Snake (17 page)

Fu plopped into the nearest chair. “I don't know about you two, but I'm starving.”

“Me too,” Malao said.

Seh didn't respond.

Malao looked at Seh. “Are you feeling better?”

“I'm fine,” Seh said. “I just have something on my mind.” He lowered his voice. “I want to look around. If anyone asks about me, tell them I went to find a toilet.”

“Don't tell me you're worried about the filling in their dumplings?” Malao said. He giggled.

Fu rolled his eyes.

Seh remained serious. “Will you cover for me or not?”

“I'll cover for you,” Fu said. “But it will cost you half of your lunch.”

Malao giggled again.

Seh shook his head. “It's a deal,” he said, and headed for the tattered curtain.

S
eh found himself in a small kitchen at the back of the Jade Phoenix. He was alone.

Where did Sanfu and Yuen go?
Seh wondered. He looked around for a back door. There wasn't one. All he saw was an open window.
They wouldn't have climbed out the window. There must be a trapdoor somewhere.

Seh scanned the wooden floor. It was pockmarked and stained and warped in several places, but there was no sign of a door anywhere.

Then he looked up.

The ceiling, like the floor, was made of staggered slats of wood. Years of dust and grime had accumulated across the length of the ceiling, but in one corner,
Seh noticed a faint, square-shaped outline where the dust had been disturbed in four perfectly straight lines. The square was just large enough for an adult to pass through.

An attic,
Seh thought.
I wonder what's so important that Mong and Sanfu need to hide to discuss it. Hmmm.
Seh glanced at the open, sun-filled window.
Maybe I can just listen in for a moment.…

Seh stuck his head out the window and saw a thick terra-cotta drainpipe running up the side of the building, within reach. He shimmied up it, stopping when he reached a Jade Phoenix medallion like he'd seen on the front door. Only this one was as big as his head.

I wonder…,
Seh thought as he gently pushed on one side of the green medallion.
Yes!
The medallion pivoted up the slightest amount. Seh pressed his eye to a small opening and was able to see inside a surprisingly large, well-lit room. He could hear clearly, too.

Mong, Sanfu, Hung, Gao, and a well-dressed man Seh didn't recognize sat around a circular table. Yuen bent over and opened the trapdoor, then dropped a rope ladder through the hole. “Ugh!” she said as she began to climb down. “I'm getting too old for this.” Her wide hips stuck briefly, but then she was free and clear.

“Thanks for the tea,” Sanfu called after her.

“Anytime, dear,” she said. “Anytime.”

The well-dressed man leaned over and pulled up the ladder, then silently closed the trapdoor. “Where
were we?” he asked with an air of authority. “Ah, yes— the new emperor. He is now letting all manner of riffraff into our region. I'm concerned.”

“Me too,” Sanfu said. “Did you know that Old Man Butcher and his wife are back in business?”

“The cannibals?” Mong asked.

“The very same,” Sanfu replied. “Seh and Fu stumbled into their establishment on our way here.”

“It's true,” the well-dressed man said. “The Emperor reversed my decision to keep them in prison.”

Seh's eyes widened.
That man is the Governor!
he thought.
Wait until I tell Fu!

Sanfu turned to Mong. “Seh took care of both of them single-handedly. It was impressive.”

Mong smiled. Seh felt himself smile, too.

“And another thing,” Sanfu said. “Seh discovered that the dragon scroll he carries is a map.”

Sniff. Sniff.
“A map?” Gao said. “Of what?”

“We couldn't tell,” Sanfu replied.

Mong rubbed his huge, pale bald head. “Seh arrived at the stronghold with three scrolls. What happened to the other two?”

“Seh gave them to AnGangseh,” Sanfu said. “I'm surprised you don't already know this.”

“AnGangseh!” Hung growled. “What is she up to now?”

“Hush,” Mong said. “She probably took them for safekeeping.”

“Safekeeping, my—” Hung began to say.

“That's enough,” Mong interrupted. He turned to
Sanfu. “I haven't seen AnGangseh since the night of the attack. I know nothing about the scrolls.”

“Isn't she at that hiding place of hers?” Sanfu asked. “The one where she keeps her enormous pet.”

“No,” Mong replied. “She's disappeared. So has her snake.”

AnGangseh has a pet snake?
Seh thought.
Interesting.
He considered the snake on his wrist, which was anything but a pet.
Well, if her snake is gone, perhaps she collected it and went to hide somewhere else. That's a good sign.

Sanfu sat back in his chair. “That's the only news I have to share. I reported everything else to NgGung when he slipped into the village a week ago.”

Seh frowned.
That's how Mong knew Sanfu would be traveling with us,
he thought.
I can't believe NgGung snuck in and out of the village without saying hello to us. Sanfu should have given us an update on the bandits, too.
Seh felt his heart begin to beat faster. He was irritated. He took a slow, calming breath.

Sanfu looked at Mong. “Do you have any news to share with me?”

“As a matter of fact, I do,” Mong replied. “NgGung is looking into it as we speak, but we have heard news that Ying is in prison and Tonglong now controls his troops—”

The news was so unexpected, Seh's breath caught in his throat. Mong fell silent and stared at the medallion.

Seh knew he'd been caught. Embarrassed, he pivoted
the medallion all the way up and poked his head inside. He nodded hello.

Everyone in the room burst into laughter.

“You must be Mong's son, Seh,” the Governor said with a smile. “I am the governor of this region.”

“I figured it out,” Seh said, lowering his head. “It's nice to meet you.”

