A Tiding of Magpies

by Robert Dahlen

  “I don’t think so, Hong.”

  The point of a sword pressed against Hong’s back. He looked over his shoulder and saw Prince Yun. “Do you think you can stand against me?” he said.

  “If Heaven favors me, then yes, I do.” Yun’s sword flashed in the torchlight as he lifted it and swung.

  Hong spun and easily parried the blow. “Heaven’s favor will not play into this,” he said.

  “We shall see.” Yun whipped his sword around, striking again and again at Hong, who held his ground. “But with your actions, you defy Heaven’s will.”

  “What care I for the will of Heaven?” Hong timed his parry to knock Yun’s sword from his hands, then slashed. Yun fell to his knees, grabbing his stomach as blood covered his hands. “Let Hell have me when I die!” Hong shouted as Jiao screamed. “But first, I will rule here!”

  “No.” Hong turned to face the Monkey Queen, who was rising to her feet. “Your reign ends here,” she said. “I won’t let you hurt anyone else.”

  “I already defeated you,” Hong sneered. “I’ll gladly do so again—”

  Michiko tossed her staff to one side and launched herself at Hong, past the reach of his sword. Her forearm caught him in the jaw, and he staggered back.

  Michiko’s staff flew at Hong from behind and struck him on the back of his head. He was knocked forward, into a right jab from Michiko that sent him reeling back into another blow from the staff as it floated in mid-air. The warlord staggered, and a hard kick from Michiko doubled him over. As the staff struck again, Michiko pulled her arm back and put all her strength and anger into one punch. Lord Hong fell to the ground, unconscious.

  Hong’s men took a step back as Michiko glared at them. Then, the thunder of General Guo’s cavalry echoed around them. “Surrender!” the general shouted as Hong’s men dropped their weapons and raised their hands.

  Michiko looked over at Yun and gasped. The prince was lying on the ground, his blood pooling in the dirt below him. Jiao was trying to comfort him; she looked up at Michiko with eyes full of tears. “Please…” she whispered.

  Michiko pulled the bottle of dragonscale extract that Merchant Sheng had entrusted to her from her pocket and knelt by Yun. She gave silent thanks when she saw that he was still breathing. As she lifted him to an upright position, she checked his pulse; it was very faint, but still there. She uncorked the bottle.

  “Wait!” Michiko looked over at Jiao. “What about Beth?” the princess said. “She’ll need this if she’s hurt. I know how much she means to you…” Jiao lowered her head.

  Michiko pried Yun’s mouth open and poured the dragonscale extract down his throat. As Michiko watched, Yun’s bleeding stopped. The wound he had suffered began to knit together as his breathing and pulse grew stronger. Jiao took Yun from Michiko; she watched him for a moment, then looked up at her friend. “Michiko?” she said.

  “I…” Michiko stood and turned away, barely holding in tears. “I have to…” She ran towards the hillside. Please let Beth be all right, Michiko thought. Please—

  “Monkey Queen!” Michiko stopped and saw Lord Hong getting to his feet. “This is not over!” he shouted, pointing at her. “You may have ruined my plans, but I will—”

  “Oh, shut up!” Lord Hong’s eyes rolled up in his head; he fell forward, unconscious. As he hit the dirt, Michiko saw Beth standing behind him, tossing aside the dagger he had thrown at her; she had cold-cocked Lord Hong with the hilt. “And here’s your knife back, jerk,” she added.

  “Beth!” Michiko shouted happily. “You’re okay!”

  “Not bad for a third-rate wizard, huh?” Beth grinned.

  She stepped away from Hong as Michiko ran up to her. “Beth!” she said, smiling as she jumped up and down. “You have to stop—”

  “Scaring you like that!” Beth said. They were both laughing as Beth grabbed Michiko, who returned her embrace.

  “Beth!” She and Michiko turned towards Jiao, who was pale with shock. “You were hit by a dagger!”

  “Wizard trick.” Beth patted the pocket on her right sleeve. “Hold this button down, and it generates a force field. It kept me from getting hurt by the dagger, but Lord Hong threw it so hard that it knocked me down the hill. Took me forever to climb back up.”

