Alone in her tent, Zhi scrambled into a fresh set of clothing and pinned her braid to her head. With her hair freshly smoothed and out of her face and her travel-stained clothes changed, she almost felt as if she were not in the field. She felt better than she had in days. It was as if a heavy burden had been lifted from her shoulders; she had not realized how crushing her uncertainty had been in the past few weeks since learning of her strange heritage.
Even the smothering heat seemed to have waned.
She turned to leave her tent and caught sight of her spear lying next to her bedroll. She stared at it for a moment.
Her magic had worked perfectly tonight. She had been a defenseless woman against overwhelming odds and prevailed. Flashes of memory flickered through her mind and she smiled to herself. A red mist crept over her vision as she recalled her kills. Sweeping her arms out, she let Lightning and Fire fill her.
I don't need them, she thought to herself. I have more power than Sima Yi or Cao Cao combined! I could destroy them all with a thought!
Mad laughter bubbled up from her chest. She would do it right now; she would destroy this pathetic encampment and its soldiers and take care of the rest of the bandits alone. It would only be the beginning. She could gain control of Cao Cao's army and…
Cursing, she released the elements, falling to her knees with the force of the departure of power.
What the hell was that?
She rubbed her eyes as the red mist suddenly faded. She took deep breaths to make up for the time spent without breathing. Slowly, the thudding of her heart lessened. She shuddered.
Were those my thoughts? She wondered. Do I truly believe those things?
She sat quietly but the reckless euphoria did not return.
No, she told herself firmly. I am here to help bring peace to the land, not embroil it in yet another battle for power.
She made a decision and picked up her spear, squeezing the haft until her hand began to hurt and her knuckles turned white.
I can control it.
Satisfied, and after buckling the harness for her standard-issue machete and a dagger about her waist for good measure, she ducked out of her tent and tucked the spear under her arm. Looking about she noticed that except for the extra sentries Cao Ang had ordered, the camp had returned to normal. The twenty five soldiers in her second platoon were camped nearest her tent and they all stood from sharpening weapons and oiling armor to salute her. She stopped in surprise. They had never treated her with the same respect as they had the other lieutenants. She had expected that, men believed that women had no place in battle – and especially not in command. She recognized that, but had not realized that winning their respect was something she would gain in a little skirmish.
Pleased, she acknowledged them with a wave of her spear and a grin. The two platoons assigned to her for the mission were relatively new soldiers; some she had even trained with during her first few weeks in Cao Cao's army. But they were obedient and hard-working. She could not ask for more.
Cao Ang raised an eyebrow at her as she entered the command tent.
"If you put on an extra dagger and shave your head, I will probably mistake you for Dian Wei next time," he said wryly.
Zhi gave him a withering look and sat across from him, laying her spear across her lap. She jumped when Dian Wei and one of his sergeants entered the tent, and then moved to one side so the big bodyguard could toss some scraps of ragged yellow linen on the low table before Cao Ang. Ang sighed and rubbed his eyes, pulling his helmet off and setting it beside him as he did so.
Zhi could not take her eyes off of the scraps. She looked up at Dian Wei, who nodded slightly at the unasked question in her eyes. He sat across from her and, as one, they turned their attention to Ang. The sergeant stepped outside to wait while the three conferred.
It was a moment before Cao Ang spoke,
"I'm sorry, Zhi," he said quietly. "I was hoping you would not have to fight against your former comrades. I will understand if you do not wish to take part in the battle."
She frowned.
"Cao Ang, even if I still harbored any sort of sympathy for Zhang Jiao's cause, I would still join you in battle. You forget - had I been taken captive tonight, well…" She trailed off meaningfully and watched comprehensive dawn in Cao Ang's exquisite eyes. She smiled softly, feeling a little thrill of pride course through her.
"Let's just say that those men out there tonight were not on my side; I have no intention of returning to theirs."
She flicked a glance over at Dian Wei. His arms were crossed over his broad chest and his mouth was quirked up in one corner, as if he were amused. Zhi shifted uncomfortably and returned her attention to Cao Ang. He nodded once to himself.
