Butterfly Swords
The scent of herbs hung heavy and bittersweet as they waited in silence. Ailey sank back against the wall. Her shoulder inadvertently brushed against him. He was becoming greedy for every touch, no matter how innocent.
Changan, the imperial capital. He’d been there before. And he could handle imperial soldiers … if there weren’t too many. He had known it would come to this the moment she sank into his arms after their duel. Perhaps he had known even sooner, when he had seen her strength and her fierce determination to get home.
Maybe this was just another distraction, another reason to avoid returning to the Gansu corridor where his comrades waited. No, he was wrong about that. No one was waiting for him. They probably thought he was dead.
He had enough problems taking care of his own skin. What made him think he could protect this woman who seemed to be in more trouble than he was? That blow to the head he’d suffered hadn’t knocked any sense into him after all.
Ailey held her breath. He had said they would go together. His manners might be strange and uncultured, but there was a core of honour in him. She hadn’t been wrong about that.
‘Thank you,’ she murmured.
His only reply was a brief shrug of his shoulders. He was helping her at great risk to himself. More than he knew. But she needed him to get home. It was the only way.
The morning came back to her as they huddled in the corner, trying not to touch and failing. His mouth had crushed against hers. She squeezed her eyes shut, but that only made the memory more overwhelming.
His hands had urged her close until she was pressed against the hard muscle of his chest. She had cast all caution aside, assuming he would leave. But he was still here. The heat of his body radiated through his tunic to find its way to her.
He shifted and she responded by inching towards the wall. His features were shadowed in the dim corner and the steady rhythm of his breathing reminded her how precariously close he was. She held herself perfectly still, afraid that if she moved she would find herself falling towards him, closing the scant space between them.
As if sensing her thoughts, he pulled away to the window, leaving her so quickly the air beside her still tingled with his presence. He braced his hands against the frame with head bent and shoulders pulled taut, a powerful silhouette against the light outside. The silence went on for so long that she began to worry he had changed his mind.
‘I don’t see any more of them,’ he reported, peering down into the alley. ‘Are you sure you want to do this?’
‘What Li Tao has done is unforgivable. I would rather die than become his wife.’
Ryam nodded, and moved away from the window. ‘We’ll go out the back way.’
Reckless, she could hear Father proclaiming. To imagine she was safe with a barbarian she’d barely met.
Always feeling, never thinking, Mother scolded.
But she had thought very carefully and she trusted Ryam more than anyone else in this province. This was Li Tao’s domain and he would kill them both if he found them.
She had vowed to her parents to be a dutiful wife, but that was one vow she could not fulfil. She prayed they would forgive her for her disobedience. She hoped they would believe her when she spoke against one of the most powerful men in the empire.
Her legs burned as she stood and the blood rushed back into them. They must have been crouched there for over an hour. Ryam led as they picked their way around the baskets towards the stairway. He scanned the room below on the first floor, and gestured towards the door at the back.
She peered over the railing before starting down, keeping her step as light as possible. Midway, a board creaked beneath her feet. Ryam muttered a curse as the voices halted down below. He gave her a small push.
‘Run!’
They bolted down the stairs and through the door, abandoning any attempt at stealth. She took off around the corner and ducked into an alcove. Ryam shoved himself in beside her. They both held still, pressed against the brick. When it was clear that no one was following, she doubled over, gasping for breath.
‘We’d make very bad thieves.’
She looked up to see Ryam grinning. He had a good spirit. She laughed, caught up in it. Part of her couldn’t help but enjoy this adventure.
Once her breathing returned to normal, she poked her head around the enclosure. The streets had emptied in the late afternoon and the sounds of the market faded. Ryam emerged first, surveying the area before pulling her behind him. He shielded her as they ventured forwards. The protective gesture made her want to press even closer. She didn’t have much experience with cities. She definitely had no knowledge of the back alleys they were navigating. Most of her life had been spent in her family home nestled in the mountains, surrounded by family and household servants.
‘Where is it that you came from?’ she asked.
‘The other end of the world.’
‘You seem to have been here for a long time.’
