Fortunately, Silverwing was nearby. He lopped off the man’s head with a blade of wind.
“Thanks,” Huxian said, retrieving both his blades. He combined them into their original shuriken form, then looked at the retreating humans and took aim. He threw, and his shuriken became one, then two, then four, then eight. Before long, there were sixty-four copies of his weapon mowing down the entire group of retreating cultivators.
It wasn’t even fair. And these deaths, like the ones before, added their own scars to his soul. They changed him. Warped him. Aged him like the others had. How many more did he have to kill before he looked as old as his old man?
Huxian’s Time-Torching Eyes surveyed the battlefield, predicting and calculating as they did so. Where would the enemy strike next? He saw them coming from a mile away. Literally. Three peak-rune-carving cultivators flew in from overhead. They were linked through formations, and Huxian saw the inevitable conclusion of trying to defend against them.
“Scatter!” Huxian yelled, then jumped toward the three men. A beam of blue light shot toward him. There was no way he could dodge it. And in that endless moment between heartbeats, on the border between life and death, he dug through his memories for something, anything, that could help him. If he didn’t do something about that attack, it wasn’t just him that would die, but his friends as well.
Memory turned to instinctive action. All four of his blades appeared, one for each of his tails. The air around him shimmered as space- and time-aligned energies accumulated, and suddenly, a large pane of glasslike material manifested. It caught the beam of light and redirected it ever so slightly, causing it to miss his brothers, who’d obeyed his timely warning.
“We lured him out!” one of them yelled. A cage suddenly appeared from out of nowhere. Golden bars stuck into the ground, and runes began to light up. These were demon-sealing runes that threatened to cut him off from demonic energy. Once again, for the second time today, Huxian was forced to rifle through his memories for a way out.
He found a pleasant memory this time. A trick his ancestor had once played on a great demon when he’d wanted to skip out on a banquet. Use space and time as a mirror, the memory instructed. Huxian did so. He folded space along its edge close to the rapidly closing cage. Opposite the mirror, he created a copy of himself, and in the split second before space was sealed off, he exchanged places with the body double, which laughed and exploded inside the enclosure. The cage shattered, and the three cultivators were wounded.
Are you guys safe? Huxian asked his brothers. He scanned the attackers, looking for the man who’d likely orchestrated this. He found him easily enough. Cao Wenluan is here. Prepare yourselves.
We got a retreat command from Silver Fish, Silverwing said. He’s just finishing up.
Copy that, Huxian said. Space folded around him like a cloak, and he appeared beside his silver-haired friend. He had Lei Jiang slung over his shoulder. The smaller mouse of a man was bleeding from a deep wound on his shoulder. How close had they come to death?
They retreated as ordered, all the way to their objective: the inky well. Silver Fish was sitting at its center. Black waters turned clear as he absorbed the last of its inky energy, denying it to their enemies. With that inky energy went the lifeblood of the forest. The trees faded and animals fled. Huxian felt a ping in the back of his mind as quests were updated.
Space-time Quest Completed: Deny the Inky Well. Greater demon bounty obtained.
Space-time Quest Failed: Defend the Inky Well. No penalty.
Ongoing Space-time Quest Updated: Defend the demon lands. Seventy-two human invaders of varying power were slain by your party. Four standard demon bounties obtained. Two green demon coins obtained.
Strength flew into their communal energy circle using Huxian as an intermediary. After two months of constant battle, not only had they awakened many memories, but they were already halfway to the next sub-realm. It was miraculously fast advancement considering how much power they needed, but they were at war. That was what happened.
“Humans never learn, do they?” Huxian said to Silverwing. “We’re stronger in our own lands. But not just that, if they pressure us, we grow.”
“They’re humans,” Silverwing said with a shrug. “Can’t say I blame them, though.”
Huxian sighed. It was a sentiment they all shared. As upset as demons were when humans encroached, they knew that they would do the same in a heartbeat. Such was life. Such was nature. An eternal competition. Still, it wore on him, cutting notches into his soul.
