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  Gi Tang, the courtesan’s guard, sat on the ground between Xiao Yen’s tent and the fire. He had a nose as sharp as a dagger, hooded eyes, and a face unused to smiling. His cloak hung below his waist, made out of a thick red material, with a stylized horse embroidered in black on the back, marking him as one of the horsemen soldiers. Under his cloak he wore a light blue shirt and bands of leather across his chest. He bound his heavy wool pants around his ankles with leather straps. He had small knives strapped to his waist. During the day, Xiao Yen had seen him carrying a long bow and two quivers of arrows.

  He stared at Xiao Yen as she passed him, one hand reaching across his chest to touch the hilt of a knife. His face tightened with the intensity of his stare. Was he afraid of her? He glanced away from her as the circling tiger passed. He obviously didn’t like her magic. Xiao Yen bowed her head to Gi Tang, to be polite. He wrinkled his nose in a sneer, as if he’d smelled something bad, then turned back to his dinner.

  Xiao Yen walked away quickly. She’d seen his fear. She didn’t want him to see hers. She hoped he wouldn’t test the strength of her tiger. Xiao Yen could only affect the mundane world a little. Maybe her tiger could bend a leaf or break a twig. She didn’t have the experience to animate a tiger that could kill a man. She’d have to study many years before she would. Her employers didn’t know that though. No one did. And no one would. She had to keep a strong face. She had to keep them all from knowing she had any weaknesses.

  Udo, Ehran, and Bei Xi stood near the cooking pot. Bei Xi’s perfect skin reflected the fire with a rosy glow. The firelight picked up the red highlights in Udo’s hair. Pieces of it that had escaped from his ponytail fanned out around his face like a fiery mane. Xiao Yen smiled, thinking maybe Udo could pass for a fox fairy. Though fox fairies were usually female, they brought luck if they were good. Ehran’s face was in shadows, his eyes hidden.

  Xiao Yen smelled cooking vegetables over the earthy scent of the thawed ground near the fire. Her stomach clenched and she realized how hungry she was. Udo handed Xiao Yen a cold tin bowl, a small spoon, and a ladle, then gestured toward the two pots sitting in the ashes next to the fire. The bigger pot held a thick gruel. The wonderful smell came from the smaller pot, which was filled with stew.

  Xiao Yen filled her bowl and returned to the group. Ehran handed her a small pouch. The leather was well oiled, waterproof. Inside was something red that had been dried and crushed. The smell went all the way down the back of her throat, dark and slightly bitter.

  Udo pointed at the bag, then at his mouth, and said, “Ow, Ow!” Then he said something in a condescending tone, lecturing her.

  Bei Xi translated. “Don’t laden your food with too much pepper. It’s spicy. You might burn your mouth.”

  Xiao Yen bristled at the suggestion. “Please tell my respected client that I appreciate his warning. However, my mother grew up in the south, where they eat much hotter foods than in Bao Fang. I’m used to eating spicy food.”

  Bei Xi smiled, shrugged, and stepped back. Xiao Yen tried to read her face in the flickering light. She couldn’t see beyond Bei Xi’s lovely smile. Udo had a smirk on his face. Ehran kept his face without emotion, unreadable, like someone born in the Middle Kingdom.

  Xiao Yen used her spoon to put the peppers in her bowl. She knew better than to use her fingers. She took only half as many as she would have if the peppers had been from Fu Be Be’s village. She could always get more later. She almost put on more when Udo’s smirk grew larger and Ehran’s face took on a serene smile, like the Buddha’s. She’d show them who could eat hot food. It had always been a pleasure to hear the amazement of her classmates when they saw her heap peppers on her food. In that way, she’d excelled beyond them.

  After the first bite Xiao Yen knew her mistake. The bitterness she’d smelled didn’t manifest, but the darkness did, burning the back of her throat like the black heart of a piece of coal. Her eyes smarted and her nose started running. The peppers she was used to were more subtle, increasing their power throughout the meal. What would these peppers be like after a few more bites? She ate a spoonful of the gruel, knowing water would set her whole mouth on fire.

  The grain cooled her tongue enough that she could take another nibble. The spiciness stayed intense. Xiao Yen couldn’t taste the vegetables beyond the pain. Her eyes watered. She sucked in the night air to cool her throat.

  Someone tried to suppress a snort.

