"She is!" Lai shouted. "She is my sister! I swore to protect her. I swore I'd never leave her."
"Be quiet," one of the soldiers commanded, nudging his boot against Lai's back.
"I'm not your sister." A young dancer fumed as she shuffled towards the front of the stage. "You idiot. You stupid, stupid boy. And that soldier wasn't assaulting me."
"Please have mercy on him," Madame Quoli pleaded. "He doesn’t know any better."
"Of course he does," the colonel said coldly. "He’s old enough to know the consequences of his actions. If he can fight so boldly against my men, then he can surely fight those that threaten our country. Take him away. We will make a soldier of him yet. The rest of you, back to the barracks."
Madame Quoli desperately clung to the colonel's uniform, still pleading, but one of the officers peeled her off and flung her to the ground. Miss Nishio was just coming down stairs, as Meng ran up to her and told her what had happened.
Ren Tzu tried to act, but as he approached, one of the officers prodded his scabbard against his chest, shaking his head as a warning. Ren Tzu narrowed his eyes, but he wisely kept his ground and reluctantly let the men continue on.
I watched with disbelief as the soldiers dragged Lai out the front door, all the while struggling and screaming for his sister. Miss Nishio, ever the stalwart mistress, pretended to not notice him being taken away.
Miss Nishio closed down the tea house for a week while we cleaned up the mess that was left behind from that night. Everything, from the chipped and tea stained walls, to the rattled and dented stage needed fixing and cleaning. While we scrubbed and mended, Miss Nishio remained eerily silent as she worked in her office on the second floor, carefully counting her finances. Madame Quoli remained at her side, repeatedly expressing her concerns about Lai, but after a time, it seemed she was sure that his fate had been sealed and that we would never see him again.
Miss Nishio, however, acted as though she was not worried at all. Sometimes at night, I could hear her steady voice through the thin, paper walls, consoling Quoli, advising her not to worry.
"You're happy now right?" Kassashimei asked one afternoon while we were pulling weeds from the front courtyard.
After she was sure that she had my full attention, she got up off her knees and brushed the dirt off her clothes before tossing a fist full of weeds into a small pile. She seemed to be almost cheerful, as if she were proud of something that she had just recently accomplished. She ran across the courtyard towards me and playfully struck her shoulder against mine, giggling as I lost my balance and landed backwards onto the ground. She knelt down and thrust her head close towards mine, close enough that I could feel her breath against my cheek. Of all the time I’d spent with her, I realized I still hadn’t gotten used to her strange behavior. It felt awkward and deeply uncomfortable as her face hovered near mine. She was staring at me, but I could hardly will myself to glance at her for, but tiny moments before looking away.
"If you're not happy, you should be," she continued. "Don't you see, we are the only chienkuu ko in this house now. We’re so much more important to Miss Nishio now."
She gave a pleasing sigh as she smiled.
I shook my head as I stood. My face felt hot, and I knew I was blushing.
"How can you say such a horrible thing," I said as I went back to pulling tufts of weeds from the ground.
"Horrible?" she blared.
I kept my back to her, but I knew she was watching me with the same fierce, determined eyes that I’d come to know all too well.
"Don't tell me that you miss them," she teased. "Lai and Mai, the perfect shyo mu and shyo mah couple, who made Miss Nishio rich and put you and I to shame." She laughed, skipping about the courtyard, then came up behind me, drawing her face over my shoulder. "They were so perfect, so talented, that they thought that flying airships was a job completely beneath them. Oh wait. . . or could it be because Mai is a coward when it comes to heights? Terr, stop worrying about them. This is our tea house now, yours and mine. Miss Nishio will come to love us, just as she did with that silly brother and sister pair. You'll see."
I turned around and gave her a fierce glare.
"How do you think the spirits feel about selfish, rude, and unkind people?"
She stepped back, acting as though I had thrown her the most terrible insult imaginable.
"Take that back," she muttered. "How dare you say that about me."
"Aside from your stupid spirits, do you care about anything at all?"
"I said take that back." Her face dimmed.
I glared at her for as long as I could stand, then proceeded back into the tea house.
"I said take that back," she repeated. "Terr!"
"I see you two have bonded quite well," said a gentle, raspy voice.
I paused just before reaching the doorway, surprised to see the old man standing nonchalantly at the front gate.
Miss Nishio, Madame Quoli and the old man were gathered at the main table in the tea house's dining hall. Meng quickly rushed into the room with a tray of tea, while Ren Tzu hammered away at the stage next to them. At the old man's request, Kassashimei and I were called to sit with them, and with muted obedience, took our places next to Miss Nishio. The old man looked down at the table, gently swirling the tea in his cup, deep in thought. Kassashimei had her eyes on the table as well, but with a guilty look that reminisced of our earlier spat in the courtyard.
"Judging by the somewhat damaged state of your business, you seem to be getting quite the crowd,“ the old man said.
"Well, as you can see, having so many customers at once can be a mixed blessing," Miss Nishio replied.
The old man grunted approvingly, then took a long sip from his cup before he spoke.
"I suppose then, it would not surprise you, when I say that my presence here today is also a mixed blessing of sorts."
