Page 10 of Forest of a Thousand Lanterns

“To go to the palace and be... a maid or a lady-in-waiting,” she lied, grateful he couldn’t see her face. “There’s money and stability there.”

“You don’t need to earn your own living. I’ll take care of you.”

She only hugged him in answer, and turned her eyes to the trees to soothe her heart. The main road curved along the southern edge of the forest. She could already smell wet bark and rich soil, growing nameless things deep in the belly of the woods. The treetops stirred in the light wind and beckoned to them like fingers.

Wei peered at the sky. “We have another hour before sundown. There’s an encampment where we can stay the night.” He patted a bundle near his leg, which gently clanked with metal. “In a few days, we’ll find a trading post and I can sell these swords. That should buy us enough provisions for the rest of the journey.”

“You’ve traded there before.”

“Many times. I know this road well,” he said confidently. “It’s the largest trade route across the continent of Feng Lu. There’ll be people from those other lands you’ve read about.”

As he promised, they passed many riders along the way, some with their families in tow. Xifeng surveyed them with eager curiosity, noting the women in particular.

One woman passed in the back of a wagon with two children at her breasts. A brilliant blue scarf fringed with gold covered her hair, brightening her rich, dark brown skin. The eyes staring back at Xifeng were a surprising shade of amber brown, like the tips of the waving grasses, and were ringed with black kohl. They held her gaze steadily—almost insolently, Xifeng thought, hastily sweeping her hair over her damaged cheek. A powerful sensation surged beneath her ribs like raw hunger, then disappeared as soon as the wagon passed out of sight.

The stranger had worn her beauty so comfortably, like it was a mere fact of life. Only one part of her, and not the whole. But did she, too, resent the fact that her beauty spoke for her? And once it did, would nothing else matter because people already knew what they wanted to know?

Wei’s voice broke into Xifeng’s thoughts. “There’s the encampment I spoke of.”

They were on the crest of a hill, traveling down to where the land flattened into a clearing ringed with juniper shrubs. The wind carried the scent of roasting meat. Someone had hewn two sturdy branches and positioned them vertically on either side of a cheerful fire, laying a spit in the grooves. A wild boar hung from the spit, lumps of fat sizzling in the flames.

Xifeng’s stomach rumbled. She felt relieved when they were met with open, friendly faces. Four men in foreign armor were cooking, andtwo monks in somber brown robes kept quietly to themselves on the edge of the camp.

“Might there be room for two more by your fire, friends?” Wei asked politely, addressing the nearest soldier, who was tall, bearded, and looked to be in his forties. The man spoke to his companions in a strange, lilting language Xifeng recognized. She had heard it once from merchants staying in her town. They had come from Kamatsu, the kingdom across the sea, looking for cheap lodgings on their way to the Imperial City.

The youngest soldier remained quiet during the discussion. Like Wei, he had a shaven head, but whereas it made Wei look fearsome, it only accentuated this man’s boyish face. His bright eyes rested on Xifeng. “Do not think us unwelcoming,” he said in the common tongue. “Our leader’s merely wondering where we might find two more plates.” He spoke the language of the Great Forest, the center of the empire, to perfection. Xifeng wished fleetingly that her education had included other countries’ languages as well, but Guma hadn’t thought it necessary.

“We have our own,” Wei said quickly, “but would not presume...”

“You are not presuming,” the older, bearded soldier answered. “Come and rest your weary feet by our campfire, friends, and share our meal. It would be our honor.”

Xifeng dismounted and returned the boyish soldier’s shy smile, making sure her hair still covered her blemished cheek. Up close, she saw that his armor was etched with a strange sea animal, curved and spiny like a fish, but with the head of a horse.

“Please sit,” he said, eyes still on Xifeng, “and my friend Hideki there will serve you. And your husband.” There was a question in his voice, but she noted Wei’s tight-lipped expression, so she moved closer to the fire to thaw her chilled hands in silence.

Except for the bearded soldier named Hideki, who was placing meat on Wei’s plates, all of the men were watching her, including the monks. Wei handed her the food and threw a heavy arm over her shoulders. Not to warm her, she knew, but to show his ownership of her, as of a sword or a horse.

When had she gone from being Guma’s possession to Wei’s?

But the minute she took a bite of the piping-hot meat, the skin golden and crispy, Xifeng forgot everything but the taste. Salty, flavorful, and rich, everything Guma’s food had not been. She fought the urge to lick the grease off her hands.

“Don’t eat too much,” Wei whispered. “Your stomach isn’t used to it. It might make you sick.” She ignored his command and he shrugged, nettled. “Are you going to the coast, friends?” he asked the group.

“We’re coming from the coast,” Hideki replied. “We’re escorting our ambassador to Emperor Jun on important business.” He made a gesture of respect to a man who sat across the fire from him, and Xifeng forgot to eat for a moment as she stared.

She had never seen such a small adult. His arms and legs were the length of a child’s, but his face and countenance were those of a grown man. He was rather handsome, she thought. The firelight flickered across a furrowed brow, strong chin, and elegant nose above a fine silk tunic, suggesting wealth. A coat of plates and a sword lay beside him, but perhaps they were merely decorative. She couldn’t imagine him fighting men so much larger than himself.

“I consider our journey equal parts business and pleasure. I’m greatly enjoying the beauty of the continent,” the dwarf said courteously. He had the calm, deep voice of someone accustomed to being listened to, and indeed everyone quieted as he spoke. Xifeng saw that his men regarded him with the utmost respect. “My name is Shiro,ambassador to the king of Kamatsu.” He introduced Ken, the young soldier, and Isao, who wore a silky mustache like the plume of some ridiculous bird. Xifeng thought he likely used the blade of his sword to admire it.

“How long have you been traveling?” Wei asked.

“A month. We came along the western edge of the Dragon Scales. They’re glorious mountains indeed, and rightfully named,” Shiro said. “I could easily imagine myself walking alongside a Dragon Lord of old. Our island home has no such natural wonders.”

“Except for the jade deposits,” Hideki said bitterly. “If I didn’t trust in your integrity with all my being, Ambassador, I would not accompany you to have this treaty signed.”

“But friendship with Emperor Jun would benefit us,” Ken said, his childish face hopeful.

“EmperorJun.” Hideki snorted. “He only married into that throne. He’s just a distant cousin of the Empress, not even a pure-blooded royal like her or her first husband.”

---