The Wandering God

21 Go Among Enemies With Only One's Sword 2/2

單刀赴會
dāndāofùhuì
To go among enemies with only one's sword.
To go alone into enemy lines.

The ship Zhangyu's soldiers had commandeered waited at the dock below, a large sea barge stacked with crates of unknown cargo. No sooner had Sanli, Zakhar and Kageyama boarded with Zhangyu and his men than the ship cast off, moving into the bay.

A soldier crossed the deck and approached Zhangyu. "Lord Zhen is approaching with Lady Ermi in a small vessel, estimated to make land in about an hour."

"The dragon?"

"He leapt into the bay and... started swimming out to sea my lord."

"Follow him," said Zhangyu. When the soldier hesitated. "Quickly!"

"We should pick up Ermi first," said Sanli, laying a hand on Zhangyu's shoulder.

"Once Guang Han gets outside the Circle, he is beyond our reach," Zhangyu said. "If we want to try him, we need to reach him before he passes through The Wall."

"Get your sister first," Sanli said firmly. His fingers dug into Zhangyu's shoulder.

Zhangyu glanced at Sanli. "Fine." He turned to the hesitating soldier, who had been looking back and forth between the two princes. "Make a course to intercept Zhen's vessel and retrieve my sister."

The soldier saluted and hurried to follow orders, and Zhangyu turned to make his way to the helm, talking with the navigator. Sanli crossed the deck to where Kageyama and Zakhar waited. Zakhar was pulling splinters and bits of broken glass from his back while Kageyama paced restlessly nearby.

"We're going after Ermi," Sanli said.

"Good," Kageyama replied, continuing to pace.

Zakhar looked relieved. "Sanli, there's something in my right shoulder, I can't get at it, can—"

"I'll get it, Big Boy," said a voice. Liang'yi stepped from the door of the cabin and walked toward them, the heels of her leather boots loud on the deck.

"What are you doing here, Liang'yi?" asked Sanli is surprise.

"Rescuing the little princess, obviously. Sit down Big Boy, you're too tall." Zakhar obediently sat on one of the many crates littering the deck. The Dachuo ripped a hole in Zakahr's shirt, exposing his bleeding shoulder. "Good job losing her, by the way, fox," said Liang'yi to Kageyama.

"Fuck you, rabbit!" exploded Kageyama. "Maybe if you did your bloody job for a change, I wouldn't have to look after her!"

Sanli stepped forward to lay a hand on Kageyama's arm. His teacher shrugged away and resumed pacing.

Liang'yi appeared unaffected. "I was busy watching the dragon," she replied, gesturing toward Guang Han's extravagant estate, which was growing smaller behind them. "Piracy, extoration, slavery, fraud.... did you know he robs his own ships?"

No one said anything. No one was surprised.

The storm from last night had stopped, but the dark clouds still hung over head, and the waves were choppy, causing the large ship to roll to the side. As they sailed further out into the bay, the eastern sky above the horizon lightened, a pale cream. With the steel grey clouds, above and the dark ocean below, Sanli felt like he was trapped in a tunnel, with the distant dawn guiding them toward the entrance.

"Ow!" Zakhar grunted. Liang'yi's thin fingers prodded at his cut flesh, still unable to find whatever was lodged in his right shoulder.

"Hold still," said Liang'yi, frustrated. Then she withdrew her fingers, and tugged one of the two short swords at her belt free. "No choice, it's in too deep, we'll have to cut it out."