Consultation by Kynkari
It was a full
month until the next Selection. More and more applicants have moved to the Camp
to devote their last days to physical and spiritual preparation. But most
people still did not take seriously, what they were doing. A little sternness
is not bad for anyone. It is not for him either, especially him. He needed
something to divert his thoughts.
- You just
brought one stick. - He Bian observed when he sat down beside them with a bowl
of steaming soup in his hand. Xi Wang's eyes darkened. So much about
distraction. He had a suspicion that Bai He might be witch. Anyway, how could
she possibly dig so deep into his thoughts?
- Well, here it
is. - Lu Shan, his other aide offered a few chopsticks to him, not really
bothering himself with by hiding his grin. He glanced at his friend, and both
of them started laughing loudly.
- Enough ... -
the Captain grumbled. - Better stuff your head.
- Yes sir! -
they raised their chopsticks up and began to eat, though the smile did not disappear
from their faces.
Xi Wang closed
his eyes. They have so much understanding, that they do not bother him with
their questions. For now. But their smile indicated, that they do understand a
great deal about the Captain's behaviour. They're going to ask questions soon
enough ...
- The General
sent a message. - he said, to give a new direction to the conversation. - He
will accompany Prince Ying Kong Shi when he returns. Probably already tomorrow.
And that means we only have a few hours to kick the applicants into life. The
Prince may be interested in them as well.
- But most of
them ran from his mother's skirt tot he Guard. They are also incapable of
sharpening their own sword. - Lu Shan said with disapproval.
- Most of the
we haven’t even given their own sword, don’t you remember? - He Bian added.
- Get them
together. They get half an hour after dinner to get their stuff done properly,
and then I’ll check it. He Bian!
Supervision for the Guard, immediately! - he gave the order and slapped his chopsticks
on the table. Standing up, he drank the remaining soup from his cup and left
the other two at the table.
He Bian and Lu
Shan stared at each other with wide eyes. They were not yet able to decide
whether they wanted the old Captain back. Then they shrugged at the same time,
and in a moment they ran to fulfil the command.
Ying Kong Shi
stared at the path between the ears of his horse. He didn’t bother calming down
his thoughts, so they stormed around without stopping at a high speed around
two things: the throne of the Ice Clan and the sword of the last king of the
Ice-Fire Clan. The General saw, that the young Prince sank deep into his
thoughts, wandering about something, so he didn’t try to talk, he only watched
over his horse keeping the right direction. They were followed by eight Guards
as an escort.
Shi recognised
his own feelings with a suprise, as they turned more expressive about the
Throne. He would have moved mountains to sit there before, but now he wished it
to be on the other side of the world. There was no reason, no aim to make a
sence of it anymore. And as for the King's obligations, he already felt the
weight of the invisible chains that his brother Ka Suo wanted to escape from.
Those chains prevented him from doing what his heart dictated at the ceremony,
and throwing that stupid and evil High Maid right into the Endless Sea. And he
had to live with the injustice that was committed in his name, forever.
However, true
as it was, he didn’t really ask anyone to worry about him. He had seen
something similar in his mother's eyes, though her gaze was overwhelmed by the
constant worry. And he saw something even more similar in the eyes of the
princess of the Fire Clan. They fought side by side, and when they were
threatened, the princess faced the danger laughing, but Shi knew she was
worried about him. When the world turned upside down, and they were alone, Yan
Da somehow had the urge to tell him over and over again, that all she did was
for him. Even when she was ...
Shi shook his
head. Enough of useless memories. What has passed is past, he can no longer
change it. Those tears can never be erased. He hit the side of his horse with
his heel. If he sat in the saddle for the General’s sake, let's just let him
ride fast like the wind. He pulled reins only when he felt the horse was
trembling all over. The shadows didn’t disappear, but at least he left them far
behind him. The General kept up behind him, and as he stopped his horse beside
the Prince, he smiled with satisfaction.
- You should
ride more often, Your Highness. - he noted, encouraged as he saw the dark
clouds disappear from the Prince's eyes.
