"Lovely." Lady Jin smiled. "I feel better."
"Good. Good." Green Dove drank his tea, as did Nu.
The three of them drank quietly. Green Dove refilled each cup.
"Now I will begin." Green Dove didn't drink from his full cup. He just held it in his palm. "You call him Su Mao. That demon has been known by a hundred thousand different names. I have fought him all of my life. I am...older than I look." Green Dove sighed. He gazed down at the wooden floor. He appeared tired to Lady Jin. "For as long as I can remember he has been linked to that damn pearl. You can think of it as his curse and his blessing. Long ago, a great wizard tricked him and caught him inside the pearl. The wizard believed he had won, but the demon was not destroyed. Eventually it learned how to take control of the wizard and his body. The wizard's very soul was destroyed. But when the wizard's body grew old, the demon was forced to return to the pearl. This is what it does, it takes over the bodies of people who are foolish enough to wear the pearl. The original Su Mao did this with the hope of gaining power from the demon, but the demon had tricked him. It stole Su Mao's body and ate his soul. It will do the same to Black-hand. Though you might not consider this a sad thing. What you should be worried about is that the demon will be released upon the world again. It will be unstoppable, until some destroys its body again."
"So we must save Black-hand?" Nu asked.
"No." Green Dove laughed. "You must kill him before the demon takes over his body."
"I have tried to kill him again and again," Lady Jin complained.
"I know. I know." Green Dove nodded. "You need magic in order to stop him. And I will give it to you. No matter the consequence. For he must be stopped."
"But are you the one that can do it?" Green Dove looked into Lady Jin's eyes.
She felt him peering deep into her soul. Lady Jin wanted to slap him as if he had touched her breast or bottom. I feel violated. Is he really doing this? Is this my imagination getting the better of me? How could he be seeing my thoughts?
Green Dove said, "Is knowing what another person is thinking so different than hearing them speak with their mouth?"
Lady Jin jumped up. "You read my thoughts!"
"Yes," Green Dove replied. "I am sorry. I had to know if you are the one I need to stop him. And now I believe you are the one."
Lady Jin and Nu watched Green Dove talk to his monkey. The monkey nodded and ran away. It returned with jars and boxes full of herbs, and strange body parts of unknown animals. Eyes, claws, fur, slimy orange worms, and other things. The monkey set down a large black iron pot beside Green Dove. The old man dropped the various things: herbs, eyes, worms, bones, claws, and many herbs in the pot. The monkey gave him a wood spoon as long as Green Dove's arm. Green Dove stirred and mashed the ingredients. The monkey brought a wine jug. Green Dove poured it in and handed the jug to the monkey. The monkey left and returned with more. Green Dove added it. He began to chant in an ancient language that Lady Jin had never heard before. Smoke came out of the pot.
Lady Jin felt heat coming off of the pot. Even though she had never seen a single fire started underneath the pot. How can that thing be hot? Magic? Is it his chanting that's doing it or something he put in the pot? Lady Jin stood up. She looked into the pot. She saw a thick liquid that was bubbling. The liquid was blue, green, and orange. She saw a worm floating in it, an eye, a bone leg, and various herbs. A clawed hand reached out of the liquid before falling back inside. The hand had moved as if alive. She noticed Nu beside her, trembling as she looking into the pot. Lady Jin sat and pulled Nu away from the pot with its strange contents.
Green Dove laughed. The monkey handed him two bowls. Green Dove dipped the bowls one at a time into the pot. Green Dove set the bowls between Lady Jin and himself. Lady Jin looked down at the bowl closest to her. It had stopped bubbling. It was green with blue and orange swirls. Green Dove lifted his bowl in his two hands.
"Drink it, Lady Jin." Green Dove laughed. "While it's still cold."
Cold? Lady Jin picked up the bowl. It is cold. Like it was full of ice. But it was bubbling in the pot. How can I trust this man? He saved my life. What if he's just crazy?
"Drink. Like this." Green Dove placed the bowl to his lips. Slurp! Slurp! Slurp! "See. Tastes good."
Lady Jin glanced at Nu. The girl looked frightened. Lady Jin drank the stuff. It does taste good. Real good. Lady Jin stopped. She peered in the bowl. It was gone. I drank it all?
"See." Green Dove set down his bowl. He wiped his lips with his sleeve. "Nothing to be afraid of. Please give me your right hand, Lady Jin."
Green Dove held out his winkled right hand. Cautiously Lady Jin let the old man hold her hand.
"Good. Magic. Powerful magic needs sacrifice in order to work. In this case the sacrifice is me."
"What?"
