Musical Inspiration: 'Leaden Legacy' by After Forever
"Now," Sima Yi said, as he led a fairly ecstatic Zhi out into the circular courtyard. "I want you to call a small blaze of Fire as you normally would. Maybe we can figure out why the actual use of your power makes you so sick."
She beamed at him as he moved away to stand near the entrance. Leaning against the vine-covered wall, he propped a foot up against the wall and crossed his arms over his chest. Zhi inhaled deeply, allowing the part of her that could sense the elements to reach out.
It was like recovering an amputated limb; Zhi had not known this sense was so much a part of the way she viewed the world until it had been taken from her. She forgot about Sima Yi's suggestion of a simple conjuring and reached out for Fire. She raised her arms in a V over her head, vaguely hearing – and dismissing - his shouts of alarm. Too preoccupied with the heady rush of power that surged through her, Zhi conjured a towering blaze of fire that roared into the air around and above her, drowning out the rest of the world with intense light and heat.
The sheer force of the blaze created powerful gusts of hot air that whipped her hair about her. Zhi howled in triumph – the primal strength of the wild element buoyed her up, making her feel invincible. And then, inevitably, as fast as it had come to her call, Fire drained from her and the flames snuffed out with a low 'pop' accompanied by a slight shuddering of the earth beneath her feet. Cursing violently, Zhi was forced to release the tendrils of the element – or be consumed by the raw power of Nature Herself.
Silence followed, almost loud in its intensity. She fell to her knees, catching herself on her hands to prevent herself from falling flat on her face. But with a hiss of pain, she jerked herself back to her feet, staring in horror at the blood that was pouring from the sliced skin of the palms of her hands and her knees. Confounded, she looked down at the white sand upon which she stood.
The pristine white sand of the courtyard has been transformed. She stood near the center of a perfect circle of glass. Sheer translucency was marred only by the shattered imprints of her body and delicate swirls of bright blood. Slowly, she raised her head, feeling the heat of a fever roar through her body. She met Sima Yi's horrified eyes.
"Help me," she said faintly.
Her knees wobbled and she held up her bloodied hands beseechingly as he began to move quickly toward her, his feet shattering the thin layer of glass with sharp cracks. He had barely reached her when a rumbling voice broke the quiet,
"What happened?!" Zhi heard the man begin making his way toward them and shuddered suddenly, hunching her shoulders and ducking her head slightly. She had heard that voice before. She leaned against Sima Yi; her strength gone.
"Do not say a word," he whispered into her ear. Shouts began to rise in the distance.
The other man reached them and she could not resist. She managed to stand on her own and turned around to come face to face, or rather, face to chest, with the renowned warrior Dian Wei. She raised her head slowly to meet the forbidding frown he had turned down upon her. It was the first time she had seen him while fully lucid and she could not believe she had not been more frightened of him before. Probably the tallest man she had ever seen and massively muscled, he was wearing similar clothing to what he had had on during the battle at Xia Pi, sans shield. He did not carry his axe either, but wore a pair of wrist sheathes and was absently sliding a long dagger into the left one as she watched. The wickedly lethal hilts of a pair of head hook swords peeked over his broad shoulders.
He was still shaven-headed, making his appearance fierce and almost barbaric. Zhi would have never mistaken him for a monk. Dark, intense eyes regarded her neutrally and a grim mouth did little to soften the angular planes of his face. The harsh lines of his face would never allow him to be handsome, but Zhi found herself disturbingly drawn to him anyway – like a small child fascinated with fire. He scowled fiercely at her before turning that turbulent gaze to Sima Yi. Zhi slumped slightly. He radiated massive strength, not only through sheer size, but by his very presence. Even had she not been exhausted and sick from casting she would have been overwhelmed to be so near him.
"Lord Cao Cao has not yet given you permission to release her, sorcerer," he growled, his voice low and menacing. Zhi began to shiver. Sweat slid down her ribs and spine but she was suddenly freezing. She idly watched blood drip steadily from the tips of her fingers to splash in minute scarlet drops upon the shining glass. Sima Yi placed a steady hand against her back.
