"Whoa," Xena yelled and pulled at Nike's reins making the sweating brown mare stop at the edge of the Chinese camp. She looked around and was not astounded to find the looks on the soldiers' faces considerably different from the days before. Their defeat had been visible across the river to the large reserve contingent that Wu had left to guard their rear and the catapults. Slowly she made her way through the camp to the site she had been using for a camp since they had arrived yesterday morning. As she began getting Nike's saddle and bridle off, she saw the soldiers that had participated in the attack begin to return to camp. Knowing that Wu would head to his command tent, if he hadn't been wounded or killed in the battle, she began making her way there.
Officers and healers milled around the area near Wu's tent. She walked purposefully to his tent. His usual bodyguards weren't anywhere in sight, so Xena took the chance and ducked inside.
Wu was seated in one of the chairs that stood around the table that had once belonged to Gabrielle. He was staring almost unblinkingly at one single spot of the tent fabric as if his eyes could burn holes in the material and reveal the fortress that lay hidden by it. "I don't want to be disturbed. Go away," he commanded without looking in her direction.
Xena stood her ground and waited patiently.
"I said. Go Away!" He commanded again.
Xena allowed herself a small quirky smile then settled her face in its most dispassionate folds and kept waiting. She knew how defeat could rattle even the greatest of commanders. Wu struck her as a man unaccustomed with defeat and this one had been his fault in some ways.
"Damn it," he yelled, rose and spun about. His anger faded instantly as he came face to face with the Warrior Princess. The man looked a little like a boy caught with his hand in the cookie jar, but Xena forced herself not to smile as that mental image rummaged around her mind.
Still sullen the general dropped back onto the seat of another chair and asked: "What do you want?" in a tired voice.
"I wanted to know what your next move is going to be," she asked and carefully kept her voice neutral and devoid of recrimination.
"My next move⦠Damn it, my last plan didn't go that well now did it. No, I had to rush in. I had to listen to a damnable speaking tiger and now a fourth of my main army is dead or wounded just because I didn't wait for my catapults to be finished. No I just rushed in. We didn't get into the fortress," he paused to breathe, but Xena just waited for the angry man to continue. Suddenly Wu jumped up and began pacing the room in rage.
"I am just so pissed off. Why did I do it? I had no reason except maybe my intuition. Another day that was all it would have taken then all those men, some of them even good friends of mine, would have lived now and tomorrow this mess would have been over," he raved and swept all his maps and quills don't onto the carpeted floor. Wu slammed his hand down into the table then suddenly turned and with tears in his eyes took a swipe at Xena.
She easily caught his hand and held it there. For a moment their eyes locked and Xena allowed him a rare glimpse into the emotions roiling in the depths of her souls as she called upon all her sorrow and guilt. Tears blurred her eyes as well as she remembered friends and loved ones long gone and for a while they just stood there his fist caught in her palm, their muscles no longer straining against each other, but their minds lost in the memory of the things that had happened to them and all those around them. Finally Sun drew his hand back and turned away from her.
After a few moments of standing there frozen Sun turned to look at her. "I seem to have lost my temper for a moment there. Thank you for being here. I couldn't allow any of my men to see me like that," he admitted sheepishly and scratched the back of his head.
"I just wanted to help," Xena explained, "Don't mention it."
"I won't," he said and sat back down. His eyes showed his debilitation even more clearly than his sluggish attack had earlier.
"I think you should catch some rest, before doing anything else. We can plan for our retribution later," she said and looked about as if noticing something for the first time.
"Where is Chen?" She asked.
Wu looked up at her and blinked. He seemed lost in thought then quickly rose to duck out of the tent. Xena couldn't make out what orders Wu gave through the general din of the busy camp, but she noticed that the general looked really angry when he returned a couple of minutes later. A servant followed in his footsteps with some food that he then placed on the table and left.
Wu waited patiently until the servant was out of earshot before speaking. "It would seem that our prophetic tiger has disappeared after we lost the battle. Chang questioned the men for me and many saw it battle ferociously until the last minute. But when the retreat was called out it just turned and left for the jungle again," he said and began eating. He gestured for Xena to follow suit and while she usually didn't like to eat much while discussing important things, the fact that she hadn't eaten for over a day made her hunger to large to ignore comfortably.
"That doesn't necessarily mean it is a traitor," Xena said between bites after reading Wu expression.
"It could be a good indication. Look the tiger suggested we attack today and it clearly abandoned us as soon as we were defeated. It isn't definite proof, but it's a hint," he said after drink a good amount of wine.
"Man fighting always makes me so hungry," he commented as he took a second portion from meat from the grilled chicken. Xena grinned wolfishly but didn't comment.
"At least it helped during the battle. Let's focus beyond Chen for a minute. I honestly would like to know what we do next," she asked and leaned back in the wooden chair.
