XXXIII
Disturbing News
Lin and Doyle were escorted from the building to the courtyard below, a flat and almost barren landscape from centuries of use. The guards made little time to waste as they began rounding up suspicious faces…namely anyone who looked Chinese. A wagon waited ahead, where several bruised and beaten Boxers sat groggily inside, trapped by the armed guards outside.
Her heart leapt with fear. Being trapped inside with those men seemed a death sentence. She turned to flee but her arms were still held tightly by the two guards. Shoving her heels into the damp gravel and grass beneath her slippers, she prayed for a miracle, a distraction…anything.
A loud smashing sounded from above, followed by several screams from the crowd that had not yet been evacuated from the streetside. Everyone looked skyward, catching the face of the clocktower being smashed through.
"Roy!" Lin and Doyle seemed to say at the same time. Everyone was in a state of shock, their attention being torn between the man dangling from the hand of a clock above and the men who were giving out new orders to the crowd. Lin's eyes searched the broken face of the clock for a sign of anyone inside…there was only one person she knew who would perform such a horrible act, who truly had a death wish.
Without questioning the risk, she trusted the guards to hold her arms as she kicked her feet against another nearby, twisting her arms free in her flip before she turned on her heel and fled, vanishing through the crowd of guards and busy bobbies.
Everyone began clearing the square, and the sudden unity in action brought Lin to pause, her heart sinking as she stood at the doorway to look back to the square. Seeing no body, she breathed and whirled around to enter the tower once more. But a set of large teeth teeth among a bearded jaw brought her gasping and flying backwards to avoid the bladed cane.
The man gruffly laughed as she found her balance and slipped into a fighting stance, moving back to the square ever so slowly.
"I've a bone to pick with you."
"One more." Rathbone said, holding Wang's rapier between the blades of his own two swords. He flung the weapon back to the man. As Wang captured the blade, his eyes filled with understanding now… This man could not be beaten with swords.
Rathbone smiled, knowing the man was catching on and readied himself for another round. The two engaged again, and Wang quickly lost the blade once more…this time, Rathbone purposely flung it far from his hand.
Wang was cornered, looking upon the pale face of a rather insane Englishman with two blades. Looking to his rival, Wang nodded, "One more."
His head canted, silently questioning his seriousness. But Wang nodded with determination. Gladly, Rathbone saluted him with the rapier and then tossed it to him, blade downward.
Exhaustedly, Lin's brother caught the weapon, his determination swiftly shifting to resolve. "You killed my friend." The blade swung to the rops, suspending the rafters.
They both jolted as the catwalk began to give way, Rathbone's sword clamored to the rafter as he clung instinctively to the railing. The sword slid, falling to the levels below.
"You killed my father!" Wang said, slicing another rope.
Rathbone was slammed against the rafters, his fingers slipping from their grip as he was flung off on impact against the face of the clock. It was a deafening sound, smashing through the glass, the iron framework and into the flashing lights. Rathbone caught the vagest glimpse of blue and red billowing in the wind, before he was lost in the motion of free falling.
Her heart lurched at the sound of another crash above. The man with the bearded jaw looked up as well. Seeing the man distracted, Lin spun around, knocking the manto stumble sideways just before she turned and bolted from the square.
Lin ran until she was certain the man was not on her heels. Skidding to a stop around a corner, she pressed herself to the wall and peered back to the square. Before her eyes could focus, her attention was drawn skyward again. Two men were yelling at the top of their lungs, tearing down the banner as they made a swift descend from the face of the clock. The outrageous sight assured her it could only be her brother and his American sidekick. They reached the end of their rope…or banner. The tug at the end brought them to a last bounce, and far off course from where Lin had expected them to fall.
She ducked.
A crashing and whinning of horses sounded from behind. Lin slowly turned around to see she had been hiding in the shadow of the royal carriage.
"Wang! Roy!" She called out and moved to the window, reaching it before several more guards came stomping up behind her. Lin poked her head inside, finding the two men grinning stupidly at the seat across from them. Lin swivelled her head before she gave a startled blink.
"You're Majesty!" She gasped just before she was yanked from the window. The guards held her aside as the door was opened and Roy and Wang were pulled from the carriage, followed by Victoria herself.
"Owe, owe…hey, we just fell like five hundred feet. Go easy."
"Three hundred." The Queen corrected.
"Oh." Roy said, silencing himself.
Lin and Wang looked to one another before they looked between the guardsmen. "You're Majesty, I can explain." Wang said, having her full attention as she stood quietly beside her broken carriage.
"WAIT!" Cried a voice. A small figure crawled out from beneath the carriage, "Wait, Majesty! Eh, I have something 'ere."
"Hey kid!" Roy said.
"What are you doing here?" Wang asked with surprise and disapproval.
Charlie looked to the guard that stepped up at his side. Removing his hat, he respectfully bowed down low to the Queen and removed the envelope from his pocket. "I was suppose to give this tomorrow, but it's after midnight now. It's a letter from Lord Rafbone."
She blinked with surprise at the name. She looked to the guard beside the boy, "Hand me that letter immediately."
The man nodded and took the letter before he handed it to the Queen. Breaking the seal, she slipped the folded papers out and began to read.
The captives stood patiently as she began to read nonchalantly. The fireworks had ceased, the crowd was quieting somewhere beyond the carriage and wall of guards… Lin looked to her brother then, the both of them held firmly by English guards.
"Wang. I have something to tell you."
Wang nodded, "I know. You were not sent by the Emperor."
A slight frown crossed her face. "No, I…" Her words were suddenly cut off by a woman's voice.
"Where is Lord Rathbone?" She inquired to the four as she refolded the letter and tucked it into her hands, gracefully clasped over her waist.
They exchnged looks. Lin looked to the Queen, speaking first, "I-I don't know."
Roy looked to Wang when he realised he could be blamed for the death of a noble lord, "You saw him last, right, Chon?"
Wang nodded, eyes averting. "Yes. He fell…over there." He darted his eyes toward the square.
A silence fell as all eyes curiously turned in that direction. At the queen's command, a handful of guards moved that direction, toward the center of the square.
Lin squinted against the trick of darkness and the figures far off. She knew there lay a fountain there. "Wang…" She managed to say softly before she looked to him.
Wang nodded silently.
Lin's eyes widened. Denial was taking over. She hsook her head, feeling hot tears welling up in her eyes.
"Must I demand to know what everyone is talking about?" The Queen quipped as she looked between them all.
"Rathbone's been trying to get the crown." Roy said in an attempt to gently defend their cause.
Wang looked to her. He took a deep breath, before he most seriously said, "He killed my father."
The Queen's eyes flamed.
"No, Wang." Lin said quietly. With all eyes on her, Lin shook her head. "Wu Chow did. He poisoned him. Rathbone was blackmailed."
Wang's jaw slowly dropped, his brows knitting with confused anger, "You said – you told me you wanted to kill him!"
"I lied!" She argued. "If I told you the truth you would not have listened."
Roy shook his head, "She's got a point, Chon. You do get a little crazy when you're avenging your relatives. Remember when you thought I killed your uncle?"
Wang's eyes were rounded, slowly sinking to the ground. "I've made…a mistake…"
Lin hiccuped, looking to the Queen, "I'm sorry."
The Queen stared at them all in silence. "Get them out of my sight!" She said. Immediately the three were thrown into the wagon with the boxers and driven off…while Charlie remained behind, hidden inside a tiny shrub of the square garden.