Revived
Part III – Capital Crisis
By G Johanson


Kammani didn’t have to put on an act when they approached Beijing, which, despite massive changes since the last time she was here, remained faintly recognisable. It had been called Fanyang then, and her handmaidens and attendants tried to tell her that that city was destroyed and a new one built in its place but she was sure that some remnants remained. The topography, for one, had not changed, this constant providing some stability in her life. They found a stable where they were able to place their horse (for a much deserved rest) and cart, for a minimal fee, and they wandered through the bustling streets, finding lodgings in a squalid hotel before the end of the day. Lihua was only prepared to pay for one room with a double bed and she explained to Shaozu in their room what the sleeping arrangements would be. Kammani stood by the window looking down from their fourth floor room at the cosmopolitan people below, enraptured by the spectacle. She did not care that this was an undesirable part of the city; to her it felt vibrant and alive.
“We’ll sleep at night while you keep watch and then in the morning we’ll go into town and you can sleep then. Is that okay?” Lihua asked. On the first few days she would have told him that this was how things were and while he was still in no position to argue he appreciated that she phrased the command as a request, as though his opinion had some bearing.
“That sounds good,” Shaozu said. He sat on a chair reapplying the bandage to his left ankle while Lihua sat on the bed. She had noticed that after they had deposited the horse in the stables (which felt like a waste of money to her, Shaozu suggesting this option) and Shaozu had walked the streets carrying their case, his limp was getting much worse. He nearly keeled over in the street twice, Lihua catching him in one instance as he wobbled. 
“We don’t have much money so I have to keep a close eye on our spending,” Lihua said, lifting her skirt displaying her ankle. Shaozu felt sure that the sight of his bare ankle and calf, even if his leg had not appeared yellow and septic, did not have the same effect on Lihua as the sight of her skirt slowly rising had on him. He saw that an anklet of coins was tightly tied around her ankle and she began to unfasten it and said to him, “Take a coin and see a doctor about that.”
“I’ll be fine. There’s nothing broken,” he said stoically.
“Take it. If you’re not fighting fit then you’re no use to us.” 12 days had passed, all spent on the road, which she considered enough time for his injury to improve on its own if it was going to. As it clearly had not, he was in need of professional help. All three of them had lost weight through their enforced diet, Shaozu still exasperated by the hunting ban that remained in place. He had foraged for sufficient fruit and vegetation to keep them going, and Lihua had traded in a few towns and villages along the way, but his belly felt empty and he was looking forward to eating in the dining room downstairs later, the aroma of the food hitting him as they entered. Lihua kept a very tight grip on the money and he hoped that she would be paying for food for the duration of their stay in the city and did not expect him to forage in the capital. If he took the coin it would be very tempting to go out and spend it on food. Tempting but wrong, and his moral code overrode his hunger, even if he wished that it did not.   
“That was a bit harsh,” Kammani said, still looking outside at the glorious people.
“I don’t mean it like that. Falling down in a fight puts you in a very vulnerable position. It could come out of your pay if you prefer.”
Shaozu nodded assent and Lihua removed a coin and threw it to him. He caught it and Lihua said, “Good reflexes.”
“I wish they’d been a bit quicker a few weeks ago. Should I go now?”
“It might take you some time so it would be best if you do. We’ll be fine. It’s safer here.”
“In some ways,” Shaozu said. Two women travelling through the countryside alone were at a great risk, but there were other dangers in cities, especially a massive city like Beijing.     

Shaozu questioned whether he had spent the coin wisely. The stranger who had pointed him in the direction of the doctor attested to his efficiency but when the doctor insisted on restraining him before treating him he knew he was in for a rough ride. Had he not been restrained he would have kicked out as the doctor opened up his wound and sewed up a torn ligament. He remained very sore afterwards but he noticed a difference in his ability to walk so the pain was just about worth it. When he returned to the room he saw that Kammani was sleeping, a very familiar sight. He commented quietly to Lihua, who sat next to her stroking her hair, “She sleeps a lot.”
