by Mark Morris
They were going to crash!
* * *
Commander Chen’s balloon had passed by the right hand pagoda, and he and another Eagle Corps soldier were now firing arrows at a line of Tao Tei that were running along the rooftops beside them. Most of their arrows were hitting the target, but for every Tao Tei that tumbled dead from the rooftops another sprang up to take its place.
Seeing movement in his peripheral vision, he glanced behind him, and his eyes widened. In the balloon that was closest to his own he could see General Lin Mae, Strategist Wang and the foreign soldier, William, who was dressed in the armour of an Eagle Corps warrior. Yet although this was surprising enough, what really shocked him was that their balloon was heading straight for the pagoda his own balloon had just passed by. If the General’s balloon hit the pagoda, Chen knew they would all surely die.
* * *
The fuel was all but used up, but for now the brazier was roaring and the balloon was still rising. Peng Yong, having fed as much black powder to the brazier as he could without blowing it up, was now hauling desperately on the ropes, helping Wang steer the craft.
“Left! Left!” Wang was yelling. “Up the center! Split the pagodas!”
They both hauled hard to the left and the balloon responded accordingly, heading towards the gap between the two huge towers.
Behind them, closer to the back of the gondola, William and Lin Mae were now both up on their feet. She was still a little shaky, still recovering from her ordeal. She made no attempt to shrug herself free of William’s grip as he held on to her.
All at once Wang let out a cry of shock
“What is it?” William asked.
Wang pointed at the ground below. “See for yourself!”
William and Lin Mae exchanged a glance, then the two of them made their way up to the front of the gondola, where Peng Yong was now successfully steering the craft towards the gap between the two multi-tiered towers, which rose up majestically on either side of them. When they saw what Wang had seen they both gasped.
The two matching pagodas were standing either side of the foot of the broad North Steps, which rose up towards the huge and magnificent Reception Hall. Here, on the wide mezzanine in front of the vast double doors was a seething horde of Tao Tei, surrounding the Paladins, which had massed into a protective circle. It was clear the Tao Tei had fought and feasted. Many of them were smeared and splashed with human blood.
Lin Mae’s mouth opened in a silent gasp of horror and wonder.
* * *
Having successfully negotiated their way around the pagodas, and seen the General’s balloon change course and sail safely towards the channel between the two towers, Commander Chen’s craft had now run into difficulties. Passing to the right of the right-hand pagoda instead of steering the balloon between them had meant having to negotiate a forest of jutting spires on the long building that ran parallel to the North Steps. However some of their ropes between the balloon and the gondola had become caught on, and tangled around, one of the spires, and the balloon, though still airborne and billowing impotently in the wind that wanted to push them onward, was now stationary.
This wouldn’t have been a problem if it wasn’t for the fact that the Tao Tei were now homing in on them, more and more of the creatures swarming across the nearby rooftops to mass on the roof below. As Chen and another Eagle Corps warrior kept them at bay with arrow after arrow, the third member of their crew clambered up on to the side of the gondola and began trying desperately to free the tangled ropes. He couldn’t cut them, because it would mean severing the connection between gondola and balloon, but if he didn’t free them quickly then it would be only a matter of time before the massing Tao Tei swarmed up the spire and overwhelmed them through sheer force of numbers.
* * *
Peng Yong was still hauling on the ropes, trying to steer a steady course through the twin pagodas. However, it was not proving easy. A strong, sideswiping wind was blowing them back towards the right-hand pagoda.
Wang was all but jumping up and down in desperation and eagerness. “Left!” he shouted. “Left!”
Peng Yong glared at him, sweat pouring down his face. He snapped something in Mandarin, which William didn’t need to understand to know that the young man had retorted he was doing his best. By the time he yelled something else, a warning of some kind, William’s attention, along with that of both Wang and Lin Mae, had become fixed on the mezzanine area below and ahead of them. They stared in fascination and revulsion as they caught their clearest and closest glimpse yet of the Tao Tei Queen.
