Lady Earthquake

Lady Earthquake Chapter 36

  

   "...not fair," Ban-Li said to himself as he waited for the end. "Even if he comes back for my body, it will be too late to tell him.... I am sorry that I never told him...and why should Sun-Sin come back for it anyway? Just tell the villagers or the Wild Hawks to do it. I wonder if it is a pretty village. I hope so as I am going to be buried there." A few tears fell on the stones. "Better that his highness should just stop thinking about me. I wish I had not told him to remember me."

He looked over the edge but could not see anything now, not even a white face turned up to look at him. "I am glad I did not tell him. Sun-Sin never would have left me if he knew. And who would avenge me if we both died here?" He sighed raggedly. "I really am glad I am alone now."

Then two torches spiraled through the air, tossed in by someone standing in the entrance, and the time to repine or to regret had gone. "Do not come closer," Ban-Li said clearly. "I will kill you if you do."

"Are you Adjutant Shu by any chance?" A man, tall and broad, his face covered with an iron mask, appeared in the entrance, his bared sword in his hand.

"I am."

"I have orders concerning you. Come with us. An important personage wishes to speak with you. Drop your weapon and surrender."

"Surrender? You say you know who I am. Save your breath for fighting."

"You refuse to obey the orders of your superiors? Think again. Do not commit mutiny."

The light brought out the silver highlights on the fangs and snarling face of the Third Prince's Lion troop's leather armor. "I owe no allegiance to T'ien Luo-Bi. I would have you tell him so, but you probably will not leave this chamber alive."

"Surrender," the man said, as two more men appeared behind him. "There are too many of us."

"I have never met 'too many' before," Ban-Li said, waiting and watching to see which one would attack first. "It will be interesting to know how many it takes to overpower me. For the future, I mean. Mine, not yours. You do not have a future."

"Braggart!" He waved his men forward.

"Poor choice of last words...."

Though there was not enough room for both of them to come at him without injuring each other, this also meant that Ban-Li could not use a full cross-body motion without striking his blade on the wall. He would have to fend off an attack with his upper strength, the area in which he was not as robust as a genuine male. Usually, he relied on his speed to carry him through a bout but it would not help him here. A mistake meant disarming himself. Therefore, he went on the defensive, wishing he had thought to arrange a signal with Sun-Sin to alert him when his comrades were out of danger, instead of taking a sentimental farewell.

"Oh, well," he thought. "Sun-Sin is certain to get them away safely."

A little off-balance through using an unfamiliar weapon, Ban-Li parried twice before bringing down his opponent with a slice across the side of the throat. He had to back toward the opening behind him as the man fell sprawling in his way.

His comrade stared at the blood pouring out. "You bastard! You will pay for that!"

He had to step over his comrade's prone body. In that instant, as he glanced down, Ban-Li came at him. He lunged low, striking into the gap between chest armor and hip. The man gasped and staggered back, taking Ban-Li's sword with him.

As Ban-Li struggled to free it from the body, the first masked man ran full at Ban-Li, aiming with his blade at the boy's shoulder. Unarmed, Ban-Li fell flat at the last instant. The man tried to stop and turn, but he slid on the loose shale underfoot and fell out the cave opening, screaming.