  Xiao Yen looked up, suddenly aware of her audience. The wind against her cheeks told her she had tears streaming down her face. She couldn’t imagine how red her nose must be.

  Udo howled with laughter, while Ehran merely chuckled. Even Bei Xi’s smile widened to show her flawless teeth. They’d known how hot the peppers were. Why had they tricked her? Why had they warned her in such a manner as to make sure she’d take too many, and make a fool of herself?

  Xiao Yen handed her bowl to the still-grinning Udo, saying, “I’m not hungry anymore.” Then she walked away. First she headed toward her tent, but she swerved to avoid Gi Tang. She didn’t want any more witnesses to her humiliation. She walked east instead, toward the river.

  Another small clearing stood beyond the tethered horses. The moon broke through the patchy clouds as she crossed it, coating the winter grass with silver. Xiao Yen stopped short of the circle the tiger followed around the camp. Maybe tomorrow night she would start the camp defense after dinner, in case she needed to get away.

  Xiao Yen stared out through the night and the trees. She could still hear Udo and Ehran laughing. Why had they been so mean to her? Her stomach growled with hunger. She’d always been proud of her ability to eat spicy foods. Now she’d made a fool of herself, disgracing both herself and her mother’s cooking. Wang Tie-Tie always told her to not show any weaknesses to strangers, and not to family either, if she could help it. Xiao Yen had not only been overpowered by the peppers, she’d shown she was vulnerable to her employer’s tricks. Maybe she should have stayed and laughed with them at her mistake. Maybe she’d laugh at herself in a while, but not now.

  A horse behind her neighed, high pitched, almost a squeal. Xiao Yen turned around. The horses had backed up and were pulling on their lines, trying to get away from something in front of them. Their large backs blocked Xiao Yen’s view. Her mouth went dry with fear. She had no paper with her. How could she protect the horses? She tried to shout but she couldn’t force any words past her burning throat.

  Abruptly, the night grew still. The wind died and the quiet trickling of the river stopped. The horses strained against their leads for another moment, then relaxed and shuffled forward, acting normal again. The sounds of the night resumed.

  What had frightened the horses? Why were they no longer scared? The guide had told her the horses were mostly good tempered, staid, only scared of loud noises and snakes.

  Bei Xi came into view, walking around the horses in a wide arc. Had she scared the horses? Or was she afraid of them? Xiao Yen dismissed the thought. Bei Xi wasn’t afraid of anything. If Zhu Tse Guo, the demon of nightmares, appeared, rattling the skulls around its neck and flicking its forked tongue at her, Bei Xi would have it kneeling at her feet and cooing in a matter of moments.

  Xiao Yen felt a pang of jealousy. She would never be as cultured nor as beautiful as Bei Xi. Xiao Yen was just a merchant’s daughter. Though her family had better social connections now than they’d had when she was a child, they weren’t lords, or part of the court. Xiao Yen didn’t think even Wang Tie-Tie could change that.

  Bei Xi glowed like a second moon as she crossed the clearing. She held a small bowl in her hands, carrying it with her arms extended, as if it were an offering. Bei Xi walked straight to Xiao Yen, handed the bowl to her, and said, “I thought you might still be hungry.”

  Xiao Yen caught a whiff of dark spice from the bowl. She raised her eyebrows at Bei Xi, who responded, “Yes, there are peppers in it. Only a sprinkling, to flavor the dish, not enough to burn your mouth.”

  X
iao Yen nibbled at the stew. It was wonderful, spicy, yet not too hot. She attacked her food, but found herself watching Bei Xi over the edge of her bowl. Xiao Yen tried to drown her uneasiness with the warm food sliding down her throat. Bei Xi was lovely, more beautiful than a painting. She’d been thoughtful as well, bringing Xiao Yen some food. Where did Xiao Yen’s feeling of uneasiness come from?

  In her mind’s eye, Xiao Yen tried to see beyond Bei Xi’s form. There was something special about Bei Xi, the way her image shimmered. Xiao Yen couldn’t see beyond Bei Xi’s shining face.

  “It’s because they’re scared,” Bei Xi said.

  Xiao Yen took another bite of her stew and said nothing. Wang Tie-Tie and Master Wei both had encouraged Xiao Yen to ask more questions, to overcome her innate shyness. Her sister, however, had taught Xiao Yen that she sometimes learned far more by being quiet.

