Ying shook his head. “There is no antidote for what I have done. Finish my fight, Long. China is counting on you.” He pressed the sword into Long’s left hand and slipped his extra-long chain whip out of its sleeve pocket, into Long’s right hand. “Eagle Returns Home— do you remember it?”

“The chain whip maneuver? Yes.”

“Attack Tonglong’s left side with it. Use our grandfather’s sword to distract his right.”

Long felt his heart warm, glad that Ying knew of their connection.

Ying sat up suddenly and shoved Long aside with surprising force. He stood and half-stumbled, half-lunged at Tonglong.

“No!” cried Long, snatching at Ying’s robe, but he missed.

Ying threw himself at Tonglong, swiping at Tonglong’s face with a perfectly formed eagle-claw fist tipped with five razor-sharp fingernails. Surprised, Tonglong reacted with a simple parry, thrusting the white jade sword in his hand at Ying’s stomach. Ying could easily have stepped to one side, but he did not. Instead, he allowed the jade blade to slide deep into his abdomen as he followed through with his blow.

Long saw Ying’s fingernails dig deep into Tonglong’s left eye. Tonglong screamed and backed away, and Ying slumped to the ground in a bloody heap, the white jade sword wedged inside him.

Long hissed like a dragon and headed for Tonglong.

Tonglong squinted at Long with his remaining good eye and reached down for the jade sword’s hilt protruding from Ying’s torso. He was too slow.

Long raised Grandmaster’s sword in his left hand and snapped his right arm forward with all his might, unfurling the chain whip and sending its sharp weighted tip at Tonglong’s left side.

Advertisement..

Tonglong dodged to his right, avoiding the end of the chain whip, and Long thrust Grandmaster’s sword to Tonglong’s right. Tonglong swung his head back to the left to avoid the sword, and Long snapped his right arm back, yanking the chain whip’s weighted tip back toward himself.

The combination Ying had suggested worked perfectly. The sharp weight at the end of the chain whip continued its path back toward Long—the eagle flying back home—and buried itself into the back of Tonglong’s head on his sightless left side.

Tonglong dropped like a stone, never to rise again.

Long let his weapons fall to the floor and hurried over to Ying’s side. Ying was barely breathing. There was blood everywhere. Long reached out, tracing his finger along the grooves in Ying’s carved face.

Ying opened his eyes. “Is it done?” he asked, his voice little more than a whisper.

“Yes,” Long replied. “You did it.”

Ying shook his head slowly. “We did it, cousin.” He shifted his gaze toward the Emperor, who was still on the floor nearby. They locked eyes, and Ying smiled.

“What is it?” the Emperor asked.

“You are a changed man,” Ying said. “I can tell, for I have changed as well. It feels good, doesn’t it?”

The Emperor nodded. “It certainly does, young eagle.”

“His name is Saulong—Vengeful Dragon,” Long said. “Is it not?”

“It is indeed,” Ying replied, still smiling.

The Emperor bowed his head to Ying. “I offer you my deepest gratitude, young dragon. I have been humbled by this whole experience, but most of all by your selfless actions. Your name will not be forgotten.”

“That is all anyone can ever hope for,” Ying said, his smile somehow growing stronger still, and he closed his eyes.

Long grabbed Ying’s hand and felt a surge of energy in his dan tien as Ying’s spirit left him. Long lowered his head as Ying’s hand grew cool in his own.

“It seems I also owe you my deepest gratitude,” the Emperor said to Long.

“I did what needed to be done,” Long replied. “I am glad that it is over.”

Wuya entered from the doorway and placed his arm around the Emperor, helping him stand. “Let us hope this is the end of it,” Wuya said. “We need to find out what has happened outside the gates.”

Xie moaned, and Long looked over to see him stagger to his feet, rubbing his head.

“You are alive!” Wuya said. “Sometimes it is a blessing to have a hard head, old friend.”

Xie looked at the holes in Tonglong’s soldiers, and he turned to Wuya. “Did you do that?”

Wuya nodded. “I apologize for misleading you, but the Emperor’s safety is my sworn priority. I needed to do everything within my power to isolate him and keep him alive, and I was unsure whom I could trust. I would put my life in your hands, of course, but Long—he is from Cangzhen Temple. You know the rocky history between their Grandmaster and the Emperor. After what I just witnessed, however, it is evident whose side Long is on.”




Most Popular