Dreaming of Zhou Gong

  ‘Yes, you are.’ Hudan reached out and touched his cheek, unafraid to make contact with him, for Shi felt like kindred already. He had seen her at her most vulnerable, and she would never forget the horror that he had spared her. ‘I owe you my life, brother, and for that I am eternally grateful.’ She leant over and kissed his cheek. Shi was completely stunned.

  ‘I expected you would want to kill me this night.’ Shi was clearly much happier with this outcome, and held a hand over the cheek she’d kissed as if to protect the gesture and treasure it.

  Hudan shook her head, and smiled. ‘My sister could not have found a more worthy mate to father her children. I could hardly deny my own nieces and nephews the opportunity of knowing you.’

  Shi was touched by her words, but still he feared there would be repercussions. ‘I doubt very much the Great Mother and Tian share your good opinion of me.’

  ‘Well, I cannot say what the Great Mother and Tian think of Ji Shi the young lord of Zhou … but, I can tell you that the Great Mother has a very soft spot for the white tiger who spared me from defilement, and fulfilled Huxin’s desire to bear offspring of her own rare breed. That tiger has effectively made the Great Mother an expectant grandmother and she could not be more excited.’

  ‘Really.’ Shi was greatly relieved. ‘You mean Huxin had heaven’s blessing to mate?’

  Hudan nodded to confirm this. ‘She is the only one amongst us who has Tian’s blessing to choose her own mate.’

  ‘Oh, brother!’ He threw his arms around her, squeezed and twirled her, then let her go just as abruptly. ‘That is the best news, ever.’

  ‘As to who that tiger really was …’ Hudan grinned to conclude their chat. ‘I shall never tell.’

  ‘Shi, get up, we’re leaving.’

  By the time Shi opened his eyes, Dan was already out the door.

  ‘Now!’ Dan yelled back to him as he descended the stairs into the cloister.

  Shi caught up to his brother at the jetty in the cavern, where Jiang Hudan was waiting to escort them back to the real world.

  ‘Good morning, lords,’ Hudan bid them sincerely.

  ‘For some, perhaps,’ Dan replied, bypassing her to board the ferry.

  ‘I think it a very grand morning,’ Shi said, greeting her with a beaming smile, thinking his brother extraordinarily rude.

  ‘I had thought so.’ Her puzzled gaze shifted to Dan as they boarded the ferry.

  On the way across the lake, Shi could not fail to notice the contrast between his happy mood and his brother’s dark sulk, and clearly Hudan was perplexed by it too.

  At the mainland jetty, Dan disembarked without a second glance at either of them. ‘Come, Shi, we are pressed for time,’ he commanded, without looking back.

  Hudan and Shi disembarked after him, watching Dan storm off down the jetty. ‘Do you think he saw us —’ They both suggested at once and then smiled at the synchronous moment.

  ‘That would explain it,’ Shi said, frowning, dreading how the rest of the day would unfold, if that was the case.

  ‘Brother Dan was not in a good mood when he left the Great Mother’s audience yesterday,’ Hudan advised. ‘It may be that his mood has not improved since then.’

  Shi could only hope. ‘But what should I tell Dan if he did see us?’

  Hudan was irritated. ‘It is none of his business who I converse with. He has been told by the Great Mother to focus on other matters. Tell him nothing.’

  ‘What?’ Shi knew that was easier said than done. ‘Dan is very protective of you, and if he saw you kiss me, he’ll have my head for it!’

  ‘I cannot believe he could think me so fickle.’ Hudan wasn’t listening; she was fuming. ‘Well, better that he hates me … and as we cannot tell him the truth lest your secret be known, it serves our purpose to let him think what he will.’

  ‘Shi!’ Dan yelled from the distance, without bothering to check if he was coming or not.

  ‘Tell him I have foresworn you to secrecy,’ Hudan suggested.

  ‘As you wish,’ Shi agreed staunchly, and ran off after his brother.

  At the clearing at the end of the forest track, Shi was forced to freeze to avoid cutting his throat on Dan’s extended blade.

  ‘I told you to stay in your room.’ It seemed obvious now that Dan had seen him in the night garden with Jiang Hudan.

  ‘When one of the Wu bids me follow, I follow,’ Shi replied.

  ‘What business have you with Jiang Hudan?’ His brother was livid, and Shi knew that any more light banter and he’d have a good scar to show for it.