She was sitting within her circle of Paladins and appeared to be feeding. The Paladins had allowed a select number of Tao Tei soldiers to come forward and open their vast jaws. Also open was the Queen’s mouth, from which had extended multiple tentacle-like tubes, which had reached down into the throats of the uncharacteristically servile Tao Tei. Now the tentacles linking the Queen to her soldiers were bulging and rippling as she gorged on their already partly digested meal.
William didn’t know what was more disgusting—the Queen’s eating habits or the fact that the belly of her already bloated form was distended yet further by the many thousands of eggs rippling beneath her almost translucent skin. He glanced at Lin Mae, who put a hand over her mouth to demonstrate how the sight made her feel. He grimaced and nodded.
Peng Yong yelled another warning, and William looked up to see that, despite his efforts to steer them the other way, the strong wind had plucked them yet closer to the right-hand pagoda. It was looming up on their starboard side, coming at them both too fast and too quickly. Instinctively William grabbed something solid and fixed with one hand and, as the balloon suddenly swung up in a wide arc, Lin Mae with the other.
* * *
Chen kept firing arrow after arrow, but he knew it was hopeless. The ropes were still tangled around the chimney, the balloon above them was now slumping and sinking, and the Tao Tei were becoming too numerous to keep at bay.
He fired yet another arrow, as did the soldier beside him, as four Tao Tei leaped in unison from the chimney towards the gondola. Both arrows found their mark, the creatures twisting in mid-air before falling back into the seething horde of teeth and claws below, but the remaining pair of Tao Tei clamped their jaws around the gondola and wrenched it sideways. As Chen fell backwards, the last thing he saw was the glowing brazier tipping over onto the container of black powder they had been feeding it with.
Then everything disappeared in noise and blinding white light.
* * *
The balloon missed the pagoda roof by inches, but the gondola didn’t. As the balloon drifted up and past the multi-tiered tower, the stern of the gondola, swinging behind it, clipped a protruding ledge, which both knocked off a chunk of rubble, and made the vessel spin and shudder.
Feeling as though he was inside a giant barrel being rolled down a hill, William clung on to both his handhold and Lin Mae. Dragging Lin Mae down with him, he crouched low to better center himself, tucking in his head, and so was only peripherally aware of something large and dark tumbling past behind him. Belatedly realizing it was Wang, he looked round to see the little man slam against the inside wall of the gondola as it tipped, then roll back to lie spread-eagled on the floor as it settled again. From the shocked expression on Wang’s face, it was clear he knew all too well how close he had come to falling overboard. If the gondola had tipped just a few more inches, he would have tumbled up and over the side.
As the gondola, though juddering, started to settle, with Peng Yong still hauling heroically on the ropes, William opened his mouth to speak. But at that moment Chen’s balloon, which had been somewhere to their right, on the other side of the pagoda, exploded with a shattering roar.
Once again they threw themselves to the floor as their gondola rocked and spun. A black cloud of smoke and dust and debris rolled over them, making them cough, hampering visibility. That was another balloon gone. Another three soldiers of the Nameless Order who had
given their lives to the cause. William wondered how many more of them were left. Wondered whether the future of the entire human race now lay solely in the hands of him and his companions.
* * *
Of the many balloons that had launched from the battlements of the Great Wall, only a handful had reached their destination. Following their General’s orders they were landing now in the huge open courtyard to the rear of the Main Hall.
It was a scene of utter chaos. As gondolas careered and scraped across the stone floor, trailing ropes and masses of deflating silk and canvas, hundreds of people, perhaps even as many as a thousand, were pouring out of the Palace like ants from a trampled nest. These were mainly the Palace’s staff—servants, cooks, porters, footmen, laundresses. They were all sizes, all ages, all types, and they were fleeing for their lives, every single one of them terrified out of their wits.
They were heading as one towards the South Gates, in the vain hope that they might somehow escape the marauding monsters at their heels. The Tao Tei were not here yet, but they soon would be; they were not far behind. As the people flooded from the Palace they screamed and pushed and shoved. Many of them tripped over the trailing ropes or the deflating billows of silk, and fell and rolled, often injuring themselves, only to then pick themselves up and limp or stagger on regardless.
