69. In the darkness
The smuggler's cave was as Su remembered it: a few beds, chairs and a table. The soldiers were huddled around the table, which now also held a lamp, one of the soldiers kept glaring their way. Su didn't dare talk with Rushuang, Xunan or Yunchuan, who were also still held captive. Mei Ling was being held by Yunchuan for now, but soon she would need feeding, which meant the ladies would be able to share some words. The soldiers always kept a careful distance from their captives when the baby needed feeding.
It had never been Su's and Yan's intention for Mei Ling to be captured along with Su, but ever since they'd known who the culprit was and knew of her previous ways of handling certain situations, they had seriously considered the possibility of a kidnapping of Su and in that they couldn't disregard the fact that Mei Ling was often with Su. For now Su was actually thankful Mei Ling was with her. The soldiers gave them more space while she took care of Mei Ling. And having Mei Ling with them made their assignment easier. Yan had asked her to slow down the travelling speed as much as she could, which they successfully had done.
During the first days of Mei Ling's life her parents had planned excessively. With all the information they had Yan and Su with Zihou and Luo Xin had considered the most likely scenario's and according to those Yan had planned their actions. But in all their plans this current one hadn't been accounted for. At first, nothing had been amiss. Dong had, as planned, been the leader of the party that had captured them. As expected Madam Luan had been separated from their group. Dong had successfully steered the group to the smugglers cabin as had been the plan. But that's where things had taken an unexpected turn: new soldiers had come and delivered the order for Dong to return to the master in the Ghost Army. Dong had no other option then to comply, so he left the group. To make matters worse a few soldiers had escorted Dong away, making it difficult for him to return and help the ladies escape. The next day the new captain had announced a change of plans and ordered the soldiers and their captives to scale the mountain and move to the smugglers cave. In essence this shouldn't really have been a problem, because Yan had foreseen this possibility. Yan had told Su that the Ghost Army would try and get them across the border as soon as they could. But now they had lost Dong to argue the ladies couldn't make the climb.
They had tried themselves to argue with the captain, however he apparently knew the ladies and told them in no uncertain terms he knew they were trained and would make the climb. Furthermore, should they try and use Mei Ling as an excuse to slow the procession, she might be take away, to make sure they hurried the progress. Faced with this possibility the ladies stopped their protest and accepted their fate. Now, seated in the cave they had to find a way to delay their arrival in Beirong, as saving them there would be a lot more difficult.
Yunchuan handed Mei Ling to Su and taken up her seat on the opposite bench with Rushuang and Xunan. Su had turned around for just a little more privacy, when they suddenly heard a lot of noise and confusion from the entrance of the cave. Someone shouted to the ladies to take cover. Yunchuan, Rushuang and Xunan quickly upended the bed they had been seated on. Su seated on the bed farthest from the entrance also slid to the ground and tried to upend her bed, but with Mei Ling in her arm she wasn't able to lift it. Stooped low, she quickly took up a seat next to Yunchuan behind the other bench. From the entrance they could see several soldiers fighting, without thinking too much, mostly on instinct Su turned to grab one of the torches hung on the wall close to them. She signaled to Rushuang to do the same and both torches illuminating their corner were swiftly doused, shrouding them in darkness. Unsure why, but trusting the actions of the other ladies Xunan made a daring dash to the other side of the cave and after upending one of the beds there, also doused the torches on that side. Realizing their vulnerability Su pulled the bed closer to the wall of the cave, blocking them in, making it harder for the soldiers to come to them and use them as human shields. Glancing over the side of the bed to the entrance Su saw the soldiers fight, black robed warriors entered the cave and some doused the remaining torches, about ten soldiers were still standing when the black robed warriors blocked the entrance, thereby blocking the light. In near darkness Su heard the sound of slashing swords, reveling in joy at that sound.
"Bring in the light!" a familiar voice called out shortly after a deafening silence had descended over the cave. Quickly followed by: "Xiao Su?!"
"I'm here." In the growing light Su saw Yan come toward her. She and the other ladies rose and stepped away from their makeshift barrier. Still clutching Mai Ling close to her chest Su felt the comforting warmth and strength as Yan hugged both to his chest. "Thank God you're both save." Yan whispered in Su's hair. Next to them Xie Beiming hugged Rushuang, while the other two ladies looked on. "Let's go, we have to hurry. I'm needed at the army located in the border town."
"Do you need us to come with you?" Yunchuan asked as they stepped out of the cave. Shaking his head Yan said: "Not yet, the ultimatum runs out tomorrow, but I will plead to wait for the arrival of the emperors, who are also en route. Shuomo will agree to that. Whether the Ghost Army will wait is another matter entirely. We can't be sure whether they'll move when you are not yet physically in their camp. I'm sure they wanted to use you to force Shuomo, the emperor of Beirong and me to do as they wish. Madam Luan might wait one day for you to cross the mountain. With the new captain she send to get you, she would expect you in two or three days to reach Beirong. We might have to show we already have freed you, to stop a possible attack. We have to be on our guard." Yan stopped to help Su down some rocks. When she had reached firm ground Su looked into the face of her husband.
"How much time do you think we have?"
"I expect her to attack, with the Beirong Army and no sign of princess Yunchuan, she'll certainly put pressure on Shuomo to attack. And he will have to in order to show his loyalty to his sister. When it comes to that I would like to show that the Liang Army has already freed you." Su could see there was more, so she prodded: "Will that be enough to stop an attack and the Ghost Army?" Yan sighed: "No, we got news from the capital: Xin has also been taken. Pei Zhu is following her with Fei Yuan and Luo Xin. Most likely they have aid from the Feiyun warriors." This shocked the ladies and Rushuang was the first to comment: "Why would they take her? We've been careful in hiding her identity." Yan reiterated what he had told brother Xie earlier; there was a real possibility someone had mentioned her and her identity had been discovered.
"So what do we do now?" Yunchuan asked. "I'll explain when we've reached the cabin." Yan responded while they entered the trees on the edge of the mountain. They remained silent during a difficult part of the descent. Only when they reached the smugglers cabin, where Mei Ling had been laid to rest and the guards were guarding outside, leaving Yan, Su, Xie Beiming, Rushuang, Yunchuan and Xunan alone inside the cabin, did they take up the conversation again.
"We follow our plan: I'm leaving to go to the army, brother Xie will come with me. Leaving him behind might signal to madam Luan that we already found you. We need to appear desperate to find our wives. You will remain in the next cabin to the south. The Ghost Army will follow the same path as they did with you, that's our surest bet. The only way for them to get Xin to Beirong is over the old smugglers path, all other border crossings are under the control of Liang. When you see Xin and her capturers, the Feiyun warriors who will stay with you for now, will follow them. Try to contact Pei Zhu and get a message to me with the situation and their plans." The ladies nodded, understanding their parts. Brother Xie added: "The Feiyun warriors have been instructed to follow your orders, they are loyal and will not hesitate in the orders they are given." Rushuang solemnly watched the others, she knew this to be true as the Feiyun Lady she had witnessed the loyalty first hand. None would hesitate. As the day was growing older Yan and brother Xie quickly said their goodbyes and then left to join the army and do their parts in this game to hopefully take down the Ghost Army.