by JC Kang
How had Kiri gotten the upper hand against an armored warrior?
Not only that, she had changed her clothes? Gone was the doeskin dress, replaced by tight black clothes. At least, they might’ve been black if not for all the mud splattered on them. She’d apparently found time not only to change her clothes—and where had she stashed the new ones?—but to roll around in the dirt as well.
“You can drop your weapon and answer some questions,” Kiri said, “or you can die.” She could speak the Metal Man’s language! And speak it well, even better than her proficiency with Kanin. Had she been keeping that a secret the whole time?
Still brandishing his sword, Turquoise Man burst out laughing. “Come on, Orc Slayer, see if you can get close enough to make good on your empty threats.”
“Okay, have it your way.” Kiri reached into the fold of her shirt and whipped out three biao. Biao? The name came to him unbidden, foreign and familiar at once. They whistled through the air and lodged into Turquoise Man’s face, neck, and gut. With a squelch, he collapsed to the ground.
Feneyas coughed. Where’d Kiri gotten the clothes and the foreign weapons?
Kiri met his gaze. Her eyes widened as large as greywood tree leaves, and she stumbled back two steps. “H-Heavens!”
She could speak his native tongue.
From Feneyas’ right, another man crashed through the bushes, longsword raised. Feneyas spun to his attacker’s right, and would have broken the man’s arm had the assailant not skidded short, mouth hanging slack.
“Heavens!” His would-be attacker’s voice sputtered in shock and awe. Gawking, he lowered his sword. Apparently, the People Beyond the Wall enjoyed invoking the Heavens.
The man had also spoken in Feneyas’ native language, and at cursory glance, he had the same honey skin, black hair, and almond-shaped eyes. He held a Metal Man’s sword.
“Heavens…” Warrior Kiri took a tentative step toward him, hand trembling.
The second Metal Man burst out behind Yellow Man and hacked down with his longsword.
Feneyas reached out and raised Yellow Man’s arm, angling his sword so that the Metal Man’s clanged into it. The weapon jarred from Yellow Man’s grasp.
Feneyas caught it underhanded by the hilt, and swept it up into the arc of the Metal Man’s back stroke. Its edge smashed into the flat of Feneyas’ sword with a clank. The reverberation wrung his hand, but he kept hold of the weapon. He butted Yellow Man to the side with his hip and drew his knife with his left hand.
The Metal Man transitioned to a strong thrust.
Brushing it to the side with his own sword, Feneyas spun in and slashed down with the knife, across his enemy’s throat and to the inside of his left wrist. On the upstroke, he cut the inside of the Metal Man’s right wrist.
Yellow Man lunged and tackled the Metal Man from behind. He pushed himself up, favoring his right arm, climbed on the Metal Man’s back, and ripped off his helm. He then repeatedly bashed the hapless soldier’s head into the ground.
Apparently satisfied with his handiwork, Yellow Man looked up, his mouth agape. “Heavens! You are alive!”
Yellow Man must have known him. On closer inspection, they had similar features. Unlike the diversity of elf faces, maybe the People Beyond the Wall all looked the same? Feneyas found his tongue, his native language stumbling out of his mouth after an eternity of non-use. “Who are you? Where did you come from?”
Yellow Man rolled his eyes. “Heavens! Stop being silly. I am bright—"
Dior appeared on the path, prodding the Kanin tribesman along.
Then, another Kiri peeked through the bushes. She took a tentative step out, pulling Kala along with her. She wore the same doeskin dress as before.
Warrior Kiri spun and held her knife aloft. Then her gaze met the real Kiri’s.
The two looked exactly alike, even more similar than Yellow Man and Feneyas. Like the fruit dangling in a cherry tree, always in pairs, they mirrored each other.
Heads shifted from person to person, eyes widening and brows furrowing.
Both Yellow Man and Dior pointed back and forth at real Kiri and fake Kiri.
Warrior Kiri’s stare fell on Feneyas’, and then shifted to her twin. The knife slipped from her fingers, and she stumbled back several steps. “This can’t be happening. This can’t be real.”
