The Pirate Empress (69 page)

CHAPTER SIXTY

Zheng Min’s Betrayal

All signs of the skirmish had vanished. Zheng Min’s mare stumbled and he saw at her feet rubble, dangerous terrain for a hoofed steed. Alighting, he left her grazing on a clump of weeds at the base of the collapsed wall. Where was he? How had he come to be here? And where was the enemy? What sorcery had brought him to the end of the wall? For surely this was Shanhaiguan.

At the bank, he hovered over the lapping waves to palm water to his lips. He spat and rose to his feet, wiping his mouth. Just as he thought—
salt!
He traced the landscape, narrowing his eyes. Was this the shore of the Yellow Sea? Waves crashed against rock, and a broken plaque sloshed back and forth, caught in a crevice of rock and tide. He lifted the severed pieces of wood, fitting the three together and read: The First Pass Under Heaven.

A shadow hovered from above. Zheng Min remained still, but the shape on the wall did not pass. He squinted to better view the curved roof of the fortress capping the thirty-foot-high brick wall. Wind whipped in from the sea, and the Emperor’s banner of yellow triangle and green dragon quivered from one of the corner roof peaks. It, too, was broken, shredded into rags, its ends as tattered and frayed as the Empire itself.

“Who goes there!” he shouted, scared almost to witlessness. He dropped to his stomach as an arrow zinged by his ear, smashing into a boulder jutting from the beach. He rolled to his side, crossbow at the ready, took aim. The shape slunk backward into the arch of the fortress where it mixed with the shadows. Surely that was not the creature that had shot the arrow at him? Flustered, he tripped, dropping his crossbow on the ground, and as he scrabbled to collect his balance, the sun hit the Fire Opal on his finger. He spun around, twisting his feet, and saw a black fox with nine silver-tipped tails leap from the parapet.

Zheng Min gulped, dared not take his eyes from her. The smooth black head appeared almost blue; the sweeping fur along skull and snout gleamed. Moist nostrils quivered. Jaws parted to show the lower length of a pink tongue, and white teeth flashed against indigo lips.
Surely, you remember me, Zheng Min. You are the guardian of the Fire Opal. Thank you for keeping it safe. Now I would like it back
. He tore off his helmet; its red tassel spun and the metal tumbled and scraped on the rocky bank, as he shouted, “Stop talking inside my head!”

She laughed, and he blinked at the beauty that stood before him. What a moment ago was a black fox with nine silver-tipped tails was now an exquisite woman dressed in wicked satin, breasts bared beneath a mellifluous black gown. Her hair, platinum white, gleamed like the moon and her perfume reeked of bitter apple. Over her shoulder was slung a C-bow, the likes of which he had never seen before: a slender, long weapon, reminiscent of the past. Zheng Min bowed.

“Why so formal, Generalissimo? Or are you back to Military Governor?” Dahlia asked.

His heart started to jitter. “What are you doing here? Did
you
bring me here?”

He pinched his brow when she only smiled, and glanced down at the gemstone that had allowed him to trap Quan and send him to his doom. Somehow the plan had backfired, and the brigade general was reunited with Master Yun—with the Emperor’s blessing. He, himself, had been demoted, relegated to defending the wall against the strange desert riders who seemed not to belong to Altan or to Esen—or even to Liao Dong of the Manchus.

“My side is the only side that can win,” the Fox Queen warned.

“His Majesty has been returned to his throne. I’ve seen the warriors that march with him; they are formidable. I’ve even heard rumours of a secret weapon.”

“Yes, I know about their secret weapon. It is not so secret and cannot be employed as long as I have the boy, Wu. And I had a hell of a time getting him, too. All of this has taken longer than I planned. But if you and your forces join mine, that is one less army that the warlock has at his command.”

“Let me keep this,” he said, twisting the gemstone on his finger.

“It will be of no use to you now. I have disabled it. But if you give it to me, I will show you what you need to see to help you make up your mind.”

