Eagle (14 page)

“I think I will,” Hok said, scanning the marketplace. “You won't take the dragon bone and leave without me, will you?”

Ying scowled. “Don't insult me like that. I gave you my word that we would do this together.”

Hok nodded. “I'll return in a quarter of an hour.” She walked away.

“Happy hunting,” Ying called out.

Hok didn't reply.

Ying smirked and got to work. He grabbed the pet vendor's drinking bowl, pleased to see that it was empty and, more importantly, clean. He placed the drinking bowl on the edge of the table, then reached down and grabbed the beauty snake's cage. The snake began striking at Ying's hand, trying desperately to bite him through the tight bamboo bars.

Ying admired the tenacity of the creature. It reminded him of himself when he was locked in the Emperor's prison, constantly being taunted and abused by General Tsung. Ying had endured and escaped. This snake, however, would not be so lucky.

Ying set the cage on the ground behind the pet vendor's table. He located the latch on the cage door and opened it. The beauty snake shot forward, its yellow head heading straight for Ying's face.

Ying was ready. He stepped sideways, out of the snake's path, and snapped his right hand outward in an eagle-claw fist. He aimed for the snake's head, but it
was too fast. Ying ended up catching the snake by its thin, vibrating tail.

The snake writhed powerfully and twisted around, lunging backward at Ying's hand. Ying snapped his arm out to the side as if he were unfurling his chain whip, and the snake's head was flung harmlessly out of striking range.

After catching hundreds of snakes, Ying had learned that most of them could only strike as far as one-third their body length. By fully extending his arm, he prevented a snake this length from getting to him. It simply wasn't long enough.

On the other hand, Ying could not access enough of the snake's belly from this position. He took a deep breath and grabbed at the snake's midsection with his left hand. Pain from the
qiang
wound shot up through his left shoulder and arm, but he ignored it. His palm made contact with the snake's side, and he latched on to it with a firm grip.

The snake began to writhe even more frantically. It twisted around again, its bright yellow head bearing down on Ying's left hand. Ying let go of the tail with his right hand, reached for the snake's neck, and … missed. The snake was too fast. It latched on to the back of Ying's left hand.

Ying fought back a howl. He grabbed at the base of the snake's head with his right hand, but the instant before he made contact, the snake opened its jaws and released its grip. The snake dropped to the ground, slithering powerfully away.

Ying wasn't about to let it escape. He took two long
steps after it, then froze as the creature cruised beneath the curtain and over the tops of four pairs of shoes.

Those shoes hadn't been there a few moments ago.

The curtain parted and Ying saw the pet vendor, smiling from ear to ear. He was flanked by three men, all of whom were carrying
qiangs
pointed directly at Ying.

None of them carried any dragon bone.

“I
told you that snake was trouble,” the pet vendor said with a laugh. “You should have listened to me, Ying. And you should have been bright enough to know that I would remember you, even with the mask.”

Ying scowled. He watched the beauty snake slither beyond the four men and on to freedom. He knew
he
wouldn't get away so easily.

“Put your hands over your head,” the pet vendor ordered.

Ying raised his hands, stopping at the black scarf over his face. He adjusted it, stalling for time.

“Leave that mask right where it is,” the pet vendor said. “Do not lower it or take it off. I don't want anyone to recognize the latest creature I've captured.”

Several passersby saw the armed men and scattered. Ying hated to admit it, but he needed help. He had no chance against three
qiangs.
Perhaps Hok was still near enough that she—

“KEEEEIIIII-AHHHH!” someone shouted, and the sound of splintering bamboo cut through the night air. Ying turned to see Hok smash the gigantic birdcage with her rock-hard elbows and heave a large section of cage at the pet vendor and his three armed accomplices.

The men's arms flew up to protect their faces as hundreds of small, colorful birds rushed toward freedom in a powerful wave of beating wings and thrashing claws.

Hok joined the flock, her elbows and crane-beak fists flying. In the blink of an eye, she disarmed one man and knocked a second unconscious. The third armed man took aim at Hok, and Ying sprang into action.

Ying had his chain whip wrapped around his waist, but there was no time to unfurl it. He ran straight at the man, empty-handed, shrieking with every bit of energy he could muster.

The man spun around, his eyes wide. He centered his
qiang
on Ying's chest and pulled the trigger.

Click!

Ying was close. He launched his right leg forward with a lightning-quick front-kick.

Fizz! BANG!

Ying's foot connected with the
qiang,
swinging the barrel upward. The
qiang
fired just over Ying's head.

His right leg still in the air, Ying pivoted on his left foot and drove his right heel into the man's jaw with a vicious side-kick. The man crumpled.

Ying heard a bloodcurdling shriek and turned to see the eagle straining at its tether, attempting to fly. The
qiang
blast must have frightened it. People throughout the marketplace were screaming and running away.

“Jump back!” Hok shouted.

Ying obeyed without knowing why and saw a flash of metal breeze past his chest. It was the pet vendor's dagger.

The thrown dagger had missed him, but Ying stumbled and lost his balance on a piece of broken birdcage. He crashed into a stack of caged pets. Bamboo snapped, and mice and rats began to scurry free over and around him.

Ying jumped to his feet, brushing the animals away. He heard a man shout and glanced over to see Hok wrestling with the remaining conscious man, who was three times her size. Hok hit him—once— twice—three times—with a crane-beak fist, and he was out.