"I imagine this is about Lai."
"Only half of it is, for you see, that’s the bad news."
Madame Quoli slapped her palm against the table, causing Meng to almost drop her tray.
"What of him? Tell me he’s safe, tell me that he’s coming back," Quoli demanded.
"Unfortunately, he’s not," he said matter-of-factly. "For if I told you that he was, then it wouldn’t be bad news now would it?"
Quoli seemed annoyed. She took a loud sip from her cup, adding to the grave sound of her disapproving groan.
"No doubt, you were expecting me to deliver Lai back to you promptly and safely." The old man unceremoniously scratched his head and gave a heaving sigh. "Of course, since Lai is a registered shyo mu, he is protected from certain laws that are otherwise enforced on simple commoners, laws such as the military draft. At least that was the law under the old Emperor. It took me several days to make this apparent to the colonel. Reluctantly, after lengthy debates about policy and government regulations, he finally let him go. But soon afterwards, before I had chance to escort him back to you, he ran off."
The confident expression that Miss Nishio never failed to carry seemed to wane a little. "He must be going after his sister,"
"I imagine that would be the natural thing for him to do. Unfortunately, once he gets there, he will find nothing but empty buildings. For you see, the school you sent Mai to, was seized by the military under orders from the government a few days ago. Just like the children at the Imperial Temple, they were sent to training schools on the other side of the country."
"Mai’s gone?" Meng gasped.
"I am afraid so," the old man replied empathetically.
"Then we must get both of them ourselves." Miss Nishio turned a methodical gaze to Madame Quoli. "Contact the governor in the southern province and book our travel. Tell him that I am coming to take back an important property of mine. Also have the city police search for Lai. We will offer up a reward for his return."
The old man raised a hand, signaling Quoli to stop, before she left the table. "I'm afraid all of that will be useless."
>
"You know very well that I am not as powerless as many people tend to think," Miss Nishio declared.
He smiled, as if proud of her bold words.
"Most certainly you are not, and though you’ve fought your way up in this world, you are still just a minor city official. With the new government in power, you cannot hope to surpass their decrees. For all your affections for them, you must realize that Mai, is now property of the government, and it‘s only a matter of time before Lai is seized as well. Though the colonel may not have been aware of such orders, other military officials are. The government is starting to value the chienkuu ko much more than you and the other tea houses."
"Why?" Miss Nishio asked sternly. "Why do they need them?"
"The reason is simple Miss Nishio. Our country is going to war. Our nation is lead by a warlord now. To carry out his ambitions, the military must have a strong airship fleet. And to have a strong airship fleet, means having gifted people to fly them."
"Is that where Han and Kiddou is right now?" I interrupted ", are all my classmates flying warships now?"
Quoli darted an angry look in my direction, offended that I had intruded into an important discussion among adults.
The old man gave another heaving sigh, calming the vicious woman with a gesture and a shallow smile before granting me his attention.
"You deserve to the know the truth about your friends little trout. The answer to your question is yes. The ship you were on, was one of many vessels ferrying every able sky child from around the country to the southern provinces, where the main warship fleet resides. That was part of the reason why many of us, including my good friend, the ship captain, kept your true identity hidden. Of course, after you crashed his ship, it took a little more convincing and a bit of money to make sure he didn’t give you away in a fit of rage.
Now a days, if gifted people like yourself are found on the street and cannot readily produce papers, proving their membership to a house, they are quickly taken away to serve General Fung's army."
The news struck me deep. I tried to imagine what Han and Kidou were doing at that very moment and what future awaited them. If we went to war tomorrow, would they survive, or would they fall from the sky amidst burning wrecks, torn apart by some terrible battle?
I finally understood Master Ichiro's envious words when he mentioned that I would remain behind, while my fellow classmates would be ferried away to some ominous fate. Even so, I could not shake my feeling of loneliness. In some strange way, I still felt abandoned.
"Now then, " the old man blurted. "I believe it is time that I tell you the good news. Ren Tzu?"
Upon hearing his name, the man immediately put his hammer down and gave a swift, obedient bow in acknowledgement, as if carrying out some unspoken command.
Chapter 14
It was the largest, most glamorous parade the capital had ever seen. Two hundred drummers beating in thunderous unison atop steam-driven floats, summoning an intricate choreography of a thousand dancers richly adorned in brightly colored silk and finely crafted jewelry made of gold and jade. Performers bounded to and fro, wearing long, flowing dragon costumes, while pink, red and white petals tossed from the decks of low flying airships rained down to the cheering masses below. Metallic streamers, fluttering from balconies and pillars, glinted and sparkled against the afternoon sun.
How proud General Fung must have been, for this was his celebration.
As a man whose rise to power caused both shock and controversy, he was determined to make sure the nation knew without a doubt, that he was the new Emperor, that under his rule, prosperity and fortune would find new prominence throughout Rui Nan.
The parade flowed like a turbulent river, starting from the Imperial Palace at the city's center, down it's main streets, through the market district in the south and back towards the center again. Standing proudly on one of the balconies that jutted from the palace's outer walls, was the general himself, watching the thunderous procession as it went by.
