The ground beneath her feet vibrated as the horsemen charged toward her. She ran eastward. An arrow whizzed past her head, lodging in a nearby tree. She ducked behind another tree, but within seconds, she was surrounded.
“Where are the others?” a soldier demanded. The extra stripe on his sleeve made her suspect he was the leader.
“I was with one other.” She glared at him. “And you killed him.”
“He attacked us.” The leader urged his horse closer to her.
She backed up as the tip of his sword came close to grazing her chest.
“Where are the others?” he repeated. “There were two boys in the river.”
“Why are you attacking us?” she asked. “We’re just local farmers.”
He scoffed. “With swords?” He motioned to one of his men. “Take her weapons. Tie her up.”
The soldier dismounted and approached her.
She jumped back and drew her sword. “Leave me be. Go on your way, and I will leave you alone.”
The leader laughed. “Are you threatening us?” He motioned to his soldiers. “What are you waiting for?”
Six more men dismounted and stalked toward her.
She backed away, swinging her sword at them. If she could occupy all of the soldiers in her capture, they might forget about the boys. Three of the soldiers slipped around behind her. She whirled, slicing the air with her sword. They circled her, closing in.
“Very well.” She stabbed her sword into the ground. “I surrender. Take me to your master.”
One of the soldiers lunged toward her, his fist aimed for her face. She blocked the punch and kicked him in the balls. With a cry, he doubled over.
“I said I surrender,” she hissed. “I will ride with you to your master.”
Two soldiers grabbed her. They were definitely supersoldiers. She couldn’t break their grip.
“Hold her still.” The soldier she’d kicked in the balls came at her again. “Bitch!” He slapped her hard.
She kicked at him, but he jumped back and sneered. “Maybe we should have some fun with her before we take her back.”
She tensed. The sun was lowering in the sky, but it could still be an hour before sunset, when the vampires woke up.
The soldier unzipped his pants. “Hold her still.”
She gritted her teeth. She would make it through this. She had to.
A blast of fire shot from the tree where the boys were hidden. The soldier screamed as he was engulfed in flames. He ran away, screeching, then fell to the ground, where he flailed. The stench of burning flesh filled the air. His cries died down to whimpers, then he was quiet.
Neona tugged hard, but the two soldiers held her fast.
The other soldiers cautiously surrounded the tree. The fire had burned away some of the leaves, and now the two boys were visible.
The leader nudged his horse forward. “Amazing. One of them must be a dragon. Or perhaps both.” He waved his hand. “Come on down. We won’t hurt you.”
Norjee and Xiao Fang exchanged looks but didn’t budge.
The leader sighed. “They need motivation. Now.”
“Yes, sir.” One of the soldiers holding Neona pressed a knife to her throat.
“All right, boys,” the leader said. “Come down, or we slit her throat.”
Norjee and Xiao Fang climbed down.
“Tie them up,” the leader ordered. “I want to get them back before Lord Liao wakes up.”
Neona and the boys were tied up and tossed onto horses like sacks of rice. They headed back toward the river. She caught a glimpse of Tenzen lying in a pool of blood, and her eyes burned with tears. He’d died for nothing.
After a long ride, the men pulled the horses to a stop and shoved her and the boys onto the ground. With a gasp, she realized where they were. The monastery. Lord Liao and his army of fifty had taken it over.
The soldiers hauled her and the boys to their feet and marched them through the gate into the courtyard. Her stomach twisted at the sight of the two elderly monks lying in pools of blood. Norjee cried out, and Xiao Fang trembled.
She pretended to stumble so she could lower her head to their level. “Don’t say a word to them,” she whispered. “Stay strong.”
Norjee nodded with a whimper.
A soldier jerked her upright and shoved her toward the buildings on the right. Another soldier opened the first door, and they were all pushed into the small room.
It was the same room she’d visited only two nights before. She said a silent prayer for the monks. No wonder they had been so eager to send Norjee away. Hopefully, the other monks had safely evacuated before Liao’s arrival.
