Naamah's Kiss - Jacqueline Carey [226]
Whether or not Snow Tiger believed me, I could not say; but she had begun to allow herself to trust me and accept my friendship. It was enough.
Now all the gossip that passed along the road was of war. Rumor ran rampant from every quarter. Imperial troops were said to be on the march, recalled from duty elsewhere. It was said that they meant to sail into Guangzho and strike at the heart of Lord Jiang's forces; it was speculated that Lord Jiang would move his army to the outskirts of Ludong and begin by taking that city.
Then it changed. Then it was rumored that Lord Jiang's army was withdrawing to the south, that the mere threat of war with the Imperial army had them in retreat.
I didn't believe it.
Nor did Master Lo. "They will have heard the rumors, too, my lady," he said to the princess. "Including the tale of your disappearance."
Her head tilted. "So?"
We were arrayed around a makeshift map etched in the loose soil of yet another harvested field. Master Lo's elegant hands sculpted a mountain in the southern provinces. "My son is not a fool. It may be that he and Jiang Quan have crafted enough of their terrible weapons to defeat any army your Noble Father raises. I cannot say. And yet there remains one battle they dare not lose." He guided her hand to the mounded soil. "White Jade Mountain."
Home! The dragon's voice soared.
Kneeling, the princess was very still, listening.
"My son and Lord Jiang know we are coming, my lady," Master Lo said gently. "They know that I am here, and that we have puzzled out the nature of their deed. Although I counseled against it, your father tipped our hand. If we succeed in freeing you from this curse, it does not matter how many battles they win, how many weapons they possess, how many men they command. We will set loose a dragon in all its glory. If we succeed, the truth will be known, and ten thousand times a thousand hands will be raised against them. No one will take up arms against you. No one will man their terrible weapons. That loss, they cannot afford. Therefore, they will make a stand where it matters most."
"Here." Despite her blindfold, Snow Tiger's hand moved unerringly, drawing a line in the dirt. "In the pastures surrounding White Jade Mountain."
He bowed his shaven head. "Even so."
Her head returned to its considering pose. "Can we hope to outpace either army?"
Glances were exchanged, heads shaken.
"No," I said aloud for her benefit. "It seems we cannot, my lady."
Home, the dragon repeated, a poignant ache in his voice. Oh, home! I yearned to comfort him. Her. Them. I couldn't help it.
"Home." The princess echoed the word. Her hand clenched into a fist. "So be it." She inclined her head, neat and precise. "Thank you, Venerable One. If your words be true, and I do not doubt their wisdom, it seems your son has chosen the battlefield." Her smile was tight and hard. "Let us bring the battle to them."
* * *
CHAPTER SEVENTY
We took to the river. For my part, it was a relief, a blessed relief.
Our carriage was a less stifling affair than D'Angeline carriages, but it was still an uncomfortable way to travel. I preferred being in the open air, not jounced and battered along the road.
In a large fishing village, Bao and Dai scoured the waterfront until they found an entrepreneurial merchant willing to trade a boat called a sampan for the horse and carriage. It was a good-sized boat for its kind, long and low, with a midsection covered by an awning of tightly woven fronds.
Still, it was small enough that it dipped noticeably under each person's weight as we stepped aboard. I got the princess settled comfortably under the awning, then eyed Bao as he took up a post at the long rudder pole. Suddenly, the boat seemed more precarious and the current swifter. "Are you sure you know how to steer this?"
He grinned at me. "Of course. I am Master Lo Feng's magpie. I can do whatever he requires."
"Right now, he finds it needful that his magpie be more discreet, Younger Brother," Master Lo said mildly.