clay brick. His Majesty will chop off your head for pretending to be a boy and escaping the palace.”
Li twisted out of his hold, kicked, aiming for his groin, overshot and hit him in the thigh instead. She swung about, blocking his strike, making a grab for his arm, missed, and fell onto her stomach. He dropped low as she rose to hit him again, seized her forearm and flipped her onto her back.
“Okay,” she said. “Now, we’re even.”
“Not yet.” Lok Yu pulled up his tunic and exposed his jade spear. It was stiff and red and angry looking. He dropped down on her as she tried to roll out of his path, landed on her hip, one hand clawing her breast, squashing her into the dried mud below the embankment. She beat at his face with her fists, but he only grabbed her hands and locked them together over her head, then pinned her wrists to the ground with one hand and dragged her leg into position with the other.
When he pierced her, Li bit her lip to keep from screaming. It wouldn’t do for the rest of the men to know she was a girl. He released her arms to grab hold of her thighs and keep them in place. Her chest heaved as she braced herself for more violent thrusts, then she reached over her head, tried to relax so that she wouldn’t distract him, and fumbled in the leaves tangled in her hair. She touched something hard, and stretched further until she got a good grip. It was the newly fired clay brick, and she slammed it onto his skull. He jerked once, and stopped moving. Beneath her, a thick trickle of fluid dampened the earth.
Li shoved his bleeding head to one side, and stared into the shocked eyes of Chi Quan.
%%%
The sun was low, with just enough light for Quan to realize what had happened. When he first saw the two boys, he assumed they were brawling. But he quickly saw that the long, black hair sprawled on the ground belonged to a woman, and once he recognized that fact, he knew the woman was Li. Now he understood the strange signals she’d been giving off. He thought it peculiar that he found the boy so attractive. No wonder. The boy was a girl.
Her girdle hung from his hand and he stared at it. Then he looked down at the girl and the bleeding boy beside her. He dropped her clothes to the ground and pushed Lok Yu with his foot until he rolled onto his side. The weight of the young man caused him to flop onto his back. Quan’s eyes turned from the bully to the girl, who sat upright, curtaining her hair over her chest before drawing her legs together as she tried to stand up. Quan extended a hand to help, but she rejected his offer and rose by herself. She avoided his eye and went to her clothes, and then dressed, tying the girdle tight across her breasts before yanking the loose boy’s shirt over her head.
She started to twist her hair into a topknot when Quan stopped her by twining her fingers in his. He frowned, recognizing her. “You’re Lotus Lily.”
She nibbled her lower lip, nodded.
He squinted at her conquered opponent. “Is he dead?”
“I think so.”
Quan went to Lok Yu and felt his throat. No life beat. He returned to the girl. This was His Majesty’s youngest concubine. Did Master Yun know? Was that why he had insisted Quan take her as one of his wall builders? For the moment, there was nothing to do but perpetuate the masquerade, and he must continue to think of her as Li the boy.
“What will you do with me?” she asked.
“Go down to the river and wash the blood from your hands and face,” he instructed, for he had no answer, and while she did as she was told he scrutinized the shallow embankment. Part of the wall, awaiting repair was a few paces from here, a ragged, dangerous section, constructed of earth and stone.
Quan left Li by the riverside and approached the body, seized the dead bully by the ankles and dragged him up over the embankment and across the trampled grass until he reached the deteriorating rampart. He abandoned the body on the ground near a pile of
Li twisted out of his hold, kicked, aiming for his groin, overshot and hit him in the thigh instead. She swung about, blocking his strike, making a grab for his arm, missed, and fell onto her stomach. He dropped low as she rose to hit him again, seized her forearm and flipped her onto her back.
“Okay,” she said. “Now, we’re even.”
“Not yet.” Lok Yu pulled up his tunic and exposed his jade spear. It was stiff and red and angry looking. He dropped down on her as she tried to roll out of his path, landed on her hip, one hand clawing her breast, squashing her into the dried mud below the embankment. She beat at his face with her fists, but he only grabbed her hands and locked them together over her head, then pinned her wrists to the ground with one hand and dragged her leg into position with the other.
When he pierced her, Li bit her lip to keep from screaming. It wouldn’t do for the rest of the men to know she was a girl. He released her arms to grab hold of her thighs and keep them in place. Her chest heaved as she braced herself for more violent thrusts, then she reached over her head, tried to relax so that she wouldn’t distract him, and fumbled in the leaves tangled in her hair. She touched something hard, and stretched further until she got a good grip. It was the newly fired clay brick, and she slammed it onto his skull. He jerked once, and stopped moving. Beneath her, a thick trickle of fluid dampened the earth.
Li shoved his bleeding head to one side, and stared into the shocked eyes of Chi Quan.
%%%
The sun was low, with just enough light for Quan to realize what had happened. When he first saw the two boys, he assumed they were brawling. But he quickly saw that the long, black hair sprawled on the ground belonged to a woman, and once he recognized that fact, he knew the woman was Li. Now he understood the strange signals she’d been giving off. He thought it peculiar that he found the boy so attractive. No wonder. The boy was a girl.
Her girdle hung from his hand and he stared at it. Then he looked down at the girl and the bleeding boy beside her. He dropped her clothes to the ground and pushed Lok Yu with his foot until he rolled onto his side. The weight of the young man caused him to flop onto his back. Quan’s eyes turned from the bully to the girl, who sat upright, curtaining her hair over her chest before drawing her legs together as she tried to stand up. Quan extended a hand to help, but she rejected his offer and rose by herself. She avoided his eye and went to her clothes, and then dressed, tying the girdle tight across her breasts before yanking the loose boy’s shirt over her head.
She started to twist her hair into a topknot when Quan stopped her by twining her fingers in his. He frowned, recognizing her. “You’re Lotus Lily.”
She nibbled her lower lip, nodded.
He squinted at her conquered opponent. “Is he dead?”
“I think so.”
Quan went to Lok Yu and felt his throat. No life beat. He returned to the girl. This was His Majesty’s youngest concubine. Did Master Yun know? Was that why he had insisted Quan take her as one of his wall builders? For the moment, there was nothing to do but perpetuate the masquerade, and he must continue to think of her as Li the boy.
“What will you do with me?” she asked.
“Go down to the river and wash the blood from your hands and face,” he instructed, for he had no answer, and while she did as she was told he scrutinized the shallow embankment. Part of the wall, awaiting repair was a few paces from here, a ragged, dangerous section, constructed of earth and stone.
Quan left Li by the riverside and approached the body, seized the dead bully by the ankles and dragged him up over the embankment and across the trampled grass until he reached the deteriorating rampart. He abandoned the body on the ground near a pile of
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