by J C Kang
Somewhere in the distance, excited shouts cut through the din of carousing men.
Jie hopped down and ran, using her ears and nose. Hopefully, she could reach Tian before the guards.
Chapter 7
Heaving for breath, Tian hunched over not far from the gates to the Peony Garden. Shorter than every other visitor to the Floating World, he’d zigged and zagged between the men. In the red glow, he’d lost the guards chasing him.
For the time being.
And, there was no sign of Jie.
Even now, his pursuers’ loud voices demanded to know if anyone had seen a pants-less boy in a dark gentleman’s robe.
His heart raced as he pictured the men in his mind. They’d all worn not the dark blue uniforms of the city watch, but the red livery of the Peony Garden. They’d drawn weapons, which meant they weren’t simply trying to return him to Old Feng.
Whatever their intentions, they were looking for a pants-less boy. He needed to change clothes.
He ran into an alley between the Peony Garden and a fox shrine… and skidded to a stop.
A shadowed figure stood at the far end.
He started to back away, but back on the main street, his pursuers’ voices grew louder.
“Tian.” The figure hurried over.
Little Yuna’s voice.
He blew out a bated breath and ran to meet her.
She’d since changed out of her simple dress, and now wore a robe and sash similar to the girls serving in the imperial palace. It exposed more of her neck.
Tian said, “I’m being—”
“Chased. Yes, I know. Eldest Sister told me.” She flicked a finger at him. “Take off your clothes.”
He gawked at her. He’d meant to change clothes, but… “What am I supposed to wear?”
“I wore a gown a little too large for me. It will be tight on you.” She reached behind her and untied her sash, then opened the flap of her dress.
Oh, Heavens, this wasn’t right. A gentleman shouldn’t peek at a naked woman. And Yuna was only eight! Tian spun around. And he wouldn’t be caught dead in girl’s clothes.
“Don’t be a baby. Just give me your robe.”
He peeked over his shoulder.
Hand proffering the gown, she wore nothing but an undergarment over her groin, and her scowl showed zero sign of embarrassment. She yanked the cord binding his topknot, causing his hair to tumble down to his shoulders. “Turn around. Take it.”
He turned around, but kept his gaze fixed on her forehead. His hand swatted empty air a few times before it found the proffered dress.
“Hurry up.”
“What?”
“Your clothes! Give them to me.”
Out on the street, the voices of his pursuers grew louder. With his other hand, he spun his finger in a circle. “Can you turn around?”
“You are a baby.” She snorted. “You’ll need to get used to seeing and being naked in the clan.”
He swallowed hard. No sooner did he pull the gentleman’s robe over his head than she snatched it and squirmed into it. It was much too big for her, but when she shook out her hair, then bound it in a boy’s top knot, she might pass for him in the dim red lights of the Floating World.
She cleared her throat. When she spoke, her voice sounded suspiciously like his. “Hurry up and put it on.”
“How did you do that? With your voice?”
“It’s our clan’s Mockingbird’s Deception.” This time, her voice sounded even more like his, down to his broken sentences. “You’ll learn it. If you’re smart enough. Now put on the dress.”
He swallowed hard again. If his robe were too large for her, her gown would make him look even more ridiculous. Thankfully, the hanging sleeves made it easy to slip his arms in, and though it squeezed his shoulder blades together, it was still manageable. The skirts, which would brush the floor on her, exposed his ankles, as well as his shoes—and there was no way he’d fit into Yuna’s to complete the disguise. “I—“
“Shhh!” Finger over her lips, she cocked her head and turned an ear down the alley toward the street. He looked in that direction.
Three of his pursuers hurried past the opening to the alley, and their questioning voices faded in the distance.
She blew out a breath. “They wouldn’t imagine you’d come back here. Was it good thinking, or just dumb luck that you did?”
“I—”
She held up a staying hand. With mesmerizingly deft fingers, she twisted, pulled, and braided his hair. A pouch, which appeared in her hands from out of nowhere, contained a brush, sticks, and powder. She attacked his face with the tools, and then stood back and looked.