Dahlia instructed him to warm it in the sun. Zheng Min turned his hand, fist down so that his knuckles felt the heat. As the gemstone warmed, so did his hand and he withdrew it. It intensified to a brilliant orange colour. In the center, an image bloomed, growing ever larger until it cleared before their eyes. He recognized the scene, but not the location. “The circle of choice,” he said.

“The Emblem of Balance,” she corrected. “The original Taijitu, created in ancient times and sent to the Etherworld for safekeeping.”

The two simple elements that formed the backward S—one side Black and one side White—was broken into two pieces along the center, and lay separated on the ground.

“Do you remember what you chose last time, Military Governor?”

He had been demoted and was no longer Military Governor.

“Ah, but there you are wrong.” Dahlia’s yellow eyes gleamed as she read his mind. “You can be a leader once again if you choose wisely. Last time you chose Black on top, a choice, which will inevitably lead to an ignoble death.” She raised her hand as he tried to object. “But I can give you a reprieve.” She traced a finger along his forearm for emphasis, raising the hairs on his skin with pleasure. “That deed is done, the path set. You made your choice. And now, I give you another. You made a bargain with me, Zheng Min. You chose Black on top and you took the Fire Opal.” Her eyes mocked and a small, evil smile curled the Fox Queen’s lips. “Your days are numbered—unless you join me.”

%%%

Master Yun and Chi Quan dismounted and led their horses to the riverside. Quan stooped to drink beside his horse, but Master Yun smacked his hand, making him choke up the water. The river was steeped in the bones of the dead, he warned. They must drink only what they had brought with them. Quan left his horse and followed Master Yun who retrieved a stick from the grass, then scaled the mound until he reached the plateau. He breathed deeply, calling on the
Chi
of all that thrived in the vicinity.

The key to the gate was outside their grasp, but perhaps First Emperor would cooperate. Master Yun crouched on the hilltop and emptied his pouch before scraping away vegetation. With the stick, he scored the outline of a triangle into the dried earth and scratched within it the image of a dragon. Hands outspread, he summoned the forces of the stars and the planets, the weather and the earth, then clamped his hands together and stamped his foot three times.

“Master Yun,” Quan asked. “What are you doing?”

“I am trying to awaken the Night Guards Army before Jasmine can solicit their aid.”

“Ghosts? But why would a ghost army join her?”

“Why not? She and her fox queen have promised them new life outside their dark tomb. Which would you choose?”

“I see your point. But if the inhabitants of the mound will not meet with us, why are we here?”

From the hill’s rise, the beautiful Jasmine emerged in her human form. “To wait for me, of course. You should give up now, while you still can. All is lost Master Yun.”

“Do you have it?” Master Yun demanded. “Do you have the key?”

“And what if I do?” she replied. “It will do you no good. Even if I gave it to you and let you lead those miserable ghost soldiers to battle against my queen, you would still lose. I know your game. It’s already lost. Because, you see, I know you need the Emperor—
and
the boy—and you have neither.”

“What do you mean, Fox? His Majesty is safe within the palace. I placed him there myself.”

“You did, Master Warlock, but you made the mistake of allowing his usurper to remain among his ranks. Esen has had a taste of power. He was ruler for a short time. Even now he sneaks about the palace walls with a dagger in his fist.”

“No!” Quan shouted.

“And I’ll tell you another thing. It is your sweet Li who will allow the traitor into his chambers, dagger and all. Because, you see—and please don’t ask me how I know this because I won’t tell you—she does not remember that Esen was once her worst enemy.”

Master Yun made to leap into the air and fly to His Majesty’s aid, but Jasmine spun to reveal a large white rib bone concealed behind her.

The earth beneath the warlock’s feet crumbled. “Ride, Quan!” he shouted as he fell.

“Yes, ride, Brigade General,” Jasmine taunted, “and maybe, just maybe, you will get there in time to see your emperor roll off his golden throne, dead as a swatted fly.”

%%%

The force that sucked Master Yun into the mound resisted his spell of reversal. And just before the ceiling clamped shut something shiny sailed through the opening and plunged straight at him. He stretched out a hand, caught it—the Scimitar of Yongfang.

