Relics

by K. T. Tomb

  She is one of several ancient “mu divinities” of the directions; “mothers” who are connected to the sun and moon, or to their paths through the heavens. The widespread tiger images on Shang bronze offering vessels may have been associated with the western mu deity, an association of tiger and west that goes back to the neolithic.

  After the oracle bones, no written records of the goddess appear for a thousand years, until the “Inner Chapters” of the Zhuang Zi, circa 300 BCE. This early Taoist text casts her as a woman who attained the Tao:

  Xi Wang Mu attained it and took her seat on Shao Guang Mountain.

  No one knows her beginning and no one knows her end.

  These eternal and infinite qualities remain definitive traits of the goddess throughout Chinese history.

  ***

  “Please explain to me how a man who is a half meter taller and 50 kilos heavier than the average citizen of Beijing could slip unnoticed past 12,000 troops and leave Beijing?” The volume of General Yung’s voice did little to hide the dangerous intensity of the tone with which he spat the words.

  “He has had a great deal of assistance.”

  “Yes, the phantom woman who managed to dispatch a hundred men,” he scoffed. “Listen very carefully, Captain. I want that man found and brought back to me. I will personally carry out the sentence of the court and put an end to this. Is that understood?” He shouted the last words. The volume was enough to give all who were working on the same floor of the building a start. When they heard the captain’s footsteps coming down the hall, they all turned to their work diligently, hoping to avoid any possible repercussions passed along by his foul mood.

  Those who answered directly to the captain, however, could not avoid his wrath. It mattered little what army a man served in, shit rolled downhill. Within the hour, it was clearly understood from top to bottom of the battalion that the consequences of allowing the foreigner to pass through any more roadblocks or slip by any more troops would be dire.

  Those troops who had earlier been quite diligent in searching, doubled their efforts and began to pass word along to other units outside the city concerning the importance of capturing the American. Attached to the urgency and threats issued by General Yung, the government provided a substantial reward to anyone who was able to provide information leading to his capture. The reward was equal to several years of wages to the average citizen and those who were looking to earn a quick supplement to the fruit of their labor suddenly became diligent as well.

  People who could be trusted became very few and far between. The wide net that was cast was stretched tight and had few holes to slip through. The American would be caught. It was only a matter of time.

  Chapter Ten

  The rest had cleared Max’s head a great deal, but had also left him with a sense of regret for his earlier attitude. Though he still had his doubts that he was the sort of material necessary for helping to rescue the people that he was supposed to be rescuing as the super foreigner, deliverer, savior, he decided that he should hold his tongue and just let things play out on their own. In time, they would all realize that he was just a simple guy from a small Midwestern town whose only talent was having a good eye for taking pictures.

  Things had happened so fast that it seemed like everything had been a dream and not reality. He had been sentenced to die, yet he was very much alive and it was all thanks to a beautiful woman who one moment, seemed to be a super-model out of his league and in the next, a killer with swordsmanship that was beyond the limits of his imagination.

  He had seen her start to move, he had seen flashes of light reflecting from the blade and he’d seen the men dead. What had happened in between was totally inexplicable. When he sat down to eat with the old man and Min once more, he was ready to do whatever they asked. If he was to survive, they, mostly Min, would be the reason.

  “I’m afraid that things have become much worse.” Master Chin made the announcement as they were eating. “A very large reward has been offered for Max’s capture. It is enough to make it very hard to trust anyone. The roads out of the province will be very heavily watched. I have a truck that will take you close to the border of the province, but you will have to cross over into the next province on foot in a very remote place and then secure other transportation on the other side.”

  “How will we find additional transport?” Min asked quietly. She still seemed like the very quiet and proper Chinese woman as they sat at the table.

  “Fortunately, I made a call to a very close friend. We have had code words most of our lives because the communists are always tapping into private conversations. He knows you are coming and he knows that you will need his help. I could communicate nothing more.”

  “He can be trusted?” Min asked.

  “He has no interest in communist blood money. He knows the legend just as I do. He can be trusted, but you must make it to him first and I fear that will not be easy.”

  With Max hunkered down in the back of another truck they set out again under the cover of darkness. At least he wasn’t in a box underneath a herd of swine. He was riding much more comfortably amongst wooden crates. He wasn’t exactly hidden, but he wasn’t sitting up front smiling for the entire world to see either.

  After some hours of sitting, he was ready to stretch his legs and get rid of the numbness in his behind once more. The opportunity arrived soon enough and he found himself slipping along in the dark once more. Rather than house to house as it had been in Beijing, he and Min were slipping along from tree to tree in dense forests. He wondered how Min knew where to guide him and hoped that she actually did know where she was going. Had it been left up to him, he would have simply been wandering blind with no sense of direction.

  When they neared another small town, they ran into a dilemma. They had crossed the border; however the town was crawling with soldiers and likely with fortune seekers as well. If he was seen, it would all have been for nothing.

