Monkey (9 page)

“
G
et over here, Commander Woo,” Ying said in a harsh whisper. “Our prey is near. I can feel it.”

Ying scanned the ground. He didn't see any tracks in the dirt, but that didn't mean anything. He knew his quarry often spent time in the trees.

“Yes, sir!” Commander Woo said as he approached, his chest puffed out.

“Quiet,” Ying hissed. “I don't want to give our target a head start by announcing our presence. Keep your voice down.”

Commander Woo's shoulders slumped, and he nodded.

Ying opened the large leather bag he had slung over one shoulder and began to dig around. “Before
we continue, Commander, I have a question for you. Your family name—
Woo
—means ‘witchcraft’ in Mandarin, does it not?”

“Yes, sir,” Commander Woo replied. “That is one translation.”

“Do you or any of your family members practice the black arts?”

“No, sir. Not that I'm aware of. Why do you ask?”

“Because you are so superstitious,” Ying said. “Also, because some call what you are about to see witchcraft. I thought you might be familiar with the procedure.”

Ying removed a small green pouch from the leather bag. He handed it to Commander Woo.

“Open it. Carefully.”

Commander Woo's large hands fumbled with the drawstrings on the slippery silk pouch. He peeked inside.

“Do you know what that is?” Ying asked.

“It appears to be some kind of powder, sir. Though I can't identify it.”

“It's powdered dragon bone,” Ying said. “There is a secret place where men pull the bones from black liquid earth under the light of the full moon. They grind the bones to make this. It is very, very expensive. A thousand times more than its weight in gold. So be careful when you carry it.”

Commander Woo raised his eyebrows.

“You are responsible for that pouch now,” Ying said. “Along with everything else in this leather bag. I
am going to show you how to make a special elixir. From this day forward you will prepare it for me every evening. Doing so will serve two purposes. First, it will help you overcome your fear of the spirit world. Some claim the preparation of this drink attracts hungry ghosts who want a taste, but you will see firsthand that this is nonsense. No spirits will bother you, because spirits do not exist. The second purpose is perhaps more important. I find myself spending far too much time searching for a key ingredient every evening. You will now find it as part of the preparations.”

“If you don't mind my asking, sir,” Commander Woo said, “what is the ingredient?”

“Blood,” Ying replied. “But not just any blood—a very specific kind. And it must be fresh.”

Commander Woo swallowed hard. “Dare I ask what this potion does for those who drink it?”

Ying smiled. “Let's just say it brings me closer to my kindred spirits.” He lurched forward, baring his pointed teeth and flicking out his forked tongue with a hiss. Commander Woo jumped.

Ying laughed. “Relax, Commander. I'm just toying with you. Now, I want you to—”

Ying stopped in mid-sentence. Every muscle in his body seized in an act of total concentration. He sensed something moving. Something specific. He leaped high into the air and thrust a powerful eagle claw around the tree next to him. When he hit the ground, a green tree snake writhed in his iron grip. Ying looked at Commander Woo.

Commander Woo backed away.

“Get over here,” Ying said.

“But that snake is poisonous, sir!” Commander Woo said. “I can tell by the shape of its head. Be careful.”

Ying scowled. “I know it's poisonous, Commander. That's the point. It has to be a poisonous variety for the elixir to be effective. I'm holding it firmly behind its head. It won't bite you—unless I release it down your collar.”

“S-sorry, sir,” Commander Woo said as he walked briskly to Ying's side.

With his free hand, Ying removed a small ornate goblet from the leather bag and handed it to Commander Woo.

“Hold this cup in one hand,” Ying said, “and hold the pouch open in the other.”

Commander Woo did as he was told. Ying dipped a long fingernail into the powder and scooped up a small amount. He dumped it into the goblet.

“You will use a small spoon for measuring,” Ying said. “I will show it to you another time. At the moment I seem to have my hands full.” He grinned and grabbed the snake by the tail with his free hand. He unwound the snake from his wrist and found it to be nearly as long as his arm.

“This is a good length,” Ying said. “Now, hold that cup perfectly still, Commander. Don't you dare move.”

Ying placed the snake's tail between his sharp teeth and clamped down hard. Waves of pure muscle rippled through the snake as it struggled to free itself.
Ying lifted the snake's head high into the air and leaned toward Commander Woo. Commander Woo flinched but held the goblet steady.

Ying positioned his face over the goblet and thrust a razor-sharp fingernail into the underside of the snake. Blood poured down its belly into the goblet. After a moment, Ying hurled the snake into the underbrush. He smiled a wide, toothy grin.

Commander Woo grimaced.

Ying laughed and took the cup. He began to stir the blood and dragon bone mixture with one of his long fingernails. “Do you think you can handle that, Commander? I'm guessing
you'll
use a knife, though.”

Commander Woo took a deep breath and nodded. “Yes, sir.”

“Good. I will expect you to bring me one each evening no later than one hour after sunset.”

Ying licked his lips with his long, forked tongue and raised the goblet. He closed his eyes and drank slowly, savoring every drop.

I
t was the middle of the night when Malao felt someone shake him gently.

“Wake up,” Hok whispered. “We need to talk.”

Malao sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. “What's going on?” he mumbled. He looked around the hollow and saw the white monkey sitting in one moonlit corner.

“You fell asleep again,” Hok said.

“I did? When?”

“Hours ago.”

“Is everything okay?”

“No,” Hok replied. “I went out and did a little reconnaissance. There's something you need to know.”