"Point taken. Dian Wei, your scouts have located the bandits' outpost?"
"They have. If we march all day tomorrow, we can attack before dawn on the next day."
"Excellent, do you have troop estimates?"
Zhi found herself leaning forward, fascinated, as Dian Wei presented his scouts' information and the two planned the attack. She began to see why Sima Yi had drilled her mercilessly with the information, but it was only then that she saw the formations and strategies as they were meant to be utilized. Her troops would be the ones forfeiting their lives if she did not pay attention. Her feelings were a heady mix of anxiety and delight. And power.
She would wield the power of life and death over her men. Her magic would rain destruction down upon her enemies and…
Red crept over her vision and her breathing turned harsh.
Dian Wei noticed her struggle and watched her out of the corner of his eyes as she fought to bring her emotions under control. She clenched both hands about her spear and with an effort, banished that thought of greed for power. She returned her attention to Cao Ang, who was going over his strategy on a map and had not noticed her mental battle. Dian Wei appeared intent upon his commander's orders, but a tiny gleam burned in his eyes.
The preparations did not take long. Before she could begin to get restless, Dian Wei and Cao Ang had stood. She rose to her feet as Dian Wei ducked out of the tent. She turned to leave as well, but stopped as Cao Ang gripped her upper arm with a firm hand. She sucked in a breath of pain as he put pressure on her injury. She had forgotten about the arrow wound. He released her when she faced him, frowning as his gaze was caught by the nearly invisible blotch forming on her blue tunic.
"Ouch," she muttered absently as she rolled her sleeve up to inspect the wound.
"Well, damn," Cao Ang exclaimed as he drew her to a seat. Leaving her on the stool, he rummaged around in a pack and brought out a small bandage kit that was standard issue for any soldier.
"When were you going to get this taken care of?"
"I… forgot about it…."
"Mmhhmmm, it's bad enough to require stitches, you silly woman, and you say you forgot about it?"
Zhi shrugged. He did not need to know about her mental issues.
"Well, the stitches would most likely have torn out in the upcoming battle so I'll just bind it tightly," he continued, doing exactly that as spoke.
The silence stretched out as he worked. It was a comfortable silence, and their knees bumped companionably. When he finished, Zhi pulled her sleeve down with a murmured appreciation.
"Good job," she said approvingly, "Maybe you missed your calling."
"I am sure," he said laughingly as he put his supplies away, "That I would make a wonderful village healer."
Zhi remembered the old crone who had acted as healer in her home village and shuddered. She was glad she had never required her services.
"On second thought, maybe not," she replied.
"It's okay," he said, "My father would go into fits if I left the army anyway."
She smiled and fiddled with a strap on her harness. She froze as gentle fingers touched her chin.
Cao Ang suddenly looked tired as she raised her head to face him.
"Bai Zhi," he whispered, "That… thing you did to that man…" he paused, swallowed, "Please do not do that again."
She recoiled from him as his words hit her like a physical blow.
"Wha… what?" she asked raggedly.
"That was evil magic," he said softly.
Zhi felt the blood drain from her face.
"Stop," he ordered tersely. "I do not accuse you of evil, Zhi, you saved my life! But the magic, it... it…" he paused and visibly brought himself back into control. "I believe you now, that – "
"That a mage's descent into madness and bloodlust is inevitable," she snapped, interrupting him, her voice quivering with both fury and sorrow.
"Yes… no…" he made an exasperated noise. "Ah, damn, I don't know."
He was silent. While he gathered his thoughts, her anger left her. Feeling drained and heavy of heart, she thought of Dian Wei, of his approval of her abilities and their effectiveness in battle, and wrapped those thoughts around herself like a comforting blanket.
"I would never believe you capable of evil, my friend," he finally said quietly.
"Then why did you say it?" she asked.
He could only gaze at her, and Zhi's heart fell at the look in his eyes. Cao Ang was honorable, dutiful, a pillar of discipline and self-control. He would never understand that as she gained mastery over her magic, so would it gain mastery over her. It would force her to constantly balance on the fine line between darkness and light. He was one who walked the paths of light without a sideways glance for the shadows.
