FicWad

Chapter 16

There was an odd feeling in this particular village, as if some disturbance had recently occurred, which Li Meng-shi picked up on immediately. The tavern was empty naturally, being the morning still, but he was guessing that the proprietor would know all of the men in town. And he would have spotted the strangers as well.

Shen-hui was a short man in his late thirties or early forties most likely, with a pleasant demeanor despite the thin, drawn appearance of his face. His wife brought out tea for them as they took a seat at one of the tables.

"Hmm," he began, rubbing his brow thoughtfully. "It's hard to know who a donkey like the one you describe might belong to. These are hard times. Livestock are as thin and worn out as their masters, dying out or being killed for what little meat they can offer. There are many in town who might own such a tired and emaciated creature. Though I have to admit I've never seen an animal like you describe."

"And no strangers came into town last night?"

"I haven't heard talk of any. Perhaps someone came during the night."

He shrugged. "I wouldn't know. But I couldn't help but notice the animal when I came into town. It's grazing just across the road, so the owner, whoever he is, must still be around somewhere."

"May I ask why you're so interested in this donkey?"

"You see, I am on my way to Heng Shan, the sacred peak in the north. I've been traveling on foot much of the time, and it's slow-going, especially given the weather lately. I am too poor to afford a horse; but that donkey is not in the best shape. The owner could not ask for that much for it. Not the best mode of transportation I realize, but it would suit my purpose and my finances."

"I see. Still, it's odd. You're the only stranger I've seen. I wonder where the owner went to?"

Shen-hui's wife spoke up as she stepped out from the back once again. "I'm guessing that he left town. You sleep late all the time, so you missed the uproar this morning, Shen. Liu Peng's horse went missing."

"Indeed?"

"Perhaps this stranger stole it and left his worse-for-wear donkey in its place."

She went off to the back and disappeared but not before Li Meng-shi caught her nearly whispered musings.

"Such a sin...we have all been forced to become thieves and traitors..."

Li Meng-shi schooled his face into a passive expression despite what he'd heard and brought his cup of tea to his lips. From the wife's simple remark he knew that they would find allies in this town, not enemies.

As for the stranger on the donkey, this latest twist could mean nothing. It was entirely possible that the man was a mere thief that had left a useless donkey and snatched himself a horse with more value. Or perhaps this was an enemy that was waiting for them somewhere up ahead. He would have to speak with General Li about it.

"Well, I suppose that settles that," he spoke up. "That family has already had a great loss, what with having their horse stolen. No amount of money I could offer them for the donkey could make up for that."

"No, I suppose not. Then you are going to make the entire journey on foot?"

"I've been able to pick up rides here and there. But, yes, it will mostly be on foot."

"Well, I hope the weather will stay in your favor. It's been a bitter winter this year."

With the discussion about the donkey and the stranger finished the conversation turned to casual chatting about the weather, conditions of the times, whether Imperial soldiers had come through the village at all. Shen-hui explained that no uniformed men had been seen in town lately.

"The Emperor's army is everywhere now, looking for traitors and would-be assassins. But this is a small village of farmers and craftsmen," he explained. "There's nothing that the Imperial army could want with us. Only the tax collectors are interested in this town. And we have nothing to give them anymore."

xxxxxxx

It didn't take Shang long to catch up to Mulan. She'd heard his voice on the wind as he shouted after her, and she had slowed her horse and turned around to wait for him. They rode back toward town and now sat together in silence under a large tree at the top of a hill overlooking the village, which had caught his eye. It had a good view of the town and the dense canopy of leaves obscured their horses and provided them a shaded place to graze.

Shang leaned back against the trunk of the tree and stared down over the village, keeping an eye out for Li Meng-shi. Every once in awhile he allowed himself to shift his gaze away and take in a glimpse of Mulan. Her face was obscured by her hood and her arms as she sat in a near fetal position, lower back against the tree trunk, knees drawn up against her chest, arms locked around them and her head down. She had such a strong, independent spirit and character and it concerned him greatly to see her so anxious and irritable, so thrown off balance. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something that might soothe her, but no words came to mind and he had the sense that there was nothing he could say that would be the right thing anyway. She was quiet now and he'd probably just agitate her more. So he chose to remain silent and leave her alone, returning to his observation of the town and his own thoughts.

His vision began to blur as he stared into the distance and his posture drooped almost undetectably as he felt overcome with sudden sleepiness. Sitting up straight and shaking his head he brought his hands up and rubbed his eyes with the heels of his palms. It had been a long journey already, though they hadn't even reached the halfway point to Taiyuan, and he was exhausted, especially after not sleeping very much for the past two nights. Still, he'd functioned on less sleep than this before. He stood up and stretched, beginning to yawn as he did so. Chancing another glance at Mulan, he noted that she hadn't moved and realized suddenly that her silence and posture had nothing to do with anxiety. She was asleep.

