Delivering My Love

Chapter 16

"Why didn't you say anything?" Tai Shi snapped at Qiu. He heard shouts below, coming from the courtyard and the first floor. Tai Shi didn't move, though. The man had gone eerily still since Meili had revealed her true intentions.

"When Meili told me, your sister did find out it was me. So I feigned allegiance to her so I could figure out what she was up to you. I got the letter only moments before Meili got to your rooms," Qiu said.

"What letter?" Tai Shi spat out. Qiu could tell his patience was tiring. Too many betrayals, and he wasn't sure who he could trust. Tai Shi was going through what Qiu had been spending a week enduring all in one moment.

"The traitors, those loyal to your sister, have been communicating with late night letters. I recently began receiving them. I was surprised that they accepted me so easily, but I suspect that their plans were strong enough that having the leader of this city didn't even matter, that even I couldn't stop them, especially when I didn't know when they were coming." The shouts had grown louder now, clanging of swords clashing rising to his ears. Qiu stared at Meili, who was glowering at him. She had been broken a moment before, but now she stood firm. He envied her strength. Qiu glanced back at Tai Shi, unable to bear Meili's accusatory stare any longer.

"We need to go now. I prepared a ship for escape." Tai Shi contemplated what he had just said, and Qiu could have sworn he could see the gears turning in the man's head. "I couldn't go on the offense without knowing when they'd come and who to trust, but I did manage to get us passage out. If we go now, we can get you to safety. Please." Whether or not Tai Shi believed him, he needed the heir to at least get out safely.

Tai Shi went quiet for so long that Qiu wondered if they'd die right there on the bridge. He began to estimate the distance from the bridge to the water. He would take his chances with jumping, he decided. His eyes slid to Meili. Would she?

"Let's go then." Qiu was taken aback by the heir's decisive tone, but he quickly recovered.

"First we check her for weapons," he insisted. Tai Shi sheathed his sword and approached Meili, who showed no sign of resistance. She was wearing nothing but a silk tank and shorts, with nowhere to hide weapons. Her shorts had red handprints on it, like she had tried to wipe away the blood.

"I threw the dagger into the water," Meili confessed. She stayed still as Tai Shi pulled off his shirt and ripped it into strips. He pulled her hands behind her back and knotted her hands together tightly. Her long hair whipped in the wind that was beginning to pick up.

"TAI SHI! MEILI!" voices shouted from the east end of the bridge. Qiu recognized Kuo, Nuwa, and Liling rushing for them. They were dressed in fighting clothes, with weapons strapped to their bodies. Nuwa held a bow in her hand, a quiver stock full of arrows slung across her back. Liling palmed throwing knives, plenty more glinting around her waist.

"There's a coup d'etat happening now, and we need to get you out," Nuwa started. Her eyes went wide as she took in Meili's state. "What happened? Why are you tied up?"

Kuo lifted his weapon, a brutal sickle that glinted wickedly in the full moon. "Meili betrayed us, didn't she?" he guessed. Tai Shi nodded.

"She betrayed us and stabbed Zan Yu," he said. Liling gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. Tears welled in Nuwa's eyes. Qiu could see the man's jaw ticking, no doubt in anger that he couldn't be with Zan Yu right now. Not knowing whether the one he loved was still alive.

"Fei and Bi are with him right now. Qiu, does anyone else know how to get to the boat?" Tai Shi fired at Qiu. Tai Shi was becoming the emperor right in front of him, a leader who kept his head in chaos.