"Feel better, Chinaman?" he asked mildly.
The night before, my resistance had been low, and his presence had seemed tolerable, if not rational. Now I was more clear headed . . . yet he was still here. I didn't like him as much.
I let my eyes drop closed again. Once I was cured of malaria, I'd be free of him. I had eaten twice today; now, if I slept well, I'd be in sound shape pretty soon.
"You know the kei-lin, Chinaman Jack?"
That was the Chinese unicorn, a mystical animal whose rare appearances were highly auspicious. In the Cantonese I normally heard, it was pronounced "kei-lun." It wasn't like European ones, though. This unicorn had the body of a deer, the hooves of a horse, the tail of an ox, and a fleshy horn. I knew that much.
"The unicorn?" I opened my eyes and looked at him. As before the moonlight glowed through his shape.
"Ah, you know the kei-lin." He smiled and nodded thoughtfully. "The kei-lin means good things happen. It's very powerful."
I watched him silently.
After a while, he looked into my eyes again. "Nobody remember me, Jack. Some people remember some of my frien'. A few of them. Most, nobody remember at all. No children, no relative. You, Jack. You like me. Unless you change."
Yes, I knew that. I had already come to understand that. And I knew that he had come for me, here in the middle of the country, away from his home as longtime Californ'. But I didn't know why.
"Who you, Jack?"
I shrugged. "Just Jack Hong."
"No. You Jack Ng."
"No, no. Hong. H-o-n-g."
He shook his head firmly.
"You Jack Ng. I know. Long time ago, when I was still alive, I have friend come over. His name Ng Wen-lim, come over from Toisan like me. You know Toisan?"
I nodded. "My family was Toisanese."
"So, Ng Wen-lim can't come in here. Not allowed by 'Merican law. So, he changed his name to Hong, come in as son of fella already here. Pay money to be his son. You understand?"
I was chilled to the bone, literally, as my joints and spine ached with confusion and malaria.
"I never found wife. No China girl allowed here in those days, or not enough. By law. Chinaman can't marry other kind girl then, either, most states. You descend my old friend, but you don't know who you are."
"Ng? Jack Ng?"
"You descend from Ng, but you, yah, you Jack Hong."
"Yeah . . . yeah, okay." I nodded slowly, sideways on the pillow. "I see that. No matter what the name was before, I've always been Jack Hong. I still am."
"Don't want to be like me. You like me, you no life forever. Don't be like me."
I watched him, letting that sink in.
"C'mere, Jack."
That surprised me, but I slowly drew back the covers and stood up on the cold floor, barefoot. I was glad I had used the bathroom the last time I'd been awake. With my arms out for balance, and still light-headed, I made my way to the wall. The sill on which the shade of Lo Man Gong sat was at the height of my nose.
"Look outside," he whispered.
I rose up on tiptoe, leaning against the sill. At first, I couldn't see anything but the lawn, some trees, and of course the chainlink fence, topped with six rows of barbed wire. All were pale and inviting in the strong light of the moon.
"Through the fence," he whispered.
I searched for a moment, and then saw it. The oxtail flicked gently back and forth as it moved primly on its horse's hooves over a concrete curb. The kei-lin would not step on any living thing, not even plants. As I watched it swung its head upward for a moment into a clear profile. The single horn shone slightly in the moonlight.
"Your clothes locker is unlock," whispered the shade at my side. "When the man in blue put your stuff away, he thought he saw a little something scary, and got careless. He hurry away too fast."
I turned slowly to look up at him. The brim of his hat hid most of his face.
"The window not lock. No wire here. The woman in white opened it to wash here, and she saw something, too. Forgot to lock again." He chuckled softly, in a dry voice. "She got spook."
I was a good little boy, a law-abiding citizen. Nor did I believe in ghosts. I was just sick and probably delirious. Or maybe this was one of the side-effects Marian was testing for.
Actually, I didn't feel very sick anymore, or delirious at all. My dreams had been vague and confused and mysterious, but Lo Man Gong and the kei-lin were as clear as the cool windowsill and the cold floor.
"Do you know why they did it?" I asked quietly.