In the midst of this melee the Imperial Guard, or at least those that were left, were trying in vain to restore order. In truth, though, they had been completely overwhelmed by the disaster that had befallen them, and were just as scared and disorganized as everybody else.
As yet another gondola crashed down in the courtyard, the balloon it was trailing billowing up and over it like a shroud, the Guards ran instinctively towards it, their swords drawn.
* * *
The huge mass of stitched-together silk and canvas and animal skin billowed and furled in the wind. Trapped beneath it, Lin Mae felt as if it was smothering her. For a few seconds she was unable to breathe, overcome with panic.
Then she heard William’s voice, muffled but nearby. “Use your blade! Cut your way through!”
She forced herself to become calm, to reach for that still point in the center of her being. When she had found it, she reached with her fingers, ignoring the silk slithering across her face, and plucked her short blade from the sheath that was strapped to her leg. She slashed upwards, cutting through layers of dark material, feeling them fall away, finally seeing light penetrate the gloom. Cutting the hole wide enough, she clambered out, like a butterfly from a cocoon, and immediately became aware of William beside her, taking her arm and helping her out of the shredded wads of fabric.
When she looked up it was to see an Imperial Officer and several panic-stricken soldiers staring at her. The Officer, in his beautiful gold armour with its royal red and blue trimmings, was pointing a sword at her, his shaking hand causing the blade to quiver like a divining rod.
His voice shrill with alarm, he demanded, “What is this? Who are you?”
William scowled at him. “Back away!”
It was clear the Officer didn’t understand William’s words, but his aggressive manner was easy to interpret. Addressing Lin Mae again, he shouted, “Answer me!”
Lin Mae knew that if the man had had his wits about him, he might have recognized her armour, but he was clearly beyond that. Placing a hand on William’s chest as an indication that he should stand down, she stepped forward and reached into the collar of her armour, producing the gold medallion that General Shao had passed on to her. Silently she showed it to the Officer, who gazed at it as if hypnotized.
Finally, in something like awe, he murmured, “The Nameless Order.”
Instantly the nerve-wracked soldiers behind him dropped to their knees.
“Forgive me, your Excellency, for having eyes that fail to see,” the Officer continued. “I deserve a thousand de—”
“Off your knees, man! We’ve not time for that! Where is the Emperor?”
The outburst came not from Lin Mae, but from Wang, who was now struggling free of the deflated balloon. Behind him, white-faced and blinking and clearly astonished to find himself still alive, was Peng Yong.
As the Imperial Officer merely gaped at him, his mouth opening and closing like a fish, Wang barked, “We need help. All the help that you can muster.” He turned to Peng Yong. “Black powder. We need everything you can salvage in three minutes.” Peng Yong nodded and scurried away on his mission.
Turning back to the still gaping soldiers, Wang clapped his hands together, like a hypnotist awakening his victims. “Well, come on! Get to it!”
* * *
Cowering behind his throne, shaking uncontrollably, the Emperor no longer projected the aura of an imperious ruler who held sway over the Seven Kingdoms. Now he had been reduced to what he really was: a small boy in fancy robes who was terrified for his life. As he heard footsteps clacking towards him, he drew himself into an even tighter ball, and when a hesitant voice said, “Your Majesty?” he couldn’t help but flinch.
For the sake of his reputation he knew he needed to respond, however, and so, after taking several deep breaths, he rose nervously from behind his throne. The magnificent Main Hall, a place that usually bustled with life, was now stark and almost empty. Aside from his Chief Counselor, who was the man who had spoken, and whose hands were pressed together in obeisance, there now remained just a smattering of his Imperial retinue—counselors, eunuchs, attendants—and a small group of soldiers.