  Jiao smiled, but then Yun stirred in her arms. “Beloved?” she gasped. “Yun?”

  The prince groaned as he opened his eyes. He saw Jiao and smiled faintly. “Alive or dead,” he said, “I am in the presence of Heaven.”

  “You and your sweet talk.” Jiao drew close to Yun and kissed him gently.

  Yun half-closed his eyes. “Sheng’s dragonscale extract?”

  “Yes. Michiko got it to you just in time.”

  “We’ll have to thank them both later,” Yun said as Jiao leaned in for another kiss.

  Beth smiled at Michiko. “Looks like I missed all the fun,” she said.

  “You should have seen me kick Hong’s butt!” Michiko said.

  “Tell me all about it later,” Beth said as she pulled close to Michiko again.

  “Monkey Queen! Wizard!” They broke their embrace as Auntie Ting ran past. “No time for that now! It’s midnight!”

  Jiao and Yun looked at each other. “The prophecy!” Jiao gasped.

  Yun started to stand, but staggered and sank to his knees. “I’m still weak,” he said. “The extract needs more time—”

  He fell quiet as Michiko walked over and carefully picked him up. “Lead the way,” she said to Auntie Ting. The priestess headed down the trail as General Guo and his men moved into the clearing, with chains for Lord Hong. Michiko, carrying Yun, hurried after her, followed by Jiao, Beth and Merchant Sheng.

  The Bridge of Magpies spanned the river that separated Nui and Xia, a simple arch design with the handrails and the ornate gates painted red. The full moon was reflected in the river, and by the tips of the posts along the rails. Those posts and rails were made from unsanded branches and twigs, to remind people of the bridge that spanned the skies in Heaven.

  There were several couples on the Bridge of Magpies, there to celebrate the moment that the archer began her crossing and possibly start a celebration of their own, carrying wine jugs and dressed in all the finery they could afford. But when Auntie Ting ran onto the bridge, scowling and shouting, “Make way! The gods have spoken,” the couples wisely hurried to the other side.

  Princess Jiao was the next to step onto the bridge, followed by Michiko carrying Prince Yun. The Monkey Queen set the prince down and withdrew. Auntie Ting moved next to Michiko and nodded as Beth and Merchant Sheng stood behind them.

  “Yun…” Jiao laid a hand on his cheek. “My prince, I know this is all so sudden, and there’s so much pressure on you. The gods might not understand or forgive if you change your mind, but I will. Even though I love you with all of my heart, I’ll forgive you.”

  “You might, my princess,” Yun said, “but I would never forgive myself if I turned away from you. When I look at you, I don’t see royal obligations and pressures. I see the one I love and want to share my life with.” He knelt in front of her. “Jiao, Princess of Nui, will you marry me?”

  “I will!” Jiao shouted, dropping to her knees next to Yun. He took her in his arms and kissed her again and again.

  “So be it!” Auntie Ting said with a smile. “The prophecy is fulfilled!” The crowd that watched the engagement cheered and applauded.

  Beth glanced over at Michiko and saw her smile as she wiped away a tear. It was the reaction that Beth had expected, but she could see the sadness in Michiko’s eyes, and she felt the trembling in her own heart.

  “My friends!” Jiao rose. “It is late, so let us rest, but with the dawn, we will have the best meal we can on such short notice to celebrate this momentous day!” She pointed at Michiko. “And you and your wizard friend are the guests of honor!”

  “I’m not a…” Beth paused and threw up her hands. “Oh, forget it.” Michiko giggled.

  Chapter Twelver />
  The owners of a restaurant near the bridge had been woken up quite early, but the royal gold caused any complaints to be forgotten quickly. The meal they prepared was the first real food that the party had had in days, and it was delicious, but the company was even better.

  Jiao and Yun, who had fully recovered from his injuries, were heading to the royal palace with Auntie Ting. General Guo and his men were going with them, bringing Lord Hong to an audience with the Great Tactician to negotiate a peace treaty in exchange for the warlord’s release. Merchant Sheng had offered to escort Michiko and Beth back to the auldgate, so goodbyes were being said all around.

