House of Chen

We sat and chatted by the fire as the light dimmed. We'd finished off the vegetable soup and eaten every delicious mouthful of our fish. Now it was time to sit back and enjoy a fresh tea. "You hear that?" Xin looked at me for conformation. I nodded. She directed me left as she went right. It didn't take long before we spotted them, two men peering through the trees, looking for something or someone. "Can you see them anywhere? We'll have to go back soon, it's getting too dark," one of them whispered.  " But what will General Chen do if we....." "You looking for us?" It was Xin. She made them jump so badly, they fell backwards into the shrubbery. Typical Xin, she tipped her head back and laughed.  "Not very good in the gloom are you?" her peel of laughter filling the void.  I walked toward her. "Don't pick on them Xin, it's not their fault," and I too laughed at the looks on their faces, with bits of bus...

We walked back slowly.  The greens seemed greener, the trees more vibrant somehow. Noises appeared more friendly, wrapping round me with a blanket of familiarity. The river stood cool and tranquil, inviting me to rest a while. "I can't go back just yet Xin, I need some time in the greenery" I looked at her, hoping she would agree. "Let's stop overnight and breathe a while before we go back to the claustrophobia of the garrison." She knew exactly what I meant.  "Yep. Agreed. I need a quiet time too, just to fish, collect some vegetables and sit quietly watching our world, as it glides by." We walked toward the water's edge and found a good resting spot. It had the shade from surrounding trees and shrubbery, as well as an open area on which we could camp.  Stripping down to our under garments, we dropped ourselves into the water and tipped our heads back. The relief. The feel of the water as it flowed through my hair was exhilarating. I lay there...

I must have fallen asleep where I was because it was dark when a gentle hand on my shoulder woke me. "Niao, wake up. Niao, we've been given orders. Niao? Come on, time to wake." The gentle sound of Xin's voice made the tears fall once more. She looked at me with great sorrow and hugged me close. " We've our orders, love, we're to leave at first light." I looked up and saw her face. There was a softness in her eyes. I flung my arms around her neck and wailed. " I can't do this any more Xin. I want to go home." "I know, and I do too. We're in luck then, because we've been ordered back to the garrison.  Bǎo and his men will remain until they have shifted the dead into the desert. Then they've also been told to return and protect the town ...... under the control of the new General Chen," she paused as I took it all in, "Second Master." I started. Staring into her face I realised I wasn't hearing things. ...

I'd had enough.  I valued those I cared for, they were my pack. I supported Hao Yang without flinching because he was my alpha, but I missed sleeping peacefully under the stars, waking with the first morning rays and bathing in the crisp waters. I missed berry tea, lotus root soup and roasted meats. I missed quietly carving some new bowls, spoons, needles and creating warm clothing from the animals I had killed for food. Nothing was wasted; what I couldn't use, I returned to the land from which it came. I honoured the land each day and thanked it for its bounty. Now I was part of the cause of its destruction and it didn't sit well with me. Getting up I looked outside. The rain had begun again, blanketing the world with a curtain of blurred out images; blurred out reality? I turned back and looked at the room. What did this offer me? Is this what I wanted? Was I happy in this? This world where people fought each other over power, land and riches? I turned again to look out t...

We'd been going out each night for nine months now. We'd spent the last nine months doing the same thing, over and over again I've no idea how many we'd dispatched, but it was certainly having an effect. Fewer soldiers were coming through the various passageways and there was less action during the day as well.   We slept during the day whilst the soldiers took up the fight during the daylight hours. They would return come dusk, covered in various states of blood from those who had tried their luck in coming through during the light hours. They would head for the bath house as we would be getting up. We’d all meet, swap information as to movements we’d encountered and then after eating, we’d leave to prowl the night whilst they slept for yet another, wash and repeat. We were all exhausted and although we had lost no-one during the night, the soldiers had taken a hit. Their numbers were down from the initial battle when they arrived at the frontier fort. That flag meant...