“Don't even tell me Ying is catching more animals,” Malao said. “What he did to that snake earlier was disgusting.”

Hok closed his eyes. “What I have to tell you has nothing to do with Ying. It has to do with Fu. He's been captured.”

“WHAT?” Malao said.

“Hush,” Hok said. “Do you want us to get captured, too?”

“Sorry,” Malao whispered. “Where is he?”

“He's in a village less than a day's travel from here. Ying's number one man, Tonglong, has returned, and I overheard him and Ying talking about it. Ying has sent his number three, Captain Yue, and fifty soldiers to collect Fu from the villagers.”

“Let's go,” Malao said. “We probably don't have much time.”

Hok shook his head. “We can't. I'd like to help Fu, too, but we don't even know where the village is located. We have to wait until we know more.”

“Wait?” Malao said. “What more do we need to know? Fu is in trouble! He's our brother, and we have to help him!”

“Keep your voice down,” Hok said. “I know it's difficult to accept, but there's nothing we can do. Not only does Captain Yue have fifty men, Ying also sent Commander Woo with a large group of reinforcements to meet up with them. Even if we could find the village, we wouldn't have a chance.”

“You're always so … logical,” Malao said, frustrated. He took several deep breaths. “What if we got to the village before Captain Yue?”

“You'd have to find it first.”

“Maybe my friend here can show us the way. He led me back to Cangzhen.” Malao looked at the white monkey. The monkey came over to his side and sat down.

Malao scratched his head. “What's the name of the village?”

“I don't know,” Hok replied. “All I know is the Governor lives there and—”

The white monkey suddenly jumped up and grabbed Malao's hand.

“Hey!” Malao whispered. “He knows the word
Governor!
I bet he knows where the village is! Let's go!”

Hok raised one hand. “Even if your little friend is clever enough to find the village, I think at least one of us should stay here to keep an eye on Ying. There is much at stake, Malao.”

“I know what you're saying, but I have to do something, Hok. Fu is part of our family.”

Hok stared at Malao, unblinking. “If you don't get to Fu before Captain Yue does, Fu will be surrounded by at least fifty soldiers. Do you understand what you'd be getting yourself into?”

“Not really,” Malao said. “But that's never stopped me before.” He grinned.

Hok sighed. “If you feel you must go, I understand.”

Malao nodded. He squeezed the white monkey's hand three times and released it. The monkey sprang into the darkness.

Malao waved goodbye to Hok and shot out of the hollow like a lead ball from a
qiang.

The rest of the night, Malao followed the white monkey through the forest. By sunrise, they reached the spot where he had slept near the stream. The white monkey let out a long shriek and the entire monkey troop came into view.

To Malao's surprise, the white monkey leaped onto his shoulder and released a tremendous howl. Every monkey in the troop took notice. The white monkey patted Malao's bald head, howled again, and raced upstream. The rest of the monkeys followed. So did Malao.

The monkeys didn't pay much attention to Malao, and Malao gave them even less notice. He was too busy trying to follow without losing his footing on the slippery stream bank. It got even worse in the middle of the day, when they changed directions and turned into the forest. Unable to pick his way through the thick undergrowth, Malao took to the trees. In no time, his hands began to ache and his shoulders grew sore. He knew he couldn't keep this up much longer. Fortunately, he didn't have to.

In the distance, one of the monkey scouts began to chatter. The rest of the troop instantly reacted,
screeching and howling and carrying on like they had when they encountered the bandits’ caravan.

A voice rang out through the forest.

“ON YOUR GUARD! MONKEY TROOP! PROTECT THE SUPPLY CARTS!”

Great,
Malao thought.
Here we go again. …

Y
ing looked up from the trail as the sound of screeching macaques and shouting soldiers filled the forest ahead. He turned around to face Tonglong, who was riding high atop his stallion. The horse's pitch-black coat glistened in the midday sun.

“Do you recognize any of those voices?” Ying asked.

“Yes,” Tonglong said. “Some of the voices belong to Commander Woo's unit, and some belong to the soldiers you sent with Captain Yue. The two groups must have rendezvoused.”

“I agree,” Ying said. “It's a good thing we left Cangzhen when we did. It sounds like a monkey troop is getting the best of them. I believe I heard Captain
Yue shriek like a woman a moment ago.” Ying shook his head. “I had a hunch those two would somehow botch this assignment. Stay here while I investigate. When your unit catches up, have them prepare their
qiangs.
Perhaps we'll have monkey stew tonight.”

“What do you intend to do?” Tonglong asked.

“I'm not sure,” Ying replied. “But whatever it is, you can bet it will be something … educational.” He smirked.

Tonglong shifted in his saddle.

Two soldiers carrying a long pole approached from behind Tonglong. A pale young monk in an orange robe hung from the pole, bound at the wrists and ankles like a hunting trophy. The monk appeared to be unconscious.

“Here comes your unit now,” Ying said. “Make sure the entire group is assembled before you move forward. In the meantime, remain as quiet as possible and keep an eye on Hok. You should take as much care restraining him as you did catching him last night. Though he's a crane, he can be as sneaky as a snake.”

“He,
sir?” Tonglong asked.

Ying's eyebrows raised and the furrows in his forehead deepened. “Well, well. I see you've discovered Hok's little secret,” Ying said softly. “I'm impressed. Not too many people know. I only found out after I left Cangzhen. Do me a favor and keep this tidbit to yourself. It's bad enough the men know Hok successfully spied on us the past few days. Their confidence
might be further shaken if they knew how hard you had to work to catch a girl.”