Of the soldiers, who were standing at the foot of the throne steps, half a dozen were dressed in the gold, lavishly designed armour of his Imperial Guard. The rest were dressed in variously colored armour—seven in black, three in red, including one foreigner, and one in blue—and they looked battered, bruised and exhausted, as if they had just fought a long and arduous battle. Accompanying them was a small man in dark robes. He and a nervous-looking black-armored soldier were presiding over a pile of ropes and strange weapons and military paraphernalia, all of which were gathered together on what appeared to be a large, crumpled square of torn white silk.
As soon as he looked upon them, the soldiers and the two other men dropped to their knees and bowed their heads. The woman in the blue armour came forward and gave a small, respectful bow.
“I am General Lin Mae,” she said. “Your Majesty’s humble servant.”
The Emperor, recovering a little of his composure now, came slowly down the steps.
“Servant?” he said curtly. “Of what? How have you served me?” Suddenly his long pent-up fear found an outlet, erupting into fury. “The Wall has given way! My Palace is falling! My Kingdom overrun with beasts! Thousands of soldiers and innocents are dead! This is your service?”
Lin Mae lowered her head, as if in shame. “Forgive me, Your Majesty.”
The Emperor stared down at her with contempt. “How many men have you brought?”
Lin Mae hesitated, as if afraid to answer.
“Your Majesty,” the Chief Counselor interjected, “for the sake of the Kingdom, we must leave quickly.”
Finally Lin Mae gave him an answer to his question. Her voice was both apologetic and defiant. “I brought many. But these ten are all that remain.”
The Emperor seemed to sag, his arms reaching out for support. His Chief Counselor and two attendants rushed to his side to stop him from falling.
As though he had had enough of etiquette and deference, Wang rose to his feet and stepped forward. “Where is the captured Tao Tei?”
Everyone looked at everyone else. No one answered. Wang cast an accusatory look at the Chief Counselor, then at the Imperial Officer.
“Tell me you still have the captured Tao Tei!”
The Officer looked at the Emperor for permission to speak, and received a small nod in response.
“Of course. It’s been moved below,” he said. “To the dungeon.”
“Take us there!” ordered Wang.
* * *
In direct c
ontrast to the opulence above, the Palace dungeons were dark and dank. Water ran down the slimy stone walls and dripped from the ceilings, as William, Wang, Lin Mae, Peng Yong and the rest of the Nameless Order were led hurriedly down a set of wide, slippery stone steps.
The Imperial Officer, leading the way with a torch held above his head, informed them hurriedly of Shen’s death, and of how the Tai Tei had wrecked its cage, necessitating its transferal to one of the cells in the Palace dungeon. He said that now the magnet had been placed back around the creature’s neck, it was once more dormant and pliable.
It was clear, as a pair of Imperial Guards unlocked and opened the cell, however, how frightened of it the soldiers here still were. They hung back, their faces taut with apprehension, as Wang, William, Lin Mae and (more reluctantly) the Imperial Officer crowded inside.
Lit by torchlight, the slumped Tao Tei did indeed look a fearsome beast. In the enclosed space, the scent that it exuded was musky, bestial. It breathed noisily, its great chest rising and falling, and even in repose they could all see the muscles clenching and rippling in its tree-like limbs.
Perhaps because he felt he had to make up for the terrible losses the Nameless Order had suffered as a result of his suggestion that they use the untested balloons, Wang seemed hyperactive, full of nervous energy.
Indicating the Tao Tei, he said, “We load it up with black powder weapons. We feed it. We pray it returns to the Queen.” As everyone nodded, he added, “We have very little time. With every minute that passes the death toll mounts, and the Tao Tei grow stronger. We must act now! Immediately! And may fortune be with us!”
His words had a galvanizing effect. Immediately Lin Mae started barking orders, which were relayed, via the Imperial Officer, to his own men. Within minutes everyone had an assigned role, and preparations were underway.
A dozen men, a mixture of Imperial soldiers and Nameless Order warriors, carried the Tao Tei up the slippery steps of the dungeon and into the courtyard above, where they loaded it onto an open cart. After heaving and pushing the creature into place, they stepped back, many of them unconsciously wiping their hands on their armour as if they had touched something unclean, expressions of disgust on their sweat-streaked faces.
