by G R Matthews
Gang came to a halt, and stared out across the valley towards the setting sun. “I hate hills.”
“The exercise will do you good,” Liu said.
“But all that climbing, and the tracks are never straight.”
“Is it a family condition?”
“What?” Gang turned a puzzled gaze on his smaller friend.
“This need to moan and whine about everything. Or does it just give you something to say?”
“There are times when you are not a pleasant…”
“Masters. Masters.” The high pitched female voice cut off Gang’s last words. “You must come quickly. There has been a terrible accident. Come quick.”
They turned from their contemplation of the distant hills to see one of the chief's servants, a middle aged lady with a nervous look, hurrying down the road on sandaled feet. She was waving at them both, beckoning them towards her.
"Good lady," Liu said, "what has happened?"
"Come quick, please. The Chief needs you. Something terrible has happened." She flapped her arms as she approached and kept glancing over her shoulder towards the chief's house.
"What has happened?" Liu tried again.
"The poor miss," the servant said, eyes wide and flooded with worry.
"What's happened to her?" Gang grabbed the servant’s arm which only served to increase the woman's level of panic. She started babbling and broke down into heaving sobs accompanied by a rainstorm of tears.
"Let's go to the house," Liu said. "We'll get more sense up there."
Gang released the terrified woman with a snort of disgust and stomped up the path towards the chief's house. Liu trailed behind, the servant following further back.
He did not stop to knock but barged through the door, into the house and looked around. The servants took one look at his face and vanished through the doors to other parts of the house, suddenly remembering an important task they hadn't yet finished. With no one in sight, Gang rushed up the stairs to the chief's room.
Slamming open the door he said, "What's happened?"
The chief was sat on his bed. His eyes were haunted and he moved as though the weight of the world was dragging him backwards.
“She’s gone,” he mumbled.
“What? Who?” Gang stomped over the village chief, put his hands under the other man’s armpits and lifted him to his feet. “You’re the Chief of the village, man. Stand up, take charge and tell me what’s going on.”
The older man slumped back to the bed, his legs unable to hold his weight, and raised his hand to clasp the wound in his shoulder. To his small credit, Gang thought, the man didn’t lay down. Clearly, the chief wanted to be up and about, to be doing something, but did not know what.
“She’s gone,” the chief mumbled again.
“Who’s gone? Speak up.”
“Nuan,” the chief mumbled.
“She’s gone?” Gang felt his heart stop and his stomach drop through the floor. “How? Where?”
“Gang?” Liu’s soft, calm voice came from the open doorway.
“The chief’s daughter’s gone,” Gang said.
“Where?”
“I don’t know, he hasn’t told me yet.” Gang squatted down in front of the broken man. “Tell me what’s happened.”
“She,” the chief began, “she went down to feed the outlaw.”
“And?” Gang pushed.
“Now she’s gone,” the chief said.
“Dead?” Gang said.
“Gang,” Liu admonished.
“We don’t have time for being nice, Liu. We need to know. If she isn’t dead, there is something we can do. If she is, we’ve got even more reason to fight.” The large man turned his attention back to the chief, reaching out a meaty hand and resting it softly on the other man’s uninjured shoulder. A tender gesture at odds with his bloodthirsty and bombastic personality. He did not need to turn to know Liu was shaking his head. “Where is she?”
“My servant found the bowl of food on the floor in the cellar. The outlaw was gone and so was,” he went silent for a moment, “Nuan.”
“The outlaw took her,” Liu said.
“Then there is a chance she isn’t dead,” Gang stated. “We’ll get her back.”
He waited, expecting Liu to correct him or tell him off for promising something he couldn’t guarantee, but the other man stayed silent.
The chief looked up into Gang’s eyes, hope flaring in them. “You can?”
“He’ll have taken her to the camp,” Gang said.
“I’ll find us a guide,” Liu said. “There’ll be someone in the village who knows the way. You gather up our stuff.”
Gang heard Liu’s soft footsteps fade away and the creak of the stairs as the man descended. All the while he stared into the Chief’s eyes. “We’ll get her back. I promise you.”
