Page 55 of The Wind Dancer
“I can see. We’ll debrief after completing the mission.”
No one liked having their mistakes pointed out.
I glanced around the room. The air was filled with the smell of sweat, blood, and fear. The fight lasted less than a minute, but it was enough for the agent with his stomach torn open to reach death’s door.
Mei Lin hesitated for just a moment, then quickly stabbed him under his Adam’s apple. He wheezed, twitched, and fell silent a moment later. Slowly, she closed his eyes. She bowed her head and whispered a prayer.
Then she jerked her head up, and she made a strange, vibrating sound that was absolutely head-splitting after the strike I had received. Less than ten seconds later, the door flew open, and more agents ran inside.
“Two tend to the wounded! The rest follow Fu Shang! Now!”
Her people immediately followed orders. Lamps flew into the hole through which Fu Shang had disappeared. And the agents jumped in after them.
I glanced at the bound girl. For a second, I was worried that they’d just slit her throat. But one of the agents wordlessly pulled the sheet off the bed and threw it over her.
Live cargo. That meant she was more valuable alive.
I sighed and straightened.
“Now what?”
Mei Lin looked at me, her eyes cold.
“Now we do our job. My blade is poisoned, so they won’t get far.” She took off her mask and ran her hand over the cut on her cheek. “Let’s go, partner.”
CHAPTER 16
The catacombs beneath the house reeked of damp, rot, and old bones. It felt like hundreds, if not thousands, of people had died in this place.
The foul, musty air made my jaw tighten. Strangely, I felt cut off from something vital. Every step was an effort, the mud gripping my soles as if trying to hold me back.
Mei Lin walked ahead. Her silhouette blended with the darkness, but I could still feel her presence. She moved with quiet confidence, either trusting the agents who had gone ahead or guided by something else entirely. I felt uneasy here, and I knew why.
There wasn’t a single trace of wind.
The sound of water splashing echoed in the distance. My fingers tightened around the dagger handles as we moved forward.
“They won’t get far,” Mei Lin said, as if sensing my tension. She was furious, but she controlled herself well.
I glanced at the trail of blood disappearing into the darkness ahead.
“Are you sure?” I asked incredulously, checking how easily I could draw my throwing knives. The next time, the monstrous mistress would get a dozen of them before she came within striking distance.
“My blade is poisoned,” she repeated calmly.
“Why did he run away?” I asked. “He had a chance to win, a solid one at that.”
It didn’t make sense to me. Fu Shang wasn’t a coward. When we faced him, he fought fiercely and confidently, like he was certain of his kill. But then... he just ran.
“He felt the poison,” Mei Lin said with a grin. “So he decided not to take any chances. I believe he knows our unit tactics. Within a minute and a half, more of my men would have joined us, and he would have been surrounded.”
I glanced at her briefly. Mei Lin’s face remained impassive, but I could see a spark of satisfaction. She was certain the poison would weaken the old snake. The only question now was how quickly it would work.
I didn’t like this place, more precisely, I didn’t like being underground at all. I couldn’t feel the wind here. And what I disliked even more was that the strange sensation ushering me in a specific direction was much stronger here. It told me that I needed to go even deeper down and to the northeast.
As I was lost in thought, we came to a fork in the road. The narrow tunnels went off in opposite directions, their walls covered with damp mold, gleaming in the light of a lantern thatsomeone had dropped on the ground. There was still a faint light inside.
A loud sound came from the tunnel on the right. Then a short cry, quickly cut off.
