Chapter Two – Trust

Thanks very much to my three reviewers, Bloody Dead and Sexy, Fairywarygal, and TheLostMinstrel, for the very kind reviews of chapter one! Sorry it took me so long to get this chapter done, but the next one is pretty much completely written and should be uploaded soon. Hope you like this one as well! And any suggestions/corrections/questions (or anyone willing to beta these for me) would be much appreciated!

"I still cannot believe we willingly got into a rowboat, manned by a drunk, in order to get to a pirate lair."

Jen Zi looked back at him and laughed at his serious expression and dour attitude, making Zu scowl more than he had been already. "I don't see what you're complaining about," she said as she kicked a cheaply-made vase, breaking it to look for coins or gems. "Ru got us here fine. What were you expecting – a ride from the sailors? I hardly think they'd stick around to take us slightly downriver. Plus, that's a little more attention than I think we want."

He shook his head and surveyed the area. They had fought their way across the pirate dock and up to a large open area, and he knew they were nowhere close to finding a replacement flyer. So far, all they'd encountered were the lowest-ranked pirates, most of whom were drunk while on guard duty. You'd think they'd at least take the threat of attack seriously, he thought, annoyed. Everything was annoying him today. They are pirates after all. They don't really get along with most people. I would assume they would always be prepared for attack. He smiled ruefully. Much like me.

"At least if the sailors had helped us, we wouldn't have had to deal with Ru's smell," he replied grumpily.

She grinned triumphantly as she stood up from the glass shards, holding an essence gem. "I think you've gotten spoiled traveling with us and having a flyer," she said teasingly, pocketing it.

"Yes, the two short trips we made with the flyer were nice," he said dryly. "As well as the crashing and miraculously not dying, and now having to walk everywhere. Quite the treat."

She pretended not to hear him, but grinned. "You're the one who lived in a swamp for years; I'd think you'd be used to the smell. I should be the one whining about riding in boats with drunks. I think your standards are just too high," she said cheerfully.

"Or yours are too low," he muttered. She smiled but said nothing.

They continued walking further in to the pirate base, climbing a long, curved staircase that had been mounted on the cliff face. He was surprised at how sturdy the thing was – in his experience, staircases like this were usually pretty rickety and felt like they could fall at any moment. This one was in much better condition, though it didn't appear to have always been that way, as the places the stairs were attached to the wall looked like they'd been fortified to make the structure safer. Strange, for pirates, he thought, but his focus was quickly drawn ahead of them.

They slowed down as they approached an opening in the cliff with a torch on either side. Though the flickering light was unnecessary, as it was still midday, the presence of torches was enough to warn them to stop and scope out the area before charging in. Though Jen Zi is more prone to that than she should be, he thought with another scowl. How she didn't learn her lesson from nearly getting us all killed in her mad rush back to Two Rivers, I have no idea.

The two knelt and crept up to the opening slowly, careful to make as little noise as they could to avoid alerting the guards that certainly waited inside. They glanced into the room, and Zu's experienced eyes took in the surroundings quickly.

Locked cage, poorly made, he assessed. Three people locked inside, probably slaves they picked up in the area. One guard- he glanced around the room to make sure that was true, and spotted several more, -four guards, possibly more unseen, keeping an eye on the slaves. Nothing to hide behind getting up to the guards, so I suppose we'll be doing this Jen Zi's way and charging in like fools.

His companion, however, was apparently not thinking as logically or strategically as he, as he noticed immediately when she started to stand. He grabbed her arm and yanked her back down to the ground quickly, and she glared at him angrily.

"What do you think you're doing?" she asked in a furious whisper. "They've got slaves in there, Zu! We need to get them out!"

"We won't get them out if we get killed in the process," he replied, just as irritated as she. I am the expert in both stealth and battle. She needs to learn to trust my judgment in situations such as these. "We need to think about this for a moment before charging blindly forward."

She met his eyes for a few moments, and the intensity of her gaze surprised him. She really wants to free those people now, he thought. I would help her, grudgingly, if she would just listen to what I have to say! She nodded once, seemingly satisfied, then sighed and pulled her arm out of his grasp, and he let her, reasonably sure that she wouldn't try to bolt forward again.

He looked back inside the room, hoping to figure out a better plan than "charge in screaming and hope to surprise them" like he suspected Jen Zi was thinking, when a flash of bright blue caught his eye. He looked up higher in the room to see a man in blue clothes, currently crouching on a wall-mounted wooden platform perhaps twenty feet in the air.