Shi nodded
toward him and looked around. From the hill, where they stopped, they had a
beautiful view of the Grey Crab River and a village, which according to the
General was named Xiang Mu. Farther away, the distant forests turned blue by
the haze, but still couldn’t hide the beauty of the Mortal Kingdom. For the Prince,
it seemed as if only a few weeks had passed since the last time he had been
here. But Snow Bird was right. It was another life and another time ...
He ran his gaze
over the silver-sparkling ribbon of the river. This was not the same river, but
the memories rushed upon him. When he was woken up by the voice of the Fire
Clan's soldiers lying in the ice-cold water of the river, he was reborn. That
river has heard so much later... A young girl's cry, the song of a bamboo leaf,
a whisk of a whip ... This is not that river, he reminded himself again and
grabbed the reins tight.
- How far is
the Camp of the Kingdom Guard? - he asked Liang Dao, turning back in the
saddle.
- It lies by
the river over the village, Your Highness. We can comfortably reach it in one
hour. But if you approve, let us stop in the village. We'll need the
blacksmith, I want to take him with me. Just a little detour.
- Doesn’t the
Guard have their own blacksmith? - Shi wondered with some disapproval in his
voice, but the General was ready to answer.
- Kai Chou Yan
is not just a blacksmith. He's the best I know. I need his knowledge as well as
his style.
- His style?
- Yes. No one
is able to put the applicants back to their places, to break their pride, and
to wipe off the grim from their faces, as the old man can, when he teaches them
what it really means to hold a real sword in their hands.
The General
laughed and the Prince suddenly began to show more interest in the tiny mortal
village.
- What are we
waiting for? Show me the way.
- Yes, Your
Highness.
Bai He insisted
on not to wait for one single day. Neither a nice word nor a threat of illness
worked, so Jian Ming finally gave up trying. She was sure the girl didn’t know
anything about Chou Lou and his band's visit. So all this big hurry was
inexplicable. If she wasn’t convinced of the opposite, she would have thought
Bai He's trying to get close to the Guard. Well, on the other hand ... She'd
rather get back to work and not to think too much about this riddle. Upon Bai
He's request she also gave up her plans for lunch. They packed some food for
themselves, and she took the previously packed bundle with the garment and some
necessary little things. She tossed the food into the other girl’s hands.
- You bring
this. It’s not heavy. You forced me to leave early, so you can only thank
yourself for getting worse again on the road.
- Everything
will be fine, sister. - Bai He smiled without a pause, returning Jian Ming's
former kindness of familiar calling, and she was annoyingly calm. Jian Ming
took her sword, then sighed.
- All right,
let's get started. It's just a few hours walk, but I want to be there soon.
They followed
the line of the river and stopped only for a few minutes, when it was
absolutely necessary. Sometimes they talked, mostly Jian Ming told stories
about the village and his father. She also told a few stories about his
brother, though Bai He asked only a few questions, and mostly she was just
listening to her. Most of the time, however, they only walked in silence by
each other, immersed in their own thoughts.
Not too late
after lunchtime they reached the village. Jian Ming politely greeted all the
people who seemed to be happy to see her again. When they came to the forge,
the neighbours drew a curious look at the other girl but didn’t ask anything.
Jian Ming was not surprised when she didn’t find his father at home. The
servant said that the master went to the Guard. She shrugged and waved to the
other girl. This extra walk was really nothing special. They went on with a
quick pace.
When the smoke
of the last house was behind them, she suddenly had a bad feeling. She looked
around even more often, turning her head around, but in vain, she saw nothing.
However, Bai He felt her nervousness.
- Is something
wrong? Why are you turning your head back and forth? Are you waiting for
someone?
- Stay silent,
little sister, for your own sake. - she grumbled to the other to be able to
listen, and quickened her footsteps.
The river
glittered nearby, they still could see the waves between the trees, but then
the woods became more and more dense. Jian Ming stopped at the next turn, but
it was already too late. The riders seemed to have come out of nowhere. Bai He
screamed, she pushed her hard, so she ended up in the soft grass by the road.
