9:
"Ai Chun," Min commanded. "Let me look at it."
"I'm fine," Ai Chun snarled. "Leave me alone."
Min paid no mind to the girl's protests and grabbed a handful of Ai Chun's hair. When her mistress promptly decided to sit down, Ai Chun was forced to follow. On the ground, Min pushed Ai Chun's skirt up.
"What have I told you?" Min asked. "You're walking on it wrong."
"I've been using the cane, just like you wanted me to," Ai Chun said.
"Ai Chun." Min sighed. She ran a quick hand over the child's calf. "You're landing on your foot wrong when you walk. Keep that up and you could break your ankle."
Ai Chun glowered. "I was straggling behind."
"Then tell someone," Min replied. "I'd let you ride on my back."
"Yes, Mistress."
"Is everything alright?" Beatrix asked.
Ai Chun shot Min a dark look.
"Yes, we're fine," Min said. "We're ready to continue on now."
"I was thinking that we should stop and rest," Beatrix said. "We could have something to eat."
"That sounds wonderful." Min laughed. "Freshly baked buns, steamed vegetables and roasted meat. When was the last time I even had meat?"
Beatrix smiled. "We don't have any buns or fresh vegetables, I'm afraid. But there is some dried meat left over from Reginald's rations."
"Meat?" Min asked.
"Beef," Reginald piped in.
"I suppose I can dream at any rate," Min said. "Ai Chun didn't make those rice balls, did she?"
"You would know if I had made them," Ai Chun said as she halfheartedly massaged her calf.
"I suppose you have a point," Min replied. "How are you feeling, Whirlwind?"
"Hungry," the Black Whirlwind said.
"That's an improvement." Min smiled. "Let me take a look at your wounds."
Beatrix raised an eyebrow as the Black Whirlwind actually cooperated. She walked over to Ai Chun. "You're a fighter, then?"
"Yes." Ai Chun brushed a grain of rice from her lip with the back of her hand.
"Do you have a weapon or skill of choice?"
"This." Ai Chun patted the head of her cane.
"I see," Beatrix said. "I'd be interested in seeing you spar with someone."
"Who?" Ai Chun asked.
"Reginald," Beatrix replied. "Your skills aren't the only ones that need to be assessed."
"I'll go get the boy." Ai Chun stood up.
"When you spar, your aim is to disarm, not injure," Beatrix said. "We already have one wounded person, I'll be unhappy if that number grows."
"Understood," Ai Chun replied.
As Ai Chun walked over towards Reginald, Beatrix shook her head. Although he was initially fascinated with what he viewed as a foreign grain, having plain white rice for the eighth day in a row was beginning to dull Reginald's appreciation for the food staple. Ai Chun prodded him in the shoulder with the tip of her cane.
"Boy," she said. "The Radiant Jen Zi wishes to train us."
"I do have a name," Reginald said.
"Am I supposed to care?" Ai Chun sniffed. "Come on, we're wasting time."
Reginald followed her back down to Beatrix. The borders to their fighting ground marked by their travel packs and spare clothing, Beatrix set the two adolescents ten paces apart. She backed out of the rough circle, careful to keep an eye on both fighters lest they start the match early.
"Bow," Beatrix ordered. When they did so, she continued. "Begin."
Neither moved forward. Ai Chun grinned as she placed her weight on her good leg and lifted the other one in the air. Balanced, she was free to hold her cane as a weapon. Reginald just stood there.
"Come," Ai Chun commanded.
"No," Reginald said. He turned to Beatrix. "I can't fight her."
"You can and you will," Ai Chun said.
"Why not?" Beatrix asked.
"She's a girl," Reginald explained. "It's rude to even think of striking her."
"Attack me!" Ai Chun demanded. "Attack me or I'll gut you."
"Reginald, this is a sparring match," Beatrix said. "Your goal isn't to harm each other."
"I won't hit a girl," Reginald insisted.
"Ai Chun," Beatrix sighed. "Attack Reginald."
Ai Chun scowled. "I can't."
"So you really can't fight?" Beatrix asked.
"It's not that!" Ai Chun snapped. "It's, well, I can fight."
"Well?" Beatrix raised an eyebrow.
"It's just that I'm balanced here," Ai Chun muttered. "I've learned it's better to remain stationary."
"So you can't change location while you fight," Beatrix realized.
"I would prefer not to," Ai Chun mumbled.
"Interesting," Beatrix murmured. "Reginald, I don't know the rules of conduct in your country, but here, a warrior is a warrior. There are female Lotus Assassins and if they find you, they won't hesitate to kill you.
