"Well, its about damn time!" Pang Qui was leaning back in his chair, a broad grin spread across his face. "Tell, me, Chao. How romantic is she when she talks about love? I'm still convinced she can't do it."
Ma Chao laughed over his cup. He and Xing had returned from their chat only to find an ensemble waiting for them. The three rebel leaders wore expressions that echoed what she had told him. Lord Liu Bei and his brothers, however, looked confused, worried, and excited all at the same time. Chao had been concerned about their reception now that they were officially a pair. But it had been for naught. Zhang Rui had assured him that, whatever Xing's decision would be, the provinces would be fine. They had all talked about the next step and decided that Yang Xing would remain in Shu as Ma Chao's wife. A formal proposal seemed unnecessary. But Lui Bei, out of amusement, had forced his officer to go about it properly. The rest of the details, they had all decided, would be worked out later. Xing needed to return to the provinces so that she could set everything to rights, and he was sure she would want to visit them as often as possible. They both knew that everything would be fine in the end.
It had grown late, however, and most of the group had retired to bed. Only Chao, Qui and Man Zhu were still awake. The latter two had been questioning Chao for nearly half an hour, but his mood was too good to dampen yet. "She's about as romantic as you would be, I'm sure."
Qui snorted. "I'll have you know that my charm can seduce any woman. I sweep 'em right off their feet."
"Except Xing, who called you a pig the first time you met," Zhu added.
"I still won her over in the end."
"Because you proved to be a great friend and companion, not because you're a romantic." Zhu took a long drink from his own cup before turning back to Chao. "My guess is that she stumbled over her words. I always wondered if she would settle down or if she would turn into a raisin first."
The thought had crossed Ma Chao's mind as well, but he would never admit that to them. "She did. As did I. But it worked out for the best, don't you think?"
"Just make sure you let her out of the stable every once in a while to come visit," said Pang Qui. "She's like a sister to me, and her people love her."
Zhu chuckled. "Don't make the man feel guilty about his fiancée already."
"I'm just sayin'." Qui yawned and stretched his arms above his head. "Well, enough interrogation tonight. I'm in need of sleep. Perhaps tonight's dreams will be filled with beautiful women." He winked at Chao. "Oh wait, those would be your dreams. What about mine…"
His words were cut off by a crash outside of the castle, and the screaming of the villagers. "Great gods! Now what?!" Man Zhu shouted as they jumped up and ran out of the room. Fire had erupted in the newly finished courtyard. People were screaming for help or for weapons to be drawn. Servants were running in every direction in the hallway. Below them, a mass of blue and purple clad soldiers began to flow into Cheng Du. "Wei!" Zhu spat. "We need to get down there!."
"I'll go find Rui," Qui shouted above the roaring around them. "Zhu, you find Liu Bei. Chao, make sure Xing hasn't fallen into a fit."
They scattered before he had finished giving orders. Of course, Xing was probably in a heap right now, if danger had been coming. Why hadn't anyone come to warn them? Hadn't there always been at least some warning from her before the floodgates burst open? He shoved all questions out of his mind as he raced towards her chambers. He had to make sure she was okay. Knowing her, she had her maces in hand despite the pain in her back.
Damn, it hurt. Yang Xing heaved her spear over her head and brought it down over the head of a Wei soldier. She had fallen asleep only to be awakened by the all-too familiar pain spreading across her body. There had been just enough time to grab the herbs Rui had given her and throw them on her back before the shaking began. Xing couldn't remember the last time she had been alone through a fit. She would have given anything for someone to be there, to hold her down as she thrashed about.
The throbbing had barely subsided when she heard the crash and knew that danger was here. Most of her strength was gone, thanks to the curse, so she could only manage to hold one mace. It had only taken one swing of it to disarm another soldier, though, and the man's spear had now joined her arsenal. A couple of nearby servants had also taken up arms and were battling the onslaught of Wei. Of all the times they could have attacked, this was the worst possible moment. Xing had a feeling that was their plan.