She hadn't slept in two nights either, he reminded himself; they'd been awake together both nights. A smile crept to his lips slowly and he sat down beside her again. reaching over with two hands and gently easing the hood back so he could see her face, or at least a small part of it. He remembered how it felt to sit with his arm around her a couple of nights before, with her leaning against him as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Her body seemed to mold against his, fitting so perfectly in the niche created by his chest and arm as if she were custom-made for him. The previous night he'd woken up long before the sun began to rise, glimpsing her dark silhouette as she stood at the opening of the barn they were in, wondering how long she'd been awake before he joined her where she stood. He clenched his fingers now, fighting the urge to run them through her hair. He drew his hands back, the longing to put his arm around her and pull her against him again, to feel the warmth and softness of her body against his, threatening to overwhelm him. It would not be proper. Even if his intention was only to comfort her, the contact he'd had with her these last two nights was rather forward. He hadn't been using his head at all. She didn't seem to mind, but still...there were rules that guided the relationships between young men and women and the judgment of society was especially harsh on the women who didn't follow those rules. He cared for Mulan far too much and wouldn't want to do anything that might shame or dishonor her.

"Shang."

Her voice was just above a whisper, groggy and muffled from her face being buried in her arms, but it caught his attention, breaking his reverie.

"Would you put my hood back on please?"

"Oh. Sorry. I-I wanted to make sure you were okay," he mumbled sheepishly.

He tugged at the hood and pulled it all the way up over her face again. A soft throaty laugh reached his ears from underneath the heavy material and he felt his face become warm, embarrassed at the idea that she'd caught him acting like a lovesick boy.

"Thank you. I'm too tired to move."

"I'm tired too," he remarked, beginning to laugh with her, feeling the red in his cheeks subside as he realized with relief that she wasn't dwelling on the same thing that he had been. "Maybe tonight we can find a more comfortable place to stay so we can both finally sleep."

"That would be nice. Although...I don't know that I'll be able to really sleep until I know for sure that my family is alright."

He nodded and stared off toward the village again, brooding. Mulan was very close with her father and the rest of her family. He'd witnessed the bond between father and daughter in the time he'd spent at the school with them and understood her worry. There was a tight feeling in his chest and in the pit of his stomach as the thought crossed his mind of how she would react if anything did happen to her family. He'd lost both of his parents and a wife, as well as a baby that had never taken a breath; and though he hadn't shared the same closeness with them that she shared with her family, each loss had brought him profound grief. He could only imagine how devastated she would be.

And something else had been needling him at the back of his mind, only now becoming tangible thoughts in the forefront of his consciousness. The top generals like General Huang had been sent to snuff out rebellions where they were simmering. But Huang had been hanging around Zhengzhou for some reason. Mulan mentioned that he recognized her when he saw her face. But her face had been covered and there were many people in Zhengzhou. How had Huang happened to pick her out of all people? Why would he have been looking under the hood of one of three monks? The only explanation that Shang could come up with was that Huang was expecting her to arrive in Zhengzhou and had been specifically looking for her. And that would mean that he had somehow received warning that she was on her way there; in fact he had very likely been warned that she would be dressed as a monk, too. Shang didn't understand why it had taken so long for it to occur to him. Mulan was no doubt correct that someone else was following them now. He would have to be vigilant as they continued north; but he would keep his thoughts of these things to himself. She was agitated enough and he didn't want to give her something else to be alarmed about.

"I hope Li Meng-shi is alright. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea for him to remain there alone."

Her voice was louder as she spoke up, changing the subject so suddenly that Shang started for a moment. He pushed the thoughts to the back of his mind and turned his head back to gaze at her. She had changed position and was now sitting with her head up, knees lowered, gazing down toward the village.

Those words struck a nerve and he was reminded of how uneasy he'd been as he watched the priest disappear into that tavern. He frowned and brought his hand to the back of his neck, rubbing it absently.

"Yeah, I was a little worried about leaving him. At least no one's looking for him."

"As far as we know," she responded darkly. "Did you see where he went?"

"Into a tavern," he replied, pondering whether he should set off to retrieve him. He didn't want to leave Mulan by herself; but from this position she would be able to see someone approach while remaining obscured by the tree.

"I would think we should have an easier time finding allies than enemies," she said thoughtfully. "Given the state of things and the sentiment of most people. That they would be singing the 'Ballad of Peachtree Li' in the taverns here as well."

"Yeah, it does seem like that's sung everywhere. Even before I knew what it was, I heard it in every place I went. Though we're close enough to Luoyang; maybe people are more careful about what they say here. Or sing."

"Maybe. Shang, why does he think this has anything to do with my nightmare?"

"I don't know," he answered with a worried sigh. "He's a complete mystery to me."

"My father trusts him..." she began, sending a hesitant glance his way.

He nodded. "I do, too. He seems like a good man."

"Yet you seem suspicious..."

"Oh...no...it's not that..."

"You don't believe in fortune tellers then?"

"Mm," he murmured vaguely as his mind flashed back to an old memory. "I haven't had too much contact with them. Once when I was a little boy a man told me my fortune. I couldn't have been more than seven but I remember it. He said I would be a great soldier when I grew up. And that I would live a long life and die of natural causes, not in battle."

"Well, he was right about the great soldier part."

"Of course he was," he answered with a laugh, recalling how gullible and amazed he'd been at the time, "but anyone would have been able to foretell that upon seeing me with my father who was dressed in full regalia. Chances were I was going to have a career in the military just like him."

