"Noooooo!" Hao shouted at the ceiling.
The floating image of an old man appeared over the box and he was laughing. Lady Jin recognized the same sulfur smell that she had noticed before.
"Oh! Is that you, Hao? You must have thought your journey to find my secret was over! Ha! Ha! Ha! It isn't. You have more to do if you want that power that was mine when I lived. Just because I am dead does not mean that I can't still torment you. Ha! Ha!"
"Noooooo!"
"Is that it?" Lady Jin said. "Is the journey to find it over?"
"No," Hao said. "Please, my wise old teacher, tell me what I must do. I beg you."
"You always did beg when you need something from me," the dead sorcerer said. "You still do, don't you? Ha! Ha!"
"Please!" Hao kowtowed several times before the dead sorcerer, until his forehead bled.
Lady Jin stepped back from the mad man. What truths does he expect from ghosts?
"If you look among the ruined shelves of rotten and torn writings you will find a turtle made of jade. Rub its shell and it will tell you where to go."
Hao dashed to the broken furniture in the room and shoved his way through them. He found the shelves and tossed around the moldy books of bamboo and silk that had deteriorated to look like mud and crap, but smelled worse.
"I found it!" Hao shouted and quickly rubbed it. He rubbed till his hand was raw, but he didn't stop to change hands.
The dead sorcerer looked at Lady Jin and said, "Why are you here?"
"What?" she replied.
"Why did you come here?" the dead sorcerer said. "Do you know?"
"No," Lady Jin said. "I-"
"Ha! Ha!" the dead sorcerer laughed. "He lies. His whole life has been a lie. Lies are all that he understands. Do you understand? Ha! Ha!"
Hao ran out of the dead sorcerer's home or tomb. Lady Jin watched and looked back at the ghost as it vanished. The scent of sulfur was gone too.
"Come on, Nu," she said. "Let's follow that crazed fool."
"Yes, mistress."
Lady Jin chased after Hao, with Nu behind her. He stopped by a building that had melted. He held the jade turtle up in front of him and pointed it at the building. The jade turtle had blood on it for Hao had rubbed it, until his hand bled.
"It's here! Here! Here!" Hao shouted.
Hao climbed into the building through a hole in its side. Lady Jin sighed and shook her head. She and her student followed him inside.
The floor inside the roofless building was full of mud and debris of all kinds. Hao ran about pushing and shoving at it all.
"It's here! So close! So close!" Hao screamed.
Lady Jin wondered if she should help, but decided against it. It smelled like rotted millet in the building and she tried to breathe through her mouth. She looked at Nu.
"I don't like this," Nu said. "I never liked or trusted him. That ghost is right. He lies."
"That's probably true," Lady Jin said. "He seems mad, but for some reason I feel that we must stay."
"Why?" Nu said.
"I don't know," Lady Jin said. "And that is what's worrying me."
Hao eventually found a trapped door in the floor and pulled it up. It must have been what he was searching for.
"There's stairs down there," Hao said and looked back at them. "Did you bring the torch that I gave you, Nu?"
"Yes," Nu said and pulled the torch out of her bag. One end of it was covered in flammable pitch. She handed it to Hao.
"Good," Hao said. He lit the torch with his wand and stepped down the opening in the floor.
"There's a tunnel down here," Hao said. "Come on down!"
Nu touched Lady Jin's arm. "Do we have to? I know we do, but I don't like it."
"I feel the same way," Lady Jin said. She decided to tough it out and breath through her nose. "Let's go."
Lady Jin checked the hole and saw a rope ladder from the light of Hao's torch. She sheathed her sword and put her knife's blade carefully into her mouth, so that she had easy access to a weapon as she climbed down. She sneezed just before she got to the dirt floor of the tunnel. It wasn't too far. If she had jumped she might not have even broke an ankle or maybe not. Maybe nine feet down. Still once she was down she found the tunnel to be small, causing her to squat a little as she took the knife out of her mouth. Nu soon joined her
"It's here! It's that way," Hao said. "I'm sure of it!"
