The Destined Path, Chapter Twelve: Madstone.
With Black Whirlwind at his back they pushed through of the Guild members residing in the arena quick and deadly as a tsunami. All except one. He would remain alive, at least for now. With Sky's twin blades perched upon his throat like birds of prey he seemed significantly less smug.
"Don't kill me!"
Now it was Sky's turn to hold Cho's life in his hands. "And why shouldn't I?"
"I can tell you where they took Lyn, the whole operation's whereabouts, if you promise to let me go."
Swallowing down his disgust at the coward's willingness to betray the others, Sky nodded. "Very well, tell me all you know and I won't kill you."
"Lyn was taken as a slave for her refusal to obey orders-"
"The Guild has picked up slavery, has it?" Black Whirlwind interrupted, an intimidating mass of flesh looming behind Cho.
"Y...yes. They work out of a warehouse on the outskirts of the city. When she refused to poison your comrade, they took her to be broken," Cho seemed affected by the large man's haunting presence, "if you go now she'll probably still be there."
A running slave operation in the heart of the Imperial City. Sky was floored. He flicked his wrist slightly, leaving a small cut on Cho's neck. "You mean YOU sent her off to be broken, snake."
"Is Kai Lan at this warehouse?" Black Whirlwind glowered.
Cho nodded his head. "He'll be there."
Sky resisted the urge to complete the motion that would remove head from shoulders. Hesitantly he lowered his blades, relief evident on Cho's broad face. Jen Zi always believed the best in others, but Sky was still struggling. "Get out of here," Sky snarled, marveling at how much she'd changed him.
As Cho moved to scurry away like the rat he was, Whirlwind cut him down with one of his twin axes.
Sky looked at Whirlwind; the thick-headed oaf just shrugged. "I never promised not to kill him."
Sky just burst into laughter. Perhaps he hadn't changed that much.
The night was quickly approaching. Dawn Star sat next to her childhood friend. Jen Zi's face was wan from the poison but overall a distinct improvement. It was obvious she'd been in pain when Sky had brought her to Dr. An. Dawn Star had felt regret and so much fear when she saw Jen Zi in Sky's arms...
"Worrying will not help your friend."
Dawn Star jolted at Zu's words. So lost in fear and worry she hadn't realized he'd returned. "I know," her voice barely carried over the crackle of the fire. Dawn Star crossed her arms and lost herself in the dancing flames. The warmth did nothing to ease the chill she felt.
Silence reigned for a time. Interesting how in times of distress just how comforting silence can be.
"It's haunting how fragile life can be." Dawn Star pondered aloud.
Zu remained silent, so she wasn't sure why she felt the need to continue.
"I have let our friendship become distant. When I look at Jen Zi now, all I can think about is Two Rivers and that horrible night. I wonder if when she looks at me she sees the same." Dawn Star grit her teeth in anger, "if I've gotten over my own pain and helped Jen Zi more by trying to set it right, she may never have come so close to death."
She awaited the scorn Zu likely felt for her pathetic situation, maybe even anger for venting her problems to him without permission. Perhaps she felt she deserved his cold words, biting like needles across the skin. She was surprised when they didn't come.
"You do not hold any more blame than she does. Jen Zi has tried to protect you from further harm, but in doing so has left you isolated. The world is an ugly place and cannot be held at bay. No matter how foolish her intentions, she thinks she is doing the right thing by protecting you from the world."
Dawn Star's chest felt heavy and water gathered in her eyes at his words, both for the truth of it and the gentleness he showed that seemed reserved only for her. She was no fool, she knew the scorn and hostility he would show to the others. Perhaps she would have left it alone in another situation, but having a near-death among them removed her inhibitions.
"Why are you so kind to me?"
Zu's face was as unreadable as stone. "You prefer me to be harsh?"
Dawn Star ignored his deflecting question. "You show nothing but contempt to everyone in this camp, except for me. You aren't much of a believer in helping others but you helped me with the poor girl Jinlin in the Necropolis. Why?"
Again, Zu kept his face impassive.
Growing bold as pieces seemed to fall into place, Dawn Star continued. "You've lived in the swamp outside Two Rivers for twenty years. You didn't help when the town was overrun by pirates, but helped Jen Zi rescue me from Gao the Lesser. What do you know about me? About my past?"
"There are things in this world best left unknown."
"So you do know?" Anger coiled within her. "Maybe I'm done having people protect me!"
The emotional response, so unlike her, reviled Dawn Star. She stopped for a moment, gathered her thoughts. "I've spent my whole life not knowing who I truly am. If you do know me, please..." She reached out with both her small hands and gently took his larger palm. Skin rough with scars, but it contained such warmth.
