"Can you see anything?" Kilik called up into the trees.
Xianghua took hold of another gnarled branch and poked her head above the canopy. She was met with the afternoon sun and blue skies. The black of the canopy stretched on for a quarter mile or so. "Yes, we're almost through!" she yelled down to her companions. "Just a bit further."
"Then get down here and let's get out of this place!" Maxi shouted. A few agile maneuvers soon had Xianghua's feet back on the ground. The three of them continued to head west, hopefully to the border of the monstrous forest that had nearly claimed the lives of Xianghua and Kilik with it's bubbly mud pits. A few final hours walking in the dreary place was rewarded with light at the end of path. The trio stepped out of the closeness of the trees, into the open rolling countryside.
Maxi took a deep breath of fresh air and shaded his eyes against the sun. "Well, this looks far more pleasant, eh mates? Not so much as a mud puddle for miles."
Xianghua picked at the dried mud in her hair. "I don't suppose, there's any sight of a bathhouse?"
"Not yet, but there must be some place to clean up further along," Kilik said optimistically.
"Not more walking!" Maxi whined. "Come on, let's just camp out for the night and start tomorrow, huh?"
"Tired already? I guess Sailors just aren't made for long distance, eh?" Xianghua smiled mischievously, starting off at a brisk pace.
"I won't be outdone by a landlubber! Especially not a girl landlubber!" Maxi yelled indignantly and jogged to catch up with her.
"Gotta do better than that, Cap'n No-Beard!" Xianghua teased and broke into a run. Kilik shook his head and began to walk after them.
A while later, nearly at the peak of a tall hill, he found both Maxi and Xianghua resting their hands on their knees, panting hard. Kilik walked up to them calmly.
"So... who won?" He asked in his own dry humor. The two of them gave dirty looks as they struggled to regain their breath. "Hope you guys still have some stamina left, because I don't plan to stop here." He started over the hill, then stopped at its highest point. Without a word, he suddenly held Kali-Yuga in fighting stance and began running.
Maxi and Xianghua exchanged looks and both started struggling their way up the hill. By the time they reached the top, they could see Kilik wielding Kali-Yuga, driving back a humongous centipede. An overturned wagon was not far from the battle. Hitched to the wagon, an ox was laying on its side, its blood spreading across the dirt. The centipede was not easily frightened and attempted several attacks on Kilik. Seeing their friend in danger, Xianghua and Maxi soon forgot their fatigue and drew their weapons, joining Kilik as fast as they could.
The Centipede reared its head, resembling a cobra that is ready to strike. Kilik's focus was unwavering as he maneuvered Kali-Yuga. Maxi came from behind and let Soryuju strike the hard shell of the monster.
"Force his head down!" Xianghua called out, "All I need is a clear slice." Kilik nodded.
"Maxi!" he called, "draw its attention!"
Maxi didn't hesitate and took a firm hold of one of the hundreds of legs with his left hand. With a heavy down swing of Soryuju, the leg snapped off. The centipede gave a shrill cry and turned on Maxi. As the back was exposed to Kilik, he pole-vaulted landing his feet on the Centipede head. As he forced the front end to meet the dry dust, Xianghua was ready with her blade. It no sooner hit the ground than its head was severed from its long body, spraying green guts all over the three of them. The body lashed wildly for a few more moments before settling into death.
Xianghua replaced her sword. "We did it!" she said and turned smiling towards Kilik, but he was already gone, instead he was kneeling by the overturned wagon.
"It's all right, you can come out now," he said extending a hand.
"What's that all about?" Maxi muttered to Xianghua. The two of them looked on as a graceful hand came out of the wagon's shadow and took hold of Kilik's. Out stepped a very beautiful young woman.
"Ah, so she's what it was about," Maxi said striding forward. "Hello." he said with all the suave he could muster.
"Hello," she said back, "thank you for rescuing me,... er, what might I call you by?"
"Anything you want, darling creature," he oozed.
Give me a break. Xianghua thought disgusted. She isn't that pretty. Well... maybe she is. Xianghua thought, suddenly a bit resentful, as she studied that smooth flawless skin and perfectly combed red hair that hung all the way to the stranger's mid thigh. I never could get my hair to grow that long, She thought enviously. Her clothes seemed perfect too, not a wrinkle out of place, not even a smear of dirt despite the scuffle that had just happened moments before.
"Thank you all so much, but please, I must go before it gets much darker." The young woman started passed Kilik then suddenly collapsed. Kilik and Maxi both caught her before she hit the ground. Xianghua got another wave of nausea.
"Are you all right?" the men asked in unison.
"Oh it's nothing," she insisted batting her large bright blue eyes, "I think I may have hurt my foot, but the wagon is still in once piece."
"Your ox has been killed, I'm afraid there's no way for you to get home with only a wagon," Kilik said in a pitch quite lower then Xianghua was used to hearing.
