another, searching for others to kill. Her body quivered, her hands clenched into fists, tears rolled freely.
Grandmom…
Tat…
Granddad…granddad, I’m so sorry…
Reiko…Reiko…
Her world went blurry. She screamed. As she screamed, her mind unleashed.
It was a shriek that could be heard for miles, echoing in every direction. Her mind screamed in protest and felt as though it might explode, but she could no longer hold it back. She wanted these creatures, and all like them, DEAD.
After a moment, the rage passed. Her scream faded.
Isobella Flats burned. Three large, orange blobs lay where the creatures had once stood. Their minds had gone silent.
Drained, Angelica fell to the ground, her wings going out.
Wood crackled and shattered as Isobella Flats came apart. Angelica could do nothing but stare. The tears were still coming.
Those creatures, whatever they were, had been sent specifically to kill them. No, not just kill them, wipe out any evidence that the Escorts had ever existed.
She knew it was because of the decree. She wondered if similar attacks were happening at all of the other Radiants. If there were no escorts to assimilate the transcendent, they were free to be discovered by whoever came along.
She wondered if it had truly been quick thinking that had saved her life. Maybe the creatures hadn’t expected resistance. Did Yin really do this?
She nearly didn’t feel the presence until it was almost on top of her. Behind her, another transcendent, this one confused and afraid, was coming through the Radiant.
Angelica barely had time to discern a young girl before snatching her out of the pool and pinning her to the ground.
“Who are you?!” Angelica demanded.
The girl, naked, covered herself protectively and blinked rapidly, looking around. “What…”
Angelica shook the girl violently. “I said who are you?! Talk! Now!”
The girl rapidly shook her head. “Lihua…my name’s Lihua. Please, I don’t know where I am, please. Don’t…don’t hurt me…”
Angelica regretted her actions as the familiar feeling of what she was supposed to do took over. She rose from the girl and extended a hand. “Lihua, hm?” She said, forcing a smile.
Lihua looked at Angelica apprehensively. “My name’s Angelica. I’m sorry I attacked you.”
After a moment, Lihua accepted Angelica’s hand, and the escort helped the new arrival to her feet. “What happened here? Where am I?” Lihua asked, turning and looking across the burning town.
“You’re safe.” Angelica replied, turning Lihua back to face her. “And if you come with me, I promise to keep you that way.”
LIHUA FAN: The Newborn
Three arrows found the door in rapid succession, each impact a little louder than the previous one. The third struck with such force that it went clear through the tan wood, and an ebony arrowhead suddenly appeared.
Inside the shack, Ai tended a sleeping newborn with an elderly midwife. Startled by the arrows in the door, the two leapt and turned. The midwife instinctively raised a small knife she kept concealed within her sleeve.
When no immediate danger presented itself, Ai and the midwife exchanged a glance that spoke volumes. They knew what had to be done.
Two more arrows found the door, threatening to knock it from its weakened hinges. Ai left the stirring baby with the midwife and dashed over to Lihua, who slept deeply on the makeshift bed she’d given birth on. Ai winced, looking over the young girl. She was pale and sweaty, her breathing slow and shallow. There was no way she was ready to travel, but there was no longer any other choice.
“Lihua…” Ai tried to be gentle at first, placing a hand on Lihua’s chest and shaking gently. Lihua didn’t react.
The ground thundered outside and the rickety shack began to sway unsteadily, loose boards colliding with each other as the entire house threatened to collapse. Along the wall, left of the door, four more arrows struck the ramshackle home, the last one shattering the paneling and opening a hole to the world.
Women were screaming as they ran for their lives. Men in all-too-familiar armor laughed derisively as they chased the women down.
Ai’s heart sank as she surreptitiously observed the carnage. She’d really wanted to believe that it was bandit raid. She’d hoped some aimless robbers had gotten lucky and happened across the White Village, long hidden and nestled safely between two mountains.
Faced with the destruction of the female sanctuary, Ai was forced to acknowledge the truth. It had taken months, but she and Lihua had finally been tracked down.
