“You need me,” I said, bluffing. “You wouldn’t be here if that weren’t true.”
Our eyes locked in a silent battle of wills. At last, Kuro sighed. “I take it back,” he said grumpily. “I don’t like feisty women. More trouble than they’re worth.”
I waited, not moving a single muscle in my face.
“All right,” he agreed. “We do have a healer in our crew. She’ll fix him right up.”
I suppressed the urge to smile. Perhaps I was better at bluffing than I thought. Lei humbled me with his ability to read my every feeling, but most people weren’t Lei.
“Help me lift him,” I said.
“Demand after demand,” Kuro grouched, but his eyes were full of mirth, and I could tell he hadn’t really conceded anything that had cost him.
“Who is he, anyway?” Kuro grunted as he took the brunt of Lei’s weight on his shoulders. “A bit too handsome forjusta friend, no?”
I flushed at the insinuation. “He was my personal guard in thepalace,” I said, for I’d torn apart his expensive silk robes and removed all jewelry from his person. “He’s very…dear to me.”
Kuro grinned knowingly. “A woman of the people!” he said emphatically. “Well, a handsome bodyguard will fit right in with the stories we spin. I’ll get a scribe to—”
“No,” I said forcibly. “I want no part in your—your propaganda—”
“Propaganda?” said Kuro, mock offended. “My dear, this ishistory.”
Twenty-Five
And when the Red Mountains groan, it is said to be the stirrings of the Monkey King trapped beneath, imprisoned for his defiance of the Celestial Emperor. His wrath shakes the earth, a warning that even the mighty must yield.
—Winter and Spring Annals,483
Kuro had a diversion staged,so that when we emerged into the sun and escaped on horseback, Sky’s men were nowhere to be seen.
After three days underground, I felt overstimulated by everything—the sun, the wind, the animals, and the people. Kuro’s rebels were a rowdy and brazen crew, entirely unlike the nobles I’d grown accustomed to in the Forbidden City. And yet it was clear from the onset how much they respected and lionized their military leader. As soon as Kuro issued a command, it was done, no questions asked.
So no one protested when Lei was given special treatment, despite the rebels’ initial distrust of him. Because of Lei’s condition, we had to stop earlier than expected, setting up camp a day’s ride from the Dian River, where we would pivot south and follow the river’s path down to the mountain pass, which would lead to First Crossing.
As Kuro’s healer treated Lei, I tried to help, but she quickly shooed me out of her tent, insisting she needed to focus. Wanderingthe campsite, I found Kuro sitting by the firepit with a tiny woman who barely reached his chest. What she lacked in height, however, she more than made up for in strength. Despite the frigid temperatures, she wore a fur-lined vest with no sleeves, baring her muscular arms. They sat on a log grilling skewers of lamb, and I noticed that while Kuro was grilling, the woman was simply eating.
I approached tentatively, feeling like I had on my first day at the army training camp. “Can I sit here?” I asked.
“Phoenix-Slayer!” said Kuro, waving a grilled skewer at me. “Please, sit.” He leaned toward me. “Don’t worry about your friend,” he added. “My healer is the best you’ll find.”
I shrugged, but worry still gnawed at me. The small woman passed me a grilled skewer. “Eat.”
At her order, I realized I was famished. I bit into the freshly seared meat and savored its bold heat, infused with cumin, peppers, and garlic.
“Desert-style,” said Kuro appreciatively. “Good, isn’t it? Meilin, this is Lü Jinya, my right hand. Jinya, Meilin.”
She spared me a half-second glance before returning to her food. I gave her a longer assessment, noting the multitude of throwing stars she wore on her body. Kuro too I assessed differently. Knowing he had a female second-in-command made me like him more.
Kuro grinned as if guessing my thoughts. “She trained me well,” he said, patting Jinya on the head. In response, she shoved his face away with the back of her hand, and he nearly tipped off the log with laughter. Without smiling, she continued to chew the remains of her skewer, until she’d cleaned the stick. Then she reached for seconds.
I felt a prickling sensation and glanced behind me. Two men were staring at me, their gazes overly curious in a way that made me stiffen.
“Lan. Hanwen,” Jinya barked. “Aren’t you on patrol next?”
They saluted and hurried away. She shook her head at their receding backs. “Fresh meat,” she muttered.
“What?” I asked.