‘Years and years.’ His answers became noticeably clipped when he spoke of his past.
‘We have a name for your land. We call it “Ta Chin”, the Great Empire of the West.’
‘I don’t come from any great empire.’
She frowned.
‘That empire you speak of no longer exists. Our kingdom—what was our kingdom—is a small one compared to this empire.’
The journey across the silk routes was said to be a treacherous one. If she only had the time to ask all the questions she wanted to. He must have amazing stories to tell.
‘Are you part of the lost legion?’ she asked. ‘The wandering soldiers they speak about?’
He didn’t answer immediately. ‘I suppose I am.’ He cast a sideways glance at her. ‘Your people do love their legends.’
His smile made her pulse skip. He was different and mysterious, and curiosity made her bold. Bold enough to kiss a man she barely knew. She was suddenly out of breath. Her mind kept falling like water down the mountainside back to that moment.
‘They say those swordsmen marched on Changan during the palace rebellion. Were you with them?’ she continued.
This time his hesitation was obvious. ‘Maybe the less we know about each other’s stories, the better.’
‘What do you mean?’
He halted to turn to her. ‘The rest of the empire is not as tolerant as you towards unwashed barbarians.’
She stared at the coppered spots where the sun had darkened his cheeks and the rugged growth of his beard. It was a face unlike any she’d ever known.
‘I don’t think of you as an unwashed barbarian,’ she said softly.
He started to speak, but stopped. The intensity of his gaze made her shift uncomfortably. ‘We need to get you to Changan as fast as possible,’ he said. ‘And then I need to disappear.’
As if to make a point, he forged ahead in long strides that left no room for conversation. She couldn’t deny what he was saying. The empire had become fearful and suspicious. No one trusted anyone in the capital, let alone outsiders. She hated living with that dark cloud always over her.
At the end of the passage, Li Tao’s proclamation had been pasted on the wall. She tore down one paper. Ryam stared over her shoulder at the black brushstrokes.
‘What does all that say?’
So he couldn’t read the characters. That was fortunate. She didn’t know how he would react if he discovered who she truly was.
‘Li Tao is offering a reward of a hundred taels of silver for my return.’
He whistled. ‘The man must be as rich as the Emperor.’
With a scowl, she crumpled the paper into a tight ball and tossed it aside.
Ryam wove a path through the alleys with Ailey close behind. He had never been this deep within the borders before, but the change was noticeable even to a foreigner. The regional armies were wary. Soldiers were authorised to confiscate weapons and imprison anyone they thought was a threat.
They would need to stay off the main roads from here all the way to the capital. He had travelled for the last month in hiding, sleeping beneath bridges and seeking refuge in remote monasteries when they would let him. But he was responsible for Ailey’s safety now as well. Having a woman with him made things more difficult.
He ducked through a broken section of the wall.
‘How do you know where we are going?’ she asked.
‘These towns are all the same once you’ve been to enough of them.’
Vice lurked in the forgotten corners of any city of this size. Hideouts for smugglers, thieves, and citizens who wanted to escape into anonymity for the evening. He knew he had found their destination the moment they emerged in front of a dingy building tucked into a dead end. Red lanterns swayed from the eaves.
Ailey stopped short. ‘Is this a brothel?’
‘No. Let me see your money.’
She kept her eyes on the shadowed figure perched just inside the doorway as she handed the purse to him. He picked out several coins and then untied his cloak.
‘Put this on and stay close,’ he instructed.
The flash of silver was enough to get them past the guard. Once inside, the entrance hall glowed with the gritty light of oil lamps and pipe smoke. Ryam pushed through the beaded curtain and the strands clinked and slid around them. The shuttered windows of the main room cast it into perpetual night-time. Copper coins changed hands from one huddled figure to another at the tables.
Ailey pulled his cloak tight around her and inched closer to him. Ivory and wooden dice clinked into porcelain bowls and the low hum of conversation did not rise the slightest at their arrival. The gamblers looked up with casual disinterest as Ryam and Ailey passed by. After a brief glance, the betting resumed. A man could be tattooed as a criminal and still show his face in a den like this.
