You are reading on AllFreeNovel.com
Font Size:

Page 60 of Song of the Crimson Flower

“I told you I loved you, over and over again. You owe me a declaration of love in return.”

Bao kept his eyes on the man’s wounds, as though that would give the couple a semblance of privacy, but it was no use: all eyes were riveted on the scene before them, from the General and the soldiers to Huong, Vy, and Lord Nguyen, who returned with a bucket of water.

Commander Wei made a low, gritty wheezing noise, and Bao panicked, wondering if his lungs had been punctured. But then he realized that the man was trying to laugh. “I didn’t think I needed to tell you,” he said to Lady Yen. “I thought you knew I couldn’t live without you. That I would lose a part of myself when I brought you to your husband.”

Yen laid a tender hand upon the Commander’s bleeding face. “I’m not going anywhere. I am never leaving you, becauseyouwill be my husband and no other.” She looked around for Lord Nguyen, her eyes full of apology. “I was fortunate to have made a good match. I was paired witha kind, good, and honorable man who would have treated me well and done his best to make me happy. I am sorry to hurt him and to break my promise to him—”

“You are hurting no one,” Lord Nguyen said with quiet, gentle dignity. “You gave your heart to a worthy man, and far be it from me to stand between you. I may be disappointed, but I do not consider myself wronged.” He reddened at the glowing look she gave him in response, and Lan came close and put her arm around her father’s esteemed friend.

“And your parents?” the Commander whispered.

“I am no longer under their care, and they haven’t any right to be upset if Lord Nguyen is so generous,” Yen said, with another warm look at her former betrothed. “But even if they were, it wouldn’t matter to me. I love you, Wei, and I will be your wife no matter what.” She kissed Commander Wei’s forehead, and he closed his eyes with an expression of perfect joy.

“Here’s Lo now,” General Yee said suddenly as a pair of soldiers led a harried-looking man in his thirties toward the wagon.

Bao respectfully climbed off the wagon to make room for the Imperial war surgeon as the man bent to examine Commander Wei’s wound. “There’s a bit of internal bleeding, but not much,” he said after a long moment. “I’m going to need him moved indoors, where there’s more light. But he’s going to survive this. Whoever dressed this wound did well.”

“It was this young man, Lo,” the General said, and the surgeon turned to look at Bao with approval. “He’s a physician’s apprentice.”

“I can give you a hand, sir, with whatever you need to do,” Bao offered. “The infirmary is just that way, and I know for a fact that there is at least one empty pallet.” He caught Lan’s eye where she was still standing beside Lord Nguyen, and they shared a smile.

“Very good,” the surgeon said, directing the soldiers to pull the wagon forward.

Commander Wei grimaced as the wheels began to move and caught sight of Bao. “It seems you found your witch. Has the spell been broken?” he asked weakly.

“Yes, sir,” Bao said, grinning, as Lan came forward to stand beside him. “And I’ve found something very dear to me besides.”

Commander Wei’s eyes softened on the two of them, and as he was wheeled away with Yen holding his hand, Bao saw the smile widen on his rough, war-hardened face, like the beacon of a man he had once been and might still be again. “Make sure you don’t lose it,” he told Bao.

“I won’t. And sir?” Bao asked, keeping pace with the wagon. “The witch... that is, my aunt and I would appreciate being able to decide Mistress Vy’s fate. With your permission.”

“You have it,” the Commander said, and Bao bent at the waist with respect as the soldiers and surgeon conveyed him inside to the infirmary.

Bao looked back at his mother, who was still standing between the captains and guarded by General Yee. She had been quiet and resigned the whole time, her shoulders sagging with exhaustion. He guessed that she had not allowed herself to feel tired for a very long time. “You heard the Commander,” Bao said to the witch. “The decision lies with us. What do you think should happen to her?”

Huong looked at him, her eyes clear and sharp. “I think you have an idea.”

“We won’t fight cruelty with cruelty,” he said, turning to look at their family home beyond the garden. “Nor will we reward her deeds with death. My ancestors modeled the Gray City after the Imperial City, and their house after the Imperial Palace. Perhaps another palace—the Iron Palace of Surjalana—will serve my mother well as her home. She willmake herself useful there.” Each word tasted bitter on his tongue as he met his mother’s shadowed eyes.

“Do you find pleasure in this fitting end for me?” Mistress Vy asked. “Do you enjoy thinking of me living out my days in the desert and serving a sentence that will never end?”

Bao did not rise to her bait. “Please take her to the dungeon, General, and we will make arrangements to send her away in the morning,” he said, and the man nodded and marched the former leader of the Gray City back to her own home. And despite his conviction that he had done right, he couldn’t help the stab of guilt he felt when he saw his mother stumble between the captains, looking small and pathetic. “That’s the last of my family,” he said, forcing a laugh.

“Not quite the last,” the witch said quietly, looking up into his face. “I’m proud of you, Bao. You’ve handled this situation with grace. I know how much it hurts to have to turn your back on Vy, but we will do it together, and we will do it without conscience.”

Bao had never thought he would willingly embrace the witch who had cursed him, but he did so now, folding his long arms around her frail body. He felt her hugging him back.

“Without conscience,” he agreed.

24

Commander Wei’s injuries were not life-threatening, but it still took the surgeon hours to fix the damage that had been done. Bao stayed the whole time, watching, learning, and doing what he could to assist. At his request, the Gray City workers who remained in the infirmary had pulled in an extra pallet for Lady Yen so she could be close to the Commander. In fact, the workers did everything Bao requested and seemed to look to him for their orders.

“It’s because you’re Vy’s rightful heir,” Huong told him matter-of-factly. They were sitting on the steps of the infirmary together, watching the dawn slowly seep into the sky like bright ink. The surgeon had insisted that Bao get some rest, but he hadn’t felt tired and had decided to keep his aunt company. “The city has fallen, but it’s still a city. It’s home for the people here, and they need a leader to help them rebuild. Who better than Mistress Vy’s son?”

“What about Mistress Vy’s sister?” Bao suggested.

The witch laughed, a surprisingly pleasant sound. “I don’t want thisand I never did. Power is not for me. I want a quiet life,” she said, looking at him. In the light of the sunrise, she looked younger and happier, and Bao thought he could imagine the girl she had been when she had left the Gray City behind. “But you... I could see the makings of a kind and fair leader in you, if you wished to be one. If you don’t choose a different life, that is.”


Articles you may like