"Please don't worry about me, I'll find a way."
"We can pull it," Maxi offered. "You can't weigh much, we'll have you home in no time."
"What!?" Xianghua shouted. She was ignored.
"I couldn't let you do that..." the girl said flirtingly.
"We won't take no for an answer. Come on, Kilik help me get this wagon right side up." Xianghua watched in disbelief as Maxi and Kilik scrambled about to unhitch the slain ox, turn the wagon right side up, place the girl in the driver's seat and each take hold of the wagon shafts themselves.
"You never told us your name," Kilik gazed up at the lovely girl.
"Jezzel. My name is Jazzel."
Xianghua still stood at the head of the slain centipede, looking on with a disapproving expression at her male traveling partners. Her arms were folded coldly across her body, but no one seemed to notice her darkening mood.
"Come on Xianghua!" Kilik called to her, smiling. Her heart softened a bit. Maybe they were just helping someone in distress. At least they're letting me ride in the wagon too. She thought, jogging up to the wagon. She put a foot on the top of the back wheel about to climb a board.
"You can help push from behind," Maxi said with an empty-headed smile spread all over his face. The two began pulling the wagon, not really taking note if Xianghua did as Maxi said or not. She ended up walking beside the cart, suspiciously studying Jazzel.
"Why are you out here all by your self in the first place?" Xianghua blurted. Jezzel remained sweet and graceful despite the attacking tone of Xianghua's voice.
"My sister is ill. Our parents have long since passed. I'm the only one left to maintain our humble way of life. I gather wild berries this time of year, and sell them in the marketplace."
"Yeah, so quit asking stupid questions," Maxi said. Suddenly he felt a small pebble pinging off the back of his head.
"Hey! Why you—!" He stopped as soon as he noticed Xianghua threateningly tossing and catching a bigger rock in one hand.
"Yes, Maxi?"
"Nothing," he said and looked up at Jezzel who giggled. Suddenly it looked as if Maxi forgot he was in any pain at all. Xianghua glared at Jezzel. Something's not right with her... Xianghua thought to herself, clasping the handle of her sword for reassurance.
Jezzel's cottage was indeed humble. Outside, there lay a barren vegetable garden, a thin nanny goat tethered to a post, and a small well with a bucket that had a poorly mended handle. Inside, there was one main room with three smaller rooms branching off, but the doorways were obscured by a length of cloth pinned at the crossbar of the doorframe. Many lumpy feather pillows and thread bare blankets substituted for furniture in this main room. A black pot was simmering over glowing embers in the corner. A person lay on the floor, wrapped in bandages and covered with blankets. She had a desperate look in her eye.
Jezzel walked over to her this girl and placed one of her fair hands across the bandaged forehead. Xianghua thought she saw this bandaged person's face become pained at this gesture.
"You're so cold, it must be getting worse," Jezzel said softly. "This is my sister I spoke of," she said to rest of the company, "her name is Luthira, but sometimes... sometimes she does not know that. Sometimes she doesn't know where she is or who I am. Her sickness takes her mind on occasion. It seems to happen more and more frequently these days," she said laying another blanket over her sister.
"My sympathies for your misfortune," Kilik said, to which Maxi somewhat lamely added "Same here."
"Thank you, but my! What poor hospitality I've shown you. You must be aching for a bath. I'm afraid you have to draw water from the well a half bucket at a time, or else the handle may break. I have soap in the back shed, but the tub leaks, so you have to hurry, and there's no wood to heat the water—"
"Leaking cold water and soap? You call that a bath!?" Xianghua interrupted loudly. "We were better off in the mud pits! At least they were warm!" Maxi's hand slapped over her mouth before she could say anything more.
"Don't pay attention to her, her mind gets taken on occasion too. Ouch!! See? She's crazy enough to bite me!" Maxi forced a laugh as he wrestled Xianghua out the door.
"She's really quite grateful," Kilik said very unconvincingly. Jezzel giggled.
"Xianghua has a lot of spirit. I would probably have said the same thing, only I wasn't finished. You see, there's hot spring just a short walk down the east path. After you get the mud off, you can have a relaxing soak in some proper hot water."
"Sounds wonderful," Kilik smiled.
"Oh, before you go," she started, as she stepped into one of the smaller rooms for a moment. When she returned she carried three bundles of clothes. "Some of my father's old clothes, I doubt they'll be a perfect fit, but I keep them clean. Also one of my spare dresses for Xianghua. Kilik took the clothes with thanks and reluctantly left Jezzel's company to rejoin Maxi and Xianghua. How unsurprising to find them arguing.
"Geez, you didn't have to bite me!" Maxi whispered harshly, shaking the pain out of his hand.
"You were the one that was suffocating me in the first place!"