He pulled away with such harshness it startled her. His usually unreadable face showed anger, but he said nothing as he turned his back to her and walked away into the night. Stunned, rejected, Dawn Star looked at her small hands, now cold from loss of his touch.
The setting sun marked the sky in yellow and red by the time the duo reached the slaver's den. Sky had planned on a stealthy approach, removing as many enemies as they could before the alarm was raised, but Whirlwind had other plans. Foregoing any chance of stealth, the bear of a man barrelled through the bamboo doors to the building, snapping the stalks like dry grass.
The men inside looked anything but ready to fend off an attack. They'd grown complacent, thinking only a mad fool would ever try to attack a stronghold of the Guild. Sky had to admit that Black Whirlwind was a bit mad, but he had the deadly skill to back it up. Whirlwind had finished most of the slavers in the first room before they could scramble together any sort of defense.
Sky was uncertain as to the history between Kai Lan and Whirlwind, but what few clues he could gather, it was bad. His normally jovial face never wavered during a fight, but today his eyes were consumed by unwavering heat. Whatever the cause, Sky was just glad to have the giant on his side.
A new wave of enemies appeared, no doubt hearing the slaughter from before. Sky worked on the enemies near the edge of the pack. When Whirlwind was in a rage it was best to stay well out of his combat area, it hadn't taken long for Sky to discover. Enemies were dropping faster than Kai Lan could throw at them, they made ample headway into the fortress with Whirlwind leading the charge.
Resistance fell drastically after some time, it put Sky on edge. Anyone left alive knew of their assault by now. A trap was imminent. After an uncomfortably silent walk through many corridors and small rooms, they reached a large ornate door. Sky would bet his twin sabers Kai Lan and the rest of his forces waited beyond.
Before he could say a word, Whirlwind kicked open the door. Sky sighed. Perhaps it was foolish of him to expect any sort of strategy discussion to begin with. He followed quickly into the large chamber beyond.
Sometimes I hate being right. Sky groaned at the large force before them, with Kai Lan sitting above on a raised platform. What immediately caught his attention was a man whose size rivaled that of Whirlwind standing guard at Kai Lan's back. It wasn't hard to guess the relation, and it dawned on Sky just how personal this was for Whirlwind.
The scholar's garden was quiet. The clouds had rolled in after sunset and with no stars this night, scholars pursued other endeavors among books and candles. The breeze was cool, crisp, and smelt cleaner than the air in the city. Zu surmised it'd rain before sunrise.
Inclement weather couldn't hold a flame to his internal tempest. What a foolish girl!
This quiet space did nothing to calm his turmoil. Couldn't she see he was a monster? That the past was better left behind? Nothing would be gained by digging it up now. Pain and nothing else would be found.
Dawn Star had reached out to him seeking answers, closure; a desire he denied her. Unworthy of her touch or understanding he'd closed himself off, put distance between them. She could never know the violence that had taken her mother and destroyed her family, or his part in it.
Under all his anger, at himself and at her, an underlying fear was rooted: perhaps it wasn't for her sake he held back the truth, but for his. The bright eyed girl who had woken him up, made him see the terrible acts he'd committed for what they were, he still saw her as that girl. If his part to play in her mother's death came to light, how would she look at him then?
Anger, disgust, hatred. Easy to guess, such reactions he'd seen his whole life. If Dawn Star looked at him as they do... if he was the cause of the light draining from her eyes... that was something he couldn't live with.
After all these years she was the only person who made him feel...human. If he lost that, would he return to the monster?
And about her father... once Zu met Master Li and discerned if he was truly Sun Li, then he would tell Dawn Star. Perhaps some form of redemption was available to him by delivering her to what's left of her family.
The silence was oppressive as the duo explored the last of the Guild Fortress. Black Whirlwind's mood was black as pitch, and seemed to have no desire to elaborate about what had happened. Sky kept stealing glances, interested, but more interested in keeping his limbs attached.
Whirlwind gave a long, weary sigh. "What?"
Shrugging and relieved at the more normal tone to his voice, Sky replied. "I didn't say anything."
"I can practically hear you thinking about it." He sighed again. "He wasn't my brother, at least not anymore. He died years ago, but whatever Kai Lan did to him... its unnatural."
That was anything but what Sky expected to hear. It made him sick. Slavery and dark magic? To think that the Guild tried to recruit him several times in his youth... He shuddered to think what would've happened to him. "It seems the more darkness we try to snuff out, the more we find."
Whirlwind merely nodded.
A more amiable silence overtook them until they reached the slave pens. There were no more than ten people all huddled in a cage frightened, bruised, and silent. All appeared to be poor villagers. Sky smashed the lock on the cage, "You are all free to go."
They stood back, fearful, eyes going back and forth between Sky and Whirlwind. "The slavers are all dead, leave before more show up," Sky continued, gently. "It's safe."