  ‘I do not have her leave to inform you —’ Shi rose up onto his toes as Dan pressed his blade deeper.

  ‘You took liberties with her that were inappropriate no matter what secret you share,’ Dan moved closer to impress on him. ‘I forbid you to see her again.’

  Shi took advantage of the slackening of the blade against his neck to duck away from his brother and, taking a running jump to land on his horse, he took off in the direction of Mengjin.

  ‘This is not over!’ Dan yelled in his wake.

  As long as I can stay ahead of you it is, Shi thought, leaning in close to his steed to ride faster. The carriage Dan was driving would take much longer to catch up to the Xibo’s party. Dan would not attempt to drag the truth out of him in the presence of anyone else, to save blemishing Jiang Hudan’s reputation, so all Shi had to do was keep the company of others until Hudan returned to handle Dan.

  Six days of isolation, following the strict regime of the Wu, and Hudan felt as good as new. In fact, she felt far more equipped to handle the impending battle, as she and the Great Mother had been brainstorming ways in which Hudan might contend with Dragonface and his lackeys.

  Killing was not the way of the Wu, but they were dealing with an enemy who would never repent or surrender, so mere entrapment could serve no purpose.

  ‘These creatures are not immortal,’ her Shifu had emphasised, ‘but they can make themselves more resistant to death by consuming the life force of others. They do this by drinking directly from the pineal gland in the brain of their living victims. As you have already surmised, the more pain and fear they incite in their victim, the more resilient to death the creature becomes. A brave soul is poison to them — if they cannot intimidate you, they will run.’

  ‘They ran from you, Shifu?’

  There was a glint of satisfaction evident in her smile as she’d replied. ‘They cannot stand the presence of cosmic light … it literally makes them sick. Divine light cuts through darkness, which must then retreat into shadow.’

  ‘But shadows lurk everywhere.’

  ‘That is why Dragonface must not be allowed to escape this time. You know how to take wilful control over the body of another, to have them do your bidding. You can burst their vital organs, or banish them to the ends of the earth. You also hold the favour of the Lord of the Elements, so do not hesitate to summon him to your aid. This cause is his cause, but he cannot become involved in earthly affairs without being invited.’

  Armed with this knowledge, Hudan felt well prepared to greet the Xibo at Mengjin and commence the final leg of this quest for freedom that they had begun together. The affairs of the heart in which she’d been entangled only a week ago had been stored away, and it was Hudan’s intention to keep them in storage.

  Without a clear vision of a place or person to project to, Hudan could not psychically transfer her physical body. She had never been to Mengjin, neither was she familiar with any of the Xibo’s brothers, who were waiting for him there with their armies. Unsure if the Xibo’s party was still on the move, Hudan chose to focus on the inside of the carriage in which she had been travelling and, with the desire to be there, her will set the feat in motion.

  ‘Hudan!’ Huxin sounded relieved to see her as she materialised in the carriage.

  ‘The Xibo is still en route?’ Hudan concluded from the jerking movement of their transport.

  ‘We hope to rea
ch the camp within the hour,’ Huxin was happy to say.

  ‘The rain has eased,’ Hudan said as she took a peek outside.

  ‘We are close to the Shang border. They were not blessed with your gift.’

  ‘Did Ji Shi and Ji Dan return and report to the Xibo on my behalf?’ Hudan queried.

  ‘Shi arrived some time before Dan to report your delay, and then volunteered to ride ahead to Mengjin to advise their brothers of the Xibo’s arrival.’

  Smart move, thought Hudan. ‘And brother Dan?’

  Huxin served Hudan a rather curious look of concern. ‘He reported several days later, and has barely spoken to anyone, apart from the Xibo, since.’

  ‘That is well,’ Hudan decided. At least he was focused on the goal now.

  ‘I hardly think so,’ Huxin replied, annoyed with her sister. ‘I do not know what has caused the ill will between you, but it is hardly well that we are going into battle with our side divided.’

  ‘There is no ill will between us,’ Hudan said, telling half a lie. ‘Not from my quarter, in any case.’

  ‘You’ve done something to upset him.’

  ‘Everything I do upsets him!’ Hudan lost her patience — not five minutes back in the real world and she was already arguing about Dan. ‘He is a curse.’

