by JC Kang
He grunted and went rigid. “You do, and you’ll bring the Red Dragons on you and your family. Faceless Chang will make sure you don’t die slowly, either.”
“So many witnesses.” Jie laughed, gesturing down the empty alley. “Which is why you bring helpless girls back here to do Heavens knows what.”
He turned his head, trying to see her. “See all those windows? The neighborhood is watching.”
Indeed, the shutters all up and down the alley were cracking open again. Tian came to a halt and hunched over. Hands on his knees, he heaved for breath. “Are you all right?”
“Yes.” She motioned to the Red Dragon’s broadsword.
Nodding, he pulled the blade, scabbard and all, from the brute’s sash.
“Now,” she said. “I don’t think the neighborhood will care if a Red Dragon turns up dead. One less bully extorting money.”
“You don’t get it. Everyone on this side of the Trench is a Red Dragon.”
Tian’s eyes widened. “What do you mean?”
“The Red Dragons wouldn’t exist if the neighborhood didn’t support us. We find them jobs. Keep order. The money we collect goes to widows, cripples, and the elderly.”
After Faceless Chang took his cut, no doubt. Jie raised her voice. “Does anyone mind if a predator of young girls goes missing?”
A chorus of Nos echoed down the alley.
Beneath her, the Red Dragon went rigid again.
“Looks like you won’t be missed.” Jie made a shallow cut down the back of his neck. “But I’ll let you live, if you answer some questions for me.”
Tian gawked at her. He started to open his mouth, but she silenced him with a shake of her head.
The Triad’s hands were again opening and closing. “What do you want to know?”
“I’ve heard Faceless Chang can be in more than one place at a time.”
“He’s like a Black Fist.” The man cut his laugh short. “Except he doesn’t steal naughty children at night.”
The reference couldn’t just be a coincidence. Jie exchanged glances with Tian. “So he’s a Black Fist?”
The man chortled again. “Do you seriously believe in Black Fists? They’re just a fairy tale.”
“Enough with the games.” Jie nicked him again. “How does he do it?”
“It’s just part of his legend! He can’t really be in two places at once.”
So this Red Dragon, at least, didn’t know about the Steel Orchid who served as Faceless Chang’s body double. Or had, before Tian killed her. “All right then, what about the yue?”
“Just who are you?” He squirmed. “I know a kid your age won’t smoke yue.”
“You do realize I am the one asking the questions?” Jie dug the tip deeper, taking care not to puncture his artery. It was a shame the dagger was so dull compared to clan blades.
Nonetheless, he stilled. “We got the yue from up North, but the supply started to dry up a few weeks ago.”
Jie sucked on her lower lip. Greedy Lord Ting was in charge of illegal yue production, and had decided to support the Fangs over the Red Dragons. It had resulted in his death at the hands of Lilian, Jie’s lover; and led Jie first to uncover the identity of the surviving Steel Orchid twin. Which had now brought them to the Trench. This Triad probably didn’t know it would dry up completely, now that imperial forces had shut down their suppliers. She looked to Tian. “Anything you want to ask him?”
Tian scowled. “How many little girls have you—”
Jie shut him up with a glare of her own. “Any relevant questions?”
Demurring, he tapped his chin. “Does Faceless Chang see any visitors from outside the Trench?”
Good question. Jie gave the boy an appreciative nod.
“I’m not his steward. I don’t keep his schedule.”
“Then you’ve never seen an outsider visit him?” she asked.
“No.”
She turned to Tian. “Anything else?”
He shook his head.
“Now about those little girls you raped and murdered.” Seizing the brute’s hair, Jie jabbed the dagger into his eye.
He screamed. Tian gasped.
The Red Dragon bucked. If this was what it was like to ride a horse, then may she never need to do so. Still, with years of grappling practice, it was easy to adjust to his romping. She yanked his head back and stabbed his other eye.
Shrieking, he pushed up to his knees, and Jie hopped off. His hands shot to his ruined eye sockets. She moved around to his back and used his dagger to stab him in the groin. As he keeled over, she raked the blade through the tendons in the back of one of his knees. With the reverse motion, she sliced off one of his ears.
