What was hours ago a peaceful, celebratory atmosphere in the town had now descended into a picture of chaos. Screams and cries tore through the still air as two groups of distinctly different soldiers descended upon the town. Towards the South end, the Tufan task force spread out through the many passageways that ran like veins through the town, systematic in their search for the Han Empress.
One of the burly Tufan soldiers close to the Southeast corner separated from his comrades to cover more ground. As he rounded the bend of a sharp corner, a sudden flying elbow to his chin sent him sprawling on the ground. Before he could recover or call for help, a shadow loomed over him and delivered a sharp blow to his head, knocking him out instantly.
The hooded assailant straightened and turned towards the mouth of the alley he had emerged from. With one finger, he beckoned, “Come.”
As another hunched figure of smaller stature hesitantly took a step out of the shadows, the man bent down to strip the unconscious soldier of his sword and knives. Fully armed now, he gripped the sword in one arm and held it up, preparing to end the Tufan soldier’s life.
“Stop.” The quiet, authoritative voice of the smaller figure rung out, halting his blade in mid-action.
He looked up, confused, his sword still poised.
A feminine face stared back at him with an unyielding gaze, her expression firm and resolute. “No killing this time, Li Wai.”
“Yes, Empress,” he complied and withdrew his sword.
“Just focus on getting me to the target.”
I’ll handle the rest, she thought.
~ ~ ~
Accompanied by his right-hand man Wuya Kepan, Commander Nan Yulena rode through the town, overseeing the search for the Han Empress and her accomplices. They had finally tracked her down to this area and he speculated that within the night, she would be dug out from wherever she was hiding. The whole incident had been a disaster and with the peace treaty hanging on a thread with her disappearance, it was vital that he find her.
“Any news from the rear team?” he asked Kepan while maintaining his gaze in front.
“No, Commander. But we heard from some of the villagers that the other group of soldiers do not seem to be Tufan.”
The creases on Yulena’s forehead deepened. He had first sighted smoke from the North side of town a short while after they began their search and dispatched his rear team to investigate the trouble. If there was no news from them, he could only assume the worst.
His task force was small to begin with for the purposes of greater mobilization. With the loss of the rear team, he had no men left to spare to deal with this rogue group of soldiers – whom he assumed to be Han. That left him with two conflicting goals to achieve, little manpower, and a ticking clock.
Yulena tightened his grip on the reins and urged his horse on. The faster he found the Empress, the faster he could resolve everything else. His mind distracted by the problem at hand, he failed to notice the abnormal stillness around him until a sudden movement startled him.
A hooded figure dashed out from a dark passage to his left and stopped right in front of him, arms thrown out wide. Yulena instinctively pulled back on the reins. His horse reared up with a bray and landed its hooves on the ground, kicking up dust.
One arm steadying his horse, Yulena unsheathed his sword and pointed it at the mysterious figure. “Who are you?” he boomed.
In response, the figure slowly pulled back the large hood revealing a very familiar feminine face. Yulena’s eyes narrowed as he scrutinized the female – from her sharp gaze to the angular, slightly wizened face.
“If it isn’t the Empress,” he remarked as a smile spread across his lips. “How wonderful of you to turn yourself in.”
A yell made him swivel his head to the right. Thrown off his horse, Kepan was struggling to break free from the tight grip around his neck. His assailant was a short man, although his strength certainly made up for his stature. Even though he was at a disadvantage from holding the large Tufan man, he held his ground with a knife pressed to Kepan’s throat.
“Let the Empress go or your man will die,” the man barked.
Yulena’s expression did not waver and neither did the blade of his sword. “Kill him, then. He will be of no use to you.”
The assailant hesitated and in that split of a second, Yulena’s men in the front guard ambushed him from the back. His knife knocked out of his hold, the man put up a big struggle but he was completely outnumbered. Forced to the ground, he cursed and spat.
Yulena nodded at his men. “Kill him.”
===
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