  ‘He is a blessing!’ Huxin strongly disagreed. ‘I have a sixth sense about people, Hudan, you know that, and I can smell fear on you!’

  Hudan held her breath as she decided between rage and surrender. Perhaps Huxin could be of more aid in this matter than the Great Mother had been. ‘I need help,’ she admitted. ‘It is like having a jealous husband without any of the marital benefits!’

  Huxin was completely ambushed by Hudan’s frankness, but Hudan pretended not to notice.

  ‘Who has Ji Dan to be jealous of, so far as you are concerned?’ The tigress was puzzled, and skirting dangerously close to the truth of the matter.

  ‘He is jealous of any man I speak with!’ Hudan complained, presenting half the truth, but there was still enough validity to her statement to escape her sister’s built-in lie detector.

  Huxin bit her lip, as she deliberated on the problem. ‘If a man is jealous he usually needs reassuring.’

  ‘I did reassure him,’ Hudan informed, frustrated, ‘and it seems to have gone in one ear and out the other.’

  ‘You did?’ Huxin was stunned again, and grinning. ‘Well, it seems your life is no longer dull.’

  ‘I miss dull,’ Hudan stressed. ‘I crave dull.’

  ‘Sorry, Hudan, but I don’t think your life is going to get dull any time soon. You’ve joined the emotional minefield that is human relationships, so you have to learn to deal with the sensibilities of others,’ Huxin lectured. ‘Dan is a good friend to you —’

  ‘I agree! I told him that!’

  ‘Then tell him again,’ Huxin shrugged in response. ‘Whatever happens, you must not take to the battlefield if you are at odds with one another.’

  That little piece of advice was a bit of a wake-up call for Hudan. Huxin was more right than she could possibly know.

  ‘I shall see to it.’ Hudan drew a deep breath for strength. ‘I’ll see you at Mengjin,’ she said, alerting Huxin to her imminent departure.

  In the knowledge that Ji Shi would already be at Mengjin, Hudan focused her chi on joining him there.

  When Hudan materialised, she found her target outside the main camp at Mengjin, facing a tree that he was urinating on. Hudan was quick to turn away and then clear her throat.

  ‘Jiang Hudan!’ Shi sounded embarrassed and very surprised to note her presence.

  ‘My apologies for catching you indisposed. Physical relocation is not a flawless science.’

  ‘We must not be seen together.’ Shi, now dressed, moved around to face her, in a panic. ‘Dan has forbidden me to see you.’

  ‘You have managed to avoid his questions?’ she assumed, but Shi’s attention was elsewhere.

  ‘Until now,’ he replied, and Hudan followed his line of sight to see Dan striding toward them.

  ‘He’s here early.’ Hudan figured he must have ridden ahead to catch up with Shi.

  ‘I’m in so much trouble.’ Shi observed his brother warily as he neared.

  ‘No, you’re not,’ Hudan assured him. ‘Trust me.’

  ‘I do,’ Shi stated as if he were balancing on a cliff edge.

  ‘Thank you, Shi,’ she said, once Dan had arrived. ‘You may go.’

  Dan did not object, although he regarded his brother with utter disdain as he quickly exited, and then looked back at Hudan with a wounded expression. ‘Chosen a new favourite to seduce? Come inside, I have four other brothers you might prefer?’

  The comment was so spiteful, it took a moment for Hudan to process it and forgive. ‘Ji Shi enlightened me to some information that I had been seeking for some time regarding my birthright, and I was very grateful to receive it. That is all.’

  Dan’s expression contorted in pain. ‘I have shared my deepest, darkest secrets with you and not once have you held me as you held him!’

  It was clear, in that moment, where her error lay. The fear of being close to Dan was the very thing driving a stake between them, so there seemed only one thing for it. Hudan dropped her defensive stance and walked over to Dan and hugged him tight. ‘There is nobody else I shall ever prefer to you,’ she said firmly, tears of relief rimming her eyes as she felt him surrender his anger and collapse into her embrace. ‘Not in this world or the next, apparently.’

  His body shuddered as he gave a laugh. ‘That was a cruel accusation I made just now,’ he said, as they remained as they were. ‘I am ashamed to have been so hurtful. Please forgive me.’

  ‘It should be you forgiving me for my aloofness, secrets and cruelty,’ Hudan advised, feeling that she was to blame. ‘I am a poor specimen of humanity when it comes to the feelings of others.’

