Page 38 of Song of the Crimson Flower

“She’s not contagious, even though Huy here would have me believe so,” Bao said in a calm, respectful voice as he looked at the angry young man. “I know you’re trying to keep your village safe, but I also know that you want to see this woman get better. Lying to me won’t do any good if I’m to help.”

“Nobody asked for your help!” Huy declared, and the sick woman stirred wearily.

Bao glanced at her. “She needs to rest. Let’s talk outside.”

As Lan stepped away from the door so that the others could come out, she noticed a small face in the window of the adjacent home. The head bobbed and disappeared. “There are other people in this village,” she whispered to Wren, who gave a grim nod.

“I checked some of the houses. There are dozens of children here. They all ran when I asked where their parents were, and some of them became downright hostile.” Wren gestured to the bleeding soldier, who glared at the girl with the pan. The child glowered back just as fiercely, as a pair of twin boys who resembled her scurried out from behind a barrel and ran to her side.

“She was protecting her family,” Bao said softly, and the girl shot him a suspicious look.

“Why are you all here?” Huy demanded. Even his stance was defensive, with his arms crossed over his chest and his legs wide. He wore a tunic of brown hemp cloth with the sleeves cut off, revealing tawny muscles, and his trousers were of an equally cheap fabric.

The Commander drew himself to his full height. “I am Commander Wei of the Great Forest. My men and I are headed south on a mission, and we plan to encamp tonight by the river outside your village. I give you my word that no harm will come to anyone.”

“I’m afraid that won’t do. You cannot stay here.”

“You don’t own the riverbank,” Commander Wei pointed out. “We will not enter your village again, but you cannot prevent us from setting up camp by the water.”

“Of course not. But Irespectfullyask you to move at least a mile south,” Huy said, and he was subjected to the full brunt of Commander Wei’s unyielding stare. “You should know that this village has been quarantined after thirteen deaths from bloodpox, which afflicts that woman inside. I have not fallen ill after weeks of caring for her, it’s true, but I would not be so quick to dismiss the power of the disease after so many lives lost.”

A ripple of uneasiness ran through the assembled company.

“You were quarantined by the king?” Wren asked.

“This village has been self-quarantined by me. Everyone within five miles knows to avoid it. I do not need any assistance, so please leave us.”

“There must be something I can do to help,” Bao said, his voice mild and patient. “I’ve seen another case of bloodpox north of here. I was with a man who suffered greatly for the final moments of his life. His symptoms had been building slowly for months.”

“And did you save him?” Huy asked, with a sardonic expression.

“No,” Bao said honestly. “But he was at a much later stage than thewoman in there. I was a physician’s apprentice, and I can make what time she has left more comfortable.”

Huy took Bao in from head to toe. “There is nothing you can do that I have not thought of already,” he said coldly. “I used to live in the Gray City. I watched my parents and aunt die of bloodpox, as did hundreds of other children who were shipped off to the labor camps with me.”

“We have heard no reports of such widespread bloodpox,” Commander Wei said sharply.

“Perhaps you hear only what Mistress Vy wishes you to hear.”

“What does that mean?” Bao demanded. “That she’s hushed up these illnesses?”

Huy shifted his weight, his eyes darting nervously around the silent village. “I don’t know. I have nothing to do with the Gray City any longer.”

At that moment, the reason for Huy’s uneasiness became clear. An elderly couple came out of a cottage on the far side of the village, the man carrying a steaming pot of soup while the woman held a basket. They walked toward them, slow and bent, and only just seemed to notice the group when they drew closer. Their eyes widened in horror at the sight of the armed soldiers.

“Huy?” the old woman asked tremulously. “Have we been found out?”

Huy shook his head at her, but it was too late. Commander Wei strode forward and looked into her basket. She cowered in fear as he pulled out a bundle of black incense sticks. Lan and Bao gasped in unison. “What were you saying about having nothing to do with the Gray City?” the Commander asked Huy in a low, dangerous voice. “If that’s true, why do you have black spice in your village? And how did you pay for this?”

The bravado and determination seemed to drain from Huy, leaving behind a very young, very tired man. His shoulders sagged, but he said nothing.

“A minute ago, I was ready to dismiss you as merely unfriendly. But now?” Commander Wei dropped the black spice back into the basket, disgusted. “Now I am involved, as an agent of Empress Jade, who together with your king has declared this drug illegal. You had better tell me everything before I bring you before His Majesty as a criminal.”

“No, please!” the old woman quavered.

“We can’t go on without him,” the elderly man added, struggling under the weight of the heavy soup pot. Wordlessly, Bao stepped forward to relieve him of his burden.

“I told you,” Huy said to the Commander, his face weary, “I was sent to the labor camps with the other Gray City children orphaned by bloodpox. I escaped and found this village. But people here were also falling victim to the disease, and the physician took me in as an assistant.”

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