“Now,” she said, coming around to his remaining ear, “you’ll have a hard time terrorizing little girls. And maybe your Tang will take care of you like they do widows, cripples, and the elderly.”
Tian’s hand was on his mouth, and the brittle light from the hovels cast his face in a shade of green. He turned to the side and vomited. With the rest of his life committed to the clan, the boy would have to get used to gore.
The Red Dragon rolled onto his back, screaming. Jie’s fingers darted into his open mouth, and with a smooth motion, she pulled his tongue out and slashed it off.
Tian’s eyes rounded even more, and he swallowed hard.
Withdrawing a vial of flower toxin, she dabbed some it on the Triad’s neck. In a few seconds, he slumped down, rolled onto his side and into unconsciousness. The poison would leave him with only hazy memories of the night, just in case they were still in the Trench tomorrow. Even if he could no longer talk, the less he remembered, the better.
“Look!” Tian pointed at the brute’s inert form.
A dash of blue peeked out from the fold of the man’s tunic.
Jie gave it a tug, revealing a blue scarf. Further searching uncovered a rumpled blue hat, and a pouch of silver and copper coins which she tossed to Tian.
She blew out a breath. Could it be? The timing from the last murder to their encounter just now was right. They’d inadvertently rid the area of the serial killer. She looked up, thankful that the alley ran in a direction that provided a view of the Iridescent Moon. Now waxing just past half, they had two hours to meet the informant.
“The Blue Reaper!” she screamed. “He’s attacked a Red Dragon!”
Then she beckoned Tian along.
Chapter 7
Though Lin Gu’s offer to take Yuna to the magistrate was likely a ruse for his undoubtedly ill intentions, she agreed to follow him as protection against the Blue Reaper. She scooped up Mikayla and slung her on her back.
“Such a good sister. Come on.” Lin Gu flashed a grin, showing straight teeth.
With her ankle pain subsiding, she followed, keeping her ears and eyes open for the Blue Reaper. Like on the other side of the sewage ditch, people and merchants were clearing the marketplace. Curiously, though the Hua and Nothori didn’t mingle beyond a few last-minute transactions, the Hua here didn’t express such obvious contempt as those on the other side. All paused and bowed to Lin Gu as he sauntered by. As a Red Dragon, no doubt he was God on Earth to them, at least until a higher-ranking Triad came along.
The Blue Reaper was certainly following, either clinging to the shadows or perhaps removing his hat and face scarf and mixing in with the people. Her short stature and the lack of reflective surfaces made it impossible to spot him.
Though now his gaze no longer weighed on her. Had he broken off pursuit? Surely he wouldn’t? Despite clan training in maintaining calm in the face of the unknown, her chest squeezed.
“What’s wrong?” Lin Gu asked.
Heavens, was she that obvious? “I’m scared.”
“You’re under my protection.” He thumped his chest. “No one will dare touch you.”
“What about the Blue Reaper?” Or Lin Gu himself?
He broke out into a laugh. “You’re right to worry. He’s going after girl squirts. But I’d
send him downstream if he tried.”
Little girls? Not Nothori, like Aunty Luo had said? Or was Lin Gu trying to scare her into staying with him? She gave a tentative nod. “I’m looking for my cousin. I hear she joined the Red Dragons six years ago.”
“Girls don’t join the Triads.” He gave a lurid grin. “At least, not like we men do.”
Of course, Feng Rumei had been sold off to be a prostitute, and Lin Gu probably had similar ideas for Yuna. She held back a snort. “She would’ve been sixteen at the time. Maybe you know her?”
“I wasn’t in the Tang back then.” He shrugged. “And most girls don’t last more than a couple of years.”
An involuntary shudder ran through her. In the Floating World, a Blossom could receive men for twenty, even thirty years, though most had paid off their bond and saved enough to start a new life within ten. What happened to these Trench girls? Cast back out into the streets once they’d been used up? Murdered? “Her name is Rumei.”
