The Sixth Seal
Chapter Three

Xi Shi knew her betrayal would mean death if she were caught, despite Fuchai’s undying love for her. Her death and the love of a man were merely grains of sand to be blown away in the presence of the book. She knew this day would be her death or her triumph.

She crouched low, her footsteps barely audible on the stone path in the eastern garden. The moon, full and bright, made her mission all the more precarious. She darted between raised lotus ponds and the towering lacquered pagodas lining the garden. She paused at the base of the nearest pagoda to take stock of her surroundings.

She pressed her body to the ground and crawled to a position where she could see her objective and the eastern wall of the palace. Guards made their rounds, passing by each other under the stone corbels that supported the massive tiled roof. Satisfied she hadn’t been detected, she turned her attention to the stone temple nestled at the end of the gardens.

The temple was dwarfed by the palace, but it was no less opulent. Each corner of the tiled rooflines reached skyward, capped by gilded lions and dragons. The pillars were painted crimson and wrapped in golden ribbon. Paper lanterns hung between each pillar spilling soft, warm light down the temple steps and onto the periphery of the garden.

Only two guards protected the entrance, but they were heavily armored. She would have to take them down as quietly as possible. She couldn’t risk alerting the palace guard. Although Master Jing had taught her well and she was confident in her skills, she was still only one.

She pushed herself off the ground and resumed her crouched advance toward the temple. When she reached the last pagoda before the temple entrance, she stopped. Sliding close to its walls, she made certain she was out of the view of the palace guards.

The two guards at the temple entrance talked to each other. Even though she was unable to make out their words, she could tell from their tone they were speaking casually. If they had any idea of the value of that which they guarded or the determination of the predator just out of sight, they would have been much more vigilant.

She steadied her breathing and unclasped the thin silver chain from around her neck. She wrapped her hands in the ends of her robes and pulled the chain taut. She stepped out into the light, making sure she was still hidden from the palace. It took the temple guards a moment to notice her, and even then they didn’t seem to know what to think. She called out a soft greeting. They smiled and started down the steps. The fools didn’t even lift their spears.

She held her arms out in front of her, keeping the chain stretched tightly, and ran headlong at the men. She watched the look of surprise wash over their faces. They thrust their spears outward and charged toward her. She did not slow her pace. Years of training had prepared her for this moment, and she was eager to use her skills. The book beckoned to her from within.

Come to me protector. Fulfill your birthright.

She propelled herself off the ground in a motion as fluid as the wind. Her silver chain caught both guards beneath their chins. She felt it dig into their necks as she somersaulted over their heads. Her feet touched the ground behind them, and she pulled the ends of the chain together cinching the men in a death vice. She spun around keeping hold of the chain. The men dropped their spears and grasped at their throats. They didn’t realize it yet, but they were already dead. She guided them stumbling to the edge of the garden path. They fell limply into a patch of spider grass, the last breath escaping their lips.

Warmth came to her hands. Despite the robes, the chain had cut into her palms releasing a thin line of blood. She tore strips from the bottom of her robes and wrapped her now throbbing hands. It was a small price to pay. She both felt and heard the call of the book stronger than before. Beckoning her. Reassuring her. It soothed her spirit and gave her new resolve.

With the stealth of the wind, she pulled a small dagger free from its scabbard on one of the fallen guards, and replaced the chain around her neck. She hefted the knife in her right hand. Pleased with the balance, she tucked it into the sash of her robes. If anyone came walking through the gardens they would almost certainly find the bodies, but she planned on being well on her way to her meeting with Wang Xu by then.

She crouched down again and crept beyond the cover of the Pagoda, glancing briefly to the palace walls to confirm she had not roused any alarms. Satisfied all was clear, she covered the distance between the pagoda and the temple, and darted up the stone steps in three quick strides. She pressed her body close to the large lacquered doors of the temple, and listened for sounds of activity within. Satisfied no one was inside and not wishing to remain exposed any longer than necessary, she pulled on one of the immense bronze rings, but the door did not budge. She glanced back at the palace. Still no evidence she had been detected, but she knew she couldn’t stay in front of the temple for long.

Fear began to overtake her. Tiny beads of sweat broke out at her hairline.

Get control of yourself. Master Jing says true strength comes not from the body, but from the spirit.