As she fought her way through the crowd, she began to wonder why there were so many soldiers in this particular area. Most of the officers were stationed on the other side of the castle. Xing and Man Zhu had opted to stay in these quarters because it led to the quickest path to the villages outside. Only servants and sick members of the house were lodged here. It didn't make any sense.
Xing cried out as she swung her mace behind her, catching a Wei soldier off guard. One of the Shu servants took his place, watching her back. It was obvious that she was in pain. But he seemed to know that there was nothing he could do, so he merely stayed by her side. "Any ideas, Lady Yang?" he shouted. There was a grunt behind her as he beheaded another enemy.
"No." Blood splattered across her face as her mace found a home in a Wei head. "Is there anyone important at this end?"
"No one besides yourself and Lord Man."
Zhu was still with Ma Chao and Pang Qui, as far as she knew. Good, that meant he was on the other side. "They cannot all be here for me. We need to keep pushing ahead."
The servant nodded and shouted orders to the others. Later, she would have to remember to praise Liu Bei. Anyone who made sure that their servants could fight like soldiers deserved it. Within minutes, a path had cleared and the Shu group forced their way towards the courtyard. As they passed the sick rooms, however, an ear-shattering scream filled the air. One of the doors had been knocked down to the right. The servant beside Xing faltered.
"By all that is sacred, they're after Lady Mi!" Without another word, he charged into the room.
Xing's face felt numb. Lady Mi? Liu Bei's wife had fallen ill with a fever only a few days ago, but she had been recovering nicely. They were supposed to have moved her back to her own chambers tonight. Perhaps she wasn't ready. But why would they be after her? Did they chance upon her and decide she would make an easy target? Or was this planned? There were too many questions and no answers in sight.
She yelled to another servant to guard the door before running inside. Her curse pains were fading, but she was still slower than she would have liked. Inside the room, the servant was fighting with a rather large Wei soldier. Xing quickly jumped to his aid and bashed her mace into the enemy's skull. Then she turned around to look for Lady Mi. Her blood ran cold.
"You are rather slow today, Lady Yang." Cao Pi was holding Liu Bei's wife to him in an embrace. Her body shook as she sobbed. Xing knew he had either threatened her or held a knife to her that she couldn't see. The Prince of Wei, however, was smiling. His eyes glanced from the spear in Xing's hand to the blood on her face. They lingered for a moment on her sides, where blood from the curse was still visible. "Was that my fault?"
"Seems like quite a bit is your fault tonight," she said dryly. This man was no fool. The way he was holding Mi, the fact that there was only one other soldier in the room, and the absence of other officers - none of it was sitting well with her. There was a trap in this somewhere.
He chuckled. "I cannot help myself. Trouble runs through my veins. Surely you must know that. I am, after all, a product of my father."
"You seem to think I know a great deal about Cao Cao. Why would that be?"
"Spare me the mind games, Lady Yang. I know more about you rebel leaders than most do. I also know about the visits my father made to your province when you were young. Remember? Let me refresh your memory."
She smirked. "There is no need. My memory is just fine. But you do present a challenge I've not had in a long time."
"Not since you tricked my father all those years ago," he said. "He will not speak of it to me. But I have heard the curses he cries in the night."
"I care not what Cao Cao thinks or does."
He shook his head. "Maybe not. But I think you have underestimated his tendency for revenge. He will come and destroy the provinces when he gets the chance. You will not be able to trick him again, whether or not you possess magic. The time of your end is coming."
She let out a dry laugh. "It seems to me that he has his sights set on bigger things. Cheng Du is a ways from Jiang."
"Not by much," he said.
"I grow bored with these games, Cao Pi." Xing slid into a fighting stance. "What do you want with Lady Mi? She is sick and unable to fight back. Whatever quarrel you think you have with me, drop your cheap tactics and fight me."