"Quiet! Both of you! If we don't start drawing water now, we won't be able to get to the hot springs before dark."
"Did you say hot springs?" Maxi asked dreamily. Kilik nodded and repeated the information Jezzel gave him and passed out the clean clothes. No more motivation was needed for Maxi, he took off for the well and happily began to draw water. Kilik was about to help him when he felt a tug at his sleeve.
"Kilik, do you place any value on women's intuition?" Kilik cocked his head with curiosity at her sudden downtrodden expression and strange inquiry.
"Why would you ask me such a thing as that, Xianghua?"
"Please Kilik, don't try to change the subject. If I told you I had a bad feeling about this place and I wanted to camp in the woods, instead of here, what would think?"
"I'd think it would be a lot colder under the trees than under a roof. Besides, how could you possibly get any bad feelings here? Jezzel is a delightful woman with much hardship and few guests, that's all." Xianghua's face turned bitter. Kilik grinned and continued. "I think that maybe it's not so much women's intuition as it is women's competition."
"What?! You think I'm jealous?"
Kilik just smiled.
"You do think I'm jealous!" Without another word Kilik patted Xianghua's head and started off to join Maxi. Xianghua was about to yell something insulting at his back, but couldn't get the words out. Am I jealous? Jezzel certainly hadn't done much to be labeled 'life threatening'. The only crime she had committed was to take all of Maxi and Kilik's attention. Ohmigosh, I am! Xianghua mentally groaned. She plopped herself down on a stump as she watched Maxi and Kilik scramble to fill the tub before it all leaked out again. Kilik came out for the last time to wait for his turn as Maxi cleaned himself up first. Xianghua really didn't feel like facing Kilik's accusations of jealousy again and returned to the house.
Luthira was sleeping soundly, no sign of discomfort at all. Jezzel was tending to the black pot, stirring it occasionally. Xianghua took a deep breath. She wasn't about to be thought jealous of Jezzel or any other woman. An apology would make Kilik dismiss his thought of her being jealous. "I'm sorry for yelling like that earlier," she said.
Jezzel set the lid back on the pot and turned to her guest. "Oh, don't worry about that, I don't get offended very easily. I admire your ability to speak your mind."
Xianghua smiled politely and turned to leave. Couldn't Jezzel even take an apology without laying on the sugary sweetness so thick? Xianghua stepped back out into the late afternoon air, noticing it was Maxi outside the bath shed now, wearing a pair of unfamiliar pants and pulling on an oversized faded blue shirt. Kilik must be taking his turn then. Xianghua looked down at Jezzel's dress, disgusted. "I'd rather wear poison oak," she grumbled and tossed the garment on the stump.
Kilik stepped out of the shed a while after, dressed similarly to Maxi in some brown pants and loose white shirt. His teeth chattered a bit as he said "It's all your Xianghua."
Xianghua undressed quickly as the water leaked out onto the wood floorboards. She bit her lip as she submerged herself. The water wasn't just cold, but icy as she forced herself to scrub the mud off. Her skin was getting red with raw cold as she then dunked and scrubbed her own clothes in the water. She wrung them out as dry as she could, and dressed again. When she came out in wet clothes, Maxi couldn't help but say,
"Are you crazy?"
"You're the one that said my mind gets taken at times!" Xianghua spat at him, "Wouldn't want you to be called a liar," she shuddered, her lips turning blue.
"But you're going to catch your death of cold! Where's the dress Jezzel...?"
Before Maxi could finish he noticed Kilik's large silent movements of a throat being slit and violent head shaking. Maxi shut his mouth.
Kilik fetched a blanket from inside and gave it to Xianghua. She wrapped it around herself as they started off for the hot springs.
Thankfully it was a short walk, just as Jezzel had claimed. Several small pools gave off steam invitingly. Maxi and Kilik took a separate pool, leaving their clothes dry on the rocks. Xianghua headed to the other side, and slid into the hot water. The silent bliss of being warm and clean passed time quickly. The sun was just barely lighting the tops of the trees now.
"We better head back," Xianghua called loudly to Maxi and Kilik. There wasn't any answer. "Hey! Did you hear me? We better head back to the cottage if you intend on staying there tonight!"
Still no answer.
Xianghua carefully stepped out of the hot spring and pulled her clothes on. She walked back around, towards Kilik and Maxi's pools. "You better be decent, cause I'm coming!" she warned, and covered her eyes with her hand anyway. When there was still no answer, she risked one eye open at a squint.
The water was undisturbed and tranquil. The clothes on the rocks were gone.
Kilik and Maxi were no longer there.
*~*~*~*~
Is Xianghua's jealousy bringing out misplaced suspicion of Jezzel? Or is Jezzel more than she seems? And what happened to Maxi and Kilik anyway?
All shall be answered in the next chapter! Thanks for reading. ^___^
~Xiantau