“Rumei.” He scratched his head. “There’s nobody by that name now, but most of the girls go by a nickname, anyway. Maybe one of the Older Brothers might remember who she is.”
Hopefully Aunty Luo had lied, and Rumei was still alive. Maybe she’d take Mikayla in.
They continued along the dirt roads. The dwindling passersby, now all adult males, stopped and bowed to him. He dismissed them with a dip of a chin and continued on. Before long, the trickle of men slowed to a stop.
She looked over toward the row of buildings that served as the Red Dragons’ Tang. “Big Brother Lin, we are farther from the Tang now.”
“Yes, the direct route is dangerous.” He licked his upper lip, the telltale sign of a lie. They way he’d groped her before left little doubt as to his intentions now.
Deserted area, fewer people… “You said I would be safe as long as I stayed with you.”
“Of course you are. Come on.” He beckoned her toward an alley.
Shaking her head, she froze in place. “I’d rather stay here.”
His boyish features, which had looked friendly before, now contorted. “Don’t be a pants-shitter. Come on.”
Mikayla, awake again, whimpered. Maybe as an Empath, she could sense his ill intentions.
Without the threat of the Blue Reaper nearby, and Lin Gu taking her farther from the Red Dragons’ Tang, he’d outlived his usefulness. Yuna feigned fear as she nodded. “All right.”
He prodded her forward, and she pretended to stumble into the alley formed by the backs of rowhouses. It was narrow, and all the windows were shuttered. Wavering candlelight flickered between the cracks of wood.
To think, Mama grew up in a hovel like this, living in constant fear of being taken as a plaything for the Triads. Muscles coiled, every nerve ready to fire, she walked deeper in, Lin’s presence hovering behind her. Soon, she’d end him.
Up ahead shutters were open, filling the alley with light. From beyond came low, pained moans, pitching above the chatter of the residents.
“Hurry,” Lin Gu said, concern growing in his voice. He nudged her on.
Lying on his side in a pool of blood in the middle of the alley was a large man, his red tunic marking him as a Red Dragon. Both eyes had been gouged out, and an ear had been cut off.
Pushing past her, Lin Gu sucked in a sharp breath. “Big Brother Ni!”
The injured man moaned again.
“Shits!” Lin Gu knelt beside him. “What happened? Who did this?”
Only garbled sounds came out of his mouth.
Yuna’s eyes shifted to a tongue lying on the ground, which explained why Big Brother Ni couldn’t speak. Given the precision of the wounds, it was probably either Jie or the Blue Reaper who’d attacked him. Though given that Ni preyed on young girls, he was probably someone unfortunate enough to try and waylay the half-elf.
Or could he be the Blue Reaper himself? She scanned the area and found a blue scarf and rumpled blue hat. Of course. It would explain why the Blue Reaper had stopped pursuing her earlier.
“Did anyone see what happened?” Lin Gu’s voice rose.
The alley faded back into darkness as windows closed. If there’d been any witnesses, they weren’t going to be talking.
In any case, with Lin Gu now preoccupied with his Triad friend, it was a good time to give him the slip, without having to injure him. Yuna looked up to the Iridescent Moon, which now waxed half a phase toward its first gibbous. The informant would leave the magistrate’s office in an hour and a half, and by now Jie had probably met with him. She was probably waiting for her at this very moment. Yuna backed away.
Mikayla let out a sniffled cry.
Lin Gu looked up and over his shoulder at her.
She froze.
From the way his forehead scrunched, any number of thoughts were bouncing around in his head. At last, his expression softened in what looked like relief. He stood, and when he spoke, his tone sounded resigned. “Come on, let me get you to the Tang. I need to tell the higher-ups about this.”
Yuna’s own brow furrowed. Just a moment ago, it seemed like Lin Gu had planned to take her into this quiet alley and do who knew what. Now he looked and sounded as if a burden had been lifted from his shoulders. She gave a tentative nod.
He took her hand, gently this time, and headed back the way they’d come.
There was a deeper story here. “You were working with Ni, weren’t you?”
“What?” He skidded to a halt, jerking her to a stop.
