“Do you think the children are divided among the tents, mistress?” Nu whispered.
“Possible, Nu,” Lady Jin said. “It would be nice if they were all in one location.”
“We could just walk up and ask one of the guards to put all the children in one tent.”
“I don’t think they’ll help.”
“True.” Nu snorted softly.
The two women circled the camp to watch the guards and see if anything was going on. A campfire at the center of the camp was being tended by one man. Every once in a while someone would come out and join him. After a while Lady Jin recognized the habits of the guards and told Nu.
“So we might be able to sneak in?” Nu whispered.
“Possible,” Lady Jin said. “But how are we going to get out? We be able to sneak past the outer guards but the man at the campfire might be a bigger problem.”
“How so?”
“I’m not sure,” Lady Jin said. “Too simple, too easy.”
“Are we going to try it?”
“Yes,” Lady Jin said. “I wish we could do it a different way, but...”
“What?”
“We shouldn’t separate,” Lady Jin said. “We should stay together. We’ll come in this way and check that tent first. Then move on to the next. Follow my lead. Understood?”
“Yes, mistress.”
Lady Jin crawled towards the nearest tent with a knife between her teeth. Taking the knife in her hand she cut a hole in the tent. Lady Jin stuck her head in the hole to look around. There was a man asleep in a pile of furs with a bottle in his loose hand. Inches away from the man were five children of various ages tied to a post. Some of the smallest children sat on the laps of the bigger children. The man turned in his sleep and Lady Jin pulled her head out.
“Let’s check the other tents,” she whispered in Nu’s ear.
The second tent contained two men sleeping on separate piles of furs. Lady Jin counted six children tied to a post, amongst them, a girl of about twelve held a baby in her arms. The third tent held four children, and the fourth tent held five. Everything seemed to be going fine so far, until Lady Jin stuck her head into the fifth tent. Her head accidently bumped one of the children. The already frightened children screamed. The three men in the tent hopped up with their swords in their hands.
Lady Jin pulled her head out of the tent.
“Who’s there?”
“Why’d you scream, child!”
“There’s a hole in the tent!”
“Count the children!”
“They’re all here! Check outside, you fools!”
Lady Jin tossed her knife into the throat of the first man who came out to search for her. The second man shouted for help. “Intruders! Intruders!”
Nu’s sword cut through the second man’s shin. Then she chopped off his head.
“Run!” Lady Jin shouted.
Other men in the camp came out of their tents. The two women found themselves among chaos. Attacks came from everywhere. Lady Jin blocked, deflected, and evaded a dozen attacks. She even cartwheeled over a man as she dashed out of the camp.
Lady Jin dropped to the ground a mile away from the camp. She held her breath as a couple men ran past her in the darkness. Nu, I hope she got away. The plan was to regroup where we left the horses. Lady heard a familiar voice.
“We have your friend, Lady Jin!” It was Black-hand. “If you value her life, you’ll surrender.”
Lady Jin held her breath. No. She got away. It’s a lie!
“Don’t give up, mistress!” Nu screamed out of the darkness as Lady Jin hid in the dirt.
I will be back. I must go now. I’m sorry, Nu.
Lady Jin crawled past seven men in the darkness. She kept out of the range of their torches. Eventually Lady Jin made it back to their horses. She was defeated. What will I do now? She rode back to the village pulling Nu’s empty horse along. Maybe I should go back for Nu. It would be a fool’s move.
Suddenly a rider galloped after Lady Jin. Should I make a run for it?
“Wait!” the rider shouted. “I have a message from Black-hand!”
Lady Jin pulled on the reins to stop both horses.
“Uh...I’m sorry,” the rider said hastily. He gave her a message. The message was written on a single strip of bamboo. “I’m Rooster Jung,” the messenger said. He bowed. Rooster Jung turned to his horse to go back to the camp.
The message read: Good try. Surrender. We will spare your friend and the children.
Lady Jin read the message a couple of more times. She forced back a tear as she rode towards the village.
