ili’s anxious excitent about leaving the palace to take a trip to Purple Cloud Temple had led her to bring her bow and arrow, which she had secretly stuffed under the seat of her carriage when her First Brother wasn’t looking.
She nervously opened the curtain and peeped out at him, for probably the fiftieth ti.
"I’m still here ii," he called, unperturbed by her constant nervous activity.
i Renlong led a contingent of guards, who surrounded the carriage, keeping her safe. He was saddened to see his normally carefree little sister so anxious, but it would have been more surprising if her confidence wasn’t shaken after the events of the past few months.
He gave a little smile of satisfaction, as he caught a flash of movent on the bend behind them.
He had made sure to drop all of the details of their travel schedule into a conversation with Bai Li back at the training camp, and he was well aware that they were being followed at a discreet distance; just as he had hoped for from the man...
"How long now, gege?" ili asked her brother. "Sorry, I know I keep asking you," she said with embarrassnt.
"No problem, ii. Less than an hour now, we’re getting close to the temple."
The carriage rounded a hairpin bend in the road, which was surrounded by steep forested hills on both sides, the road running along the base of a fissure in the mountain.
ili nearly jumped out of her skin when Bai Li suddenly poked his head into the carriage. She squealed with fright.
"It’s only ," he tried to calm her. "We’re about to be attacked," he spoke seriously. "Stay in there with Tricky. Don’t move! Stay hidden!" He looked over at Tricky, "protect your mistress, boy," he ordered.
Tricky jumped to his feet, and stood stiffly posed in his attack position, teeth bared and ears flat.
Now, there was pandemonium outside the carriage, as horses whinnied, and n shouted. ili could hear swords being drawn from their scabbards and arrows clattering as they were pulled from quivers.
Her heart started to pound with fear. Less for herself, safe here in this carriage, and more for her First Brother and Bai Li, who were out there in the woods facing who knew how many enemies.
She pressed herself against the wall of the carriage, drawing her feet up on the seat and making herself as small as possible, while she tried to even out her ragged breathing, which was already making her feel light headed.
"Ju Rong, archers surround the carriage! Swordsn with !" she heard Bai Li shouting.
"i Renlong, cut the carriage horses free!" Bai Li roared at her gege, as ili heard the first arrow whistle, followed by a thump against the side of the wooden carriage as it struck ho.
The pointed arrow head appearing on the carriage wall opposite where she sat as it split through the wood.
She heard the carriage horses whinny, as her brother cut their harnesses and struck them on the haunches with the flat of his blade. The carriage jerked suddenly as the horses pulled, but then they broke free of their cut straps and leapt away.
There was a great roar, which she felt certain was the enemies descending from the hills to engage their n.
The sounds of tal striking tal now rang out, and ili felt tears spring to her eyes as her mind flew straight back to that day they were attacked by assassins on the antiquities street. She had tried never to dwell on that scene, but now she rembered it all, clear as day; the sights, the sounds, the sll, the blood...
Knowing she shouldn’t, but unable to stop herself, she reached for the curtain, her hand shaking like a leaf, almost unable to grip the cloth.
She peeped out, imdiately disoriented by the violence of n fighting for their lives, crying out as they were injured and dying around her.
The tears that hung unshed on her eyelashes, started to trickle down her cheeks. She took a deep breath, trying to steady herself, reminding herself she must be helpful, not a burden this ti who had to be saved.
She could scarcely tell friend from foe, so close were the combatants to one another. The enemies appeared to be dressed in black, their faces covered, but they wore light armour not dissimilar to that worn by Bai Li’s n.
Her eyes searched desperately through the confusion for her brother and Bai Li.
Everywhere she looked, n were being stabbed by sword thrusts, or hit by arrows, and falling from their mounts.
The shouts of n mingled with the panicked whinnies of the horses.
She finally found First Brother in the maelstrom. "Gege, take care behind you!" she scread, seeing an archer in the woods, his arrow trained on her brother.
Her voice was swallowed up in the commotion, but her brother’s chief guard appeared beside him and knocked the arrow from its intended target with his shield.
Now, she heard Tricky growling and snarling as he paced the small box, more like a wolf than the puppy she knew.
He leapt onto the bench seat and stuck his head between her and the window, trying to force her back. When she remained glued to the scene, absently stroking his ears, he jumped down and bit onto the hem of her dress, starting to drag her backwards with all of his strength, like he was playing a ga of tug-of-war.
The hem of her dress tore free in his mouth, leaving him with a mouthful of brocade which he spat out in disgust, watching his mistress like a hawk as she remained, fixated, at the window.
There was a thump on the driver’s platform, and Tricky rushed to the door of the carriage, poking his head outside the fabric screen to see what it was.
ili quickly dropped the curtain, screaming, "Tricky!"
Through the half-raised fabric, ili and Tricky saw a man in black had managed to scramble onto the front of the carriage.
In a flash, Tricky leapt out of the door and disappeared from ili’s view.
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