The Pirate Empress by Deborah Cannon

Author:Deborah Cannon [Cannon, Deborah]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2014-10-20T21:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

The Vermilion Bird

The camp was unguarded, and long shadows stretched across the ground. A woman carrying a skin bucket of goat’s milk moved close beneath the wall without seeing him. Children played in the open area in front of the tents. Fires smouldered, food cooked, and the smell of roasting meat sent jets of saliva into his mouth. He Zhu could not remember the last time he had fed. No time to think of his stomach. Where were Jasmine and her daughter? Where was Altan’s tent? He racked his brain trying to remember the layout of the camp. Back when he and Quan had rescued Lotus Lily from the Mongols, Esen was their ruler. If his brother was as arrogant as the former warlord, he too, would keep the biggest and most opulent tent for himself. That would be the one with the best view—the one situated on the driest and most level part of the ground, and located where all could see their chief and be awed.

Only one tent fit this description. It was pitched near a small body of water crowded with yellow reeds. The door was covered with a large, luxurious wolf pelt, the colour of melting silver. The red ball of the sun was almost gone, angling over the mirror of water, illuminating movement inside the lantern-lit tent. Two silhouettes, both seemingly on all fours, hovered over a prostrate form.

He Zhu slowly lowered himself from the stone and earth brick battlement. He went to check on his horse, saw that it was calm and fed it a handful of grass. He gave it a final pat and adjusted the crossbow on his back. Momentarily, he rested his eyes and tried to recall the vision of Jasmine and her little one, the discomfiting sight that he had witnessed in the Tiger’s Eye. All he remembered was the black mocking eyes of the fox faerie as she mouthed the words: Zhu, I have a surprise for you!

He glanced quickly at the gemstone on his right hand. What more could it tell him? He had found Jasmine. He gathered his muscles together and made a flying leap for the wall, caught the top bricks and hoisted himself up until he could see the Mongol camp. Most of the women and children had gone inside their felt tents. The livestock—bony cattle with torn hides, wiry goats and dromedaries—grazed nearby in the failing light. The stink of the animals mingled with the delicious flavours of cooking meat.

A few crumbling stones rattled below the heels of his boots, and he darted a swift look at the damage he had caused to the wall, before sending his eyes back to the campsite. Dark smoke curled against the blackening sky, and a woman met his gaze from where she tended a fire. He could see the outline of her braids. She was only a shadow amongst shadows, and he knew that was how she perceived him, too. She turned back to the fire and poked it with a stick, and Zhu took the opportunity to glide over and into the Mongol camp.

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