"Your restaurant frien's. No, I don't know why. Or maybe I do. Maybe Chinaman customer take for granted, 'Merican boy customer more important. But the kei-lin has come for you. Come very rare, maybe hundred, thousand year apart. Very auspicious. Maybe kei-lin know why they put you in jail, not the others. But maybe, it don't care."
"I don't suppose it does." I watched it, moving about slightly by the fence. It was waiting for me now, but I doubted it would wait long. I had twelve days left to do. I could go to the kei-lin now, or wait to get well and serve out my time. If I waited, I would just have to figure I was delirious. The kei-lin and Lo Man Gong were just figments out of disease, to be long forgotten in the sunlight of a normal day.
Instead, I reached for my sword.
Quickly, I walked to the lockers and extracted my clothes. I needed a shower and something more to eat, but those were impossible. Once I was dressed, I put my hands on the windowsill and started to pull and squirm up the wall. In my weakened condition, it was harder than it should have been. I stopped when I happened to glimpse the rows of barbed wire strung over the fence.
"Blanket," said Lo Man Gong, in his dry, raspy voice.
I dropped to the floor and stripped the blanket off my bed. A minute later, I was scaling the wall again, with the folded blanket draped across my shoulders like an obese towel.
From the windowsill, I was able to open the window with some effort. Then, with a sudden thrill of excitement, I climbed through the opening and dropped to the dewy grass below. I was an escaped convict now, with three months automatically added to my time if I was caught.
I trotted quickly across the lawn. This was a minimum security facility, I repeated to myself, and I had heard on my first day that a number of inmates escaped every so often. Most were vagrants who were easily picked up again later, especially visible in their green institutional suits.
I hadn't climbed a chainlink fence since I was little. My feet were a lot bigger now, of course, but the climb was no different. The black boots I wore had a slightly narrow, rounded toe that fit right into the openings. When I reached the top, I carefully arranged the blanket over the barbed wire. Then, gingerly, I put my hands on the blanket and began to shift my weight.
I was just swinging one leg over the blanketed wires when it slipped. The pale night spun in my eyes as my legs flung around, the blanket flipped over the moon, and I landed hard on the damp grass. I lay motionless, stunned.
After a moment, the bright round moon came back into focus. I heard the wind rustling the leaves of the tree overhead. Slowly, I rolled to one side and got to my feet. I was hurting, mostly where I'd been banged up in the restaurant.
The kei-lin had turned to look at me with one glistening eye. Then it swung around and began to walk away, up the driveway. I started after it.
As I went, I took one look back at the window. The shade of Lo Man Gong was still sitting motionless on the sill, his hat brim pulled low. As I watched, he suddenly just wasn't there anymore.
Ahead of me, the kei-lin went into a canter and moved smoothly through the darkness, down the deserted street. I ran after it clumsily in my boots.
"I'm coming," I said softly after it. "I'm coming—Jack Ng, Jack Hong. I."
The Princess, the Cat, and the Unicorn
by
Patricia C. Wrede
Patricia C. Wrede is one of today's most popular young fantasists. Her novels include Shadow Magic, The Seven Towers, The Daughter of
Witches, The Harp of I Mach Thy sell, Sorcery and Cecelia (with Caroline Stevermer), Snow White and Roses Red, and the popular Talking to Dragons. Her most recent novel is Searching for Dragons. She is also a co-creator of the Liavek fantasy anthology series, which is edited by Will Shetterly and Emma Bull. She lives in Edina, Minnesota.
Here she spins a charming variation on the traditional fairy tale . . . with a few updated surprises.
Princess Elyssa and her sisters lived in the tiny, comfortable kingdom of Oslett, where nothing ever seemed to go quite the way it was supposed to. The castle garden grew splendid dandelions, but refused to produce either columbine or deadly nightshade. The magic carpet had a bad case of moths and the King's prized seven-league boots only went five-and-a-half leagues at a step (six leagues, with a good tail wind).
There were, of course, compensations. None of the fairies lived close enough to come to the Princesses' christenings (though they were all most carefully invited) so there were no evil enchantments laid on any of the three Princesses. The King's second wife was neither a wicked witch nor an ogress, but a plump, motherly woman who was very fond of her stepdaughters. And the only giant in the neighborhood was a kind and elderly Frost Giant who was always invited to the castle during the hottest part of the summer (his presence cooled things off wonderfully, and he rather liked being useful).
