A Tiding of Magpies

by Robert Dahlen

  Michiko dodged Li Fong and moved behind him. “And cute!” she said as she grabbed him and lifted him above her head. She spun him around and tossed him high in the air, pausing to note, as his helmet flew off, the panic on his face.

  As Li Fong came down, Michiko timed her uppercut to catch him in the jaw. He flew through the air and smashed into a tree trunk, sliding down to the ground, out cold. “Nope!” the Monkey Queen said with a grin. “Same old story.”

  She glanced over and saw Beth, staring at her, looking proud and nervous and shy and happy all at once. Their eyes met, and Michiko ran to Beth and into her arms. They embraced, and all was quiet except for two magpies, singing to each other as they flew past. Even with their friends watching, even with all that had happened and all that still lay ahead, for that moment, nothing else mattered.

  “Beth?” Michiko said, looking up at her partner. “You…you followed me. You came for me.”

  “Of course I did,” Beth said, and it seemed to Michiko as if she was about to laugh and cry at the same time. “You big doofus.”

  “Thank you.” Michiko reached up and brushed a few stray hairs off Beth’s cheek. “Best…just the best. Ever.”

  Beth blushed. “I’m not the best,” she said, lowering her head. “I said the wrong thing back at the camp. I hurt you, Michiko. I’m sorry.”

  “Beth? I know we were both tired and stressed. I forgive you.” Michiko smiled.

  “Thanks.” Beth returned Michiko’s smile. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Okay. Michiko…” Beth took a deep breath. “You’ll have to forgive me for this too.”

  “For what?” Michiko stiffened.

  Beth stepped back and lightly tapped Michiko on the head with two fingers. “Baka!” she said softly.

  “Huh?” Michiko blinked.

  “Michiko, listen to me!” Beth said. “No matter what else has happened, no matter where things go between us, we’re still partners. That hasn’t changed. And you never leave your partner behind! We stick together. Partners, Michiko.”

  Michiko felt somewhat shellshocked as she stared at Beth. “Partners,” she repeated faintly.

  “And what’s more—” Beth pointed at Merchant Sheng and the others as they watched. “It doesn’t matter what they think about our relationship, whatever it turns out to be. There are only two people here that it matters to. You—” she pointed to Michiko, and then at herself. “And me. And what may happen between us, now and down the road, only really matters to you and me. No one else. Okay?”

  “Okay.” Michiko smiled, hope shining in her eyes.

  Beth smiled back warmly, and it was Michiko’s turn to blush. “So, I got here late. What’s the plan?”

  “Free the princess, fulfill the prophecy, and kick Lord Hong’s butt. Let’s go!” Michiko started towards the rear of the base.

  “Best plan ever,” Beth said as she followed Michiko.

  As the women hurried away, Merchant Sheng stared after them, his mouth wide open. Then, he winced as Auntie Ting smacked him on the head. “Baka!” she shouted. “Close your mouth before the flies move in!”

  “Does she have to hit so hard?” Sheng muttered as the priestess scurried off after Michiko and Beth.

  “Merchant Sheng…” he turned and saw Prince Yun behind him. “With all due respect…be glad I was not the one doing the slapping. And I was quite tempted.”

  Sheng stared at the prince for a moment. “Perhaps there were mistakes,” he said. “I shall learn from them as best as I can.” Yun bowed to him and set off after Michiko, Beth and Auntie Ting; Sheng followed, supporting a semi-conscious Jade Crane.

  The shackles were iron, and heavy, and a steel spike hammered deep into the ground held them in place. The locks were the finest quality in the Far Lands, guaranteed to drive even the most expert lockpick to drink. They had been set with the finest care on Princess Jiao’s wrists and ankles, to ensure that the intended bride of Lord Hong would not be scratched or bruised while waiting for the engagement announcement.

  Jiao idly drew patterns in the dirt as she waited. She was still torn about what she should do—throw herself off the bridge when Hong dragged her there? Or play along with him until the wedding day, then stab him on the honeymoon and go out fighting his guards as they sought vengeance? Either option was better than the fate that awaited her.

  She raised her head as she heard the first sounds of a scuffle. At first, she thought that some of Hong’s men had found the celebratory wine and drunk it before it could turn sour. Then, her eyes widened as she heard the loud, boastful voice. “Really? Five against one? That’s the best you can do?”