The man looked thoughtful for a moment, then pulled two swords out and leapt nimbly to the ground near the cage, directly behind one of the guards, who he struck down without hesitation. He then turned his attention to the door, which didn't last much longer than its guard did.

The commotion got the attention of the other pirates, all of whom charged toward the man, weapons drawn. Ten of them, Zu thought, a bit surprised despite himself. More than expected.

"He's freed the slaves!" one of them yelled as they surrounded him. The pirate snarled. "You'll pay for that, maggot!"

The man seemed unconcerned, even holding his swords in a relaxed position. "Will I?" he asked curiously, then smiled. "If you scum have any sense at all, you'll stand aside. Let me go drive a blade through your master's throat and I'll forget I saw you," he offered calmly. He sounds like he's bargaining with merchants, not telling pirates he's on his way to destroy their organization, Zu thought.

The pirates were highly amused at this suggestion. "Oh, certainly!" the first pirate said, laughing heartily. "We'll just sit back and let you stroll upstairs to kill our leader! Would it help if we drew you a map to his room?"

One of the others seemed confused. "Uh…" he said hesitantly, clearly afraid of correcting his superior. "I don't think Gao would like that." I'm sure he's been beaten for such suggestions in the past, Zu thought. Pirates aren't known for being able to handle constructive criticism.

He agreed, and reluctantly stood to follow her into the room as the pirates continued arguing pointlessly. "I wasn't serious you idiot!" the first pirate said, looking like he'd rather kill his own subordinate than the invader.

Jen Zi tugged at Zu's arm. "Come on!" she whispered happily. Like a child at the sight of candy, Jen Zi is giddy at the thought of an additional ally in battle, he thought, shaking his head in bafflement. "I'm sure the three of us can take them!" she said.

"We're going to kill this intruder and go back to our drinking. He's just one man, he can't beat all of us," the pirate said dismissively. Famous last words, Zu thought.

Unlike the pirates, who were oblivious to anything but the threat in front of them, the man in blue had noticed their entrance. He caught Jen Zi's eyes, and both of them smiled. "Look around," he told the pirates. "The odds are not so much in your favor. There's still a chance for you to run," he offered, looking a little smug.

Apparently the first pirate wasn't much brighter than the other, because he looked very confused at this. "What are you talking about, fool?"

"You haven't noticed my partner over there watching us?" The man motioned calmly towards Jen Zi and Zu. The pirates looked their way immediately, and some looked about ready to panic. Zu smiled and used what his years as a Lotus Assassin had taught him, fading into the background to hopefully remain unnoticed despite the pirate's attention in their direction. "Don't let her grace and beauty fool you," the man continued, "she's deadly." Jen Zi scratched her head. Zu sighed. "This is your last chance to get out of here alive."

The pirate grinned toothily – well, not so toothily, as he was missing several teeth, Zu noticed. "So the thief brought a friend? That just means you won't die alone!" he declared. "Attack!"

Jen Zi immediately tumbled nimbly into the fray, and before charging in himself, Zu paused a moment to look at her a bit enviously. She rolled past several sword swings before leaping up to give the lead pirate a solid kick in the stomach, sending him flying. He smiled and jumped in after her.

It didn't take the three of them long to deal with the thugs, and though they were all slightly winded afterwards, there had been no serious injuries. That's more than we usually have to face at once, Zu thought, frowning at the stranger. If he hadn't pointed us out, maybe we would have been able to surprise them and gotten an advantage. He's a fool.

"How'd I know you'd be deadly in a fight?" the stranger asked with a grin, putting his swords away. "You'll have to accept my apologies for dragging you into that, but I can't afford to be stopped. Not now," he said, shaking his head. "My name is Sky. It's good to see there's someone else in this place who can't stand these slaving dogs. We make quite the pair." He smiled at Jen Zi, who quirked an eyebrow at that comment. Zu could tell she was trying not to smile.

"I am Radiant Jen Zi, and this is my companion Sagacious Zu," she replied, motioning to him. "Good thing I was here to save you," she added dryly. Indeed, Zu agreed. He didn't do much that fight – it was mostly Jen Zi and I. He'd be dead for sure without us, and the slaves would be no better off than before.

He laughed. "Indeed. I find I'm just not saved enough these days. Shame, that." He shrugged. "It was obvious you weren't with the pirates, so why not deal with them quickly? There's bigger game above us." Sky shut his mouth after that comment and switched subjects quickly. "Speaking of which, there's a very secure and equally intimidating gate blocking the way. If we work together, though, it will be simple to crack." Not willing to talk about why he's here, or who he's here for, Zu thought, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.