“That’s virtually all she did for over 1000 years. That may reduce in time. I don’t know what the normal sleep patterns are for such as Kammani. How’s your ankle?”
“Much better. The doctor was a benevolent sadist. I’ll be running soon. Have you been out?”
“No, we just stayed in and waited for you.”
“You can have a break if you like. I’ll stay with her.”
“I’m fine.”
“I guess you are. Your right eyebrow didn’t twitch.”
“What?”
“When you lie your right eyebrow twitches. It’s something I’ve noticed. I’m not calling you a compulsive liar, I just noticed it with the farmer and his wife and when you tell her everything will be all right.”
“No it doesn’t,” she said defensively. 
“My mistake. Before, when you showed me your ankle...”
“You’re making that sound very shady.” 
“The next time you hire a bodyguard, don’t do that again.”
“I don’t understand what you’re saying.” His tone was curt and she didn’t know what point he was trying to make, perceiving his manner as rude, especially when she had been kind enough to spend money they needed on him.
“The money. I won’t take it but some would yield to temptation.”
“Shaozu, I didn’t show Sheng where the money was. If you had not found out about Kammani’s true nature I might not have shown you. You know our biggest secret. Where I keep the money is nothing next to that.”
“I’m just saying that unscrupulous men will try and take advantage.”
“Are you an unscrupulous man?”
“I would like to think that I am not.”
“Then there’s no problem, unless the sight of my ankle offends you somehow.”
“It didn’t repulse me,” he said litotically. Changing the subject swiftly he asked, “So how old were you when you took over from your mother?”
“12. I’d been visiting Kammani since I was a baby so the tomb was like a second home to me. After my mother died Kammani was a great source of comfort to me. I never had a father.”
“No, me neither. My mother died young too and my father didn’t stick around after that. My grandparents raised me. I don’t even remember my parents.”
“My mother died at a reasonable age. She was 54. She had me late. You’re from Suzhou. Have you never heard the tales of the Wrinkled Whore?”
That term meant something to Shaozu though he didn’t remember the details so he replied, “I’ve heard the name but I haven’t heard the stories.”
“My mother, like her father before her and stretching back 61 generations, devoted her life to Kammani. She almost got married several times but her suitors couldn’t understand why she had to vanish several times every day. Her bad reputation started there, with their suspicious minds inventing spurious rumours about her. She grew desperate when the years passed her by and she decided to have a child out of wedlock to ensure that somebody would be there for Kammani after she was gone. She had no time to be discerning as to partners. Any willing man would do, in the hope that one would be virile enough to impregnate a 41 year old woman. Whenever I feel fed up or tired or taken for granted I just think of what she put herself through for a noble reason and that inspires me to do more. Needless to say, her reputation, as a single mother and verified ‘whore’, was absolutely shattered.”
“You know the truth about her. Don’t let what anyone else thinks bother you. I used to get teased for not having parents. That’s why I learned to fight.”
“My mother taught me to fight before I could walk so I could always defend myself too. If I’m honest the names still annoyed me though.”
“Could any of those who called you and your mother names do what you’ve done? I don’t think so. I don’t know if I could have.”
“You’re strong,” she said, praising him.
“Physically. Mental strength is different. You’re her rock.”
“And will be always,” Lihua vowed.

By the time Lihua quietly closed the bedroom door she saw that Kammani had already discarded her lilac headscarf which she draped over Shaozu’s face. Admittedly it muffled his snoring, but she would have to remove it. They had only ventured out to a nearby market that morning, coming home earlier than originally planned to get ready for the evening. Kammani was excitable upon hearing of the festival, which brought back memories of happier times, and Lihua was happy to see her so enthusiastic about something. Poor Shaozu had only had three hours’ sleep and Lihua suspected that Kammani was going to torment him until he woke up. Spotting his bare foot poking out of the sheet to the side she began tickling him, which made him shoot up in the bed, his fist drawn back ready to strike. Kammani just smiled, seemingly unaware of the risk she’d taken, waking up a warrior in this fashion, and she moved the headscarf that covered his face so that it covered his hair, the way she wore it, and she said happily, “Good morning, Shaozu of Suzhou!”