She repeated the words to herself like a litany. Soon her breathing became even and the perspiration stopped. Even her hands stopped throbbing. She planted her feet firmly on the ground and grabbed the ring with both hands. Her focus shifted to the ground below her feet. She willed energy from the earth below, through her body and out into her arms. She could feel the strength surge through her muscles. The door creaked, remained still for a moment, then opened just enough for Xi Shi to press herself through. The heavy door ease closed behind her.

Two more guards stood in front of a red silk curtain. They weren’t wearing armor like the other guards, but they still appeared formidable. They reacted to her presence in an instant. One of the men pulled out a sword and charged towards her. Behind him, the other man stood before a large bronze gong and raised a mallet to strike.

If he sounds the alarm I will fail.

In a swift movement that would have made her master proud, she pulled the dagger from beneath the sash, flipped it over so the handle faced her prey, aimed in an instant and released. Not waiting to see if her blade hit its mark, she turned her attention to the approaching guard.

She batted the tip of his blade away with the palm of her hand and leaned back. As the man lunged, she grabbed his wrist and pulled forward using his own momentum to put him off balance. He was so close now she saw herself reflected in his eyes. She released his wrist, flipped her body around while diving backwards. The man’s knee caught her hard in the ribs, but the maneuver still had the desired effect. He cartwheeled over her and landed on the floor, his arms and legs askew. His hand hit the stone floor with a thump and his sword rattled free from his grip.

The clattering of the gong snapped her attention back to the other man. The dagger had found its mark. It sat, hilt deep, in the man’s neck as he fell forward, pulling the gong with him to the floor. In her distraction, the other guard had regained his footing and his sword.

“Bitch!” The man spat blood and turned his sword in his hand. He eyed her up and down. He licked his lips.

This was not the first time she had felt a man look at her this way. Her beauty had allowed her to infiltrate Emperor Fuchai’s inner circle, but it had also brought a great number of unwanted suitors. Men who sought to possess her. Men who saw her beauty as something to be taken and dominated. She recognized the look in his eyes. He meant to savage her before he killed her. She would die before she allowed that to happen.

“Perhaps we can come to an arrangement.” She unfastened the silver chain and held it out to him.

He sneered and laughed at her. “I’ll take your trinket after I’ve raped and killed you.”

“I can tell you’ve not been schooled in etiquette.” She smiled. “I myself have trained under the finest masters.”

“Little good it will do you on this day.” He spat again and began circling her.

The man raised the hilt of the sword above his head and leapt towards her.

She whipped the chain out toward the base of the sword. When the end wrapped itself around the blade, she spun around again using the man’s own momentum to pull him off balance. As he fell forward, the blade was pulled down and to the left. She jumped on his back, pushed down on his shoulders and propelled him down to the stone floor.

“You bitch!” The man groaned as the side of the blade dug into his belly.

With his free arm, he reached behind his head and grabbed her hair. He flung her off his back and onto the floor. She rolled free from his grasp. Pain shot through her left shoulder.

A handful of her hair hung from his clenched fist.

“So, now that you’ve had a piece of me, do you give up?” She flashed him a devilish smile.

“I’m going to tear out your tongue.” He pushed himself up on one knee and tried to untangle the chain from his blade. “You have no more weapons.”

She laughed. Master Jing’s words came to her again. When your enemy considers you powerless, you have all the power you need.

Before the man could stand up, she rolled onto her stomach and pushed herself off the ground and into a crouching position. The man fell backward and held the sword out in front of him, the silver chain still dangling from its base. She grabbed the end of the chain and pulled the sword down to the floor. In the next instant, she stood on the blade with her right foot. She grabbed the top of the man’s head and brought her knee to his face. She felt the soft cartilage of his nose splinter into his skull.

“Ahhhh!” The man screamed. His grip on the blade went slack. She pushed him backwards onto the floor. Blood streamed down his face and pooled on the floor under his head. She took the blade and slit his throat.

With his death, the physical pull of the book came as an assault. She approached the curtain. Her movements felt directed, not as though she had no control, but as though she followed her master’s lead. She dropped the sword at the feet of the other fallen guard and bent down to pull her dagger free of the man’s neck. Warm drops of blood dotted her hand. She tucked the dagger back into her sash and pulled back the curtain.

