Wu and Iron Soldier stood in front of Qui, on the same side for the first time in their fighting careers.
"I'm not going to be told what to do by the likes of you, Qui." The ex-soldier shifted dangerously.
Wu nodded. It was perhaps the only time she and the man had ever agreed. "This is absolutely ridiculous."
Qui stood firm. "Management's orders. You two are to be inside the Arena and in your rooms tonight when the Heart of the Empire closes its doors."
"I am not a child," Wu muttered.
"Says you, pup," Iron Soldier retorted. He moved his eyes to the promoter. "But you've never asked this for any other match-up since I've been here, Qui. What's your game?"
"My game? It's that there hasn't been a match like this in years," Qui said. "The last time we'd built up this kind of excitement - well, that was long ago. And when this match happens, it is going to above board! No one is going to be able to breathe a word against the fairness of this match - not anyone from your side, Soldier, or yours, Tiger! Is that clear?"
Wu and Iron Soldier found themselves unlikely allies and tried to convince the man that this was ridiculous and unnecessary, but he would have none of it. It came down to a matter of will - was their will to fight each other stronger than their will to flout the rules of the Arena? Both knew the answer already and grudgingly agreed to their curfew.
"But I am going out today, Qui," Wu declared, "if you're keeping us under lock and key tonight."
Wu covered her face with a scarf, pushed through the doors of the Arena and stepped out into the marketplace. The humidity had not let up. She could feel the storm building, but there was nothing she could do to urge it on its way. She would welcome the rain; anything was better than the oppressive wet blanket that had fallen over the city.
Before she found her friends, she needed to settle her mind. Now that she'd seen the chaos that surrounded her, she tried to feel it as well. She pushed through the crowds, trying to move them with her mind, trying to get them to see and respect her strength before they brushed against her.
If she won the tournament tomorrow, she would have to go the Assassins' stronghold. Her power and skills were rawly powerful enough that she could destroy them without a center, but she knew that if she were to face Death's Hand like this, he would end her without a thought.
She could find the eye of the storm if she just looked hard enough. She'd found it once. She could do it again, but she had to do it soon.
She had to find the center or she would fail Master Li.
Yet the people whirled around her, pushing her this way and that. She could still intimidate her way through the thickest of it, charm her way around the vendors, and dodge the rest, but there was no center in that. She could not find the empty places and make herself be there.
She was still buffeted by the storm, when she needed to be outside of it.
Wu gave up and allowed the crowd to push and pull her towards the hangars at the far side of the river. Her friends weren't all there, but she waited for them. It was a difficult task, to remain calm and patient, when tomorrow would decide whether she could continue her rescue of Master Li.
Finally, her friends and companions were gathered. "I called you together because if I win this fight, I think things will move very quickly. We need to be prepared for whatever happens."
Silk Fox nodded. "Once you win the match and receive the seal from the Executioner, you should go directly to the Fortress. We need to find proof for my father - something that will make him realize that Death's Hand is not to be trusted!"
"I can't agree with this," Zu said. "You don't know the danger you're getting into. You don't know the danger the Assassins represent. Death's Hand is not what he seems."
"What do you mean?" Silk Fox snapped. "You always speak in riddles."
Zu shook his head. "His power does not come from study or skill. He is something darker, and we should not be trying to enter his lair."
"We'll be cautious," Wu said shortly and without looking at him. She had made her choice. She truly had.
Rather than snap back at her answer, he said, "Thank you for listening, but I want more than caution. Neither of you understand what they are capable of."
"It doesn't matter what they are capable of." Her hands worked themselves into fists. "I will go into their fortress if it brings me closer to finding Master Li. Silk Fox, you'll come with me."
The Black Whirlwind bellowed in outrage. "That girl? You'll need a fighter in the middle of a fortress full of Assassins."
"Or someone who knows how to sneak around in the dark," Sky added.
"Or someone you can actually trust," Dawn Star murmured, just loud enough for her to hear.
Wu would rather have anyone else come with her, but she had a feeling that if she found something that might implicate the Emperor - for Wu still believed he may not be entirely innocent of this matter - Silk Fox would not believe her. Better that the princess see for herself than hear a second-hand account from a peasant or thief or a fighter.
"That is my decision," she said. She forced a smile. "Hou, can you make us something to eat? I'd like my last meal before this fight to be extra fortifying!"
"Now that is a good idea. I wouldn't put it past Kai Lan to try and poison you the night before," the Black Whirlwind added. He slapped her on the back, almost knocking her over. "Not that something as little as poison would get the best of you!"
"I'm glad you have such confidence in me," she said, through the stinging, while the others laughed at her discomfort.
Wu poked at their fire with a stick. It had been the last meal they had all eaten together, but it was one of the few memories she had that was not completely colored gray with loss.
There had been good natured teasing from Sky and a few outrageous stories from Black Whirlwind, that had caused Dawn Star to cover Wildflower's ears before he got too far into the narrative. Later, Dawn Star had made a joke and Lian had almost laughed, before she caught herself.
It had been a good day.
"What's so funny?" Dawn Star asked, her eyes shining in the firelight. "You've been sitting there with a grin on your face for a full minute now."
And rather than try to spare her friend and herself from old memories, Wu told Dawn Star what she had remembered and they laughed together.