  As Beth spoke to Prince Yun, she noticed that Michiko was having a lengthy, quiet talk with Auntie Ting and Jade Crane. Before she could work out what was going on, Princess Jiao hurried up to her. “I know you’re really not a wizard, my friend,” she said with a smile.

  “Shh! Don’t spread it around!” Beth grinned. “It’ll ruin my reputation.”

  Jiao laughed and hugged Beth. “No matter what happens with you and Michiko,” she said softly, “my wish is for nothing but the best for both of you.” Beth blushed.

  The princess pulled away from Beth and ran to Michiko. “You’d better invite me to the wedding!” the Monkey Queen shouted.

  “You and Beth both!” Jiao said as she embraced Michiko. “I hope you get your happy ending,” she whispered. “If anyone deserves one, it’s you.”

  Michiko held Jiao tight. “Thank you,” she whispered back.

  The royal company had left, and Merchant Sheng and his men were packing to go. “We’ve got a couple of extra horses,” Sheng was saying to Michiko and Beth, “one for each of you. We should make good time getting to the auldgate.”

  Beth swallowed. “Merchant Sheng…before we go, I…need to have a talk with Michiko.” She could see Michiko tense up next to her.

  Merchant Sheng stared at Beth for a moment, then nodded. “Funny thing,” he said. “It looks like Chin and Bao have wandered off again.” He called out to his pack mules as he walked away, a smile creasing his face.

  Michiko looked at Beth. “You know,” she said, “we could always wait until we get home.”

  “This can’t wait,” Beth said.

  “But—”

  “Michiko! We need to talk about this now. Come on.” Beth took Michiko’s arm and lead her down a tree-lined trail.

  Beth saw how Michiko kept adjusting her hat as they walked, kept fiddling with her top, and she knew Michiko was just as nervous as she was. She managed to keep her voice steady as she asked, “Michiko? When did it start?”

  “My crush on you?” Michiko blushed. “It was the day we met.”

  Beth managed to hold back a surprised gasp. “Really?”

  “Yeah.” Michiko seemed wistful. “I hadn’t been expecting much when I started looking for the woman with second sight. Grandmother Fox had told me that she was a student at Cooper College who lived off-campus, and my first thought?”

  “Yeah?”

  “‘Oh no! She’s a hipster!’”

  Beth laughed. “You’re kidding!”

  Michiko smiled. “I was expecting endless arguments over organic coffee and bands I’d never heard of! But then the spell that Grandmother Fox had cast for me led me to the campus, and I saw you talking to Puck. I remembered that he had mentioned a human friend, and the spell told me that you were the one with second sight.

  “I saw you walking away from Puck, and you seemed shaken up, so I decided to wait a few minutes before I introduced myself. But then the ogre showed up, so I had to jump in to rescue you. And right off the bat, I found myself liking you.”

  “Really?” Beth said.

  “Yep!” Michiko smiled. “You were smart, you were funny, you picked up quickly on everything. And you were brave, too.”

  Beth shook her head. “I wasn’t brave. I was confused and scared.”

  “Beth,” Michiko said, “you threw a bottle at an ogre’s head to protect someone you barely knew. If that’s not bravery, I don’t know what is.”

  “Oh.” Beth blushed.

  “But the moment I’ll always remember,” Michiko continued, “was when we were on that rooftop. I was getting ready to give you the big talk, here’s who I am and what’s happened to you, but before I could start, you thanked me for rescuing you, and…you smiled at me.”

  Michiko’s voice grew thick with emotion. “I wish you could see yourself when you smile like that,” she said. “It’s so warm and beautiful, and it comes from your heart. You’d realize how wonderful a person you are deep down, Beth. And that’s when I fell for you. The first time I saw you smile.”

  Beth looked away, trying to clamp down on her emotions, to not break down there and then. When she glanced back, she saw Michiko staring at the ground.

  “I couldn’t do anything about it then,” she was saying, “because I had to focus on what I needed to do, getting you to become my partner, and then finding and rescuing Puck. And I was astonished about what I was feeling for you. I’d never felt that way about anyone before, ever. And I never expected my first crush to be on another girl, but I was okay with that.

