The Last Concubine

soon. “Yes. She gave me you. I thank you now, Ning, if I never did so before, not only for your loyalty and love, but that you trained me as no princess has ever been trained before. Without you—”
    “Ah yes, without me, you would be just the ordinary sort of princess, sitting at home and wringing your hands,” Ning said, smiling. “It was my honor to have such a good student.”
    Lan stretched his free hand toward Ning and tapped his shoulder. “I will thank you again later, when we are free of this mess, but for right now, shut up.”
    Ning did so, but the pride that shone in his eyes as he rode at the side of his princess made Lan very happy that they were both alive to see this day, when Lan’xiu rode free as the warrior princess he was meant to be.
    Lan’xiu could see that Hüi was keeping to the rear on the top of a bluff where he could survey the battle, at least for now. He had no doubt that, if necessary, Hüi would race into the melee to turn the tide. The infantry, cavalry, and chariots had swept down off the ridge and were upon Daji’s forces before the first light of dawn, the sun rising behind them, taking him by surprise and forcing the battle to commence.
    Lan could see that Hüi had not committed his entire force on one front, but sent forth enough men to lure Daji into a trap of his own choosing. But still Lan’xiu was uneasy. He and Ning increasingly turned to the east. The mists did not lift from the mountains, as they often lingered in early spring. The sun was not yet strong enough to burn the mists off, and mountains loomed, gloomily shrouded in gray.
    The sound of the battle was fearful, and Lan could not catch any warning noises from the mountainside. He turned back to view the battle below and suddenly caught the flash of something metal on the field. He grasped Ning’s arm. “Did you see that?”
    “They signal for aid, Lan’xiu,” Ning agreed grimly.
    Both of them turned to stare into the mountain passes, but the mists were too thick to allow any sign to be seen. Or so Lan’xiu thought. All of a sudden, he caught sight of a feeble flash of light.
    “There. We must go,” Lan muttered. “Captain Wen, tell your men to ride softly and have their spears ready. No unnecessary noise. Take your cue from Ning and me.”
    “What are you doing, your Highness?” Wen asked urgently.
    “Making sure that General Qiang Hüi Wei and his men live to enjoy their victory,” Lan said.
     
     
    C APTAIN W EN quickly ordered his men to ride quietly, making sure to muffle the scrape and clank of their weapons. As a good commander, he took the lead behind Lan’xiu and Ning, not wanting to risk his troops where he dared not ride himself.
    Although he had come to know Ning in the physical sense, there was much about his lover that yet remained a mystery. His body was like neither that of a woman nor a man, but an intriguing combination of both with strong muscle and smooth skin. He knew nothing of Ning’s past or how he had come to be cut, but he had the idea that for Ning, the decision to be made eunuch had not been easy or even voluntary. And the princess; perhaps in Liaopeh, princesses were given a different sort of training than he knew of, but the way they handled their weapons awakened a new respect within him.
    The princess was clearly at ease with a spear in her hand, and he had seen her facing Second Wife with a sword reddened with Ci’an’s blood. But Ning! He could be no mere bedchamber servant! Clearly, he must be a warrior of the first order. Even Lan’xiu fell back to let him lead the way.
    The sounds of the battle behind him seemed distant and haunting from within the alien, jagged shapes of the red rock that surrounded them. Where Wen would not have suspected a man could pass, Ning and Lan’xiu led the small group ever farther between narrow, twisting walls. Above them rock towered and shut the daylight away from them. Every now and then, they emerged into a clear area where the mists still hung low in spooky, ghostlike tendrils.
    And still Ning led the way farther on the winding passageway that led higher into the peaks. Uneasily, Wen turned in his saddle, keeping watch behind them and peering up into the dim light, lest some lookout posted above drop down on them.
    At last Ning raised his hand and Lan’xiu halted her horse. She turned to signal Wen silently, indicating that he range his men on either side of a narrow opening. He was unsure, but she was not satisfied