White Sheep of the Family_A Legends of Tivara Story by JC Kang

Author:JC Kang [Kang, JC]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-05-31T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 9

Tian sat on a dirty bed, studying the cloth Naya had wrapped around his bleeding elbows as he waited for her to come back with boys’ clothes. Besides Wen, no one had been as nice to him as Naya since he’d left the imperial palace.

He sighed. The Floating World might be where men’s dreams took flight, but it seemed like they were using women as wings. Wen and Naya spent their nights holding hands with men, maybe even kissing them. Yuna would eventually grow into that life, and the cruel half-elf had apparently escaped it.

Naya’s scream rent the air, muffled only slightly by the closed door.

Tian bolted to his feet. Dressed in a girl’s dress or not, he had to do something. He opened the door and dashed out into the hall…

And would’ve careened into Jie if she hadn’t pulled up short.

“There you are,” she said. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”

Tian shook his head. “My friend is in trouble. I need to help her.”

Another shriek rang out, clearer this time, along with a loud thump.

Jie’s eyes searched his. “All right. You stay behind me.”

She clasped his hand and jogged down the hall, passing four doors to either side. Naya’s sobbing, as well as a male yelling Grown Up Words, intensified as they turned a corner.

At the far end of this new hall, two big men with scraggly beards and dressed in red vests flanked an open door. The shouting and screams came from within.

“After I took you in,” a gruff, male voice said. “After all I’ve done for you, you worthless whore, you stole what belongs to me.”

“Please, stop!” Naya pleaded.

Head forward, Tian lengthened his stride.

Jie barred his way with an outstretched arm. “Stay here until I take care of the guards.”

The men had to be twice her size, if not three, and they held clubs in their hands. What could she possibly—

Jie darted toward them, and they stared at her, wide-eyed. By the time they registered what was happening, she was among them, each motion fast, efficient, and decidedly unfair. In two seconds, both lay groaning on the floor. She gestured for him, then went into the room.

Tian hurried as fast as the tight dress would allow, and picked his way between the prone guards. By the time he came to the doorway to a spacious room, Jie was pinning a groaning man face-down to a rosewood desk. Entangling his arms in her legs like twisted dough, she held a knife to his neck. She’d also positioned herself away from a window, whose lattice shutters provided a view of an alley. On one wall, a hanging scroll tilted at an angle that begged to be righted.

“That whore tried to steal my son’s clothes,” the man said.

Naya huddled in a corner, between a table and a chair, sobbing.

“Are you all right?” Tian ran over to her.

She blinked away her tears. “Tian, you came for me.”

“You’re welcome,” Jie muttered.

Naya looked at the half-elf. “I never knew you were so…”

“Talented?” Jie shrugged.

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