“Well?” he ventured. “What do I look like?”
“It’s hard to tell in the dark, but I’m good with quick makeup jobs.”
He started to reach for his cheek, when she slapped his hand.
“Don’t touch.” Her eyes roved over him.
He covered his exposed neck.
“The dress makes you look fat.” She snorted. “And let’s face it, you probably had a few extra jin to begin with.”
Heat rushed to his cheeks, which seemed even hotter for all the powdery stuff she’d applied to his face.
“Now, head back to the theater. Old Feng will keep you safe until Eldest Sister comes. Follow me to the end of the alley, and imitate the way I walk.” She walked toward the back, small hips swaying a few degrees as she crossed one leg over the other. Her carriage remained upright, chin straight.
It looked elegant, but… “Wen walks better.”
“She has hips, and has been doing it longer. Now, you try.”
How hard could it be? He strutted toward the rear alley, crossing one leg over the other, just as Yuna had done, and turned around.
“You look like a pigeon who’s just won a game of chess. This is hopeless.” She threw her hands up. “But time is running out.”
“What do we do?”
She pointed to the back alley. “Stick to the alleys. Return to the theater and stay with Old Feng. I’m going to draw your pursuers in the opposite direction.” With a quick bob of her head, she headed toward the main street.
The layout of the Floating World, as if looking down on it from above, appeared in his imagination. He could stick to the northernmost alley for several blocks before turning south. He crept down the path, his mind’s eye registering the back of shrines, gambling dens, and mansions. He paused at each intersection, waiting until the flow of people subsided, then channeled his inner Wen to cross with as much grace as possible. Given that the north-south roads dead-ended at the lake here, not many people passed, and everything had proceeded well up to the fifth intersection. One more block and he’d turn south along the moat.
“Look at that one!” a man dressed in gentleman’s robes, standing down the street at the next intersection, pointed at Tian.
His equally wealthy-looking companion nudged him. “Quiet. It’s just a Seedling. Mess with them, and every Floating World Enforcer will come and castrate you.”
“Seedlings aren’t out at this hour, and this one walks less like a Floating World Blossom, and more like a Trench Whore.”
That word. Men used it, usually when saying mean things about girls. Tian’s stomach twisted.
The man’s stride lengthened as he approached. “They start young in the Trench, and I’m craving something plump tonight.”
Tian’s heart pounded. They’d mistaken him for a real girl, and nobody else was around.
The second hurried to catch up. “A whore from the Trench wouldn’t come looking for business in the Floating World. Leave her alone.”
The first brushed him off. “Hey little girl, aren’t you too young to be out all alone at this hour?”
Tian avoided eye contact. They might be grown-ups, but they were still just merchants. As a Great Lord’s son, he’d trained in fighting arts since as soon as he could walk, so he might be able to fight them off. Still, there was always t
he risk of injury, and Princess Kaiya never approved of violence. That left fleeing as the better option.
He gauged the distances. If he ran, he could reach the alley and then turn into a corridor between the buildings; but if they caught him there, no one else would be around. The other choice would be to run past them, and hope to get the attention of other revelers.
There’d been news of a murderer roaming the Trench preying on lone girls. The Floating World wasn’t too far from the Trench, and right now, Tian looked like a lone girl. He ran toward the men, who froze with looks of surprise.
“What’s she doing?” The first asked.
Tian dashed around him. He’d made it! He—
A yank on the dress sleeve bared his shoulder and jerked him back. His feet tangled up in the skirts, and he stumbled to the ground.
The first leered at him. “Where are you going, little girl?”
“Leave her alone, you’re going to get us in trouble.” The other’s eyes darted back and forth.
“She just tripped. Right, little girl?”
The way he looked at Tian made him feel dirty and insignificant. He cast his eyes down.
Two arms hooked under his, hands lingering over his chest, and lifted him to his feet.