“You’re not looking so good, boss,” Silverwing said, eyeing him.
“I’m fine,” Huxian replied.
“You nearly died to some nobody,” Silverwing said.
“But I saved all your tails afterward,” Huxian said.
“Yeah, but you were really close to dying for about half a second,” Silverwing said. “Looked like you froze up just then. What were you thinking?”
Huxian thought for a moment before replying. “I was thinking about how there were a lot of kids in that army. Just like there’re a lot of kids in ours.”
“You’re a kid,” Silverwing said.
Huxian looked to Lei Jiang, who still lay unconscious on his friend’s shoulder. “Lei Jiang is a kid, Silverwing,” he said. “Maybe he’ll always be one. As for me… well, let’s just say I’m forgetting how to be one.”
“Bummer,” Silverwing said.
“Tell me about it,” Huxian grumbled. “Cha Ming is coming back, you know. He mentioned he was going to Shimmerwing City.” Silverwing bristled at the mention. He did not like phoenixes. “I’m thinking of going on vacation. Getting some air. Relaxing.”
“Probably not a bad idea,” Silverwing said. “Don’t know if you’ll enjoy the company of those prissy phoenixes, though. I’m definitely not going.”
“I don’t think Lei Jiang wants to go either,” Huxian said. “Maybe Gua?”
“Gua would go,” Silverwing said. “Don’t know who else. I’d say Mr. Mountain, but then no one would be there to run the shop. Maybe Miyue will want to go.”
“Maybe,” Huxian said. “Tell Silver Fish for me, will you? I don’t think he’ll take it very well. He’s all work, no play.”
“Yeah, I’ll tell him,” Silverwing said. “Take care of yourself out there. Remember not to lose your temper and to forget everything you know about courtesy.”
“I know, I know,” Huxian said. He sighed, then slipped away. A cloak of space-time carried him across the retreating demons faster than any bird possibly could. He flew through the receding forest and past several inky wells before finally arriving at the outskirts of the demon city.
And when he got to the barrier? He flew through that too. The hole he made healed over in an instant. An alarm would probably go off, but he felt procedures and stuff like that were beneath him. He’d just fought for two months for this city, so they could cut him a bit of slack.
He flew across the patchwork of neighborhoods and the bustling streets, only stopping once he arrived at the Tree of Life. He didn’t stop at the checkpoints, but rather blended into the tree’s shadow.
Now, what should I do first? Huxian thought. Scare people? Eat something?
And so it was that Lord Eight Directions entered the Tree of Life and continued his eternal search for all things new and tasty.
The Tree of Life was a lot busier than Cha Ming remembered it being. Less because of the diversity of the staff that worked here now, but more because of the military officers and messengers that ran through the corridors. They gave him nods of respect as he passed, which was less than they should since he was a king of the Star-Eye Clan, but it was still more than they would give any human.
Today’s meeting place was up several stairs, footholds, and tall ladders. Cha Ming climbed several hundred meters up, breaching the tree line and entering the Tree of Life’s main branches. Clever Dusk was there, as was her father, Shallow Moon. Several other elders were there, incl
uding the previous Stargazer chieftain, whose name he still didn’t know and didn’t care to discover.
Clever Dusk smiled as he arrived. Her protective entourage clung to her like a mother would their child. She spoke reassuring words to them, and they soon retreated, glaring while they did so.
“Clear Sky,” Shallow Moon said with a nod.
“Shallow Moon,” Cha Ming replied and returned his nod.
“Cha Ming, it has been far too long,” Clever Dusk said. “How fares your training?”
“It could be going better, but time waits for no one,” Cha Ming said. “How goes the war?”
“The war is,” Clever Dusk said. She wasn’t one to beat around the bush. “Unfortunately, despite its definitive presence, I have trouble coming to terms with it. The tangle of threads and webs is too much for someone of my skill to untangle. Fortunately, I have the elders. Their way of thinking is better suited to such tasks, I think.”
“Perhaps it’s just a lack of experience on your part,” Cha Ming said. “You are young to be burdened with such a war.”
