Tiger - Jeff Stone [43]
“Who are you?” Captain Yue demanded.
“I am Fu, the one you seek. Take me, and let these good people be.”
“How do I know that you are the one I seek?” Captain Yue asked.
“Because I am the one in the cage.”
“The cage was empty when I arrived,” Captain Yue countered. “A prisoner does not come and go as he pleases. You must be an imposter. Where is the real monk?”
“I am the real monk,” Fu said. “I escaped last night and hid at the edge of the village. I saw you arrive and knew the Governor had promised the scrolls to you, so I decided to ambush you as you left the village. I wanted the scrolls back. But once I heard that you planned to destroy the village because I wasn't in your grasp, I decided to put myself in your hands. I don't want any more harm to come to these good people. I snuck back in here through the crowd as they all stared at you, listening to every one of your stupid words. Take me away, and leave this village alone.”
The villagers stared at the cage. Every one of them was touched by Fu's words, including those villagers who wanted him gone. Only Captain Yue seemed unaffected.
“I don't believe you,” Captain Yue said. “No one is that noble, especially not a child. LISTEN TO ME NOW, ONE AND ALL! I refuse to take any chances. This boy is coming with me, and so is every boy in this village between the ages of ten and fifteen. Hand them over immediately, or my men and I will burn this village to the ground!”
“No!” cried Fu. “You can't! I'm the one you want. Take me, and leave them be.”
“Shut up, fat boy,” Captain Yue scowled. “You're coming with me, and so are all your little friends.”
“Who are you calling fat?” somebody said. Fu recognized the voice. It was the Drunkard.
“Who said that?” Captain Yue demanded.
“I did,” said the heavyset Drunkard, stumbling forward as the crowd parted. He pushed his tangled hair from his eyes and stared hard at Captain Yue. “The boy may be stout, but at least he can lose some weight if he wanted to. You are a fool, and there is no cure for that.”
“Watch your mouth, Drunkard,” Captain Yue said. “I suggest you leave now before I let my horse trample you to pieces.” The horse neighed loudly and rose up on its hind legs, pawing at the air with its deadly front hooves. Its nostrils flared savagely.
The Drunkard laughed. “You ask a horse to do your dirty work for you? I see what kind of man you are. You are weak.” The Drunkard swayed from side to side, crashing heavily into the cage. If not for the stout bamboo bars, the large man would have fallen over completely.
“You try my patience, Drunkard,” Captain Yue said.
“Oh, really? What does that mean? Aside from your horse, I see that you are equipped with a sword, and my ears tell me that you are also equipped with a tongue. You wield your tongue clumsily. I doubt you can do much better with your sword—or your horse.”
“Ayyyaaaaa!” Captain Yue shouted as he jerked back on the reins. The horse reared up again, then came crashing down, its front legs pawing wildly at the Drunkard. For an instant, the heavyset Drunkard seemed as nimble as a cat. He darted to one side of the large, angry beast, only to stumble into the horse's side. Fu saw the Drunkard's thick right hand shoot forward to catch himself, his palm tapping the horse's rib cage before he stumbled backward. For the briefest of moments, Fu could have sworn he saw the Drunkard rooted firmly to the earth.
“Come here!” shouted Captain Yue. “You—”
The horse suddenly fell over. Captain Yue went down with it.
“ARRRR!” screamed Captain Yue as the full weight of the horse fell upon one of his long, skinny legs.
“Get this thing off me!”
Fifty soldiers rushed forward, and an entire village ran backward. An entire village, that is, except for the Drunkard, the Governor, and Ma.
Get out of here!” the Governor shouted at Ma, his eyes fixed on the advancing soldiers. “This is no place for you.”
“Sure it is,” Ma said stubbornly