"Don't look at me like that," she whispered, "I am not a monster yet."
Zhi rode in silence. The camaraderie that she had shared with Cao Ang at the start of their mission was strained. He rode beside her, quiet and still, apparently lost in thought. Dian Wei rode on her other side, his eyes alert and searching, his uncritical presence a comfort.
She was confused about how she felt about him. This was the man that had – in all likelihood – killed her brother and taken her out of her life to a side she would never have chosen. And yet… none of it seemed to matter.
She was beginning to think that her initial responses to him had not been fear at all.
At that thought she sternly reined in her musings – this was a dangerous path to tread. It was not a good idea to fall in love with a comrade-in-arms; Death was more resentful than any former lover. She stared straight ahead, her eyes wide and unblinking to keep the sudden tears from falling. For suddenly she could not halt the rush of memory at the thought of Jin…
"Baby sister!" called Liang as he banged into her tent. Zhi hurled one of her thick leather shin greaves at him.
"Oi, Liang, I'm not dressed yet!" she snapped. He caught the thrown armor and tossed it back at her, his grin never leaving his face.
"Sure you are! Everything important is covered! You're entirely too modest," he said. "Besides, I'm sure Sergeant Yuen has seen more than this."
"Shut up!" she hissed, finishing with her shin guards and jerking her gauntlets on as her brother rifled through her pack and pulled out an apple. "Someone will hear!"
He spoke through bites of the fruit.
"Everyone knows, Zhiya. Nobody cares."
"Well, I care," she answered. "I can't maintain any sort of professionalism if everyone starts to talk about it; I have a hard enough time keeping these glorified thugs under control."
Liang shrugged her worries away as he finished her apple and tossed it out of the tent. He smacked his hands against his thighs to brush them off and then grabbed her around the neck in a one-armed hug.
"Awww, but the two of you are so sweet," he said, kissing her on top of her head and releasing her. He laughed at her exasperated expression. "You're too serious anyway. Actually, the men enjoy your little forbidden romance. Makes them think they have a chance."
Zhi rolled her eyes as Liang made kissing noises at her.
"Ughh, that's disgusting, Li. Besides, General Guan made it clear that I was not to fraternize with the soldiers and-"
"Actually," he interrupted, "The General also assured proper instruction for your powers in return for your loyalty but has not yet seen fit to deliver. He sends us on these useless missions and does not give us a chance to prove our worth. So I say do what you will."
"Oh real mature, Li," she said wryly as she buckled her sword belt around her waist.
"Hey, I'm just looking out for the well-being of my baby sister," he replied innocently, blinking harmlessly at her.
She snorted.
"That's believable. You just want to marry me off so you don't have to take care of me anymore." She thrust her machete into its scabbard – pointedly ignoring the fact that she missed the scabbard and nearly sliced off a finger on her first attempt - picked up her saddle and harness, and then made to stalk past him. She stopped in surprise when he reached out to gently touch her shoulder.
"I will always take care of you," he said, his face uncharacteristically serious for a moment before it fell into its normal mischievous lines. "But I did not know you were considering marriage. Should I go congratulate the lucky man?"
"I am not! No! Liang-" She aimed a kick at his rear, missed, but clipped the back of his knee hard enough to send him sprawling out of her tent. If they had not been in the middle of an army encampment – with some dignity to maintain – she would have thrown herself onto his back, elbows first. Instead, she made do with walking haughtily past him and hoping that he would not grab her by an ankle.
She could hear his laughter fade into the distance as she made her way to her horse - let him strike her tent, he had already ruined her morning. She worried constantly about her forbidden relationship with Jin and her brother was not helping matters by blathering on about it in everyone's hearing.
At the picket line, she untied her gelding and led him out of the way of the camp's activity to saddle him. Dropping her gear, she dug the apple that had been intended for her breakfast out of a pack and fed it to her horse. Leaving him placidly chewing, she slung the saddle onto his back and began tightening the cinch.
