by JC Kang
Warrior Kiri spun and held her knife aloft. Then her gaze met the real Kiri’s.
The two looked exactly alike, even more similar than Yellow Man and Feneyas. Like the fruit dangling in a cherry tree, always in pairs, they mirrored each other.
Heads shifted from person to person, eyes widening and brows furrowing.
Both Yellow Man and Dior pointed back and forth at real Kiri and fake Kiri.
Warrior Kiri’s stare fell on Feneyas’, and then shifted to her twin. The knife slipped from her fingers, and she stumbled back several steps. “This can’t be happening. This can’t be real.”
With mouth half-open, the real Kiri appeared surprised, but not nearly as dumfounded as Warrior Kiri. Clearing her throat, she gestured toward Dior. “Shoot, shoot!”
“Wait!” Feneyas took a step to interpose himself between Dior and Warrior Kiri.
Too late.
Dior had unslung his bow, nocked an arrow and loosed it at Warrior Kiri.
Chapter 17:
Limited Information
With Weiyong at her side, Kaiya sat serenely in Golden Fu’s office. Footsteps and clanking weapons out in the warehouse indicated at least twenty rebels, while the cloying scent of a myriad spices roiled her stomach. Perhaps Fu was indeed a spice merchant.
An evasive one at that, whose questions begot more questions, and whose answers answered nothing. Apparently, the Tiger’s Eye could do nothing to control impatience, even if she hid it. Every hour they waited meant Geros and the Teleri army approached unopposed.
Though if what Fu said was true, there was little the imperial court could do. Only a skeleton army remained in the capital, as a precaution against Lord Lin in Linshan attacking with his provincial soldiers.
Out in the warehouse, a set of lighter footsteps approached. Fu’s attention flicked to the entrance, then returned to her. As the door opened behind her, Kaiya kept looking past Fu, at the window. Its muted reflection revealed a young woman in a grey commoner’s dress, whose eyes met hers. Her supposed friend, Lin Ziqiu.
Fang Weiyong lacked any discretion, and turned to see who it was.
The woman padded in and stopped a few steps behind. “Master, I had a hard time sneaking out of my home. I came as quickly as I could.”
The voice belonged to Ziqiu, yet the tone lacked its past capriciousness.
Fu motioned toward Kaiya with an open hand. “An old friend of yours, Little Ziqiu.”
The girl shuffled a few steps over and leaned in.
Shifting in her seat, Kaiya met her gaze.
Ziqiu looked so different after just a year. Gone were the carefree smile and eyes dancing with mirth, replaced by serious intent. Then her expression settled into the flightiness Kaiya remembered. “Kaiya! Dian-xia. I thought you were in Dongmen. When did you get back? And what are you doing here?” She cast a sidelong glance at Fu.
Kaiya pursed her lips. “I would ask the same of you.”
“Fu teaches me about information gathering.” Ziqiu bowed to Fu. “He is my master.”
Kaiya shook her head. “I am his prisoner. Or hostage, perhaps.” As for information gathering…Ziqiu had only ever seemed interested in trivial gossip. The girl might’ve been spying on her all this time.
Ziqiu turned and slapped a hand down on the desk. “Master, how could you kidnap Princess Kaiya? I thought you cared about Hua.”
Fu leaned back in his chair. “I do. The princess would have walked into a trap at the palace. Surely you know of the coup.”
“Coup?” The incredulity in Ziqiu’s voice sounded convincing enough. “I haven’t been to the palace since my father returned to Linshan. Our villa is surrounded by imperial troops.”
Fu scratched his chin. “There is another threat. A Teleri invasion through Dongmen.”
Ziqiu faced Kaiya, her face pale. “Is it true?”
Kaiya nodded. They didn’t need to know Geros was coming for her, to claim the twins she carried.
“True or not—” Fu said, “and I am not convinced the princess speaks truthfully—a foreign invasion will force the hereditary lords to reunite.” He nodded toward Ziqiu. “Go to the palace and inform them.”