  “Udo and Ehran are far from their home, in foreign lands,” Bei Xi explained, her hands pressed together, palm to palm, as if in prayer. “They watched you perform your magic, and it scared them. In their eyes you grew fierce and large, like your tiger. They needed to force you into human form again. So they gave you the peppers.”

  Xiao Yen replied, “But I’m the one in foreign lands now. I’m the one far from my family.”

  “Udo and Ehran don’t see the world through your eyes. They think of this ground as your land.”

  Xiao Yen wondered at her strange emphasis on “your.” Why didn’t Bei Xi say “our”?

  Bei Xi continued. “You think you’re far from your family? Udo and Ehran haven’t seen theirs for more than four years. Ehran’s worried about their father. That’s why they’re traveling, the real reason. Not because they’re merchants or they want gold. The brothers were banished for protecting their father’s land.”

  Xiao Yen nodded. She hadn’t known the brothers’ status, but she wasn’t surprised that they were landowners, from either an equal or higher class than her family. Wang Tie-Tie wouldn’t have let her work for them otherwise.

  “What happened?” she asked, when Bei Xi didn’t go on.

  “It’s a story older than the Tien Mountains. A wealthy lord coveted their father’s land. He tricked Ehran into signing a lien against it. Though the contract wasn’t legal, the man could buy a judgment in his favor.”

  Though an official’s corruption was a familiar story in the Middle Kingdom, Xiao Yen was astonished. Maybe foreigners were more similar to her people than she’d thought.

  Bei Xi went on. “Ehran went to talk with him one night. They argued. When the man attacked him, Ehran defended himself too well with his knife. He was banished for it. Udo came with his brother.”

  “Why wasn’t the whole family banished? How did they protect their father?” Xiao Yen asked.

  “Foreigners think an individual is responsible for his actions. They rarely punish the whole family for the crimes of one.”

  Xiao Yen shook her head. Entire villages were sometimes burned to the ground for the crimes of a few. She’d always assumed that foreigners acted irresponsibly because they were so far from their families and possible repercussions. Now she wondered if they always acted that way.

  “At first the brothers stayed in a neighboring country. Then they started traveling, buying, selling, trading as they went. I think Udo wanted to leave. The adventure of the Great Merchant trail caught them and wouldn’t let them go, not until they’d traveled the length of it. But now, they want to go home.”

  Xiao Yen sighed. The story sounded so romantic in the telling, without the sweat of living through it. “Will they make enough money selling the horses on the coast?” she asked.

  Bei Xi’s smile barely lifted the corners of her mouth. “I . . . I don’t know.”

  Xiao Yen’s heart sank. They wouldn’t make enough. From the falseness of Bei Xi’s smile, Xiao Yen knew they might not make enough for their passage back to their lands, which would be a shame. The brothers were so foreign. They didn’t belong in the Middle Kingdom.

  “What about your tale? Why are you going north?” Xiao Yen said, trying to brighten Bei Xi’s smile.

  “I will tell you about myself. But only if you tell me about yourself. Agreed?”

  “Agreed,” Xiao Yen said.

  “You first,” Bei Xi replied. “You’re younger.”

  Xiao Yen opened her mouth and closed it again. How could she have allowed herself to be tricked so easily again? Grudgingly, Xiao Yen began. “I’m the youngest in my family. I have an older sister, Gan Ou. My father, my uncles, and my three older brothers were all killed in an accident, taken by the river dragon.” This was ancient history, that Bei Xi could find out about from anyone in Bao Fang. It wasn’t that important.

  “The river dragon!” Bei Xi said. “That was why it was difficult for you to cross the river this morning, wasn’t it?”

  “It was,” Xiao Yen replied. She hadn’t meant to share anything private with Bei Xi, but maybe Xiao Yen’s past was too connected to her present to let her hide anything.

  “My aunt, Wang Tie-Tie, put me into Master Wei’s school when I was very young. And that has been my life, school and home. Now I am here.” Xiao Yen looked up, defying Bei Xi to find out her secrets.

  “That must have been hard, living between school and home, divided, all the time,” Bei Xi remarked.

  Xiao Yen shook her head. She couldn’t say anything without Bei Xi seeing through to the essence of the matter. “Every person must face difficulties in their life, to learn and grow.” At least that’s what Wang Tie-Tie and Master Wei had always told her.

  “Your trials have given you great strength,” Bei Xi said.