“Morning,” Shaozu mumbled. He looked to Lihua, removing the headscarf as he asked, “What time is it?”
“Maybe 11,” she lied. She felt the movement herself there, like a ridge on her forehead shifted upwards involuntarily. This once he was too bleary-eyed to notice. 
“We’re going to a festival,” Kammani said giddily. “We’ve bought new clothes. We didn’t buy him anything, did we?”
Lihua shook her head.
“Sorry about that. We can go back out,” Kammani offered.
“It’s fine.” Shaozu slept fully clothed (at least while the current sleeping arrangements were in effect) and he pulled back the sheet and put his feet down on the floor. “Do we know what the festival is for?”
“They don’t need a reason here. We’d go to one a week, as honoured guests,” Kammani said, entering a blissful reverie. Back then they had lived in luxury and dined in style, whereas now she shared a fleapit of a room with a man who was not her husband. Attending the festival would not change her status but it might help her forget her reality for a little while. The ruquns that she and Lihua wore were nothing like the fine dresses she had worn in the past, but they were colourful and bright and they would look magnificent. Her dress was floral with lots of pink and lilac present while she had persuaded Lihua to plump for a colourful green and blue design, much more eye-catching than the plain red one she had initially wanted. Shaozu waited outside their room as they took hours to get ready and when he was finally granted admittance again he was blown away by what he saw. Kammani always looked beautiful in her own unique unearthly way, but Lihua was the real revelation. She never made an effort with her appearance and Kammani’s ministrations turned the pretty girl into a true beauty.   
“I feel daft,” Lihua said, unused to dressing up so. It didn’t matter how much makeup Kammani plastered her face with, she was still plain. Dressing like this wasn’t her and felt dishonest – she was surprised her twitch hadn’t manifested.
“You don’t look it,” Shaozu replied honestly.
Kammani giggled and she said, “His eyes are on stalks.”
“She looks nice. You both do.”
“I can try and make you look beautiful too if you want,” Kammani offered.
“I thought you wanted to attend this festival tonight,” Shaozu replied dryly. He bathed and shaved for the occasion, this being as much of an effort as he was prepared to make. He had no formal clothes to wear, though he was not the only commoner to be clad in casual clothes as they discovered upon taking to the streets. They had only been out for an hour when Kammani went into another meltdown. This was not the ghost festival – Kammani would not have wanted to attend that – but a procession of performers were dressed as ghosts and marched down the road interacting with the crowds on the streets surrounding them, attempting to scare them. Kammani tensed up upon seeing them and one of the performers noticed this through the small holes in his mask and he went straight across to her. The sight of him produced flashbacks to the ghosts that haunted her in her tomb. Whether those ghosts had been real or figments of her imagination, they terrified the life out of her and she was taken back to those awful years. The performer attempted to touch her only to feel a rough hand grab his wrist and twist it around painfully. Shaozu released his hold without causing any damage, advising him, “Move along, ghost.”
The performer rejoined the rest of his group, whispering to several to join him in a trick. Six of them lined up in the road facing Kammani and they slowly inched forwards towards her. She looked for a means of escape, the crowd too tightly packed for her to pass through in time. Lihua saw how anxious she was becoming and she began to push her way through the crowd, telling Shaozu first, “I’m going to take her away from here. Keep them away from her. She’s ready to burn them.”
“They’re just dressed up, Kammani. It’s harmless,” Shaozu said, trying to reason with her.
“Just keep them away,” Lihua said. She knew too well that Kammani could not be reached through words when she entered this state. 
The performers in ghost masks kept advancing, and with Lihua making slow progress in getting Kammani away from them Shaozu had no choice but to stop the performers in their tracks. He knew they meant no harm and as such he did not draw his weapons as he jumped over the barricade to stop them from bothering Kammani. Five of them pretended to attack him in a ghostly fashion, which he allowed, while the sixth kept walking towards Kammani until he felt a sharp kick to the ribs. The kick hurt Shaozu almost as much as it did his target and as other performers and several guards attacked him he relied primarily upon his arms, the trusted praying mantis style. Once he saw that Lihua had spirited Kammani away, Shaozu ran (also painful) off before he was completely overwhelmed and arrested. Once he was several streets away he jumped back over the barricade into the crowd and blended in quickly. That was one positive thing about the queue hairstyle and restrictive dress code – it made it a lot harder to stand out.