Jen Zi folded her arms, not willing to let this stranger steer the conversation so easily. "Why are you here?"

The man fidgeted a bit, clearly hesitant to speak the truth. He doesn't trust us, and we don't trust him. "I'm here on a personal matter. A man in this place took something very valuable from me, and I intend to repay him the favor." Sky's tone was much darker there, and Zu wondered what, exactly, Gao had done to this man. It can't be worse than what Jen Zi went through, he thought, suddenly defensive. She lost all but one of her friends, and nearly her life, trying to counter what Gao ordered.

"Is this man Gao the Greater?" Jen Zi asked flatly.

Sky gaped for a moment, then shook his head in surprise. "If I had more time, I'd want to know what brought you here. I expect it's quite the tale," he said, unable to keep awe out of his voice. "Yes, I hunt Gao the Greater, though I will not say why. It is a personal matter," he repeated. "I won't be stopped now that I'm this close, and luckily you're here. That will make it easier to reach the upper levels where he hides himself away."

He met us not five minutes ago and already depends on us for help, Zu thought sourly. If we didn't need to get through that door as well, I'd tell him to find his own way.

She looked at him thoughtfully for a moment. "How do I know I can trust you?" she asked.

He shrugged. Not comforting. "You're here for your reasons and I'm here for mine. Somehow, I doubt they conflict. Besides, we'll need each other's help to get through that door." He's very... focused, Zu thought. He constantly directs any conversation toward progress through this place. I wonder if what Gao did to him made him this intent, or if he was always like this? Either way, it's irritating.

Jen Zi sighed at his lack of assurance of trustworthiness, but apparently accepted it. "Let's talk about this plan of yours. How do we get past that door?"

Sky motioned towards a large wooden door set in the wall higher up in the chamber. Zu could tell even from this distance that it was well-made and would be difficult to break down, if that became necessary. "The door at the top of this stair is locked through a fairly ingenious mechanism. Gao's engineer, Kang the Mad, designed it for security."

Jen Zi grinned at this. "I don't think of pirates as the ingenious type," she remarked.

"Oh, I don't know," Sky grinned. "They're good with knots." Jen Zi's mouth quirked in a half smile, and he grinned in response and continued. "Kang the Mad is a crafty fellow. The door requires two to unlock it. Up high there is a platform with the release lever." He pointed to the platform he'd been standing on before jumping down to attack the pirates. "The door must be operated while that lever is held forward. There used to be a sentry up there who handled that kind of thing, but he had an... accident." No wonder he was up there, Zu thought. "I can climb up and pull the lever easily enough. You can open the door when it's unlocked."

Jen Zi nodded thoughtfully, looking at the door and lever for a moment. "What's on the other side of the door?" she asked. She knows very well what we'll face up there, he thought. Gao's pirates are nothing compared to the Lotus Assassins that are working with him. But she wants to know if he knows as much as she. Smart.

He shrugged. He either didn't know the whole story or wasn't willing to share his knowledge with them. "My best guess would be guards willing to die for their master. You shouldn't have too much trouble helping them reach that goal," he said with another grin. "Once the door is open, we can go our separate ways. I have my goals, and I'm sure you have yours. Since we both have much to do, why don't I go unlock the door now?"

She finally looked back at Sky. "Why don't we work together after the door is opened?" she offered. Zu was surprised – and not pleased.

Sky smiled ruefully but shook his head no. "Coming from you, that's a tempting offer. I'm a fool to turn you down, but I think what I've come here to do is something I must do alone. I should go now, but..." He was silent for a moment, but he couldn't restrain his curiosity it seemed. "I have to ask in case we never meet again. Where did you study?"

"I trained under Master Li of Two Rivers," she replied.

Sky looked curious, but didn't recognize the name. Like most others, he'd apparently never heard of the man. Though if Jen Zi's story is true, and Master Li really is Sun Li the Glorious Strategist, people will be far more impressed by her teacher in the future, he thought. "He must have been a genius," Sky said, admiration clear in his voice. "You fight like no one I've seen before."

Jen Zi smiled at the compliment, but gave him a curious look. "I've heard this kind of thing before. What's so strange about how I fight?"

"It's not so much strange as it is intriguing," Sky explained after a moment spent considering what to say. "No one I've ever met fights like you do. It's subtle, but your movements bait your foes into seeing an opening that isn't there. It's like a clever trap." He sighed and glanced up at the lever. "I'm sorry. I'm wasting time neither of us can spare. I'll get ready and pull the lever when you're near the door. Good luck with whatever brought you to this place."

