It had been over a week since Zhou Tai had woken to his sister's screams. He remembered running to her room to find her looking out from her balcony, almost in tears. Her fists were clenched, as if she had been ready to fight someone. But when Zhou had asked her what was wrong, she turned and said she had awoken from a nightmare. Although skeptical, she had assured him that she was fine and insisted that he return to bed. Since then, she had not woken him up with her screams in the middle of the night.
But even though it was a week ago, the memory still kept him up at night. Zhou Tai was sure it was a nightmare, that was for sure. But somehow, he thought that maybe this nightmare had taken a human form now. He couldn't understand why Li wouldn't tell him what had really happened that night. Was she trying to hide something from him? And if so, what was it? Questions swirled in his head and were beginning to give him a headache.
As if his thoughts had summoned her, Li Tai entered the room and gave her brother a quizzical look. He looked up at her but said nothing. Cautiously, she sat down opposite him and waited a moment before speaking. "Are you okay? You have that I've-been-thinking-too-hard look on your face."
"I'm still thinking about the other night."
Li rolled her eyes. "You mean when I woke up screaming? I told you, I had that nightmare again. I haven't had it since then." She sighed as she leaned back in her chair. "Did it really bother you that much?"
"Yes. There was something about you, the way your fists were balled up, the way you were staring out into the night. It scared me, Li. I wish you would tell me." Li looked at him, trying to determine something in her head. Zhou looked at the wheels turning in her head, hoping that they would stop and tell him what really happened that night. Then she looked down, her expression going from that of concern to that of remembrance.
"Oh, god, there was someone there, wasn't there?" Li just looked at her brother, not saying anything. Somehow, her eyes betrayed her with the truth. "Li, did you finally see the figure from your nightmares? Was he here?" Li averted her eyes back to the ground, refusing to say anything. She was not ready to tell him what really happened until she needed to. She was still trying to figure everything out for herself.
Unfortunately, fate would not give her time enough to think it over.
Li Tai looked up suddenly as the three Sun children came bolting in the room. The concern on their faces immediately told her that something was wrong. Very wrong. "What is it?" she demeaned. "What's going on?"
"Something awful, that's what," Lady Sun cried, almost in tears.
"Lady Tai, you were aware that Our Lord went on a border patrol mission about a week ago?" Sun Quan asked. She nodded. "We received this several hours ago from a man named Cheng. I think you should read this." He pulled out a small piece of paper and handed it to Li Tai. Fearful, she slowly opened it and read it to herself.
To the Sun Clan and my dearest Lady Tai,
I shall start off with a greeting, for it would be extremely rude of me not to. My name is Cheng. Your royal highnesses will not know who I am, but I believe the delicious Li Tai will. That is, if she remembers certain events that happened back when she was the tender age of seven. But there will be time for reunions later. I promise.
I encountered your father, Lord Huang Gai, and Lord Lu Meng a few days ago, checking on their borders. Because they were too close to the borders of my Lord Cao Cao, we were forced to take them prisoner and make them pay for their crimes. I know that this may seem unfortunate to you Sun children, and to you, Lady Tai, for I understand that Lord Lu Meng has recently become your husband. Yes, this is rather unfortunate.
However, because you are all so closely related to these prisoners, I shall be willing to make an exchange with you. I will return Lords Sun Jian, Huang Gai, and Lu Meng. In exchange, My Lord Cao Cao requests some of the Wu territory for the Kingdom of Wei. He would also like, in exchange, the Lady Li Tai to submit to Wei and become a member of Cao Cao's court. A small price, I think, for the return of Wu's leader and famed officers.
Please send your reply so that we can arrange a meeting between our two great kingdoms and discuss the exchange. I look forward to meeting you all, and am looking forward especially to my reunion with the Lady Tai.
Master Cheng
Li Tai's hands were shaking so hard that she nearly ripped the note in two. The calming hand of her brother behind her did nothing to help her. Sun Shang Xiang had finally broken down into tears, and Sun Ce put is arm around her and let her cry into his shoulder. Sun Quan remained stoic, but he, too, was shaking. Fearing that she might lose it, Li put the note down and drew in a sharp breath.
"So he is the one from my nightmares," she said, turning to Zhou Tai. "He was the one we saw when we were seven, the one who ripped us from our homes."
"I don't know," Zhou Tai said gruffly. "His name…….I believe that there is an organization of people that do mercenary jobs for people near our borders with Wei. I think he must be a member of that group."
Sun Quan rubbed his beard. "So he must be working for Cao Cao, then. But there is no way I'll give up our lands for that pig."
Li Tai looked back at the note. "I don't think it's the lands that he's really demanding," she said. The tiny group looked at her, but she kept her eyes on the paper in front of her. "I think what he really wants is me."
