“Why does his brother have to fight at all? Shen has made the sacrifice all ready.”
“Those are the rules, and as long as the Jīn keep attacking us, we’ll never be able to change them, because we need all the manpower we can muster.”
I run my hand over the instruments on the table again and pick up a knife. I step forward and hand it to Jaxon. Shen looks up at me and laughs,
“Is this the quality of soldier you’re recruiting these days? The war will be over before it’s started. I’ve got more muscle in my left ring finger than the boy has.”
“That can be changed.” Jaxon moves in the blink of the eye and uses the knife to swiftly sever the man’s left ring finger from his body.
Shen screams out in pain as his blood spurts from the wound. I feel something land on my face and raising my hand up, I trace a path with my fingers across my cheek, and when I lower them, I see crimson smearing the tips. I feel no emotion. It’s like I’m dead inside. This man bleeding over me has killed my people. He deserves what’s happening to him. I’m no longer an insipid woman hidden away from the horrors of war. This is reality, and I’m standing here discovering the truth.
Gaozu is a good man who’s protected his people for as long as he can, but our way of life is being threatened by a tyrant. We’re free people not slaves. No one should be allowed to rule us through fear. Wang is evil and must die. I pick up another knife and step closer to Jaxon. His eyes darken, so all I can see is the black of his pupils. Before either man has a chance to react, I sever another finger from Shen without blinking. His eyes widen in shock when he realizes I’ve joined Jaxon in torturing him. I’ve given free rein to a darker side of me I never knew existed. This is not mindless cruelty, though, this is about doing what’s needed to save my people and to solidify my change.
“The tide is changing, and we’re different people now. The Yi Shu is rising above the Jīn Long. Tell the blond demon what he wants to know, and I’ll ensure your family remain safe. As you say. I’m just a boy, and I’ve never witnessed Wang’s cruelty, but I can imagine the horrors in my head because of the terror I see in your eyes. Nobody should live in fear. We are free people here in America, and it must stay that way. This is a world of plenty for all—give your family that, even if it can’t be yours.”
My eyes remain fixed on Shen as I step backward, not turning, to place the bloodied knife on the table. Jaxon raises his knife again and grasps Shen’s ear in his hand as I retreat to my chair aware all the eyes in the dark are on me. My entire body is shaking. I’m finding my place in the world, and I know I have no choice but to accept it now.
“I’d do as the boy says, or those will be the last words ringing in your ears.”
“Fuck you.” Shen growls through gritted teeth, “I’ll never talk to you.”
Jaxon closes his eyes and takes a deep breath before he swishes his wrist and severs the man’s ear from his body in a clean cut.
“Go to hell,” Shen screams out, “You can chop off every part of my body, and I’ll never break.”
Several other body parts follow before I learn that every man has a tolerance level at which point they break. Shen finally concedes defeat after a renewed promise of safety for his family. He relays information about a planned attack tomorrow on another warehouse complex we use for training on the outskirts of San Francisco. Wang’s favorite general will be leading the raid, and it will provide the perfect opportunity for us to strike a blow at the heart of the Jīn Long.
Jaxon steps back and bows to Shen when he has all the information he needs. Out of the shadows one of the assassins steps forward and lunges a sword through Shen’s back. It passes through his body, the tip exiting from his chest, and Shen looks down at the blood covered metal. Sliding from my chair, I stand with my head bowed, and the room falls silent except for the sounds of the dying man. After the sword is removed, we remain in silence until Shen breathes his last. I sniff the air again. Jaxon was right—I don’t smell the scent of death any longer even though I know it’s there.
“Go rescue his family. I shall inform Gaozu of what we were told,” Jaxon orders before turning to me.
The other men in the room leave, taking Shen’s body with them. We’re alone now, apart from the rats I can hear scurrying somewhere distantly, no doubt getting ready to search for their dinner among the leftover scraps from Shen’s torture. Jaxon takes a step toward me, and involuntarily I step back, my legs hitting the chair as I stare up at him. The intensity between us is burning like a volcanic eruption.
“Prepare yourself, Zhàn, son of Lin Zhànshì – warrior –tomorrow you enter the battle, and it’s one you might not return from,” Jaxon warns before striding out of the room without another word.
I finally let out the breath I’ve been holding. I don’t know who I’m becoming, but I hope I can recognize the moment when I need to stop and don’t take a path I can never return from.
I look through the binoculars to where several members of the Jīn Long are setting a trap for us. Little do they know, they’ll be the ones walking into our snare.
“How many of them are there, sir?” Kuo asks beside me.
“I can’t tell exactly, sir. Maybe thirty or forty. There’s no sign of the general.”
I hand the binoculars over to Kuo and slide back down the hill we’re perched on to where the rest of the soldiers are waiting. My training team member stays behind on watch.
Zhàn stands in line, focused and ready for the fight. After seeing his actions in the torture room last night, I know he’s definitely a match for me, and my dick agrees even though it’s in a way I’m not sure I want to consider.
Knowing we are out of earshot of the Jīn, I reiterate our plan to strike a blow to the very heart of them.
“The men on this side.” I point to a group of the assembled men. “You’ll attack from the left, and the men on the other side will take the right. The remainder will approach from the front with me. We want to take prisoners. These Jīn Long recruits are new, and we need to rescue them from the situation they’ve found themselves in. They can provide us with useful information, and in return we can save them and their families from Wang’s tyranny.“
All the men bow before me, heads low, signifying they understand my orders.
The sound of a man sliding down the hill has me turning my head. Kuo lands on his feet beside me.
“He’s here, sir, and he’s brought more soldiers with him.”
I nod and turn to the men again.
“For the honor of the Yi Shu, and our peaceful way of life.”
I pull my batons from where they are strapped to my back, and we launch our attack. All of us racing forward into position. Zhàn stays at my side, his sword drawn, his face masking all emotions, but his eyes betray a torrent of them.
“Yi Shu,” I yell out loud, and we run toward the Jīn.
Our enemy were not expecting us to come from behind them. They thought we were in the warehouse they’ve been preparing to attack. We’ve successfully ambushed them, and the terror of it shows as they struggle to form a battle line. My men do just as they’ve been told and begin to take prisoners. A few of our men fall. Sadly, I wasn’t wrong when I told them the Jīn would fight to the death over fear of what will befall their families if they don’t.