“I simply have a different perspective, and I refuse to adapt to theirs,” Clever Dusk replied.
“Speaking of the war effort, is Silver Fish around?” Cha Ming asked.
“Silver Fish is on the battlefield, as he always is,” Clever Dusk said. “I informed him you’d likely be coming, but he refused to come. He has no time, he said, and a strong man to kill.”
“Cao Wenluan,” Cha Ming said, wincing. He’d heard about the man, and he’d seen him twice. Apparently, he wasn’t just strong, he was an impressive military commander. He was a strategic genius who liked to throw himself in battle to disrupt all but the most carefully made plans. “I hope Silver Fish hasn’t been fighting him directly.”
“They have encountered each other,” Clever Dusk said. “Three times, in fact. Silver Fish was lucky to pull himself out alive in their latest exchange.” Then, seeing his worried expression, she put a small hand on his shoulder. “Please do not worry. I have planned many contingencies. He won’t die anytime soon.”
“You make it sound so inevitable,” Cha Ming said,
“All men die,” Clever Dusk replied. “It is not a matter of if but when and where.” She held out a hand to a spot of forest in the distance. The trees there burned despite the rain. “Tens of thousands died today. More die every time we lose an inky well. More will die every day until this war is over. Now tell me, Cha Ming, what brings you here? More than philosophical discussion, I hope?”
“I heard from a friend that there are bets in the Burning Lake Prefecture,” Cha Ming said. “Bets on how long the war will last.”
“Four months from now,” Clever Dusk said. “Or so our strategists estimate.”
“The day of my duels,” Cha Ming said. “I hardly think it’s a coincidence.”
“And I don’t either,” Clever Dusk said. “Though I’m sure that with the contract they’ve designed, there was a lot of arguing on why this should not be the case.”
The prefecture lords were contractually obligated to avoid aggressing against him. Cha Ming doubted they would take a risk with something like ordering an assault on his friends the day of their duel.
“I’m sure this was all Cao Wenluan’s idea, in the end,” Cha Ming said. “I’m a wild card. This way, he can guarantee I don’t enter the battlefield during the final struggle.”
“I believe he is worried about your relationship with our clan,” Clever Dusk said. “News has leaked of your crown, and that makes your battle potential near the Tree of Life a huge variable.”
“Then we’d better make sure that I win and make those duels count,” Cha Ming said. “I need your help, Clever Dusk. If I lose, I’m out of this war. But if I win, I might be able to call it off.”
“An ambitious plan,” Clever Dusk agreed. “But also a naïve one.”
“It’s all I have,” Cha Ming said.
“Agreed,” Clever Dusk said. “Do not worry yourself with more than surviving for now. I am weaving many threads. Many plans are in the works.”
“Then an expert weaver like yourself must know why I’m here,” Cha Ming said.
“You require phoenix inheritance blood,” Clever Dusk said. “A difficult thing to obtain, even for a demon. To make a comparison, asking for it would be like asking me to extract the source marrow from this tree of life and permanently damage its foundations. Moreover, the Phoenix Clan is haughty and proud.”
“Do you have a way?” Cha Ming asked, not daring to have more than a faint hope.
“Perhaps,” Clever Dusk said. “There is some small friendship between our clans. Certain pacts that must be respected. Remember that your status is not low. You are a Monkey King, after all, even though you are human and you are weak. You could make this request of them, and they would at least be obligated to give you the opportunity to obtain it, however small. The only issue would be securing an audience with the First Feather.”
“A letter of introduction won’t do?” Cha Ming asked.
“Come now. We’re civilized,” Clever Dusk said. “Why must everything be in writing with humans? Words are best exchanged in person. You’re also in luck—I happen to need someone to go to Shimmerwing and speak for me. Someone of sufficient importance to show them due respect.”
“I take it you’ve been waiting for just this opportunity,” Cha Ming said.
“I expected you two months earlier,” she admitted. “But that is how the pattern of fate weaves, is it not? Never in certainties, only possibilities. Choices matter, though for some more than others.” She then turned to Shallow Moon. “Father, I must discuss something private with Daoist Clear Sky. Please tell the elders we are not to be disturbed.”