Though it was obvious that many people seemed concerned with the newly revised government, I was still too young to have any opinion on such things. Instead, as I stood atop one of the floats, playing the taiko drums, I found myself deeply enchanted, embraced by the spectacle of the moment.
A few weeks earlier, the old man proudly revealed his so-called, good news. It was an exclusive contract, a very special one, he said. Considering the lack of customers who were interested in our skills, any house would have jumped at the very mention of someone interested in employing we chienkuu ko.
Just the same, Madame Quoli's eyes lit up and gave the man her full attention. But before he continued, he summoned Ren Tzu and handed him a scroll sealed with wax. He seemed to recognize the emblem on the seal immediately, and bowed graciously as he took it. Though all of us were curious about the scroll, the old man was quick to regain our attention by pulling out another scroll that detailed the contract.
There was no denying that I was excited at the prospect of going back to servicing airships. How I had missed the euphoria of flying; so much so, that I even briefly considered offering myself to serve aboard one of the Imperial Warships.
But this was not the promise I had imagined. Instead of guiding ships, I was hired to be a musician, mindlessly beating drums for the delight of the public, while Kassashimei danced at the front of the float with the performers, dressed in her formal robes. Madame Quoli thought that it was the most petty thing our house had done yet and asked Miss Nishio to decline. But knowing that the old man would never personally offer a contract unless it had some measure of importance, she accepted whole heartedly. Though initially disappointed, I was still engulfed by the majesty of the moment, the sheer grandeur of all the sights, sounds and excitement that seemed to fill the entire city that day.
Again and again, I was swatted on the back of the head by the drum leader who had to constantly remind me to stop looking around. I apologized, but he swatted me again and threatened to deduct from my house's compensation.
I found it difficult to take him seriously.
For that brief moment, I was happy, even amongst harsh men with swatting sticks and tea house managers who felt that performing in parades were hardly worth the time for what little money it paid.
All the while, Ren Tzu sat patiently in the back, watching over me like he always did, hardly moving at all, as if he’d surrendered himself to becoming part of the float's decoration.
The parade went on for hours. Though the drum leader made sure my focus was on my instrument, I had little care for it. Rather, I looked down at the auspicious crowd and up at the gleaming men and woman who waved from balconies and roofs, some of them clinging nonchalantly to the rails, most likely drunk. Towards the end of the event, a flock of large metal birds, roared like comets over head. Turning my eyes to the skies, I watched fervently as they sped off in different directions, leaving behind narrow trails of steam and smoke. They spun and twisted in ways I’d never seen a flying object do before.
It was the first time I’d ever seen an airplane.
The drum leader shouted for my attention after he saw that I‘d stopped playing altogether. I apologized again and continued pounding away.
After the parade passed, the crowd gathered at the gates of the Imperial Palace to listen to the general‘s speech.
But I would not be there to listen with them, because just as the parade stopped, Ren Tzu quickly ushered both Kassashimei and I off the float, and guided us to a carriage that was waiting in an alley near the palace walls.
"Where are we going?" Kassashimei asked annoyed.
"Some place important," Ren Tzu replied. "Where the both of you are supposed to be."
"Does that mean we're not going back to the tea house?"
I started to worry, but the guardian little notice to my concerns. Instead, he silently shook his head.
The carriage darted off in a hurry. Above us, airships coasted just above the tops of the buildings,
blaring the general's speech through radio speakers. His voice was gruff and demanding, promising that Rui Nan's most prosperous and enlightened dynasty was upon us. He mentioned how the old government had weakened our country and made us seem cowardly and timid to the world. Just as he announced that we would be a strong, unyielding nation again, a squadron of airplanes tore through the sky, while in the distance, the terrible thunder of warship cannons could be heard, all emboldening his words. The low murmur of the cheering crowd could be heard bellowing wildly in the northern district as well as from the radio speakers on the decks of the airships above.
I turned to Kassashimei, who sat next to me, but she looked terribly disturbed. Her face was turned away, as if ashamed of something she’d done. I sighed, then I too turned away, wondering if she was still hurt from the insult I‘d given her that day.
Over the past few months, I’d come to understand how strong-willed she was, and sometimes even admired her for it. But what I couldn’t understand, was why she so easily ignored the criticism of others, while quickly taking offense to mine.
The general's speech rambled on; mostly about our duties as citizens, and his expectations of us in supporting our country. He described with fierce, poetic words, about our military, and how, as the tiger of the east, it was our destiny to strike from the mountain, and unify the world under our rule.
Again, the cannons blared, and the airplanes streaked.
"We’re going to be late," Ren Tzu said, as if taking a cue from the general's speech. He slapped the side of the carriage. "Driver, hurry us along."
The driver spurred the horses on, bolting us down the city streets with such earnest, that I feared that someone was in pursuit of us. Several minutes later, we came to the city station. A train hissed impatiently on the tracks. The station was empty, except for a few monks waiting on the boarding platform. Ren Tzu helped us off the carriage and directed us towards the train.
"Where are we going?" I demanded, stopping suddenly. "Where’s Miss Nishio? Why aren’t we going back to the tea house?"
Sky of Paper: An Asian Steam-Driven Fantasy Tale Page 33