Thank you, Quan
. That should help. But he wasn’t in a position to barter. He did not have the key. She did. Would the ghost soldiers obey him, despite the fact that it was Jasmine who held the fifth rib of Dilong? The shadowy figures that surrounded him were the Night Guards Army. Master Yun walked among the familiar scene. This time he knew where he was going. He passed through a corridor between the aligned soldiers and continued until he reached the rearguard. If only his bargain with Yongfang still held.

In here, there were infantrymen, cavalrymen, wooden chariots, hundreds of horses and thousands of armed soldiers. At the front of the T-formation two hundred crossbow archers stood shoulder to shoulder. Almost the same number knelt in the center. A further two hundred stood in a strategic circle. The remainder were tall cavalrymen. Bow in one hand and the reins of their horses in the other, they watched.

Another hundred meters, and he entered the third vault where Master Yun recognized the seat of the Military Command.

A
clunk
shattered the silence. Then all went quiet and he turned to see what followed. He raised his fist at the sound, but his Moonstone refused to light. A statue materialized out of the darkness. It wore a clay helmet and scalloped chest armour. Its eyes had a steely look about them that reminded him of Quan. It held a staff of polished bronze, pointed end up.

“Why have you returned, Warlock? You will find no help here,” it said.

Our days are numbered, Sentinel. I am pleading with you to take me to your ruler.”

The ground beneath Master Yun’s feet began to move. He clamped his arms to his side just as the earth gave out, and vertigo overwhelmed him. A vacuum hoisted him above the vault of the Emperor’s Military Command. Then slowed, stopped before his head crashed into an invisible ceiling. Below him, the air solidified to stable ground and he stood on his own feet once more. When his vision adjusted, he saw what he was looking for. Strong shapes of soldiers, armed with scimitars and the same sharpened bronze staffs as the sentinels below. Nearly a hundred of them flanked the golden horse-drawn chariot of Emperor Qin.

“Majesty,” Master Yun said, bowing deeply. “I have returned to beg for your help.”

“I have been waiting for you, Warlock. Where is the fox faerie?”

“She tricked me and trapped me here.”

The statue of Emperor Qin roared with laughter. “So, she has the rib of the Emperor’s Dragon. Do you know what power it possesses? There was a time when I could not leave this place, but now I can!”

“I need your army,” Master Yun said.

The statue of First Emperor snorted. “It’s too late, you have broken the bargain.”

“All of the Middle Kingdom is at risk. The Fox Queen has returned. She threatens to bring down the Empire, and place herself as empress.”

“I asked you to bring me the fox faerie, so that I could grant you your wish. Now it is
you
who will hold my place! No, don’t speak. You failed to bring her to me, so you must take her place. The army will be freed and victory ensured. But not the victory you hoped for.” The statue of First Emperor shattered and a nebulous, swirling form took its place. A deep smirk creased his face. “You are free to roam these tombs, Warlock. Enjoy your eternity!”

Master Yun shivered. Silence met his ears and a black veil descended over his eyes. He frowned into the dark, just as the floor gave way. He clamped his arms to his side and squeezed his eyes shut as he fell a hundred feet. When he raised his eyelids, he saw that he had regained the vault of the seat of the Military Command. Swiftly, he skirted the sentinels, which he knew could shatter to ghostly life at any moment, and exited the polygon-shaped cavern, retracing his steps to the chamber where the pottery soldiers stood in T-formation. He left through the rear exit into the corridor, and stopped. A ten-foot-tall statue blocked his retreat.

“Yongfang? Is that you?”

The brittle clay shell of the warrior splintered. The rust-grey pieces of terracotta clattered onto the floor. A ghost emerged. Only the weapon in his hand remained solid. “Have you come for us?” he asked.

Master Yun sighed with relief. “I have, but the fox faerie tricked me and trapped me here. Your emperor prepares for battle and soon you will hear his call. But he fights for
her
. Will you go?”