"But why?" Lady Sun asked. "Why would he want you?"
"I think the separation of myself and Zhou Tai was only the first part of the plan. The next part was watching us grow up until our abilities were well known and the final part could be planned out."
Zhou Tai knelt next to his sister. "How do you know this?"
"Do you remember the scream from me a few nights ago?" she asked. He nodded. "That was because he was in my room. He had snuck in somehow, and I awoke to find him next to my bed. But he told me something. That he had finally reached the end of his job and soon we would be together and he would never have to work again."
"I knew it. Did he say anything else?" Her brother's grip on her arm was leaving marks on her skin.
"Just that he had been waiting for this since he was eight and all his work would finally pay off." She shook her head. "Then he wasn't the figure from my dreams. He would not have been that tall at the time."
"But you said he would work for a mercenary," Sun Quan said. "Perhaps he has been doing so for longer than we give him credit for. This may indeed be the final phase of his plan. He just started it when he was much younger, that's all."
Li Tai suddenly stood. "Then I need to go. I need to find this Cheng and learn of his true intentions. And I must save the prisoners."
"Why do you have to?" Lady Sun asked. Her brother nodded.
"We'll send the entire army!" Sun Ce cried. "We'll teach this Cheng character not to mess with this family!"
Lady Tai shook her head. "No, that will do you no good. This letter was meant for my ears. He wants me in the bargain. He is simply using Cao Cao as a means of doing it, which involves asking for more that he really wants."
"I refuse to give my sister up to some vagabond," Zhou Tai grumbled.
"Do you think I would willingly give myself up?" she asked him sternly. "I simply want to learn more about this Cheng. He will not capture me so easily." She turned to Sun Quan. "My lord, I will return your father. I stake my life on it."
Sun Ce scoffed. "There is no way we're letting you have all the fun or all the revenge. We're all going with you, and there's no way around it." He turned to his little brother. "Quan, I think it's time we eased the army's boredom and sent them on a mission, don't you?"
"Yes, indeed," he answered with a grin. "Brother, I want you to inform Zhou Yu that we need a plan here, and we need one quick. Tomorrow, we shall all meet and discuss what to do here. In the meantime," he said as he surveyed the group, "we all need to rest after this news. I will send word of the meeting tomorrow."
The group nodded and dispersed. Lady Sun still clung to her oldest brother, as if letting go would cause her to lose her mind. Lady Tai attempted to keep her composure, but as she left she couldn't help but let a single tear fall down her face. Her husband was out there somewhere, and she didn't know what was happening to him. The fact that she could do nothing made the feeling worse. Slowly, she felt her brother slip an arm around her shoulders, and the two made their way back to the courtyard and away from the confusion that had just occurred.
It was a somewhat somber group that departed from the capital a few days later. Leading the party was very upset looking Sun Ce, followed by Zhou Yu and the two Qiao sisters. Lu Xun and Sun Shang Xiang followed close behind, with Li Tai and Zhou Tai bringing up the rear. Sun Quan and the remaining officers had decided to stay at the capital in case of an emergency. A small number of soldiers remained behind as well, but the bulk of the army now followed the solemn party. Shortly after Cheng's letter had been received, Sun Ce had gathered the troops together and spoke long and hard about the capture of their leader. Immediately the crowd of men had cried out for revenge and begged him to lead them against the Wei scum and rescue Lord Sun Jian.
So as soon as the sun began to paint the sky a few days after, the army made their way to the Wei borders. Although Sun Ce said little during the trip, Li Tai spoke not a word. All she could think about was the letter from Cheng and the night he had appeared in her room. His words that night were fuzzy in the beginning, but the last part still echoed long in her head. I cannot wait to make you mine when this is all over. For some reason, his words sent chills up her spine even now. What was it about this man that scared her so? This was ridiculous. Li Tai was a warrior of Lord Sun Jian, feared by many but with no fears of her own. What was happening to her?
"Li, you need to stop this." A voice drew Li from her thoughts and forced her to look up. Sun Shang Xiang had fallen back and was looking at her friend with great concern. "You haven't said a word this entire time, and you always look like you are on the brink of tears."
Li returned her gaze to the ground. "I am sorry," she said hoarsely. "I just cannot stop thinking about this Cheng. There is something about him that makes my blood run cold."
"Well, keep in mind that soon you will get to meet him face to face, and you can give him a piece of your mind."
"I don't think that will help," Li Tai answered sadly. "There is something about him…..something impenetrable. I worry that when I meet with and speak to him, I will not be able to break down the wall he has set up and learn his real intentions. When….when I saw him in my room that night, there was something in his eyes. I could not see what he was thinking. It was eerie. I've never felt so cold before."