The King's councillors, however, complained bitterly about the situation. They felt it was beneath their dignity to run a kingdom where nothing ever behaved quite as it should. They grumbled about the moths and dandelions, muttered about the five-and-a-half-league boots and remonstrated with the Queen and the three Princesses about their duties.
Elyssa was the middle Princess, and as far as the King's councillors were concerned she was the most unsatisfactory of all. Her hair was not black, like her elder sister Orand's, nor a golden corn color, like her younger sister Dacia's. Elyssa's hair was mouse-brown. Her eyes were brown, too, and her chin was the sort usually described as "determined." She was also rather short, and she had a distressing tendency to freckle.
"It's all very well for a middle Princess to be ordinary," the chief of the King's councillors told her in exasperation. "But this is going too far!"
"It was only the second-best teapot," said Elyssa, who had just broken it. "And I did say I was sorry."
"If you'd only pay more attention to your duties, things like this wouldn't happen!" the councillor huffed.
"I dusted under the throne just this morning," said Elyssa indignantly. "And it's Orand's turn to polish the crown!"
"I don't mean those duties!" the councillor snapped. "I mean the duties of your position. For instance, you and Orand ought to be fearfully jealous of Dacia, but are you? No! You won't even try."
"'I should think not!" Elyssa said. "Why on earth should I be jealous of Dacia?"
"She's beautiful and accomplished and your father's favorite, and—and elder Princesses are supposed to dislike their younger sisters," the councillor said.
"No one could dislike Dacia," Elyssa said. "And besides, Papa wouldn't like it."
The councillor sighed, for this was undoubtedly true. "Couldn't you and Orand steal a magic ring from her?" he pleaded. "Just for form's sake?"
"Absolutely not," Elyssa said firmly, and left to get a broom to sweep up the remains of the teapot.
But the councillors refused to give up. They badgered and pestered and hounded poor Elyssa until she simply could not bear it anymore. Finally she went to her stepmother, the Queen, and complained.
"Hmmph," said the Queen. "They're being ridiculous, as usual. I could have your father talk to them, if you wish."
"It won't do any good," Elyssa said.
"You're probably right," the Queen agreed, and they sat for a moment in gloomy silence.
"I wish I could just run off to seek my fortune," Elyssa said with a sigh.
Her stepmother straightened up suddenly. "Of course! The very thing. Why didn't I think of that?"
"But I'm the middle Princess," Elyssa said. "It's youngest Princesses who go off to seek their fortunes."
"You've been listening to those councillors too much," the Queen said. "They won't like it, of course, but that will be good for them." The Queen was not at all fond of the councillors, because they kept trying to persuade her to turn her stepdaughters into swans or throw them out of the castle while the King was away.
"It would be fun to try," Elyssa said in a wistful tone. She had always liked the idea of running off to seek her fortune, even if most of the stories did make it sound rather uncomfortable.
"It's the perfect solution," the Queen assured her. "I'll arrange with your father to leave the East Gate unlocked tomorrow night, so you can get out. Orand and Dacia can help you pack. And I'll write you a reference to Queen Hildegard from two kingdoms over, so you'll be able to find a nice job as a kitchen maid. We won't tell the councillors a thing until after you've left."
To Elyssa's surprise, the entire Royal Family was positively enthusiastic about the scheme. Orand and Dacia had a long, happy argument about just what Elyssa ought to carry in her little bundle. The King kissed her cheek and told her she was a good girl and he hoped she would give the councillors one in the eye. And the Queen offered Elyssa the magic ring she had worn when she was a girl going off on adventures. (The ring turned out to have been swallowed by the castle cat, so Elyssa didn't get to take it with her after all. Still, as she told her stepmother, it was the thought that counted.) All in all, by the time Elyssa slipped out of the postern door and set off into the darkness, she was downright happy to be getting away.