That would do little to improve Kaiya’s situation, and it also put Ziqiu in danger. Kaiya stood. “No. With doubts of Linshan’s loyalty, they will take her hostage. We cannot endanger her. Let me go instead.”
Weiyong shuffled his feet. Placing her hands on her hips, Ziqiu opened her mouth.
Fu held up a hand and chuckled. “You are just as much at risk as Little Ziqiu, unless you can absolutely convince Regent Liu of the invasion.”
“And,” Kaiya said, “you would just as soon keep me here.”
Ziqiu’s eyes flicked back to Fu’s. “Forgive me, Master, but she is the princess. You can’t do this.”
“I can.” Fu stared Ziqiu down, and then shifted his glare to Kaiya.
She held his gaze. He wasn’t exactly wrong. Still… “The palace must be warned.”
“How do you propose to do that?” Fu steepled his hands together.
How, indeed?
The door opened, and Song entered. “Master, the imperial couriers bring bad news from the South.”
And how did these misguided rebels have access to the imperial couriers?
Fu motioned for Song to continue.
Song sighed. “Still no news out of Dongmen Province. Also, the Madurans have pushed into the central valley. When Ximen Province sent the bulk of its soldiers east to flank Peng’s army, traitorous Lord Liang in Nantou attacked them from behind and occupied Ximen.”
“The stupidity!” Fu slapped his hand on the desk. “If not for incompetent commanders, the imperial armies and their provincial allies should have crushed the rebellion and the Madurans in two weeks.”
Summoning a map in her mind, Kaiya closed her eyes. Even with her poor sense of geography, she saw Hua faced imminent collapse. Traitors gobbled up the South. Foreign enemies trampled over the North, unchallenged. Three hundred years of peace and prosperity, over in two months. Jobless scholars who knew the secret of firepowder would find new employers, ushering in a new age of warfare. If only they could find a way to just let Regent Liu know—
Opening her eyes, she found everyone staring at her. She composed her expression into regal aloofness. “Fu, how are you intercepting the imperial couriers? And how did you get my half-elf’s letter?”
“I have my ways.”
If not for the Tiger’s Eye, his roundabout non-answers might’ve been infuriating. “Then use those ways. Drop a message into the courier bags, if that is how you do it. However you got Jie’s message, send another on. And…” why hadn’t she thought of this before? “…what would it take to capture a message tower?”
Fu’s face blanked.
Lin Ziqiu clapped her hands together. “Three li outside the north city walls, there is a horse relay station and a message tower.”
“Yes.” Fu turned to Kaiya. “Do you know the light tower codes?”
How would she? Even the Tianzi himself probably never concerned himself with such minutia. Well, that went without saying in her brother Kai-Wu’s case, but certainly Father had too much to worry about to learn flashing light signals he might never see with his own eyes. Then again, Fu didn’t need to know that. “I am surprised the Moquan don’t know them.”
Ziqiu’s ears quirked. “Moquan?”
Fu laughed. “Imperial soldiers, not boogeymen, control the light towers. Those towers have not been used since the last time an enemy breached the Great Wall.”
As in, never. Kaiya snorted. Still, this was a chance to escape from her captors. “Then you will need me to go with you.”
“Or you can tell us.” Fu’s eyes narrowed again.
“And if I refuse?”
Fu laughed. “You were the one who wanted to warn the regent.”
Kaiya looked out the office window. The iridescent moon waxed to its mid-crescent. Already late afternoon. Less than three hour
s of daylight. So much wasted time! “If you are truly a patriot, then you would see the need as well.”
Fu stroked his chin, a gesture reminiscent of Tian. “I also see the need to keep an eye on you.”
His motives, clearly stated. Kaiya frowned.
Lin Ziqiu sighed. “Master, you can’t keep a Scion of Heaven prisoner.”
Fu held a finger up. “We do not know if her brother still lives or not. If the grandson of Lord Liu sits as Tianzi, then Miss Wang Kaiya is no longer a Scion of Heaven.”
It was true. How easy it would be not to carry the burden of responsibility. But no. The Teleri Empire would relegate Hua men to second-class citizens, and do much worse to the women. Someone had to do something. She opened her mouth to speak.