Shaozu found Kammani and Lihua had returned to their room where Kammani sat with her legs hunched up on the bed with Lihua’s hand on her shoulder. She wiped her nose, sniffing as she said to Shaozu, “I know they were just men dressed up, I know I’m pathetic, but for 40 years I had ghosts plaguing me every night.”
“It would turn my hair white overnight if I saw one. I beat some up, if that’s any consolation, a measure of revenge for what they put you through.”
“I like you, Shaozu. You don’t talk much but when you do you know the right things to say,” Kammani said, smiling at him. “I know I should go back out there. Is my face a mess?”
“I can fix your makeup quickly,” Lihua said. As she did so she said to Shaozu, “Perhaps you should remain here. They’ll be looking for you.”
“I can’t protect you both if I’m in here and you’re out there. Besides, it looks like all of Beijing is out there. They won’t find me amidst all that rabble.”  
Lihua didn’t want to push their luck too much and she spotted a hall not far from their lodgings that seemed to be open to all. There was music playing and a group of nine women clad in identical red gowns danced the yangge in the middle of the crowd. Kammani, Lihua and Shaozu all enjoyed watching the performance as did the rest of the spectators, with one in particular positively beaming as he stared at the girls and past them to Kammani. For his seeming age of 40 plus, his exposed teeth were glistening and she admired his black daopao and full head of long greying hair, which looked much better than the unflattering queue hairstyle every other man was compelled to possess. He stood directly in her eyeline, standing out with a large group of men surrounding him all wearing white shirts and dark trousers. He raised his hand and stepped forward with the men around him following him, marching as one towards the performers who dispersed in a panic as they realised the men were not going to stop. The man stopped walking when he reached Kammani, still baring his teeth in an exaggerated smile of pure unadulterated glee. 
“Kammani! A pleasure to meet you at last,” Wuma said, taking her hand and lowering his lips to kiss it, looking up at her confused expression as he did so. Kammani had known many gentlemen such as this once, though this man was a stranger to her. 
“Have we met?” Kammani asked, making herself appear dense as his introduction revealed that they had not. Shaozu took a fractional step forward, monitoring the situation, as Lihua shot him a glance to be on his guard. Kammani had been in the tomb for 1200 years so it was not a good thing for anybody to recognise her on sight or to know her name.
“No. I’m Wuma. I knew your husband, Ao, well. We were contemporaries. Rivals even. Such a shame what happened.”
Kammani grimaced at this unwelcome memory and attempted to withdraw her hand. He kept a firm grip and she made a whimpering sound and Shaozu unsheathed his sword, his gesture repeated by 10 of Wuma’s men. Shaozu warned Wuma, “Let go of the lady or lose your arm.”
“You’re outnumbered, boy,” Wuma said, the smile not shifting from his face.
“You’d be dead before they responded so that’s no benefit to you.”
Wuma let out a hearty laugh and he let go of Kammani’s wrist, which she rubbed as Lihua put an arm around her, only consoling her for a moment as she needed to remain ready. Wuma looked at Shaozu and he said, staring at him, “It’s not the size of the retinue that matters but the quantity, and he thinks he’s on my level. This will be fun.”
“What do you want?” Lihua snapped.
Another hearty laugh followed and Wuma said, “Listen to the silence from my servants. They know their place. This conversation should be between you and I, Kammani. You’re going to have to tighten their leashes. I can handle that for you. It was the dread Octavius that killed Ao, wasn’t it?”
Kammani nodded teary-eyed, the reaction that this name usually produced.   
