Tenzing had provided Amy with directions to Kymiri. "Ask for Kungun Zhao and you will be taken care of," he had instructed. Do I trust him? Amy wondered as she trudged through knee-deep drifts of snow, heading east to the village. He saved my life, but he also took Sourris' life. I hope this Kungun Zhao person can provide me with a new mule. I need more supplies as well—I had to abandon the things I could not carry away on my own back. She paused for a moment beneath the clouded sky and shifted the pack into a slightly different position. A small pile of snow that had accumulated on top of it tumbled down the back of her neck. Amy shivered and muttered a curse.
By the time she reached Kymiri, Amy no longer had the energy to curse. She wanted a warm place to sleep, a place where she could forget she was on this God-forsaken mountain in the Himalayas.
"Kungun Zhao… I need to speak with Kungun Zhao," Amy mumbled, her speech slipping between French and Chinese. She struggled at first when a strong pair of arms gripped her shoulders but, as the barely had the strength to stand on her own, she let them take the pack from her back and guide her into a hut. She collapsed on a floor that was warm and dry and fell immediately into exhausted slumber.
Amy awoke some time later to find that her pack had been returned to her. It looked like it might have been rummaged through, and a quick search revealed that her sword was missing. The soul shard was still intact on her person, however. Amy procured a piece of crusty bread from her pack and chewed at it while she considered her situation. The room in which she sat appeared to be normally reserved for storage. It was sectioned off from the rest of the hut by a thick hide flap that acted as a curtain—and somewhat of a sound barrier as well. She heard voices coming from the adjacent room, but she could not make out the words.
My quest and I are at the mercy of these villagers now, she thought. Tenzing said they would take care of me but, if they cannot provide me with the next clue to the Soul Edge's whereabouts, my journey here will have been in vain. Then I am as lost as poor Sourris. She wondered if she should go into the next room. Voices rang out in stressed pitches, as if a heated argument was taking place. Amy edged closer to the hide flap and strained to hear the conversation.
"—her here until Tenzing returns."
"—just a girl! What could a girl—"
"—what would a girl—"
"—not the time or place to discuss the Soul Edge—"
"—when he returns," the first voice declared with finality. The other voices fell into a hush. Amy laid back on the floor of the storage room and drew the blanket around her as footsteps approached. A woman poked aside the hide flap.
"She still sleeps. I feel sorry for her," the woman said to the others.
"There is no need to feel sorry for her. She has the mark of evil on her. If she truly seeks the evil sword, then she must be destroyed—even if she is only a young girl. It is a pity that the evil has drawn itself to her, but we must not feel sorry for her," replied the authorative voice. Amy swallowed hard as the flap fell back into place.
Did Tenzing guess that I am after the Soul Edge? Kungun Zhao… is that the leader of this village, or is that just some kind of code to alert my intent to these villagers? Oh, why did I trust that boy?! Amy lamented. Still, these people must know exactly where the Soul Edge lies. If only I could learn where and manage to leave here alive….
When Amy awoke again several hours later, she realized that she must have fallen asleep after overhearing part of the villager's heated conversation. Was it all a dream then? No, it couldn't be, she thought. She rose from the floor and peeled back a corner of the hide flap that curtained the storeroom from the rest of the hut. The main room was now empty; did they have that much confidence that she would not attempt an escape? Of course. They have my weapon, Amy cursed. She was not about to leave Kymiri without first getting her sword back. Flamert was a gift from her father; it was the very same rapier that he had used on his quest for the Soul Edge and meant infinitely more to her than the sword of legend. Quietly, she exited the storeroom and examined the main room. Of course they would not stash the weapon so close to their captive, but she searched anyway. There was a large food-prepatory area, but no pot or kettle was large enough to conceal Flambert. The rest of the room was left open and seemed reserved for communal meals or other large gatherings. Besides the colorful woven mats set about the floor, there was little in the way of furnishings.
Amy gritted her teeth and stepped outside of the hut. If it's not in someone's personal possession, it might be stored with other weapons. An armory of sorts, she reasoned. Although Kymiri seems it has little to fear of war, and my sword would be of little use in a hunt. She stamped her foot on the packed snow in frustration. Am I to check every hut? I doubt they will allow me free roam of personal living spaces! The quest seemed hopeless, but what else could she do but wait for Tenzing to return and order her execution?
As she decided what to do, a woman approached her and, chattering at her in Chinese, guided Amy back into the hut.
"You must stay here. Help me prepare food for the guardian."
"The guardian?" Amy asked. The older woman seemed surprised to hear the foreigner speak Chinese.
"Yes. Come with me," she ordered. Guardian of what? The Soul Blade? Amy wondered. Momentarily forgoing her plan to search out Flambert, she decided to help the woman. The woman ushered her into the food-prepatory area. Amy glanced around the area as the woman, scuffling about, eventually got a fire started on the earthen floor of the rather large kitchen.
There was a small shrine set on the floor. Atop the miniature altar, Buddha gazed levelly across the food offering that was placed before him. What will these heathens do with me? Amy wondered. If they do not kill me, will I be servant or slave?
"What will happen to me?" she asked the old woman, not really expecting an answer.
"You will help me make food for the guardian. Perhaps you will take it to him when Tenzing returns," came the reply. She fixed her aged eyes upon the young woman. "Such a nice girl. Maybe you will stay here," she added. Her tone suggested that Amy's chances of survival were much greater if she avoided the guardian, whoever and whatever it was.
"The guardian. What is it?" Amy asked.
"A man came to Kymiri once, carrying a great evil with him. He asked that our wise village elders destroy it, but they refused. They said that in order for him to rid himself of evil's mark, he must dispose of it himself and guard it for the rest of his days. He is the guardian, and we help him keep his duty," the woman said as she pressed an armful of spicy-smelling greenery into Amy's arms.
"The guardian is a man? What if he dies?" she asked, bewildered.
"Tenzing will take his place. He has been training for many years, learning the ways of the guardian. Please remove the stems from those."
"I think… that I want to see the guardian," Amy said slowly. Could this man be…? No, that's not possible. But if it is….
