“Is that where the body is?”
“If I say yes, will you let me go?”
“After you show me the body.”
“You—” I gritted my teeth before I could say something offensive. I didn’t want to give her any more reason to breathe down my back. “Fine. This way, please.”
My mind raced furiously as I led us in the direction of the springs. Surely there would be inns near Yueguan’s main attraction. At the first one I saw, I walked toward it with false confidence and didn’t even glance back to check if the soldier was following. She obviously was.
The front desk was empty; it was lunchtime and the proprietress was likely taking a break. I beelined toward the only flight of stairs in the foyer, then halted and spun back to face the soldier.
“Let me put my things away and tidy up the room first,” I said. “I’ll also make sure the corpse is still secure in the closet.”
The soldier gave me a wary look. “You’re not trying to run away, are you?”
“I couldn’t if I wanted to,” I said. “There are no other stairs in the inn. If you’re so worried, you can stand guard down here.”
She crossed her arms. “I will.”
I nodded and ascended the steps. As soon as I hit the landing and turned the corner, I checked every door until I found an empty room. It looked like it’d been recently cleaned in preparation for the next guest. My attention zeroed in on the paneled doors opposite the room.
I’d picked this inn not only because it was one of the first I’d noticed but also because of the tiny balconies jutting out from the second floor. There were indeed no other stairs, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t get down another way.
I had about three minutes before the soldier grew suspicious, so I quickly ripped the sheets off the bed and tied them to the railing of the balcony. As a child, I’d gotten myself stuck in a tree outside the monastery trying to rescue a cat Lilan had taken in. When my father told me to drop into his arms, I fearfully refused. So he threw up a long sheet for me to crawl down on.
The memory gave me a much-needed shot of strength as I clambered awkwardly over the balcony’s red-painted rail, staff tucked under my arm. I clung to the sheets and slid downslowly, sweat prickling my neck and back, my arms and legs straining. My palms burned when I squeezed too tight and slipped too quickly.
I should’ve left the food behind.I thought about the bundle I’d strapped to my back. Its weight and warmth only made me feel hotter. But I’d spent good money on it, and Ren and I needed the food.
At last, my feet hit the ground, and I didn’t stop to worry about where the soldier might be. Instead, I bolted away from the inn and back toward the business district of Yueguan. I was just about to turn down a narrow street when I heard a loud “Hey!” from behind. Glancing over my shoulder, I glimpsed the soldier leaning over the balcony from which I’d escaped, her face flushed with fury. But she was already too late.
I slipped down the street and zigzagged my way out of the town, back to the shaded safety of the forest.
Ren was awake when I returned, sitting with his legs crossed and tracing words in the dirt with a stick.
“What’s that?” I asked, trying to decipher the sweeping characters. His calligraphy tutoring hadn’t gone to waste, apparently.
“Reasons to or not to go in search of you.” He tapped the ground with the stick. “What took you so long?”
I settled beside him and began to unwrap the bundle. “It’s a good thing you didn’t go. I ran into that soldier again, the one from Xiuxi. She’s been following us, apparently.”
Ren stiffened. “Why?”
“She wants to examine you, see if you’re the fugitive she’s looking for.” I placed a leaf-wrapped square of sticky rice in hishands. “And now that I’ve run from her twice, I’m sure I’ve only cemented her reasons to suspect me—suspectus.”
“Then what are we waiting for? We must return to Sian now.”
“It’s still day.”
Ren cursed, then gave me an apologetic look. “I’m sorry, Siying. This is all my fault.”
“It’s fine. I knew what I signed up for.” I tore apart a pork bun, the red filling soaking into the soft bread. I hoped my own face wasn’t similarly reddened by the sound of my name on his tongue—though the unwelcome heat in my cheeks hinted otherwise. Clearing my throat, I continued, “We’ll leave as soon as the sun is down. The soldiers at the border are pretty superstitious, and the dark will only make them less inclined to hassle us.”
“Speaking of crossing the border,” Ren said, “I was wondering if the checkpoint will be examining my identification papers.”
I nodded, thinking. “Fortunately, your family name is missing from your papers—”
“A precaution my brother thought to take.”