Chapter twenty-five
Lady Jin found the village woman that had given her a bowl of noodles and thanked her. She sat down by herself thinking of everything that happened. Everything had gone wrong! Lady Jin sighed and looked down at her untouched food. I know there was nothing I could have done differently. It was just dumb luck that I bumped into that child. What do I do now? What would Snake-tongue want to do? What would Nu want me to do? Lady Jin laughed quietly. I know exactly what she would want me to do. Fight! Maybe I was a fool to think I could reason with any of them.
“Lady Jin! Lady Jin!” a man ran up to her. “There’s a couple of riders have entered the camp. They are looking for you.”
Lady Jin nodded and stood up. She handed the bowl to the man. “Take me to them.”
The villager led her to two men standing beside their horses. As she approached they both bowed towards her. One looked to be in his mid-twenties, and the second one looked to be a teenagers like Nu. Have they come from the camp to demand my surrender? Lady Jin returned the bow. A few village men and women stood around watching.
“I’m sorry.” The oldest man shrugged. “My name is Black Fox, and this is Green Mo. We were once students of Snake-tongue.”
“Have you come from Black-hand’s camp?”
“No we just got here, Lady Jin,” Black Fox said. “From Guanxibo. We went to the meeting Black-hand had and listened to him.”
“We were angry too,” Green Mo added.
“Then we wondered about what had happened to Snake-tongue,” Black Fox said. “I knew a soothsayer in the city, so we paid the old man to see if he could speak to Snake-tongue. Snake-tongue's spirit told the soothsayer that everything you said was true, according to Snake-tongue.”
“It-it wasn’t your fault,” Green Mo said.
“Thank you.” Lady Jin glanced from one to the other. “Do you know what Black-hand and his friends have done here?”
The two men shook their heads, so Lady Jin told them everything. A couple of the villagers nodded and told their version of the attacks on their village. Including the kidnapping of their children.
“This is horrible.” Black Fox shook his head. “This is not what Snake-tongue would have approved of. I want to help you save the children and your friend.”
“Me too,” Green Mo added.
The three warriors rode out of the village with Lady Jin pulling Nu’s horse behind her horse. They tied the horses behind a hill and crawled up it. They had a good view of the camp from their location.
Lady Jin pointed out where she and Nu had circled the camp and then entered it. The tents were set up in the same spot they had been last night.
“Are we going to sneak in the same way you did last night, Lady Jin?” Green Mo pointed at the camp.
“No.” Lady Jin gestured her hand. “They’ll be ready for that.”
“Now most of the men are up and walking about,” Black Fox said. “It won’t be easy to surprise them at this hour. We’ll have to wait until tonight.”
“They will expect us to attack tonight.” Lady Jin nodded.
“Of course,” Black Fox said. “So?”
“We prepare to attack.”
“We attack tonight?” Green Mo asked.
“No.” Lady Jin said.
“Now. We attack now.” Black Fox laughed.
“Pray to any gods you f
avor, Green Mo.” Lady Jin grinned.
The three warriors crawled down the hill and separated. Lady Jin knelt to pray to the goddess Xi Wang Mu, Queen Mother of the West. Sacrifice was needed. Blood sacrifice. She sliced the palm of her hand on the edge of her sword before sheathing it. Lady Jin wrapped a white rag around her bleeding hand. A few drops of blood covered the ground.
Chapter twenty-six
Lady Jin led the way into the camp. The three of them rode in slowly and calmly. All the men standing around the camp were dumbstruck.
“I am Lady Jin.” She gazed down at a man with a look of disguised. “I am here to negotiate with you kidnappers for the children and my student One-eyed Nu.”
The man stepped back without drawing his sword. He looked around at the other men. He seemed at a loss for what to do. Another man stepped forward. Lady Jin recognized him as one of the riders she saw Black-hand with at the village. He was bald.
“I am Bald-dog.” He snarled. “Have you come to surrender?”
“No.” Lady Jin snorted. “I came to fight.”
“Black Fox?” Bald-dog snarled. “Why are you with this bitch?”