"I am aware of Cao Cao's orders, Dian Wei," Sima Yi answered curtly.
The two men glared at each other, filling the still air with nearly palpable tension. The hostility was shattered by the arrival of duty sentries, who had halted at both of the two entrances to the courtyard to stare in amazement. Then the men to the far entrance scattered like leaves in the wind before three imposing figures.
Zhi recognized Cao Cao immediately and forced her mind to focus. Her eyes darted to the two unfamiliar men with him; men alike enough to him in both visage and bearing as to be his sons. Cao Cao surveyed the scene before him briefly, and then snapped his fingers at the remaining sentries.
"You are not needed here. Return to your posts." Turning his attention to them, he advanced across the circle, ignoring the razor sharp shards that threatened his feet as he strode over them. The other two men – his sons? - made their way a bit more carefully before stopping to flank Cao Cao as he stood before them.
"Sima Yi!" he barked, "Why has this woman been released?"
"I deemed it was time to begin her training."
"Without my knowledge? How would you have explained it to me when she escaped?"
"She was not going to try to escape," Sima Yi said briskly.
"How can you be sure of that?" Cao Cao demanded.
"I –"
"Why don't you ask me?" Zhi interrupted, swearing inwardly as her words slurred slightly. She was a little taken aback when the four men before her turned their attention to her, but plowed on stubbornly. She staggered forward a step and bowed slightly to Cao Cao, struggling mightily to hold back giggles of hysteria.
"I wish to swear my allegiance to your cause, my Lord," she said carefully. "And I give you my oath that I will not betray you."
Cao Cao stared at her, eyes narrowed slightly as she struggled to focus on his face through suddenly hazy vision.
"What's amiss with her?" he asked Sima Yi, his eyes still on her face.
"We have just worked out the reason that has caused her to have such difficulty with her magic." Cao Cao turned his gaze to Sima Yi and raised an eyebrow.
"Have you? It appears that she is still rendered… incapacitated. I assume that it was her tower of flame that did this?" He swept an arm out in an arc to encompass the courtyard.
"Yes, that was her. And the reason she has a problem is…" Sima Yi did not have a chance to finish his statement, for Zhi was suddenly sick. Dian Wei stepped back rather hastily from where she had fallen to her knees at his feet. He gazed down at her, his face perfectly expressionless, and said in a dry tone,
"She does like to do that when I am around."
The big warrior then slid the one of the daggers back out from its forearm sheath and looked at Sima Yi.
"Are you going to allow her to bleed to death or shall I just finish her now?"
"Damn girl!" Sima Yi's response was vehement. Zhi giggled, a touch of madness in her laughter, at Dian Wei's dark humor (was it humor?). Sima Yi ignored them both as he bowed to Cao Cao.
"My lord, I beg your leave to continue this discussion after the lady is properly taken care of"
Cao Cao gave a curt nod and gestured to the other two with him, both of whom had wandered aside to poke at the ground in astonishment. The three left.
Dian Wei resheathed his dagger for a second time and crouched to gently take one of Zhi's hands in his own, turning it palm up to inspect the painful slashes. Then he looked into her eyes and said quietly, a trace of amusement softening his gravelly tone,
"Do you promise not to be sick on me again?"
Zhi could only look at him blearily and shake her head no. He grunted, a sort of resigned sound, then swung her into his arms and stood effortlessly.
"Take her to the infirmary," said Sima Yi, before striding off after Cao Cao.
Zhi tried to call after him - she was terrified of the big warrior – but he had either not heard her or was ignoring her. Dian Wei merely turned and headed out of the opposite doorway.
"I have told you before, Bai Zhi," he said in a low voice, "You should not fear me."
Zhi awoke near dusk in the room that had originally been given to her. The weakening rays of the sun lit the room feebly. She was surprised to note that her fever had abated. She inspected her hands and gasped softly in amazement. The deep cuts had nearly healed; they appeared to be days old.