Hao moved forward on his knees with the torch in his hands. Lady Jin and One-eyed Nu quickly followed him as if on a leash. Lady Jin was glad that she was wearing some old trousers rather than one of her silk dresses. She rubbed her nose and heard Nu sneeze. At least the smell of rotted millet is gone, Lady Jin thought.
They crawled by a few bones that were scattered in the dirt.
"Were those human?" Nu asked after they had gone a few feet past the bones.
Lady Jin took her knife out of her mouth and said, "Maybe. Someone might have tried to hide down here during the...chaos."
"They never came out?" Nu said. "Could their ghosts come after us?"
Lady Jin nodded her understanding of Nu's unease. An angry ghost was nothing to laugh at, for such ghosts could turn into demons.
"Maybe someone found them?" Hao said from up ahead, laughing. "Or some thing!"
"I don't like him," Nu whispered.
"I know," Lady Jin whispered back.
"I found another opening with a rope ladder," Hao shouted. "Maybe we can get out through it!"
Lady Jin found that she could stand up again once she reached where Hao was. There was indeed a ladder similar to the other one behind them and it looked like above their heads was an opening that was covered by a trap door or debris. Hao quickly climbed up it. Lady sighed and put her knife in her mouth again that still held the bitter taste of wild man blood on it. She grunted at Nu to follow her, and up the rope ladder she went.
#
Lady Jin found a clean place waiting for her much to her surprise. There was a large wooden door in one wall and that appeared to be the only exit, except for the trap door in the floor. The floor was covered by a soft white mat or something. She had never seen its like before and she reached down to touch. It felt like some kind of fur. There were also strange banners or flags nailed to the walls, emblazoned with images of animals like two headed rhinoceroses and winged goats, and with a strange kind of writing on them, or what she thought was writing.
"What is this...floor covering?" Lady Jin said.
"It's the hair of a great winged horse raised in the ancient cities of the far western islands," Hao said.
"It's softer than any horsehair that I've ever known," Lady Jin said. "I've never heard of winged horses before."
Nu went down on a knee and felt the fur too.
The door opened and a large white fox walked in. It stared at them intensely with blue eyes and those eyes were completely blue. No white, no black, but just clear blue that seemed to pierce Lady Jin's very soul. She could also smell sulfur and it was stronger than before. The fox hummed and a blue light covered it as it slowly morphed into a man. A man that was still covered in white fur and with the same clear blue eyes.
"Have you come looking for me and what I have?" the fox man said.
"Yes," Hao said. "I wish it! I want to have it! I need it!"
"Do they wish it?" the fox man said.
"What is it?" Lady Jin said. "I'm not sure why we came with him."
"Of course you don't" the fox man said. "He is controlling you and your student, Lady Jin."
"How do you know my name?" Lady Jin said.
"I saw it in your mind as I saw his desire in his mind," the fox man said. "My name is *****. You cannot say or understand my name. My people once ruled beneath the oceans, but now there are few of us and even fewer know of the olden times as I do."
"I will have it!" Hao shouted and raised the green wand like a short sword. He tried his magic again, but nothing happened. He jumped up and down, and tried again.
; "Your power," the fox man said. "I will not allow it to work here, but you may have that which you desire. I advise against it."
A golden wand appeared on the floor and Hao snatched it up, so that no other could have it. He held it greedily against his chest.
"Mine. Mine. Yes. Now." Hao mumbled.
The fox man looked at Lady Jin with sad look in his inhuman eyes.
"I am sorry, Lady Jin," the fox man said. "But once I send you three back, you and your student will once again be under his control."
"I understand that, sir," Lady Jin said with a polite bow that Nu quickly imitated. "What is it that you gave him and why?"
"Yes," Nu said. "He's been controlling us."
"It is an ancient and powerful magical being," the fox man said. "It isn't a device, which is what Hao believes, and he will not listen to my warnings. It will eventually feed on him and he will be dead just like the old wizard that tried to use it before-"
"The ghost?" Nu asked.