“The pleasure is mine,” the Governor said.

“You're blushing, Seh,” Mong said.

Seh raised his head. “Sorry.”

Mong chuckled. “Don't be sorry. You did well. You found a hole in our security. The iron latch that secures that medallion must have rusted loose. I'll mention it to Yuen.”

Seh shrugged.

“How long have you been up there?” Mong asked.

“Long enough,” Seh replied.

“I see,” Mong said. “I'm sorry if you're feeling like you've been kept in the dark. We're discussing something that is much bigger than the destruction of Cangzhen or even the destruction of Shaolin. It's a problem that may extend well beyond this region. The new emperor is making life unlivable for everyone except a select few, and we've vowed to do something about it. The Emperor knows about me, but he knows nothing about the Governor's involvement. Nor does he know anything about the Jade Phoenix, Sanfu, or you boys. We'd like to keep it that way.”

“I understand,” Seh said.

“Good,” Mong said. “I'm afraid you can't stay up there any longer. I don't want to risk anyone seeing
you. I promise I'll fill you and your brothers in this evening. We could use your help.”

Seh's narrow eyes widened. “You could use
our
help?”

“Absolutely,” Mong said. “And we'll return the favor. Sanfu has gotten word to me that you wish to address issues surrounding Ying and someone called Bing. I believe I can help you. Ying is in prison, but Bing roams the streets. Bing is indeed the cause of Malao's father's disappearance. I may also be able to find out more about your dragon scroll map through my network. What do you say?”

“Sure,” Seh replied.

“Good,” Mong said. “We need a few more hours. Perhaps you would like to roam around the waterfront until we're through.”

Seh thought about the crowds. And the stench. “I don't know—”

“Give it a try,” Mong suggested. “Perhaps the bridge—you can see everything from there, and there is usually a breeze over the river, bringing fresh air from outside the city. Do you think you can find it?”

Seh decided to take a look.”I think so,” he replied.

“Good,” Mong said. “Go eat, then take Fu and Malao there. I'll meet you as soon as we're done. There will be plenty of things to keep you occupied until I arrive, I'm sure. Besides the dragon boats, I recommend you take a look at some of the acrobats. They are extremely talented. There is one group that dresses head to toe in ivory silk that you should find particularly interesting.”

T
his is amazing!” Malao squealed.

“You can say that again,” Fu said.

“This is amazing!” Malao squealed again, and giggled so loud, passersby stared at him.

Seh shook his head. For once, Malao wasn't overreacting. It
was
an amazing sight. From where they stood on the bridge, they could see the activity on both banks of the Yellow River. A hundred dragon boat teams were making preparations to race. About half the boats cruised the water. The rest were beached in neat rows on both the northern and southern shorelines.

The boats were all very long and narrow and rode low in the water. Each had a wooden dragon head
attached to the front and a wooden dragon tail attached to the back. Ten men paddled on each side, while a person in the front beat a small drum to keep time so the paddlers would work as one. An additional person in the back steered.

Every boat was different, from the shape of the dragon heads and tails to the colorful patterns on the boats to the costumes worn by the participants. From what Seh could tell from listening to conversations around them on the bridge, the dragon boats came from villages far and near, up and down the river.

Seh knew that dragons were creatures of the water as well as the heavens. He couldn't help but think of Long and wonder if he was okay. Knowing Long, he would be just fine.

Seh inhaled deeply. The warm afternoon breeze washed through his lungs. Mong was right—the bridge was the best spot. They could see the whole riverbank, and it wasn't too crowded. It was large enough to hold several hundred people, but only fifty or so were on it now. It was far less hectic than either shore, where hundreds of people were beginning to stake out positions for the races. They stood shoulder to shoulder under rows of evenly spaced willow trees.

“Hey, what are they doing?” Malao asked. He pointed to a group of people throwing fist-sized packages into the river from the southern shore.

A fat older man standing next to Malao answered. “Those are food offerings.”

Fu's ears perked up. “Food?”

The man laughed, and Seh noticed the man's stomach jiggle beneath his brown robe. He was huge. There was a roll of fat beneath his chin the size of a small melon.

“A boy after my own heart,” the man said to Fu. “What a waste, eh? Inside those lovely bamboo-leaf packages are special rice-and-meat dumplings.”

Fu's eyes widened. “Who are the offerings for?”

“You don't
know?”
the man asked.

“No,” Fu replied.

“What do you think this festival is all about?” the man asked.

“Dragon boats,” Malao said. “It's the Dragon Boat Festival.”

The man shook his sizable head.

Seh decided to join the conversation. He was worried about what Malao and Fu might accidentally say to the stranger. “The boats are only part of it,” Seh said to Malao. “This festival is actually called the Duan Wu Festival. Duan Wu was a statesman and poet who lived more than fifteen hundred years ago. In an act of protest against the corrupt rulers of the time, he publicly drowned himself in the river. The dragon boats represent the local fishermen's scramble to try and save the man they loved and respected, and the food and drums recount how the locals beat drums and threw food in the water afterward to keep fish from eating Duan Wu's body.”

“Yuck,” Malao said.

“I suppose it is a rather morbid story,” the large man said. He looked at Seh. “You know your history. Is this your first time here?”

Seh wasn't sure how to answer that. As his mind began to race, a number of drums started beating on the southern shore. They sounded much bigger than the drums on the dragon boats. Fast, rhythmic melodies filled the air, and people both on that shore and the bridge began to move toward the sound. Seh was grateful for the interruption.