The Last Concubine (27 page)

“I
LOOK
like a boy,” Lan’xiu said in a voice of displeasure.

“Good. You will attract no undue attention that way,” Ning replied. “Battles are full of boys.”

“I like it,” Hüi teased from where he sat observing. “You look very fetching.”

It was stunning to see how handsome Lan looked in his leather armor and dark trousers. His sword hung from his belt, and he wore gauntlets on his hands. His hair was braided into a long queue at the back, and his bronze helmet stood upon the table.

“It feels strange,” Lan said. At Ning’s insistence, he also wore men’s undergarments and sorely missed the silk of his corselet.

“Dressed this way you will blend in with the troops,” Hüi said firmly. “And that will be to your advantage. Can you doubt that if Wu Min comes to fight and spies you, dressed as a woman upon the field, that all his energy will be turned to destroying you?”

“You are right,” Lan said. “I will wear a pretty dress when this battle is won.”

“And I shall—” Hüi stopped and looked at Ning.

“Tear it off her,
I
know.”

“Ning! When will you learn to hold your tongue!”

“Never!” Ning laughed. “That is what you value about me. I shall leave you alone for a quarter of an hour, but then we must be off.” He bustled out of the room and shut the door behind him.

Lan turned to Hüi with sadness in his eyes. “Why must men fight? Why can they not embrace the beauty of our land and live simple lives in peace?”

Hüi stood and came to him, taking him in his arms for a chaste embrace. “Men are not made that way. They are meant to strive and compete.”

“But to the death?”

“Tell me, my love, if your brother were here, would you let him do what evil he might desire?”

“I would fight him to the death before I let him give rein to his cruelty and evil!” Lan gritted out between clenched teeth.

“As all men do when pushed to their limit, good or bad.” Hüi tightened his hold and then released Lan, stepping away from him. “You have a gentle soul. Perhaps it would be better if I forbade you to accompany me.”

“I would like to see you try, my Lord.” Lan straightened up and smiled gallantly. “To war, my Lord, and victory for us both.”

I
T
WAS
a matter of honor to Lan’xiu to ride his horse all the way instead of traveling in one of the supply carriages. He sometimes felt that Hüi forgot what he really was, with all his concern for his supposed delicacy, and he would ride like all the other men. He was glad to see the same mare he’d ridden when they visited the summer palace, and she seemed to remember him too, nuzzling at his fingers.

After the first strangeness of his new armor and men’s clothing, Lan had gotten used to it quickly. Hüi Wei was much occupied, as a general must be, with directing operations, receiving reports from the scouts, and surveying their approach, and therefore he was not always by Lan’s side, although they tried to sleep near each other on the ground when the column halted for the night.

Unlike some generals whose sense of condescension required grandiose tents and many servants, Hüi Wei lived as his troops did, deeming speed to be the essence of victory. He could not be bothered to be weighed down with the trappings of rank.

However, Lan was never left alone. For one thing, Ning stayed close, as he had all of Lan’s life, making sure that he could not make a move without supervision. But now Lan’s personal guard also rode ringed around him. They weren’t obvious, but they didn’t permit any of the other soldiers to come closer than twenty feet. It made him feel a bit safer. Despite his training, Lan was very aware that he had no actual experience in war. His most devout hope was that he would not disgrace himself, Ning, or worst of all, Hüi Wei with his conduct in battle. He invoked his gods and omens to grant him the courage to face death bravely if that was to be his destiny.

Silently, Lan listened to Hüi review plans and maps with his generals. It soon became clear to him that Hüi Wei had lied, either to her or to himself, about directing his troops from the rear, perhaps to dissuade her from accompanying him. Lan’xiu doubted that Hüi could forego the challenge and thrill of battle even at the cost of his own life. Jiang was there as well, refusing to be left behind at this critical moment and having left the reins of government in the hands of one whom he trusted above all else, his partner, Zheng Guofang. Between them, Lan felt humbly respectful at their ability to plan to meet different eventualities and strategize to turn them to their advantage.

However, there was a part that he was there to play. Only he could prevent what the omens had revealed to him. Carefully, he had tried to speak to Hüi Wei about his visions.

