The rhythmic beat of the drums and celebratory singing drifted into my tent, along with the tempting odor of smoking meat. Hunger was driving my body to its limits and I had to suppress its uncouth voice from escaping. Such disgraceful sounds would hurt my dignity, even if the only people to hear it would be the three guards standing around me in the tent.

     In an attempt to release my body from its natural cravings, I turned my attention to the shadowy figures in the next tent that housed General Wangchuk and his closest soldiers. Hearty laughter and drunken cheers rose from there and I could already imagine the level of intoxication they were in. The cause for such careless behavior was of course well-justified, given that their objective had now been achieved. It was only a matter of days for the agreement between the Tufan and the Tang to take place, which would grant the Tufan tremendous victory.

     Now that my release had been decided, I would have to focus on resolving this large mess on my plate. Top on my agenda was of course to uncover the mole that was working for the Tufan. There was no doubt in my mind that this was the orchestration of someone within our ranks and if no action were to be taken, the consequences would be more severe than this. My enemies were many but I was confident that my swift and ruthless plan of action would quickly cut off the head of their operation.

     Too absorbed in my thoughts, I almost failed to realize that the neighboring tent seemed somewhat quiet. The music from outside still drowned out most of the noises but it seemed that the activity next door had died down. Behind the curtain, there wasn’t much movement.

     From the corner of my eyes, I looked at the guards around me. Their lack of expression told me they hadn’t noticed anything different; so bored and disappointed were they at not being able to join in the festivities that they were oblivious to the events taking place in their general’s tent.

     Just then a soldier from the neighbor tent burst in, his robe stained a blood red.

     “Help! General Wangchuk, he-“

     The guards snapped to attention, moving in unison as they approached the startled soldier whose hands still dripped with blood. His face was ashen and his eyes wide with fear but his hands never trembled. As the three burly men approached him, his slim figure remained stock still, poised like an animal waiting for its prey.

     In an instant, he whipped out a long curved dagger and slashed at the man nearest to him, slicing right through his neck. His movements were swift and calculated; moving on to the next one even before the first drop of blood had fallen. Within seconds, three bodies lay on the floor in the middle of a growing red pool.

     The assassin finally glanced at me, his cold eyes betraying the façade he put on earlier to trick the guards. His left hand still clutching the dagger, he moved slowly towards me. Swallowing down my fear, I raised my voice.

     “Who are you?? Do you not know who I am?”

     “Yes I do,” he replied, his voice gentle in contrast to his stern expression.

     “Empress Wu,” he greeted me as he removed his hat, revealing a bald scalp with a single bold character tattooed on it. “Your humble servant Ge Tuo pays his respect.”

     Recognizing the symbol of the dragon on his scalp, a sigh of relief escaped my lips. “Hurry and untie me from this bonds before anyone finds out.”

     “I’m sorry, Empress,” he replied.

     My eyes widened in confusion as I saw him lift his dagger up high. This couldn’t be happening. I took in his expression, trying desperately to read what was going on behind that face of his. 

     Nothing, there was nothing.

     “Lu Bei sends his regards,” he said before bringing the dagger down in a swift motion.

     There was a glint of metal and I closed my eyes reflexively, waiting for death to welcome me into its embrace. But nothing came and I could still feel my heart thumping ferociously in its cage. Opening my eyes hurriedly, I saw Ge Tuo still in front of me with his dagger held only inches away from me. Then I saw his soulless eyes and the tip of an arrow jutting out from his chest. A second later he crumpled to the ground beside my feet.

     Looking up, I saw another soldier standing behind him, his bow drawn. Seeing that his opponent had been defeated, the man lowered his bow and dropped down on one knee.

     “Empress Wu, your subject Captain Li Wai apologizes for the unexpected mishap.”

Li Wai…..

It couldn’t be…. him.