Guardian of Godhood
Chapter 10
The war was picking up pace. The onslaught of the Qin battalion and the death of its lieutenant colonel, along with Qin's marshal and general, sparked a burst of anticipation. It is possible to take the Qin by surprise! The battalion was not a major part of the army, but it was in a major location, and its annihilation fed the ambitions of other enemy generals and marshals. Smoke sailed to the air joining the clouds and nights flashed with red lights from the ground and the smell of burning wood and flesh.
For about four months, the sorcerers abandoned searching for the Dao Guardian in favor of boosting their respective armies. They knew that the critical points in the war are coming. Opportunities must not be missed; they may never come again. Within weeks the political boundaries changed drastically. Qin shrunk in size.
But ironically, what had saved Clow and Syaoran from much of the commotion was the simple fact that Clow grew a beard. Riders sent by the Prince of Jin showed the portrait of Master Li to the villagers but no one saw such a man. At the same time, Lady Kwak searched for her brother to report new tidings, but could not find him. All she knew was that the King of Qin had been displeased and had him locked somewhere; no one would say where.
So passed the winter.
Spring came warm and bright upon the war-torn land, for Mother Nature does not mourn the loss of lives, but rewards those who survive with great reprieve. White death gave way to color, and songbirds returned to sing. The air felt of new hopes and dreams and new lives ready to bear new burdens.
Syaoran was feeling a lot better as the spring came. With the new life in the air, he felt more optimistic about the odds. There was new strength in his bones, and though he still saw himself facing entire nations, he now knew what it felt like to have friends again, and it was possible, it seemed, to carry out his duties.
Clow, on the other hand, was getting increasingly frustrated. Spring meant it was easier for troops to move around. He did not expect the sorcerers to open the portals, but he did expect it would be easier to break through the boundaries with the harsh winter. So far, no luck. None of the portals would budge, and the longer they remained in one place, the greater the chances of Syaoran being discovered. Kero and Yue, also, felt restless, and wished to return to the riches and peace of Rome. Clow had placed strict limitations on when the two could take to the skies, and sometimes days would pass and neither could stretch their wings.
However, one good thing came with staying here, and that was watching Syaoran in his own element. Once the snow melted, it was easier for the children to come out and play after the day's chores, and a good excuse to allow Syaoran to mingle with them while Clow saw to his own plans.
Taka ended up being what she said she was; a villager in town, and the sister, as Clow guessed, of one of the men who invited him to drink that first night. Once the snow cleared Clow and Syaoran became frequent visitors, and many villagers were quickly taken by Syaoran's quiet and mature demeanor, as well as his resourcefulness. Two years of fighting for his life made Syaoran more capable than other children in town, and he quickly became a respected leader among the children. The only shortcoming, Clow was told, was that Syaoran was incredibly small for his age. It was actually something that Taka Miya herself told Clow.
Taka was actually very observant of Syaoran, something that unnerved the boy and made Clow Reed extra careful. She was a little cold at first, but eventually seemed to warm up to the boy, and would often bake some pastries for the boy, which frightened him, but so far there did not seem to be anything wrong with them, nor with Syaoran. On the whole, she was well-liked by the village, a so-called village beauty, which provided another source of annoyance for both Syaoran and Clow because her brother kept hoping for Clow to take her hand in marriage. Despite all this, Syaoran remained suspicious of her, and seemed to almost wish she would stop behaving so cordially with him.
Clow, recalling Taka mentioning she had some knowledge of herbs, went to the girl to ask her to help him find some ingredients to brew a potion for Syaoran to achieve a growth spurt to make up for years of stunted growth. The woman's demeanor now was less sharp than it had been when they first met, and there was a kind of guarded look about her now, as if she knew something frightening, but she did not hesitate to go out with Clow the next morning to find the herbs. Syaoran, unhappy with this prospect, for he still did not like Taka, tried to convince Clow to go without her, but Clow did not agree, though he did promise to be on his guard.
oO
Out into the wide plains of melted snow and new green grass–most of the plants have not grown yet, and others are hard to find. For some time Taka remained nearby, but neither of them spoke. Clow wondered what was going through her mind. He noticed she had been paying some attention to Syaoran whenever he was around, and her expression was a bit odd. He wondered how to approach her about this. It could be nothing, but with Syaoran's paranoia, he wanted to be able to assure the boy for certain.