With mouth half-open, the real Kiri appeared surprised, but not nearly as dumfounded as Warrior Kiri. Clearing her throat, she gestured toward Dior. “Shoot, shoot!”
“Wait!” Feneyas took a step to interpose himself between Dior and Warrior Kiri.
Too late.
Dior had unslung his bow, nocked an arrow and loosed it at Warrior Kiri.
CHAPTER 17:
Limited Information
With Weiyong at her side, Kaiya sat serenely in Golden Fu’s office. Footsteps and clanking weapons out in the warehouse indicated at least twenty rebels, while the cloying scent of a myriad spices roiled her stomach. Perhaps Fu was indeed a spice merchant.
An evasive one at that, whose questions begot more questions, and whose answers answered nothing. Apparently, the Tiger’s Eye could do nothing to control impatience, even if she hid it. Every hour they waited meant Geros and the Teleri army approached unopposed.
Though if what Fu said was true, there was little the imperial court could do. Only a skeleton army remained in the capital, as a precaution against Lord Lin in Linshan attacking with his provincial soldiers.
Out in the warehouse, a set of lighter footsteps approached. Fu’s attention flicked to the entrance, then returned to her. As the door opened behind her, Kaiya kept looking past Fu, at the window. Its muted reflection revealed a young woman in a grey commoner’s dress, whose eyes met hers. Her supposed friend, Lin Ziqiu.
Fang Weiyong lacked any discretion, and turned to see who it was.
The woman padded in and stopped a few steps behind. “Master, I had a hard time sneaking out of my home. I came as quickly as I could.”
The voice belonged to Ziqiu, yet the tone lacked its past capriciousness.
Fu motioned toward Kaiya with an open hand. “An old friend of yours, Little Ziqiu.”
The girl shuffled a few steps over and leaned in.
Shifting in her seat, Kaiya met her gaze.
Ziqiu looked so different after just a year. Gone were the carefree smile and eyes dancing with mirth, replaced by serious intent. Then her expression settled into the flightiness Kaiya remembered. “Kaiya! Dian-xia. I thought you were in Dongmen. When did you get back? And what are you doing here?” She cast a sidelong glance at Fu.
Kaiya pursed her lips. “I would ask the same of you.”
“Fu teaches me about information gathering.” Ziqiu bowed to Fu. “He is my master.”
Kaiya shook her head. “I am his prisoner. Or hostage, perhaps.” As for information gathering…Ziqiu had only ever seemed interested in trivial gossip. The girl might’ve been spying on her all this time.
Ziqiu turned and slapped a hand down on the desk. “Master, how could you kidnap Princess Kaiya? I thought you cared about Hua.”
Fu leaned back in his chair. “I do. The princess would have walked into a trap at the palace. Surely you know of the coup.”
“Coup?” The incredulity in Ziqiu’s voice sounded convincing enough. “I haven’t been to the palace since my father returned to Linshan. Our villa is surrounded by imperial troops.”
Fu scratched his chin. “There is another threat. A Teleri invasion through Dongmen.”
Ziqiu faced Kaiya, her face pale. “Is it true?”
Kaiya nodded. They didn’t need to know Geros was coming for her, to claim the twins she carried.
“True or not—” Fu said, “and I am not convinced the princess speaks truthfully—a foreign invasion will force the hereditary lords to reunite.” He nodded toward Ziqiu. “Go to the palace and inform them.”
That would do little to improve Kaiya’s situation, and it also put Ziqiu in danger. Kaiya
stood. “No. With doubts of Linshan’s loyalty, they will take her hostage. We cannot endanger her. Let me go instead.”
Weiyong shuffled his feet. Placing her hands on her hips, Ziqiu opened her mouth.
Fu held up a hand and chuckled. “You are just as much at risk as Little Ziqiu, unless you can absolutely convince Regent Liu of the invasion.”
“And,” Kaiya said, “you would just as soon keep me here.”
Ziqiu’s eyes flicked back to Fu’s. “Forgive me, Master, but she is the princess. You can’t do this.”
“I can.” Fu stared Ziqiu down, and then shifted his glare to Kaiya.
