A Wuxia Tale: Blade in Training

Secrets

(WANG HUA)

"Be strong, my flower..."

Those words and a smile on her bloodied lips were the last things my Nanny gave to me before the sparkle left her eyes. Before life left her body.

My Nanny is dead.

Nadira killed her. With a dagger on my Nanny's chest that pierced her heart...my Nanny is dead.

And now I am pursuing the person who took someone so precious to me. As fury beyond anything I felt before start to wrap around my broken heart, I fixed myself on one mission.

Kill Nadira.

I will kill her. This day won't be over until I have her lifeless body on my feet.

I will kill her. Or die trying.

I continued running as I ready an arrow on the bow in my hand. I lifted that bow up, focused on my target and without any hesitation released the arrow.

"Uhmp!" Even with the distance between us, I still heard Nadira's gasp when the arrow I released caught the back of her shoulder. I readied another bow and stopped running. "Stop!" I shouted to Nadira. "Or the next arrow will be on your head." I added.

Nadira stopped. Then she turned around to face me. In the darkness on our surrounding, only the half moon serves as our light, I watched as Nadira reached behind her to snap the arrow embedded on her back shoulder. She wouldn't be stupid enough to pull the whole arrow out, that will leave a gaping wound on her body and she will bleed to death.

I don't want her to bleed to death. I want her to die while begging forgiveness for killing my Nanny.

My Nanny.

My poor Nanny.

My vision blurred for a moment before I retract those tears back. This is no time for me to cry. Not now. Not yet.

I still have to avenge my Nanny. From this...monster...who had the gall to smile at me.

"I'm not scared of your arrow, Wang Hua." Nadira said with full confidence. "You seemed trained like your brother but I highly doubt you are as fast as Wang Dao. Didn't I almost kill you inside your home?"

"Then run," I urged her. "Want to know a little secret? Dao is exceptional with daggers, like he said...he never miss. But the secret is, I am better at hitting my target with my arrow than my brother is with his blade. So run, Nadira...and you will learn more secrets about me."

I will give all my secrets to her. And then I will kill her...using all my secrets.

Nadira's smile vanished to be replaced by a fierce look on her eyes. "Kill me and you will start a war. Kingdoms go to war for their Royals." She said.

I shook my head to her. "You are no royal. And even if you are, I don't care. I will kill you, blue blood or not, and will take my just punishment. At least my Nanny will be waiting for me in the afterlife."

Nadira sneered. "You are willing to die to avenge a servant? What about Wang Dao...what will he do if his precious twin die? What about General Wang and that estate manager? The people who loves you..."

She is goading me, I know that. But she won't succeed, I already made up my mind to end her life. I won't be emotional. I won't be swayed. I have her on my sight.

"What will they do? They will raze the Mughal Kingdom for me," I answered in full cold confidence. "They will do what they have to do to rescue me or avenge me. Either way, you will still be dead. And for me, that's all that matters."