Xin and I walked back to the border fort. We'd stopped off by a small herd of reasonably sized deer and taken two out of the group. "Good eating." Xin was as tired as I was and we were reduced to minimal chatter.  "Agreed," I shifted my load, " am hungry." "Me too." For the rest of the walk we travelled in silence. We weren't the last back, groups were still staggering in, each unit as exhausted as the next. The images of us must have been gruesome, each of us with varying layers of congealed blood.  One unit arrived and it dripped on the floor as they walked. They'd been busy. "All of you, wash house. Clean up, eat and return for a debriefing."  The officer turned to the two of us, " a large tub has been prepared for you in the side room here. I hope you're happy to share the same tub? It's a large one." He gestured the direction and we silently sloughed our way in. "Do we have cleaner clothes?" ...

Second Master looked into the morning sky and watched as more birds gathered overhead. Their raucous calls alerted all around to a feast which had been laid on the table.  He watched their progression as they moved further toward the gorge. He imagined the scene. Dead falling, their blood oozing into this foreign land, their limbs possibly dismembered. Others would be wounded, calling out for help and knowing it wouldn't necessarily come in time, only to see the sword come down and separate their soul from their body. He saw the birds, emboldened by the mounting dead and dying, coming in and, with their sharp beaks, tearing lumps from wound sites. Tears began to fall from his eyes.  He hated war.  He hated its brutality.  The fear in those young men's eyes as they lay there watching the crows coming to peck at them, trying hard to fend them off until they couldn't anymore and succumbed to the pain of their attack.  Men watching as their leg or arm was ...

Office Bǎo had trained twenty four men. They worked in groups of three and had developed into tight units which operated independently.  Xin and I were extras. That suited us, it meant we could play our own games and create fear in ways that would cause their morale to fall over time. Bǎo assigned each grouping a different area. Our task was to, one, take out any foreign troops we could and two, monitor their activities and potentially their future intentions. Both Xin and I had seen the state of our men at the front and were horrified.  I was relieved when I saw Hao Yang. How he had grown. The horror of war had aged him and the young innocent who had come to my camp all that time ago was long gone. Instead, stood a battle hardened man who had honed his values with a sword in his hand and his men at his side. He was a broad, brute of a man now, with a look of steel in his eye. His hair, partially unbranded, held no signs of rank. He didn't need it, his demeanour said it all,...

Second Master summoned Officer Bǎo to his quarters. "Sir," Bǎo gave a courteous bow and smiled as he lifted his head. "My men are fully trained and ready for service, Sir. When do we move out?" "Tonight. Those at the front line are dying and as yet have received no support. Do you have necessary weaponry for these covert missions?" Bǎo nodded. "Xin Yi has taught us well and has become an important part of our team. I'd like to take Niao too, as her skills are beyond reproach. She is very familiar with the terrain and would be a powerful asset alongside Xin Yi." Second Master looked worried. He'd long since begun to see Niao as his step daughter and the thought of placing her in direct line of fire troubled him. He shook his head. Deep down he knew she wouldn't stay if she knew of our plans, so nodded his agreement. "Keep her and Xin Yi safe, well as safe as they'll let you." Looking up, he continued, "I will give yo...

We had fought hard every day since we arrived and however many we killed, they seemed like ants, pouring over the mound. We had many dead and even more injured. Those who could fight were exhausted; the defensive wall would break if we didn't get help. We sent runners but they came back empty handed. Father was proving to be as stubborn as ever. Did he care? He was our General and yet he was clearly failing to carry out those duties. It was early morning, the sun was just breaking but we were already in a meeting. "We can't go on like this," one officer said, shaking his head, " out of my original two hundred men, I'm down to just over half left standing. They're exhausted and fight because they don't want to die, not win." He shook his head, " what do we do?" "I sent runners last night, but this time to my brother," I replied, " I'm hoping he can talk some sense into that man." We all looked at each other for mo...