Lady Sun put a reassuring hand on her friend's own. "Soon those eyes won't be able to show anything anyway. Cause if you don't kill that bastard, then I certainly will." Li offered a small smile, but nothing could shake the feeling of worry that continued to eat away at her inside.
He came late that night, after everyone else had set up camp for the night. Li Tai had been in the meeting tent with the others when the young boy was roughly dragged inside. The group immediately got quiet as the soldiers threw the boy inside and went back to their posts. He remained bowed on the floor, trying very hard not to cry. Sun Ce grunted and motioned for the boy to rise. "Who are you and what do you think you are doing here, boy?"
The little boy tried to stand but could not find the use of his legs. Instead, he kept his head bowed and raised a piece of paper into the air. "I have a message from Master Cheng and Lord Cao Cao to Lord Sun Ce and the rest of the army, sirs." Zhou Yu got up and took the letter from the boy, eyeing him suspiciously for a moment before returning to the table and reading the letter aloud.
To Lord Sun Ce, son of Lord Sun Jian of Wu, and the other members of his army,
I am glad that my last letter made it safely into your hands. I admit that I had some concern about the messenger's ability to slip it into your palace, but my scouts have told me that your army fast approaches, pleasing me greatly. At some point within the next two days or so, you will arrive at the village of Tong Shi, or what is left of it anyway. There, the entire Wei army will be waiting to greet you. My Lord Cao Cao will have the prisoners ready for the exchange. When you arrive, send an envoy into our camp and we shall finally meet to discuss a treaty of some kind. Do not try anything foolish, my Lord, for the entire army will be here and is prepared to attack should you try anything. I look forward to our meeting in the near future.
Master Cheng
Zhou you folded the letter up neatly and turned to the messenger boy. "Thank you for bringing us this, my boy."
He trembled from the floor. "So……are you going to……kill me now?" The tears began to well up in his eyes as the group looked on. "Every time someone brings Lord Cao Cao bad news, he beheads them."
"On the contrary, we want to keep you alive." Sun Ce nodded and stood from the table. "You are going to be our messenger when we meet up with the Wei army. Do you think you can stand to be among the enemy for a few days?" The boy nodded deeply, clearly relieved that he was going to live. Sun Ce motioned for one of the servants near the door to take the boy away and find him a place to stay. After the boy had left, Sun Ce sat back down.
"Well, that was rather cocky of him," Lu Xun commented. "Do not try anything foolish." Hmph. We could crush the Wei army right now if we wanted to."
Zhou Yu nodded. "Indeed. I know from our own scouts that a good chunk of the army is still far north on some kind of campaign. It would be impossible for Cao Cao to attack us full force right now. But we must pretend that our army is not strong enough to fight that of Wei for the moment. They might become desperate and kill the captives. We cannot afford to take any risks."
"We need to decide what we are going to do when we get there," Li Tai said from the end of the table. "Who is going to meet with Cao Cao and Cheng, what we are going to do and say, and what our army will be doing while they are waiting. Any suggestions?"
Lu Xun stood across from her. "First, we are going to use the young boy to deliver our message to Cao Cao when we arrive at the camp. After we arrange a time and place with them, I think only three or four of us should meet with Wei. I propose that Sun Ce, Zhou Yu, myself, and Li Tai be the ones to meet with Cao Cao and Cheng. Meanwhile, the remaining officers will stay in our own camp to prepare for the ambush."
"We have no intention of giving up any of our lands or officers to Cao Cao," Zhou Yu said, standing to address the tiny group. "During the meeting, we will make it seem as if we are considering giving into Wei's demands. While Cao Cao and his officers are occupied, the army will be divided up into sections and spread out over the area. When we return from negotiations, we will make it seem as though we are sending you back to the capital, when you shall actually be moving to surround the Wei camp. That night we shall make our move.
"I want each of us to attack the camp from a certain angle," Zhou Yu continued, taking out a map and spreading it out on the table where everyone could see. "Li and Zhou Tai, you will attack the west part of the camp, where I believe the prisoners are being held. Lu Xun and Sun Shang Xiang will attack the east part of camp, where the bulk of the army's supplies are being kept. Xiao, you and I will cut off any escape from the north side of the camp, and Sun Ce and Da Qiao will attack full force from the south. Do whatever you need to do to get to the prisoners and get them out safely, whether it means killing masses of Wei troops or buring supplies or whatever it may be. The key is to get to the prisoners and get them to safety at any cost."
Zhou Tai peered over at the map. "So we will most likely be the first to reach them. Is there some kind of signal that we should use to indicate we have them safely?"
"Yes. One of you should launch a fire arrow into the sky so that we know," Lu Xun answered. "Does anyone else have any more questions at the moment?" The group shook their heads.
"Then the only other thing to do is get some rest and tell your troops about the plans," Zhou Yu said, rolling up the map. "I will see you all again in the morning."