  Before Jiao could speak, she heard movement behind her. She held her breath, then gasped when the glowing crystal floated up next to her. “Wizardry!” she said.

  “I wish. It’s just a hoverlight.” Jiao twisted her head and saw Beth pulling a wire-trimmed key from her pocket. “Hey,” she said with a grin.

  “I still say you’re a wizard.” Jiao smiled as Beth tapped the locks with her key; they opened like popcorn kernels in hot oil.

  “Well…” Beth stepped back as Jiao shook off her shackles and stood up. “I am going to do a wizardly thing right now…and disappear.” She bowed and moved aside.

  Jiao glanced around in confusion. Then, in the glow of the hoverlight, she saw Prince Yun. She threw herself into his arms, and for a few moments, there were only two people in Jiao’s world, and everything was right again.

  Finally, after one last lingering kiss, a voice rose up behind them. “Save that for the bridal bed!” Auntie Ting shouted, waving a torch. “We have to go!”

  “You wanted her to come along,” Yun said as he let Jiao go. The princess smiled as she followed him and Auntie Ting; Beth emerged from hiding and joined them, Mec’s hoverlight in hand.

  As they hurried up the trail, they saw a half-dozen of Hong’s warriors scattered on the ground, and Michiko delivering a hard kick to the last one standing. As he fell over, Jiao said, “I thought there were just five of them!”

  Michiko grinned. “They sent a few more to keep us busy.”

  “Us?”

  Sheng stepped out of the shadows, lowering his sword. “She hardly needed my help,” he said.

  Jiao gasped. “Sheng? Is it really you?”

  “The original.” The merchant smiled.

  The princess ran up to him and threw her arms around him, tears in her eyes. She pulled back quickly. “I am glad that you are well, Merchant Sheng,” she said, bowing while blushing.

  “Your Majesty.” Sheng returned her bow; he kept a straight face, but there was a twinkle in his eye.

  “How’s Jade Crane?” Michiko asked as she moved next to Beth.

  “She’s still groggy,” Sheng said. “Michiko, Beth…” He bowed to them. “I was wrong for supporting General Guo. I am truly sorry.”

  “Thank you, Sheng,” Beth said. Next to her, Michiko smiled as she returned the merchant’s bow.

  “We need to hurry!” Auntie Ting snapped. “It’s close to midnight already!”

  “The bridge isn’t too far off,” Sheng said, “but Jade Crane may not be able to travel.” He pointed to where the wizard was sitting on the ground, cradling her head.

  Tucking her staff under her arm, Michiko walked over to Jade Crane and carefully picked her up. “We’re going by foot?” she said.

  Sheng nodded. “Easier to evade Hong’s men that way. It’s a half hour’s walk from here.”

  “Lead the way,” Michiko said. The merchant started out of the camp through the back, away from the fighting, the others following.

  “Michiko?” Beth said as she fell in next to her partner. “We’re going to have a big problem when we do find Hong.”

  “The circlet?” Michiko said.

  “Yeah. What do we do about the Headache Sutra?”

  Michiko was quiet for a minute. “I don’t know,” she said. “But Hong and his men can do their worst. I wo
n’t let him win.”

  Beth nodded. Neither will I, she thought. No matter what.

  She heard a faint groan and saw that Jade Crane was stirring in Michiko’s arms. “Sheng?” the wizard said softly.

  “He’s scouting ahead,” Michiko said. “We’re trying to get to the bridge.”

  “And the princess?”

  Jiao moved next to Michiko. “I’m pleased to meet you,” she said to the wizard.

  “As am I,” Jade Crane said. “You can put me down, Monkey Queen.” Michiko did so and slipped away as the wizard bowed to Jiao.

  As the princess returned her bow, Auntie Ting joined them. “Be careful, wizard!” she said. “I’m sure you have a concussion!”

  “We all must take our chances when the gods speak to us,” Jade Crane said. “Are we close to the bridge?”

  “Nearly there—” the priestess said. She stopped as Merchant Sheng hurried back down the trail, followed by Michiko.

  Sheng swept Jade Crane into his arms and kissed her. “You had me worried!” he said.

  “You know how hard my head is,” she said with a smile. “Stubborn as your pack mules.”