His thoughts were quickly broken off when he felt a sudden wave of magic and in a flash, breaking into the field, a group of sorcerers appeared before them, mounted on tall horses.
Startled, Taka darted behind Clow, who also straightened, deeply alarmed. He did not want to expose himself as a sorcerer.
" You!" Said one, with the help of an interpretation spell, who appeared to be a leader. He seemed to consider Clow for a moment. " You are coming with us."
" Pardon?" Clow blinked, rattled by this turn of events. " Who are you?"
" Can you not read, man?" But illiteracy was common in those days, so the sorcerer quickly changed his mind about that. " There a boy in this area?"
" There are many boys." Clow said with as dumb a look as he could muster. Inside he was panicking.
" This one." A sharp jerk of a hand, and a portrait of Syaoran. Thinner, but definitely him.
Clow cursed. It was all on Taka now. He hoped she would take the hint. " I have never seen such a boy."
Thankfully, the woman remained silent. She had not even flinched when they shook the portrait out. So far so good.
" You mind letting us have a look around here?"
" I do not know what can stop you." Clow replied. " I am not the elder here, nor am I a magician."
" Brat could be hiding here."
Clow debated whether he should say anything.
Taka suddenly stepped forward. " May I ask..." She said nervously, " May I ask what you want him for?"
" None of your business!" The sorcerer snapped. He gave a harsh jerk of the reins, causing the horse to whinny in complaint, and kicked at its flanks. The other sorcerers turned their horses' heads as well and kicked. Off they rode into town, where Syaoran was.
Oh no...Clow prayed the boy could sense them coming. They had masked their presences now, but that first pulse of their arrival should be powerful enough for someone like Syaoran to sense. He waited until they were out of sight before turning to Taka. Should he knock her out? Should he–
" Hurry!" She suddenly sprang into action, grabbing him by the arm. " We can get ahead of them! This way!"
They raced. Should he use magic? No, too risky! They would sense him without the Shield Card. Should he keep his identity from Taka? Who knows what she would do once she finds out the truth. Could they really get to the town in time? There was no time! He had to get to the village before the horsemen!
Before he could make up his mind, however, the ground suddenly gave way beneath him and he was falling, sliding, tumbling down into the darkness. When he did come to an abrupt stop, Taka had seized his hand again. " Move!" She cried, yanking him to his feet, and diving into a mad dash. She runs fast!
" Where are we?"
" Less talk! More run!"
They suddenly reached steps going up, and Clow nearly tripped. Taka, whose small frame hid immense strength, managed to keep him upright. They rushed up and Taka banged against some wooden platform, which opened up to a back yard.
" This way!" She hissed. They could already hear the horses whinnying. Clow sensed for the child's presence. It was nearly imperceptible, but the months of contact rendered him able to sense the boy more clearly. The child was nearby, and was frightened.
" Where is he?" Taka rushed to the front of the cottage, but Clow was running the other way. From the dense bushes, Syaoran sprang out.
" Father!" The child raced to him. Taka rushed back.
" Get him out of here," Taka hissed, shoving Clow. " Go!"
The horses were here. Clow could hear the first sorcerer's abrupt inquiries, and the confused commands. Clow looked down at the trap door.
" Hurry!" Taka whispered, and gave him a push. Clow grabbed Syaoran, lifting the child, and ran down into the hidden tunnel he never knew existed. The doors closed a little slowly behind him, but the shutting was soundless. This should give them some precious time.
oO
Yue raised his head abruptly at the announcement.
" Feel that?" He asked Kero. " That was not my imagination, was it?" For as instantly as he sensed the magical aura, it was gone. Hiding auras was almost a novice skill among experienced sorcerers.
" I felt it." Kero looked at Yue. " What should we do?"
" We have to warn the Master."
" He probably knows already."
For a moment the two guardians hesitated.
" Should we...should we investigate?" Yue asked.
They did not hesitate afterwards, heading out and taking off to the skies, their slim bodies dwarfed by their massive wings. Below the horses ran through the village, kicking up dust. Yue pulled up with a flap of his wings and hovered, and Kero slowed ahead of him.
" Where is Master Clow?"
" I do not see him. Do you see Syaoran?"
" No."