Fu opened his hand, stopping her. “Which is not to say she can’t be Scion of Heaven. We must time her return carefully. Now, we must plan the capture of the light tower.”
Which would mean unnecessary killing. There had to be another way. “Wait.”
Fu looked up at Song, apparently ignoring her. “Inform our asset that we need to insert a message into the imperial courier network.”
Song shook his head. “He’ll share information, but I don’t think he would pass fake messages.”
“Even in an emergency?” Fu scowled.
Kaiya stood. “There is an easier way, one that can avoid any casualties. Allow me to go with you, and I will command the couriers and light tower to pass the messages on.”
“With your voice, or imperial authority?”
She might not have either, but Fu didn’t need to know. “Whichever it takes.”
“And how do I know you will continue to accept my protection?”
Kaiya flashed a disarming smile. If he could mince meat as well as words, he might actually be useful. It was a matter of convincing him of her own worth. On her own terms, of course. With two hands, she raised the pouch containing Tian’s tablet and bowed her head to it. “I swear on this.”
The tablet might not have been what Fu thought, but it was just as important to her. She wouldn’t break a promise. As she had learned from the Bovyans, an oath without specifics could be twisted. How long she would accept Fu’s protection depended on how long he remained useful.
Fu bowed to the tablet. “Very well. Now, we have another problem. The thirty men out there are all anti-imperial insurgents, originally funded by your cousin Peng Kai-Long, before I took over. They aren’t about to let you leave.”
Liang Yu knew a thing or two about playing two sides, and had already planned a means for getting the princess out. Still, as long as she believed she needed him, he could control her.
Though she might no longer be so naïve, the princess would have a difficult time winning over hardened soldiers who wanted to oust her family from the Jade Throne. Surely her voice could not affect them all.
He just had to redirect their anger once she failed. No telling what they would do to her otherwise. He held the door to let her out of the office.
Back straight and chin lifted high, she stepped out into the warehouse. That wouldn’t endear them to her! Her head immediately turned to her bound guards and the men guarding them. Murmurs broke out in the darkened mezzanine.
“Soldiers of Hua,” she said, voice mellifluous. “I understand your grievances.”
Or so she thought. Liang Yu grinned. He had told her just enough that she would still need him.
She placed a hand on her chest. “My father always had the nation’s best interests at heart, even though you might not have agreed with his decisions.”
“Hua stagnated!” a voice from the mezzanine called, followed by a chorus of agreeing murmurs.
“The lords got rich,” another said, “while we soldiers were forgotten when we got older.”
“We never got the rewards we were promised.”
“There were no wars to fight.”
Amid the barrage of complaints, the princess looked at Liang Yu, an eyebrow raised. She was already at a loss. She needed him, just as he planned.
He came to her side and opened his mouth. “Fellow patriots—”
“Soldiers of Hua.” With dexterity rivaling the Surgeon, she slid in front of him and bowed low at the waist. It was unheard of for a member of the Imperial Family to bow to a solider, let alone an insurgent. “We now suffer the consequences of our complacency. Foreign invaders trample on Hua’s soil.”
“Madurans.” One of the soldiers next to her guards spat on the ground. “They have no chance.”
“No.” The princess straightened. “The Teleri Empire has captured the East Gate and marches unopposed on the capital.”
“A lie!” A crossbow cocked above. Liang Yu tightened his grip on the staff, just in case he had to knock a bolt out of the air. If his old eyes could see it in time. Alas, if only he were as good as the Beauty at it! Surely they wouldn’t shoot at the princess. Would they?
“We would have heard.”
“They can’t just march an army down the highway in secret.”
Liang Yu hid his grin. He had trained some of these men to think for themselves, and it showed now.
The princess raised a hand. “Lord Zheng has betrayed the realm and silenced all news coming out of his province. Once the Teleri Army reaches his borders, it will be too late to mobilize and save everyone between here and there.”