But there was no time left for anything else. When Chou Lou hurled by her on
his horse, and shoved her without mercy, she fell on the ground helplessly. The
man knew exactly where to hit, and the sword flew far from her hand. Jian Ming
jumped up cursing, and after taking a quick look at Bai He, she turned to the
riders.
- You bastard!
Didn’t you even manage to survive without me? This is really touching. Let the
crabs eat up your guts!
- Come on, Fire
Princess! What is this outrage? We just came here to give you an appropriate
escort. Give me your hand and sit next to me in the saddle. I promise I'll be
careful not to let you fall off.
Yu Ben, that
silly one laughed. But the mysterious third was silent. Jian Ming's eyes
sparked of anger. While in the meantime, she was busy watching all three riders
and getting closer to her sword.
- No, no. -
Chou Lou moved his finger and fetched a whip from his saddle. – You won’t
anything stupid, will you?
- Can I have
the other one? - Yu Ben asked, and Jian Ming looked at Bai He in anxiety. She
had already got herself up from the ground, but her eyes darkened by fear. They
both searched for the look of the other, so that they would look at the sword
on the ground at the same time. That was actually only a step away from Bai
He's foot.
- Do not even
try it, dearie. - Chou Lou chuckled, and slowly released the whip.
Jian Ming
watched his hand. They moved at once, and the belt passing over the air swirled
over her arm instead of her waist. By the time he realized that, it was too
late, the girl stepped back taking the full weight of herself, and pulled him
out of the saddle. He of course jumped up and stepped towards her with anger.
Jian Ming retreated another step, pulling the whip back until she bumped into
something soft. Bai He was there, holding her sword in her trembling hand. The
sword was in the scabbard, so it didn’t help at all, even if the silly Yu Ben
approached from the other direction.
- Do not do
anything, Bai He! - she snapped, and tightened the handle of the whip.
Both men pulled
a sword.
- Couldn’t we
do the simpler way, Princess? - Let's say ... we don’t lace your skin before
you come with us.
- Do not move,
Bai He! - Jian Ming whispered over her shoulder. She felt the other girl take a
deep breath, but she stood steady behind her, pushing her back hard against
hers. She smiled contentedly. Just a few moments ...
Like an
thunderstorm, a dozen horses ran among them, their riders holding the reins
with one hand, their blades pulled out in their other hands. Jian Ming clasped
his free hand in Bai He's arms and squeezed it tightly. Just in time, as she
was frightened of the horses and she would have moved, no matter where, just
away. She would have ended under the horses' feet if Jian Ming didn’t watch
out.
The two
robbers, however, fleed immediately. They jumped into the saddle in a crazy
hurry, and only the rustling of broken branches echoed, as they followed their
third companion and disappeared among the trees.
One of the
Guardians stopped by Jian Ming in a huge puff of dust. He noted the situation
with a glance, but seeing that the two women were not injured and were not in
danger anymore, and his command didn’t allow them to chase the three men, he
slid his sword back into its scabbard, and leaned forward in the saddle.
- Are you
visiting your brother, Jian Ming?
- As you wish,
Commander. I am very pleased that the Patrol was so punctual today.
- Me too. Do
you need escort?
- Thank you,
but no, Commander.
- We're not
going too fast, okay?
- As you wish,
Commander.
He laughed, and
finally Jian Ming could breathe out as well. She grabbed Bai He at the
shoulder, she was pale, still holding the sword in her hand.
- Let's go.
We're almost there.
Bai He only
nodded, but obediently followed her. Jian Ming took over their belongings from
one of the Guardians, then rolled up the whip and tied it to her belt.
The commander
shouted, his voice echoed by the whole group. As they rid by the girls, Jian
Ming raised her arm and excitedly cried out:
- Strength and
Honor! Long live the Guard!
Liang Dao
thought that the Prince shouldn’t go through the tiny village and frighten the
mere mortals who were not prepared to have such a high-ranking visitor. Shi did
not protest. He remembered clearly, when he and his brother had fins shelter
among mortals, it didn’t end well. The General came back with a white-haired,
short but robust man, returning to the little group waiting at the edge of the
village. The old man wore his hair in several small braids, his clothes were
worn, but clean, disproving his profession. He carried a wide pack on his arm,
and Shi could only tell by seeing his tightening muscles, that he carried
weapons.
