Serpentine (22 page)

It was a few hours before dawn when Skybright returned to their small makeshift camp. She sensed Zhen Ni during her entire journey, stirring in her sleep. Safe. Skybright changed back to human form and pulled her clothes on before settling beside her mistress again. She tried to fall asleep but couldn’t, too filled with the rush of killing the goat demon and the ache of seeing Kai Sen again.

If the breach was not closed, the attacks would go on endlessly. The monks were fighting a losing battle. How long before Kai Sen was more seriously injured? Or killed?

She tightened her fists, trying to force the thoughts from her mind. Birds began chirping above them, welcoming the new morning. Skybright lay curled on her side, away from Zhen Ni, stiff and unmoving until she felt a hand on her shoulder. “A peaceful morning, Sky.” Skybright swallowed the lingering bitterness of venom in her mouth and sat up, feeling stiff in her joints. “A peaceful morning, mistress.”

“I think I woke in the middle of the night,” Zhen Ni said, “and didn’t find you beside me.”

Skybright pretended to be too intent on combing her hair to glance at her mistress. “I stepped away for a moment to relieve myself,” she lied.

Zhen Ni nodded. “I was so exhausted, I wasn’t sure if I was dreaming.”

Skybright patted the blanket and her mistress sat cross-legged in front of her so Skybright could arrange her hair in servant style. They then rose and began gathering their belongings before Skybright offered Zhen Ni the last of her salted biscuits and dates. They drank from their flasks and stretched their aching limbs. “Let’s find our way back to Shan An. It’s worth it to go into town to restock and perhaps find an inn where we can wash up properly and rest,” Skybright said.

“That would be wonderful,” Zhen Ni agreed.

“The men your mother has sent are at least a day ahead of us. But we still need to be cautious.”

It was a mist-filled morning, which made their trek more challenging. They paused to consult the compass and map several times while slowly picking their way through the wilderness. The girls didn’t speak for some time, intent on reaching the town.

Finally, when they paused mid-morning to sip from their flasks, Zhen Ni asked, “Is my mother very angry with me?”

“She’s worried. But no, I think she blames herself that you ran away.”

Her mistress gaped at her, before closing her flask and wiping her mouth with the gold handkerchief. Skybright had returned it to her.

“She felt she was too harsh in her punishment,” Skybright said. “She apologized to me … for the beating.”

Zhen Ni winced, then sighed, and they continued on their journey. “I knew I was being selfish, Sky. And a poor daughter. But I didn’t care. I only wanted to enjoy my time with Lan.” Simply speaking Lan’s name aloud shadowed her mistress’s face. “We’ll both be married off when the time comes, and I doubt our paths will ever cross again. If she were of lower stature, I might bring her into my husband’s household as a handmaid. But she wasn’t born of that class. Her family is not as wealthy as ours, but neither can she ever be a handmaid.”

Skybright’s heart dropped. She had been right all along, Zhen Ni preferred Lan to her.

Zhen Ni glanced at her face and stopped midstride. “Oh, Sky.” She grasped Skybright’s elbow. “That wasn’t what I meant. You’re irreplaceable to me!”

“I’ve been so jealous … ” It was difficult for Skybright to admit it; she felt as if she would choke on the words. “It would have been better if she had been your handmaid. Then you could be together.”

Zhen Ni laughed and embraced her, holding Skybright tight. But Skybright stood still, arms hanging heavy at her sides. “Stop your foolish talk. You’ve been there for me since before I can remember—a sister, companion, my friend who’s always looked out for me. Lan could never replace you in my heart; I love you both for different reasons. I’m only glad that Lan and I met as we did this summer, that we got to have the time that we did.” Hearing the wistfulness in Zhen Ni’s words, Skybright relented and wrapped her arms around her mistress, feeling the delicate shoulder blades in Zhen Ni’s back, the sharpness of her collarbone against her cheek. “You need to eat, mistress. You’ve lost too much weight.”

They pulled apart and Zhen Ni said, “I know. I haven’t had much appetite these past few weeks. But running away, being alone, has helped. I’ve had a lot of time to think. And I’m glad I can see Lan one last time.”

Skybright squeezed Zhen Ni’s arms. Her mistress couldn’t be with the one she loved either. “One last time. Aren’t you angry? Aren’t you—”

“I’m furious, Sky. Devastated. My heart aches constantly, a true pain. And I often feel as if I live outside of myself, like my soul isn’t tethered to my body any longer.” Zhen Ni bent to retrieve a large rock from the ground. “If I could pick up the world and smash it to pieces, I’d consider it, to ease my misery. Out of selfishness.” She let the stone slide from her hand, and it thudded dully against the earth. “But what good would it do me? I’ve thought long and hard in these few days on my own, and I understand now what Mama was trying to tell me—what she was trying to teach me. Running away and seeing Lan one more time are my last selfish acts. Mama is right. I’m a grown woman now, with responsibilities to my family.” Zhen Ni pressed Skybright’s hand. “Come. We’ll eat well together when we reach town.”

They picked carefully through the brush and gnarled cypress trunks with thick roots. Skybright’s heart felt full, filled with gratitude that she and Zhen Ni were together again, yet weighted with sorrow that her mistress had been faced with such a wrenching revelation and decision on her own.

We do what we must.

Dusty and travel-worn, they reached Shan An in the mid-afternoon. From the outside, it looked more like a village than a town, with low mud-colored walls surrounding it. There wasn’t even a guard at the bamboo gate. The girls walked through and stopped dead at the entrance. The small main street was empty—not a person in sight—and an eerie silence descended upon them, sending pin pricks of unease down Skybright’s spine.

Zhen Ni took a step forward. “Where is everyone?”