  “Listen up.” Everyone turned to face Michiko as she continued, “Hong’s men are blocking the main road to the bridge. There are at least sixty of them.”

  “Too many for us to fight,” Prince Yun said as he and Beth joined the others.

  “Is there a shortcut?” Jiao asked Merchant Sheng.

  “Of course there is!” Auntie Ting snorted.

  Sheng tried to conceal a smile as he nodded. “It’s a risky one; it runs along that nearby hill. And we’ll have to slip past Hong’s men.”

  “We could use a distraction,” Michiko said.

  “That would be my job, then.” Jade Crane flexed her hands.

  “My beloved—” Sheng started to say.

  “There’s no time to argue,” the wizard said. “Go. Fulfill the prophecy.”

  Sheng nodded. “Be careful, then.”

  “And you, my love. But at least you’ll still have a wizard.”

  Jade Crane pointed at Beth, who shook her head. “I’m not a wizard,” she said.

  “You’ll do fine.” Jade Crane smiled. “Now go. Time is short.”

  Merchant Sheng set off through the underbrush. The others followed as Beth took a peek back at Jade Crane. The wizard had dropped to her knees and was staring down the trail, an eerie green glow in her eyes. “How is she going to distract them?” Beth asked.

  “Illusions,” Sheng answered. “She’s quite good at them.”

  “Don’t even think about looking back,” Michiko added.

  “Got it.” Beth fell silent as the group hurried along. She heard the moaning, soft at first but growing louder, raising the hair on the back of her neck. “Do I want to know what the illusions look like?” she nervously asked Michiko.

  The Monkey Queen glanced back. “No,” she said. “No, you don’t. Just keep walking.” Beth swallowed and nodded, wishing she had brought some cotton to stick in her ears as she heard Hong’s men scream.

  They emerged from the woods by a trail that led along a hillside. It was narrow and rocky, angling down, and one slip could send someone tumbling off the path and into the trees. Sheng and Yun had their swords ready, Beth her wand. Michiko had her staff in one hand and a flashlight in the other, and Auntie Ting carried a torch.

  “It won’t be long now,” Sheng said as he rounded a bend. “Less than—”

  “Duck!” Michiko pushed the merchant aside. The crossbow bolt flew past, bouncing off a tree trunk.

  They had reached a shelf, where the trail widened considerably before narrowing again on the other side. There were several trees along the trailside, casting shadows in the moonlight. But even in the darkness, Beth could see a dozen of Hong’s men, swords ready.

  “Stand aside!” Auntie Ting pointed her torch at the warriors. “You will not defy the wishes of the gods!”

  “But I will.” The priestess dropped her torch and grabbed her head, falling to her knees. “You are too dangerous to let be,” Khavorski said as he stepped out of the shadows.

  Beth ducked behind a tree as the warriors advanced. “Clear a path for Jiao and Yun,” Michiko said to Sheng as she readied her staff.

  “Long life to Lord Hong!” More of Hong’s warriors charged up the hill; one ran ahead of the others and swung his sword at Prince Yun, aiming for the throat.

  The prince swatted the sword aside, then hit his foe in the head with the hilt of his weapon. The warrior dropped his sword as he staggered back, slipping down the hill. Yun grabbed the sword from mid-air and tossed it to Princess Jiao.

  “You think you can stop us?” another of Hong’s men said as he stepped towards the princess.

  Before he could reach her, she caught the sword by the hilt. She disarmed him with one swing of her sword, then kicked him in the jaw. He dropped to the ground. “I didn’t spend all my time training with fans,” Jiao said as Yun and Sheng flanked her.

  Michiko grinned. “We’re still going to win!” she shouted.

  “Not tonight, Monkey Queen.”

  Lord Hong’s men moved aside as the warlord approached Michiko and the others. “I knew you’d take this route,” he said. “I’ve been waiting ever since word came of your escape. It ends here.”

  “The Nui cavalry are coming,” Jiao said. “You will still fall, Hong.”

  “Not before I fulfill the prophecy.” Hong gestured to his men. “Take the merchant and the prince away. We will deal with the Monkey Queen—”

  “Zap!” The bolt struck Khavorski in the side as Beth stepped out from behind the tree, balancing on the side of the hill. The goblin sorcerer dropped to his knees, conscious but in great pain.