She closed her eyes and began drifting back to sleep when she heard someone enter the room. Her eyes snapped open and she sat up abruptly when she recognized one of the men who had accompanied Cao Cao when she had last seen him. He made calming motions with his hands and sat on a small stool near her bed.
"How do you feel?" he asked.
"I feel fine," she replied. "How long has it been since…" she trailed off, bracing for the answer. These long periods of unconsciousness unnerved her.
"Just a night and today."
Relief. She had wanted to sleep like this since she had begun training anyway, especially in comfort – not that glaringly uncomfortable cot in the barracks. But what about…
"My hands are nearly healed," she said softly in wonder.
"Ah, yes. Sima Yi took care of that. Apparently you were quite a mess; the cuts were very deep."
"How -?"
"All magic users have some capacity to perform healing. You did not know this? Tch, of course not," he answered himself, "You would not have asked had you known."
Zhi was astonished. She held her hands up before her face and studied them in avid interest. Then she looked back up at the man.
"Who are you?" she asked.
"I am Cao Ang, Cao Cao's oldest son." He bent his neck in place of a bow.
Zhi stared. Cao Cao's son. She disliked Cao Cao acutely, but this man seemed almost… pleasant. He was quite good looking; he had an honest, open face with rugged lines of chin and jaw and beautiful eyes the color of dark honey. And while she could she see in his features a marked resemblance to his father, he possessed none of Cao Cao's indifferent coldness. He appeared to be twenty four or twenty five in age; not much older than Zhi herself, closer to Liang in age, perhaps. The silence stretched out between them and Cao Ang filled it.
"I was sent to request your presence should you be awake. Are you well enough to attend to the general?"
"I, well, I.. I suppose," she said, taken aback. She had expected an order, not a request.
"Then I will send your hand maid back in. When you are ready, I will escort you." He stood smoothly and left the bed chamber, to be replaced immediately by Anli. She rushed to Zhi's bedside as she swung her legs over the edge and placed her feet on the floor.
"I was so worried," Anli fussed, her dainty hands fluttering like nervous birds, "Lord Sima Yi and the Captain returned you here with no instructions or explanations except not to rouse you. Are you okay?"
"I feel… fine," Zhi replied, somewhat surprised to be aware that this was actually the truth. She did not feel as if she had just recovered from one of her magically induced illnesses; rather, she felt as if she had just woken from a restful, undisturbed slumber.
As Anli bustled about, trying to find suitable clothing, Zhi noticed that her knees and legs were also nearly healed. She marveled at this skill that Sima Yi possessed and wondered if she could learn.
Zhi finally decided that the simple trousers and tunic she used for training would suffice.
"Let me at least put your hair up, my lady," Anli pressed, apparently horrified that Zhi wanted to leave dressed like a man.
"I don't have anything else to wear," she said waspishly. "If Cao Cao wants me to dress nicely, he'll provide me with something other that what I have." She twisted her hair into a messy bun. "And stop calling me lady!"
She left Anli behind, giggling into her hand. Cao Ang led her into a section of the castle in which she had not yet been. Before long they entered a large chamber where Cao Cao was meeting with five other men. All six of them only covered a third of the long table they sat at. Zhi recognized Dian Wei, Sima Yi and one of the other men, but the remaining three were unknown to her.
"Lord Dong Zhuo has been dispatched by General He Fei to the capital city of Luo Yang, to safeguard the emperor." Cao Cao was saying. "It is the General's intention that Dong Zhuo will advise the young emperor and give him the military support he requires to police the provinces. The hope is to put an end to the constant conflict."
It was then that Cao Cao noticed them, and gestured for them to sit. Zhi sat silently between Sima Yi and the familiarly faced man that introduced himself as Cao Pi, Cao Ang's younger brother.
Cao Pi, while resembling both Cao Cao and Cao Ang, managed to be almost pretty. Almost. Something subtle prevented his face from being feminine; a rough angle to the jaw, the nose a touch too large, Zhi could not tell. He was devastatingly good-looking and had he also had Cao Ang's beautiful eyes, he would have been well nigh irresistible. She resolutely ignored the quickening of her pulse when he smiled warmly at her, a sincere expression that brightened his eyes. Zhi tore her gaze from him and wondered how the unsociable Cao Cao had managed to produce such charismatic sons. She secretly decided to ask about the mother.