“Lady Jin is an honorable warrior, unlike you and Black-hand.” Black Fox looked around at the other men watching them. “Why do you kidnap children? When did Snake-tongue teach you this was an honorable thing to do?”
Lady Jin watched as some of the men looked cowed and ashamed of themselves. With an audience in front of him Black Fox told his story of going to an old soothsayer, and all he had learned. The men asked him questions, and he answered them, and then they spoke to Lady Jin. But a few, like Bald-dog, didn’t look very happy about the whole thing. She saw him whisper to one of these men and he took off for one of the tents. A little while later, Black-hand appeared, dragging Nu with him.
“Stop!” Black-hand snapped. He gave Bald-dog a brief nod. “How can you listen to their lies? She has bewitched them. Don’t let her do the same to you.”
“You wanted me to come back, Black-hand,” Lady Jin announced. “Here I am.”
“I see that.”
“Do wish to challenge me to a fight?”
“I will fight you!” Bald-dog spit on the ground then drew his sword. He stepped back. “Come down from that horse and fight me!”
“Fine with me.” Lady Jin dropped off her horse.
Their swords met and parted. Blades flew this way and that as the two warriors tested each other’s skills. Lady Jin was impressed by a few well-executed feints that might have beaten another. She pulled her abs back to avoid a belly cut. Lady Jin laughed and retreated toward the campfire. “Come over here. You bore me!”
Bald-dog growled at her, like his namesake. He swung at her with anger, but skill. Lady Jin blocked and parried his attacks. She caught his wrist. She turned and twisted his arm. Bald-dog was flung across the campfire. He rolled out the other side, slapping his leathers, and cursing her.
Finding himself not on fire, Bald-dog yelled at Lady Jin then attacked. This time she dodged his hacks and cut his hamstring as he charged by her. Lady Jin didn’t hesitate, nor did she show mercy. On his knees, he swung his sword at her, but she smacked it aside and shoved her blade into his eye.
Lady Jin forced her blade deeper into his eye towards his brain.
Lady Jin yanked her sword free. Bald-dog sank to the dirt. The men who had watched the fight, looked to one another for what to do next. Even Black-hand didn’t seem ready to take action just yet.
But suddenly one man shouted a challenge. “Black Fox! You traitor!” A muscular man with a large heavy-looking sword came forward. “I am Big-armed Ling! I will kill you and feed your corpse to dogs and maggots!”
Black Fox handed the reins of his horse to Green Mo and drew his sword to face Big-armed Ling. Ling reached behind his back with his left hand and pulled out a hatchet. Black Fox retreated from Ling’s hatchet and sword. Black Fox cut low at the thigh. He only cut through Ling's baggy pant leg; missing the actual leg.
Lady Jin wiped the blood from her sword. Her attention was on the two men fighting. I hope Black Fox stays vigilant about that hatchet. Ling could throw it at any time.
As if hearing her thoughts, Ling flung the hatchet at that moment. It spun towards Black Fox, who leaned to the side to avoid it. Ling let out a roar and charged. Black Fox stepped back repeatedly on the balls of his feet as the crazed hacks of Ling large sword moved ever closer to his face. Black Fox’s lighter sword constantly deflected Ling’s attacks, and seemed as if his lighter sword danced around Ling’s sword. It was a game rather than a deadly duel.
As they fought for several minutes they had somehow made their way to the spot where Ling’s hatchet had fallen. Seeing his hatchet, Ling made the foolish mistake of reaching for it. Black Fox leaped on him like a fox striking a mouse. Black Fox’s blade sank into the other man’s ribs. Ling stumbled back, dropping his sword, but holding onto his hatchet.
Ling stopped himself from falling. The two faced each other.
Careful, Black Fox. Wounded prey can be a very dangerous animal.
Black Fox circled to the right where Ling’s wound was. Ling’s eyes were wide with hate and fear. Black Fox feinted towards the wound a few times. Ling moved to protect himself with the blood pouring out. Ling was breathing hard. Black Fox made another feint to the wound before he sliced the eye. Ling swung his hatchet in desperation. Black Fox lunged and punctured Ling’s heart. A good surgical strike. Lady Jin was impressed.