"You as well," Jen Zi replied. Sky backed up a bit to get a running start, then leapt toward the pillar in the center of the room, kicking off from it to land easily on the platform Zu had seen him on initially. He looked down to them and nodded, and Jen Zi waved her thanks before heading up the ramp that led to the door.

She activated the door mechanism with a bit of trepidation, but despite her clear doubts, the grinding of gears opened the large door quickly. She waved farewell to Sky before heading through the door. Zu chose not to do so and simply followed her.

Sky's guess as to what would be outside the door was correct – the two of them were immediately attacked by several pirates. The door's loud gears had gotten their attention and given them the jump on the two of them, but they were quickly dispatched.

He followed her wordlessly, still shocked that she would ask Sky to join them after only knowing the man for a few minutes. At least when I joined her, she needed my help getting through the swamp, and she made it clear that she didn't trust me, he thought, frustrated. But this stranger would have done nothing but slow us down, and Jen Zi trusted him immediately and pointlessly.

"Zu," she said, bringing him out of his reverie. "Something wrong?"

"No," he replied curtly.

She gave him a look that said she could tell he was lying. Not that I was hiding it. "Zu, please tell me if there is something wrong other than you being eternally down about everything, and I'll try to fix it."

"You'll 'fix it?'" he repeated skeptically. "Jen Zi, how do you expect me to respond when you ask a stranger to join with us? How do you know he wasn't actually working for Gao, or the Lotus Assassins, trying to catch us in a perfect trap?"

"The same way I know you aren't doing that same thing," she replied. "You are a former Lotus Assassin after all. I had far more reason to doubt you than I do Sky, even if he did pull us into the fight back there. But after just a short while, I trusted you, even after you gave me reasons not to do so. Have I given you reasons not to trust me?" she asked, and he was surprised – she sounded sure of herself, but there also seemed to be a note of concern in her voice.

"There have been a few questionable decisions, most of which I can cope with," he replied, not holding back. "Rushing back to Two Rivers was a mistake, but we survived, barely, and I hope you learned your lesson from that. Helping ghosts, even children ghosts – I don't know much about these things, though it seems dangerous to deal with ghosts no matter what. But inviting a complete stranger, met in the lair of the enemy, to join with us..." He paused, shaking his head. "It's foolish, and reckless. I don't think you quite understand how this works, when you're being hunted by Lotus Assassins. We can't let our guard down like that. You could get us killed."

She sighed, tucking a loose strand of hair back behind her ears. "Zu, I know that, for you, the things we've gone through together so far are not enough for you to trust my judgment. After all, I lived a sheltered life in a school," she said, somewhat bitterly, thinking about the loss of everyone she knew, "how can you expect me to be able to know when I can trust people and when I can't?"

"Exactly, I just don't think-"

"But you can," she said firmly, meeting his eyes. "It's just something I can do. The same way I know how to fight or tumble or anything else, I know people. Within seconds of meeting them, I knew for certain that Hui was endlessly loyal, that Minister Sheng was a self-absorbed political climber, and that the ghost I keep seeing doesn't mean me any harm. And my first assessment of people almost always turns out to be right."

Jen Zi shook her head slightly and continued. "I can't tell you how I know that Sky is a good man, despite the fact that he tried to keep his secrets during our meeting. I just know he is. And that's why I asked him to join us – because I knew he would help us, not hinder us." She paused, then looked at him intently. "And it's how I know I can trust you, even though you say you're not a good person and that I don't know you. You're right. I don't know you very well. But I'm right too, aren't I?" she asked him flatly. "I can trust you."

He didn't say anything for a while. He'd lived the majority of his life not allowing himself to trust anyone, no matter how long he'd known them, and her attitude was mind-boggling to him. She allows herself to believe in her initial feelings about people, and says that she usually turns out to be right, he thought. Does she just trust too easily? Is it that she's very good at reading people? He considered for a moment. Or perhaps it's her own willpower that forces people to behave in the way she sees them, to live up to her expectations of them.

They simply stood there in the middle of Gao the Greater's pirate lair, their eyes locked on each other for what seemed like eternity to Zu. Is she right? Can she trust me? he wondered. Did she know she could trust me before I knew it? Then, finally, he nodded once. "Yes," he said. "You can."

If she was surprised by his confession, she didn't show it, and he was thankful. Instead, she nodded slowly then turned and continued walking through the base, up towards where their enemy surely waited.

I don't know what possessed me to say that, he thought. But as he walked behind her, scanning for enemies like he always did, he knew something had changed for the two of them. Maybe she does know what she's doing, he thought. I won't be second-guessing her next time.