110 Forward

We had never seen that look in Niao's eyes. There was a dead, black, evil; the look of a tiger as it prepares to pounce. The look that puts fear into those who are with her, let alone those against.

She stalked out of the meeting room, a wide path being created as she advanced.

"Wait!" was all she said as she left. We looked at each other, no-one daring to speak. I knew her best but even I was silenced by that inner power. 

We waited.

Within minutes, she returned. She was dressed in her skins, her hair in it's pony tail. She had thick arm guards, a wide neck guard and shin pads over her hand made running shoes. 

She carried a pouch on her side. I didn't dare ask what she was carrying.

"You ready? We leave. Twin Archers, Twin Swords, you lead. Bǎo, which is the fastest way for your pride to travel?"

He shook his head for a moment, stunned by her presence, "um, there's a trail which goes further into the mountain. It will take us most of the way there. Once we get to the pine forest we can cut through. We must..." His voice trailed off, he of all people love her the most after Niao. He was heart broken but determined. 

"Let's go. Hao, you take charge of the archers and swords. Bǎo,  you're responsible for the Twin Blades, but I want your eight best men, the ones who've served since the beginning. We've a bond and I need that right now."

Without hesitation, eight men stepped forward. Dropping to one knee in front of Niao, the leader exclaimed," for the honour of our pride and our debt to Xin and Niao, we follow you to our death." 

To a man, all those gathered dropped to one knee and fisting their chest, shouted, "to our death!"

I knelt in front of my future wife. At this moment I saw her true powers. A leader of men, a warrior queen.

"Get up, time to move. As we go, we need information. Where's the pup? Bring him here. He runs with us until he's told us all he knows."

He gave us all we needed. She had been taken to a small building in the pine forest. When asked which side of the pass it was, it was the same side Xin and I had hunted; we’d noted several places around there but they all seemed derelict or at least not used. We presumed they were for loggers working in the forests. At least we had a direction and it wasn’t as far as the town itself. That would take days and we didn’t have that.

I pushed on hard. The men followed. They didn’t complain but I could tell they were tiring.

“Let’s stop here for a while. Rest and doze. If you have anything to eat which doesn’t need cooking, then eat it now. I can give us a short while but the longer we leave it, the more likely we will find a well used female body discarded somewhere.” I knew in my heart of hearts this was the worst nightmare for Xin. Having already been abused, the nightmares of the past would flood back and double the…… I stopped myself from thinking about it.

‘ Be as the water; flow freely and cover the land. Freeze it, sculpt it, alter it forever, wearing the land down until it exists no more.’ The book had opened again in my mind and I understood. I would flow as the water and once there, sculpt those who caused harm to Xin. I wouldn’t need to be emotional but that didn’t mean it would be any less fierce, just slower and more calculated.

I turned to the men and smiled, they followed me wherever I asked them to go, and today they were chasing down a group of men who had harmed one of their revered teachers. Forty plus men, each with a story, each with their own reasons, each with an axe to grind.

I gave them what seemed like an eternity, “Time to move,” and with that I got up, slung my pouch across my shoulders and tied it to my waist. All, to a man, stood and waited. I gave the sign and we set off again, jogging at a constant, but comfortable speed.