“You were so excited before. That all changed when you saw Ni. Now, we’re doubling back, away from the route you said was safe.”
“Yes. Ni is the Blue Reaper.” Lin Gu’s shoulders slumped. “He likes squirts your age, and he’d been eyeing my sister. I begged him not to send her downstream, and he said he would leave her alone, as long as I brought him other girls.”
Apparently the Blue Reaper had other interests, besides killing Empaths and their children. Yuna swallowed hard, considering: Lin Gu had planned on sacrificing her. Stuck in the same circumstances, she might consider doing equally evil things herself, if it could protect the ones she loved. How horrible the Trench was, where mothers sold daughters, and brothers would do horrible things to protect their sisters.
Mikayla was whimpering again. Had she lost that ragdoll? It was so worn, probably older than the girl.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
“It’s all right.” Even if it wasn’t. “You did what you had to do.”
“No.” Straightening, Lin Gu lunged and took Yuna’s neck in both hands. “Sorry for what I’m going to do.”
The pressure around her throat increased, preventing her from taking a breath.
He shoved her toward the wall of a shack. “I’m sorry. Really, I am. You know too much, and the Tang will send me downstream for it. But I’ll make sure the Red Dragons take care of your sister. I swear.”
There were only a few feet left before she’d be pinned to the wall. Pulse pounding in her temples, Yuna shrugged the sling off, letting Mikayla slip to the ground. Then she dipped her chin, creating enough space for a tiny breath. She seized one of his wrists and jumped. Twisting midair, she wrapped one leg over his neck and the other over his chest, trapping his arm between her knees. An arch of her back loosened his grip, allowing cool air into her lungs.
He grunted as his arm strained to bend against her leverage. He lifted her and started to slam her down, but she threw her weight into another twist, sending them both face-first into the ground. The packed gravel hurt, but not as much as it would hurt him. His elbow made a satisfying pop. He screamed.
Yuna climbed to her feet just as he was rolling over. She drove a heel into his head, and his body went still.
She took a few heaving breaths and drew her knife.
Chapter 8
Eyes puffy from having thrown up, Tian trailed after Jie. Unlike his own brothers, she hadn’t made fun of him for weakness. If anything, she’d been understanding of his horror.
He cast one last look over his shoulder and sighed. The mean man had deserved it, and he wouldn’t be able to hurt any more little girls. Still, to see such a maiming, executed with such coldblooded efficiency, was stomach-churning. Despite being stuffed in a cute little package, Jie was scary.
Picking up his pace, he caught up to her and whispered, “I’m glad you did that.”
“Clan business,” she whispered back. “It wasn’t personal.”
Crippling the man didn’t seem to benefit the clan, though. Maybe she really did care about people. Their mission wasn’t to eliminate the Blue Reaper, but to assassinate Faceless Chang because he might know about the true purpose of the Black Lotus Temple. Which meant… “If it turns out the Red Dragons don’t know anything about the clan, aren’t we now leaving evidence?”
She shrugged. “If what he said about the Red Dragons really caring about the denizens of the Trench is true, I don’t think they would turn a blind eye to his extra activities if they knew. So maybe they’ll assume it was the Blue Reaper who did it.”
“Doesn’t he only prey on girls?”
“Up to now. If we’re lucky, maybe it will scare the Triads. Even though the serial killer has nothing to do with our mission, we can still help people. And people not living in fear can better serve the Empire.”
The logic made sense, but it really sounded like she was trying to justify her actions as clan interest. Maybe it was better to keep quiet about it.
They continued in silence, sticking to alleys until they finally reached the magistrate’s office, which lay at the end of a deserted street not far from a long row of tall stone buildings. Though not as ramshackle as all the peasant hovels in the Trench, in the light of the three moons, it still looked rundown compared to all the many other government offices he’d seen in his life. Moss and stains covered patches of the brick walls. The window shutters were faded and warped, as was the signboard over the double doors. In violation of procedure, no imperial soldier stood guard.
Jie swept a hand along the side of the doorway.
How fascinating! Tian leaned closer. “A key?”
