Fate's Attendant 1.33

Hong Fei changed clothes in the rain, the wind whipping them against. The window shutters and doors in the alley were all closed tight, so there was no chance of anyone catching him half-dressed.

When Auntie Ling was summoned, her brows rose in surprise, not expecting the sudden downpour.

“I thought about waiting to keep you from getting wet,” he told her, “but there’s a chance people might see me alone on the way back.”

The giant badger shook her head as if to say, “It’s all right.” She gave the sky a nasty look, but her Nephew Fei couldn’t be blamed for their current circumstances. Besides, Auntie Ling had weathered worse things than rain before.

###

At the estate, the perimeter guards were dressed in their long coats. A shelter was being quickly erected beside the gate—a clever arrangement of struts, joints, walls, and roof that only needed pins inserted for it to take shape. Once it was complete, three men might stand underneath and avoid the worst of the storm.

The ones patrolling the walls would suffer, yet as Hong Fei came closer, he overheard Cai Shi adjusting the duty roster: the plan was for soldiers to rotate between standing under the shelter and walking the perimeter.

Hong Fei nodded to Cai Shi in passing, and the morning gate’s shízhǎng returned the gesture.

A flurry of activity greeted Hong Fei and Auntie Ling inside the estate. Servants rushed to shutter the windows and store anything the wind might pick up and smash against the buildings. The gardeners checked the trees to make sure they’d been properly trimmed of dead branches. Others inspected the drains and cleared them of debris. Auntie Ling still gathered looks, but no one paused to gawk.

Hong Fei found his own courtyard in a similar frenzy. Kang Lian had apparently recruited Sun Han to climb onto the roof to inspect it for loose tiles. There would be none, the dūtóu knew from his own excursions, but it looked like Sun Han was nearly finished, so he didn’t say anything. It would be good for the man to see the view from up there—the ways someone might sneak in or out.

“What can I do?” he asked Kang Lian. A good dūtóu knew when to follow the lead of his shízhǎng.

She glanced toward him. Her hair was plastered around her face, her mouth narrowed by worry. Before she could reply, however, Little Ruyun came out of the storeroom, panting. “I can’t find the braces to keep the salon doors closed.”

“Right,” Kang Lian said with a clipped voice. “That please.”

“The main storerooms or the carpenters, do you think?” Hong Fei asked.

Kang Lian thought about the people involved. “The storerooms, but don’t waste time arguing if they say they don’t have any. Go to the carpenters instead.”

Hong Fei looked to Auntie Ling to see if she wanted to come with him, but the giant badger had already volunteered to be Little Ruyun’s step ladder. Some of the upper fastenings were otherwise out of reach for the young girl.

He went looking for the main storerooms knowing his courtyard was in good hands.

###

Not having any luck at the main storerooms, Hong Fei found the carpenters hauling a timber into their workshop. The smaller pieces were already inside, and now they worked together to lift one big enough to carve a table or three from it.

There were a pair of carpenters, both Dustborn and veterans of the skirmishes against the barbarians at the empire’s western border. The woman was short and stocky, the man a bit taller and missing his right arm from the elbow down. He’d made a wooden replacement with a metal hook in place of a hand, but it wasn’t giving him the hold he needed, and the resulting frustration was showing on both their faces.

Hong Fei moved to help, explaining his request as he did so. The timber was heavier than he’d expected, and he needed essence to help with the load.

“We’ve got braces you can use,” the man explained, “but they got buried under yonder pile.” He gestured with his chin toward the workshop’s interior.

The woman shifted her grip on the timber. The rain was making everything dangerously slippery. She told her partner, “You go pull the wood for the dūtóu, while he helps me get this piece inside, assuming he’s willing.”

“I’m willing,” Hong Fei said, adjusting his own grip.

The man didn’t seem happy with the arrangement but didn’t complain. He let go of his end to hurry into the workshop.

Hong Fei helped carry two more of the larger timbers before a pair of door braces was found. One was too long, so it had to be cut to fit, which meant carrying one more timber before he could leave.

His arms and back burned from the effort, but the job was eventually done. The remaining timbers would stay outside; they were too big to fit in the workshop.

Holding his prizes tight, Hong Fei carried them away and caught sight of Mei Hua on the roof opposite. The youth was holding her belly, laughing. Likely at him. She must’ve gone up there to watch the preparations for the storm.

“Take care of your footing,” he yelled up at her.

She flashed him a smile before running off to find her next amusement. The black 5 hovering above her head remained in view for a little longer before it too disappeared on the other side of the roof’s peak.

Shaking his head, Hong Fei hurried to return to his courtyard.

###

The storm came at Ruby Swift City like a monster, lashing at the buildings with winds fast enough to carry small children away and sheets of rain so thick one couldn’t see more than a zhang ahead. All the while, it howled fiercely; the gorge and the stone buildings amplified the sound. More than one resident, even those that lived their whole lives on the island, felt their spines tingle with fear.

Families huddled together to wait out the storm. They watched their shutters rattle and prayed they’d hold. They did their best to ignore the howling and listened for the things that snapped, cracked, and smashed outside their homes.