Ai watched a scene unfold that she’d seen too many times already. An agent of Lord Shihong, dressed in the night-black mask and armor adorned with an eagle plucking a worm from the ground, ran down a young woman who tripped and fell into a haystack. The agent laughed—they all laughed—as he drew his Dao sword and approached her menacingly. As she pleaded for her life, hands raised, the agent raised the sword high to strike the fatal blow…and then swooped down upon her suddenly, picking her up and tossing her over his shoulder like a sack of laundry. He disappeared into the nearby house, and after a moment, her screams grew louder, longer, and more piercing. Ai knew from personal experience, as poor Lihua did, that the sword would’ve been the more merciful option.
“You have to go.” The midwife whispered quickly, “I will wrap the baby. Rouse your friend.”
Ai only then realized that she’d had her fist clenched so hard that it was shaking.
Ai knew that the slaughter was just a bonus for these thugs. They were here for Lihua and her baby.
She could no longer afford to be delicate. Ai took Lihua by the shoulders and shook hard, raising her from the haystack. “Lihua! Wake up!”
Lihua’s eyes blinked rapidly and her entire body quivered as though she’d been pulled out of a freezer. Ai felt so sorry for the young girl that she nearly cried. Lihua should’ve been relaxing and enjoying the miracle she’d just created. Instead, she was, once again, about to run for her life.
“A…Ai?” Lihua managed as she tried to force herself awake.
Two more arrows lodged themselves in the side of the home. Ai and the midwife gasped as flames leapt from the second arrow, catching on the wall and spreading quickly.
To their dismay, the baby began to cry.
For a moment, outside, the conflagration stopped. Every agent of Lord Shihong ceased what they were doing and turned towards the shack.
The one in extravagant armor, with extensive, pointed shoulder guards and a blood red/green death mask, pointed at the house and roared in an animalistic voice; “There! That house!”
Ai’s mouth fell open in horror. Ro.
They were fifty yards away on foot, having abandoned their horses to enjoy the pillage. It wasn’t much time, but it was better than nothing.
As the agents charged the house, roaring, the midwife completed her task quickly and wrapped the baby in as many towels and blankets as she could find. Ai helped Lihua to her feet, putting the young girl’s arm around her neck to hold her up. Lihua was burning with such a fever that Ai could feel her sweating through the thin robe they’d given her upon arrival. “My baby…” Lihua moaned groggily, “Where’s my baby?”
Despite their deaths bearing down on them, the midwife smiled and handed Ai the screaming newborn. “Your baby is here.” The midwife replied, “She’s healthy and hungry.”
Lihua smiled. The sight of her new daughter gave her the strength to stand upright. She moved the towel away from her daughter’s face, and for a moment, she just stared.
The midwife scrambled as the voices outside drew close. Squatting beside Lihua, she threw some loose hay off to the side and opened a small door that had been concealed in the floor. She rose, breathing heavily. “Stay to the right.” She instructed, “No matter which way the path goes, stay to the right. You’ll find your way out.”
Lihua was st
ill feverish. Her body burned, and she had a hard time keeping a thought. She felt as though she’d throw up.
“Come with us.” Ai offered as she secured Lihua’s daughter.
The midwife shook her head. “No time. Go, now.”
Lihua stepped warily, wobbling down the ladder and immediately falling to all fours once she was in the tunnel. Ai held the baby tightly and leapt, bypassing the ladder. The midwife hurriedly closed the door behind them, and they were sealed in.
Lihua rose unsteadily, placing a hand at her head to ease the burning. The tunnel seemed to go on forever, and illuminated by rows of bright torches that had been built into sturdy-looking wooden arches, each spaced several feet apart. The tunnel curved off to the left and was wide enough to accommodate everyone in town.
“It’s for evacuation. This way will probably lead us to the Hidden Village.” Ai surmised as they familiarized themselves. Lihua nodded in agreement and turned to Ai. “May I have my baby, please?”
Ai looked at her hesitantly, “Are you sure?”
Lihua nodded, smiling, holding out her arms. Her long black hair had become somewhat matted in front, as she was drenched with sweat. Ai moved several strands of hair away from Lihua’s face and then handed her the baby.
The child went quiet in her mother’s arms.
Despite the severity of their circumstances, Lihua couldn’t stop smiling. She began to sing the same lullaby that Ai had sung to her when they first met.
Above, barely audible through the thick floor, wood could be heard shattering. Ai and Lihua froze, looking up at the