Zhou told them?” Haung asked Biao.

  “He may have done, we don’t know,” Biao turned to look at Haung. “But does it really matter now? If he has, they will be ready. If he hasn’t, they won’t be. It is that simple.”

  “I suppose if he has, and they believed him, they would have an army to hold the walls. Or, attacked us on the road where we would have been a much easier target,” Haung put some confidence into his voice.

  “That too,” Biao chuckled, “stop being so glum. Thirty years of war will be at an end within thirty days. Be happy at that.”

  “Captain Haung,” said the soldier wearing Chung’s face, the body being clothed in the finest silks to be found in the tent of the Chief Bureaucrat. “We are ready.”

  “The voice isn’t right,” Haung said to Chung’s face.

  “My apologies, Captain, I was using my own, not his,” said the face.

  “Don’t slip now, apprentice,” Biao snapped, “not this close. Always in character, always. Think of Chung, keep his image and voice in your mind, the spell will stay strong that way. They may have Fang-shi of their own, or even just a talented Wu, who could see through it. One more day and it will be enough. Do not fail me. The punishment, I assure you, will be most harsh.”

  “Yes, Master.” Chung bowed to Biao.

  “Don’t bow so low,” Haung’s voice whipped out and slapped the apprentice wearing Chung’s face. “You are a senior officer of Wubei. One of Hsin’s most powerful supporters. You are not a servant.”

  “Go command your troops, Chung,” Biao stressed the last word. “Haung, good luck.”

  Haung nodded in return and rode his horse to the head of Yaart troops. Fake Chung took his position at the head of the cohort of Wubei uniformed soldiers. The cattle had their heads down, chewing on the sparse grass that poked up by the edges of the road.

  “Let’s move out,” Haung commanded and they set out towards the city in the distance. He looked back over the heads of the troops to see Biao turn his horse away and ride down the slope.

  At the cattle’s slow pace it took almost an hour for the city to grow, bit by bit, in his sights. The smudge of grey took on form and shape. The greys became distinct blocks. The doors were closed. Their massive timbers and metal work gathered definition and, atop the walls, he could begin to discern movement and his heart stuttered for a moment as he caught glimpses of sunlight reflecting off of metal. Each glint and sparkle, a sharp edge or armour plate. His hands tightened around the reins and, despite the relative chill, he began to feel beads of sweat drip down his forehead, chest and back. Fear was starting to worm its way into his heart, he recognised the symptoms and relied on his training to overcome it. The same wall of emotions he used when in the duke’s company now rose against his own fear and kept it at bay. In his mind, it looked just like the walls he was approaching now. Step by step.

  Chung brought the convoy to a halt before the closed gates of the city. Far enough away so that they could be seen from the top of the walls. Above the gate a wooden, covered, balcony hung out beyond the wall and Haung could see many people dressed in fine clothes. Amongst them, he spied Hsin.

  “Honoured Uncle,” the fake Chung called out, “I am here with the Jade Cattle. The offering of Yaart, under the terms of the most magnificent treaty that you, and you alone, were wise enough to negotiate. With these cattle and the seal of the emperor, we may have peace for the first time in thirty years.”

  “Honoured Chung.” Hsin was speaking into the ear of another who shouted the words out. “Nephew, I am glad to see you have made my treaty a reality. We marvelled at the tales of your leadership in successfully completing the road despite the incompetence of others. Truly, this is an auspicious day for the whole province of Wubei. Peace is a gift we had never thought to receive again. Yet here we are, by the efforts of our family, in a position to give it to two provinces.”

  Haung listened to the words as they carried across the cleared space before the city. Though it wasn’t the whispered, sibilant, snake-charmed voice of Hsin himself they were definitely his words. Haung gave a small snort of disgust at his arrogance. Even felt a small measure of sympathy for Zhou who had to deal with the man and his ego.

  “Open the gates, Uncle,” Fake Chung called out when the old man had finished, “Let the treaty be completed, for here are the cattle.”

  The apprentice waved his hand and the two massive cattle were led forward. Their hooves clicked sparks from the road surface, each step sent a sharp echo resounding from the walls. The muscles of their haunches rippling and writhing under the mottled skin.

  “Nephew,” Hsin’s words again, “it is sad that one of these magnificent beasts died on the journey but it was an accepted risk and planned for. We received your message with sadness but equanimity. Peace is worth a sacrifice. You have done a great deed and your name will be honoured throughout the history of Wubei, alongside my own. Indeed, we will open the...”

  Haung bored of the self-aggrandisement had let his gaze drift along the city walls and was pondering on the likelihood of a siege succeeding here. They had the necessary tools and resources to construct siege engines, if needed. The Duke had brought them with the rest of the army. But, it was not something that anyone wanted. If Wubei opened the gates and let the cattle in then after tonight’s meals and drinking, Haung and his special troops, the Jiin-Wei, would open the gates to the duke’s army. However, the sudden cessation of the speech caught him by surprise and he snapped his gaze up to the balcony. Raising a hand to shade his eyes, he looked carefully. There seemed to be some commotion up there, arms were being waved and there were hints of raised voices on the air.