Gang turned his back on the wounded chief, hearing the first sob wrenched from the broken man as he closed the door. He paused, thick hands clenching at his side, and took a deep breath, pushing away the worry and finding his centre. Calm descended upon him and his smile found its way back to his face. Taking action was always better than worrying. Reflex was better than thought. This had always been his way. It was comfortable and comforting.
The stairs creaked under his weight and the door leading outside was open. He grabbed their packs as he passed and stepping out into the late evening air gifted a sense of freedom. The stars were beginning to rise and the moon was climbing over the horizon.
“Gang,” Liu’s soft voice carried up the slope to his ears.
“Found someone?” he replied.
“There’s an old rice farmer waiting for us at the bottom of the road. He says he knows the path up,” Liu said.
“And he’ll show us the way?” Gang said, handing Liu’s pack and axes across to the smaller man.
“He will lead us to the bottom of the path,” Liu said, shrugging the pack onto his back and settling the twin axes through his belt loops. “He can’t take us all the way, but he reckons it is passable.”
“He can’t take us all the way up?” Gang hefted his hammer, settling the heavy, studded ball on his shoulder.
“Too dark,” Liu said and smiled, “and he’s too old. Say’s his old bones need to be in bed, not traipsing around the countryside in the dark.”
“Fair point,” Gang said with a sigh.
Gang followed the smaller man down the road. The village streets were empty and the flickers of fire and candlelight from the homes were complemented by the sounds of soft laughter, murmured conversations and a few gentle snores from those worn out from the day’s hard labour.
“That’s him,” Liu said, gesturing towards the elderly man at the base of the road.
“Hey,” Gang called.
“Ssssh,” Liu whispered. “People are trying to sleep.”
“Way too early to sleep,” Gang said. “I am hungry though. Did you bring anything to eat?”
“Later,” Liu said. “His name is Li Jun and he used to farm some of the terraces further up the mountain.”
“I can talk for myself,” the old farmer said.
“Of course, Li Jun,” Liu said in a calm tone. “My apologies.”
“I used to farm up the mountain,” Li Jun said in a dry voice that rustled at the edges. “Had quite a few paddies up there and a buffalo of my own. I was a rich man back then. My family have squandered it all. Never have children,” he gave Gang a hard look, “they’ll waste your money and complain about it as they do so. Ungrateful. That’s all they are. No thanks for raising them, feeding them, giving them a roof over their head.”
“Good advice,” Gang smiled, clapping the old man on the shoulder, feeling only skin and sharp bones below the robe. “Can you show us the track?”
“Of course I can, you overgrown fool,” Li Jun snapped. “Just told you I used to farm up there. Haven’t lost my memory yet. Money’s all gone and the children have moved away. Went looking for more money when th
ey’d spent all mine. But the memory, that’s still good. What you still standing there for? Come on. I want to get to bed. No clouds. Going to be cold tonight.”
Li Jun set a brisk pace down onto the valley floor, stepping lightly across the stones in the small river, where Gang rumbled through causing water to splash and soak his robe. The old man carried a walking stick but did not use it.
“At least you’re getting a wash,” Liu laughed as he followed in the older man’s footsteps.
“I’m not trusting those tiny stones,” Gang pointed the ones below Liu’s feet. “One twist or a turn and I’d tumble into the water. Maybe break an ankle. A little water won’t hurt me.”
“Might do something about the smell too,” Li Jun’s voice floated back to them.
“I don’t stink,” Gang protested.
“There is a certain smell you carry about,” Liu added. “Like a shadow, it is always there, downwind.”
“Scent of a man,” Gang explained. “Can we get a move on?”
“Of course, Honoured Gang,” Liu laughed as Gang emerged from the stream.
“Track’s a little way up the valley. Not more than an hour’s walking,” Li Jun said, stepping across the rounded pebbles and fine silt that made up the river’s bank.
“An hour?” Gang complained.
“We are going to find Nuan, Gang,” Liu reminded him.