Sima Yi introduced Xiahou Dun and Xiahou Yuan, brothers appearing to be nearly the same age, who were the Field Commanders that had operated directly under Cao Cao at Xia Pi. They looked almost identical – Xiahou Dun may have been a touch taller than his brother, but they shared the same sharp, strong features and glittering, intelligent eyes. To Zhi's eyes they resembled nothing so much as a pair of wolves – barely tame and likely to turn upon their master at any given moment. They bowed their heads gravely to her and had the same regal bearing as Cao Cao, while appearing to lack his aloofness. They eyed her with interest, speculation creasing their faces.
Dian Wei and Xu Zun were introduced as Lieutenants of Cao Cao's two personal guard and special tactics units. Xu Zun was large man, the lines of his body softened by fat, but he had a cheerful face and smiled jovially at her.
Cao Cao had been speaking quietly with Dian Wei as Sima Yi made introductions but turned his attention to the rest of them as he finished. Dian Wei began to idly clean his fingernails with a small throwing knife, in all appearances ignoring the rest of them.
"Bai Zhi," said Cao Cao, "Sima Yi has placed great trust in you; I hope that I do not find that trust misplaced. I will have him explain the details of your situation."
Sima Yi was quiet for a moment, looking down at a black cylindrical scroll case held in his hands as he thought. Then he looked directly at her when he spoke.
"Bai Zhi, you are not a sorceress."
Zhi raised her eyebrows.
"Excuse me?"
Sima Yi actually fidgeted, uncomfortable. Cao Cao and the others leaned imperceptibly closer, eyes alight with interest. Dian Wei had secreted his knife somewhere upon his body and crossed arms over his massive chest while watching her with impassive eyes. Sima Yi cleared his throat and continued.
"You are not a sorceress - not in the traditional sense of what is considered a magic user, anyway." He paused again. Zhi wanted to scream at him.
"I have had to delve deep in my studies to find out why you are different."
"Different how?" she asked impatiently.
"You are what was once known as a battle mage. From what I have read, these mages were extremely powerful with elemental magic, but had absolutely no skill in the other branches of magic; Healing, Seeing, or Telepathy. As rare as sorcerers are becoming, mages have not been alive for centuries. I have suspected this since we first gained reports on your presence within the Yellow Turban army. It is how I was able to create your, ah… necklace. The fashioning of such an item is described in an ancient scroll I possess. I confirmed your status when I viewed your singular technique of casting."
Zhi was stunned. She did not know what to reply to. His words sounded totally unreal - mages and healing and... telepathy? Dazed, she latched on to something she figured she had a chance to understand.
"Casting technique?"
"Ah, yes. Quite fascinating really. You see, a traditional magic user handles elemental energy by manipulating it out in the environment. We use tools, a staff or a fan, to direct these energy flows to do what we want them to. You, however, channel the energy directly into your body. Your body is the tool you use to direct the flows. It is why you can handle such vast quantities of power, but it also why you become incapacitated; your body tries to reject the energy, but cannot."
"So using magic is always going to make me sick?"
"No, there are exercises you can do to train your body to accept the energies. But you will have to venture into this alone; if I tried to use the elements the way you are able to, I would be burned to a crisp. I have gained this knowledge only through the study of this scroll." He held up the black scroll case. "I will turn it over to you. I will try to help you if I can, but…"
"Your military training will be taking a different path," Cao Cao said as Sima Yi fell silent. "Sima Yi has informed me that these mages were exceptional fighters. Your role as an officer in this army will have to have a different connotation. You will be taking a more active role in battle. I have chosen Cao Ang to give you advanced instruction in weapons and tactics, beginning tomorrow."
"Am I not to return to my training unit?"
"No. It is my wish that you concentrate on honing this talent of yours. You can attain anything that is required for you to know from any of the officers here."