“There you go, all good,” the first said. “Now, which House do you belong to? I can escort you there.”
Tian started to speak, but then closed his mouth. His voice, while still not deep like his brothers, didn’t sound like a girl’s. Looking at the ground, he shook his head.
“So demure!” the man lifted Tian’s chin.
“Wait.” The second leaned in and scrutinized Tian’s face. “He’s a boy.”
The first’s hand jerked back. “What?”
“Look.”
The first’s eyes roved over him. His face puckered up like a dried date. “Disgusting.” He shoved Tian to the ground, and pain flared in his butt as it hit the pavestones.
The man’s companion pulled him back. “Calm down. He’s probably a Pistil of the Snap Dragon.”
Heat blazed in Tian’s cheeks. To think, in his past life as a Great Lord’s son, this merchant would never dare to be so bold. The girls—and boys—in the Floating World were nothing more than bugs to them. He aimed a quick kick at the first’s shins.
The man howled. “You little shit, I’m going to—”
“Please, Kind Sir,” a familiar voice said. “Please desist.”
Head nodding, the second pulled back on the first. “I’m sorry.”
Tian turned to the voice.
It was the woman in red, who’d earlier tried to sell him yue. She was bowing low, but she turned and winked at him, even as she addressed the men. “Won’t you come to Yue Heaven? Smoking and women.”
Tian looked back at the men as he scrambled to his feet.
Both’s eyes were locked on the woman’s breasts, fully exposed by her deep bow and plunging neckline. When she straightened, they exchanged glances.
“Yue’s harmless fun,” the first said.
“No, it’s almost as bad as opium.” The second shuddered.
The first waved a dismissive hand. “The Imperial Court makes it and controls its sale.”
“Not the stuff in the Trench, I hear.” The second pantomimed smoking a pipe. “Smoke it once, and you’ll crave it for the rest of your life. Not worth the risk.”
The first studied the woman. His eyes narrowed. “Yue Heaven’s girls aren’t really Blossoms, are they?” The way he said it came with the unspoken message: only House Blossoms were protected by the Enforcers.
The woman must’ve understood the meaning, the way she took two steps back and bowed again. “I was a Blossom at the Chrysanthemum Pavilion.”
Just like Jie had been.
“It burned down.” The first grinned as he claimed the distance between them. “Which means you’re just a filthy whore. An unprotected, filthy whore.”
That word again. It was one thing for them to bully him. To mistreat a woman, on the other hand… Tian stepped between the two.
The man’s grin twisted into a snarl. He seized Tian’s sleeve at the shoulder and started to yank him out of the way.
Tian gripped the man’s hand, then twisted it, evoking a yelp as he buckled to his knees.
“You little turtle’s egg!” The man leaned in and bit Tian’s finger.
Tian jerked his hand back, and the man rose. Quivering with rage, he shoved Tian down again, and cocked a foot back.
“Stop!” the woman shrieked. “Yue Heaven is owned by the Red Dragons, and he is my little brother.”
The man froze, his complexion paling. “Is that—?”
“Triads,” the second whispered. “The Floating World Enforcers might kick you out, but the Triad goons will chop you into little pieces.”
The first swallowed hard. “Let’s get out of here.”
Father had spoken about the Triads before. They’d taken over the Trench, but since they were outside the capital’s walls, and apparently paid taxes, the Imperial Court left them alone. Still, their reputation was enough that the two merchants hurried off.
“That was very brave of you,” the woman said, bending over to help Tian up.
Tian squared his shoulders. “A righteous man defends others.”
“I didn’t think righteous men wore dresses.” She laughed. “I’m Naya. What’s your name?”
“Tian.”
“Are you hurt?”
Pain burned on Tian’s elbows, where blood stained the dress sleeves. He pulled it up and looked. “Only a scrape.”
“Come,” she said. “I’ll take you back to Yue Heaven to get cleaned up.”
“Is it true, about the Triads?”