As she tiptoed across the drawbridge, Elyssa stepped on something that gave a loud yowl. Hastily, she pulled her foot back and crouched down, hoping none of the councillors had heard. She could just make out the shape of the castle cat, staring at her with glowing, reproachful eyes.
"Shhhh," she said. "Poor puss! Shhh. It's all right."
"It is not all right," said the cat crossly. "How would you like to have your tail stepped on?"
"I don't have a tail," Elyssa said, considerably startled. "And if you hadn't been lying in front of me, I wouldn't have stepped on you."
"Cat's privilege," said the cat, and began furiously washing his injured tail.
"Well, I'm very sorry," Elyssa said. "But I really must be going." She stood up and picked up her bundle again.
"I don't know how you expect to get anywhere when you can't see where you're going," said the cat.
"I certainly won't get anywhere if I stay here waiting for the sun to come up," Elyssa said sharply. "Or do you have some other suggestion?"
"You could carry me on your shoulder, and I could tell you which way to go," the cat replied. "I can see in the dark," he added smugly.
"All right," Elyssa said, and the cat jumped up on her shoulder.
"That way, Princess," the cat said, and Elyssa started walking.
"How is it you can talk?" she asked, as she picked her way carefully through the darkness according to the cat's directions. "You never did before."
"I think it was that ring of your mother's I swallowed yesterday," the cat said. He sounded uneasy and uncomfortable, as if he really didn't want to discuss the matter. So, having been well brought up, Elyssa changed the subject. They chatted comfortably about the castle cooks and the King's councillors as they walked, and periodically the cat would pat Elyssa's cheek with one velvet paw and tell her to turn this way or that way. Finally the cat announced that they had come far enough for one night, and they settled down to sleep in a little hollow.
When she awoke next morning, the first thing Elyssa noticed were the trees. They were huge; the smallest branches she could see were three times the size of her waist, and she couldn't begin to reach around the trunks themselves. The ground was covered with green, spongy moss, and the, little flowers growing out of it looked like faces. Elyssa glanced around for the cat. He was sitting in a patch of sunlight with his tail curled around his fr
ont paws, staring at her.
"This is the Enchanted Forest, isn't it?" she said accusingly.
"Right the first time, Princess," said the cat.
Elyssa frowned. She knew enough about the Enchanted Forest to be very uncomfortable about wandering around in it. It lay a little to the east of the kingdom of Oslett, and the castle had permanently mislaid at least two milkmaids and a woodcutter's son who had carelessly wandered too far in that direction. The Enchanted Forest was one of those places that is very easy to get into, but very hard to get out of again.
"But I was supposed to go to Queen Hildegard!" Elyssa said at last.
"You wouldn't have liked Hildegard at all," the cat said seriously. "She's fat and bossy, and she has a bad-tempered, unattractive daughter to provide for. She'd be worse than the King's chief councillor, in fact."
"I don't believe you," Elyssa said. "Stepmama wouldn't send me to a person like that."
"Your stepmother hasn't seen Queen Hildegard since they were at school together twenty-some years ago," said the cat. "You're much better off here. Believe me, I know."
Elyssa was very annoyed, but it was much too late to do anything about the situation. So she picked up her bundle and set off in search of something to eat, leaving the cat to wash his back. After a little while, Elyssa found a bush with dark green leaves and bright purple berries. The berries looked very good, despite their unusual color, and she leaned forward to pick a few for breakfast.
"Don't do that, Princess," said the cat.
"Where did you come from?" Elyssa demanded crossly.
"I followed you," the cat answered. "And I wouldn't eat any of those berries, if I were you. They'll turn you into a rabbit."
Elyssa hastily dropped the berry she was holding and wiped her hand on her skirt. "Thank you for warning me," she said. "I don't suppose you know of anything around here that I can eat? Or at least drink? I'm very thirsty."
"As a matter of fact, there's a pool over this way," said the cat. "Follow me."
The cat led her through the trees in a winding route that Elyssa was sure would bring them right back to where they had started. She was about to say as much when she came around the bole of a tree into a moss-lined hollow. Green light filtered through the canopy of leaves onto the dark moss. In the center of the hollow, a ring of star-shaped white flowers surrounded a still, silent, mirror-dark pool of crystal-clear water.
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