She held his gaze. He wasn’t exactly wrong. Still… “The palace must be warned.”
“How do you propose to do that?” Fu steepled his hands together.
How, indeed?
The door opened, and Song entered. “Master, the imperial couriers bring bad news from the South.”
And how did these misguided rebels have access to the imperial couriers?
Fu motioned for Song to continue.
Song sighed. “Still no news out of Dongmen Province. Also, the Madurans have pushed into the central valley. When Ximen Province sent the bulk of its soldiers east to flank Peng’s army, traitorous Lord Liang in Nantou attacked them from behind and occupied Ximen.”
“The stupidity!” Fu slapped his hand on the desk. “If not for incompetent commanders, the imperial armies and their provincial allies should have crushed the rebellion and the Madurans in two weeks.”
Summoning a map in her mind, Kaiya closed her eyes. Even with her poor sense of geography, she saw Hua faced imminent collapse. Traitors gobbled up the South. Foreign enemies trampled over the North, unchallenged. Three hundred years of peace and prosperity, over in two months. Jobless scholars who knew the secret of firepowder would find new employers, ushering in a new age of warfare. If only they could find a way to just let Regent Liu know—
Opening her eyes, she found everyone staring at her. She composed her expression into regal aloofness. “Fu, how are you intercepting the imperial couriers? And how did you get my half-elf’s letter?”
“I have my ways.”
If not for the Tiger’s Eye, his roundabout non-answers might’ve been infuriating. “Then use those ways. Drop a message into the courier bags, if that is how you do it. However you got Jie’s message, send another on. And…” why hadn’t she thought of this before? “…what would it take to capture a message tower?”
Fu’s face blanked.
Lin Ziqiu clapped her hands together. “Three li outside the north city walls, there is a horse relay station and a message tower.”
“Yes.” Fu turned to Kaiya. “Do you know the light tower codes?”
How would she? Even the Tianzi himself probably never concerned himself with such minutia. Well, that went without saying in her brother Kai-Wu’s case, but certainly Father had too much to worry about to learn flashing light signals he might never see with his own eyes. Then again, Fu didn’t need to know that. “I am surprised the Moquan don’t know them.”
Ziqiu’s ears quirked. “Moquan?”
Fu laughed. “Imperial soldiers, not boogeymen, control the light towers. Those towers have not been used since the last time an enemy breached the Great Wall.”
As in, never. Kaiya snorted. Still, this was a chance to escape from her captors. “Then you will need me to go with you.”
“Or you can tell us.” Fu’s eyes narrowed again.
“And if I refuse?”
Fu laughed. “You were the one who wanted to warn the regent.”
Kaiya looked out the office window. The iridescent moon waxed to its mid-crescent. Already late afternoon. Less than three hours of daylight. So much wasted time! “If you are truly a patriot, then you would see the need as well.”
Fu stroked his chin, a gesture reminiscent of Tian. “I also see the need to keep an eye on you.”
His motives, clearly stated. Kaiya frowned.
Lin Ziqiu sighed. “Master, you can’t keep a Scion of Heaven prisoner.”
Fu held a finger up. “We do not know if her brother still lives or not. If the grandson of Lord Liu sits as Tianzi, then Miss Wang Kaiya is no longer a Scion of Heaven.”
It was true. How easy it would be not to carry the burden of responsibility. But no. The Teleri Empire would relegate Hua men to second-class citizens, and do much worse to the women. Someone had to do something. She opened her mouth to speak.
Fu opened his hand, stopping her. “Which is not to say she can’t be Scion of Heaven. We must time her return carefully. Now, we must plan the capture of the light tower.”
Which would mean unnecessary killing. There had to be another way. “Wait.”
Fu looked up at Song, apparently ignoring her. “Inform our asset that we need to insert a message into the imperial courier network.”
Song shook his head. “He’ll share information, but I don’t think he would pass fake messages.”
“Even in an emergency?” Fu scowled.
Kaiya stood. “There is an easier way, one that can avoid any casualties. Allow me to go with you, and I will command the couriers and light tower to pass the messages on.”