“You must keep to the flatlands,” Lan said. “If you venture into the hills, it is easy to get lost.”

“I have never been lost,” Hüi boasted. “With the sun and the stars to guide me, how would I lose my way? I have never allowed an enemy to slip away and sit in comfort while he mocks me from the peaks.”

“The weather in Liaopeh—”

“—is much like weather anywhere else,” Hüi said firmly. “Do not be so fearful, my love. I will come to no harm.”

Lan lay awake in his blankets late that night, long after Hüi Wei had gone to sleep. He wished he could edge closer and gain some warmth from being held in Hüi’s arms, but he could not compromise the general’s reputation that way. The rumor that the general had taken a young soldier as his lover was not one Lan wanted to generate.

He could feel the ground move beneath him, and at first thought he might be getting dizzy, but then Jiang and Hüi sat up, listening. “They are coming,” Hüi said. And then he was gone, running for his horse.

Jiang stood and told Ning, “Get your horses. They probably won’t attack until dawn, but better on horseback than on the ground.”

Lan was already on his feet, rolling up the blankets while Ning went for their horses. Four of his guard stayed with him until his horse was brought to him. Servants collected the blankets and other items to load onto a cart while Lan sat astride his horse, pulling off the main roadway to allow the war chariots to roll past.

Captain Wen looked as calm as always, but his horse fidgeted, as if some excitement from the man was communicated to the animal.

“Captain Wen,” Lan said. “Listen to me. I know what your orders are from the general, but in battle you will take your lead from me. Those hills over there—” Lan pointed to the dark mountains, visible only in the night by the mists that hovered within the passes. “Those hills lead into the mountains of Liaopeh, my homeland. Ning and I have covered every inch of that land and we know it well. If we move, stay close by.”

“Yes, my—sir!” Captain Wen said, although a slight frown creased his forehead. He looked at Ning, who gave him a decided nod.

“I will try not to get any of us killed,” Lan said with a wry smile. “I thank you for your loyalty.” He stood in the stirrups and bowed to his guard. “I shall try to honor you by matching my courage to yours.”

The guard raised their spears almost as one in salute. It moved Lan more than the loudest shout could have, and he was comforted, knowing they would have his back. He turned his horse to follow in the tracks the chariots had left behind. The heft of his spear was comforting in his hand.

“Do you think he will come?” Ning asked quietly.

“I know he will,” Lan said. “He will not suspect I am here, so I am not his target. But Wu Min knows the hills as well as I. He has some snare devised to keep Hüi Wei facing the west. The mountains look impassable from here, and I have not been able to convince Hüi that there are ways through them. Very well, Hüi may face the west. We will guard the east.”

“Your mother was a very wise woman,” Ning commented.

Lan bit his lip as he always did when reminded of his beautiful mother, who died too soon. “Yes. She gave me you. I thank you now, Ning, if I never did so before, not only for your loyalty and love, but that you trained me as no princess has ever been trained before. Without you—”

“Ah yes, without me, you would be just the ordinary sort of princess, sitting at home and wringing your hands,” Ning said, smiling. “It was my honor to have such a good student.”

Lan stretched his free hand toward Ning and tapped his shoulder. “I will thank you again later, when we are free of this mess, but for right now, shut up.”

Ning did so, but the pride that shone in his eyes as he rode at the side of his princess made Lan very happy that they were both alive to see this day, when Lan’xiu rode free as the warrior princess he was meant to be.

Lan’xiu could see that Hüi was keeping to the rear on the top of a bluff where he could survey the battle, at least for now. He had no doubt that, if necessary, Hüi would race into the melee to turn the tide. The infantry, cavalry, and chariots had swept down off the ridge and were upon Daji’s forces before the first light of dawn, the sun rising behind them, taking him by surprise and forcing the battle to commence.

Lan could see that Hüi had not committed his entire force on one front, but sent forth enough men to lure Daji into a trap of his own choosing. But still Lan’xiu was uneasy. He and Ning increasingly turned to the east. The mists did not lift from the mountains, as they often lingered in early spring. The sun was not yet strong enough to burn the mists off, and mountains loomed, gloomily shrouded in gray.