"You should have one of your men do that for you," a calm voice said behind her. Zhi smiled to herself and continued her work without looking back.
"Are you volunteering then?" she asked, finishing with a knot and moving to pick up her saddlebags.
"Possibly."
Holding both saddlebags, Zhi turned with a quip to confront Jin but was silenced by his lips on hers. Somehow, her arms – of their own accord – had dropped the bags and flung themselves around him as her treacherous body molded itself to his. Lost in bliss, she struggled back to reality and pulled away from him – but not without regret.
"How dare you take liberties with me, sergeant," she murmured coyly as he picked up her bags to strap to her saddle. "I should have you beaten for your impertinence."
"My apologies great lady, it was just that I was so taken with your magnificent beauty and…"
"Oh go on!" she snorted, moving to her horse's head with the bridle.
As they worked together in silence, Zhi stole glances at the man, firmly restraining herself from giggling. She was amazed by her foolish reactions to him.
He had been assigned to her unit just at the beginning of winter. She had taken an immediate liking to the man; as a solider, he was firmly competent and took much of the strain of leading her unit off of her hands to allow her to work on her martial and magical skills. A scarred veteran, he was nearly thirty, with no family. He had been a mercenary all of his adult life until he had been drawn to Zhang Jiao's cause. He was a skilled warrior – he fought expertly with both broadsword and pike and was a good shot with a bow. Although he had a somewhat plain face, he had kind eyes and a compassionate heart.
She had not entertained thoughts of anything but a professional relationship with him until a few weeks ago. A sudden, severe blizzard had moved through the region and she and Jin had been separated from their troops. They had found shelter in an abandoned hut and the attempt to keep warm and alive had turned into something quite different, but just as instinctive.
Surprisingly, Zhi discovered that Jin had had a mind as skilled and exceptional as his body and the visceral response developed into something much deeper until she could not help but love him.
Of course, she should have halted such relations; Guan Hai had made it quite clear that she would be stripped of her rank and whipped should the situation arise. Jin had known this and they had tried to avoid each other. But she was unaccountably drawn to him. Like a craving – or an addiction..
She smiled grimly to herself at that thought. Common sense told her to stay away from the man if she wanted a future in this army. Of course, common sense was not known to run in her family; her father had died trying to take revenge on a group of bandits that had raided their village. Liang was the same, notorious for taking extreme risks; death just had not yet caught up with him.
"You're doing it again." Jin's voice was quiet.
"What?"
"You seem to go off into another world sometimes."
"Just thinking about the campaign. We will be attacking Xia Pi once the weather clears."
"I'm sure that's exactly what you were thinking about." He touched her cheek lightly and continued softly. "You worry too much."
Zhi could not disagree with him so she did not reply. Instead, she mounted her horse and smiled down at him.
"And you worry too much about me, sergeant," she replied.
He grinned up at her.
"That is something I will never stop doing," he said before bowing slightly and leaving to form up the platoon.
Zhi let her gaze follow his vigorous form for a moment before settling her gear for the ride.
A short time later, the two platoons were on the march. Zhi and Liang were leading the small – fifty men total - supply caravan to outfit a larger portion of the Yellow Turban army, and were slowed by the ungainly wagons. In her opinion, it was the most boring duty she and Liang could have been given. Her brother had accurately voiced her own thoughts while speaking his.
Throughout the morning, she received reports from the scouts and tried to keep alert. She was resisting the urge to shriek with the boredom when shouts from Liang's forward guards shattered the morning stillness before breaking off.
Liang had already kicked his horse into a gallop and sped past her, his sword already unsheathed.
"Yah! Attack!" he shouted with glee as he swept the point of his sword forward. His warriors were close behind him. Zhi felt a grin on her face as she dismounted to begin using her magic. She wasn't looking forward to the sickness, but the pulse of blood through her body in battle was a heady rush. Jin ran by, broadsword in hand, and Zhi tossed the reins to him.
"Take over command; I'll back you up with magic."
Jin leapt onto her horse and slapped its rump with the flat of his blade. He didn't make it more than a few yards from her before enemy soldiers burst out of the trees around them.