The soldiers untied them and left, closing the door behind them. She huddled against the far wall and gathered the two boys close to her. Their trembling bodies made her heart ache.
The door opened, and the leader sauntered inside. As he looked them over, she lowered her gaze. “So you must be one of the legendary warrior women who guards the dragons.” He scoffed. “Did you think it was a secret? How can you keep a bunch of flying dragons a secret? Did you think your meaningless threats would keep the peasants quiet?”
He hunched down in front of her so he could make eye contact. “The peasants are much more afraid of us. When we threaten death, we deliver.”
She remained quiet and squeezed the boys’ shoulders.
“Which one is the dragon?” the leader asked softly.
The boys buried their faces against her.
“There are no dragons,” she replied. “It’s a silly folktale that villagers tell to frighten their children into behaving.”
The leader’s mouth thinned as he straightened. “We saw the fire. One of those boys breathed fire.”
“That soldier was going to rape me. The gods shot fire down at him to punish him.”
The leader snorted. “Very funny.” He turned away, then suddenly drew his sword and pointed it at her chest.
She pressed back against the wall. The boys clung to her, both breathing hard.
“Which one is the dragon?” the leader shouted.
She swallowed hard.
“Not afraid to die, are you?” He sheathed his sword. “Very well. Maybe you’ll be more motivated if we put the boys in danger.”
Her heart lurched.
The leader glanced at his watch. “Lord Liao will awaken in thirty minutes. At that time, both boys will be executed.”
The boys stiffened, and she squeezed their shoulders hard.
The leader sighed. “But I’m feeling charitable tonight. I’ll let you save one of them. It will be your choice. See you in thirty minutes.” He strode from the room and shut the door.
She breathed deeply to calm her racing heart. The soldier must be assuming she would choose to save the dragon.
“Are we going to die?” Norjee whispered.
“No.” She took each boy’s hand. “We’re going to make it through this. Do you understand?” She looked at one, then the other.
“They killed the Venerable Fathers.” Norjee’s eyes filled with tears. “They want to kill us.”
“I will not let them harm you.”
Norjee pulled his hand away and stumbled to the far corner. “You can only save one. You’ll have to save Xiao Fang, because he’s special.” Norjee fell to the floor and burst into tears. “I have to die! I’m a nobody!”
“No!” Neona ran to him and pulled him to her in a tight embrace. “You are special to me, Norjee. You’re my sweet, beautiful boy. You’re the son of my beloved sister. You are the son my heart always wished for.”
Norjee clung to her, sniffling.
“I love you, Norjee.” She rubbed his back and kissed his head. “I will always love you.”
Xiao Fang squatted beside them and hugged them both.
Norjee made a sound that was a cross between a laugh and a whimper. “Xiao Fang says he loves me, too.”
“There, you see.” Neona wiped the tears from Norjee’s face. “Even the dragons know you’re special.”
Taking a deep breath, she looked around. They had thirty minutes to escape. There was one door, and no doubt it was being guarded. Her gaze landed on the window. It was covered with a decorative wooden grate.
She dashed over to it, curled her fingers through the grate, and pushed hard. It wouldn’t give. There was a heavy bar across the outside. Even if she destroyed the grate, the bar would remain solid, and it divided the window into two tiny spaces, too small to escape through.
The sky was darkening as the sun lowered on the horizon. Lord Liao would wake soon, but so would all the good vampires.
Her breath caught with a sudden thought. “Norjee, come here.”
He ran to her. “Yes, Mama?”
“You’re so special, you’re going to be the one who saves us.”
“I am?”
“You know the birds who live around here, right?”
He nodded. “They’re my friends. Especially the family of eagles.”
“Call them.” She moved the short table under the window and set Norjee on top so he was level with the windowsill. “Call the eagles. Call all your bird friends. Tell them to fly to the valley of the dragons and tell the people there that we are prisoners here at the monastery. We’re in grave danger, and they must rescue us.”