“You narrowly escaped and hid away but he had your scent and he came after you. He didn’t find you – nobody could, you went to ground like a world class worm. Let me tell you what happened next. He came looking for you and killed me!” Wuma said with a big grin, as though this irony was amusing.
“You’re looking very healthy,” Lihua said fierily.
“Reincarnation does that for you. Four times he’s found me,” Wuma said, holding up four fingers to Kammani’s face. Shaozu swatted his hand away, using his bare hand for now but if Wuma carried on in this fashion he would have no problem using his sword to teach him manners. Wuma stopped grinning and he said, incandescent with rage, “You’re a dead man for that!”
“Don’t threaten her or worse will happen,” Shaozu said, unfazed by the threat.
Wuma attempted to regain his composure. He would deal with him later. He wanted to finish his one-sided conversation with Kammani first. “Four times Octavius found and killed me, in worse fashion every time. I’ve evaded the fifth, while you evaded him completely. Congratulations.”
“Thank you,” Kammani said weakly.
“You’ve done very, very well. I can’t say the same. When you die and you come back you have to rebuild what you’ve lost, all of which takes time. Since he only found me because he was looking for you I feel an offer of compensation for lost earnings would be a conciliatory gesture.”
“How much?” Kammani said, her throat tightening and turning dry.
“100,000 tael would suffice. It’s known you were a wealthy couple back in the day, and I’m sure you’ve invested wisely over the years.”
“Do we have that much?” Kammani asked, looking to Lihua hopefully.
“We’ll discuss it later,” Lihua said.
“Very well. I am going to kill him at some point over the next few days but return to me what’s rightfully mine and I’m sure we can be the best of friends. See you soon,” Wuma said, taking his leave followed by his troops. 

“How much do I have?” Kammani asked Lihua, running her fingers through her hair anxiously as they regrouped back in their room.
“Nowhere near that sum.”
“But I must do. He was right. We were wealthy. We wouldn’t have graced court otherwise, would we?”
“Over time the amount has dwindled down to 250 tael. I’m sorry,” Lihua said.
“Your ancestors must have swindled me. You know how vulnerable I was,” Kammani said bitterly.
“I don’t believe that,” Lihua said, trying not to let her comments get to her. Lihua chose to believe that she was lashing out because she was scared and didn’t mean what she said.
“I have to get that money. Shaozu, could you steal it from a bank?”
“That would take a lot of banks, and I don’t operate like that.”
“Like what? I’m paying you, aren’t I?”
“To protect you. Not to break the law.”
“Just let me die then! That’s fine! I said we shouldn’t have gone back out...”
Kammani continued to rant and lash out verbally at the pair of them before she wore herself out and she fell asleep. While Lihua put her into bed Shaozu made a pot of tea and handed Lihua a cup and they sat together on the floor and talked.
“You know when we talked before and I said not to take any notice about what people say about your family? You need to follow that advice here. I know what she said about your ancestors hurt, but don’t take it to heart.”
“I’m trying not to. It’s just they did everything for her – if they wanted to swindle her they could have took the money and run.”
“When you told her what her money had gone down to I noticed the eyebrow twitching.”
“Will you stop going on about that? You’re going to make me develop a twitch, harping on about it all the time.”
 “Don’t get so defensive. I think I know the truth, which paints your family in a very positive light. You’re lying to protect her.”
“I’ll make sure to hide that part of my face when talking to you in future,” she said, cooling down as she realised that he wasn’t having a go at her. “The money ran out 800 years ago. Since then we’ve been adding whatever we can to her fund. That’s why I can’t pay you much, because we have so little. If I could I’d give you more.”
“If I could I’d take less. We’ve got a deal so let’s stick to what was agreed.”  

Wuma gave them a day to dwell on things before he returned to haunt them. Lihua urged Kammani to eat, with no success, the trio sitting together in the hotel’s large dining hall. Shaozu didn’t need any urging, his appetite unaffected by the death threat lobbed in his direction. Kammani kept talking over the situation with Lihua, quizzing her as to who Wuma was. Her memories were fractured and she probed Lihua for information, placing the burden on her.
