Chapter Fourteen: Seeing Red
The court servant of the Khan cautiously entered the guest quarters of the Khanbaliq palace and, with night having already fallen over the steppe, was annoyed by the lack of light.
Must it be so dark in here? They could have used a few more candles…
Gazing into the near pitch-blackness of the room, he was about to turn and leave, concluding that the person he had come to find was not there; but a moment later, the sudden manifestation of two bright yellow orbs in the center of the room proved him wrong. The abruptness of it had startled the gaunt desert jackal, and he felt fused to the ground beneath his paws by their gaze. The feline within the room said nothing, but had evidently just struck a blade with a whetstone; the upward shooting sparks illuminated her face for just a brief second, and the piercing sound of abraded metal further startled her canine visitor.
"The Khan has requested your presence in the citadel at once." he stated, much less confidently than he had envisioned in his head.
The darkness of the room issued no verbal response, only another striking of metal and shooting of sparks.
The jackal audibly swallowed.
The next thing the canine heard was a subtle "thunk" noise as the spear the feline had been sharpening was planted blade-first into some unseen wooden surface. The saffron eyes started to draw closer, and eventually the torchlight from the outside hallway revealed the form of a golden cat. The jackal's fear that had been building dissipated somewhat when she gave him an unexpected gentle smile; she had not been watching him with menace, but with wordless curiosity instead.
"Lead the way then." she said genially, nudging her head towards the building's exit.
This cat has no idea how terrifying she can be. Is she oblivious to the fact that she could snap me in half like a twig?
The feline that was now following the servant was, indeed, somewhat perplexing in this way; her imposing muscular build and deadly proficiency in combat made her seem dangerous, but if you ever got to see her up close, she was obviously no monster. That warm smile he had just seen… it had been so pure and honest.
Honesty… heh, we could use more of that in these lands.
"Serve in the Khan's palace they said; three meals a day they said!" the servant muttered under his breath, but apparently not quietly enough to be unheard.
"What's that?" the feline asked from behind him with an innately curious innocence.
"Ah, nothing... just talking to myself."
The cat's unusual expression denoted just how awkwardly that statement had sounded, but the jackal just kept walking onward, so she shrugged and followed obediently.
The two made their way out of the palace, walking along a winding dirt path that ran uphill and parallel to the small lake that sat within the innermost walls of Khanbaliq. An impenetrable silence prevailed as they passed no less than six separate groups of snow leopard soldiers, the jackal walking with his arms folded behind him and his determined gaze locked forward. It soon became clear where they were headed: at the highest point in the inner city, there sat the only building that wasn't constructed of wood and compacted earth: an alcazar of weathered stonework that made for an impregnable fortress. There was but a single entrance, protected by a massive double-reinforced gate, and the servant and guest now stood before it.
After a short delay, the piercing sound of interlocked rusty metal was heard as the door started to open. The jackal at last turned around and addressed the martial arts master behind him.
"This is as far as I will go. The Khan will meet you inside shortly." he said, beckoning into the structure with his arm.
Taking one last look at the servant, Mei Ling complied, entering alone to find a small inner courtyard. She saw the building where she was evidently supposed to converse with the ruler, but what really caught her attention was the two guards posted outside of it – they were tigers. They wore some of the finest steel armor she had ever seen, and were armed with what appeared to be double-ended glaives, which they held upright in front of themselves. The thick white jawline fur that deepened their faces was one of the few features visible; their visages were obscured by intricately detailed steel masks that mimicked the fanged maws that no-doubt lay underneath. The golden cat assumed these to be the most elite of the Mongolian ruler's protectors.
Their eyes exhibited an enticing - yet deadly - beauty, much like the namesake of their amber coloration. Their gaze followed her closely as she entered the building, but the male striped felines made no move to impede her path.
The inside of the fortress was damp and cold, but this fact was beyond Mei Ling's cognizance, as the person within the room was certainly not the one she had expected.
Standing there, facing her down, was yet another tiger. Unlike the guards outside, this one had its face uncovered, wasn't burdened down by heavy armor, and most noticeably, was female. Her ornate green dress, and the unmistakable purple eyes that Mei Ling had seen only once before, made her identity quite clear. The smaller cat dropped to one knee without hesitation, right arm over her chest and head bowed; a salute reserved for royalty.
"My respects, Khatun."
The tiger sighed with an odd smile, evidently overly-humbled.
"You're obviously not from around here. Please, call me Nadya." the Khan's wife said with a hint of an accent Mei Ling couldn't pin down. She offered a paw and helped the kneeling cat up. "And as you can certainly tell, I'm not from here either."
"I am Mei Ling - it's an honor to meet you, my lady... but I'm afraid you're not the one I expected to meet here tonight."
The tiger matron turned her head back to gaze behind her, visibly discomforted by something.
