The Tiger and the Demon (Wandering Phoenix and Roaming Tiger Episode 3)
Page 4
In a few moments, every bandit’s spirit had fled the fort. Half were dead and half had run away through the open northern gate.
Wu thrust an axe at the gate. “Onwards, men! We’ll round up every last one of them for execution!” The crack troops cheered and pursued the retreating enemy. “Blood brother, Steel Shadow, please come with me. Roaming Tiger, would you and your apprentice stay here with a few men to bind the surviving bandits and free any of the Scarecrow King’s prisoners?”
“Of course,” Guan Shi answered.
“I want to fight,” Liu protested.
Roaming Tiger rolled his eyes, and waved his staff at the sea of corpses in which they stood. “And you have. No arguing. Go on, Wu, we’ll see you in the evening.”
Wu led off most of the men, leaving behind Wandering Phoenix with her teacher.
“This is rubbish,” Liu said. “We should be out there, hunting down bandits, not searching for villagers the Scarecrow King captured.”
“Only yesterday we were discussing rescuing your brother. If there are captives here, they might have sisters who would love to see them again.”
Liu sighed. “Maybe. I’m going to climb the tower and enjoy the view. I’ll play hunt-the-villager afterwards.”
Wandering Phoenix strolled into the tower and climbed the steep steps within. By the time she reached the top her knees welcomed the rest. She found a man on the tower’s summit, sitting as if meditating. He had a thick bushy beard and wore a sackcloth mask over his face.
“I was hoping to sate my appetite on that wretch Wu Jin, but I suppose you’ll do for an appetiser,” he said, getting to his feet and picking up his halberd.
“You’re the Scarecrow King?” Liu asked. “You look more like the Sackhead Coward to me. Covering up spots and pox scars, or are you just ugly as a rotting warthog?”
The Scarecrow King gave his halberd a few practice swings. “You think that because you’re a fool. I recognised the mien of the warriors Wu Jin had assembled the moment they attacked. I’m skilled, but I can’t beat five heroes and fifty crack troops alone. But a handful of soldiers and the likes of you? Now Wu Jin has led most of his men away, I’ll escape and build myself a new fort elsewhere. The only dilemma I face is whether to cut your pretty head off or simply slice you in two.”
Liu answered by thrusting her staff at his face. The Scarecrow King sidestepped, grabbed her staff and yanked it forward. Liu was pulled off balance, and wrenched forward. His halberd swung at her ribs, and she let go of her staff, rolling aside. The air of the halberd’s swipe tickled Liu’s neck.
The Scarecrow King spread his arms wide and laughed. “Little girl, playing with men’s toys. Come here and kiss my halberd!”
Liu pulled free her dagger and threw it at his head. The Scarecrow King swatted it aside, and as he did so she leapt upon his back, sinking her teeth into his neck. He grabbed her by the hair and threw her over his shoulder. Liu’s head and back smashed into the stone floor. Wandering Phoenix’s legs twitched without feeling, trying to sit up made lightning arc through her spine.
“Vicious bitch,” the Scarecrow King said, strolling towards her. “I know how to stop you being such a wild animal.”
The bandit chieftain stood over Wandering Phoenix and raised his halberd like an executioner. Liu kept her eyes fixed on his, and spat when he smiled.
A quarterstaff flew through the air and struck the Scarecrow King in the face. He staggered backwards, and Roaming Tiger emerged from the stairs.
“I know you, murderer,” the Scarecrow King growled. “The wanted posters were all over Tiangjin when I lived there. You have a reputation for weakness, Guan Shi. Everybody knows you don’t have the guts to kill another man.”
Guan Shi retrieved Liu’s quarterstaff and beckoned for his enemy to attack.
The Scarecrow King swung his halberd in a blow powerful enough to disembowel an ox. Roaming Tiger leapt aside and smashed his staff into his adversary’s ankle. The bandit lord hobbled backwards, halberd slicing the air. Guan Shi ducked and sidestepped, for the Scarecrow King it was like trying to punch the wind. Angrier and angrier the outlaw became, his blows wilder and wilder, until Roaming Tiger smacked him just above the elbow. Feeling fled the Scarecrow King’s arm, Guan Shi plucked the halberd from his grasp and threw it over the battlements.
“Wu Jin will execute you for crimes against the soldiers, people and travellers of the province,” Roaming Tiger said, pointing his staff at his adversary. “Surrender, and be bound.”
The brigand roared with rage and leapt upon Guan Shi, wrenching the staff free and throwing it away. Liu could only watch as her mentor grappled with the skilful outlaw upon the tower’s summit. The Scarecrow King was fast and strong, but Guan Shi had decades of experience. His elbow slammed into his foe’s head, his knee was buried in his adversary’s stomach. Roaming Tiger dragged his half-conscious enemy to the edge of the tower, grabbed him by the throat and dangled him over the edge.
“How badly wounded are you?” Guan asked.
Liu struggled to stand, her legs still half-numb and neck painful. “I don’t think anything’s broken. My neck hurts, but I’ll be fine.”
Roaming Tiger smiled at the gurgling Scarecrow King. “That’s more than can be said for the likes of you.”
Will Wandering Phoenix find her brother? Can the Purple Demon survive his exile?
Read on, if you would know.
Acknowledgements
Thank you for buying this part of Wandering Phoenix and Roaming Tiger. I had huge fun writing about Liu Shanshan and Guan Shi’s adventures, and, if you liked reading them, please do review, share and so forth, as that’ll be a huge help.
I’d also like to thank the excellent Jamie Glover, who did the fantastic cover art for the serial. Writing’s largely a solitary profession, but the cover is a critical aspect, and having someone both talented and quick to handle the cover was a great help.
About the author
Thaddeus White is a British writer of many stories. As well as the Wandering Phoenix and Roaming Tiger serial, he has written a number of fantasy books, most recently Kingdom Asunder.
He has also contributed to several anthologies, most recently Journeys, and written many short stories for Kraxon magazine.
Later this year he plans to release Traitor’s Prize (the sequel to Kingdom Asunder), and continue the Wandering Phoenix and Roaming Tiger serial.
When not writing, or doing artwork, he relaxes reading classical and medieval history, fantasy and sci-fi, and watching/betting on F1, which usually goes about as well as Lord Ximen’s invitation to Liu Shanshan at the end of part 1.
Also by Thaddeus White
Bane of Souls
Journey to Altmortis
Kingdom Asunder (The Bloody Crown Trilogy – Volume One)
The Adventures of Sir Edric (comedy)
Forthcoming
Traitor’s Prize (The Bloody Crown Trilogy – Volume Two)
Crown of Blood (The Bloody Crown Trilogy – Volume Three)
Sir Edric’s Kingdom
Sir Edric and the Plague