At the waving
of the General, one of the Guardians took the pack from the old man and tied it
with a big groan on his horse's back. A small smile appeared in the corner of
the old man's mouth.
- His Highness,
Prince Ying Kong Shi. This is Kai Chou Yan, the blacksmith.
The old man
bowed to the Prince with respect, then as if nothing had happened, he headed
for the Camp.
Liang Dao
started to apologize, but Shi cut it off.
- Leave it. It
was enough of riding for today. I'll be walking too.
He jumped off
from the saddle and started off after the blacksmith. The General, after
sending the Guardians to the Camp with a few short commands, followed them,
leading both of their horses with him. Chou Yan didn’t feel the need to talk,
so all Shi could to was to walk behind him in silence. He had seen well in the
old man's eyes just before, that he was judged by the look only. Anyone who
looked at him could say that he had seen only twenty summers in mortal years.
In his pure brilliant blue eyes he had no trace of the losses he had suffered
over the thousands of years, he did not wear weapons, but expensive clothes,
and jewels. The old man likely didn’t have a good opinion of him. And Shi
suddenly didn’t wish for anything else, but to win his acknowledgement. Yet he couldn’t
do anything. The old man walked ahead of him with long steps, and he didn’t
even mind turning back for any princes. Shi peeked back over his shoulder to
the General, who wiped the smile off his face in the very last moment.
Kai Xi Wang
would’ve never thought it would be such a busy day. He hardly slept anything
last night. He thew a supervision in the Camp before breakfast and after
breakfast as well. Then he ordered one more for the applicants before noon. He
listened to the latest reports so he could give appropriate answers to all of
the General's questions. He checked the equipment of the Guardians of the
patrol with his own eyes, and although everything was ok, everyone had to
adjust his armour for the sake of order again. Then came the cook, who had some
problem with the rice stocks - again, and by the time he realized the sun was
high, the Camp bustled as a stirred beehive and chaos ruled all over. He took
his head and was looking desperately for the salvation, but fortunately, the
patrol’s horn saved him from the ultimate despair. The sound had an effect on
not only him, but on everybody else like magic. By the time the horse of the
Commander stood before the General’ barracks whining, and the Guardian
dismounted to report to the Captain about the patrol, each member of the Guard
lined up already behind him in shiny and perfect armour, and on the side the
applicants stood in an almost perfect straight line.
Xi Wang
listened reluctantly to the Commander, then ordered him and his men to have a
rest. He had just begun to calm down when he noticed his sister walking
enthusiastically into the Camp in a tore dress, next to her arriving Bai He,
holding a sword in her hand. He had to warn himself to breathe, but as he
walked over to them, he couldn’t find the right words to get an explanation.
Instead, he stared at the two girls with wide eyes open, hardly catching a
breath, trying to look serious according to his rank. Jian Ming didn’t bother
herself. She didn’t come here for the first time, she knew the rules of the
Camp well, which didn’t forbid her to visit her brother. Bai He, however,
didn’t know what to do with herself, and she was picking on her dress with her
free hand. Apparently she was as embarrassed as the Captain, and even though
she glanced up for a moment, she immediately lowered her head. Jian Ming gave
her some clothes, and she even found some time to do something with her ruined
hair before they left. No wonder Xi Wang fell silent when he saw her in her
simple but graceful earth-coloured dress, with her short hair fixed in a
refined way, as Jian Ming was even able to braid in some long ornaments in
spite of all this. She held the sword in her hand as if it always belonged
there.
- What the
demons’ bastard happened to you? What are you doing here? Why are not you with
our father? - Xi Wang finally uttered
the first words, followed by questions after questions.
- Relax,
brother. - said Jian Ming when he was forced to breathe, but then the horns
sounded again, and from the other direction the old Chu Yan appeared, followed
by the Prince on foot, and by the General, pulling the horses behind him.