Wu's eyes narrowed as he mentally went over their situation and weighed their options. "I still think an assault on the fortress is the way to go. If I commit all my forces and use the catapults to weaken their resolve then we could storm it within a few days. I am sure," Wu said.
Suddenly someone approached the tent and Xena judged from the steps that it was Gabrielle's former officer. "Sir, a scout has return with important news for you," Chang's voice said.
"Bring him here," Wu commanded apparently not wanting to get up.
A few moments later a grimy and clearly sleep deprived Chinese soldier entered the tent. "General Wu," he saluted and returned to the rather wobbly stand of the really exhausted.
"Sit, eat and drink," Wu ordered clearly not wanting the man to drop unconscious before he had told what the important news was.
The man sat down and began telling his story while eating. "As I was ordered I have been watching the passes and roads into the plains that lead up to this plateau. Three days ago I picked up the trail of some forward scouts and followed them back. General, a fresh army is marching in from the north. They've the few open passes in the northern mountains to avoid the still intact bastions up there and are approaching fast. They could enter this valley already tomorrow evening. Their number is only half of our army, but I still believe that it was important enough to break of my patrol and return as quickly as possible," the scout explained and rose as soon as he had finished talking obviously not wanting to spent too much of Sun Wu's time.
"Thank you, please go and find a place nearby to rest. And send Chang in here," he ordered a voice loud enough for Chang that still waited around outside to hear it and comply.
"Chang, listen up," Wu said, while rising to his feet as soon as the commander entered the tent.
"I want you to take command of the camp and ensure the safety of this position and the catapults, while I take the fresh reserves to go rout the army that the witch has ordered here. If we don't stop it they will have us caught between the fortress and their army. I wondered why she didn't even bother to attack us, when we came here. Now we obviously have the answer. I have to leave immediately, if my plan is going to work," Wu said and began gathering up with already dirty armor and weapons.
"Yes, sir," Chang said, while Wu just walked past him with only a quick nod.
Chang stood stiffly seemingly shocked with the sudden authority thrust upon him, while Xena, who had merely observed the exchange and winced at the news of the oncoming army, just sat in a chair looking at him curiously. Far away she could hear Wu demand a fresh horse and telling a few officers that he had left Chang in charge.
"Well it seems that you're in command here, order and we shall follow you, oh great commander Chang," Xena felt strangely upbeat even if the situation didn't merit it. It was as if the air around them vibrated with vital energy. It felt like they were on the verge of a great thunderstorm and the lightning was already crackling above them. That was the single one thing that all her life with Gabrielle hadn't touched. She still seemed to crave the excitement. Gabrielle had been right, she enjoyed it. And that was probably the weakness that had led her astray in the first place.
"It is not funny, Xena," Chang sighed not noticing that her burst of good humor had passed already.
She looked at him, while berating herself that she had allowed herself to sucked back into a war and reawakening her war lust.
"I guess we better get this camp secured," he said and turned around.
"Excuse me, but what we are you talking about?" She asked and followed him as Chang left his general's tent.
"There is an ancient Chinese proverb that says: The one who can laugh in the face of danger must be ready to face it. I assumed that if you're able to make jokes at a time like this then you're also able to help me carry out my orders," he explained.
"There is no such proverb," she replied in a low voice.
"Are you ancient Chinese by any chance?" He turned and looked at her with his seemingly innocent expression.
"No," Xena said almost insolently.
"Then how would you know," Chang said and turned to continue towards the area, where they were building the catapults. Xena continued to follow his even as the eyebrow that had risen in surprise was still on its way back down.
Just a few yards out of earshot of the soldiers guarding the catapults Chang stopped and turned to look at Xena, while all around them the reserve soldiers were responding to Wu's orders and quickly gathering up supplies and gear to go back to guard their supply lines and hopefully beat back the oncoming invaders.
"I need your help. I know from Gabrielle's stories that you're a brilliant strategist and leader. I am not. I want you to be around to catch any blunders before they cost any soldiers their lives," Chang explained.
Xena looked at him for a moment then nodded. "First thing is to get these catapults finished and positioned in firing range of the fortress. As soon as possible you should begin bombarding even if only with small rocks or dead animals," she suggested.
"All the while get as many fresh men as possible to guard them and patrol our perimeter. The witch is sure to try infiltration maybe even a direct attack just as soon as she learns that her second army is on its way here," she explained and looked around at the camp to make sure that there weren't something she was missing.
"This might be the moment to remind you that my orders were to secure the camp. Not to reengage the enemy hidden in that fortress. I don't see what purpose it would serve to attack them right now either. The men aren't ready to storm the walls anyway," Chang countered and looked at her curiously.
Xena nearly sighed and had to stop herself from grabbing hold of the man and give him a more throughout explanation including a little scare. "It is called taking the initiative. If you don't pin them down using the catapults then they'll attack us and depending on how many soldiers are actually hidden inside the camp might get overrun or the soldiers demoralized," Xena said while staring into his eyes hoping that she could somehow will him to understand.
