crossbows aimed into the darkness. Several men were still trying to get the long-neglected beacons alight to alert the next tower. The commander was attempting to organise a squad of men to go out and attack the barbarians. He wasn’t having much luck. No one wanted to face the invisible enemy. Scuffles broke out among the men.
Ping took advantage of this disorder and crept towards the inner gate. She slipped out the bolt that held it shut and wrenched the gate open. The guards had finally managed to light the beacon. The light from the flames illuminated her escape.
“Get the girl!” someone shouted. “Send
her
out. Ifthere are barbarians outside, they’ll go after her!”
The guards had found something they could all agree on. Ping was captive again. Only this time instead of tying her up, they thrust a sword in her hands and pushed her through the outer gate and out of the Empire.
She ran headlong into the night. It was her only hope of freedom. With the sword pointed straight ahead, she screamed as if she had the force of a thousand courageous imperial guards behind her. She ran down the bank of sand, tripped and fell, got up and ran again. She lashed out at the barbarians who stood in her way, slashing the sword in all directions and not flinching when it met with resistance.
It was several minutes before she realised that the things in her way weren’t barbarians, but trees. She was lopping off branches, not arms and legs. She stopped, both hands grasping the sword hilt, breathing hard. No one attacked her. She turned a full circle. She was surrounded by nothing more than the dark shapes of trees and rocks. She listened for the sounds of barbarian attack that she had heard at Beibai Palace—the thunder of horses’ hooves, strange gurgling cries, shouts in a foreign language. There were none.
Behind her, she could hear the muffled uproar of fighting and voices raised in anger as the imperial guards still argued about who should face the barbarians. Sheheld the sword ready for barbarians to pounce on her. Nothing happened.
She turned another full circle. Suddenly the rocks around her came to life. They reared up and turned into cloaked men. For the second time that day, Ping’s hands were grabbed and tied behind her. She couldn’t believe the garrison men had been so quick and stealthy. She twisted round. The men holding her weren’t imperial guards. They were barbarians.
• chapter nine •
I NTO THE T IGER’S M OUTH
“If you want to cross over the wall without the
guards seeing you,” Hou-yi said,
“I can tell you of a place where the watchtowers
are far apart and there is a hidden hole that
leads beneath the wall.”
Ping struggled to free herself, but the hands that gripped her were strong and determined. They pulled her through the undergrowth. Branches slapped her in the face. She lost her footing and fell. Someone dragged her back to her feet by the armpits, lifted her effortlessly, and threw her over the back of a horse. Rough hands tied her behind the horse’s saddle as another cloaked figure mounted the horse. Before she could raise her head to look at her captors, the horse began moving, building up to a gallop. Each time the horse’s hooves hitthe ground Ping felt the breath knocked out of her. She wondered if they’d captured Kai as well. She knew what barbarians were capable of. She’d heard about what they did to their captives—cutting off their fingers, blinding them with burning sticks, putting them in holes filled with venomous snakes. There were three more horses galloping behind, but she couldn’t see if one of them carried Kai. She listened for his voice, but it wasn’t there. She had no choice but to allow herself to be bounced around on the back of the horse like a side of beef.
There was a saying that Lao Ma, the old woman at Huangling Palace, was very fond of repeating.
Out of the wolf’s den, into the tiger’s mouth
. Just a few weeks earlier, Ping’s only
Ping took advantage of this disorder and crept towards the inner gate. She slipped out the bolt that held it shut and wrenched the gate open. The guards had finally managed to light the beacon. The light from the flames illuminated her escape.
“Get the girl!” someone shouted. “Send
her
out. Ifthere are barbarians outside, they’ll go after her!”
The guards had found something they could all agree on. Ping was captive again. Only this time instead of tying her up, they thrust a sword in her hands and pushed her through the outer gate and out of the Empire.
She ran headlong into the night. It was her only hope of freedom. With the sword pointed straight ahead, she screamed as if she had the force of a thousand courageous imperial guards behind her. She ran down the bank of sand, tripped and fell, got up and ran again. She lashed out at the barbarians who stood in her way, slashing the sword in all directions and not flinching when it met with resistance.
It was several minutes before she realised that the things in her way weren’t barbarians, but trees. She was lopping off branches, not arms and legs. She stopped, both hands grasping the sword hilt, breathing hard. No one attacked her. She turned a full circle. She was surrounded by nothing more than the dark shapes of trees and rocks. She listened for the sounds of barbarian attack that she had heard at Beibai Palace—the thunder of horses’ hooves, strange gurgling cries, shouts in a foreign language. There were none.
Behind her, she could hear the muffled uproar of fighting and voices raised in anger as the imperial guards still argued about who should face the barbarians. Sheheld the sword ready for barbarians to pounce on her. Nothing happened.
She turned another full circle. Suddenly the rocks around her came to life. They reared up and turned into cloaked men. For the second time that day, Ping’s hands were grabbed and tied behind her. She couldn’t believe the garrison men had been so quick and stealthy. She twisted round. The men holding her weren’t imperial guards. They were barbarians.
• chapter nine •
I NTO THE T IGER’S M OUTH
“If you want to cross over the wall without the
guards seeing you,” Hou-yi said,
“I can tell you of a place where the watchtowers
are far apart and there is a hidden hole that
leads beneath the wall.”
Ping struggled to free herself, but the hands that gripped her were strong and determined. They pulled her through the undergrowth. Branches slapped her in the face. She lost her footing and fell. Someone dragged her back to her feet by the armpits, lifted her effortlessly, and threw her over the back of a horse. Rough hands tied her behind the horse’s saddle as another cloaked figure mounted the horse. Before she could raise her head to look at her captors, the horse began moving, building up to a gallop. Each time the horse’s hooves hitthe ground Ping felt the breath knocked out of her. She wondered if they’d captured Kai as well. She knew what barbarians were capable of. She’d heard about what they did to their captives—cutting off their fingers, blinding them with burning sticks, putting them in holes filled with venomous snakes. There were three more horses galloping behind, but she couldn’t see if one of them carried Kai. She listened for his voice, but it wasn’t there. She had no choice but to allow herself to be bounced around on the back of the horse like a side of beef.
There was a saying that Lao Ma, the old woman at Huangling Palace, was very fond of repeating.
Out of the wolf’s den, into the tiger’s mouth
. Just a few weeks earlier, Ping’s only
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