"I guess," she conceded, tugging absently at her hood and pushing it back off of her head.

Shang studied her face as she gazed out toward the village with a sigh, noting the slight dark circles under her eyes and the exhaustion that was evident in her expression and her posture. She was trying to keep up the appearance of courage and fearlessness but he could sense her alarm. The corners of her mouth were turned down in a worried frown and her face appeared drawn and anxious. She must have felt him staring at her because she turned to him with a start, immediately realizing how tense she looked and allowing her face to relax into a smile.

"Don't look so worried about me, General."

He couldn't help feeling concerned about her, but he didn't tell her that.

"Mulan, if you want to put your head down and rest a little more, go ahead. I'll keep a look out for Li Meng-shi."

"Thanks, but it's okay. If I take too many naps now I'll never be able to get to sleep later."

xxxxxxx

Their tents were pitched behind them and a fire blazed in the center of their small encampment. They had been unable to find a deserted shelter to sleep in so they were camping, having finally found a spot long after sunset.

Li Meng-shi's report when he left that town and rejoined them was less than encouraging. No one had seen the stranger come into town and they had absolutely no description to go on. The donkey was the only distinctive feature they could possibly use to identify the man; and he had left it behind.

Mulan's spirits were extremely low after this latest bit of news from the priest and her anxiety was growing. She'd had time to think about the incident in Zhengzhou with General Huang and had come to the conclusion that he'd been expecting her. He had no reason to try to see their faces underneath the hoods that covered their heads unless he was expecting them to show up; expecting her to show up. Somehow he'd gotten word from someone that they were on their way. From someone on the inside and in their ranks, who would make trouble for her family no doubt.

"Don't worry about your father, Mulan," the priest told her as they sat before the fire eating the cooked fish that Shang had caught in a nearby stream. "Hua Zhou is as sharp as ever. And he'll be fine."

She looked up at him with a start, feeling a glimmer of hope for a moment before she suppressed it. She couldn't to allow herself to be too hopeful. Just because Li Meng-shi could read fortunes and interpret signs didn't mean he knew everything that was going to happen with complete certainty.

"You haven't exactly given us the best news," she muttered in answer finally.

"That's true. But on the up side I suspect that we'll be more apt to meet allies than enemies in these towns. No one is faring well these days."

"Did you get a description of the horse that was stolen?" Shang asked.

"They told me it was a black stallion, full grown but small in size. And very fast."

A grave expression settled across Shang's features.

"It might be nothing. This stranger really may be a thief who left a useless donkey and stole a more valuable horse," Li Meng-shi said. "The explanation could be as simple as that and may have absolutely nothing to do with us."

"I doubt it's that simple," Shang answered. "We need to be vigilant and at least one of us needs to be on watch at all times."

"I'll take the first watch tonight," Mulan volunteered. She knew she would be too upset to sleep anyway.

"Alright," he conceded, though he looked dismayed that she had offered so quickly. "I'll relieve you in the middle of the night."

"Which means that I will continue to be the most alert person during the day," the priest remarked with a glint in his eye. "That's when I'll be on watch."

Mulan averted her eyes, feeling her face grow warm. She had already heard from Shang that the priest had heard their conversation the night before and she wondered if her father had put him up to it, keeping an eye on them. Hua Zhou liked and trusted the young general; but she supposed that he was as suspicious of him as he would be of any young man when it came to his daughter. Or perhaps she was the one that he thought needed watching.

"We also need to make a choice," Shang continued. "We can move at maximum speed, no matter what the weather is like, and get to Taiyuan as soon as possible. But our speed will depend on what the horses can do and how much endurance they'll have. My horse is a good strong stallion but he's carrying both of us."

"Yes. I'm pretty thin, but it's still extra weight on the poor steed. The other choice, General Li?"

"Change direction. Go northeast for awhile then backtrack west to Taiyuan instead of going directly northwest to that city. The problem with that is we'll be heading straight into the mountains."

"My vote would be to take the most direct route at the fastest speed we can manage, General. The sooner we get to Taiyuan the better. I don't think we can afford the time it would take for a detour; unless we absolutely have to."

"Very well," Shang answered after pondering for a couple of minutes. "But I'm going to figure out an alternate route so that if there is any sign of trouble, we can detour and throw them off our trail."

"The question I have is how would this stranger have known that we were going to pass through that town? Or where we'll be headed next? He was nowhere near us to hear us converse."

"Whoever he is, he already knew our destination," Mulan interjected, her voice laced with the tension that she felt.

Shang turned to her with a worried expression.

"What if we traveled at night and laid low during the day?" she suggested.

"That's a possibility. Of course, there are dangers unique to traveling at night. Still, we would have an easier time slipping by someone who might be waiting for us," Li Meng-shi added.

"Then we should continue on our way tonight," Shang answered firmly. "If we travel all night and through the morning we should reach Jiaozuo before tomorrow evening. We can get the supplies we need and be on our way."

They quickly packed up camp and put out the fire as soon as they had finished eating. In no time they were on their way again, the thunder of hooves as they galloped at full speed the only sound in the black night.