"I'll think about it," Chang said and began talking to one of the catapult constructors. Xena stalked away hoping to find a quiet spot and gather her thoughts after the events of the morning and afternoon.
The night was cold and the air filled with a thick mist. Xena looked up at the sky and only the pale glare of the moon shone greeted her. She had slept awhile after her conversation with Chang, but the emotions and memories that plagued her dreams had woken her up just a few hours after midnight. Slowly she moved along the shore of the mirror-like sea. She was steadily getting closer to the fortress.
Xena stopped out of the view of guards and observed the torch-lit palisades that surrounded the compounds that she had glimpsed, while fighting on the battlements. A faint chanting reached her ears. It came from inside the fortress. Xena couldn't recognize separate voices but the sound and rhythm of the drums were unmistakable. Someone was invoking the spirits just like she had been taught by Alti. Some sort of aggressive act was sure to follow.
Her sensitive ears suddenly caught the noise of voices speaking in Mongolian. Her eyes couldn't see the enemy so as she drew out her chakram, she closed them and let her ears guide her.
She perceived the sound of someone trying to climb down from the fortress on a rope. The voices she had heard were three men whispering to each other as they tried to slip away from the fortress and probably attack the Chinese camp under the cover of the mists. Xena threw her chakram in a path that would take it alongside the wall of the fortress. The sound of the men plummeting down to the hard ground greeted her. Her chakram had reversed somewhere in the hidden mists and came back after hitting the three men hard across the head. She caught it effortlessly and clasped it back on her belt.
Xena turned and wandered back towards the camp and the guards that were desperately trying to keep them safe even as the world around them was shrouded in white.
The sun was burning the mists away. Xena stood besides the catapults that Chang had moved around the sea, where they could reach the fortress. He had split the fresh troops minus some guards for the healers, servants and wounded in two groups. A larger one that guarded the catapults and another that watched for any attempt by the army inside the fortress to attack their camp. They had been working hard to get into position all morning.
Chang walked up and stood on Xena's left side. He carried a small slip of paper in his hand. "I've gotten the first message from the general. It would seem that our supply lines have been cut. He is holding the pass that leads up here for now, but he has seen neither hide nor hair of the Mongolians yet," Chang said.
"I've sent a message back telling him about what I am politely calling my initiative to protect the camp from attack," he continued, while crumbling the paper in his hand.
"I don't think they'll attack before the mist is entirely gone if at all," Xena said her eyes never wavering from the palisades.
"I guess not. I'm hoping it won't come to that," Chang started to explain, but Xena heard the characteristic noise of a catapult being released and pushed him down. A fiery missile flew across the palisade and landed just short of the army's position.
"Return fire! See if you can hit somewhere around their catapults," Chang commanded.
All around the tightly wound rope strained and wood sang as catapults were prepared and loaded with kegs full of Greek fire. Torches were held to fuses. The catapults rocked and sang from release as they launched their deadly load at the enemy fortress. The massive Chinese catapults obvious much larger and more powerful than the Mongolian ones hurled their missiles deep into the enemy camp.
Xena didn't bother with the boastful yell that came from the Chinese as their weapons hit their enemy. Instead she was looking around to see where she expected the army from the fortress to show up. Sure enough a few moments later a cavalry group thundered down the small road from the fortress toward the waiting troops. It was a lot smaller group than the Chinese spearmen awaiting them. "Something isn't right here," Xena said out loud as she realized it.
The catapults on both sides fired again and Xena's warning was unheard.
Xena looked around for Chang. He was standing by one of the catapults giving the men careful directions.
Suddenly Mongolians fired again, but this time the number and size of the missiles was twice that of the Chinese. Firebombs and boulders hammered down into the unprepared Chinese soldiers. All around them a cry of alarm resounded and Xena could see Chang go pale with anger and remorse.
Xena strode up to his side. "Chang there is no way to withdraw without losing the catapults. We must attack now before we lose more men. Their catapults won't be able to kill your men if they're moving," she yelled over the roar of the catapult firing.
Chang nodded mutely just as he perceived over Xena back how another much larger group of cavalry was joining the first one. "Charge," he yelled to his officers. "Xena I'll go with them. I trust you. Save as many people from the camp as you can," he said with resignation and drew his weapon.
"We're not going to lose this. Stay here and command those catapults to hit the outside of that section of the fortress with all we've got. If we can breech into the fortress those cavalry men won't have any fortress to return to," Xena explained while smiling wildly. Chang mutely nodded and Xena felt the rush in her body as she dashed towards the fortress. Her body felt alive. Everything seemed suddenly in focus. It was as if something important was returning to her.
Overhead the thin cloud cover was quickly gaining volume and white clouds went gray and black even before Xena neared the area that she had flattened with her rockslide.