“Think harder,” Kammani said. “If Ao was his enemy he’ll have mentioned him to me and I’ll have mentioned it to one of your forbears. Think back to stories that your mother told you.”
“I’m certain the name never came up.”
“It will have,” Kammani said, displaying irritation towards her.
“Isn’t there more chance of you remembering your past then her remembering a second-hand story?” Shaozu said, speaking up for Lihua.
Shaozu spoke with his mouth full, which Kammani viewed as coarse and she said disgustedly, “Don’t you worry about anything, Shaozu. You keep your head down in that trough. Don’t let my imminent demise ruin your meal.”
Shaozu refused to feel guilty for eating and he took a drink of tea to help him swallow his Dongpo pork and he explained, “I have to eat to keep my strength up for...”
Shaozu and the other diners all heard a commotion from the adjacent room and Kammani’s temper vanished, replaced by a primal fear. She turned to Lihua who took her to her bosom as Shaozu stood up as one of the hotel workers was thrown into the room. Wuma entered after him, his sword unsheathed, and he looked to Kammani and said, still grinning like a madman, “The time has come for you to pay up, Kammani, and for your henchman to die.”
Shaozu was already armed and he replied fearlessly, “You should worry about one problem at a time. Kill me first and then try and extract your payment.”
“That’s the plan. You have some courage. In respect of that I will let you fight me like a man. Clear the area,” Wuma said to his guards who accompanied him, 15 in total. They appeared to be unarmed and they hurriedly moved the tables and chairs (and the diners and staff, punching several to get them to move quicker) to give their master a larger space to kill him in. One of them had attempted to move Lihua and Kammani, an affront which Lihua responded to by cracking a bowl over his skull, the blow making him stagger and covering his face in her untouched congee dish. Lihua didn’t intend to fight them all and she moved of her own accord, escorting Kammani to the side of the room. Kammani was easy to move around, having entered into a fugue state.  
Now that they had cleared some space to make an arena that Wuma deigned worthy of him, his 15 guards formed a circle, standing unarmed with their hands behind their backs. Shaozu said to Wuma, “Does a man require so much backup?” 
“They won’t get involved. They won’t move from the spot. It’s me and you, boy. Ditch the gun. It’s blades only.”
Shaozu passed his arquebus to Lihua for safekeeping and unsheathed his sword as Wuma did the same. Wuma’s weapon was a monster and Shaozu could tell at a glance that a master swordsmith had crafted his blade, while his own...it did the job but it wouldn’t win any beauty contests and wasn’t worth much. It had sentimental value, the sword given to him as a gift by Ban Fuling, and this imbued it with significance and increased his determination to do his teacher proud. He found himself copying Wuma’s maniacal grin as they circled each other. Wuma’s men were a concern but he had to trust that they would not get involved. Several of them were perspiring heavily, an unusual thing to see in (presumably) professional guards, but he couldn’t focus on them as Wuma thrust his blade towards him, drawing his blood instantly. The wound to his chest was shallow, more of a statement than anything. Wuma licked the blood off his blade, showboating to the crowd, and Shaozu attempted to capitalize on this only to find that the older man was much quicker than he was. He had a fight on his hands here. Wuma drove him back, with Shaozu constantly on the defensive. Shaozu tried to incorporate fighting kicks into his defence but after both of his legs had been badly slashed this tactic was taken from him. It was only after Wuma had slashed him a dozen times that Shaozu managed to cut him once, his blade slashing his cheek. Wuma turned to the side to try to dodge the blow, to no avail, yet when he turned back to face Shaozu there was not a trace of blood. One of his men gasped, with a deep cut appearing on his cheek seconds before he fell to the ground.
Wuma seemed as surprised by this as Shaozu was and he slowly deduced why the wound had proven fatal. He said smugly, “A poisoned blade. A cunning stratagem.”