  “Master Chin’s friend lives in this town,” Min told him. “We need his help, but we cannot risk your discovery.”

  “I don’t exactly blend in with the locals.” Max smiled. “I can stay hidden here and you can go find him and get the arrangements started and come back for me.”

  “You will be okay with that? I had the same thought, but I am afraid to leave you alone.”

  “What if I promise not to run away?” The comment drew the most delightful smile from Min and he plunged ahead. “The way you use that sword, I’d hate to have you hunting me down.”

  “I would not hunt you down.”

  “Good. Besides, I’d rather be on the good side of such a beautiful woman.” He had thought the phrase many times before, but had stayed silent. He wasn’t sure why the comment had popped out of his mouth in that instance, but he noticed that his comment pleased her.

  “Okay,” she said. “Stay hidden. Do not move. I won’t be gone for long.”

  Chapter Eleven

  I won’t be gone for long.

  The famous last words of every woman he’d ever known before. They always kept a man waiting while they messed around with something. He was becoming impatient and his legs were cramping up again from sitting too long in an uncomfortable position. If he could just stretch his legs for a few moments, he’d be okay.

  It was dark and he was in a very remote place. Surely he could slip back in the direction they had come just a little way without being discovered. They had seen no patrols in the woods as they were crossing the border nor had they encountered anyone as they drew nearer to the town. He would be safe for just a moment or two.

  He slipped out of his hiding spot and moved quietly through the darkness stretching his legs. They felt a great deal better when they were moving and he stopped to stretch them for a moment, leaning against a tree like a runner preparing for his morning run. Feeling much better after his walk and stretch, he started back toward his hiding place and walked directly into the barrel of an AK-47 aimed at his chest.<
br />
  The command that was given was well within the range of Max’s level of understanding of the language, especially with the most poignant part of the phrase being emphasized with a sharp stab with the rifle barrel. Max did as he was told and froze, eyeing the shadowy figure. He took a deep breath and resigned himself to the consequences he was facing. They’d had a good run, but everything was stacked against him being able to escape. However, his captor made a mistake.

  Rather than marching Max with a rifle at his back nearer to his support, he let the barrel of the rifle drop slightly as he fumbled for his radio in the dark, intent on calling in his success and asking for assistance. In that split second, Max was able to shove the barrel of the gun downward and twist it away from the much smaller man. However, in an ironic twist of déjà vu, the automatic weapon lit up the darkness with light and sound, leaving Max momentary blind and the Chinese soldier dead at his feet.

  So much for silence and so much for staying put. There would be a hundred soldiers in his lap in minutes. He slung the automatic weapon over his shoulder and fled deeper into the darkness. He had no idea whether he was fleeing to further danger or away from it; all he knew was that it was dark and he could not stay where he was.

  He could hear the heavy boots of the soldiers coming in his direction. He heard them pause when they came to the body of their fallen comrade and he stopped running in order to listen for a moment. The AK-47 would likely do nothing but draw more attention if he used it, but he felt safer with it in his hands; like he at least had a chance. He heard radio calls and excited voices and then heard soldiers scattering in every direction.

  He heard a loud pop and a hissing sound like fireworks shooting into the air on the Fourth of July back in Burlington. Another bright pop made the sky brighter around him and he could suddenly see at least a dozen soldiers spread out in the open field around him. He turned a full circle, searching for some sort of cover.

  There was a stand of trees off to his left and he sprinted toward them. His sudden movement attracted the attention of the soldiers and he heard the angry zip of bullets flying around him as he scrambled for cover. When he ducked inside safe from the bullets, he heard more voices.

  There would be hundreds of soldiers in the area soon. He had to get some distance and get through the stand of trees before they were able to surround it and get a helicopter into the air. His chances of remaining free were growing smaller by the second and he was certain that it was only a matter of time before he was back in the cell in Beijing, if they didn’t simply shoot him on sight.

  Where was Min? Where was the transportation that she had secured for them? He continued running. He had no idea if he was running toward more trouble or away from it, he just knew that he had to keep moving and get some distance between him and the soldiers. They would likely have a group flanking him and another group closing off any escape ahead.

  His lungs burned from the running that he had been doing. He had to take a moment to catch his breath and think. He saw a cluster of brush among the trees and slipped into it for a moment. How could he hope to slip out of the mess he was in? Min couldn’t kill an entire army and they couldn’t outrun a helicopter. Worse yet, he had given away their position and the place would be swarming with soldiers. He’d screwed up.

  As he was catching his breath, he heard movement. He spun to raise the AK-47, but lowered it instantly when he recognized Min. Where the hell had she come from?

  “Come.” She took his hand and led him a little over 20 feet, then reached down and pulled up a lid in the forest floor.

  He was pretty sure that lids just didn’t appear in the forest floor, but he’d seen her reach down and open it just the same. He followed her down the ladder and into the tunnel below.