  Beth aimed her wand at Lord Hong. He spun, pulled a dagger from his belt, and threw it at her. “Die, wizard!” he shouted.

  Beth slapped desperately at the pocket on her right sleeve. The dagger hit her in the stomach; she stumbled back and lost her footing. She slid down the hill and out of sight.

  Chapter Eleven

  “Beth!” Michiko screamed, feeling her heart tear in half. She took three steps towards the hillside, praying that Beth had somehow avoided getting hurt, that she would be all right. She stopped when she heard the laughter.

  Lord Hong was doubled over, guffawing, and his men were joining in. “Your wizard lover is finished, Monkey Queen!” he shouted with a gleeful smile. “And you’ll be…”

  Hong stopped and looked up at Michiko. She was marching towards him, her staff raised, her face red with fury. “The Sutra!” he yelled as his men recoiled in fear. Behind Michiko, Khavorski nodded and started his chant, loud and fast.

  Michiko gasped and fell to her knees, dropping her staff, as the golden circlet around her head started to glow. Her forehead was knotted, her eyes squeezed almost shut as she cried out in pain.

  Hong started to laugh again, but stopped as the Monkey Queen reached up. She was screaming, doubled over in agony, but she took hold of the circlet and pulled it off her head.

  The warlord and his men stared in disbelief as Michiko slowly got to her feet, her eyes clear and filled with anger. She took one step, then another, towards Lord Hong. As she walked, she took the circlet in both hands and crushed it into a ball. Without looking back or breaking stride, she threw it over her shoulder at Khavorski. It hit the goblin sorcerer in the forehead, and he fell to the ground, out cold.

  “You wanted to make me angry, Hong?” the Monkey Queen said, her voice shaking with rage. “I’ve never been angrier. You wanted a fight? You’ve got one. And you’re going to lose.”

  Michiko reached out, and her staff flew into her hand. Lord Hong raised his sword as she neared him, and she took her staff and held it in both hands in front of her. The sword came down, and Michiko blocked the blow with her staff.

  Hong grabbed the hilt of his sword with both hands, pushing down with all his strength. Michiko started to slide backwards, but
she braced herself and pushed back against Hong. Around them, the warriors and Michiko’s companions stopped their fighting and watched in awe.

  For a long moment, the warlord and the Monkey Queen both held their ground. Then, Michiko took a half-step, then another, then another. Inch by inch, step by step, Hong was driven back.

  He gritted his teeth and planted his feet, and slowed Michiko’s advance. Michiko pushed harder, but he stepped to one side. Michiko stumbled, and Hong swung at her head. His sword just missed her as she dodged the blow.

  Hong pulled back to swing again. Michiko jumped as he did and kicked him in the head; his sword cut through air as he reeled from the kick. She landed and stabbed at him with the tip of her staff.

  He swatted the blow aside and kicked Michiko in the knee. The kick was poorly positioned, without much force behind it, but it still staggered her, and he backhanded her with the hilt of his sword.

  As Michiko fell, Hong loomed over her. “I killed your lover,” he sneered. “You’re next—”

  Michiko rolled towards him, knocking his legs out from underneath him. “Shut up about Beth!” she shouted as he fell. She jumped to her feet and brought her staff down.

  Hong rolled away from the blow and grabbed a handful of dirt. He flung it in Michiko’s face as he stood up. As she tried to wipe her eyes, he hit her in the jaw, and she crumpled to the ground. “Farewell, Monkey Queen,” Hong said as he readied his sword for the killing blow. The blade fell.

  Another sword swung, knocking Hong’s aside. He stepped back as Princess Jiao moved between him and Michiko. “Step away, Hong!” she said. “I won’t let you kill my friend!”

  “Bold talk, Princess,” Hong said with a mocking smile. “Do you think you can defeat me?”

  “Do you think that you can fulfill the prophecy if you kill me?” Jiao’s smile mocked the warlord’s. “Or if I’m too injured to answer your proposal? You can’t hurt me, Hong.” She pointed her sword at him. “So unless you and your men leave right now—”

  Hong spun to the side and chopped down with his sword, knocking Jiao’s out of her hands. Before she could move, he punched her in the stomach with his free hand. She gasped and doubled over. “Alive, unharmed, ready to marry me,” the warlord said. “And I should still have time to finish off the Monkey Queen before—”