  Xiao Yen didn’t know what to say. She felt as though she’d failed her trials. She’d lost herself, lost her luck.

  “You’ll see,” Bei Xi said. “I’ve had some . . . difficulties in my life as well.”

  “Please continue,” Xiao Yen said. “I’m eager to hear your tale, which must be more interesting than mine.” She hoped Bei Xi would take her statements as politeness. Xiao Yen didn’t want Bei Xi to peer at her own life anymore.

  Bei Xi tilted her head to the side, as she had in the courtyard of the merchant’s inn that morning, then lifted her eyes skyward, as though talking with the moon. The moon must have said something funny, because Bei Xi’s laughter rang out, high and tinkling over the quiet river sounds.

  When she turned to look at Xiao Yen, her face carried the moon’s glow. A gust of wind tugged at her clothes, raising her coat a little.

  “Do you know the story of Princess Zhao Jun?” Bei Xi said, running her hands down her sides, pushing her jacket back into place with a wiggle, like a sensual snake adjusting its skin.

  “Wasn’t Emperor Han Zo tricked into giving the princess to a northern lord as part of a peace treaty? He thought she was ugly, but she wasn’t, right?”

  “Exactly. Our stories are similar. The court painter did an inappropriate painting of me. My lord accused the painter and me of being lovers.”

  “Were you?” Xiao Yen blurted out. Bei Xi had seen through to the center of Xiao Yen’s life, so Xiao Yen asked the first question that came to her, even though it was rude. Bei Xi owed her a truth. “Were you lovers?”

  Bei Xi answered quietly, barely speaking above the sounds of the night. “No. He loved another. He put my face on her body, as his love for her was even more inappropriate.”

  Xiao Yen sighed. Life at court must be as interesting as all the storytellers in the marketplace made it.

  Bei Xi continued. “Instead of taking my head, as was my lord’s right, he gave me to the barbarian horseman Vakhtang, as part of a bribe for continued peace. There has been no war for so many years now, between the kingdom of Tibet to the west, and the kingdom of the Turic, to the north. But now these horsemen, the Uighiers, attack the border towns, threatening our peace.”

  Xiao Yen knew about the raids. Wang Tie-Tie had already started moving the family’s business interests farther south. Her a
unt believed all the treaties would be broken soon, and war would come again, like it had in her childhood. Xiao Yen had seen refugees in the markets of Bao Fang, driven from their own lands by the horsemen.

  Bei Xi peered into the darkness. She looked remote, like a statue coalesced out of fairy dust, silver and white. Even more than Wang Tie-Tie, she resembled the statue of the goddess Nü-gua in the Fire Mountain Temple. Her skin was as white as the goddess’ snake tail, joined with her brother’s as they peered out in different directions.

  Almost to herself, Bei Xi said, “There must be peace between our lands. I’ll sacrifice whatever I have to.” She paused for a moment, then turned to look at Xiao Yen. Her face was as smooth and unreadable as a porcelain mask, but her eyes held darkness. “I speak some of the language of the kingdom of Turic—the horsemen’s language. My sister lived at Vakhtang’s court for a while. I also know the language Udo and Ehran speak. Please, let me teach you. Let me help you.”

  “Why?” Xiao Yen wondered. She put her hand in front of her mouth when she realized she’d spoken her impolite question aloud.

  Bei Xi laughed her tinkling, high-pitched laugh, but only until she saw Xiao Yen’s expression. Then she gazed soberly at Xiao Yen.

  “I was going to tell you a fantastic tale. Family matters should be private. You’ve shared some of your tale with me, though, so I will tell you the truth. I was supposed to look after my sister. Teach her the ways of the world. She was my responsibility.”

  Xiao Yen understood. She’d been Gan Ou’s responsibility for many years.

  “But I didn’t do my duty as well as I should have. I played games, instead of guiding her. She left . . . our home. Now, she sings beyond the Yellow River. I don’t want that to happen to you as well.”

  Xiao Yen found herself agreeing to Bei Xi’s tutelage. The story of Bei Xi’s sister sounded true, even if there was still something about Bei Xi that made Xiao Yen uneasy.

  “Let me see,” Bei Xi said, pausing for a moment. “I’d like something that would tie us together, your family and mine. I know! I can show you something I learned at my lord’s court. It’s a silly thing, not real magic, but you might like it. I’m sure you won’t have any problem learning it.”