"Dammit, they've surrounded us!" Jin shouted. "All squads for-"
His words cut off in a choke. Zhi was shocked out of her concentration and she watched in horror as Jin fell from the saddle, his hands scrabbling uselessly at his throat. Zhi felt her heart stop in her chest. Magic forgotten, she drew her blade and began hacking wildly into the men that came at her. It was more desperation and luck than skill that moved her weapon as she struggled to reach his side.
Her breath ragged with ineffectual panic, she fell into an almost meditative rhythm of motion. She bared her teeth in triumph as she felt her blade shear through leather and muscle and bone. Men in the throes of death fell in her wake, gruesome markers tracing her maddened path through the battle.
"Return fire, you gutless sons of pigs!" Liang's furious command broke her concentration and she grunted as the butt of a spear thudded into her ribcage. She fell heavily, the breath forced from her lungs. As she struggled for air, she managed to parry the spear-wielder's killing blow. She swiped at his legs with her machete feebly and managed to gasp in a breath of relief when the tip of an arrow suddenly appeared in the man's chest. Red blossomed out from around it and he stared down in surprise before falling beside her, choking on blood as he died.
Zhi was about to surge to her feet to reengage her weapon when she felt her face drain. Jin lay beside her, facing away from her, his limbs sprawled awkwardly from the fall he had taken. Swallowing past a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach, she turned him onto his back, terrified of what she would find.
Her instincts had not failed her. Jin's eyes stared vacantly up at her, the glaze of death already dulling them. The arrow that killed him had broken during his fall and only the tip and a small piece of the shaft remained in his throat. With trembling fingers, she closed the sightless eyes.
She did not know she had stood, but a rage so strong it was almost physically painful had consumed her. She raised her hands in the air and with them came Fire. She had never summoned so much of an element but did not care for the consequences. Her aim was to destroy every single soldier that had marched with the one who had killed the man at her feet. Screams of the dying filled the air, grisly paeans of homage to her power. With an immense effort, she gathered control of the massive column of Fire and pushed it outward in all directions, expanding the radius of her circle and consuming more lives.
The power drained from her in a sudden rush, taking with it all of her strength. She slowly sank to the ground beside Jin's body. She almost welcomed the familiar darkness as it claimed her. In the distance, Liang's voice frantically called her name.
Zhi shook her head to clear the memories. She glanced at the two men on either side of her before surreptitiously rubbing at an eye.
I will never love and lose like that again.
It had taken her almost a full week to recover from the numerous wounds she had sustained and the fever that had overtaken her body following the strenuous use of magic. Her attack had decimated the majority of the detachment of government soldiers that had ambushed them. The soldiers of her platoon that had survived the blast and Liang's troops had taken care of the rest. Her exploits in the skirmish were such that Zhang Liang himself had arrived to discuss the terms of her formal apprenticeship with Zhang Jiao. From her sickbed, she had accepted civilly. When the General left, she had wondered if that apprenticeship was worth Jin's life.
Finally, thankfully, she was distracted from her memories when Cao Ang called for a halt in the late afternoon. The soldiers had made good time that day and they had arrived at their destination earlier than had been expected. It gave everyone extra time to rest before the pre-dawn attack. The guard for the night was doubled, and Dian Wei's reconnaissance teams slipped away to make sure their target remained unaware of their presence in the area. Zhi volunteered her men to join Cao Ang's so the watches could be shortened and all could benefit from the extra time to make last minute preparations. Not one to merely observe while her men worked, she took the first watch as the sun began to set. Laying in the dark alone would only give her time to think anyway.
When she was relieved from duty, she was exhausted enough to fall asleep immediately.
Zhi was awakened by the quiet preparations of the men as they readied themselves for the battle. Rolling out of her sleeping roll, she dashed some cold water onto her face, and then immediately pulled on her heavy studded leather tunic. She had had her left gauntlet altered to mimic Dian Wei's, so that it was a smaller version of his targe. Upon observing his style of fighting, she noticed that he often used his left forearm to block swings and even utilize it as a weapon. She had no doubt that the powerful arms could crush a man's skull. She was curious to see if the alteration would give her a much needed advantage. Despite her progress in her training and her height, she still lacked strength as compared to the average man – and as a woman, she unfortunately always would.