Xi Wang felt
that the heavens were collapsing, the stars and the celestial stones were
dropping on his head, and all this would happen in front of the General and the
Prince. But he wasn’t one of the finest Guardians of all in vain. He took a
deep breath, took the two girls by the arm, shoved to the steps of the barrack,
so that they wouldn’t be in the way, then he shouted Attention! and knelt down
in the middle of the square. Suddenly he didn’t know whom to look at first. His
father, whom he hadn’t seen in the last couple of weeks, and who would surely
ask him about the presence of his sister. The General, who was probably well
aware of that not all that was well in the Camp. Or the Prince, whose
celebration he had ruined some days ago. But he worried for nothing. Everybody
being there had something to look at, they all managed it according to their
own temperament.
When they
arrived, Ying Kong Shi glanced around curiously in the Camp. He watched the
Guardians for himself and quickly decided that nothing had changed, at least as
far as uniforms were concerned. He didn’t pay any attention to the kneeling
Captain. He was surprised by Bai He's presence, as well as by the fact that she
held a sword in her hand. However, as his gaze slipped on to the shape next to
her, his heart simply froze and stopped beating. It stopped, without any
warning. Even if he was able to breathe, he wouldn’t have even had a sip of
air, because the world had disappeared around him. The world was ruled by the
nothing, just like at that time, when he travelled through the Kingdoms only to
find nothing and no-one. Except…
He saw a
dark-haired, torn-dressed girl in front of him, having the laughing fire in the
eyes and wearing a whip on her belt. Whether he believed or not, there she was,
and Shi did the only thing he could only not to have to say her name out loud.
He was terrified, that if he did, he might wake up and find out that everything
was just a dream, and he was still lying in the Snowfog Forest with his face in
the snow. His feelings took control over his body, set the magical spell free.
With the next breath a snow-white glimmer of light bursted out all around him,
blinding everyone nearby, even himself. He moved, lifted his arm, but as he
lowered it, some invisible force had already dragged him into the air, and as
he shouted out almost in ecstasy, it was already the crying of a snow bird.
- Stop ...
Listen? Wait ... Shi, stop ... Ying Kong Shi! Get down right away. You heard
me! Get down or you’ll regret it.
Shi only came
to himself when she laid his palm on a slippery ice wall and his fingers felt
the cold. Windstorm was raging around him, and he saw only in a dim because of
the swirling snowflakes where he was exactly. There was no sign of life around.
They were somewhere in the north, on the coast of the Endless Sea, as he heard
the rumbling of waves from nearby. He pressed his forehead against the cool ice
to clear his head.
He still
couldn’t believe he saw her. He blinked again and again, but in vain, even the
ice wall reflected Yan Da's face. He pushed his hand against the wall to hide
her figure.
Show cracked
behind his back and he turned with a look twisted by anger. He walked toward
Xian Xue, but he didn’t wait for the Prince to reach him. Shi just felt that
his feet didn’t obey.
- Relax. – Snow
Bird whispered, and Shi grumbled.
- Since
when?...
- Is this
important? Have I ever mentioned you, that it's not really glorious to smash
your head against an ice wall, if it's not a certain ice wall and you
eventually don’t have anyone to save with your sacrifice?
- You ...
- Calm down. I
don’t talk to toddlers.
Shi didn’t
answer, but lifted his hands to release his feet with the blue flames.
- I wouldn’t
bother if I were you. In this state of yours it took you for eternity to get
free.
- Let me go,
Xian Xue.
- Not until you
get yourself together. Anyways, what's wrong with you? What upset you so much?
Shi shouted.
Xian Xue stared at him with a cocky, careless smile.
- It's going to
be so hard.
Shi bowed his
head. He seemed to be struggling with something, but then managed to breathe
calmly after a few minutes. Yet his eyes were dark blue, when he looked up and
strange shadows swirled in his look.
- Answer me.
- All right. -
Snow Bird shrugged, and he let go of the Prince with a glance.
- Yan Da is
alive.
- She's not Yan
Da, her name is Kai Jian Ming.
- Yes, she is
Yan Da, the Princess of the Fire Clan. The one who died ... who died on Earth.