Shaozu wasn’t there to talk or gloat and while Wuma tried to be clever he settled for thrusting his blade all the way through his chest. As far as he was aware his blade was not poisoned (he deemed such tactics underhanded and unsporting), though he fancied if he asked Lihua about it he might see some twitching. Wuma did not register even a flicker of pain at this, unlike another of his guards who fell down moaning, his chest saturated in blood. Wuma gloated in Shaozu’s face, Shaozu uncomfortably close to him as he tried to remove his blade, “Unfortunately of no use here.”
Shaozu managed to pluck his sword from him just as Wuma sliced through his chest, the blow staggering him. That was a deep one, and almost made him drop his sword. Shaozu managed to cut him a few more times, each strike of his poisoned sword incapacitating another of the guards while having no effect on their master. It was no wonder they had looked so nervous. Shaozu was being slashed to ribbons, his face cut up as badly as his body, and he lost the ability to stand up but he would not surrender, keeping a firm grip on his sword as he knelt down. Wuma looked down at his bloodied opponent, toying with him, sparring with him with his sword in his left hand and with his hand behind his back and still coming out of their exchanges better. He spat down in Shaozu’s face and he said, “You dared to lay your hands on me. For that egregious insult know in death what will befall your mistress and her maid. If they can’t pay, which I suspect they can’t, I will have my way with them until there’s nothing left of them.”
Shaozu found the strength to thrust his sword into his groin and he twisted the blade and said gutturally, “You think so?”
Another of the men fell down screaming holding his crotch and Wuma whacked Shaozu’s sword down and out of his grasp for the first time and he said, “I know so.”
Wuma kicked the blade away and Lihua found his predicament very difficult to watch. Shaozu had never stood a chance, not when Wuma could not be hurt with his men bearing his scars for him. Four of his men remained and Lihua wondered what would happen if he ran out of guards, or if the link they felt when he was hurt would work the other way. She aimed the arquebus at the nearest guard, shooting him in the back. He collapsed to the ground but Wuma seemed physically unaffected, though his mood was black. He looked at her, enraged at her interference, and Shaozu was almost as angry. Kammani at least was motionless, seemingly in a trance, which was better for her. It meant she might not be so affected by what she had witnessed here, if things miraculously turned out well for them. Shaozu shouted to Lihua, “This is my fight!”
“You’ll get your duel in a minute, bitch,” Wuma said, walking around Shaozu and kicking his back so that he fell forward onto his hands. He grabbed his trusty sword with both hands and raised it above his head, ready to chop off this insect’s head with one stroke. 
Wuma stayed his killing hand for a moment, distracted by the foul stench and sight of his burning men. The alive and the dead burnt at the same rate, though the last three only remained alive for a split second before they turned to a thin layer of ash in the shape of their bodies. Kammani glared at Wuma and she said sharply, “You’ve lived at least five times, which means that you’ve had four more chances than most people get, yet still you haven’t learnt valuable life lessons. Cornered animals, or sleeping dragons if you prefer, are lethal creatures. Octavius terrorised and tortured me and almost ended my life. You are not Octavius. He killed you four times while, despite his best efforts, I survived him. That makes me superior to you.”
Wuma lay down his sword, wise enough to know when to withdraw, and he said politically, “Perhaps it does. Your servant may live, if treated. A truce then?”
“A truce. I give you my word I won’t harm you...in the next life.”
Wuma’s body was on fire before he could respond to her sinister words, an ash pile as routine as the others forming in seconds. Lihua patted her on the back and she crouched down to Shaozu’s level and she asked him, “Can you walk with my assistance?”
“I’ll give it my best shot,” he spluttered. He pondered, “I wonder what would have happened if I’d chopped his head off?”
“We have to leave now. We’ll take you to the doctor on our way out of the city.”
“That’ll be fun,” Shaozu said, remembering how much pain the doctor had put him through last time. He reached forwards to grab Wuma’s blade, which he had designs upon, if he survived.
“I can’t pretend that, but it may save your life. Kammani, are you all right?”
“I’m absolutely fine,” Kammani said levelly. She had found an old strength that surprised her, facing her fears and feeling so much stronger for doing so. Wuma had pushed her too far, reigniting old feelings that would not subside.


To be continued in Part IV – Madam Yin’s Guide to Mourning