For short-range weapons she buckled two extra daggers at her hips; she would leave her machete at camp for even scabbarded it would only get in the way of her spear's range of motion. Slinging the long strap of her canteen across her chest, she hefted her spear experimentally before running a critical eye over the freshly sharpened heads of the twin blades. She twirled the weapon, tucked it under her arm, turned to join her men – and stumbled.
Dian Wei was approaching her, dressed for the battle – sort of. While he was fully outfitted with axe, seven deceptively delicate-seeming throwing daggers, and targe, he had totally forsaken the leather tunics the rest of the soldiers wore; indeed he had neglected any sort of protection above the waist. Only the reinforced harness that held his great axe upside down and diagonally across his back criss-crossed his massive chest. From the wrist-thick haft of the axe over his left shoulder, Zhi's gaze involuntarily followed the lines of his body, fascinated by the way the breadth of his shoulders and chest narrowed over the expanse of his stomach to his hips.
Like a deer fascinated by the savage strength of a tiger. She clenched a fist reflexively. Except I don't feel much like his prey.
She turned away from him and stalked over to the nearest soldier struggling into his gear. Pretending to be occupied in helping the rookie fumble with his armor, she was able to regain her composure by the time he called her name.
"We are going in together," he said, looking over her soldiers with an approving nod as they began to form up.
She felt a horrible urge to giggle.
"Excuse me?" she asked, proud of the way her voice held.
"Your men will come in with Cao Ang's behind mine. My troops will surround the area, block off any route of escape and we will all attack together."
"I know," she replied, confused, "But why do I have to leave my men?"
"You have been in the compound before and can alert us if anything has changed or looks suspicious. Cao Ang believes you will prevent any, ah, surprises if you notice anything amiss."
"Fine," she said, turning to relay the message to her sergeant. Dian Wei's hand closed around her upper arm. She froze, and then slowly faced him. Dark, intense eyes regarded her solemnly as he released her arm.
"We will fight together for the first time. I look forward to it, galushka."
His expression changed suddenly; confusion altering his face for an instant, as if he had said something he hadn't meant to.
She opened her mouth to say something – anything – but could not find her voice. She managed to squeak out an acknowledgement and fled to speak with her next in command.
By the time she finished, Dian Wei's men had gathered around their lieutenant and were waiting for her. He nodded to her as she joined them. Some invisible signal passed from him to his troops and they all drew their weapons. Breaking off into squads, they left at a light jog and melted into the forest.
Zhi crouched beside Dian Wei, watching the sparse comings and goings of the bandits as they moved about the compound in the pale gray light of pre-dawn; it was too early for more activity. She was proud of her ability to maintain concentration while he was near. Their close proximity was wreaking havoc on her nerves. She could not stop marveling at how a man with such a hard, angular face could have such perfect, sensual lips.
At least we're the same rank this time, she thought sardonically. You have a real problem here, girlie.
She was surprised to realize that she actually recognized one of the men; but she was not surprised to see Feng Tsi turned rogue. He represented the worst of the Yellow Turban army. Zhang Jiao had attracted idealistic, noble followers - much like her brother – in droves. Unfortunately, he had also attracted the dregs of society; thieves and murderers, men eager to rebel against any sort of government. They were disreputable, untrustworthy, and unfortunately had made up the majority of the army. Feng had been particularly loathsome.
She would have no qualms about killing him and those with him.
She turned to Dian Wei and nodded. He looked behind them and raised his arm to motion his warriors forward, then returned his gaze to hers. They stared at each other with identical grins spreading across their faces. Then his eyes began to take an unfocused, glassy quality and his breathing quickened. Zhi stared at him. Almost palpable energy rolled off of him; had she not known otherwise, she would have mistaken him for a mage. His power infected her and they stood and turned as one to join battle together.