My first day of freedom was no different from any previous day. I left the compound and began running, only this time I allowed myself to be 'attuned to the spirit of the woods'. What do I mean by that? Well, it's a trick I picked up from the book of no words.  By opening my mind to what is happening in this moment only, I found I could sharpen my senses; see things, hear things and smell things I would ordinarily miss if my mind was filled with everyday thoughts. Opening out the senses, I started running, following my usual paths, but, instead of avoiding these newly reopened trails, I veered onto them and followed them as far as I could. Some of them opened out into the surrounded desert, whilst others headed to the hills. They were all  devoid of vegetation after a while, so not easy to follow further without being spotted. I stayed within the strip of green which clothed the edge of the river. Coming back into the wooded area once more, I left the track and, crouching d...

It'd been several months since Hàorán brought me into the barracks quarter. I've become fitter across my shoulders, back and arms from wielding a hammer most days. I have a pass to travel back and forth and now I've included running out in the fields and across the marshy area which surrounded us. To make it fun, I've started to chase small animals. Their darting from one place to the next increases my agility back to how it was before I 'went soft' living in the town.  As I grow better at it, I've added hand-catching too and bringing them back for the pot. More importantly, I'm enriching my soul. The fresh air, freedom and the natural world, bring balance back in my head and that is reflected in how I interact with the people I meet. Would I ever settle in a town? Village? No! I really want my freedom back but I felt obliged somehow, obliged to those who have shown me great kindness.  So I stay and work for them (and with them). The incident with the tw...

I woke to the warming smell of congee cooking and fresh buns coming out of the oven. "Good morning little one, you sleep well?" I loved this man, his kindness and generosity knew no bounds. His wife was as loving and kind as him and not surprisingly his children were, well, beautiful children.  "I did, thank you." I sniffed the air, "didn't realise I was that hungry." My mouth salivated at the thought of sinking my teeth into the soft, sweet dough of the buns already cooling on the table . An involuntary action made me wince. Touching my mouth I realised it was swollen and sore.  "You look rough this morning little one. It hurts, yes?" I nodded wanting to cry, "okay, you eat and then a good soak in the tub. I've heated water for you in the back room. You can climb in there and ease yourself off? Xin Yi sent over a set of clothes for you. Get rid of these ones? How does that sound?" I nodded, tears stinging my face; I'd not ...

Hàorán walked me into the room annexed to the Forge. Second Master was sitting at the table eating a bowl of noodles.He looked up and saw the two of us.  His eyes filled with concern when he saw me, and putting down his chopsticks, opened his arms wide, "come here little one."  I dropped my bundle and ran to him. The little girl in me needed a cuddle and to be told it was all alright, then I could be level headed again. I was finding people all too much. I wanted to go home to the surrounding forests, to get out of the stifling atmosphere of the town. He looked over my head, "Hàorán, good to see you. What news do you have?" He continued to cuddle me as he spoke. "There's much to discuss," Hàorán said, "but first I think we'd better concentrate on this little one here, she was badly shaken up when I came across her just now."  Second Master lifted my head, "so, little one, I think I need to know, what happened? What do you need me to ...

I kept a steady pace surreptitiously maintaining a distance between the man following me and myself. The bundle over my shoulder conveniently 'slipped' irregularly, so I was able to check behind me. I was concentrating so much on him I missed an important gut feeling. Two men jumped out from the side street I had just passed, grabbed me by my mouth, and pulling me backwards, dragged down the alley. I was pinned against the wall, my arms above my head, their leering faces close to mine. Both stank of tooth rot and alcohol, it was disgusting. I turned my head away,  retching at the smell. The taller one, who was holding me tight, had one hand fumbling around my waist, trying to get inside my clothes. Alarms went off in my head and a red mist of disgust, fear and anger washed over me. ' How dare he!' I began to struggle but he held me tighter, "feisty little one we got 'ere, ain't we," his face so close, he was spitting in my face. 'I'll kill you!...