  ‘Hardly … time and again you risk your life for the greater good of everyone. I’ve never known anyone so selfless.’

  She had no compulsion to debate their shortcomings; cocooned in his embrace, listening to his heartbeat, she wanted nothing more than to just hold onto the blissful moment. Every time her fear compelled her to let go of him, Hudan just snuggled in tighter and enjoyed the small comfort for the gift it was.

  ‘This is so much better than fighting.’ Dan broke the long silence, but did not pull away. ‘You have no need to fear me, you know? I will never give you cause to regret our association.’

  ‘That is a welcome revelation,’ Hudan said, finally pulling back to look her dear friend in the face. A week apart had altered her perception of Dan, although not quite in the way she’d expected. ‘I have come to realise there is nothing that disturbs me more than being at odds with you.’

  ‘We are of the same mind on that count. Even Lu Chen claimed we were forever fated to be on the same team,’ Dan recounted.

  ‘I remember,’ she confirmed, her shy smile concealing how vulnerable that memory made her feel.

  Thankfully, Dan’s sights had drifted back to the campsite. ‘Our war party has arrived.’ He noted the influx of people in the camp, ahead of looking back to Hudan. ‘Are you ready to face our first test?’

  ‘Time to meet the bad brothers?’ Hudan figured the Ji brothers from Fengjing would be awaiting Ji Fa in the large temporary structure that had been erected on-site to be the centre of operations.

  ‘Oh, they’ll be very welcoming today, I’ll warrant.’ Dan reluctantly allowed Hudan to extricate herself from their embrace. ‘You and Ji Fa have finally brought them the war they’ve been hankering for.’

  ‘Shall we?’ Hudan held her hand out to Dan. Surprised as he was by this gesture of friendship coming from Hudan, he took hold gladly.

  ‘People will talk about us, Jiang Hudan,’ Dan pointed out, although he was clearly not worried.

  ‘I certainly hope so.’ Hudan surprised herself with her choice of words, but at this point in time, she s
uspected any gossip about their close friendship would work in Zhou’s favour.

  ‘My brothers! I commend and thank you for your patience,’ said Ji Fa.

  When Hudan and Dan entered the council chamber, the Ji brothers and the leaders of territories who supported the Zhou, were focused on the Xibo, who stood upon a large platform at one end of the room with his tigress by his side.

  ‘I know you have derided my delay in sending out a call to arms,’ Fa continued, as Hudan and Dan loitered by the door, so as not to disturb the gathering, ‘but seeking heaven’s mandate is no trivial affair. It is time you, my brothers and allies, were made aware of the truth of our situation.’

  ‘The truth of our situation, my brother, is that the emperor has hundreds of thousands of troops being led by a demon witch,’ one man stepped forward to advise, ‘and we have, at best, rallied forty-five thousand!’

  ‘That is Xian,’ Dan uttered aside to Hudan.

  ‘It is not the head count that matters. It is who commands and holds more hearts on the day,’ Fa advised his brother, and then addressed the entire gathering. ‘And I say Shou holds the hearts of none since he allowed Su Daji to rip out the heart of that great man, Bi Gan; those followers Shou has left have no hearts!’ he added before Xian could scoff at his optimism, and many in the room seconded the Xibo’s sentiments with a war cry. ‘And Su Daji is not the most powerful or revered Wu in our land either.’ Silence fell in the chamber as the Xibo removed his cape and draped it over the tigress alongside him. ‘Minister Weizi advises me that there are Wu that even Su Daji fears … and I have conscripted them to our cause.’

  When Huxin rose to stand beside Ji Fa, his cloak wrapped around her, there was a great intake of breath from the men present. ‘I am Shanyu Jiang Huxin of the House of Yi Wu Li Shan, and I have been commanded by Tian to protect our Xibo, Ji Fa from treachery.’ Huxin looked across at Hudan, and the gathering of men all turned around to note the second woman amongst them. Those close to Hudan backed away warily, while Dan followed in her steps to the platform on which the Xibo stood.

  Hudan chose to address the gathering from the floor, however. ‘I am Shanyu Jiang Hudan,’ she announced and all the men gasped in awe, although they had surely expected her identity before she revealed it. ‘I have been sent by the Great Mother of Li Shan to protect our Xibo and his legions from the sorcery of Su Daji.’