The sound of the battle was fearful, and Lan could not catch any warning noises from the mountainside. He turned back to view the battle below and suddenly caught the flash of something metal on the field. He grasped Ning’s arm. “Did you see that?”

“They signal for aid, Lan’xiu,” Ning agreed grimly.

Both of them turned to stare into the mountain passes, but the mists were too thick to allow any sign to be seen. Or so Lan’xiu thought. All of a sudden, he caught sight of a feeble flash of light.

“There. We must go,” Lan muttered. “Captain Wen, tell your men to ride softly and have their spears ready. No unnecessary noise. Take your cue from Ning and me.”

“What are you doing, your Highness?” Wen asked urgently.

“Making sure that General Qiang Hüi Wei and his men live to enjoy their victory,” Lan said.

C
APTAIN
W
EN
quickly ordered his men to ride quietly, making sure to muffle the scrape and clank of their weapons. As a good commander, he took the lead behind Lan’xiu and Ning, not wanting to risk his troops where he dared not ride himself.

Although he had come to know Ning in the physical sense, there was much about his lover that yet remained a mystery. His body was like neither that of a woman nor a man, but an intriguing combination of both with strong muscle and smooth skin. He knew nothing of Ning’s past or how he had come to be cut, but he had the idea that for Ning, the decision to be made eunuch had not been easy or even voluntary. And the princess; perhaps in Liaopeh, princesses were given a different sort of training than he knew of, but the way they handled their weapons awakened a new respect within him.

The princess was clearly at ease with a spear in her hand, and he had seen her facing Second Wife with a sword reddened with Ci’an’s blood. But Ning! He could be no mere bedchamber servant! Clearly, he must be a warrior of the first order. Even Lan’xiu fell back to let him lead the way.

The sounds of the battle behind him seemed distant and haunting from within the alien, jagged shapes of the red rock that surrounded them. Where Wen would not have suspected a man could pass, Ning and Lan’xiu led the small group ever farther between narrow, twisting walls. Above them rock towered and shut the daylight away from them. Every now and then, they emerged into a clear area where the mists still hung low in spooky, ghostlike tendrils.

And still Ning led the way farther on the winding passageway that led higher into the peaks. Uneasily, Wen turned in his saddle, keeping watch behind them and peering up into the dim light, lest some lookout posted above drop down on them.

At last Ning raised his hand and Lan’xiu halted her horse. She turned to signal Wen silently, indicating that he range his men on either side of a narrow opening. He was unsure, but she was not satisfied until all his men were hidden from view, having urged their horses into narrow breaks in the jagged walls.

He positioned himself where he had a clear view. If any harm befell the princess, it would be his duty to bear this news back to his general, after which he would kill himself in an act of apology and contrition. Preferring to live, he decided he needed to keep a keen eye on whatever transpired to be ready to defend her.

The princess and Ning sat upon their horses, neither speaking nor looking at each other. The watchfulness in their bodies seemed to have communicated itself to the animals, for they also were still. Not even a snort or incautious movement marred the silence.

A man wearing the armor of the Liaopeh appeared suddenly within the narrow gap, and Wen was seized with suspicion. What did he actually know about Ning or the princess? He had admired her insistence that she not be left behind, but this clandestine meeting made him angry and uneasy, lest she betray the general. Yet something made him wait to see what would happen.

The young Liaopeh man was shocked into reining in, and his horse reared and whinnied. He hurriedly gained control over his mount again and stared at the two men who blocked his way. Without saying a word, he turned and disappeared back the way he came.

Still Ning and the princess did nothing, moved not a muscle, spoke no word. It seemed to Wen as if they could read each other’s minds, and he wondered if they had given the Liaopeh soldier some sign imperceptible to him.

Wen was about to ride forward and demand some explanation when sounds beyond the gap caught his attention. As he waited, an older man rode into the small clearing. Judging by his armor, he seemed to be a Liaopeh general at least, and his cruel, angular face was alight with amusement.

“Princess Lan’xiu, you come to show me the way to your new owner. How very kind,” the man said with immense confidence. “And your little toady still rides by your side. I can’t think what your general can be thinking to permit you to scamper around unchained. He must be softer in the head than I supposed.”