"No, Nu," the fox man "The old wizard is not a ghost. He tried to use the being and felled for it is a power that he did not understand. He is now trapped within a *********. I'm sorry that is another word that I can't translate for you. But once Hao does the same thing then you will be free. The problem is that others will try to steal it from him. Most of them will not be human. Good luck."
Chapter seven
A flash of dark blue light burned Lady Jin's eyes for a second and when it was gone she found herself back in the ruins of the old wizard's house again. The ghost or trapped man laughed at them. The strong scent of sulfur was gone, but the lighter scent that they had smelled earlier was back. It was the old sorcerer that was trapped, but not a ghost.
"Around and around you go! You left here and came back! Ha! Ha! I knew that you would. You are all trapped in a circle!
"I am not trapped you old fool," Hao held up the golden wand. "Look! It glows with a beauty...I can barely understand!"
"Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!" the old man replied.
"You will see!" Hao shouted. "You will see!"
"They are coming for you! Ha! Ha! They will feast on your bones and sinews! Ha! Ha!"
Lady Jin drew her sword and listened. What could be coming? More wild men -- or something worse?
"Whatever is coming we will deal with," Lady Jin said.
"Indeed!" Hao said. "You shall stop them. You 'will' protect me."
"Of course," Lady Jin said. "That's why we came.”
"Right," Nu said and drew her sword. "I still don't like you, but I will stop them."
"Good. My friends," Hao said, while stroking the gold wand as if it was his pet or beloved one.
"Ha! Ha! Ha!"
"Shut up!" Hao shouted.
"Uh, that was you laughing that time," Nu said. "Not the old wizard."
"What? Ha! Ha! No. Not me. No," Hao mumbled more to himself than to anyone else.
Four skeletons walked into the room. One of them stepped forward it was dressed in what once had been a fine yellow silk robe and Lady Jin figured it must be their leader for it walked forward with its head high and didn't have a weapon. The others wore old armor and carried spears. Two more skeletons walked into the room and these carried a sword and shield.
"That is mine, human!" The robed skeleton shouted. "I will have it! It is my birthright!"
"No! Mine! Mine," Hao shouted back.
"Ha! Ha! Ha!" this was all the old wizard seemed to be able to say.
The robed skeleton looked at Lady Jin. "Do not oppose me for I must have what is mine. I have searched for hundreds of years. I will have it."
"We will stop you if we can," Lady Jin said.
Lady Jin drew her knife and Nu did the same for she had taught her student how to fight with sword and knife for just such an emergency.
What are they? Lady Jin thought. Another sorcerer and his warriors.
The three spear-armed skeletons went after Lady Jin and she focused her thoughts on the fight in order to survive. She blocked the spear with her sword and stabbed the skeleton in the eye. It laughed at her and tried to spin its spear around, but she cut through an arm bone and the spear went flying harmlessly away. She kicked it in the chest and moved onto the other two.
That skeleton felt heavier than it should have, Lady Jin thought. They have no muscle or sinews to keep their bones together or to give them weight. A solid blow should break them to pieces, or at least knock them aside, but some sort of magic makes them as solid as when they were alive. Will we be able to kill them?
The other two spear-armed skeletons got up and charged Lady Jin at once, but she rolled away from them. As she got up one of these two skeletons came at her with its spear, she knocked the spearhead aside and kicked out at its knee.
Snap! The bone broke and the skeleton fell down with a feminine sounding scream. Lady Jin stomped on its or her lower jaw and it broke off with a vicious crack. She blocked a spear thrust with her knife as the other two spear-armed skeletons came after her again.
Lady Jin leaped over a broken table and kicked it at one of skeletons. She went after the other one and knocked its spear tip aside in order to get close and thus out of its range. She shoved a knife in its eye and as it laughed she sweep her foot under it while pushing with the knife. It went down and she stomped its head. Another spear-armed skeleton tried to stab her in the back, but she turned and took off its head with a swift spin. Then as it was trying to get up she beheaded the skeleton that she had just stomped on.
Lady Jin turned to look at Nu's progress and found that she was just finishing up on her skeletons. One was beheaded and the other missing its pelvis and legs.
"Damn you!" the robed skeleton shouted. "Don't think that we'll be the last! Others will come!"
