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ai arrived at the sixth hour of the evening, her earnest face at once shy and cheerful as she cracked open the door of the little bedroom and peered inside. The shadows cast by the meager candle on the bedside table fled as Mai drew a white paper lantern into the room with her.
“Is Miss Lhan awake?” she asked softly as if afraid speaking too loudly might somehow cause offense. Crescent Blade lifted her head slowly, pretending to be half asleep in the small comfortable bed. There was a fire crackling merrily in the grate and the soft hues of blankets and the pale plaster walls gave the room a homely ambiance. Xiang Yi had decided she was in no danger and had placed her in Mai’s care. First she had been ushered to a warm bath with a thorough scrubbing to remove the filth of captivity followed by a relaxing half hour of having her hair washed and combed.
“Yes, I am awake.”
“Master Bei wishes to speak with you.”
“Is he a good man?”
Mai smiled and nodded vigorously.
“He rescued my mother from a demon.”
“How did that happen?” Crescent Blade asked casually, sensing the young woman was at heart garrulous and may impart some useful information.
“She was possessed. Everyone knows Master Bei will help with demons. He won’t even take money for it. Since my mother was sick for a while and needed time to recover, I found odd jobs to do and then I was hired. He found out how many days I had worked without pay and made sure I was compensated.”
“Sounds like a man with a guilty conscience. I bet he is like my old master and takes advantage of serving girls.”
Lhan waited for a confession and was strangely gratified when Mai blanched in disgust.
“Master Bei would never do that,” she whispered harshly.
“Surely he has a vice. All great men do.”
“Do not cast aspersions on the man who saved you. It is dishonorable and unkind. Some believe he is a reincarnated saint.”
“Do you believe that?”
Mai hesitated, blushed, then nodded earnestly. The rumors about Master Bei’s faithful servants were true at least.
“What about Master Bei? Does he claim to be a saint?”
“Heavens no, he gets cross if anyone says such a thing around him.”
“I am sorry, I have been disrespectful. I am not accustomed to anyone treating me kindly.”
Mai smiled sweetly and laid out a simple gray and blue linen gown on the bed. Crescent Blade was still clad in the thin cotton shift she had been given after the bath. Mai offered to help her dress but there really was no need. Within moments she was clothed and sat quietly on a chair while Mai fussed over her strawberry blonde hair and tied it back with a black ribbon.
“Such an odd color,” the young woman tsked, “You look like a fox maid.”
Lhan smiled. Coloring her hair was one of the few vanities she allowed herself. It annoyed her handler, Master Shao Li, despite the fact that she was quite capable of wearing a wig when she needed to appear properly Canthan in court. As for her victims, the first time most of them saw her usually occurred within five minutes of the last time. The name fox maid amused her. She fancied herself akin to those mythical creatures, graceful and deadly.
Once Mai decided Crescent Blade was presentable, she led the way through the warren of hallways to a quiet corner of the great building. The room was brightly lit by a fire and a pair of glass lanterns. The walls and furnishings were green, including the heavy curtains that swathed the bank of windows. Master Bei was relaxing in a padded chair beside the fire with a flagon of mulled wine clasped in his hands. He was dressed in his familiar black robes, and when she entered, he rose to greet her with a gentle smile and nod. He gestured toward the couch across from him before taking his seat once more.
This evening he looked calm and friendly, his ageless visage free from the strain of horror and death. Now that she was close to him she could see faint signs of aging, the inroads of crow’s feet at the corners of his almond eyes and a few stray strands of silver invading his short-cropped ebon mane.
“Good evening Keisha Lhan,” he said when he was sitting once more, “Would you like some tea or crackers?”
“No, thank you, Master Bei.”
Mai bowed and departed, leaving the two of them alone. Now Crescent Blade would discover if the tales of Master Bei’s virtue were true. As far as she was concerned, older men did not help younger women without an ulterior motive. She realized part of her hoped he was a philandering scum. It would make her job easier.
“I realize this is very awkward for you,” he began. She waited to be proved right. Would he seduce her with gentle words first or would he accidentally touch her and watch her reaction before choosing his next move?
“Master Bei, I am very grateful you saved me. I would do anything to repay you,” she said, subtly encouraging him to prove his true nature.
“I require no remuneration, Miss Lhan, all I seek is knowledge. Do you know anything about the man who captured you?”
He was being kind to her, offering her the opportunity to avoid speaking about something that would have been tremendously painful if she had actually endured it. He had not guessed that she had locked herself inside the cage while the summoner’s body cooled upon the floor. The worst of it had been listening to the whimpering of the man’s prisoner in the darkness. In that long hour she had devised her story.
“I was captured by him two days ago,” she murmured, casting her face down like the shameful prostitute she would now pretend to be, “He hired me that evening and I thought he would take me back to his bed…”
She trailed off for dramatic effect and managed to make her voice tremble with grief.
“I’m sorry, Miss Lhan,” he said gently, “If you are not ready to speak of it, please tell me and I will stop.”
“I’m… I’m alright.”
“Did he do something to your spirit? Do you remember a gem or a jar that he might have used to lock away a piece of you?”
He referred to his inability to sense her emotions or scan her surface thoughts. With the charm still bound to her thigh she must seem dead to him, unreadable as a stone.
“I think so,” she stammered, “I remember there was a circle drawn on the floor and I was lying in the middle of it. And then there was terrible pain. After that I have not felt the same.”
“He would have bound it to an object of some kind. Do you remember anything that may have looked unusual or valuable? An amulet or jewel?”
“N..no,… but there was a shadow that came one night and he gave it a golden necklace with an emerald charm on it… Oh no,” she choked.
She could not see Master Bei’s expression with her head bowed and her body shuddering expertly with false grief. It was sad how easily he could be tricked with no means of gauging her emotional state. He rose and began pacing. At first she thought he might come to her side and comfort her, but he did not.
“I’m sorry,” he repeated wearily, “Normally I would rush to find this creature and work to make you whole. Unfortunately, my current situation requires me to wait for a time before doing so. As long as you stay here where it is warded you will not be in any danger. That is the best I can offer you at present.”
“I can repay you,” she murmured, “I am skilled in the arts of the night.”
His shoulders stiffened and for a moment she thought he was considering her offer.
“Miss Lhan, even had you not endured a terrible ordeal at the hands of that wicked man, I regret that you feel it necessary to repay a simple act of kindness in such a demeaning way. Please, Daughter, if you feel obligated to repay me, then I require no more than respect and courtesy.”
Chastened, she bowed her head, honoring him in the only way she knew how.
“I’m sorry, Master Bei,” she murmured, the first honest words she had spoken to him.
“I forgive you,” he replied, “Now I must rest. It has been a long day for me and doubtless you are still weary from your ordeal. Mai has been assigned to you. Do not hesitate to ask her for anything you might require.”
She watched him go, swallowing past the knot in her throat. She had a job to do and she was losing her nerve. Why was she always assigned the difficult ones? Mai entered the room, smiling sweetly and bowing. Without a word she followed the young servant down the corridors.
“I will bring you supper,” Mai offered as they approached her bedroom, “Is there anything else I can do for you, Miss Lhan?”
“I need to go pray before Dwayna.”
“Of course. I will find you a winter coat and an escort.”
Crescent Blade needed to speak to Kalydri now. She hoped her friend was still in the city and would arrive at the temple at her accustomed time.
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