There were more men in the compound than had been expected, but they were disorganized and lacked leadership. Zhi was initially alarmed as droves of them appeared from the barracks and outbuildings. But beside her Dian Wei roared out a challenge and waded into the nearest group, his axe cleaving a path through them. She watched him for a second, amazed anew by his grace and strength.
A man that size should not be able to move so agilely, she thought in admiration.
Then she moved forward to face a second wave.
Her spear was almost a blur as she drove it through the forms. With Air, she added impetus to her movements. Thrusts and stabs of the metal tips were accompanied by bursts of Fire. As men died at the ends of her weapon, something began to grow within her. It was a dark power, one that she had been unconsciously aware of, but had never confronted in the daylight – the part of her that enjoyed the killing. It settled over her mind like a heavy crimson mist.
In a more logical part of her mind, she finally recognized blood lust.
Her vision sharpened and her body moved as if it were not affected by any of the natural laws. She no longer used magic to enhance her fighting. Instead, she drove her spear, almost recklessly, into a close-bunched group of warriors.
Bright droplets of blood arced through the air, trailing the paths of her twin blades as they spun around her body. It splattered everywhere and soon she was covered in it. That only heightened her madness. As she jerked her blade across a man's throat, she laughed. She could not dispel the mad exaltation she felt. It was like bathing in pure, primeval energy so that she felt invincible and full of life.
Columns of flames danced around her as she called her favorite element to assist her. Lightning, writhing from her fingertips and eerily beautiful in the early morning light, chased fleeing men. She rained destruction onto her enemies.
She ran out of victims too soon.
It was only when she noticed the near-silence that had descended before she was able to force herself to a halt. Breathing heavily, she gazed down arrogantly at her victims. The power within her rose to a crest before subsiding in a rush, leaving her feeling physically drained. The tip of her spear slowly descended to rest on the ground. It was at that point that she noticed Dian Wei standing before her, bloodied axe in his hand, and his targe dented and bloodied as well. His throwing daggers were gone. His arms were crimson to the elbows, but no weapon had touched the rest of him. Sanity wavered back into place as she gazed at him. The wary expression on his face vanished to be replaced by one of fierce pride.
"You've controlled it. Very good."
"It was unreal," she breathed. "Is it always like that?"
A ghost of a smile softened the harsh planes of his face. His gaze traveled over her.
"Better," he murmured. "…And worse. You've made quite the mess."
As her breathing began to resume its normal pace, she felt her stomach grumble.
"Ugghh, I've never been so hungry in my life!"
"A side effect. I have extra rations I carry for just that."
"Then let's find Cao Ang so we can leave."
He smiled and touched her cheek lightly. Her breath trembled as it left her.
"Dian Wei! Bai Zhi!"
They both startled and turned their attention to Cao Ang. He was flanked by two of his personal bodyguard. Two other soldiers behind him were dragging a man between them.
She and Dian Wei met them in the middle of the courtyard as Cao Ang looked around in amazement. He nodded at Dian Wei in approval.
"Your work?"
The big man knelt down, jerked loose a fistful of cloth from a dead man's shirt, and rose smoothly to his full height.
"That side was mine," he rumbled, jerking his chin to the left as he began cleaning blood from the half-moon blade of his axe.
Cao Ang surveyed the side of the courtyard Dian Wei had indicated and then turned his attention the opposite side.
"And over there?"
"Mine," Zhi said quietly.
Dian Wei finished with his blade and slung it back into its harness. An expression of smug satisfaction revealed itself in the quirk of his lips. Cao Ang looked as if he had been pole-axed.
"All of those men?"
She shrugged.
"Well, our men were right behind us. I'm sure they accounted for many of the kills."
"No, they were cut off from you both shortly after you entered the compound."
Zhi let her gaze trace the flow of the battle and saw that it was indeed true. To her astonishment, soldiers of Dian Wei's platoon were just beginning to straggle into the courtyard from between the outbuildings. She began to laugh nervously.
"But it's only been a couple of minutes. They would have caught up with us; we were not that far ahead of them."