"I don't care!" Hao shouted back from the floor where he rocked back and forth as he hugged the golden wand to his chest. "It's mine!"
The robed skeleton left with only three skeletons; the first was crawling with only its upper body left; the second was hopping along minus its lower jaw and its left leg; the third was mostly fine.
"We did it, mistress!" Nu shouted and cheered.
"Yes, we did," Lady Jin said. "But more will be coming. We'll need to get ready. Gather up the weapons and armor that was left behind."
"Yes, mistress," Nu said, smiling.
The two women went about gathering up the weapons and armor that had been left behind or was on the dead skeletons. Then they started planning on how to fight and the best places to make a strong defense against powerful and/or numerous attackers. All the while Hao sat on the floor mumbling to himself.
Why do I still want to help him? Lady Jin thought for a second, but the thought fell away from her mind.
"Do you think these could be thrown very well?" Nu said, testing the weight and balance of one of the skeleton warriors' spears. "They're not real long, like a war spear."
Nu was referring to the long spears used by infantry on the battlefield as opposed to the short spears used in combination with shields and popular with civilians.
"Perhaps, in these tunnels," Lady Jin replied. "I think we might throw a single volley at them and then fight hand to hand with the remaining two spears."
"Yes, mistress," Nu said.
The two women sat down and ate some dried fruit and bread that they had brought with them for rations. Nu had a helmet on with bits of armor roughly tied on here and there. Lady Jin had done the same.
"Maybe we could build a trap of some kind," Lady Jin said. "If we had the time."
Nu took a drink of water from the deer bladder that they used for a water container. "And if we had some 'help'," Nu said, while glaring at Hao. Hao continued to mumble to himself as he clutched the golden wand tighter.
A naked silver-skinned woman walked into the room, surrounded by tigers that rubbed against her and purred like kittens. She pointed at them and spoke in a man's deep voice, "Give me the golden wand of Osiris!"
"No," Hao shouted. "Mine! Mine! For
ever mine!"
"Then die, fool!" the manly voiced woman shouted. "Attack!"
The tigers snarled in unison as if they were all one animal and attacked. Lady Jin and Nu had already had their spears ready to throw and they did. One spear hit a tiger right in the eye and it fell to the side shaking its head. Another spear hit a tiger in the chest and she dodged as its momentum sent it passed her. The other tigers still obeyed their mistress or master.
"Kill them!" the silver-skinned woman shouted.
Lady Jin picked up her other spear in time to shove it into the tiger's throat that got near her.
Lady Jin spit out some blood and pulled the spear free and fell back beside Nu, and watched the angry surviving tigers snarl at them. One tried to move around Lady Jin's side to get behind her, but she didn't fall for the feint. The tiger went back to the others and another tiger tried to test Nu in the same way. Nu made the youthful mistake of losing her patients and throwing her spear into the tiger. The tiger went down, but another one took its place and charged Nu before she got her sword out. Nu went down, but Lady Jin killed the tiger with her spear. Another tiger attacked and Lady Jin struck it in the eye with the spear's butt as she pulled it free of the dead tiger. She spun the spear around and slashed the tiger's nose. The tiger meowed like a kitten and shrunk to the size of a three month old kitten. It ran back to the silver skinned woman and jumped into her arms.
"Bastards!" she shouted and ran off with her kitten.
"Yes! You run!" Nu shouted and looked around from where she sat on the floor. "Where did the dead tigers go?"
"Magic," Lady Jin said. "This is all about damn cursed magic!"
"Mine! Mine! Mine! Forever Mine! Mine!"
"Shut up!" Lady Jin yelled at crazy Hao. "He's just getting worse."
"Why are we fighting to protect him?" Nu said.
"Do you want to leave him?" Lady Jin said.
"No," Nu said.
"Why?" Lady Jin said.
"I don't know --"
"There is something that I remember being told about Hao," Lady Jin said. She sounded like she was straining as she said it. "I don't remember it. Do you?"
Evil Wizard Hao: A Lady Jin and One-eyed Nu novel Page 4
