Naamah's Kiss (72 page)

It was a terrifying and exhilarating journey. The Thousand-Cloud Bag billowed and blew. We hurtled past the buildings of Guangzhou with their tip-tilted roofs. In peacetime, I daresay we would have wreaked havoc, crashing into lesser vessels and sinking them with our sheer bulk and momentum, but for a mercy, the Grand Canal was largely deserted.

Buildings gave way to countryside. The canal spilled us into a larger river lined with willow trees. Beyond the trees, peasants working in the fields lifted their heads to stare in wonder as the Imperial greatship rushed past them, its upper decks towering over the trees.

In the end, it wasn't a bridge that put a halt to our flight. After the better part of two hours, the Thousand-Cloud Bag blew itself empty, settling with a sigh on the aftdeck, its many embroidered squares flat and slack once more.

Bereft of wind, the greatship drifted to a halt.

"It's a fighting head start," General Tsieh said philosophically before raising his voice to give a new order. "Unload the ship!"

A scene of pandemonium ensued. Soldiers and sailors alike worked frantically to unload the greatship. A vast plank was lowered to the shore. Suyin and Mei and several dozen other women emerged, white-faced with fear beneath their cosmetics. Food stores, cargo, and personal belongings were unloaded. Horses were led from the hold on unsteady legs, blinking in the sunlight.

I led Blossom out myself. I'd visited her many times during our journey, walking her up and down the narrow exercise corridor in the belly of the greatship, and she was the only horse among them to look calm and alert. She listened to me with pricked ears as I spoke softly to her, soothing her thoughts with my mind.

Peasants gathered to watch. Several of General Tsieh's men interrogated them. They seemed friendly, nodding and pointing toward the north.

"Good news." The general strode over to us. "We're only a hundred li or so from the border of Qilu Province. That's as far as Lord Jiang's grasp extends. If we push the horses as hard as we dare, we ought to make it."

Master Lo frowned. "There are no mounts for the women and sailors."

The general shrugged. "Those without will have to make due. With all we'll be forced to leave behind, they can bribe the peasants to hide them."

"My bulbs!" Master Lo said in alarm.

General Tsieh cast an acerbic eye over the massive pot that Bao had lugged ashore. "I'm sorry, Venerable One. But yes, if you do not wish to be captured by Lord Jiang's men, your bulbs must stay." He jerked his chin at the two trunks of my clothing. "Those, too."

I sighed. There were gowns I'd not seen since we left Terre d'Ange in there, the finest creations of Atelier Favrielle, sumptuous, elegant gowns that were wholly impractical for travel. "Master Lo, I've an idea. Bao, lend me a hand."

I emptied out my battered canvas satchel. There wasn't much I truly needed to keep. I put the thong with my mother's signet ring around my neck and tucked the crystal bottle of Jehanne's perfume into the purse at my belt. With Bao's aid, I transferred the bulk of the snowdrop bulbs into my satchel.

The fragile bulbs protested faintly.

Sleep . I blew softly over the soil. Deeper and deeper. Sleep .

"We must go!" the general called impatiently. "Time to ride!"

"Suyin!" I beckoned to her. She hurried over with the graceful, mincing gait Ch'in women favored, gazing at me with wide, fearful eyes. "There are some items of value in these trunks. Gowns or at least the fabric, mayhap." I couldn't picture her in one of Benoit Val-

Ion's immodest creations. "Eardrops, jeweled combs, a headpiece. Share them among the women. Use them as best you may."

She looked blankly at me. I'd reverted to speaking D'Angeline without thinking.

Bao translated.

Suyin bowed three times in rapid succession, speaking quickly to me in her native dialect.

"She says thank you and she will pray for you! They will all pray for you!" Bao flung himself effortlessly astride his mount despite being burdened with many of the rest of Master Lo's bags of medicines and possessions. He glanced behind us. There was a faint smear of dust rising on the southern horizon. Lord Jiang's forces were in pursuit. "Moirin, we must go. Now !"

"All right, all right!" I slung the satchel over one shoulder, my bow and quiver over the other, and hoisted myself into the saddle. "I'm ready!"

General Tsieh gave the order. "Ride!"

A hundred li was not a great distancea little over ten leagues if I understood correctly. A strong, fit mount could easily cover that distance in a day.

But we were not riding strong, fit mounts.

Weakened by long months at sea and unsteady on dry land as any of us, the horses stumbled and staggered through the tall fields of wheat. I couldn't help but wince at their struggles, any more than I could help wincing at the swathe we cut, trampling the late-winter grain ready for harvest.

It was better once we gained the road and sure footingbut not for long. The toll the journey had taken on our mounts was too great. One by one, they began to founder. General Tsieh called for a halt to determine which ones had the strength to continue. There were only a score, Blossom among them.

Thirty men would stay behind to guard our passage. I watched them string and test their bows, preparing to make a stand.

"So many lives spent to save one woman," I murmured to Master Lo. "Is it worth it?"

He looked troubled. "I cannot say, Moirin. But I fear there are greater stakes here that justify their sacrifice. What Black Sleeve has done" He fell silent.

"The Divine Thunder?" I asked.

"Sorcery," Bao said darkly.

"Not sorcery." Master Lo's voice was filled with sorrow. "Only alchemy and engineering. The possibility to use fire-powder to create such a terrible weapon has existed for many, many years. It is a secret that many of us have kept for a long time, and for many years, I have feared that someone would discover it. Now it seems it has happened. But I never thought it would be him."