  Haung spat on his finger and drew a word on the horse’s neck. He whispered phrases and the drawn word glowed. Smoke rose and, with it, the smell of burnt hair. The horse danced a step or two before Haung calmed it down. Closing his eyes he concentrated on the spell he had enacted.

  “... away.” Hsin’s sibilance.

  “... Chung... not him.” The voice sparked a memory in Haung’s mind, but the spell wasn’t perfect, it could only amplify the words on the wind. If the air did not hang onto to them the spell would do nothing.

  “Always... let it be... family...my...
honoured.” Hsin’s voice, full of anger.

  “No... trap... not right... listen... fooled, by your... arrogance.” Haung placed the dissenting voice, Zhou’s.

  “Bugger,” Haung muttered and started to turn his horse’s head towards the Fake Chung.

  “Guards... away.” Hsin again.

  “... show you.” Zhou’s.

  Haung rode towards Chung, not in hurry which would worry the troops and the city, but not too slowly either. All the while, his eyes were locked on the balcony. There was definitely something going on up there, the spell was picking up odd noises, thumps and grunts, then silence.

  “Zhou, no.” Hsin’s voice, edged with fear.

  Then, from the balcony, a lone arrow arced out, high into the sky. A small black shadow against the blue, a lone hawk seeking its prey, it rose to the apogee and then fell, gathering pace, plummeting towards its target, its sharp beak cutting the air before slicing into flesh.

  Haung watched it fall, his eyes tracing its path, down and down towards the soldiers in Wubei uniform. But the shriek that came from its target did not come from a human mouth. Haung’s horse skittered and danced, the spell pulled every ounce of agony from the scream and magnified it a hundred fold in Haung’s ears. He fell forward on to the horse’s neck, grabbing its mane in both hands. He shouted a single word to cancel the spell.

  The scream continued. It was the only noise in the utter silence before the city. Haung pulled himself upright and raced towards the cattle but even as he approached he saw the red and purple light start to streak into the sky like the black powder fireworks of a new year’s celebration. Wherever the light touched, the magic fled. The faces of the Wubei uniformed soldiers started to melt and twist. The apprentices’ illusion of Chung shattered into a thousand sparkling snowflakes even as the fake diplomat tumbled from his the horse.

  Haung tried to make himself heard above the scream but it was impossible. The noise and the light scrambled his thoughts. He stood in his stirrups, waving the troops to turn around and retreat from the city walls. As he did so, a few more arrows arced down from the sky to fall amongst the men which heightened their panic even more. It was enough to get the men moving but despite the best efforts of the officers and corporals amongst them the retreat was not orderly.

  The last remaining cow started to turn, fleeing the death of its twin. Other arrows from the walls sought it out but all missed. The cattle cared not where it went, or through whom, but once it got moving it was unstoppable and men died under its feet.

  Meanwhile the first one was going through its death contortions. Haung found it hard to tear his gaze away. Its form expanded, then shrank and melted before exploding. A sharp crack echoed from the surrounding cliffs. In the crater it left behind, four black obsidian bodies. Statues of men, twisted and malformed, the art work of an evil mind.

  Haung turned his horse and cantered down the road after his men. This meant a siege.

  Chapter 17

  Zhou let the bow fall from his hands as silence descended on the balcony. Every eye traced the arrow that would decide their future. The dying cattle's scream pierced every ear and Zhou could feel tears springing to his eyes. From the stricken animal, beams of purple sprang up towards to the clouds and a great sheet of light flowed over the Wubei and Yaart troops outside the city walls.

  Zhou forced himself to move. He grabbed Hsin by the shoulders and dragged him to the edge of the balcony, forcing him to look at the scene unfolding before him.

  “Look at it. Look,” Zhou shouted in Hsin’s ears. “I’ve seen one die before. When I was escaping from the Yaart after they slaughtered our troops. The slaughter you told me never happened. It’s painful to watch but you need to see this. Then you'll believe me.”

  Hsin grabbed the edge with clawed hands but needed no forcing to stay there, he didn’t seem to be able to look away.

  Before the city walls the light was intensifying and now the troops in Wubei uniform were starting to flicker and change, the illusions that created the faces of the dead were beginning to unravel. The horses they rode grew skittish and not far from breaking. Zhou watched the fake Chung’s face vanish to be replaced by another's.

  “Look, Hsin,” Zhou snarled, “this is your fault.”

  “No.” Hsin’s voice was a desperate whisper.

  “I told you, I told you.” Zhou shouted at him, “Look at what you’ve brought us to. No cattle, no gold and a great big bloody road, fit for an invading army, leading the way straight to our gates.”