They could sense them, however, faintly, and knew they were in the area. But the horsemen were doing their own searches. Though they could not break through the shields, they did seem to be closing in on Syaoran and Clow.
Without a word to his fellow guardian, Kero dove. Yue followed Kero's lead. As they descended, Yue shot an arrow, straight down. The earth's pull gave it greater speed, so that when it hit the ground at the center of the horses, the ground exploded and the people were knocked back. The earth shook and thundered.
The sorcerers, knocked off their horses, some hurt, tried to get to their feet in time, but Kero had already landed beside the edge of a crater that had formed from Yue's arrow. He let out a terrible roar and a ball of flame formed at his mouth. He was truly a majestic creature, power laced in his muscles and eyes that glowed like the fire burning in his mouth. He let out another terrifying roar.
Frightened, the head sorcerer raised his hands in surrender, eyes on the powerful, smoldering beast. " Call it off!" He cried to Yue, mistaking him as Kero's master. " We do not want to fight!"
" I should hope not." Yue hovered above Kero, equally terrible and majestic, his wings stretched and arrow strung, ready to fire. " What are you here for?"
" Nothing!" The sorcerer stammered, " Just–just looking for...for–"
" For whom?" Yue demanded dangerously, his eyes blazing from silver to gold.
" Just...just someone we lost." Said the sorcerer nervously. " He...he is a child...we were worried about him."
Yue released the arrow.
" Ah!" The sorcerer cried, but the arrow did not hit him; it hit the ground in front, which exploded into rock and debris.
" Leave, now!" Yue's voice resonated in the wind. " I will not miss the next time!"
In a mad scramble, the sorcerers each scuttled to their equally frightened horses. Those that could not walk were stranded. The villagers looked on with a mixture of fear and awe.
As the horses galloped away, Yue swept down and grabbed one wounded sorcerer by the back of the collar, then swooped up into the air. Young as they were, they knew the advantage of hostages. Kero followed behind, releasing one more fireball at a sorcerer for good measure, and the two winged beings disappeared into the sky.
Behind one of the huts, Taka peered into the yard. She watched the guardians depart.
oO
" Who sent you?"
No answer, for the sorcerer was one of those loyal sorts.
Clow did not have time to interrogate gently. The fact that the sorcerers were here meant they could not remain here long. He had to get as much information out of this man as he could. With a muttered incantation, he had the man writhing for a good two minutes. When he canceled the spell, the man's skin was glistening with sweat and white as sheet.
" I will not repeat myself again." Clow warned him. " Who sent you."
Jaw trembling, and frothing blood at the mouth, a shuddering whisper: " The Prince."
" Which prince?" Clow demanded. " Not good enough!"
" The Prince of Jin!" Cried the sorcerer, shaking in terror. Then, in a rush, " He sent out riders to look for some Clow Li, and we could not find anyone, so the prince decided to look for some kid that Clow Li was apparently with!"
" How did he come by the child's appearance?" Clow felt ice closing over his stomach. The Prince had not seen the child! Unless he made a mistake?"
" Some village sorcerer knew. Mian, Mian Teng! Some survivor of Wen, the Prince found him struggling in the snow and he was apparently tortured by Qin soldiers to look for Li!"
Mian Teng. So the riders then found the child, Clow guessed, and sent the sorcerers here. It looks like they were looking for him and not Syaoran. He could not take any chances however. " Why were they looking for Li?"
" I do not know! The Prince just told us to find you!"
" And the child? What were you to do once you find him?"
" We were told to look–to look for you," The sorcerer stammered, nearly in tears. " We were told to ask him where you were!"
The man was useless, but dangerous because of what he knew. He now knew what the child looked like, what Clow looked like, and where they were with respect to the village. If they simply let him go, they would lose much precious time. They were going to leave anyway; to remain much longer would be suicidal for the child, but they needed time to move. Clow summoned the Erase Card.
This never happened. He instructed in his mind. He never came to the house.
The Erase Card glowed, carrying out the memory wipe, but suddenly went dim. Clow glanced at it. " What?"
The man was silent, staring at the card with wide eyes.
It should have made his eyes glow. Clow glanced at the man. It did not work?
" You have a mental shield?"
The man nodded shakily, too rattled to lie. He was seriously wounded from Yue's arrow, his robes soaked in red and one of his legs at an odd angle.