- All right. If
you want, call her that way. Things won’t change by that.
- Why didn’t
you tell me she was here?
- You did not
ask.
In a heartbeat
Shi spelled such an ice-burst between the two of them, that Xian Xue was forced
to throw a milder defensive spell to keep his hair from falling apart. He
looked at the Prince disapprovingly.
- Ying Kong Shi
... Act like an adult.
- I'm just
doing it. I will not let you mess with me.
- You just
wanted to ask something.
Shi took a deep
breath before speaking, his shoulders tensed with the effort not to jump onto
the other.
- Yan Da was
reborn. But how?
- I do not
know.
- What?
- Shi ... I'm a
snow bird, the guarding spirit of the Ice Clan. But I'm not almighty. There are
other clans in the world. Other spirits and other gods.
- Someone yet
gave her life.
- Do you mind?
Shi was silent.
He walked a few steps away. To mind? No, not at all. But he couldn’t have put
his feelings or thoughts into the right one word even if he was forced to.
- Does she
know?
- What? - he
asked. – That she is Princess Yan Da? No.
The Prince nodded.
- We're okay
then. – Snow Bird rubbed his hands together. - I see you’re satisfied with the
answer. Then maybe we can go home.
- No. I need
some time.
- What? And for
what exactly? What do you want to do? She is happy, she has a family, a father and
brother who love her.
- Why did they
give her a new life if they took away her memories? Why? - Shi asked, and
unrest woke up in his voice.
- All magic
comes with a price, don’t you remember?
- You're
boring, Xian Xue. You cannot explain everything with that.
- But it is
true. - the other shrugged, and lent tot he ice wall with folded arms.
- I can still
hardly believe it. - Shi noted softly. He paused and took a few slow steps,
kicking the snow with his boots. Then he stopped. - She died in my arms.
- Not for the
first time.
- I could not
help it. - the Prince spoke back with flashing eyes. But Snow Bird didn’t bother himself.
- For the first
time maybe not. I admit, it was a courageous decision that she stood between
her father and you in the Woods of the Ever-Blossoming Cherry Trees.
- She said once
that Huo Yi didn’t love her.
- Shi ... No
one loved her. Didn’t you pay attention to anything she told you? You were her
only friend.
- Maybe ...
maybe I did not pay attention.
- Brave little
girl ... She gave you the rest of her life force. So at least her death was not
in vain.
- She
sacrificed herself for me. - Shi groaned and collapsed into the snow. His eyes
were dazzled by the memory of glittering fireworks. He snatched into the snow
as he tried to hold her unmoving hand in his palm. He shook his head, and the
vision was blown away by the wind.
- I don’t think
so. His father killed him. - Xian Xue said quietly behind him.
- For the
second time... When Yan Zhu possessed her ... She sacrificed herself to save
the world. And I didn’t do anything. I watched her raise the Spirit Devouring
Sword, and ... and ...
Xian Xue pushed
himself away from of the wall and squatted before Shi.
- I still don’t
understand what's wrong with you. The world is saved. Ka Suo escaped. He lives
freely and happily with the one he loves.
- Everything
happened too fast. Time ... I would have needed time.
Snow Bird
remained silent and didn’t say a word even when Shi lifted his glittering eyes.
- Xian Xue ...
- Hm?
- Maybe…
- Maybe what?
- Her memories
... I want to give them back.
- And if she
doesn’t want to?
- She must ...
She has to remember.
- Are not you a
little selfish? - Snow Bird straightened.
Shi jumped up
as well right away.
- Answer me! Is
that possible?
Snow Bird
nodded reluctantly.
- Talk to me.
How? - Shi shouted.
- If she wants
to, she will remember.
- That's it? -
the Prince asked, and when Xian Xue nodded in a rush, Shi grinned broadly and
simply disappeared, swirling up the snowflakes around him high in the sky.
- You stupid
fool. - Xian Xue shook his head unhappily, but didn’t go after the Prince. - I
told you that all magic comes with a price. - He looked around the bare rocks,
then finally allowed himself a faint smile.
