The Wandering God

9 Hide One's Thoughts and Feelings 2/2

不露聲色
bùlùshēngsè
Don't reveal your thoughts in your voice or countenance.
To not reveal one's true thoughts, to not show or betray one's feelings.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Zakhar kept his right hand on the wall of the tunnel and used it to guide him. Occasionally, he would pass an opening, another tunnel branching off to nowhere, and for a second his hand would hang in space, and Zakhar would suddenly feel very alone, suspended in nothing. Then his hand would meet the smooth sandstone again, grounding him in reality.

Faint voices echoed back to him, guiding him to where Sanli must have caught up with Ao. The light filtering back from Sanli's torch brightened with every turn Zakhar made. Zakhar ducked under a low part of the tunnel, where the rock had not been washed away evenly, then stood once more. Then he froze, realizing from the loudness of the voices and the brightness of the light that Sanli and Ao were just around the next bend.

"You're not crying, are you?" Sanli's voice.

Ao's snort sounded like the rasp of pebbles against the cave floor. "Why would I be crying?" she asked. "You think someone's never raised their voice to me before?"

"Zakhar didn't mean to yell," Sanli continued, "He just-"

"I'm sure he has his reasons," Ao cut Sanli off before he could continue, and Zakhar was grateful.

"Are you looking for something?" asked Sanli. The echo of their voices made Zakhar think that perhaps the tunnel opened out around the corner.

"I'm trying to figure out which tunnel leads to..." her voice trailed off, distracted.

"Leads to?" prompted Sanli.

"Leads to where I want to go," said Ao, then she sighed. "But I can't remember."

"You've been here before?" Sanli sounded surprised.

There was a pause, during which Zakhar heard the sound of rocks shifting beneath feet. When Sanli spoke again, the tone and topic of the conversation had changed.

"You never did tell me," he said, in a low voice, so low Zakhar had to lean around the corner to catch it. "How you know The Sixth God's prayer."

"And you never told me the question you want to ask The Sixth God if you find her," Ao countered.

"When I find her," corrected Sanli, and Zakhar heard Sanli take a step forward even as his voice lowered. They must be standing close together now. "I want to ask her which-"

"San!" Zakhar interjected, stomping around the corner. "There you are. Mind if I have a word?"

As he had thought, Ao and Sanli were standing close together in the middle of a large cave hung with huge stalactites. The torch was held aloft in one of Sanli's hands, the light from it flickering on the wet that ran down the ridged lines of the strange natural sculptures running from roof to floor.

At his interruption, they both turned to him, irritation on their faces. Zakhar wondered if it was directed at him. Probably.

Oh well, let them be irritated. What did he care?

"Ao, could I have a talk with Sanli about something?" Zakhar asked.

Ao's eyes, cool in the torchlight, studied him. Then she nodded and moved toward the tunnel Zakhar had just emerged from.

"Ah, you can take the light, I'll make another-" said Sanli after Ao.

Without turning, Ao dismissed his offer with a wave of her hand. "Don't need it." Placing her fingers on the tunnel wall, she disappeared into the darkness.