Big-armed Ling thumped to ground bleeding through a wound in his ribs.
Chapter twenty-seven
“Damn you, Lady Jin!” Black-hand cursed.
“Are you ready to stop cursing me?” Lady Jin snapped. “Or are there anymore fighters you wish to hide behind to protect your delicate white neck?”
“I need no one’s protection from the likes of you!” Black-hand raised his sword.
Unlike the rest of Black-hand's body, his hand was as black as his eyes. Lady Jin had heard that it was a gift from a wizard he had killed. Black-hand slapped her blade with his, but did nothing else other than watch her for a few minutes.
Lady Jin stabbed at his face. Black-hand leaned back and stepped to the right. He swung low at her knees. She hoped to avoid his blade and swung down at his shoulder. Black-hand parried and lunged at her face. Lady Jin caught the blade with her sword, but he kicked her in the knee. Shit! She went down.
Lady Jin rolled to the right to avoid Black-hand’s sword point. She came up on her good leg and tried to put a little weight on the other leg. Shit! I hope I can stand it. Please knee, just be sore and not broke. Lady Jin forced herself to ignore the pain shooting through the bad leg as Black-hand charged. She blocked Black-hand’s aggressive swings and kept most of her weight on her leg.
Black-hand lunged at her chest, but she rolled to the left to avoid it. As she went by, she slashed out and her cut through the side of his calf. There that's fair. Now both of us are limping!
Both wounded warriors faced each other as they stood up on their good legs, their swords pointing and waiting for the moment to strike.
Lady Jin fought on hoping his wounded leg was worse than hers. Black-hand blocked and pushed her sword out of the way. He tackled her. Lady Jin reached her legs around his upper body and locked her feet together. Above their heads, their sword were locked as if in sexual intercourse. Lady Jin held his wrist. He tried to chock her. He rolled on top of her bad knee. She screamed, bit his nose, and twisted it. Lady Jin slammed a good knee into his ribs and was able to roll out from under him.
Lady Jin stood up carefully and faced the man again. She shook her bad leg a little. I hope that will heal later. Lady Jin swung her sword at his sword hand. She covered from his parry and thrust at his nose. She nicked him. That won’t kill, but I hope it pisses you off, son of ugly ewe! Both of them were now breathing harder than before.
For a minute, that seemed like hours, to the two warriors they just glared at each other. Black-han
d swung first then Lady Jin swung. She felt a cut on her hip, but didn’t slow down. I will kill! This ends now! Snake-tongue loved me! Damn you! Lady Jin cut through Black-hand hand, but not the one that held his sword.
“Damn you, whore!” Black-hand swung his sword at her face. “Snake-tongue never loved you!”
“Liar!” Lady Jin smacked his sword out of her face. She stabbed at his throat.
“You missed again, bitch!” Black-hand was hard breathing through his teeth. “Just like you missed out on love.”
I will not listen to this piece of shit! Lady Jin tried instead to control her breathing. Snake-tongue loved me. He told me so. He is just trying to anger me.
“He loved me. He didn’t love you. He cast you out,” Lady Jin told him.
Black-hand growled. “Liar! I was like a son to him!”
Black-hand attacked blindly. After blocking three of his wild attacks Lady Jin saw the opening in his guard. She thrust down into his belly. The blade sunk in deep. Lady Jin twisted it as she yanked it out.
Black-hand fell to the ground. A pool of blood soaked out around his torso.
Lady Jin limped away from him. Nu caught before she hit the ground. “I have you, mistress.”
“I know.” Lady Jin laid down her sword. Her sword arm ached like the rest of her worn out body. She looked around at the spectators. What are they going to do?
A few minutes passed, and Black Fox and Green Mo approached Lady Jin.
“They’ve agreed to hand over the children,” Black Fox said. “The other men in the camp have decided to go home. They don’t want any more of this now that Black-hand is dead. So rest, Lady Jin, you have won.”
The Gory Pearl of Doom: A Lady Jin and One-eyed Nu novel Page 7