She laughed. “Yes, the Red Dragons own Yue Heaven. But I don’t think they’d really care if some man killed me. They’d just replace me with another girl.”
Tian frowned. People weren’t repeating crossbow parts, cheap and replaceable.
“You don’t know how to hide your feelings, do you? You’re so adorable.” She patted his head, yet another who thought him a puppy. “Even more so with the splendid make-up. I can see why they’d mistake you for a girl.”
Yuna would’ve been pleased with the compliment on her makeup job, but… “I’m not a girl.”
“No, you’re a brave boy, who came to protect me.” She took his hand. “Come, let’s clean out your scrape.”
“Where are we going?”
“To Yue Heaven.”
Chapter 8
Following Tian’s scent and the shouting of Peony Garden guards, Jie’s nose and ears led her to the northeastern section of the Floating World. The number of voices suggested three men in pursuit, and they’d cornered Tian in an alley between the Gambling God’s Shrine and the shadow puppet theater.
One stood at the alley’s entrance, broadsword drawn, his back to her. Passersby paused to look down the alley, but invariably continued on their way.
Staying in the angled shadows cast by the red lanterns and rising White and Blue Moons, she withdrew a throwing spike from her hair. While the city authorities generally left the Floating World to govern itself, killing the man would bring them in to investigate. Whoever had turned Lilian and assassinated Lord Ting would likely go to ground.
Still, no telling what the guards and the Peony Garden had in store for Tian. She crept closer, mingling in with a group of men heading in the guard’s direction.
Ten paces away. Just entering range for a fifty-fifty fatal shot. Eight paces. It had to be done. Just a few more steps and it would be a guaranteed kill.
Another guard emerged from the alley, sword in hand, shaking his head. “He’s gone.”
The first threw his hands up. “He was cornered!” He wouldn’t have been so exasperated if he knew Tian getting away had saved his life.
“Don’t believe me? Check for yourself.” The second jerked a thumb behind him at the alley.
“Never mind. He couldn’t have gotten far
. You go that way.” The first pointed west. “I’ll go the other.”
The two jogged off in opposite directions, and Jie headed into the alley. In the dark, her vision shifted to greys and greens. Combined with her sense of smell, she’d have an advantage over a full human.
She sniffed.
Tian’s red bean paste scent faded the deeper she went, replaced by a lavender scent. She looked up.
Yuna sat atop a wall, dressed in the gentleman’s robe Tian had been wearing. Grinning, she waved. “Six, two, zero, nine. Slippery, green wheel. Cloudy, sun.” The girl wetted her lips. “Dagger, stab, finger. Red, sword, crossbow, bludgeon. Spicy.”
“I didn’t ask.” Jie chuckled. “Next time, recite them in order, like Tian.”
Yuna hopped down and landed lightly. “At least he has memory going for him.”
“Don’t get too enamored with him.”
Yuna’s cheeks darkened, no doubt blushing.
No, it wouldn’t do to fall in love with another Black Lotus. It led to poor judgment, as proven by Lilian’s deception. Jie cleared her throat. “That was a great idea, changing clothes and drawing the guards away.”
The girl beamed for a split second before her expression returned to neutral. “What does the Gardener want with him?”
What, indeed. Jie shrugged. “Knowing Gardener Ju—no, Gardener Dan’s greed, she hoped to turn him in for a reward. Which is why we need to find him first.”
With a nod, Yuna pointed west. “I will need to get back to the Peony Garden soon. I’ll lead the first guard back.”
“All right. Where did you last see Tian?”
“I told him to go to the Red Boat Theater.”
South and east of here. “I assume you put him in a dress.”
“My green gown. It was a little tight.” Yuna shook her head. “No, a lot tight.”
The idea of Tian wearing that particular dress… Jie chuckled. With a quick salute, she returned to the main street and headed toward the theater. Just a block away, Tian’s red bean paste scent grew stronger, standing out among the smell of drunken men, roasting meats, perfumes, and incense.