"Was he your pupil?" I asked.

"No." He said no more. I raised my brows at Bao, who shook his head, knowing no more than I did.

And then General Tsieh gave the order, and we were off once more.

We rode through the day and into darkness, coaxing and pleading with our mounts. A little while after nightfall, we saw the faint sparks of lanterns on the road behind us. The sacrifice of thirty men may have delayed them, but our pursuers were drawing nearer.

"Moirin." Master Lo spoke for the first time in hours. "If we are caught, use your gifts to escape unseen. Bao, go with her. Black Sleeve will see that I come to no harm. I cannot guarantee the same for you."

"Aye, Master." I felt heartsick at the prospect, and too weary to argue. Bao merely nodded, looking as sick as I felt.

We dismounted to lead our staggering horses up a long mountain pass. My thighs were quivering with exhaustion after hours in the saddle. The satchel over my shoulder seemed to weigh a thousand pounds. The sparks behind us were drawing closer. I put my head down and trudged, praying that my diadh-anam hadn't led me halfway around the world to abandon me. All the gods knew, I wouldn't be the first of the Maghuin Dhonn to misunderstand Her intent and pay the price for it.

At the crest of the mountain, shouting.

I lifted my heavy head. Bao pointed wordlessly.

There was a walled city in the valley below, dimly visible in the starlight, lamps burning in its watchtowers.

" Ride! " General Tsieh shouted. " Ride! "

I scrambled gracelessly back into the saddle. Sensing our urgency, the horses found one last burst of panicked strength as we plunged down the mountain slope. Feeling Blossom's lungs and valiant heart labor, I prayed for her forgiveness.

Behind us, more shouting. Our enemy was in hot pursuit.

Had it been daytime, I daresay we wouldn't have made it. They began loosing arrows at us when we reached level ground. Two soldiers slumped and went down, crying out in pain; then, an order countermanding the attack.

"They can't see," Bao said breathlessly beside me. "Don't want to hit Master Lo."

"Lucky for him!" I gasped.

"Lucky for us all!"

General Tsieh was shouting at the watchtowers as our ragtag party drew near. "Emperor's men! We're Emperor's men! If this city is still under the Mandate of Heaven, open the cursed gates!"

More torches flared atop the walls. Men yelled, ran and scrambled atop the walls.

Slowly, slowly, the massive gates swung open.

We swept past themonly to find ourselves trapped in a high-walled courtyard, the inner gates yet closed. Hot on our heels, Lord Jiang's men surged inside after us.

My heart sank.

"Disappear!" Bao was yelling at me. "Disappear!"

Blossom checked and wheeled at the closed inner gate. I lurched in the saddle, the heavy satchel falling from my shoulder. One of Lord Jiang's soldiers was bearing down on me, a fierce grimace on his face. "I can't!"

Bao grunted, wielding his staff. The butt end of it caught Jiang's man under the chin, knocking him from his horse. "Heh." Bao grinned; and then his mount collapsed beneath him, pinning him under its bulk.

Another soldier on horseback came at me, leering, a raised cudgel in one hand. He meant to capture, not kill.

Cold anger came over me.

Spoils of warthat's what Master Lo had meant to imply. That's what I would be considered if I were captured. That's the fate that may have already befallen Suyin and Mei and the other women from the ship.

I couldn't summon the twilight, not with the soldier's gaze on me. But in that moment, I didn't want to.

My hands moved smoothly and precisely. I unslung the bow from my shoulder, the yew-wood bow my uncle Mabon had made for me. I was Moirin mac Fainche of the Maghuin Dhonn, and I'd been shooting for the pot since I was ten years old. With unerring speed, I drew an arrow from my quiver, fitting it to the string. I pulled the string taut against my cheek, and loosed it.

The soldier clutched his chest and looked at me in surprise before reeling over backward in the saddle.

I smiled grimly and nocked another arrow. "Who's next?"

As if to echo my question, a volley of arrows fell from above. There were archers atop the high walls behind us, shooting into the courtyard, driving Lord Jiang's forces back toward the outer gates. Some fled, some stayed and fought, no longer caring who they killed.

The outer gates crashed shut, trapping those who stayed.

Bao was on his feet, cursing a blue streak, putting himself between Master Lo and me and Jiang's men, his staff a blur, battering away arrows in midflight. I don't know how many times he saved our lives that night.

And then it was over.

Ten of our men were dead. Three dozen or more of Lord Jiang's soldiers had been slain. I dismounted on shaky legs and stooped to pick up my fallen satchel, settling its weight on my shoulder. Blossom gave a weary whicker and nuzzled my hair.

"Is this victory?" I asked Bao.

He leaned on his staff, looking unspeakably tired. "Don't know."

I looked up. "Master Lo?"

Slumped in the saddle, he roused himself. "No. Victory no. A brief reprieve in what promises to be a long battle."

The inner gates of the courtyard opened with a crash. Torchlight spilled into the square, silhouetting a stocky fellow who beamed at us, flanked by a hundred men in armor. The Imperial flag waved above them.

"Forgive me, esteemed friends!" he cried cheerfully. "We had to be certain you were who you claimed to be." He clasped his hands together and bowed, low and deep. "I am Governor Po. Welcome to Ludong City."