Snake (Five Ancestors #3)(28)
Author: Jeff Stone

“Listen to me,” Mong hissed. “The boatman is HaMo’s friend. If the boatman doesn’t help you, that means he may harm you. If he doesn’t cooperate or if he seems the least bit suspicious, kill him.”

“But—”

“Kill him anyway!” Mong roared as Hung shoved Seh toward the door. “Now go! That’s an order!”

Seh stumbled out of the banquet hall into the night. Fallen soldiers and bandits now dotted the grounds of the stronghold. Fu and Malao were not among them.

Seh glanced down and saw a trail of blood glistening in the moonlight. It led to the storage shed. He followed it and burst through the door.

Fu was kneeling over Malao, next to the two soldiers AnGangseh had finished off.

“Help me,” Fu said, his voice hoarse. Tears fell from his face like rain.

Seh knelt down and saw that Fu had torn several strips from the bottom of his white silk robe. Seh and Fu bound Malao’s leg as best they could.

“Are you okay?” Seh asked Fu.

Fu grunted and wiped his face. “I am going to kill Ying.”

“Not right now,” Seh said. “We need to get out of here.” He checked the scroll tucked away in the small of his back and the snake wrapped around his arm. Both were fine. Seh reached into the folds of Malao’s robe and removed the carved monkey stick. “You carry Malao. I’ll clear the way.”

Fu grunted again and lifted Malao. Seh stood and slipped out the door, the monkey stick in his hand.

As they crossed the compound, Seh kept his senses finely tuned for signs of danger. Soldiers were everywhere, but they posed no threat. They lay broken and bleeding in the middle of the main through-way and alongside burning buildings. Bandits were sprinkled about as well, gaping holes ripped through their bodies.

Seh and Fu found the main gate wide open.

“Look down the stairs with those cat eyes of yours,” Seh said. “Do you see anything?”

Fu shifted Malao in his arms and peered into the darkness, down toward the lake. “Nope. Do you sense something?”

“No,” Seh replied. “But the beach is a long way down. Somebody might be hiding there.”

“There’s only one way to find out,” Fu said. He began to descend the steep stone stairs.

Seh quickly followed, watching Fu’s back.

Seh still felt nothing when they reached the small patch of sand that sloped into the lake. He checked the only patch of reeds in sight and found no one.

“At least the boat is still here,” Fu said as he climbed in with Malao. “I wish the boatman was, too.”

“No, you don’t,” Seh said, slipping Malao’s monkey stick into the folds of his own robe. “Mong ordered me to … Never mind. Let’s just go.”

“Where are we going?” Fu asked.

“To Kaifeng,” Seh said. “We’re supposed to meet Mong at an inn called the Jade Phoenix on the first day of their Dragon Boat Festival.”

“In a month?” Fu asked.

“Yes,” Seh replied. He pushed the boat into the water and climbed aboard, taking hold of the long oar. Seh worked the oar back and forth like he had seen the boatman do. The boat moved forward, but steering proved to be far more difficult than he thought it would. Eventually, he found that if he used smooth, steady strokes that traveled the same distance left to right, the boat moved more or less in a straight line.

Seh scanned the lake for other boats. He saw none. Halfway across the lake, he looked over at Fu. Fu was curled around Malao on the floor of the boat.

“What’s wrong?” Seh asked.

“Malao won’t stop shaking.”

“Oh, no,” Seh said.

Fu didn’t respond.

Seh choked back the sadness welling up inside him. “Are those bandages working?” he asked.

Fu ran his hand over Malao’s leg. “I think so. The blood that soaked through is drying.”

“That’s good,” Seh said. “And as long as he’s shaking, he’s alive. When we get to the beach, we’ll take him into the forest and figure out what to do next.”

Fu nodded.

“I wish I could make this thing go faster,” Seh said. “Do you see any sign of the twins? I haven’t sensed them.”

Fu lifted his head and scanned the water. “No.”

Seh banged his foot on the bottom of the boat three times.

Nothing.

Frustrated, Seh returned his attention to working the large oar. He remained focused on moving the boat forward as quickly as possible. He didn’t look back.

Perhaps Seh should have. He might have noticed the small, hollow reed that surfaced in the boat’s wake.

He might have also caught a glimpse of the long, thick ponytail braid drifting next to it.

Ying stood inside the banquet hall, flanked by several of his men. He grinned as he listened to the bandit leader’s shouts from outside.