"I am much too old to fight someone like Black-hand," Green Dove explained with a gentle smile and loving eyes. "You must do it. The magic in the potion will temporarily transfer some of my power into your hand. But in order for it to work, there must be sacrifice."
"No!"
"I must die."
"No!"
"Goodbye, Lady Jin. It...was...an honor..." Green Dove collapsed on the floor.
"No!" Lady Jin dashed to his body. No pulse. No breath. He was dead.
"Mistress! Your hand!"
Lady Jin stared at her hand. It was glowing green. It tingled, but she could move it. In an instance, it stopped tingling and it seemed back to normal.
Lady Jin looked into the pot. There was nothing inside it. Not even a smudge. She glanced back at Green Dove and he was glowing green. Green Dove's body faded into nothingness.
"Wh-where did he go, mistress?"
"He's gone, Nu." Lady Jin stared at her hand. She flexed it. "I guess he's dead."
Chapter thirty-seven
Lady Jin and Nu rode back to the inn. They retrieved their hunting bows and arrows. They raced quickly to Li Bo's mansion.
"How are we going to get in there?" Nu asked.
"With surprise, of course," Lady Jin said.
Lady Jin wrapped rags around four arrows. Then she pulled a jar of oil out of a saddlebag. She uncorked the jar to pour the oil on the rags. Lady Jin struck some flints together to get the arrows burning. "Now put a couple of arrows into the guard house, while I aim to hit one of the houses within the outer walls."
"Yes, mistress."
The four burning arrows flew. Bamboo and other wood caught fire. People shouted and screamed. A man opened the gate to run outside. He was almost crushed under hooves as Lady Jin and Nu's horses ran passed him. By the time they got into the courtyard there was servants and guards with buckets of water trying to put out the fire. The house was burning worse than the guardhouse. Lady Jin didn't think she could have hit anything to start a fire like that. Did I really do that? She looked at her right hand. It doesn't feel strange. Could it have...? I have no time for this.
Lady Jin recognized several of the guards as the men who rode with Black-hand.
"Black-hand!" Lady Jin shouted at them. "Where is Black-hand?"
The men turned from the fire. The pointed at her.
"Bitch!" Black-hand raced out of the burning house. "Is this your doing? I should have killed you before your new boyfriend showed up. Or was that old fart your father?"
"He is no concern of yours, Black-hand!" Lady Jin handed her bow and quiver to Nu. "All you should be worrying about is how much longer you have to live." Lady Jin drew her sword. Black-hand drew his sword with anger in his dark eyes.
Lady Jin slide off her horse. She handed her reins to Nu. She walked towards Black-hand like a hungry tiger. Black-hand charged with the angry of a bull rhino. When their swords clashed it sounded as if thunder and lightning had struck.
Lady Jin struck his shoulder with little effect, but she didn't stop. She struck his sword. Black-hand swung at Lady Jin with all his might. He seemed to wish to kill her, but every attack he gave, her sword was there to sto
p him.
"Damn you, bitch! You will die today!"
Lady Jin blocked his sword. She punched him in the nose. Nothing happened to his nose. He laughed. Their swords twirled about between the two warriors. Lady Jin retreated. She laughed and waved for him to follow her outside the gates. The guardhouse was no longer burning. The men nearby didn't help Black-hand. They merely watched.
Black-hand swung at her head. Lady Jin ducked. His blade cut into the wall. He yanked it free with a yell. He slashed at her, still yelling. She blocked his sword. She sliced across his eyebrow. He bled. He's bleeding. I cut him.
"I killed you many days ago. Far to the west, Black-hand!" Lady Jin stabbed at his stomach. "Today I will cut you down! This time I will cut off your head just to be sure!"
"I will not die!" Black-hand brought his sword down towards her hand. Once again her sword appeared to stop it.
Lady Jin's hand seemed to move faster than it had ever done before. I'm not sure if I'm controlling it or not. It seems to move of its own will.
"I can't die!" Black-hand shouted as they fought. "My master will not allow it! He gave me the pearl for my protection!"
"You're a fool if you think a demon is protecting you, Black-hand!" Lady Jin's sword circled around Black-hand's sword like it was seeking to mate. "He isn't protecting you. He is just using you. The same as he did to Su Mao before he took over his body."
Lady Jin turned in a circle as her sword still twirled around the other sword. With a downward push Black-hand's sword sank into the ground.
Instead of following up on the move, Lady Jin backed away. Black-hand tore his sword out of the earth. "Come, Black-hand. Let's finish this."
Black-hand screamed. He charged.
Lady Jin dodged. She hacked open his belly.
Black-hand turned. Still standing, he glared at her, his deep wound bleeding. Once again, he attacked. She stabbed deep into his wound. Lady Jin twisted her sword before yanking it out.