Ying looked over at the pet vendor and saw that he was reaching for one of the unconscious men's short
qiangs.
Ying untied the chain whip from his waist and lashed out at the
qiang,
knocking it away. The
qiang
stopped next to a monkey's cage, and the skittish creature scooped it up.

The pet vendor froze. So did Ying and Hok. The monkey waved the
qiang
about nervously.

The pet vendor turned his attention to the monkey. He reached out with one hand, saying sweetly “That's a good boy … give it to me … I will give you a treat if you behave … ” The pet vendor began to walk toward the monkey's cage.

Ying backed away. He saw the pet vendor's dagger among the pile of broken cages and picked it up. He hurried over to the eagle and dropped to his knees, cutting the long tether. The bird spread its gigantic wings and was gone. Ying almost smiled.

“No, no, no!” the pet vendor shouted, and Ying turned to see the man waving his arms frantically. “Don't touch that—”

Click … fizz … BANG!

The
qiang
erupted and the monkey screeched. A small cloud of dust rose at the pet vendor's feet where the lead ball had buried itself in the ground. Ying watched Hok step through the cloud and rise up on one leg, planting a crane kick in the center of the pet vendor's face. His nose exploded.

The pet vendor howled and fell onto his back from the force of Hok's kick. Ying flew over to the pet vendor's side and raised the dagger high over his head.

“Where is the dragon bone?” Ying hissed.

“Just beyond the curtain!” the pet vendor whined through what was left of his nose. “Take it! All of it!”

Ying eyed him suspiciously.

“I'll get it,” Hok offered. “We need to hurry. Soldiers will be coming.”

Ying stared hard at the pet vendor. “She is going to go in there. If there are any traps—”

“No traps!” the pet vendor blubbered. “I promise.”

Ying nodded to Hok, and she slipped behind the curtain. She returned a moment later with a large silk bag embroidered with golden dragons.

“That's it!” the pet vendor said. “See, no tricks.”

Ying spat and poised himself over the pet vendor, raising the dagger even higher.

“Have mercy!” the pet vendor pleaded. “Don't kill me!”

“Give me one good reason why I shouldn't,” Ying said.

“One reason?” the pet vendor replied with a nervous grin. “All I need to give you is one
word.”

“I'm listening,” Ying said.

The pet vendor cleared his throat. “Saulong,” he said hesitantly.

Ying felt his blood run cold. He tightened his grip on the dagger. “How do you know that name?”

A sly smile spread across the pet vendor's face. “I was there when your father announced it to the camp.”

Ying blinked. “You knew my father? I don't believe you. What was his name?”

“Cholong,” the pet vendor said.
“Loud Dragon.
He used a chain whip, just like the one in your hand. He also had eyes exactly like yours. Your fire burns deep, young man, just like his did. I suspected who you were when you first came here more than a year ago.”

Ying lessened his grip on the dagger and stepped away from the pet vendor. He felt dizzy.

The pet vendor sat up. “It's been a long time, Sau-long.”

“Don't call me that,” Ying said.

“Okay,” the pet vendor said. “Whatever you say, Ying.”

“Don't call me that, either!” Ying roared. He began to shake. He felt sweat pouring across his carved forehead and down his carved cheeks. What was happening to him?

Ying shook his head to clear it. He took a deep breath. So what if this man had known his father? So what if this stranger knew his original name? That was ages ago.

Ying's eyes filled with rage. “My father is dead and my name has been changed. I don't care about the past. Of what use are you to me?”

“If you don't care about the past,” the pet vendor said, “then what about the future?”

“What do you mean?” Ying asked.

The pet vendor smiled. “Let me go free and I'll tell you where you can find something far more valuable than dragon bone.”

“And that would be?”

The pet vendor's smile broadened. “Your mother.”

T
onglong sat in the lap of luxury, his mother at his side. In front of them sat the Emperor with his enormous bodyguard, Xie. They were all lounging together inside the Xuzhou Fight Club, in the Emperor's personal seating area. They had arrived the previous day, exhausted from the long boat ride down the Grand Canal. It was time for some excitement.

Tonglong looked down into the pit arena. He remembered this one well. It was nearly identical to the one at the Jinan Fight Club, a deep, brick-lined hole wide enough to give the combatants plenty of room to maneuver. Off to one side was a single large door that led to a network of underground tunnels.

The door swung open in dramatic fashion, and the
crowd erupted with cheers. The fight club owner announced that they would begin the night with something special. One of the headliners, Golden Dragon, would fight first.

Tonglong had never seen Golden Dragon fight. He was looking forward to this.

Golden Dragon entered the pit arena, and the crowd roared. Bettors began to scramble to and from the bettors’ table. Golden Dragon's opponent soon shuffled into the arena, and the crowd jeered. He was an obese foreign round eye with a pale, bald head and hairy back. He was much older, and much larger, than Golden Dragon.

The fight club owner left the pit arena through the tunnel doorway, and the door slammed shut. A huge gong rang out, and the fight began.

Golden Dragon's opponent was twice his size, but it was immediately clear to Tonglong that the huge foreigner wasn't half the fighter Golden Dragon was. Golden Dragon zigged and zagged across the stone floor, mimicking the movements of a mythical dragon with inhuman fluidity. He floated and sank, adjusting his weight to allow for maximum velocity should he decide to strike. He was biding his time, sizing up his lumbering, cumbersome opponent.