The same story she’d told him. Plausible, but not likely. Liang Yu gauged his men’s reactions, at least the ones he could see. Most looked to him for approval. He shook his head. Truth or not, she needed to know he was her only way out of the warehouse.
The princess swept a hand toward the mezzanine. “Duty to your nation calls. Only with your help can we save the North. I am conscripting you all as my personal guard, under the command of Golden Fu.”
The mezzanine lit up. Robes rustled as several men dropped to a knee, fist to the ground. Others followed, more tentatively.
Liang Yu stared at her. That was unexpected, like the Beauty going off-script with his plans. The princess hadn’t even used the power of her voice.
Well, let her play her games, because when it came down to it, honor and promises didn’t feed hungry mouths. He was the one paying these men, and she had no access to the dwindling imperial coffers, anyway.
She turned to him. “General Fu, prepare for our march on the way station.”
He bowed. “As the princess commands.”
Now, how could they make it through the city without alerting the general populace of her arrival?
Chapter 18:
Existential Crises
The two arrows speeding toward Jie’s face effectively delayed her existential crisis.
The first she caught as she spun out of the way of the second. A third, just loosed, she knocked out of the air with the first in her hand.
“Stop!” Tian, or Tian’s doppelganger, stood between her and the elf, arms splayed out.
The girl who looked exactly like her, save for the doeskin dress, spewed out several unintelligible syllables. The male elf fitted another arrow and pulled the string back again.
Jie palmed a throwing spike. As soon as Tian, or whoever he was, got out of the way…
The elf circled, but Tian moved to stay between them. He repeated the same word over and over again. At last, the elf lowered his bow.
Tian turned around and stared at her. “Who are you?”
This couldn’t be right. They must be in some bizarre land of dread sorcery, inhabited by mirror images of people she knew. Would the princess’ facsimile burst onto the path next?
Her own doppelganger sidled up to Tian, stood on her tiptoes and whispered something in his ear. Not breaking his gaze, Tian leaned into her.
Think, think. There was no such magical place. They were still in the Kanin Wilds, harassing Teleri supply lines. She’d just killed a Bovyan and an altivorc, and then avoided a swift death by elf archery.
Which meant, if this was reality…
&
nbsp; That man really was Tian. He had used a Moquan knife technique to defeat the Bovyan. Now, he tapped his chin, just like always. He whispered something back at her twin.
This couldn’t be right. Tian had died—she’d watched with her own eyes as Emperor Geros shot him with a crossbow, then kicked him into the dirt.
Unless. Unless.
Jie sucked her lower lip, dredging up painful memories. Just before the Emperor struck, Tian’s expression had melted into one of calm acceptance. It looked nothing like the confusion written on his face now.
Her mouth gaped. He’d lost the Tiger’s Eye, and then must have put himself into the Viper’s Rest, which would have slowed his heartbeat and breathing to imperceptible levels.
Which also meant he might not have any idea who he was. Moquan masters practiced the technique with utmost care, to prevent memory loss. Only the legendary Architect had mastered the Viper’s Rest to the point that he would not lose his sense of self, and some stories suggested he bordered on insane. Jie shuddered to remember her own experiences with the technique.
So that probably explained Tian, whose eyes now moved from her to the half-elf girl. Who apparently wanted her dead. Who was she? An identical twin, separated at birth? The princess had mentioned something about twins, and a berry that grew in the Wilds. But then her lazy dastard of a father would’ve abandoned both of them at the temple, right?
Was the arrow-happy elf their father? Like a weed, perhaps he had scattered his seeds farther than imagined. That could possibly explain the little girl, who was sucking on her lower lip. Except Hua people never came out here, and she did look a whole lot like the ten-year-old version of herself who could’ve beaten Ming in a knife fight.
Apparently, just thinking about Ming prompted him to break the shocked silence. “Tian, I am glad to see you alive. Jie told me that Emperor Geros killed you.”
The floodgates opened, with questions erupting from all over the place. Everyone spoke at once. Fingers pointed. The elf. Her twin. The little girl. Tian, trying to silence them with frantic gesticulations. Only the Kanin savage hung back, not saying a word.