Le Colonial by Kien Nguyen

Author:Kien Nguyen [NGUYEN, KIEN]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780316028707
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Henri followed LGc up the mountain along a path of footprints. As they ascended, the two young men passed through some thirty or more crude campsites. The main body of the peasant army clustered on the side nearer the river, while the leaders bivouacked two hundred yards higher, where they could observe the entire Hue region laid out like a map.

The trail twisted over slippery cliffs and past steep ravines until at last they came to a cave. In a clearing near its entrance, an empty hammock hung between the trunks of two banyan trees. No one was in sight. Henri peered into the darkness where the mountain was hollowed out. Beyond the opening lurked an unfamiliar dampness. The native boy went in, followed by Henri. He crouched to keep his head from hitting the low entrance.

Inside, coolness engulfed him. Toward the back of the cavern, a smoldering torch flickered. Black soot was smeared on the dome-shaped ceiling. The smells of wild herbs and rice alcohol were in the air.

Y Lan, the injured girl, lay on one side with her knees drawn up under the pink blouse. Her face was wrapped in a cloth that seemed to be bathed in some kind of plant sap. Nearby sat her sister on a rock, her chin resting on one knee. There was someone else, a woman, whose profile was lost in the surrounding blackness. A scarf was wrapped around her head. At her feet, a stone mortar held a thick reddish liquid. She soaked a round banyan leaf in the potion and handed it to Xuan. The girl then held the leaf over Y Lan’s face and pressed it lightly against the bandage covering her sister’s wound.

“Bó’ Y Lan, ba hôn chín vía, Y Lan, vê d-ây,” she chanted. The magic invocation entreated the wounded twin’s spirit, beckoning for her return.

A small fleck of red light illuminated Xuan’s exhausted, fearful face. François was nowhere in sight.

Xuan ceased her ritual to gaze at Henri. With a happy shout, she leaped over her sister and flew into his embrace. Henri was surprised, first by her reaction, and then by his own. A sudden warmth flooded his heart, and he pulled her closer to him, peering through the loose strands of her hair.

Under the torch, the woman rose to her feet, turned around, and removed her scarf. Her hair was golden, its sheen reflecting the flames. And while Henri looked on, she walked past him to exit the cave. It was Sister Lucía. Whether or not she recognized him, the nun showed no expression.

The other twin watched them from her bed. But before he could react to the shock of Sister Lucía’s presence, he saw pain course through Y Lan’s bandaged face. Henri broke away from Xuan. Her fingers, wet from the medicine, left purple marks across his tunic.

“You found us,” Xuan whispered. “We couldn’t bear to be trapped here alone. But now you’ve come.”

A cry escaped Y Lan’s throat. Her face became red as she struggled to sit up.

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