Dian Wei spoke to her, his voice uncharacteristically mild.
"It's nearly noon, we've fought all morning. We were cut off from my men just after we engaged battle."
Zhi continued to laugh, slowly sinking to one knee, clutching her spear. Her laughter turned into hiccups as tears flowed down her cheeks. It was nothing ostentatious, but she could not stop.
Am I mad yet?
The men began to shift uncomfortably until Dian Wei pointedly turned attention away from her.
"Who's this?" he asked curtly. Zhi mentally thanked him while she got herself under control, listening to them speak as she did.
"It was a rout. He was the only survivor and surrendered. I will need your, ah, specialists to interrogate him, find out if he knows anything about other groups still in the area."
The prisoner yelled,
"There's no one else!"
Zhi sucked in a breath and rose abruptly to her feet. Her hiccups disappeared.
"Feng Tsi!" She growled.
Cao Ang turned to her.
"You know him?"
Zhi stabbed one of the heads of her spear into the ground and leaned on the shaft.
"Yes, he was a sergeant in my brother's platoon. My brother found out –" she broke off, tightly reining in her loathing. "He was raping women in the villages, threatening their families if they spoke out against him. Liang couldn't prove it, but he had this man transferred out of his unit."
Cao Ang's eyes narrowed in distaste and Feng Tsi bore the brunt of the hard glares of his captors. He cowered, but did not try to defend himself.
"Let me kill him."
The words were out of her mouth before she knew it; a malevolent whisper that was not entirely from the sane part of herself. Cao Ang glanced at her sharply and his voice was flat when he answered,
"We do not kill unarmed prisoners, Bai Zhi."
She did not reply, but she could not help but feel that the prisoner was better off dead. He was a bad man; letting him live would only give him the chance to escape and continue his evil ways. Unconsciously, she fingered the hilt of her dagger as she took her weight off of her spear. She glanced at Dian Wei, who was watching the exchange with interest. He offered no words however and she turned to gaze at Cao Ang evenly.
"He deserves to die."
"He may have information."
Zhi snorted.
"I doubt it. This son of a goat had the opportunity to make some hapless village his easy picking and took full advantage. If he – or any part of this group for that matter - is part of any organized resistance, then I am a duck. Besides, if I did not mistake your earlier words, you are about to torture him. On second thought, maybe that is a better idea," she finished, her voice grimly gleeful. "Dian Wei," she said, maintaining eye contact with Cao Ang. "Your interrogation techniques are quite effective, aren't they?"
"Quite," the big warrior responded dryly.
She and Cao Ang stared at each other. Without taking his gaze from her, Cao Ang said,
"There is to be no unsanctioned killing of unarmed prisoners. I don't know how else I can say it."
She fumed as he ordered his guards to prepare the prisoner for transportation but was too aware of her hunger to maintain the anger. She turned and smiled brightly at Dian Wei, feeling anything but cheerful.
"You mentioned food a minute ago?"
He opened his mouth to reply but sucked in a sharp breath as a commotion began somewhere behind her. She yelped in surprise when he snatched one of her daggers out of its sheath, flipped it to grasp it by the blade, and threw it with such force that she heard a quiet thipht of air as he released it. She spun to see the running figure of Feng Tsi fall heavily with the dagger in his back and Cao Ang's guards closing in on him.
Dian Wei swore, and then muttered, "Too high."
Zhi launched into a run, drawing her remaining dagger. She and Dian Wei were closer than the others to the escaping prisoner as he staggered to his feet, clumsily attempting to pull the dagger from his back.
Without thinking, she dove for the backs of his knees. They fell to the ground in a tangle of limbs and Zhi was barely in time to block a savage swipe from her own blade. Then she felt the rush of his blood over her hands as she buried her dagger under his sternum and slanted it upward to catch his heart. Hate burned in his eyes as she whispered,
"Don't think you've escaped so easily. You will find justice in the next life."
She jerked her dagger loose and stood.
"Damn," Cao Ang muttered as he looked from the body to Zhi. "Well, you got your wish, I hope you're happy."