Skittish as cornered dogs, they gathered the courage to pass out of the bars. They'd obviously been through a lot, but Sky was glad they'd saved them from further harm. A few stopped to thank him, but were too scared to even look at Whirlwind.
Worried, Sky entered the cage and found one last person collapsed on the floor. Lyn. Her hair had been cut, poorly. It was in uneven patches across her scalp. Her face was cut, bruised, and swollen. Her clothes were in tatters... he could easily guess what they'd done to her. He had to choke back his anger as he reached out to her. She stirred at his gentle touch, but her eyes were glossy and distant when she looked at him. "Sky?"
"Yes, I'm here."
"Am I dead?" Her question was untouched by emotion, just curious.
"No, Lyn, you're alive. I came to get you out."
She nodded and sat up. Pain laced her features, but it seemed to sharpen her senses. Sky helped her to her feet. The bruises and cuts on her arms and legs were visible now, causing anger to swell within him again, but at a loss of words.
Lyn's voice was heavy and emotional, "Get me out of here."
Sky complied. They left the Guild hideout behind in flames. The light radiated to the atmosphere, warming the sky seemingly like the rising sun. Sky hoped that nothing but ashes would remain of that terrible place.
Time seemed to drag on as they made their way back to the Imperial City. A wave of exhaustion so strong hit Sky he felt he could fall asleep mid-stride. He'd been beaten and tossed in a cage, stressed over Jen Zi's near-death experience, then assaulted a Guild complex. A full day for anyone. His body begged for sleep, and he would have considered camping in the outskirts, but his heart and mind still worried for Jen Zi. Sky knew he couldn't sleep without knowing she was safe.
The night was half over before they made it back to the city. Lyn stopped, her body visibly shaking, her back turned to Sky. Whirlwind carried on ahead, no doubt on a journey to find wine, and lots of it. Sky waited for Lyn, the poor woman had been through a lot in the last day.
"I wanted to thank you for rescuing me," her voice was struggling to remain neutral.
"It's I who should be thanking you." Sky returned, "for the warning a week ago, and for refusing to be a part of the Guild's plot."
Lyn just laughed in disgust. "I only have myself to blame for this. They'd used my poison many times before, but I turned a blind eye. I told myself I wasn't to blame for their deaths. That I wasn't directly responsible."
"Why did you stay all these years?"
Lyn wiped away tears, but kept her back to him. "Mostly fear. There have been rumors and hints of the terrible things the Guild was up to... but, I wasn't sure what else I could do. I had no where else to go. When people who disagreed with the Guild's tactics vanished, I thought there was no way out."
"Why did you refuse to help poison Jen Zi?"
Crossing her arms to attempt to stop her shoulders from shaking, she answered barely above a whisper. "Because of you."
Sky just remained silent, letting her continue.
She let out a weary sigh. "Seeing you again reminded me of the person I once was. I felt like a mirror was held to my face, and I was ashamed of the person I let myself become. I didn't want to blindly lend my skills to end lives anymore."
"What will you do now?" Sky prodded gently.
Lyn sighed again. "I don't know. Maybe try and find some honest work. Something I should have done long ago, when you left and found yourself an honest life." She finally turned around to face him. Her eyes were red and irritated from tears, but there was a margin of hopefulness in her gaze that eased Sky's fears. "I'm glad to have met you again. It helped wake me up." She bowed.
Sky returned the bow and watched her disappear into the sleeping city.
By the time he arrived in the flier bay, Sky was amazed he was still standing. His body ached in more ways than he could describe. The absence of adrenaline made him painfully aware of the bruises and swelling across his torso, arms, and legs.
The camp was mostly empty. Wild Flower kept watch over Jen Zi and Dawn Star, the latter of which had fallen asleep on the cold, hard stone next to Jen Zi's bedroll. Sky gently lifted Dawn Star into his arms and moved her to her bedroll. Then he sent Wild Flower to get some rest.
Rolling out his bedroll, he took up guard next to Jen Zi. She looked like she was sleeping soundly, no obvious signs of pain, skin no longer pale. Relief washed over him. Though Sky had been through much that day, his thoughts constantly returned to Jen Zi.
Entering camp, Zu locked eyes with Sky. "I will take watch. You need rest."
Sky wasn't sure what brought on this sudden generosity, and frankly he was too damn tired to question it. Nodding to Zu, Sky laid back on his bed feeling heavy as stone. He glanced over at Jen Zi, his eyes closed, and he left the waking world behind.
madstone - in folklore, a stone applied to a wound to prevent madness (as from rabies)
Authors Notes: Trying to learn some new words! I feel that's how Zu sees Dawn Star, A talisman or charm to keep him sane. Hope you enjoyed! Longest chapter yet!
