CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE #2
He speaks quietly, in an awful tone—far more frightening than the violence of his outburst. The taunt on my lips vanishes. I’m not brave enough to goad him further, when it’s my head he’s imagining splitting.
“Contestants, take your places before the ladders. Once the gong is struck, you may ascend. Not a moment before,” the chief attendant announces.
The spectators whisper among themselves as General Xilu and I face each other, my insides writhing. The tower soars higher than even the oldest trees near my home. Jin leans forward, his gaze intent. Can he sense my fear? Does he care?
“Don’t look down,” I mutter to myself. “Eyes ahead.”
The gong is struck, so loud I freeze—but General Xilu is already halfway up the first ladder with startling speed.
I scramble up, arching my feet along each rung as I grip the bamboo tightly.
It’s not as easy as climbing a tree, more slippery, harder to find a secure foothold as I cling and claw at the poles.
Then, I’m moving up the second tier, though General Xilu is still ahead.
Lightning crackles, carving the skies apart, thunder crashing with raw ferocity.
As the wind swells, threaded with rain, the tower creaks, swaying from side to side.
Instinctively, I grasp the pole harder, glancing down—a mistake—my stomach churning.
The trees weave like tufts of grass, spectators dotting the grounds.
No one leaves despite the threatening weather, all keen to see this to the bitter end.
General Xilu is already approaching the final tier.
In a moment, the jade will be his. I move away from the ladder, hoisting myself onto the railing, dragging myself up—a precarious climb, but quicker as long as I don’t fall.
Excited murmurs ripple beneath. This is what the crowd wants, a fight rather than a steady ascent to a clear victory.
I dig my nails into the bamboo, splinters piercing my fingers as I claw onward until my arms burn.
My throat is bone dry, my heart racing. This high up, the slightest slip could be fatal.
I drop myself back upon the ladder with relief, just a few steps behind General Xilu on the highest tier.
The prize dangles between us, the jade gleaming in the storm-drenched light.
I lunge first, one hand clutching the railing, the other grabbing at the jade—cold and hard.
I yank at it but the ribbons don’t give way, knotted tight.
As I reach for my dagger, my senses prickle. A whistling pierces the air, a flash of metal, General Xilu’s blade hurtling toward me. I drop the jade at once, still tied on its ribbon—ducking back, yet his dagger nicks the back of my hand.
I force a smile as I call out, “You’ve lost your weapon, General.”
He bares his teeth as he draws another from his belt—identical to the one he dropped.
The rules stated just one weapon, but who’d reprimand him here?
Any lingering remorse at my plan vanishes.
I fumble for my bottle of scent, the one I prepared—but he closes the gap between us, thrusting his dagger at me with unrestrained ferocity.
I duck as he slashes at me again, carving a deep groove into my shoulder—then twists his blade viciously, tearing the wound wider.
A scream erupts from my throat, the fiery agony worse than anything I’ve ever felt.
Gasps rise from the riveted crowd, as the general yanks his weapon out, stained with my blood—his mouth curved as he moves toward me again, eager to clinch victory.
Another gust of wind surges, the tower shuddering.
Rain falls in hard slivers, the bamboo growing slippery as General Xilu and I both clutch the poles tighter.
I inch toward the ladder, the rough section where the bamboo is joined with iron, but the general kicks at my calf, my leg crumpling as I slide—and fall.
My heart plummets as I frantically grab for something—anything—my fingers locking around a pole.
I dangle mid-air, kicking desperately as I swing myself back to secure a foothold, sick with fright.
I crouch down, clinging tight, unable to move or think—just wanting this to be over… not wanting to die.
The rain falls mercilessly, water crowding my eyes.
Above me, General Xilu wipes his face, then slashes through the ribbons to grasp the jade tablet, shoving it into his waistband with a triumphant shout—an answering cheer rising from the crowd beneath.
He turns, swiftly descending the ladder, while I fold in a corner, shivering with pain.
I will myself to get up. I can almost feel Jin’s eyes on me, urging me to move. I hate you, Jin, I think furiously. It makes me feel better; it pushes me to my feet.
It’s not over yet.
I fumble at my leather armor, stripping it away, letting it fall.
My black inner robe flutters in the wind.
Ignoring the cries from beneath, I unravel the sash wrapped around my waist, knotting one end tightly to the nearest pole.
A rush of dizziness sweeps over me, the mark on my hand stinging.
I fight it, forcing myself to focus. There’s no time to waste as I hurry down the ladder, pain throbbing in my shoulder—General Xilu, on the tier beneath.
The bottle is in my hand. As I flick its stopper out, the scent of peonies floods the air.
I wait till the general is just below—then I let the bottle slip from my hand as though unintentionally.
It strikes the pole under my feet, scattering drops over the general, some mingling with the rain as it slides over his hair and skin.
I pray it’s enough. He shudders as he shakes his head—then sneezes, his body swaying unevenly.
Grasping the pole, I drop down to his tier, landing beside him. He lurches back, blinking wildly. “You’ll die for that dirty trick,” he snarls.
“An accident—not against the rules like your second dagger. Who knew the great general likes to cheat?”
I lunge for the jade but he’s quicker, grabbing my shoulder, his thumb digging into my wound.
A gasp is torn from my throat as he slams my head against a pole with such force the tower shudders, the metal edge cutting my brow.
It hurts; I feel sick with it. Screams erupt from the watching crowd as he seizes my neck, his thick fingers squeezing harder.
I kick at the general, choking as I claw at his grip, fighting down my panic.
General Xilu grins as his hands tighten mercilessly. I gag, my body growing limp. Darkness bleeds through my mind. If I faint, it’s over.
I make myself stop struggling, looking right at him. “Didn’t you want to see my face?” I rasp.
As he stills, I yank at the fastenings on my mask. It falls away—the general’s eyes rounding, his mouth going slack. “You’re… a girl.”
Such scorn in those words, laden with shock and fury.
As his fingers loosen, I snatch for my dagger, slashing at him.
He shoves my arm away, almost knocking the weapon from my grasp—but he’s blinking wildly, weaving, still affected by the scent.
I slam the hilt of my weapon against his temple, then deftly pluck the jade from his sash, thrusting it into my own.
He roars with rage, punching at me, but I duck out of reach.
The general is panting now, his eyes wild…
for the first time, realizing he might lose.
As he springs toward me, I wrap the sash around my palms—and then I leap from the tower.
Wind pummels my face, my body, searing every part of me.
My hair unravels from the topknot, whipped by the wind, my bone-white grip tightening on the sash.
Screams rise from those watching. A little blood titillates, but a gruesome death spoils the entertainment.
It makes it too real. Time slows as the ground flies up.
Inside, I’m frozen through, praying the knot I tied earlier will hold, that the sash is long enough.
It pulls taut, my body jerking to a violent stop, every nerve afire. Dangling from the sash, I’m swinging a foot above the ground, General Xilu close behind. I raise my dagger, then slash through the cloth, crashing down into a pool of mud—a heartbeat before the general lands beside me.