The book’s effect on her was still as powerful as the day she first laid eyes on it in Fuchai’s throne room. It still sat atop a delicate crimson silk pillow, only now the pillow rested on a stone altar instead of the hands of Wu Zixu. Just as on that day so many years ago, she felt her connection to it.

How can something so small radiate so much energy?

Even those not tied to the book, were noticeably affected by it. When Wu Zixu had pulled it out of the golden chest, she thought it had taken everything he had just to present the book to the Emperor.

She walked around the book, studying it from all angles. There was no time to wait, but she was both mesmerized and frightened by its overwhelming beauty and power. The cover of the book was like none she had ever seen, made of metal, but not any sort that she was familiar with. The edges were perfectly smooth and tapered. But there were no tool marks, no marks of any kind indicating how it had been fashioned. In the center of the book were eight interlocking rings encircled by a larger golden ring. A smooth, clear stone was set into the center of each of the interlocking rings, and in the very center, a larger clear stone. The book was bound on the side and both ends by golden clasps that looked to her very much like a dragon’s claws. The pages they guarded were edged in crimson and appeared to have been cut cleanly with a fine blade.

But what was the source of the book’s power? Why had it called to her, speaking directly in her mind, always addressing her as protector? Until the book had been brought to Fuchai, she hadn’t even known of its existence. Although, now in its presence, she had the feeling that she had been connected to it for all time. A commotion outside the temple awoke her from her reverie.

With a quick motion, she pushed back the curtain and raced back to the temple doors. She heard shouting and the clanking of armor. Had the falling gong brought the guards to investigate? Perhaps they had already found the bodies of the other guards. Her eyes darted around inside the temple. There was nothing large enough to block the doors with.

A voice came into her mind. Mallet.

“The mallet? The mallet!”

She looked down at the man on the floor. The mallet lay next to his head. She scooped it up and raced to the temple doors and wedged it between the two large bronze rings on this side of the mighty doors. She tore more strips of cloth from the bottom of her robes, and used them to bind the mallet in place.

These bindings won’t hold for long, but perhaps they will hold long enough.

Pulling a leather pouch from beneath her robes, she returned to the altar. No time to delay. She palmed the edge of the book and pushed it into the pouch. The brief contact with its surface sent waves of energy through her body. Images flashed before her mind’s eye: the apex of a mighty pyramid crowned by the rising sun, towering cliffs rumbling and falling into the ocean, skies exploding in ever expanding clouds of golden light. Without knowing how or why, she knew she had been in all of these places. She had held council with the protectors across time before they had been broken and scattered to the ends of the Earth. She knew with renewed determination she must take the book to the first protector. Only with his help would she be able to return the book to its rightful home. She cinched up the pouch and tucked it back beneath her robes. Despite its size and large number of pages, the book weighed no more than a dagger.

The temple doors shook.

They must have found the bodies. I need to get out of here.

She glanced behind the altar. There were no other doors or windows in the temple. Thunderous pounding erupted from the front of the temple. With each echoing boom, the doors bulged inward pressing hard against her makeshift lock.

There was nowhere to turn. Why had Wang Xu not warned her? Hadn’t he known the layout of the temple?

Another thundering boom. She heard the wood splintering. Boom. Boom. Boom.

She cried out to the book, pressing her palm tightly against the leather pouch. She felt another pulse in response to her touch then Master Jing’s words came to her once more. When there is no hope look to the heavens.

She craned her neck and peered straight up above the altar. She could see stars shining bright against the inky blue sky through an opening in the roof. She jumped up onto the altar and stretched her arms up as far as she could. Even on the tips of her toes, she was more than an arm’s length below the closest crossbeam. sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ Find_Nøvel.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Boom. Boom. The door splintered open, sending the mallet crashing to the floor. How long would it take them to search behind the curtain? She heard more shouting and movement inside the temple. Her gaze fell on an intricate tapestry hanging behind the altar. She jumped back down and ran to the tapestry. She pulled it off the wall, rolled it up and draped it around her neck.

“He’s dead too,” came a voice on the other side of the curtain.

She climbed back onto the altar and took the tapestry from around her neck. She threw one end around the cross timber above the altar and looped the other around, tugging downward to test its stability. Just before she could pull herself upward, the curtain flew back. A moment later a heavy hand wrapped around her ankle pulling her toward the edge of the altar.

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