An ancient-looking man with a white beard that tapered to a point sat in the far corner, surrounded by cronies. One of them blocked Ryam’s path when he came forwards. The den master continued to sip his tea, staring at the bottom of the cup as if contemplating something profound.
‘A room,’ Ryam said, handing over the two coins.
The den master glanced once at the silver and pointed a bony finger to the stairs. With a nod of thanks, Ryam ushered Ailey across the floor and up the steps. He pushed the first door open just as a man stumbled past with a woman in a flowery robe on his arm. Her cloyingly sweet perfume wafted into the narrow space of the hallway before the couple disappeared into the adjacent room. Ryam tugged Ailey into their chamber and, within minutes, faint moans and an unmistakable pounding came from the other side of the wall.
Ailey threw back her hood and planted her hands onto her hips. ‘Are you certain it’s safe here?’
‘Yes.’ He shut the door and dragged a chair to block it. ‘A place like this doesn’t care about silver if it means contact with authorities.’
Ailey stared at the bare walls in dismay. She wrapped her arms around herself, sticking them close to her sides as if not wanting to touch anything. ‘I’ll trust your judgement.’
‘You take the bed,’ he said. ‘I’ll take the floor.’
The bed was made of wooden slats covered with a thin, padded mattress. She made a face at the ash-coloured quilt lying rumpled upon it. The thread was worn bare in spots and marked with dark stains.
‘I think I would rather take the floor.’
Chapter Four
Ailey watched from the alley as two of Li Tao’s soldiers strode into the stable the next morning. She berated herself for not dropping an extra silver coin to convince the stableman to keep quiet. But what did she know about bribery and double-dealings?
‘Time to think of another plan,’ Ryam muttered from behind her.
She reached down to pull the butterfly swords free. The weight of the steel emboldened her as she headed in the opposite direction. ‘We’ll leave on foot before Li Tao’s men can assemble.’
Ryam caught up to her. ‘Put those away. Having your weapon drawn only invites trouble.’
She hesitated, but did as he said. He had experience surviving among strangers. That held more weight than all her hours in the practice yard. They hovered in the alleyway at the edge of the central market. Merchants had set up their stalls in the square and the morning crowd gathered. A cluster of soldiers prowled the plaza in their black-and-red uniforms. They scanned the market without particular interest. It seemed that no one had yet reported her presence.
Ryam gestured towards several workmen loading earthenware pots onto a wagon. ‘That shipment is leaving town. Get in the back.’
‘But Li Tao’s men are everywhere.’
‘Walk with purpose. You’ll blend in.’
‘What about you?’ She looked him up and down.
His fingers tightened briefly over her shoulder. ‘You go first. I’ll be watching.’
Were all his people so fearless? Taking a deep breath, she stepped out from the cover of the shops. Sunlight slanted over the rooftops and blinded her, but she kept her pace steady even though her heartbeat thundered in her ears. If Li Tao’s men detected her, she might be able to fend off two or three of them, but the rest would surround her. Ryam would be dragged into the struggle.
She fought the urge to glance back. She had wanted to warn him to leave if there was trouble, but he would have considered it an insult. A swordsman would never run like that. The workmen disappeared into the storehouse as she came near. She climbed onto the wagon and ducked beneath the canvas. The coarse packing straw scraped against her.
The next moments stretched out before her as she crouched in the darkness. There were wooden crates on either side of her and she tried to burrow between them. The shuffle of the market droned on outside. At any moment, the shouting would begin. The soldiers would spot Ryam and they’d circle him like wolves. She closed a hand around the hilt of her sword. If he was discovered, she’d have to help him. She was certain he’d do the same for her. He had done the same for her.
What was taking so long? Would he abandon her now? Just as she reached out to lift the covering, Ryam slipped under. He nudged the crates aside to shove out a spot for himself.
‘Heaven and earth! How did you get past them?’ she asked.
‘They do call me ghost man, after all.’