Silence descended over the room. Zhi chewed on her lower lip, her mind racing. Sima Yi placed the scroll case on the table and slid it across the surface to her.
"The wording is archaic, but should not present too much of a challenge for you. Let me know if you encounter any difficulties."
Zhi stared at the scroll case hungrily for a moment before reaching out to take it. She suddenly could not wait to read it and barely noticed Cao Cao's dismissal of the rest of his officers. Sima Yi remained sitting with the General.
Zhi stood and bowed absently to them before turning to leave. She began to pry the top of the scroll case open as she exited the room.
She suddenly ceased her covetous fiddling with the scroll case when she nearly walked into Dian Wei, who had to stop suddenly to keep from bowling her over. She mumbled an embarrassed apology, then felt her face flame when a corner of his mouth quirked up. Hastily jamming the cylinder into her belt and avoiding his amused gaze, she began walking toward her room.
Unfortunately they both initially headed in the same direction. Zhi's heart began to pound as she moved alongside the hulking warrior. Although she felt she had regained her sense of confidence with the return of her magic, this man still alarmed her for no apparent reason. He had never been anything but polite to her, treating her gently, even when her status had been that of prisoner. But she could not relax around him. His very presence lent a charged energy to the air around her.
He bowed his head silently to her as they parted at the first intersection. Only when she reached her room and closed the door behind her did her heart begin to beat normally again.
"Come on, you move like an ox! Faster!"
Zhi growled in frustration and redoubled her efforts. For all his apparent charm, Cao Ang was a devil in the sparring yard. He had drilled her mercilessly all morning with the pike. Only when her arms felt like rubber and her breath was heavy in her chest did he announce his satisfaction with her technique. Then he began anew, instructing her in the basic forms of a new weapon – the double headed spear. She found this new weapon particularly effective. Although she lost some actions of the pike due to the presence of the extra foot of steel at the butt end of the staff, she found there was an ample range of varied movements to use with this new spear. All in all, she found it to be a more diverse weapon than the pike. Cao Ang had chosen well for her.
But the man was a harsh instructor. He was relentless in his drills, never allowing her to catch her breath between engagements, but plowing on relentlessly into the next movement. She was enraged by the way he found and manipulated her weaknesses; casually knocking the weapon from her hands if her grip was not firm or landing her on her rear if her stance was not stable. She had thought of herself as battle-ready. But Cao Ang showed her that she was evidently not.
The only positive aspect of the humiliations was that she was learning rather more quickly than she had with the regular training unit. Cao Ang was imminently talented in instruction.
Finally, after a painfully indeterminable amount of time had passed, he allowed her a respite. Setting his quarterstaff across his shoulders and twining his arms over it, he gazed at her inquiringly as she leaned upon her spear to regain her breath.
"Not bad," he said, a grin suddenly blooming across his face. "For a warm-up."
At Zhi's outraged look, he laughed heartily.
"I'm just kidding!" he chortled as he straightened up and twirled the staff back into his hands. "We're done for the day. You did well." He swatted her amiably on a shoulder as he passed her.
Zhi glared uselessly at his departing back as he returned his staff to a weapons-rack. Straightening up, she inhaled deeply one last time and felt her breathing finally return to normal. Sweat continued to pour down her back and ribs as she staggered over to return her weapon to its rack. Her muscles felt heavy and ungainly as she began some cool-down stretching. Giving that up as hopeless in a short time, she returned instead to her room, where she dropped into her bed and slept.
She awoke hours later. Scrunching up her nose in disgust at the sodden state of her clothing, Zhi made her way to the women's bath chambers and proceeded to pour buckets full of blessedly clean water over her head before luxuriating in the steam room. After she had dried off and changed into fresh clothing, she returned to her room to stare at the scroll case she had left on her clothing chest the night before.
She had been eager the night before to delve into its secrets but now, in the light of day, the innocent scrap of paper somehow seemed sinister to her. She took a deep breath and then pried the lid off. She unfurled the scroll - nearly as long as she was tall and covered in small, cramped script – and laid it flat on the floor next to her bed. Lying on her stomach before it, she began to read.