Norjee grinned. “I can do that!”
She smiled and patted his back. Xiao Fang stood next to the table and gave him an encouraging smile.
Neona watched the sky darken. Their fate would be decided now in less than thirty minutes.
Chapter Twenty-six
Neona paced across the floor as the small room grew darker. Norjee had assured her that the eagles were on their way to Beyul-La. He and Xiao Fang sat side by side against a wall, exchanging looks.
She squatted down in front of them. “Are you talking to each other?”
Norjee nodded. “I told him I was sorry I ran away and caused all this trouble. He said he’s sorry the queen and the other children are mean to me. I told him he shouldn’t have followed me, but he says he wants to be with me.”
She smiled. “You’ve brought joy into his life. I never heard him laugh before you came.”
Norjee’s eyes filled with tears. “He says we’re brothers because we’re so much alike. He hates the way the queen makes him stay hidden in the cave. The same way I hated being stuck here in the monastery all the time. We both want to be free. I was trapped here with a bunch of old men, and he’s trapped there with a bunch of old women.”
“Excuse me?”
Norjee winced. “Well, you’re . . . a little bit old.”
With a snort, she tousled Norjee’s hair, then tousled Xiao Fang’s hair, too. “You two rascals.”
A tear rolled down Norjee’s cheek. “If anything happens to you or Xiao Fang because of me—”
“We’re going to be fine.” She wiped away his tear. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”
She stood and looked around the room for something that could be used as a weapon. Her gaze landed on the short table under the window. She turned it on its side, planted a foot on one of the table legs, and yanked hard at another leg. It ripped off with a jagged edge that ended with a point. With enough force, it could pierce a soldier. Or Lord Liao. She slid it into her tunic so that it rested against the sash tied around her waist.
The door opened, and a dozen soldiers marched in. Too many for her to attack. They tied her hands in front, then hauled her and the boys outside. Only a sliver of sunlight remained, so torches had been lit in the courtyard. The two dead monks had been stacked to the side like refuse. Flies buzzed around them and the pools of blood that stained the hard ground.
The soldiers pushed her and the boys up the stairs to the temple. It was dark inside except for the lit candles on the low altar in front of a dais where a four-foot brass statue of Buddha rested. The room was a large square, the high ceiling held up by round wooden pillars painted red.
They were shoved against the far right wall.
“Sit,” the leader ordered.
She sat, and the boys settled on each side of her. The door to the temple was still open, and the air that wafted in became cooler as night fell.
A few whimpers emanated from across the room. She narrowed her eyes and detected some people against the far wall. Other prisoners.
The dozen soldiers knelt in front of the altar. A gasp sounded behind the dais that held the Buddha statue, the sound similar to the gasp she heard at sunset when Zoltan woke from his death-sleep.
A red silk robe came into view as Lord Liao stepped around the Buddha. He was thin, his face sallow, his hair a long braid down his back. He faced the soldiers, and they bowed down till their foreheads touched the floor.
“We are hungry, Ding.” He motioned with his hand to the leader.
Neona cringed at the sight of Liao’s long yellow fingernails, which curled like vicious claws. Zoltan is awake, too, she reminded herself. The Vamps would be coming soon.
The leader, Ding, rose to his feet. “We have a special treat for your eminence tonight. One of the warrior women of Beyul-La.”
Liao licked his lips. “Excellent. Her warrior blood will give us strength.”
Neona’s stomach roiled. As much as she hated the thought of that monster even touching her, it would be best to cooperate for now. Letting him bite her would delay any plans they had to execute the boys. And she needed to buy time for Zoltan and his friends to effect a rescue.
“We caught her with two boys,” Ding added. “We believe one of them is a dragon.”
Liao smiled, flashing his yellow teeth. “Finally. We have what Master Han covets. He will not dare eliminate us now.” He flicked the air with his long fingernails. “Bring us the warrior woman so we may quench our thirst.”