Love or Law

Fire!

As the morning wore on and the camp was packed up with the efficiency that came with long practice, it became abundantly clear to Shang that Ping was avoiding him. In fact, the girl was being so obvious about it the other soldiers had begun to catch on to what was happening. He could see them watching their interactions, or lack of, with extreme curiosity and a little amusement. She was being ridiculous! Nothing happened, they simply slept close to each other for warmth! Compared to their first sleeping encounter, what they did last night should have been no big deal!

So why was she avoiding him? Shang determined that he would track her down and call her out on her actions but, before he could, the men were packed and it was time to get underway. Ping ensured that she led Khan and kept their wagon at the back of the line, as far away from Shang as she could possibly get. Growling under his breath in frustration, Shang took his place at the head of the company and led them into the Tun-chou Pass.

Almost immediately Shang felt his nerves go on edge. The Pass was the perfect place for an ambush. It was his goal to use this to his advantage but there was a chance the Hun's had pounced on the opportunity as well if they'd become aware that they were being followed. Shang decided that they would proceed with extreme caution and make as little noise as possible. He quietly passed the orders to his Lieutenant to be relayed back through the company. It was imperative that they keep their presence as unobtrusive as possible.

Keeping his mount to a slow walk, Shang cautiously plowed a path through the new fallen snow. The air was crisp and the silence absolutely complete, making every little sound echo off the canyon walls and amplifying it. The rock walls slowly grew taller as they made their way further into the mountain range until the sky above their heads was a strip of brilliant blue while where they were walking was cloaked in shadow. They marched for a couple miles, steadily upwards, before the cliffs began to recede and their path grew wider and wider until they came to an area where their company could stretch out in one long line and still not reach the edges of the clearing. The snow was deeper here, almost to knee height and it slowed their progress further.

It was here that disaster struck.

A.N. Hmm...should I stop right here? Nah!

***KA-BOOM!***

Shang reined in his horse and stared over his shoulder in horror at the cloud of smoke and gunpowder hanging over their heads. Wheeling his mount around he pushed the horse as quickly as it could go back through the line of his men, closely followed by Chi-fu and his Lieutenants. He followed the trail of smoke down to the culprit. Anger pulsed behind his eyes.

Ping. The cannon had come from Ping's wagon. What was the girl thinking! Pulling up just short of her, he glared down at the girl who was becoming the worst sort of distraction in his life.

"What happened?" He barked at her. He watched as her eyes shifted sideways,

"Uuuhh..."

Without waiting to hear her excuses, Shang thrust a finger up at the sky and the remains of the misfired cannon yelling, "You just gave away our position! Now we're..!" But he didn't get to finish his rant as a soft buzzing sound filled the air and Shang found himself hit by an incredible force that shoved him off his horse and sent a sharp pain radiating through his shoulder. Knowing immediately what this meant and not allowing himself to focus on the pain, Shang yanked the arrow out of his armor and flesh, yelling to his men.

"Get out of range!"

His men immediately scattered, trying to find defendable positions so they could face their attackers. More arrows showered down on their heads, some of them glowing red with flame. A horse squealed in panic over his men's shouts. Shang heard a whoosh of sound come from the same direction and turned to find one of the wagons ablaze. Ping's wagon.

"Save the canons!" Shang ordered above the ruckus. His heart screamed a different kind of order. Save Ping! His men instantly swarmed around the wagon as Ping attempted to keep her horse under control until the last possible minute.

"Empty it! Empty it!"

"Come on, men, save them!"

"Save them!"

Most of the men formed an efficient assembly line and began removing cannons as fast as they could, while Po grabbed an enormous armload and ran for cover. Ping, taking advantage of her horse's distraction at the men, managed to unsheathe her sword and cut the beast loose of the raging inferno. Just as she did so, Shang watched in horror as the wagon exploded in a huge blast of noise and light. It threw his men back several feet and Shang lost his visual of Ping as he struggled to his feet, ears ringing from the blast.

Yao grabbed him up and they helped each other beat a hasty retreat, Shang all the while keeping a desperate watch for Ping. Finally he saw her. She had managed to mount Khan and was barreling after them as they took refuge in a large pile of boulders. It wasn't the most strategic location but it would have to do. Determined to give Ping cover as she raced towards them under a steady hale of flaming arrows, Shang began barking orders to his men until they had a decent line of cannons at the ready.

"Fire!" He bellowed.

The roar of the cannons echoed his shout. Before the first round even made contact with the cliffs their attackers were cowering within, his men were already reaching for more cannons. Ping reached the shelter of the rocks, causing Shang no small amount of relief, but he couldn't afford to linger on that thought.

"Fire!" Shang ordered once more.

Another round of blasts slammed into the cliff side. The few arrows that had still been raining down on them ceased as smoke billowed back to them, obscuring their view.

"Hold the last cannon!" Shang ordered, on seeing that Yao was the only one with a cannon still available to fire. An eerie silence fell after his words, seemingly made quieter after the clamor and roar of warfare. The cannon smoke eddied in the air around them, swirling in the crisp mountain air, reeking of gunpowder and death. It was as if, in that one moment, the world had simply come to a stop, shocked by the noise and violence that had just occurred. Every being in existence seemed to hold its breath.