"I came to see for myself what has stolen away my husband's every waking moment... and dare I say, I'm unimpressed." she explained, starting to growl under the volume of her words. "An uncanny madness devours him - night after night, he visits only this place."
Before Mei Ling could inquire into what Nadya had just revealed, the imposing Siberian tiger started for the exit.
"You'll have to excuse me; I'd rather not have my husband knowing I was here... If he asks you, this conversation never happened."
The golden cat nodded in subservience, and the striped feline departed, perhaps with more haste than befitted a Khatun.
Now alone, Mei Ling's thoughts began to wander.
There seems to be no shortage of strangeness in this town. And there's all these tigers around here… Funny, the only other time I ever saw a tiger was… Crane's last day at Lee Da.
The golden cat frowned at the memory. Ever since that chance encounter had separated them, it seemed fate itself had done just about everything to keep them apart, even when they had been together for the briefest time. Before these thoughts overcame her entirely, an oddly metallic humming noise dragged her mind back to the present. The sound seemed to be coming from a nearby antechamber, and the cat followed her ears to the source eagerly. She investigated the room, which was well lit by many torch sconces on the walls, and found that there was only one place the sound could be coming from. On a raised stone platform in the center of the stone chamber, a sinuous metallic object was gradually vibrating itself in a tight elliptical orbit upon the flat surface.
The sound… it was practically music; strange, hypnotic music. The more she looked at it, the more she was entranced by the curious nature of the thing. The cat slowly and cautiously started to approach it, her vision narrowing to a tunnel around this single, perplexingly animate object. Closer examination as it continued to slowly rotate revealed that it was actually a short-bladed weapon of some sort.
She could feel an energy draw from within the blade – massively powerful, but unlike anything she had ever sensed in her extensive Chi meditations; like the force of an ocean held within a single drop of water. Without even knowing it, her paw was starting to reach for it. Her claws were about to make contact with the pulsating metal, but a voice behind her prompted the golden cat to draw her reaching arm back at once.
"Simply unnerving, isn't it?"
She spun around quickly to face the owner of the unmistakably husky voice and bowed at once.
"Apologies, my lord."
"Nonsense, I can't blame you for sharing my own curiosity." the Khan assured, moving into the room.
The tall leopard circled around to face her from the opposing side of the platform; he swatted downward at the blade, his hefty paw pinning it to the stone surface and leaving the room in silence. Mei Ling soon found the ruler's focus had shifted from the strange object to herself.
"It's been a long time, young one. Kingdom of Goryeo - my father's second invasion, was it? What a disaster that one was… You only came up to my knees then; I'd say you're nearly your father's height now."
The golden cat looked away, nearly buckling under the sudden rush of unwelcome old memories. "Much has changed since then…"
"Yes, I'm sure it has, Mei Ling – is that what you're going by now?"
The female cat cringed as he had said this.
"With respect, I'd rather not discuss this, my lord."
The Khan looked slightly disappointed, but quickly concurred. "So be it, I suppose we aren't here to discuss 'old times' anyway."
"What do you require of me?"
"I hear you are quite the warrior, seeing as how my daughter finally met her equal the other day."
The golden cat looked a little surprised. "You know about that?"
"This is my town - I know everything that happens here." he answered matter-of-factly. "But the task I am asking of you does not rely on your skills in combat, rather those that are of a more… supernatural persuasion."
"What do you mean?"
The leopard smiled, releasing the blade from his paw. "You've felt it, haven't you? Such incredible power, such potential. And yet, it remains hindered, restrained - begging to be set free."
True, Mei Ling had indeed felt the power of the blade; but that didn't change the fact that most of what the Khan had just said sounded like utter gibberish to her.
"It's been rumored that you Kung Fu masters can perform a certain type of witchcraft that could be of use to me."
He can't seriously be referring to Chi, can he?
"I suspect this object pertains to the same magical forces, and therefore you should be able to release it. This is my task for you - do it, and you'll be free of your servitude to me. Whatever you desire, it will be yours."
The martial artist tried her best to remain in a composed, respectful state, but it was difficult. She'd seen plenty of otherworldly things, and at the end of the day this little piece of metal didn't look like anything too special.
It moves by itself - so what? Compared to the Sacred War Hammer of Lei Lang, this is a mere trinket.
After collecting herself, she began to explain the apparent errors in the Khan's reasoning.
"You may not be aware, but Chi doesn't-"
"At least give it a try." the leopard interjected, unwilling to be denied the opportunity to vindicate himself in the eyes of most of his court advisers. With each passing day, he looked more like a fool.
