Page 56 of The Wind Dancer
I stepped closer to the wall, instinctively grabbing a dagger. Mei Lin gestured for me to slow down.
“Calm down. These are my people,” she said and tilted her head as if listening. A moment later, a satisfied smile touched her lips. I noticed a jade earring in her ear. Strange vibrations came from it, unlike anything I had felt before.
“My men are chasing them,” she added, tilting her head slightly as she touched the earring.
I didn’t like relying on the agents. They had already failed once. Who could guarantee it wouldn’t happen again? Fu Shang was injured, but still dangerous. These tunnels were his territory.
“Let’s split up,” Mei Lin ordered, nodding at the two paths.
I didn’t have time to object. She had already slipped into the right tunnel, her silhouette fading into the gloom.
I dashed left, following the blood trail of my target.
The tunnel became narrower. The walls seemed to shrink, pressing down on my shoulders, the air growing thicker. And then I felt movement somewhere ahead, around a bend.
I sprinted forward like a hound catching the scent of blood.
And then, something moved from behind.
My reflexes saved my life. I spun, my dagger thrusting upward, and blade met blade.
The darkness exploded with sparks.
It wasn’t Fu Shang, but one of his disciples. He was young, his eyes burning with blind hatred.
He fought ruthlessly. Fu Shang had taught him well.
He forced me toward the wall, his blade scraping my neck and carving a thin line of blood.
I spat in his eyes.
He jerked, losing focus for a split second, but it was enough.
I slammed my head into the bridge of his nose with all my might. The sound of bones crunching reverberated in my teeth.
He groaned, and then I bit into his nose, feeling the cartilage break between my teeth. Blood gushed down my throat; the awful metallic taste made me recoil.
He recoiled with a wild scream.
That was his last mistake.
My first blow was to his stomach. The second landed right under the ribs. The third one got him square on the throat.
He wheezed, trying to say something, but the only thing that came out of his mouth was scarlet foam.
With a quick slash, I cut his throat all the way to his spine.
His body was still twitching when I wiped my dagger on his clothes. I listened to my surroundings as I did so.
Footsteps echoed ahead. I followed them right away, picking up the pace. Soon, I reached my goal.
Fu Shang stood in the center of a dilapidated catacomb hall, a blood-covered sword in his hands. It looked like another agent had lost his life. Behind him, his mistress was pressed against the wall, breathing hard over another corpse. Her body had changed even further. Her joints stretched, her claws grew larger, and her eyes filled with a dull, hungry light. She looked like something out of a nightmare.
Fu Shang wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve and straightened up. He was exhausted, his side was covered in blood, but he was trying to hold on.
“You’ve been chasing us for a long time,” he chuckled hoarsely, looking from me to Mei Lin. “And now what? Do you think you have won? You will die here!”
Mei Lin didn’t say anything. Slowly, as if savoring the moment, she raised her bloody sword.
