asked from his horse. He frowned. He was a warrior, not a sentry. He lived for the attack, not to wait passively on his ass until the enemy struck. “I’m not sure I like this idea of walls.”
Master Yun had his own reasons for shunning walls. But Quan was right in his estimation of the Mongol invaders. Even with all the power a war gave him, Master Yun could not defeat Esen’s barbarians alone.
“You’ve been listening to Jasmine,” Quan said irritably to Zhu. “There is something not quite right with that lady.”
A horrible change came over Zhu’s face. As with Chi Quan, Master Yun had trained He Zhu from the time he was a boy. Always he was brash, but never was he wanton. He ignored Master Yun’s warning look. He dismounted and dropped to the road, landing firmly on leather-clad boots, and turned a grim face to his captain. Although his sword was lost in battle, his hands shot up like knife blades. Master Yun narrowed his eyes; the captain’s demeanour showed no surprise. It was clear they had quarrelled on these grounds before.
Zhu struck out and Quan countered his attack. He kicked the captain in the stomach, and he in turn grabbed Zhu’s leg and tripped him to the ground. Quan swiftly rolled away as Zhu threw his body forward and missed. Quan leaped to his feet, but before the lieutenant could act further, Master Yun stepped onto his chest and shouted, “Stop.”
The two men were already filthy and bloody from battle. Sweat trickled down their brows and muddied their faces. Master Yun shot a warning look and the captain backed down. The lieutenant started to his feet and Master Yun extended a hand to help him. “What do you think you are doing? The land is in peril enough without you two fighting over a concubine.”
It was clear now the full implication of Jasmine’s power. She had free rein while living in the palace, and that meant he had to get Li out of the fox faerie’s presence as soon as possible. Her influence was spreading; she had possession of the Emperor and Military Governor Zheng Min. Like a river, she started from the mountain peak, flowing, ever gathering strength as she coursed through the palace administrators, dividing into tributaries to execute her magic. Now she was working from the ranks. Master Yun could tell by the defensiveness in Zhu’s eyes that it was already too late for him.
%%%
The palace guards ignored Li, and she strolled through the courtyards until she came to her own garden. She climbed the wall that separated her enclosure from the others, tiptoed past the lily pond, and slipped through the open window and into the concubine’s quarters. She froze in surprise when she saw Tao perched on the edge of her bed waiting for her.
“Change quickly, Lotus Lily,” he said. “Before anyone sees you and asks what one of Master Yun’s boys is doing in the concubine’s chambers.”
Her mouth was open—at first from breathing quickly—but now from the realization that Tao had punctured her masquerade. He had called her Lotus Lily while she was in the guise of Li, the boy, and he was talking to her as though tutor and pupil were long-time conspirators. She planted her hands on the hips of her boy’s tunic. “Have you always known?”
He nodded calmly, and went to her wardrobe and pulled out her finest gown. It was of watered silk, yellow and green, trimmed with gold thread. He sat her down, and undid the pins that held her hair and watched the black shield tumble over her shoulders. He applied kohl to her eyelids and rouge to her cheeks, and hurried her out of her boy’s clothes and into the dress.
“You knew all the time and yet you tortured me with threats of being sent to the Emperor’s bed. You knew Master Yun would never have allowed that to happen.”
“Hush,” Tao said. He looped her jade circle around her throat where it hung to her chest on a gleaming gold chain. “There are ears and eyes in the palace.”
Li darted a look around the room. It
Master Yun had his own reasons for shunning walls. But Quan was right in his estimation of the Mongol invaders. Even with all the power a war gave him, Master Yun could not defeat Esen’s barbarians alone.
“You’ve been listening to Jasmine,” Quan said irritably to Zhu. “There is something not quite right with that lady.”
A horrible change came over Zhu’s face. As with Chi Quan, Master Yun had trained He Zhu from the time he was a boy. Always he was brash, but never was he wanton. He ignored Master Yun’s warning look. He dismounted and dropped to the road, landing firmly on leather-clad boots, and turned a grim face to his captain. Although his sword was lost in battle, his hands shot up like knife blades. Master Yun narrowed his eyes; the captain’s demeanour showed no surprise. It was clear they had quarrelled on these grounds before.
Zhu struck out and Quan countered his attack. He kicked the captain in the stomach, and he in turn grabbed Zhu’s leg and tripped him to the ground. Quan swiftly rolled away as Zhu threw his body forward and missed. Quan leaped to his feet, but before the lieutenant could act further, Master Yun stepped onto his chest and shouted, “Stop.”
The two men were already filthy and bloody from battle. Sweat trickled down their brows and muddied their faces. Master Yun shot a warning look and the captain backed down. The lieutenant started to his feet and Master Yun extended a hand to help him. “What do you think you are doing? The land is in peril enough without you two fighting over a concubine.”
It was clear now the full implication of Jasmine’s power. She had free rein while living in the palace, and that meant he had to get Li out of the fox faerie’s presence as soon as possible. Her influence was spreading; she had possession of the Emperor and Military Governor Zheng Min. Like a river, she started from the mountain peak, flowing, ever gathering strength as she coursed through the palace administrators, dividing into tributaries to execute her magic. Now she was working from the ranks. Master Yun could tell by the defensiveness in Zhu’s eyes that it was already too late for him.
%%%
The palace guards ignored Li, and she strolled through the courtyards until she came to her own garden. She climbed the wall that separated her enclosure from the others, tiptoed past the lily pond, and slipped through the open window and into the concubine’s quarters. She froze in surprise when she saw Tao perched on the edge of her bed waiting for her.
“Change quickly, Lotus Lily,” he said. “Before anyone sees you and asks what one of Master Yun’s boys is doing in the concubine’s chambers.”
Her mouth was open—at first from breathing quickly—but now from the realization that Tao had punctured her masquerade. He had called her Lotus Lily while she was in the guise of Li, the boy, and he was talking to her as though tutor and pupil were long-time conspirators. She planted her hands on the hips of her boy’s tunic. “Have you always known?”
He nodded calmly, and went to her wardrobe and pulled out her finest gown. It was of watered silk, yellow and green, trimmed with gold thread. He sat her down, and undid the pins that held her hair and watched the black shield tumble over her shoulders. He applied kohl to her eyelids and rouge to her cheeks, and hurried her out of her boy’s clothes and into the dress.
“You knew all the time and yet you tortured me with threats of being sent to the Emperor’s bed. You knew Master Yun would never have allowed that to happen.”
“Hush,” Tao said. He looped her jade circle around her throat where it hung to her chest on a gleaming gold chain. “There are ears and eyes in the palace.”
Li darted a look around the room. It
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