Chapter 26. Liang Meng's Ordeal

emony straggled miserably behind their small party, burdened as she was with both her own supplies and the added weight of the weapons they were transporting into Kurzick territory.  Six of them strained forth while her new ritualist master, Lu, and his necromancer lover, Mai Ling, walked unburdened in the lead.  She glanced at Huan Yue, the other monk in their company, recalling that the name meant joyful.  The woman was at best grim and taciturn as her long gleaming staff clanked against the path with each step.

“Move, Liang Meng!” Lu shouted, pointedly refusing to use her Tyrian name.  Lemony shuddered, feeling his gaze upon her even though he was blinded and could not possibly see that she was lagging behind.

“Twisted Lu owns you, I see,” Huan Yue grumbled, nodding pointedly at the bangles that clung to Lemony’s arms, “Kiku must really hate you.”

Lemony had already been cuffed around the ears for talking, doubly hard when she forgot herself and did not speak Canthan.  Her mother’s language did not come easily to her now so many years later and her pronunciations had produced some awkward moments.  At some point she had apparently told Mai Ling her hair resembled bat guano, which, while it drew laughter, had earned her the enmity of the necromancer and another strike to the ear.  She merely nodded at the other monk.

Twisted Lu used every opportunity to humiliate her before the others, explaining to them in great detail that her Canthan name had been muddled to mean bitter fruit in Tyrian.  For some reason, this was a source of constant derision and humor among the others and meal times had become particularly painful with various rinds and seeds being flung at her while she was called fruit names.  Her lowly position in the pecking order also meant that she ate last if at all and the bitterest most unripe fruits were always part of her meal.

As noon approached, they left the gates of Maatu and rested in the shade of a stand of bamboo and cycads, their illicit cargo safely beyond the reach of Canthan authorities.  Their rest did not long, however, for a small herd of stone scale kirin came too close for Lu’s comfort and he ordered them into battle.  Abandoning their burdens and their meals, the weary group took up weapons and slaughtered the hapless creatures mercilessly.  When it was over, Twisted Lu called her to his side and boxed her on the ear.

“The hexes come off of me first.  Remember that.”

She did what was expected of her and dropped to her knees, touching her forehead to his feet.  Lemony knew full well that if she had not removed the hexes from the warrior first, he would have fallen and then Lu would have punished her far more severely for that.   Fortunately, Huan Yue was also a competent monk and Lemony had avoided the flogging Twisted Lu had indicated would be her reward if she failed to keep their party standing.

She sat aside from the party beside her burdens, watching as Lu passed out their rations for the noon meal.  Exhausted and footsore she curled against her pack, deciding to catch a nap while they ate when it became clear that no food would be given to her at that time.  She wondered how Uriel fared, whether her master was equally as cruel or her tasks as tiring.  At least they were both alive, even if neither of them would see Tyria again.

Lemony clenched her eyes against unwelcome tears.  Weeping would not do her any good and it would only cause her to fall prey to more derision and cruelty.  Twisted Lu wanted her to break.  It was just his nature.  Thankfully, her weariness drew her down into welcome oblivion and she resisted coming back when Huan Yue knelt beside her with a water flask and urged her to drink.

“Get up, Liang, it’s time to move out,” Huan Yue said, a warning sharpness in her voice as she hid the water flask under her cloak and re-slung it over her chest. Lemony staggered to her feet, donning first her own light pack and then allowing Huan Yue to help her strap the heavy rolls of fire arrows in place against her back.  She, in turn, helped her monk partner do the same and soon after they were once more marching toward the dark tangled line of trees that marked the Tanglewood Copse and the heart of Kurzick land.

“The terrible ape, he bathes me,” Lemony said, grateful for the woman’s help. Huan Yue smiled politely.

“You really need to work on your pronunciation.”