Two dogs barked ferociously in the distance, but the noise fell into frightened whimpers after a few moments. A goat dashed onto the main street from a side road, bleating in terror, kicking up clouds of dust as it ran blindly away from them.

Her mistress took another tentative step forward, and Skybright touched her arm. “Something terrible has happened. Can you smell that in the air?” Skybright lifted her chin and drew a small breath. The air smelled musty—rank. It smelled of the undead.

“What?” Zhen Ni asked. “What do you smell?”

“Unsheathe your dagger, mistress. I think this village has been attacked.”

Zhen Ni drew her dagger and clutched for Skybright’s fingers. They walked together slowly, hands clasped, down the abandoned main street. The stores lining it were two-storied, faded and weather worn. Weak from hunger, Skybright led Zhen Ni toward the first tea house they saw. She pushed aside the dark blue cloth overhanging the entrance and stepped inside, blinking against the dimness for a few moments until her eyes adjusted.

The tea house was empty, with overturned chairs and tables littering the floor, as if a big brawl had taken place. Skybright released Zhen Ni’s hand and approached a table still filled with uneaten dishes and a pot of tea. She touched the teapot; it was cold. “All this must have happened near midday.” Skybright gestured to the many tables cluttered with dishes. “See how many people were eating.”

“But where did they all go?” Zhen Ni asked, and rubbed her hands over her arms, as if chilled.

“I think the undead attacked the—”

“Undead?” Her mistress stared at her, as if she were speaking in archaic Xian.

If Zhen Ni even knew half the truth …

“Undead are reanimated corpses risen from their graves. A bite or lingering touch from them can taint a person—turn them into the same. I think the people that were in this town have been turned.”

Her mistress’s eyes widened. “But there must have been hundreds of people living here. Are you certain?”

Skybright nodded grimly. She should have felt fear, but after all that she’d seen and been through, she was numb inside. Nothing mattered but their survival.

“How do you know all this?”

Skybright stooped to pick up a man’s leather boot, kicked off during his struggles. She avoided Zhen Ni’s glance. “Kai Sen. I’ve talked about this with him. He’s been fighting the undead and demons since the Ghost Festival began.” Skybright straightened. “Come. No matter what, we still need to find something to eat.”

They pushed past the swinging bamboo door into the cramped kitchen. A small fire still burned beneath a giant metal pot with a round lid. Skybright threw a cloth rag over the handle and lifted it, jumping back from the rising steam. The delicious scent of steamed buns filled the kitchen. At least a dozen were nestled within the pot, the sweet ones dotted with red on top.

“They’re still fresh,” Zhen Ni exclaimed.

Skybright found a beige linen and began picking up the buns with long eating sticks, placing them on the cloth. “We can eat some and save the rest.” She put one onto a chipped plate in front of Zhen Ni, and her mistress drew a stool to the square chopping table in the middle of the kitchen. Zhen Ni poked at the steaming bun with one finger. “I think I’ve lost my appetite.”

So had Skybright. But, always practical, she took a bite from a cabbage bun and chewed slowly, forcing herself to swallow. It would have been delicious under any other circumstance. She nodded at Zhen Ni. “Eat. We need our strength.” Her mistress obeyed, chewing like it was a chore, just as Skybright had.

Skybright found a pot of cold tea and poured a cup for each of them. She then wrapped up the remaining buns in the rough linen and tied a twine around it.

“The abbot warned us about the strange sightings, but I found it so hard to believe. Even when you had told me you’d seen it yourself, Sky. I thought you were still in shock from your face wound and delirious. What’s become of everyone?” asked Zhen Ni. “Do you think we’re in danger?” She plucked at the edge of her sleeve, the gesture betraying her nerves.

“I think they’ve moved on. Taking all the people they’ve turned with them. We can check the rest of the town, but we must still be careful.” Skybright walked over to the wall, where knives hung from hooks over the sink. She took a knife the length of her forearm with a long triangular blade for slicing meat. Its tip ended in a dangerous point, and she stabbed the blade mid-air, testing its heft.

“The goddess have mercy,” Zhen Ni murmured from behind her.

“I’ll need a weapon too. The undead can only be killed by fire or decapitation.” She returned the knife and lifted a giant cleaver. She made chopping motions with her arm, liking the feel of this one. “I can’t tell you how dangerous the world is right now. We have to protect ourselves as best we can.” She turned back toward Zhen Ni, who was staring at her, her expression solemn. Zhen Ni’s face was dirt-smudged, and her hair escaped from the tight braids Skybright had wound against her head.

“Let’s find an inn, mistress. I think we could use the cleaning up and rest.” Skybright picked up the bundle of steamed buns and put it into her knapsack. She slipped the bag over her shoulder, still clutching the cleaver in one hand, and Zhen Ni followed her back onto the main street.

The girls saw no other person as they wandered down the main street, knives poised in their hands. They stepped over bundles of carrots and cabbage, eggplants and mushrooms, a tied stack of cut bamboo—all discarded in the middle of the road. An orange tabby followed them for part of the way, yowling inconsolably. Zhen Ni fed it small bites of a pork bun, quieting the frightened cat. But when Skybright tried to reach down to pet it, the cat thrashed its tail, hissing. She jumped back, and Zhen Ni laughed, giving it another piece of pork bun. “I don’t think it likes you.”

Skybright wondered what the cat had witnessed a few hours before. And if it somehow sensed her demonic side. The cat’s anxiety seemed to be infectious, and Skybright felt her hands tingle as she wondered where the undead had gone. Down the main road to attack the next town and grow in strength and size? Skybright grasped the cleaver tighter, stilling the shudder that threatened to overtake her. Her main concern was keeping Zhen Ni safe, and guiding her to Lan without harm befalling them. She would have suggested they turn back toward Yuan manor, but knew that Zhen Ni would refuse.