WangXian Forever Book 9: The Flower Demon

Chapter 38 Kidnapped

Rumi was trembling next to her, and at first, Li XiWang thought he was still spooked from before. But then, her sixth sense kicked in, and her burgundy eyes flew open.

There was a strange woman in their room, and she was reaching for Rumi. Li XiWang used the air in between them to push her back, and the woman, no... she was a demon! She was too surprised for a single second, but she recovered immediately, and a sly smile grew bigger on her beautiful face.

Li XiWang could hear Xiao Mao hissing and arching her back; Rumi was clinging to her, absolutely terrified, and her own heartbeat was ringing in her ears. Li XiWang knew that her parents must be busy. Otherwise, they would have never let this demon get this close to them.

She produced the spell to create a bubble around her; mostly because it would buy them some time, and then she could go and fetch her parents. They would know how to deal with this person.

But even before she could use it, the demon had brought forth a beautiful red petaled lotus flower in the centre of her palm. With great speed, she blew it at them.

So fast, the petals separated and crumbled into a fine red mist, which covered herself and Rumi. The too sweet perfume of artificial lotus flowers stuck on the inside of her nose, and out of the corner of her eye, Li XiWang saw DaErduo change his shape into a tiny insect.

He winked at her and hid within the folds of her robes, just as she saw Rumi's eyes close. Her own eyes felt too heavy, and it was such a relief to be able to close them.

***********

Li XiWang woke up in a strange place.

She knew it was not Lotus Pier, nor Cloud Recesses... because it smelled different. Foreign and utterly unfamiliar.

She remembered what her Father Wei had told her, once upon a time:

"Li XiWang, remember, do not panic. Panic stops you doing the right things, the choices you need to make in order to survive. You have everything you need, right here," he had rested his warm palm over her heart, "and here." He gently tapped the centre of her forehead. "So use it wisely."

Alright, Father... she decides.

It is hard to be calm. She's only eleven, but she has seen her fair share of action. She was taken away by strangers when she was only eight, and if there is anything these last three years have taught her, it is this:

Nothing is ever as it seems.

So she keeps her eyes closed and uses her other senses first. She knows that her hearing and her sense of smell will be undetected if she applies those, and they are enhanced when one of the five senses are stopped.

Therefore, both the ones she's going to use should be more effective.

But she cannot smell anything.

That is in itself, very strange.

There is her own smell... and she can smell Rumi, so he is close by. Li XiWang doesn't dare to move right now because she doesn't know who can see her, and a lot can be done with the element of surprise.

There is nothing else to give her a clue as to where they might be.

Next, she strains her ears.

There's a tapping noise... but it appears to be muffled. Other than that, there's nothing else that can help her.

This is a shame because she was hoping for something more useful.

However, she knows someone is nearby. The tapping sounds erratic.

She wills her heart to calm down and cracks open her eyes, just the tiniest bit so she can get her bearings.

The light hurt her head.

She isn't sure whether this is a result of keeping her eyes closed all this time, or was it  because of whatever that demon had used on them? The doctor's part of her mind was trying to figure out what that red powder contained.

She briefly smelled valerian root and cannabis... just a tinge of that and lavender. But the mist had evaporated too fast for her to get a proper read on what it was. She blinked a few times until her eyes became used to the brightness of the room.

It appears to be a cave.

This is Li XiWang's first impressions of this place.

It's bright because of the sunshine coming in through a circular window. The sides of this place are rounded, and Li XiWang thinks the view is very much like from the inside of a termite nest, near the top. There is a shimmering screen separating them from everything, and she is only aware of its presence because the colours change.

It resembles the wings of a dragonfly; transparent yet iridescent.

It is a barrier, and it is there for a reason.

Li XiWang is unsure whether she should touch it or not.

Maybe later. She is more concerned about Rumi.

Since there is no one here, Li XiWang thinks it's safe to sit up.

Rumi is lying right next to her, fast asleep.

The good news is that their hands and feet aren't tied.

So Li XiWang takes her sleeve and wipes her brother's face, hoping that this action will help him to stir, that he'll wake up.

There's nothing.

If she didn't know any better, Li XiWang would have thought Rumi was just sleeping peacefully next to her. But he's always awake first, out of the two of them.

It's been a really long time since she's beaten him in the race to get up in the mornings.

So his unconscious state begs the question: Is this a result of the dosage being too strong for his smaller body? It is a possibility.

Li XiWang bends and whispers in his ear, calling his name but Rumi doesn't wake up.

And then Li XiWang freezes.

"Why...hello! You're awake!"

*******

A/N

Dear Beautiful Readers,

The Universe is definitely screwing with me. There was I, minding my own business trying to get another chapter out while I've got the stupid internet, and the keyboard changes into this slanting writing.

Wattpad changed its keyboard yesterday and I hate it. I used to be able to reverse this but nothing is working, so fun times.

This is like the time I accidentally used a too small saucepan to make rice and it overspilled three times. I think I was mostly hysterical by the end of that day 😂😂😂

So whatever it's like, I hope you actually get to read this one.

Universe, if you're listening, I'm sorry for all the bad things I've ever done in my life...

Charlie.