Like any animal being preyed upon, there is a sixth sense which tells you where the threat is. If you watch antelope they turn to face the threat, head up, super vigilant, waiting for the tell tale movements of the predator before they turn tail and run in the opposite direction. It gives them the advantage of distance to remain ahead of the game. I was no different but I didn't face the one following me, I sauntered through the streets as if nothing was amiss.  I walked into the milliners shop and taking a surreptitious glance over my shoulder, saw him. Thought so. I walked in as if I'd seen nothing and spotted Xin.  The look I gave was one of caution. She'd seen it many times when we were being stalked. She looked past me and saw him as well.  He had taken up a position at the coffee house opposite and waited. "He'll be waiting an awfully long time," she grinned and wrapping her arm around my shoulders, guided me into the back room. "There won't be ...

I saw Hao Yang and pretending to be the forlorn wife, ran over to him, shouting, "husband!" He looked perplexed but spoke to one of the other Detachment Officers, and slipping from his horse, came over to me. So as to complete the charade, I flung my arms around his neck and buried my head into his neck. " Hold me as if I was your wife. We are being watched, of that I have no doubt." He swung me round and smiled widely, " I went out to the watch tower the other side of the gorge and I think its a set up. I really do not believe the men there to be from this town. I believe you will be ambushed as you travel and finished off when you arrive. I believe there is a plot to remove Chen from existence. I could be wrong, but my hackles are up and my sixth sense is ablaze." With that, I dropped down and looked lovingly in his eyes. He reached down and buried his head. "Thanks for that. I've been wondering too, our moving out was brought forward. The men a...

I carried on walking toward the gorge itself, wondering where it went. Several twists and turns held you in a gully open to attack on both sides. 'Perfect ambush territory,' I thought, 'but then, how safe is that ground?' I looked about to see whether antelope wandered there. I could see the fan shape of cascading sands and the more I looked the more of these fans came into view. 'Maybe not as easy as I thought.'  Looking up higher, I realised the hills were in waves, 'you could hide a battalion up there. Archers would have a clear target and the men would be sitting ducks.' I kept an eye as I walked on. Turning the next meander in the river, I saw a lookout tower.  It flew the flag of Zhang, 'ours then.' I continued walking forward.  Something made me jump and instinct told me to drop down. Hiding in the undergrowth, I loosened my hair and pulled it round my face as camouflage. Looking through the fringe I saw men chatting with another group.  T...

Certain sounds make my hackles rise whilst others are calming. Today was one of extremes, one minute content to walk, the next, alert and ready.  Sounds tell you a great deal about a place and some engender fear wherever you are. The croaking of frogs means all's quiet, a chaffing means big cats are walking through but not hunting. A roar is a potential fight and best to leave. Then there are the birds calling to each other, giving the all's safe, something's moving which could be trouble or the alarms of serious threat.  I'd learned many of these as I'd travelled. Now I was learning a new set and it was becoming clear this was another mountain cat area. This is a real mix of landscapes too; from fast flowing river, to deep pools full of fish and other aquatic creatures, next to soggy areas where standing water glistens in the watery sun, and then lush woodlands.  Then, like a knife had carved an edge to everything lush: desert. Unyielding dry sands which are cold a...

We had arrived at our destination. Some town on the edge of beyond. When we came to the gates, the mists from the mountains hung heavy and a fine drizzle fell. I'd never been to this area before but I could see the mountains were steep and unforgiving, the surrounding land, flat a fertile. The people eyed us suspiciously as we progressed into the town, through those imposing gates. Inside it was a typical town, with houses lining the streets and people crowding to see what had been dragged in this time. Hao Yang's father led the procession full of his self importance and carrying the red scroll from the Emperor and his seal.  The train came to a stop at the furthest outpost of the town. Here the buildings were less decorated, less inviting; this I presumed was where we would be garrisoned. A man came out in full armour, which dripped with rank, "You have arrived," he said in a condescending manner, "any incidents on the way?" "None Commander Zhang, it w...