She wanted to throw her arms around him, but his elbow poked into her ribs and her leg was crushed against one of the pots. They went still at the sound of voices from outside. The workmen came back to load more crates and she didn’t dare move or breathe or even blink. She sighed with relief when the wagon finally lurched forwards.
The clay pots rattled around them as the wagon rumbled along the road. They attempted to rearrange themselves and Ryam bit back an oath as her knuckles struck him across his nose.
‘I’ll look outside,’ he said after they had travelled a distance away.
He picked his way through the crates. A sliver of light cut through the darkness as he lifted the canvas.
‘No one’s following.’ He let it fall back down.
‘Do you know where we are?’
‘That way is north to Changan.’ He indicated with his thumb. ‘We’re headed south.’
Deeper into the warlord’s territory. ‘We need to get out of here. They’ll start searching the roads soon.’
‘There are woods to the right. We can jump and run for it.’
‘Let me see.’
She crawled over his knees to peek out at the roadside. The area he spoke of wasn’t far, just beyond a stretch of wild grass.
‘Jump and run?’ she asked.
He nodded. ‘Jump and run. The grass will break the fall.’
The driver handled his team of horses, oblivious to them. She lifted the cover and crouched low, preparing herself. With a deep breath, she launched herself away from the wagon. Her knees buckled against the hard ground and a shock of pain streaked up her legs. Before she knew it, she was rolling in a blur of grass and sky.
She ended on her back, gasping for breath. Sharp stones dug into her spine and she tried to remain as still as possible. If she moved, she might shatter to pieces.
A moment later, Ryam’s head and shoulders blocked the sky above her. ‘Are you all right?’
Miserably, she shook her head no.
‘Is anything broken?’
Everything felt broken. It hurt to breathe. She wriggled her fingers and made a face. ‘I don’t think so.’
‘Good. Come on.’ He hoisted her to her feet.
Her knees protested as she staggered through the wild grass, but she ignored the pain and struggled to keep up with Ryam. As soon as they cleared the tree line, she collapsed to the ground. He crouched beside her and lifted her arm gingerly, inspecting the broad scrape on her elbow. In the last two days she had suffered more bruises than in all her sparring matches. Mother would scold for days if she ever made it home.
‘The grass … did not … break the fall,’ she accused.
His face broke into a wide grin. ‘Tough girl.’
‘I have five—four brothers.’
His clear eyes held on to her as if he would never turn away. No man had ever looked at her like that.
‘Do you need a minute?’
He stroked her cheek with his thumb and everything became brighter. His mouth was so, so close and her throat went completely dry.
‘N-no. We should go.’ She struggled to stand, but her knees hadn’t stopped shaking.
He offered his hand to help her to her feet. His fingers combed lightly through hers, but immediately let go when she stiffened beside him. She was left standing at a loss, covered in dirt from head to toe. She swiped at a strand of loose hair, but it swung defiantly back in front of her face.
‘Are you still planning to go all the way to the capital?’ he asked.
‘I must,’ she said. ‘As fast as we can. I need to warn my father.’
‘Then we had better start moving. It’s a long way.’
In Changan, she’d have to justify her disobedience to her family. They believed she was now wedded to Li Tao, gaining them a strong military ally against their enemies. What her father didn’t realise was that Li Tao was the enemy.
Everything had changed since they’d left their home in the mountains to install themselves in the imperial palace. Father and Mother had become so suspicious. Their discussions now centred on politics and hidden motives. She wanted to forget the turbulence of the imperial court and the constant power struggle, but she couldn’t.
The warmth of Ryam’s concern stayed with her as she fell into step beside him. It didn’t make sense, this giddiness that spun her around whenever he was near. When they reached Changan he would go his own way. He would be nothing but a memory and she would never be able to explain this time with him, this feeling blooming inside her, to anyone. Not when she couldn’t understand it herself.
Ryam guided them northwards, in the general direction of the imperial city. Ailey asked him only once whether he knew where he was going as they climbed over twisted roots, turning and winding through the green.
The forest spread in tangled vines around them and folded them into shaded darkness. Clear line of sight extended only for several feet in any direction. Any search party would need to spend a considerable amount of energy to track them. Ryam exhaled, letting the tension drain from him momentarily in the shelter of the woods.