“We’d best keep an eye out for tracks too,” Gang said and began peering at the ground. “Can’t see a thing.”
“It is a little dark,” Liu said. “It doesn’t matter. That outlaw will be taking her to their camp. With the brother and sister in his custody the outlaw leader will be able to the force the chief to do anything he wants.”
“And what will he do to her?” Gang growled. “Outlaws have no honour or respect for women, Liu.”
“Something we’ve seen too often. Perhaps it is best if we get a move on,” Liu said, resting a hand on the haft of an axe.
They followed Li Jun along the river bank, the uneven ground tiring to traverse and came upon a smaller tributary. It fed the slightly larger stream with more water from the hills and had cut a narrow valley down the mountainside.
“We turn here,” Li Jun said. “Not far now. A bit further on the valley widens and the track is on the left slope. It’s easy to miss, especially in the dark, but if you notice the left bank rise into a sharp cliff you’ve gone too far.”
“You’re not coming?” Liu asked.
“You won’t need me to find the track. Stick to the left bank and look for the cliff,” Li Jun replied.
“Come and show us,” Gang said.
Li Jun shook his head. “No. I am old. It is late and I need my bed.”
“Tell the chief we’ve gone after his son and daughter,” Gang said.
“Beware of the Dragon,” Li Jun said.
“Is there really a dragon up there?” Gang peered into the gloom.
“I’ve no idea,” Li Jun answered. “There are strange noises that come down from the hills sometimes. Roars and rumbles. I’ve seen flashes of light in the high peaks sometimes.”
“But a dragon?” Liu said. “I’ve travelled a lot of the empire and never seen one.”
“They don’t exist,” Gang grumbled.
“Something is up there,” Li Jun said.
“Nuan and her brother,” Gang said.
“And a lot of outlaws,” Liu added.
“Good luck.” Li Jun waved his walking stick at them and turned back down the valley towards the village.
Gang watched the old man totter over the ground for a moment before turning to Liu. “I’m hungry.”
“You’re always hungry,” Liu smiled. “We’ve got a climb ahead of us. I’m not happy doing this in the dark, but if we can get close the camp, we can scout about and then rest while we work out a plan.”
“Plan?” Gang said, his eyebrows rising. “That’s easy. Find the camp, challenge the chief, kill all the outlaws, and rescue Nuan and her brother.”
“It has its simplicity to recommend it. However, what is to stop the outlaw killing Nuan, or threatening to, when you issue the challenge? Or, what if there is something to this dragon story? You’re no Jiin-Wei or Wu, let alone a Fang-Shii. Killing the dragons of the myths and stories would not be an easy feat,” Liu said with a smile.
“If I can hit it, I can kill it.” Gang patted the head of his hammer. “And I can hit anything that gets in front of me.”
“Let’s get up the mountain and have a look at what we face.”
The first section of the trail was wet and soggy. The small stream had flooded in the last rain and the ground, caught in the shadow of two mountains, had yet to dry out. They squelched and tramped their way through it. Liu in silence. Gang muttering swear words with every step. A short while later, as the moon continued its journey through the celestial heavens, the valley widened enough that they could find dry, solid ground to walk over.
“There,” Liu whispered, pointing into the star lit gloom. “There’s a small track over there.”
“Where?” Gang grumbled. “Can’t see a damn thing.”
“Follow me,” Liu said.
“Where are you? Who said that?” Gang looked around, purposefully avoiding Liu’s exasperated expression.
“Funny,” Liu whispered. “They might have guards and lookouts, you realise?”
“Good. I could do with a nice fight to warm me up.”
“Follow me, you fat fool,” Liu said.
“Fat? I’ll have you know a belly this large doesn’t come cheap,” Gang argued, insulted. “It cost me a small fortune and a lot of years.”
“Then you won’t be hungry while we climb, will you? You can eat the memory of all the meals that passed your lips through those years.” Liu started off towards the promised track.
“You’re a cruel man sometimes, Liu. Got a tongue sharper than any woman’s,” Gang muttered as he began to follow.