Damn him to Hades, Clow cursed. Mental shields are impervious to memory wipes. The Erase Card will do no good, and Clow did not trust this man to lower them himself. Even if his eyes did glow next time, Clow could not be sure the memory wipe was complete. They would have to eliminate the man.
Clow was still a Roman, and Romans did not cringe at blood. He summoned the Sword Card.
" What are you doing?" The man eyed the blade with hysterical eyes. " I–I told you everything, I swear!"
Syaoran, sensing the sword, straightened a bit from where he sat next to Yue.
" I know you did." Clow said quietly. " But I cannot have you running back to your prince."
" What are you doing?" Syaoran asked.
Clow did not answer him. He raised his sword.
" No!" The man shrieked, but Clow was already striking down, blade pointed at the man's throat.
Suddenly, the sword disappeared.
Clow looked up in alarm. Syaoran had his hand out.
" What are you doing?" Clow demanded, realizing the boy had suddenly displayed his nullifying powers. He had not done that ever since rescuing Clow from the Qin raid.
" You were going to kill him." The child said stiffly.
" To protect you." Clow said. " What did you do to the card?"
" It is here," Syaoran held the card up. Clow did not even see it fly to the boy earlier. The sorcerer he was interrogating had fainted from shock and trauma, and lay still and unmoving on the floor.
Clow held his hand out. The child shook his head. " No."
" Syaoran."
" No!" Syaoran suddenly cried. " I will not let you kill him!"
Were Daoists pacifists?
" Syaoran," Clow said gently, " If this man goes back to the prince, you could very well be dead by the next morning."
" You do not have to kill him for it!"
" Yes I do!" Clow was amazed. " You have killed before! Why are you getting soft now?"
Syaoran suddenly burst into tears.
Astonished, Clow stared at the weeping child for a long moment, at a loss as to what brought it on. Yue, distressed, went to Syaoran to console him, while thoughts whirled in Clow's mind. Why was Syaoran crying? He has killed before. This was nothing–
This is execution. Clow suddenly realized. Something completely different from killing in the heat of battle. No doubt, ten-year-old Syaoran had been haunted as much by what he had done as by what had been done to him. Clow had spoken callously.
" Syaoran," Clow sighed, approaching the child and gathering the boy into his arms. " I am sorry. I did not mean to say that."
It was too late. Syaoran was inconsolable. Clow kissed him on the head and tried to think, past all the panic these last few hours had caused.
" You have nothing to be ashamed of, alright?" He said to the boy. He was so young and small... " Nothing to be ashamed of. There is no one in the world I respect more than you. No more killing, alright? Not unless we really have to. You did nothing wrong. Hush," For Syaoran's sobs only grew more intense.
No wonder. This was something they had never addressed before.
Syaoran began wailing. He could not face his fellow guardians, his parents, his ancestors–he could not face his mentors and his friends, nor the gods. He would surely be banished to Fengdu when he dies and there were horrible things waiting there, trees made of knives and pits of molten lava. He did not want Clow to go there.
" No one is going to hell, Syaoran." Clow assured him. " You are definitely not going there, alright?" He pushed Syaoran at arm's distance and wiped the boy's cheeks, then remembered the child could not see. Sometimes with Syaoran's highly sensitive perception, it was easy to forget the boy was blind. He embraced the boy again. " You are the most amazing boy I have ever known." Funny how before this, he had never actually told Syaoran that. All these months, and he had not realized the boy was suffering from remorse of this kind. " The gods will love you as I do."
He had never told Syaoran that either; that he loved him. It made Syaoran pause. While the child wrapped his mind around that admission, Clow looked over at the unconscious hostage. So killing is no longer an option. What could he do?
As if sensing their master's trouble, Kero suggested, " We could take the bloke with us."
" He will slow us down." Clow instantly rejected that.
" He was probably not even here to hurt us." Yue pointed out. " He did not seem to know anything, and for all you know, the prince of Jin might have been looking for you to help him. That is not unreasonable."
" He was ransacking the village along with the rest." Clow replied. " Hardly a noble outlook."
" Well you cannot just let him go."
" We can freeze him here," Yue suggested. " By the time he wakes up, we would be long gone."
" That will have to do." Clow sighed. He looked down at Syaoran's still shuddering form. " Syaoran," He said gently, " Get your coat and sweaters. We have to move out of here."