with the dim light, he saw the battle formation of warriors dressed in full combat array, their steeds frozen in time. There were well over six hundred infantrymen and forty war chariots. He walked among them, and passed through a corridor. Along the northern and southern walls, soldiers armed with chest plates, sabres and crossbows stood at the ready. Half faced north, the others south, watching with their pottery eyes. He continued until he reached the rearguard, where the statues looked west, backing against the main force.
Master Yun continued on to a black opening, followed it for twenty meters and found himself inside another vault. This space was shaped like a T, and again he was confronted with statues in combat formation. In here, more infantrymen, cavalrymen, wooden chariots, hundreds of horses and thousands of armed soldiers confronted him. At the front of the T-formation two hundred crossbow archers stood shoulder to shoulder. Almost the same number of kneeling archers posed in the center, and a further two hundred formed a strategic circle. The remainder were tall, proud cavalrymen, wearing armoured chest plates, fur hats and leather boots with bows in one hand and the reins of their horses in the other. The battle steeds were robust and sturdy, and each had a saddle with a saddlecloth underneath. If these cavalrymen came to life, they would be lightning sharp, whirlwind quick and so powerful they would break the enemy ranks like a tsunami. He must find their leader.
Another hundred meters and he found the third vault. The space was a concave polygon, smaller than the other two. Far fewer terracotta statues waited inside. They stood along the walls of two wing rooms, face to face in double rows, holding sharpened bronze poles, and no doubt were sentinels. As he entered the seat of the Military Command, somewhere nearby he heard a clank .
%%%
The tea was murky, the leaves floating and twisting, refusing to settle. The hot steam made Jasmine irritable. Why couldn’t she see the whereabouts of Lotus Lily? What was blocking her power? It must be something the old warlock was doing. When the girl had sex, all would be visible. Something still protected Lotus Lily—her virginity.
The amber fluid in the porcelain bowl cleared and a vision appeared. So, the old soldier could hide the girl but not himself. He was in a dark place with a domed ceiling and blue light illuminated his movements as he walked between rows of clay warriors.
Jasmine smiled to herself. You can run from me, but you cannot hide.
Confident of Master Yun’s location, she left her chamber for the palace dungeon where she heard a gasp, a moan, then a thud on the floor. Zheng Min had cut the bonds on a man strung against the wall.
“Whipping won’t work,” Jasmine said, approaching. She helped him drag the body to its feet. “Wear the truth out of him. Chain him to the bench. I’ll show you what to do.” She filled an ewer with water and rigged it over the eunuch’s head. Every few seconds a drop of water fell onto his forehead. She grabbed his hands, which were manacled to his sides and shoved young bamboo shoots into the quick of his fingernails. These she watered also. “They will grow and as they grow, he will scream. Several days of this and he will tell all concerning Lotus Lily.”
“Are you sure we’ve got the right man?” the military governor asked. “This tutor, Tao, is soft. A single lash was all it took to land him on his face. He’ll die before he cracks.”
“Other than the old warlock, he’s the only one who could possibly know where she is.” Jasmine gave the military governor a teasing caress to his neck, promising more. He reached out to embrace her, but she shrugged him off. “Later. I go now to find the old man.”
The Chinese warlock had borrowed a horse and headed south, and Jasmine crossed the public square and left via the palace gates. Out of sight of the citadel her sleek black mane turned golden,
Master Yun continued on to a black opening, followed it for twenty meters and found himself inside another vault. This space was shaped like a T, and again he was confronted with statues in combat formation. In here, more infantrymen, cavalrymen, wooden chariots, hundreds of horses and thousands of armed soldiers confronted him. At the front of the T-formation two hundred crossbow archers stood shoulder to shoulder. Almost the same number of kneeling archers posed in the center, and a further two hundred formed a strategic circle. The remainder were tall, proud cavalrymen, wearing armoured chest plates, fur hats and leather boots with bows in one hand and the reins of their horses in the other. The battle steeds were robust and sturdy, and each had a saddle with a saddlecloth underneath. If these cavalrymen came to life, they would be lightning sharp, whirlwind quick and so powerful they would break the enemy ranks like a tsunami. He must find their leader.
Another hundred meters and he found the third vault. The space was a concave polygon, smaller than the other two. Far fewer terracotta statues waited inside. They stood along the walls of two wing rooms, face to face in double rows, holding sharpened bronze poles, and no doubt were sentinels. As he entered the seat of the Military Command, somewhere nearby he heard a clank .
%%%
The tea was murky, the leaves floating and twisting, refusing to settle. The hot steam made Jasmine irritable. Why couldn’t she see the whereabouts of Lotus Lily? What was blocking her power? It must be something the old warlock was doing. When the girl had sex, all would be visible. Something still protected Lotus Lily—her virginity.
The amber fluid in the porcelain bowl cleared and a vision appeared. So, the old soldier could hide the girl but not himself. He was in a dark place with a domed ceiling and blue light illuminated his movements as he walked between rows of clay warriors.
Jasmine smiled to herself. You can run from me, but you cannot hide.
Confident of Master Yun’s location, she left her chamber for the palace dungeon where she heard a gasp, a moan, then a thud on the floor. Zheng Min had cut the bonds on a man strung against the wall.
“Whipping won’t work,” Jasmine said, approaching. She helped him drag the body to its feet. “Wear the truth out of him. Chain him to the bench. I’ll show you what to do.” She filled an ewer with water and rigged it over the eunuch’s head. Every few seconds a drop of water fell onto his forehead. She grabbed his hands, which were manacled to his sides and shoved young bamboo shoots into the quick of his fingernails. These she watered also. “They will grow and as they grow, he will scream. Several days of this and he will tell all concerning Lotus Lily.”
“Are you sure we’ve got the right man?” the military governor asked. “This tutor, Tao, is soft. A single lash was all it took to land him on his face. He’ll die before he cracks.”
“Other than the old warlock, he’s the only one who could possibly know where she is.” Jasmine gave the military governor a teasing caress to his neck, promising more. He reached out to embrace her, but she shrugged him off. “Later. I go now to find the old man.”
The Chinese warlock had borrowed a horse and headed south, and Jasmine crossed the public square and left via the palace gates. Out of sight of the citadel her sleek black mane turned golden,
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