  “But I had to put those feelings aside. You’re straight. I know you are. If I told you how I felt, you’d push me away. You’d walk out of my life.” Michiko blinked. “And I decided that I’d rather have you as just a friend and a roommate and a partner than not have you in my life at all.”

  Beth realized she was barely breathing as Michiko continued, “So I took all the feelings I had for you, all the sweet daydreams, all my hopes for our future, the happy ending I wanted with you, and I put them in a little box and hid them in a back corner of my mind. And I tried to pretend the box wasn’t there, the feelings weren’t there, as we went along.

  “But it didn’t work. You’d be at my side when I needed you, you’d say something supportive or encouraging when I was low, you’d make me laugh, you’d even just smile. Every time you did, I’d have to get a bigger box to hold my feelings for you, because they wouldn’t fit in the one I’d put them in any more. And ever since Christmas, I can’t find a box that’s big enough.”

  Michiko fell silent, and Beth pulled her tangled thoughts together. “Is that why you were being so cold to me?” she asked.

  “It was.” Michiko shook her head. “I thought that if I pushed you away a little, put some distance between us, then maybe I could get my feelings for you back under control. And I hope I never do anything that stupid ever again.” In spite of herself, Beth smiled.

  “It didn’t work anyway,” Michiko said. “Nothing worked. I should have just told you, and let whatever would happen, happen. But I didn’t. And now…” She shivered. “Now you know. Everyone knows. I don’t know what’s going to happen with us now. And I’ve never been so scared of anything in my life.”

  Beth looked at Michiko as she fell silent. She was staring at the trail as they walked, not meeting Beth’s eyes, not the brave, confident hero Beth had come to know but a girl who looked like she was about to lose everything.

  Beth had to screw up her own courage as they rounded a bend in the trail. She had been awake half the night thinking over what to say and how to say it, but now that the time had come, the words were trying to hide. “Michiko?” she said as she somehow kept her voice from shaking. “Before you say anything else…take a look.”

  Michiko looked up. Her jaw dropped as she saw the Bridge of Magpies.

  As lovely as it had been at night, it was even more beautiful with the early morning sun shining on it. It had been cleaned and repainted in anticipation of the day, and paper lanterns had been hung near the gate at the foot of the bridge. Beth could see that the tops of the poles were actually cast metal figures of birds, magpies and cranes and jays and many others. Several couples were nearby, walking past flower bushes where the roses were in bloom or sitting or lying in a nearby meadow, but there was no one on the bridge itself.

  Beth took Michiko’s arm
. “Come on,” she said, pulling Michiko towards the bridge. Michiko seemed to be sleepwalking as she followed.

  “Why?” Michiko asked as Beth stopped at the center of the bridge. “Why are we here?”

  “Anyone could see why the gods wanted today to be the day that Jiao and Yun got engaged,” Beth said. “It’s the seventh day of the seventh month, the day the author and the archer were reunited. It’s Valentine’s Day here. It’s Tanabata. It’s Qixi. And this—” She swept her arm out. “It’s the Bridge of Magpies. The bridge of birds. Built on love and hope. And that’s why I wanted to bring you to this place on this day.”

  Beth faced Michiko and felt her throat tighten. Please don’t let me blow this, she thought. Please, God. “You see, Michiko…now that I know how you feel about me, I…” She swallowed. “I’ve realized that I’m starting to feel the same way about you.” She tried to smile through her nerves.

  Michiko stared at Beth, and for one of the few times that Beth could remember, Michiko was stunned into silence. “What?” she said at last.

  “I know. I was surprised too.”

  “But I thought you were straight.”

  “So did I,” Beth said. “But I never told you about this girl I knew in high school named Anneliese. I didn’t realize it at the time, but she had a crush on me. And when she had to move back to Germany, I broke her heart because she thought I didn’t feel the same way…but I did. I was just too young and dumb to know it at the time. It wasn’t until yesterday that I finally figured it out.

  “And since then, I’ve had crushes on boys. And I guess that means I’m not straight or a lesbian. I’m bi. And I’m okay with that, I really am.”

  “Beth…” Michiko took a deep breath. “I’m sorry.” She walked away from Beth, towards the far end of the bridge.