“They won’t like you being alone,” Shallow Moon said. “Not with someone so easily able to subdue you.”
“If he wanted to, he could have done so long ago in the Burning Lake Prefecture,” Clever Dusk said. “Tell them I’ll resign if they don’t like it.”
“I’m sure they’ll have a fit,” Shallow Moon said with a chuckle. He did as she said, however, and at his urging, the elders retreated from their sight.
“I take it they’ve been overprotective?” Cha Ming asked.
“You have no idea,” Clever Dusk replied. “Apparently, half of them have convinced themselves that they’re eligible mates.”
Cha Ming nearly choked. She was barely an adult by their standards.
“Power complicates everything,” she continued, “though I definitely have little interest in what they have to offer. Now then, where was I?”
She walked over to the Tree of Life’s massive trunk. She placed her hand on its rough bark, and a fissure opened up into a doorway. They traveled down the narrow crevice of a path until they reached the core of the tree. There, Cha Ming saw a curious thing. A lightly glowing jade peach, brimming with power.
“I need starlight,” Clever Dusk said. Cha Ming obliged. He channeled it through his Crown of the Starry Sky and fed it into the young woman. She took his starlight and combined it with her own and poured it into the peach. In doing so, she pierced some sort of veil. Cha Ming could now sense a raw, primal energy inside the fruit. It was a massive font of power that would destroy him if he tried absorbing it.
He eyed the fruit warily, but she seemed less concerned. She pulled the starlight over it like a sheet of gauze. Then she pulled on it, and suddenly, there was a second peach made of starlight and some residual jade energy. It congealed into a solid replica that bore a faint resemblance to the original. She handed it to Cha Ming, who took it and inspected it.
“What’s this?” Cha Ming asked. It felt warm to the touch. Though it wasn’t a powerful object, he could see through his Eyes of Truth that it was no ordinary thing. Massive cables of golden karma joined it to many other similar points in the distance.
“It is a symbol,” Clever Dusk said. “One our people forgot centuries ago. In searching for a way out, I rediscover
ed it. You will present this to the First Feather in Shimmerwing City, and she will understand the message.”
“Do you need me to tell her anything?” Cha Ming asked.
“There is no need,” Clever Dusk said. “She will know my intentions. If she has a reply, she will give it to you, and you will pass it along.” She raised a hand, and a branch sprouted from a wooden wall, forming two fresh leaves. They glowed as lines of ink spread across them. Then, to Cha Ming’s surprise, they hardened, becoming more metal than wood, despite still living.
She plucked them and handed one to Cha Ming and clipped the other to her black hair. “You can use this to contact me directly. I will keep one of the leaves, and you will keep the other. The humans will not be able to spy on us this way.”
Cha Ming nodded. “I’ll deliver this, then. To be clear, this won’t help me with my request, will it?”
“Unfortunately not,” Clever Dusk admitted. “It will only provide an excuse for you to meet the First Feather without having a temperamental elder challenging you to a duel. Since you’ve met her, I’m sure you have some measure of her temperament.”
“She’s practical,” Cha Ming said. “And adheres to tradition.”
“Then go with the knowledge that it is traditional to consider the request of a high-ranking member of one of the Five Clans,” Clever Dusk said. “Since she is reasonable, she will do what she can. Beyond that, there is nothing I can do to help you.”
“And this message that I’m delivering for you,” Cha Ming said. “It will help with the war?”
“In a way,” Clever Dusk said. “It will give us options. Plans were laid out long ago. It is time I dusted them off. I would prefer not to use them, but I suspect I will have little choice in the matter.” Then she pursed her lips. “Tell me, little fox, do you wish me to skin you alive or kill you first?” She reached out to a nearby shadow inside their hollow in the Tree of Life and pulled out a young man by his foxy ears and wrapped him from head to toe in colorful strings.
Claddings of Light : Book 12 of Painting the Mists Page 10