The slope steepened but the terrain eased. The track was not used often, it seemed, but there was a small path, the width of his shoulders wide, of compacted mud with the occasional tuft of vegetation battling through to trip the tired or unwary.
Gang fixed his gaze on Liu’s back and trudged upward. The path turned back on itself a number of times before the grass gave way to low shrubs and to the tall spindly trunks of a bamboo forest. The fronds spread at the top, out of reach, and cut off more of the starlight. Looking up, Gang frowned. Nights like this were made for a few bottles of rice wine, a large meal and falling into a comfortable bed, preferably in the company of a young lady whose virtue was for sale. He shivered and pulled his robe about him. Liu’s multiple layers of clothes would keep the thin man warm. All Gang had to rely on were layers of flesh and the boasts about his ability to withstand the elements. He walked on.
“There’s a light ahead,” Liu whispered, stopping and pointing up the trail. Gang followed the line of Liu’s finger and in the grainy haze of near-midnight caught the flicker of flames.
“How far from the camp are we?” Gang asked.
“I’ve no idea, Gang,” Liu replied. “The flame could be from a guard’s camp or a lookout.”
“Or a farmer? One of the goat-herds?”
“I think we are little far up for the goat herders,” Liu said. “The grassland is below us.”
“Goats eat anything and I’d bet this forest gives way to grass again later on,” Gang replied. “A lot of the mountains in this province have plateaus. Some small and some large.”
Liu stayed quiet for a moment and Gang shuffled from one foot to the other. “You’ve been here before,” Liu finally said.
“Not here,” Gang replied. “But I spent some time in a town a few days to the south. Might have been five or six years ago now.”
“What do you want to do about the lookout?”
“Kill him and see if he has any food,” Gang said.
“Question him first,” Liu suggested. “We need information.”
“You can’t eat information,” Gang said with the whisper of a chuckle.
“Come on,” Liu said, drawing the two axes from his belt. “Let’s see how many there are.”
Gang did his best to match Liu’s quiet steps, but few moved with the lithe grace of the axe wielding master. A Heavy hammer, a joyous heart and, he conceded, a rounder than average belly did not make a stealthy approach the easiest thing to accomplish. The bamboo stalks rose straight and branchless towards the sky and fallen leaves had turned to mulch which helped to deaden his otherwise solid tread.
“Three of them,” Liu whispered, lowering himself to the ground.
“Let’s rush them,” Gang said.
“Which will make a lot of noise. There may be others about.”
“Then we kill them too,” Gang answered.
“I’d like one alive to question, Gang. Maybe we can find out if Nuan was brought through here.”
“Where else?”
“I don’t know. That’s what I’d like to discover. Also, we might be able to find out what this dragon really is,” Liu said. “I’ll go round to the left. You creep up this way. They’ve been staring at that fire for a while; their night-vision will be next to useless.”
“It is not their eyes I am worried about,” Gang mumbled.
“I’ll go in first, you come rushing in when their attention is on me. You can be quite intimidating when you try. Just try not to make too much noise,” Liu said, slipping off into the dark of the bamboo forest. Within a few steps the small man had vanished into the moon shadows.
“Great,” Gang sighed. He stood, hefted his hammer and tried to creep closer. The small fire the group of three had going was enough to light the clearing they had camped in. Each man had a Dao, a long sabre, propped against their legs as they sat close to the flame trying to drink in its meagre heat. Bed rolls hinted that they intended to stay for a while and from the tiny pot that hung over the fire the smell of burnt meat wafted to Gang’s nose. His belly rumbled.
Liu erupted from the bamboo in a flutter of robes and the whisper of an axe. The guard closest fell forward, limp and boneless, before anyone could react.
Gang leapt to his feet and charged, dodging around the bamboo stalks with a fluidity that belied his bulk, and crashed into the back of the next guard. The man had been reaching for his Dao which now fell from a hammer shattered arm. The guard opened his mouth to scream and Gang’s reverse sweep blasted all the air from his lungs. The lookout flew backwards, clattered against the bamboo and collapsed to the floor.