“With your voice, or imperial authority?”
She might not have either, but Fu didn’t need to know. “Whichever it takes.”
“And how do I know you will continue to accept my protection?”
Kaiya flashed a disarming smile. If he could mince meat as well as words, he might actually be useful. It was a matter of convincing him of her own worth. On her own terms, of course. With two hands, she raised the pouch containing Tian’s tablet and bowed her head to it. “I swear on this.”
The tablet might not have been what Fu thought, but it was just as important to her. She wouldn’t break a promise. As she had learned from the Bovyans, an oath without specifics could be twisted. How long she would accept Fu’s protection depended on how long he remained useful.
Fu bowed to the tablet. “Very well. Now, we have another problem. The thirty men out there are all anti-imperial insurgents, originally funded by your cousin Peng Kai-Long, before I took over. They aren’t about to let you leave.”
Liang Yu knew a thing or two about playing two sides, and had already planned a means for getting the princess out. Still, as long as she believed she needed him, he could control her.
Though she might no longer be so naïve, the princess would have a difficult time winning over hardened soldiers who wanted to oust her family from the Jade Throne. Surely her voice could not affect them all.
He just had to redirect their anger once she failed. No telling what they would do to her otherwise. He held the door to let her out of the office.
Back straight and chin lifted high, she stepped out into the warehouse. That wouldn’t endear them to her! Her head immediately turned to her bound guards and the men guarding them. Murmurs broke out in the darkened mezzanine.
“Soldiers of Hua,” she said, voice mellifluous. “I understand your grievances.”
Or so she thought. Liang Yu grinned. He had told her just enough that she would still need him.
She placed a hand on her chest. “My father always had the nation’s best interests at heart, even though you might not have agreed with his decisions.”
“Hua stagnated!” a voice from the mezzanine called, followed by a chorus of agreeing murmurs.
“The lords got rich,” another said, “while we soldiers were forgotten when we got older.”
“We never got the rewards we were promised.”
“There were no wars to fight.”
Amid the barrage of complaints, the princess looked at Liang Yu, an eyebrow raised. She was already at a loss. She needed him, just as he planned.
He came to her side and opened his mouth. “Fellow patriots—”
“Soldiers of Hua.” With dexterity rivaling the Surgeon, she slid in front of him and bowed low at the waist. It was unheard of for a mem
ber of the Imperial Family to bow to a solider, let alone an insurgent. “We now suffer the consequences of our complacency. Foreign invaders trample on Hua’s soil.”
“Madurans.” One of the soldiers next to her guards spat on the ground. “They have no chance.”
“No.” The princess straightened. “The Teleri Empire has captured the East Gate and marches unopposed on the capital.”
“A lie!” A crossbow cocked above. Liang Yu tightened his grip on the staff, just in case he had to knock a bolt out of the air. If his old eyes could see it in time. Alas, if only he were as good as the Beauty at it! Surely they wouldn’t shoot at the princess. Would they?
“We would have heard.”
“They can’t just march an army down the highway in secret.”
Liang Yu hid his grin. He had trained some of these men to think for themselves, and it showed now.
The princess raised a hand. “Lord Zheng has betrayed the realm and silenced all news coming out of his province. Once the Teleri Army reaches his borders, it will be too late to mobilize and save everyone between here and there.”
The same story she’d told him. Plausible, but not likely. Liang Yu gauged his men’s reactions, at least the ones he could see. Most looked to him for approval. He shook his head. Truth or not, she needed to know he was her only way out of the warehouse.
The princess swept a hand toward the mezzanine. “Duty to your nation calls. Only with your help can we save the North. I am conscripting you all as my personal guard, under the command of Golden Fu.”
The mezzanine lit up. Robes rustled as several men dropped to a knee, fist to the ground. Others followed, more tentatively.
Liang Yu stared at her. That was unexpected, like the Beauty going off-script with his plans. The princess hadn’t even used the power of her voice.
Well, let her play her games, because when it came down to it, honor and promises didn’t feed hungry mouths. He was the one paying these men, and she had no access to the dwindling imperial coffers, anyway.