"Ai Chun, personally, I'd prefer not to fight at all. But when I do, there's not always the option of picking my ground."
"I know that," Ai Chun protested. "I just wanted to show you what I could do."
"By standing there and doing nothing?" Beatrix asked. "That's not exactly a convincing display."
"Fine," Ai Chun huffed. "We'll do things your way."
She hobbled towards Reginald and he took a few steps back.
"I won't do this." Reginald turned and began to walk away.
"Stop," Ai Chun said. "Two more steps and you'll regret it."
"You talk big, Miss," Reginald said. "But you can't even reach me." He took one step, then another.
Ai Chun scowled and thrust her hand into a pouch at her waist. She didn't hesitate as she threw the bladed Wu Shu ring at the back of Reginald's head. The ring's path was intercepted by Golden Star and Beatrix looked none too pleased.
"Reginald, go get something to eat," Beatrix said softly. "I'll talk to you later."
She looked down at her staff, certain that its magical properties were the only thing that kept the ring from slicing it in two. Beatrix bent down and picked up the ring. She took a moment to judge the weight of the weapon before she walked over to Ai Chun. The girl sat down and began to work the muscles in her bad leg.
"I can't recall Master Li ever teaching the use of projectiles," Beatrix said.
Ai Chun shrugged. "They come in handy when your opponent can run faster than you."
Beatrix tossed her the ring. "If I hadn't been there—"
"I would have won," Ai Chun interrupted.
"You would have killed him," Beatrix finished.
"He'll die if we come across Lotus Assassins," Ai Chun replied.
"That's a bold statement to make," Beatrix murmured.
"I have eyes." Ai Chun stood up.
"I'll pluck them out if you rely on them too much," Beatrix said. "Ready yourself, I want to see what you're capable of."
Ai Chun grinned and balanced herself.
Beatrix started off with an obvious, direct strike at the girl's torso. Ai Chun easily blocked Golden Star with her cane. The girl was strong; Beatrix reasoned that it must have been a result of having to rely on only her arms for so long.
Beatrix took to the offensive. Fast numerous movements, a jab aimed at Ai Chun's left ear, a hit to the girl's right hip, a whack against her shoulder, anything to disrupt her sense of balance.
Ai Chun was handling the battering fairly well, blocking all except for stray blows. Beatrix dropped down and swiped her staff at the girl's supporting knee. Ai Chun leapt back, kicking her leg up to avoid Golden Star, swung her cane behind her for footing and used it to propel herself forward at Beatrix.
Beatrix twisted out of the way of the sharp end of Ai Chun's cane, only to have the girl flip the weapon around in her hand and club Beatrix's solar plexus. The Spirit Monk gasped for the nonexistent air in her lungs and made a note to avoid the weighted end of Ai Chun's cane in the future.
"It would seem that you're rather protective of your good leg." Beatrix ducked under a blow meant for her head.
"It would seem that way," Ai Chun grunted.
Leaping Tiger, or Thousand Cuts? Impatience won out and Beatrix rushed Ai Chun like a drunken brawler and sucker punched the girl's windpipe. Ai Chun crumpled into a ball and grasped at her throat. Coughs racked her body as Ai Chun glanced up with large eyes.
"And what fighting style is that?" Ai Chun managed between gasps of air. "If I may ask."
"Don't make me turn you into an example," Beatrix replied. "Now, get up. You should eat something before we move on."
"Yes." Ai Chun nodded. "Thank you."
"Don't thank me yet," Beatrix said. "I've decided that you're good enough to keep around. You may grow to regret that."
Ai Chun beamed. "Thank you! You won't regret this."
"I never said that I'd be the one who'd regret it." Beatrix shook her head.
The girl
didn't seem to hear Beatrix as she hurried over to Min. Ai Chun plucked a rice ball out of their food
sack and began to eat.
Tien's Landing was a while
away, but the weather was fair. With a
little hard work, they'd all make it in one piece. They hadn't encountered any Lotus Assassins
yet and Beatrix considered it a blessing.
Experience had taught her not to hope too much or rely entirely on the
good will of the heavens, but if things decided to fall in her favor for a
while, she would be grateful.
She stared at the horizon, confident that several hours of daylight remained. Jade Empire was only so big, she'd find them. Sky, Dawn Star, Silk Fox, Wild Flower, Hou, even Kang, maybe others who felt the same. Beatrix nodded her head and smiled before she walked back to her fledgling group.
