Five days earlier - Border Town – Shan

“The thing is,” says Ma Xiuying, “We don’t think he’s dead.”

After everything else, this hits me like a roof falling down.  The blood rushes to my head and the next thing I know, I’m seated at the table with two concerned women bending over me and a cup of wine being held to my mouth.  “Drink this,” says Lady Han. 

I drink, cough and somehow find my voice.  “Not dead?”

The two women sit down at the table with me and exchange a look. 

“Jinhai went hunting the day after you left,” Lady Han says, “He took four bodyguards with him.  They didn’t come back that evening so a search party was sent out at daybreak.  They found the bodies in the back-country.  The bodyguards had all been killed with arrows and the Prince had a stab wound under the heart.”

“We’d heard there was a contract out for him,” Ma Xiuying says, “I sent a message up to the garrison at Qiu City but it arrived too late.”

“Or else they ignored it,” Lady Han’s voice is grim.

“According to our informers, the assassin is a young man who goes by the name of Bamboo Hat.  He’s a skilled archer, kills from a distance.”

I’m having trouble taking in all this information.  “But what makes you think that Jinhai could have – could have escaped?”

“I saw the body,” Lady Han says matter-of-factly.  “I offered to help prepare it for embalming, so I was able to take a good look.  It was the body of a young man, about the same height and build as Jinhai, but the face was unrecognizable.  There had been wild animals, of course, but apart from that, it looked to me as if the features had been deliberately smashed.  And there was no earring.”

“Earring?” I say, dazed.

“Jinhai was so proud of his earring, but whoever this young man was, his ears weren’t pierced.”

“What’s more,” Ma Xiuying continues, “Bamboo Hat has disappeared.  He was supposed to meet up with two colleagues here in Border Town but he didn’t show up.  They came here asking for information.  We think Jinhai killed the assassin and switched identities.  If that’s true, he’ll be in danger if those two catch up with him.”

“What do they look like?”

“Both swordsmen.  One’s very tall, even taller than you.  The other has half an ear missing.  They may still be in town.  We’ve had no reported sightings of Jinhai.”

My brain suddenly activates again.  “He’ll be planning to follow us to the capital.  I have to find those thugs and kill them before they get to him.”

“There’s another danger,” Lady Han says, “There was a fifth arrow, with blood on it.  Jinhai may be wounded.  And with his face, he’ll be the target of every human predator out there.”

A cold chill goes down my back.

“You need to change out of that uniform,” Ma Xiuying says.

Lady Han rises and goes back into the inner room.  Ma Xiuying pours me more wine.  “You’ll have to keep a low profile.  Stay away from the main road as much as possible.  There’ll be troops on the way with the official news.”

I still can’t believe it.  After the nightmare of the past few days, the good news is almost too much to bear.  I realize that Ma Xiuying has laid a concerned hand on my arm.  I dredge up a stiff smile and put a cold hand on hers. 

Lady Han emerges with a large bundle, which she hands to me.  “These should fit,” she says. 

I rise and bow.   “I don’t know how to thank you.”

“Just find Jinhai,” Lady Han says.

“Will you both be safe?”

Ma Xiuying smiles.  “Of course.  Ah-Ming’s staying in Border Town, but I’ll be gone by tonight.  We must stay alive and hope for better times.”

Outside, the town’s starting to come to life.  I make my way back to the command post to pick up my horse.  I check to see if Bai Ping’s in his office, but it’s obviously too early for him.  Just as well.  No need to implicate him in my downfall.  In the stable, a young man’s busy mucking out the night-straw.  He sees me and bows.  “Sir, what should we do about the horse?”

“What horse?” I ask, distracted.

“The one we found.  It’s got your troop’s brand on it.”

“What?  Explain.”

“After the – the assassination, the horses got scattered, because of the wolves. One of our patrols picked this one up on the mountain and it’s got your troop’s brand on it, so we kept it.  Since you’re here…..”  He trails off, looking at me anxiously.

“Show me,” I say.

It’s Jinhai’s horse, Arrow. 

“We kept all the gear,” the stable-boy says. 

I look it over quickly.  Jinhai’s bow and arrows are there, sword, saddle, quilt.  But not the medical kit he always carries.  Or the water-bottle.

“Has anyone taken anything?”

“No sir, it’s just as we found it.”

“Saddle him up for me, will you?  I’ll take him with me.”

“Right away, sir.”

With my two horses, I ride out of the town gate and make for the visitors' stables outside the walls.  There are still very few people about. 

It’s time for Commander Liao Shan to disappear.

The bundle contains simple practical black clothes.  It doesn’t take long to change.  This isn’t the first time I’ve gone undercover and I have an alias that I’ve used before, long enough ago that no-one will remember it.  I already have several days of stubble.  I loosen two long locks of hair and braid them, which gives me an outlandish look.  The rest I plait into a long braid.  I’ll need to get stuff in the market to complete the look.  With my sword slung on my back, I leave the stables and head back into town.  In the market square there’s an inn owned by one of Ma Xiuying’s informers.  I order food and drink and sit watching the increasing bustle.

Jinhai’s still alive! 

My heart’s beating so hard that I imagine people sitting near must be able to hear it.  He’s alive.  He may be here in Border Town even now.  But now there’s a new fear in my head.  I have to find him before Bamboo Hat’s friends do.  I call the waiter over and put a piece of silver on the table. 

“Two men,” I say, “One very tall, one with half an ear.  Swordsmen.”

He bends over and wipes the table with a cloth.  The piece of silver vanishes into his sleeve.

“They were here a while back, waiting for a friend.  They left suddenly about a week ago, maybe less.”

“Any idea where they went?”

“East.”  He pauses and looks at me.  “You a bounty hunter?”

I look at him without replying.

“It’s just that there’s a reward out for those guys.  But up till now, no-one’s had the guts to collect it.”

I raise the wine-cup to my lips and sip.  The waiter coughs and makes himself scarce.

I have to get supplies.  The market’s huge, occupying a number of intersecting streets.  It’s noon by the time I get everything I need.  Back in the stables, I complete my disguise by painting a pattern on my cheek with ink to imitate a tattoo.  A mark on the face is the first thing any passer-by notices.  It distracts casual attention from the face itself.  A sedge hat completes the look. 

I remove all the military insignia from the horses’ harness and disguise the military brands as best I can.  I’m now Zhan Shuren, bounty hunter.  I slip back into the identity as if five years hadn’t passed since I used it last.

And then I set off east, back the way I’ve just come.