The cat shrugged, and seeing no counter to this offer, approached the stone platform. She lowered her form into a relaxed Tai Chi stance, closed her eyes, and began to outstretch her paws to interface with the object, reading the natural flow of the universe. Besides the minor annoyance of the rattling metallic noise, the chamber became eerily quiet once more. The localized darkness in the center of the torch-lit area was soon overcome by the golden light now glowing from the cat's paws. After several minutes like this, the Khan could no longer hold his curiosity in.
"Well, what is it? What do you see?"
After waiting several moments for an answer, the Khan prepared to ask again, for fear that she had somehow not heard him; but at last, her eyes still closed, the golden cat responded in a low whispered tone.
"A wall. I see a wall."
"A wall? What lies behind it?"
"I can't be certain. I can only see one thing beyond - it's a color..."
"It's red, isn't it?" the Khan said softly, recalling his visions from before.
Despite her surprise, Mei Ling's eyes remained stubbornly closed. She only nodded to confirm the leopard's suspicion.
The Khan grew desperate. "This wall - can you break through it?"
In response, the facial features of the meditating cat shifted; her brow started to slowly furrow, and she was observably less relaxed than before. The intensity of the yellow radiance from her paws began to flicker, casting odd shadows about the room. It was evident that all of her focus and energy was being consolidated toward this single nexus beyond her outstretched arms.
The whole display looked ludicrous to its sole observer; the cat was now grunting in exertion, but she carried no heavy load on her back. Then at last, there was the faintest hint of a breakthrough: the blade stopped vibrating, and gently began to levitate above the platform.
This is it - has to be. The power of the weapon will be mine at last!
But just as the ruler's new faith had blossomed, it was immediately struck down. The deep yellow of Mei Ling's paws violently darkened to a nefariously crimson red, and the cat was thrown backwards by forces unseen. When she hit the far wall of the antechamber, her eyes at last opened wide, and the awestruck leopard thought he could see small streaks of red receding from the corners of her chrome orbs. The Khan rushed over to the fallen cat, and began to demand an explanation from her, long before she was prepared to give one.
"What the hell was that? What happened?"
"C-can't..." Mei Ling did her best to stutter out in response.
"Can't - what do you mean you can't? You're supposed to be a master of this mystical nonsense!" the leopard yelled, showing teeth.
Taking a moment to finally recover from shock, she worked herself back up to her knees.
"You don't understand - whatever is blocking it... it's an energy unlike anything I've seen before. I don't know if there's a person living who possesses the Chi required to break through such a barrier." Feeling lightheaded, she shook herself a little before continuing. "And even if I could get through, I'm not sure that whatever lies inside is meant to be released..."
Upon hearing this, the Khan backed away, simmering with anger.
'It's not meant to be released' - she thinks I am too weak to wield it!
"No - not this again; I am sick of everyone doubting my resolve!" he raged, overturning the stone platform with intimidating ease.
The golden cat was clueless as to what he was ranting about, and could tell that the leopard's anger had roots that went deeper than she could see. After muttering expletives and pacing across the room, the Khan turned back to her.
"Listen here, girl - you exist only by my mercy! Don't think for a moment that your debt will be paid until this object's power - one way or another - becomes mine! I don't care if it takes you a year; you will do it!"
The spotted feline then stormed out of the area in a huff, leaving the smaller cat alone. From where the leopard had displaced the platform in his outburst, and the Dagger of Deng-Wa now lay on the cold floor, vibrating once again. The golden cat just stared at the thing. To be free of her servitude, to retain her honor, she must find a way to release - to activate - this unnatural object.
But is it worth the potential consequences? How much is my honor - my father's honor - really worth?
A sudden gust of wind blew through the open passageway that led to the cool night air outside; she could hear the distant tussle of banners and flags as the forceful draft beat against them. But under all the noise, she swore she could hear a voice... subtle, but there, nonetheless. Originating from the ancient weapon on the floor, it called out to her in a muffled whisper:
The seeds have already been planted; the Winds are Changing.
Author's Notes:
- As you probably guessed by now, Khatun is the official title for the Khan's wife
- Nadya is a very old name, and means "hope" - I just thought it sounded fitting, so don't read too much into the meaning :P
- To avoid confusion, when I make the note that Mei Ling has seen these purple eyes once before, I'm referring to Yuelen, who gets her eye color from her mother
- Siberian tigers are - by a sizable margin - the largest of the tiger species; Nadya would be noticeably larger than Tigress (the South China variety is the smallest tiger species), but still smaller than her husband
- The Kingdom of Goryeo refers to a united Korean nation during this time period; the Mongols invaded the Korean Peninsula numerous times during the 1200's, and got their asses kicked on a few occasions
- There's a double meaning for the title of this chapter: while Mei Ling quite literally "sees red," the term is synonymous with becoming enraged, which the Khan does here as well (I'm not actually that astute, I just accidentally stumbled upon the perfect chapter title and realized it after the fact)
- Thanks for the continued support!