Black-hand dropped to his knees. His guts poured out of his belly. He tried to stand.
Lady Jin chopped off his head. She knelt on one knee. Her right hand glowed green a few seconds. Then it was gone. She looked around at the people watching. The fire was now out. The house would be safe now.
"He's dead!" Lady Jin shouted. "Does anyone have a problem with that?"
Silence.
"Good." Lady Jin walked over to the body. She found the necklace with a large pearl on it. She snatched it up. "Let's get out of here, Nu."
Chapter thirty-eight
Lady Jin and One-eyed Nu returned to the inn. They tend to their wounds and bathed. Afterwards in their room, Lady Jin held the pearl in her palm. She turned her hand. The pearl fell to the floor.
"What's wrong, mistress?"
"Hand me that rag over there."
Nu handed her teacher the rag. Lady Jin tossed the rag over the pearl necklace. She picked it up without touching either the pearl or the necklace.
"Nasty little thing," Lady Jin said. "You can't trust it."
With a change of clothes, Lady Jin and Nu went to the market. They wore clean riding clothes this time, and brought their horses. There they bought a peach sapling.
"Will it work this time?" Nu asked as rode out of Duan.
"I don't know, Nu," Lady Jin said. "It might happen again one day. Right now we have this demon stopped. So we do what we did before and hope it stays for centuries."
"Yes, mistress."
Again they rode through the broken gates of Su Mao's mansion. With shovels, Lady Jin and Nu took turns digging a hole. Lady Jin tossed the rag and all into the hole. She tossed some dirt over it. Lady Jin prayed to the goddess Xi Wang Mu, Queen Mother of the West.
They planted the sapling over where the pearl was buried. Lady Jin chanted some magic words over it. Lady Jin prayed again to the goddess. Nu joined her in prayer to Xi Wang Mu.
They got on their horses and rode away.
Feather’s Blades #7 will be out in Oct 2016.
Feather’s Blades #8 will be out in Dec. 2016.
Space Assassins will be out in Jan. 2017.
Mutiny on the Guinevere will be out in Feb. 2017.
Fall of the Airship Falcon will be out in March. 2017.
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Did you love all of those sword fighting movie classics as a kid? What ones did you see at the theater? Did you rent them? Did you buy them? How about the Samurai flicks? And all the movies you’ve seen since.
Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger
Clash of the Titans
Conan the Barbarian
Conan the Destroyer
Red Sonja
Jason and the Argonauts
The Beastmaster
Zorro
Star Wars (All of it!)
Seven Samurai
Yojimbo
Ran
Throne of Blood
13 Assassins
The Great Killing
Eleven Samurai
Samurai Assassin
One Armed Swordsman
Come Drink With Me
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
The Lord of the Rings
The Hobbit
Kill Bill
Mask of Zorro
Highlander
Not to mention all of those awesome tv shows both animation and live action.
Highlander the series
Hercules
Xena the Warrior Princess
Samurai Champloo
Bamboo Blade
Thundarr the Barbarian
Bleach
Game of Thrones
Let’s not forget all the great sword fighting books and stories that have been written.
The Three Musketeers
The Lord of the Rings
Robert Howard’s Conan and Kull stories
The Broken Sword
Fritz Leiber’s Fafhrd and Gray Mouser stories
The Chrystal Shard
The Shattered Chain
The Oathbound
I’m sure you can think of more and better classic tales of sword fighting. The book I have written is the first of many future adventures that Lady Jin and her apprentice One-eyed Nu will have in ancient China during the warring states period. Another book will come out in November 2016 called Evil Wizard Hao.
Check out my website:
garywfeatherauthor.com
Table of Contents
Contents
Title
Dedication
Copyright
Part one
Chapter one
Chapter two
Chapter three
Chapter four
Chapter five
Chapter six
Chapter seven
Chapter eight
Chapter nine
Part two
Chapter ten
Chapter eleven
Chapter twelve
Chapter thirteen
Chapter fourteen
Chapter fifteen
Chapter sixteen
Chapter seventeen
Chapter eighteen
Chapter nineteen
Part three
Chapter twenty
Chapter twenty-one
Chapter twenty-two
Chapter twenty-three
Chapter twenty-four
Chapter twenty-five
Chapter twenty-six
Chapter twenty-seven
Chapter twenty-eight
Part four
Chapter twenty-nine
Chapter thirty
Chapter thirty-one
Chapter thirty-two
Chapter thirty-three
Chapter thirty-four
Chapter thirty-five
/> Chapter thirty-six
Chapter thirty-seven
Chapter thirty-eight
Things to Come
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Author's Note
The Gory Pearl of Doom: A Lady Jin and One-eyed Nu novel Page 10