ShaoShu pouted. He hated being stuck in this room.
A pouch tied to his sash began to wriggle, and ShaoShu looked down to see his pet mouse poke its head out of the soft bag. It was probably hungry. He had taken the mouse into his care while he was stowed away on a boat Tonglong had commandeered. This was before Tonglong had even become the Southern Warlord. Until now, keeping his pet happy and fed regularly had not been a problem.
“I’m sorry, little one,” ShaoShu said, taking the mouse out and stroking its head. “I can’t just go and swipe food for us whenever I like, like I used to. I have to wait for it to be delivered. I don’t even get to pick what we eat. I know the things they have been bringing lately are no good for mice. I’m sorry.”
The mouse looked up at him with sad eyes, and ShaoShu scratched its scrawny sides, running his fingers along its protruding ribs.
“Maybe I should let you go?” ShaoShu said. “You can go places I can’t. You would probably be better off free. I’ll let you decide.”
ShaoShu placed the mouse on the floor. It stood still for a moment, staring at him; then it twitched its nose and scurried away beneath the door.
ShaoShu sighed. “Goodbye, my friend.”
He wished he could do the same thing. He was very good at squeezing through tight spaces, but he had not been able to figure out a way to escape this place. Tonglong’s elite soldiers were the best of the best, and as good as he was at creeping around, he could not sneak past them. He would be stuck here forever.
Unless—
Unless he just made a break for it. Forgot stealth and simply ran. After all, he was small, quick, and nimble. It might be worth a try. Besides, he would go crazy otherwise, just sitting in this room all day and night.
ShaoShu decided to give it a try. He crossed the room, checked to make sure the two dragon scrolls he had swiped were securely hidden deep within the folds of his robe, and slowly pulled his door open.
He got lucky. There was a soldier looming nearby as always, and this man was very close—only two paces away. Perfect. Before the soldier could even open his mouth to ask what he was doing, ShaoShu lowered his head and ran right between the man’s legs. The soldier snatched at him, but missed. As the man spun around to begin his pursuit, ShaoShu picked up speed.
“Stop, you little rodent!” the soldier yelled.
ShaoShu didn’t look back. He saw that this corridor was coming to an end ahead, and he had to make a decision: turn right or left. He chose left.
He should have chosen right.
As ShaoShu rounded the corner, he crashed headfirst into Tonglong, who was striding forward. Shao Shu spun to one side in an effort to get around Tonglong, but Tonglong’s hand snapped downward with incredible speed and latched on to the back of ShaoShu’s neck. ShaoShu squealed in pain, and Tonglong responded by squeezing even harder. Tonglong’s grip was amazing.
ShaoShu began to sob. “Please stop, sir. That really hurts.”
A group of elite soldiers rushed forward from behind Tonglong, and the disgraced soldier that Shao Shu had evaded approached from the opposite direction. Once ShaoShu and Tonglong were surrounded, Tonglong released his grip, shoving ShaoShu’s face toward the floor.
“Kowtow,” Tonglong said.
ShaoShu obeyed. He dropped to his knees and tapped his forehead against the floor three times before focusing his eyes on the tops of Tonglong’s heavy boots.
“Rise,” Tonglong said.
ShaoShu stood.
“Where do you think you are going?” Tonglong asked.
ShaoShu shrugged. “Nowhere, sir.”
“That is right,” Tonglong said. “Did you honestly think you could get out of here?”
Knowing that Tonglong appreciated strong individuals, ShaoShu lifted his head and pointed at the disgraced soldier. “I got past him.”
ShaoShu braced himself for a blow from Tonglong, but it never came. Instead, Tonglong laughed.
“I suppose you are right, Little Mouse. How quickly I forget your particular abilities.” Tonglong looked at the disgraced soldier. “Get out of my sight. I will deal with you later.”
“Yes, sir!” the soldier replied, and hurried away.
Tonglong spoke to ShaoShu once more. “I seem to have been ignoring you these past several days. I imagine you are getting bored sitting alone in that room all day long.”
“Yes, sir,” ShaoShu said.
“I can fix that. Come with me.”
ShaoShu stood and followed Tonglong into his command center office. Tonglong told him to have a seat in front of the large desk, and then he ordered his men to wait outside the room. The soldiers left and closed the door behind them, and Tonglong sat down opposite ShaoShu, pulling a small blank scroll, a writing quill, and some ink out of a drawer.