‘We should have some cover in here,’ he said.
Some of the trees grew so thick that ten men could encircle the trunks. It was another sign of the empire’s wealth, the lush woodlands at their disposal, fed by several great rivers. Enough wood to build the most magnificent of cities and palaces.
They reached a stream and followed it. A canopy of cypress and ginkgo grew along the bank. The roots crawled like snakes along the earth, dipping tapered fingers into the water.
‘These trees are sacred.’ Ailey ran her fingers along the trunk of one as she walked by. The fan-shaped leaves flickered yellow-green with the breeze. ‘They live for thousands of years. Longer than the empire. We see them in temples all the time.’
Changan wouldn’t be hard to find. They only had to head north in search of the grand canal that flowed into the capital. All the major roads would lead them there as well, but they needed to stay hidden.
Ailey walked along the reeds that lined the water, arms held out for balance. God’s feet, she moved with such graceful confidence. ‘Grandmother always spoke of the forests of the south. She learned her technique from a southern master.’
Her hips swayed their seductive rhythm before him. He nodded absently and considered dunking his head into the cold water. All he needed to do was get her home and get out of there.
‘Is there anyone in your family who doesn’t wield sharp weapons?’ he asked.
‘Mother disapproves of my swords. She says no man would want a woman with such rough hands.’
She hopped over a tangle of roots, light-footed and sure over the uneven ground. He saw absolutely no problem with her hands or any other part of her.
‘Mother was so happy when Father arranged this marriage,’ she continued sombrely.
‘So why did you run away?’
‘Li Tao is—ruthless.’ She seemed unwilling to say more.
‘He’s also rich and powerful,’ he pressed her. ‘And in command of an army of thousands. Not the sort of man who takes refusal lightly.’
The tail of her braid whipped over her shoulder as she faced him. ‘It is not as if I’m refusing Li Tao because he is old or ugly or fat.’
‘Well, is he?’
She stopped, caught off guard. ‘I—I don’t know. I mean, it doesn’t matter.’
‘You don’t know if he’s ugly?’
‘I’ve never seen him. When he came to fetch me for the wedding procession I was wearing a red scarf over my face.’
‘So he hasn’t seen you either?’
‘Of course not.’
‘Now I understand.’
She cast him a wary glance. ‘Understand what?’
‘You were marrying a man you’d never met. Of course you had doubts.’
‘You don’t understand at all.’ She turned on her heel and continued down the bank. Her stride had lost its carefree gait. ‘In our custom, it would be the greatest insult for a bride to refuse a match simply because she did not like the look of her husband. It would be disrespectful to his family and a great dishonour to mine.’
‘It’s not important that you at least see each other before being wed?’
‘Not at all. I would trust my parents would make me a good match.’
It was hard to believe someone with such unquestioning faith would run away from an arranged marriage. Even if she had been wilful or stubborn, it was unlikely a woman of her standing would risk so much to defy convention. Perhaps there was a lover. The thought alone sent a hot streak of possessiveness through him, unwarranted as it was. But why would she want to return to her family when they would certainly denounce her? Besides, her every touch spoke of innocence. He knew the signs well enough to steer clear under most circumstances.
‘You wouldn’t prefer someone that was strong and handsome?’ he goaded.
‘That doesn’t matter to me.’
‘What if this Li Tao is ancient? Wrinkled, toothless …’
‘He is not!’ Her eyes grew wide despite her denial. She lowered her voice as if in confidence. ‘Mother told me he was twice my age.’
‘And what is that?’
‘I was born the year of the dragon.’
‘Dragons, rabbits, tigers,’ he said with a laugh. ‘I could never figure out your calendar.’
She regarded him through her lashes, blushing. ‘I have nineteen years. I know that is very old for marriage, but the last years have been … very unusual.’
Ailey was beyond adorable when flustered. He leapt across the stream ahead of her and stretched out his hand. She landed before him in the moss, bracing against his arms to steady herself. This time he held on. Her pulse fluttered beneath his fingers.