  Hsin turned away from the confusion below and looked at Zhou with a gaze lacking any comprehension. He looked, every inch, an old man lost in the confusion of years and shock.

  More arrows started to fly from the walls towards the men outside. Not many, but enough hit their targets to cause fear amongst the troops. Their horses started pulling at the reins, taking control of their own fate. Zhou watched as the small army broke into a rout as more and more arrows fell amongst them. Above the death scream of the magical beast there were cries of outrage from the city walls.

  Then the screams rose into an exquisitely painful crescendo. Hsin clasped his hands to his head and fell to the floor whilst Zhou staggered backwards. All along the wall men fell to their knees, covering their ears. And then, there was quiet. For a second, silence blanketed the city and the mountains before a sharp clap and crump of an explosion shattered it. The blast wave battered the city walls and the mountains echoed the noise. Zhou was the first to pick himself up from the floor where he had thrown himself and he looked over the dust scoured wooden wall. Just like the cattle he had seen destroy itself in the Yaart camp, this one had left behind statues of men in twisted, agonised poses.

  “Hsin, we have to act whilst they are distracted.” Zhou grabbed the old man by the shoulders and looked directly into his eyes, there was no recognition. “Hsin, you have to act.”

  Zhou shook him and shouted his name another three times but there was no response. In disgust, he dropped the old man who collapsed to the floor.

  “Ignore him,” he shouted to the Commanders, Captains and Nobles that stood on the balcony. “You have to do something.”

  “Son,” said the oldest man still standing in a calm, steady voice, “there is nothing we can do.”

  “We can attack them now, while they are confused and vulnerable,” Zhou insisted and gesticulated towards the retreating Yaart.

  “With what?” The soft spoken man shook his head sadly, “The army isn’t here. We disbanded them and sent them home. Some of them hadn’t seen their families in years, with peace around the corner it seemed the right thing to do. All we have is the city guard, whatever soldiers call Wubei City their home and the small honour guard that Hsin had organised to welcome the cattle.”

  Zhou gave the man a shocked look, “Disbanded the whole army?”

  The man stroked his grey wispy beard, “All of them. Every report we received, even your own up till they stopped, was full of good news about the road. Yaart has suffered a terrible disaster, they are flooded with refugees. The traders who ply the roads between the plains and the mining towns plus our own sources confirmed it. The emperor sealed the treaty with the 'promise of heaven', there was no reason to think it wasn’t true. The army is gone, back to their homes.”

  “But,” Zhou began. He paused, struggled to make sense of the news and then something clicked in his brain. He bowed deeply and addressed the soft voiced man, “my Lord Duke, there must be something we can do?”

  “We wait and see what develops. With even the small force they have we are trapped in here.” The Duke moved past Zhou, directing a sad smile at Hsin as he stepped over him, to stand and look across the field before the city. “I would be most surprised if that were their whole force. No, Zhou, we cannot charge out to a glorious victory, we have no choice but to wait and see. In the meantime, I have some instructions to give, a militia to raise, and an emperor to contact.”

  Zhou bowed again and struggled to ke
ep his voice level, “Yes, my lord.”

  “Hindsight is weapon that is always aimed backwards to destroy your own cause, Zhou. Yes, we should have listened but we didn’t. Your voice was one against many and they had evidence, not just wild stories. This is the position we are in and we must deal with it. Now, I know you don’t like him much but see if you can get Hsin back on his feet and back to some state of understanding. We will need him, he still has a great deal of power in the council and his voice will be needed in the next few days.”

  The Duke gave a tiny nod towards Zhou then, gathering up his advisors, he left the balcony and stepped down the stairs calmly. The quiet crowd below parted as the duke’s party approached them. Once the duke was out of range, the crowd started shouting at the soldiers and officers on the walls, demanding to know what was going on. News would spread like the plague, everyone it touched would be changed. Fear would infect every heart, no one would be immune.

  # # #

  “It is my watch, I must go,” Zhou said, a lump of fear and sadness in his throat. His hand cupped his wife's soft cheek. “Stay indoors and bolt the doors. I will be back later.”

  This was the third day since the cattle had shown up and the siege had begun. The second time he had said goodbye to the people he loved most. He picked up his boy and, being careful of the metal plates on his armour, squeezed him tightly.

  “Daddy, brave,” said his son.

  “Yes, Daddy brave.” He looked over the boy’s head at his wife, “Look after Mummy for me while I am out. I’ll see you later. I love you, both of you.”

  He put his son down carefully and, before the tears came, he left the house, closing the door behind him and waiting for the noises that told him she had locked the doors. Sunrise was still an hour to two away as he walked down the dark streets. Wooden buildings that towered above him, imitating the cliffs, looked down upon the city. In the past, this had made him feel protected and safe but now he just felt trapped. He let the cool air dry his eyes and by the time he reached the city walls and climbed to his position there was no evidence of his worries.