He laughed, one that chilled Xing to the bone. Something was still not right, and time was running out to discover his plan. "I am fighting you, Lady Yang." He took a step forward, being careful to support Mi. He was surprisingly gentle for a man who would kill her without a second thought. "And you are losing."
She tensed her body, unsure of where this was going. "I do not follow."
"You think you are an enigma, a woman that China cannot make any sense of. You hide behind a hard exterior, magic tricks and the company of rabble. Why do you not show the world your other side? I know that you can be tender and compassionate. I know you have love and respect for your companions. In a way, you are like me."
"Hardly," she spat. Yet somehow, his words cut into her very soul. They had only met a few times. There was no way he could know about her activities while in Shu. Their spies were good, but not that good.
"Must I list the similarities? I, too, know what it is like to be raised by a father who puts ambition before family. Too many times have I been shut out of important things simply because Cao Cao did not think of me. So I put on a heartless grin and I bore it like a man. But I am more than what you can see. My heart beats like everyone else, and it feels the same emotions. There are too many times when I've wished I could show the world who I really am. The danger is, however, too great. Do you not feel the same way?"
For a full second, Xing's heart stopped beating. Memories flashed through her head with lightning speed. Her father surrounded by his war chiefs, shutting her out. Sparring with her brothers to prove to him her strength. Holding back the tears that were too dangerous to spill. Watching the villagers in the fields and wishing for a simple life. How could he know so much?
And yet, other memories were also present. Laughing until her sides hurt with Man Zhu and Pang Qui. Bouts in the training yard with Zhao Yun. The midnight ride with Ma Chao. His arms around her as she let so many unshed tears finally fall. His lips on hers. She had slowly begun to peel away the many layers she had placed around herself. At the same time, Cao Pi's words stung with bitter truth.
"What do you want from me?" she asked, trying to keep her voice steady.
"To come back to Wei with me. Help me unmask myself as you have been able to do. In return, I shall prove to you that we are good people, just like those of Shu and the provinces. You preach enough about giving your rebels a chance. Give us the same favor in return."
It smelled like a trap, for all his sincerity. There was a catch somewhere, but she knew he wouldn't reveal it.
Ma Chao. Gods, he would never agree to this, even with Lady Mi in danger. Man Zhu and Pang Qui would fight the bastard and do their best to save her, or they would simply let her be taken and then attempt a rescue later. Xing was their greatest tracker after all. But now, she would be out of the picture…
Lady Mi gasped and a single tear fell across her beautiful face. Xing looked into her eyes and saw fear. And pleading. Damn it, she had grown too soft during her time here. There had to be another way out of this situation.
"The clock is ticking, Lady Yang. Come with me, and Lady Mi will not be harmed." He let out a sigh, and his guard dropped. "Do you really think that Lord Ma Chao truly knows you? I know you better than anyone else, Xing, because you are like me. Would you deny either of us the chance to discover who we really are?"
Ma Chao's own words echoed through her head. "I see a woman who knows fear and pain all too well, but knows how to use both to make her stronger…You are not an animal, Xing…Stay with me…I want you with me…"
"Lady Yang. Please." Mi's word's tore through Xing's thoughts. No, there was a way out of this. No one was going to like it, but she could see only one way to save Lady Mi's life and her own.
Xing dropped her spear and threw her mace outside of the door. "Alright. I will go with you, Cao Pi. But I will be the one to escort Lady Mi to safety."
"Do not worry. She is coming with us. Think of it as a contract between the two of us. As long as you give me what I want, she will remain unharmed."
Mi was crying harder now, but Xing nodded. Satisfied, Cao Pi lifted the woman off of her feet and placed her in the rebel leader's arms. "The horses are just outside of the walls. We should hurry."
On their way out, Xing kicked her mace until it was in the middle of the floor. She also managed to slide one of Mi's hairpins out of her hair and drop it next to the weapon. God, she hoped neither of them were disturbed. Zhang Rui and Man Zhu would be able to read the signs. At least, she hoped. Ma Chao, forgive me for what I am about to do.