  Chapter Twelve

  The original plan had been to follow the tunnel away from the house and out into the woods. From there, they would use the cover of the forest to walk to the truck and slip away into the night quietly. With the sudden explosion of activity around the small forest, getting to the truck would be impossible.

  “I’m sorry, Min.” Max apologized when they were in a better place to talk. “I had to stretch my legs and one of them found me.”

  “I understand.” She found it difficult to be angry with him, even though he had certainly made things more difficult for them to make their escape. “We will have to change plans, but if we can move quickly enough, things might work out for the better. The army will tighten up around the forest and focus all of their efforts there. Maybe it will give us a chance to slip away. Mister Sun was on his way to the place where we were going to be meeting, but I’m sure he won’t be able to make it in and will return to the house.”

  She had no sooner finished relating the news than they arrived at another ladder at the end of the tunnel. When they reached the ladder, they climbed up through a hatch in the floor, barely large enough for Max’s wide shoulders. She reached down and helped pull him up into the small room.

  “Mister Sun said that this tunnel was used to smuggle goods and people when the communists first took over. It has been used only a few times since and is one that the communists have never yet discovered. We will wait to see if he returns here and then use the truck to escape.”

  She looked at the AK-47 in Max’s hands and frowned.

  “That weapon is of little use to us. We must move quietly and not draw any more attention. Perhaps Mister Sun will be able to sell it later and help with our expenses.”

  “I… um… It just felt good to have something in my hands to defend myself.”

  “I understand.” She smiled brightly at him. He had the makings of a warrior. “Perhaps when we have a little bit more peace and don’t have to move around so much, I will teach you how to fight with a sword.”

  “I’m not sure how much good being able to fight with a sword will do me, but sure, I’m game to learn anything.”

  His smile warmed her and she had to avert her eyes in order to cover up the warmth that had spread to her cheeks.

  She heard a noise and quickly sprung to a position behind the door, motioning for Max to sit still. The sound of quiet footsteps approached the door and Min readied herself for action. In was likely to be Mister Sun, but she could not take the chance that it was someone else and she not be ready. In a moment, Mister Sun spoke through the door.

  “Are you in there?”

  “Yes,” she replied. “I have Max as well.”

  “We need to wait a few moments while the army organizes around the forest and moves away from the streets. This might actually be good luck, but we’ll need to get past the border quickly before they discover that Max has disappeared and begin to organize roadblocks again.”

  “Very well,” Min replied. “Call us when you’re ready.”

  “Would you like some food?”

  Min looked at Max who shook his head.

  “We’re fine for the moment,” she said. “How long do you think?”

  “Just until the convoys begin to stop moving all over town. It should only be a few minutes. I’m going to go keep watch.”

  Min glanced at Max whose face seemed very distant. He didn’t seem to be afraid, but seemed to have crawled inside of himself. “Are you okay, Max?”

  “Yes, I had to kill him.”

  He was such a good man. He was not a killer, though he was a man who would do what needed to be done. He took no joy in taking another life. Though she had taken many, it had been a part of her destiny and she had been born to it. There was no pleasure in it for her either, but she no longer became pensive about it afterward.

  “You did what you had to do, Max. I know those words sound empty, but it is the only way that you can come to grips with it.”

  “I know. I think it will take me a while to get used to it.”

  “I hope that you never get used to it.”

  The soft footsteps returned and then the handle began to move. The door opened and Mister Sun motioned for t
hem to come out. They moved quickly, following him straight through the house and into the back of the truck. With any luck, they would be able to slip away from the Chinese Army.

  Chapter Thirteen

  The motion of the truck stopped suddenly and Max was instantly awake. How long had he slept? He had stayed awake until after they made it through the checkpoint. He had overheard the lazy voices of the men who recognized Mister Sun and wondered if they would be betrayed. However, Mister Sun must have been a regular or he had bought the guards, because no inspection was made and the truck pulled away from the roadblock without incident. Some hours after that, he had felt his eyelids become heavy and heard the soft, deep breathing of Min beside him.

  He waited in the darkness, straining his ears to hear what was taking place outside the truck. Another roadblock? An inspection? He heard the tailgate of the truck being opened, but there weren’t voices, only quiet footsteps. He felt Min tense beside him. She was ready to attack.

  “We have arrived,” a quiet voice said from the other side of the crates that had been pushed in front of them. It was the voice of Mister Sun. “There is no one near, so it is best that you hurry and slip away into the trees.”

  “Thank you, Mister Sun,” Min said as the crates were slid out of the way and she took hold of Max’s hand.

  At first, Max had felt a little bit like a child whenever she grasped his hand, but he had soon gotten used to it and enjoyed the contact between them. It wasn’t just an assurance, but something deeper that passed between them whenever they were touching. It was probably a ridiculous thought, but he had begun to entertain the idea that Min took hold of his hand as a sign of affection for him.