There would likely be flooding in the low city by evening at the latest. Those with relatives at higher elevations braved the storm to make the trek to them. The rest found solace with those in homes farther from the Tistkil River.

###

Hong Fei sat on his bed, his mind focused on the flow of essence within. The storm had been raging all afternoon, and he needed to keep occupied. Otherwise, his thoughts strayed toward tragedy. It didn’t take more than a pair of heartbeats for him to remember the faces of his comrades left behind…

He returned his attention to guiding essence to his lower cauldron. The structure was firming up nicely; his prior experience in the realm was seeing him swiftly through it.

The discussion he’d had with Auntie Ling and Sun Han had confirmed he could apply his unspent Fate Points to increase his cultivation directly, but the step to Body Forged tier 5 was within reach without the help. They’d agreed it would be better to save the points until he needed them later—either for a new card or to help him finish the climb to Qi Gathering.

Against his will, Hong Fei’s heart sped. His breathing became faster, and sweat beaded along his back.

It’d been a revelation to learn Fate Points could be used to advance through the upper tiers of a realm—the rare resources and the harrowing trials simply bypassed.

The lethality of the ascent was made a mockery by the cards in his satchel. It was a power others would kill for. The emperor himself would descend from his palace to pry the cards from Hong Fei’s dead hands.

He’d decided before that no one could be told about the summoning deck, and that resolution had been strengthened. Not even his family. He’d asked if individual cards might be given to his siblings to lend them some of that power, but Sun Han had explained the deck belonged to Fate’s Attendant alone. The cards were a set, and a set they would remain.

There was also no guarantee the deck itself could be taken by another. Sun Han had been and continued to be confused about how the first transfer had happened. Auntie Ling had snorted at him, then, and he’d looked indignant in reply. “Of course, it was fated,” he’d said.

Hong Fei took no comfort in the knowledge. Even if there was no guarantee, others would try if even the smallest chance existed. He’d thought knowledge of the cards was dangerous before, and he now realized just how perilous it was.

He guided his thoughts back toward his essence.

###

Kang Lian uncovered the pot to reveal a soup of chicken and noodles. Hong Fei sat alone at the table in the salon; the others were in the servant’s quarters keeping each other company by reading books.

The woman was drenched through after only a moment in the courtyard bringing Hong Fei his meal.

“You didn’t have to do this,” he said. “I’ve gone without food before.”

“It wouldn’t be right,” she responded. “On a cold day like this, everyone deserves soup.” As if to prove the truth of her words, Kang Lian ladled some into his bowl.

He tasted it and found it to his liking, nodding in approval.

Such a small thing, but the knot in Kang Lian’s belly eased. Just that morning, the steward had mentioned transferring the Kang family from this courtyard, and her thoughts hadn’t been restful since. Even with the storm brewing and striking, they wouldn’t leave her.

Hong Fei gestured for her to sit and eat.

Kang Lian shook her head. “I’ve had my share already.” She smiled playfully. “Cook’s privilege.”

He chuckled at that, and the knot eased a little more.

“Where did Auntie Ling find the new books?” he asked.

“A servant delivered them,” she answered. “Even with all the preparations for the storm.” Kang Lian gestured toward the rest of the estate. “He explained there was an arrangement made. Every few days, he would come by to take the books read and bring new ones.”

Hong Fei put down his spoon. “When did Auntie Ling do that?”

“I’m not certain,” Kang Lian replied honestly. This man treasured the truth above all else. She’d seen that in him. “Little Ruyun likely knows. Should I ask her?”

“No, don’t bother. We already know that Auntie Ling is clever.” Hong Fei picked up his bowl to drink the last of the soup.

Kang Lian went to ladle more into the bowl, but he waved that he was done.

“That was good, thank you. The simplicity reminded me of home.” Hong Fei paused. “That wasn’t an insult, just…”

She smiled, more genuinely this time. “I understand. I’m glad you enjoyed it.”

“I did. For a while, I thought I never would again… Enjoy food, I mean…” He ran down, his gaze turning to the storm outside.

“It must’ve been terrible, what happened to you.” Kang Lian gently covered the soup pot. She fiddled with the bowls, putting them in order. “That’s not an awful enough word, I know, but—”

“There aren’t any,” Hong Fei said, interrupting. “Not if you searched the world over, hunting through every language spoken by man or beast. There just isn’t.”

“I’m sorry,” Kang Lian simply.

“And me,” he replied.

###

The storm finally eased as the middle of the night approached.

Little Ruyun was fast asleep in her bedroom, having wrapped herself in Auntie Ling’s tail. There was nothing more secure than a giant badger when facing a wrathful storm.

Sun Han was in his room down the hall. He studied the books delivered by the librarian; they were spread around him, and he found the history book especially fascinating. Apparently, he’d been dead for two hundred years, which was a thought hard to grasp in one sitting.

Hong Fei was in his bed, awake and staring at the darkness. The light from the salon flickered. The door had been left open, so that the heat from the braziers could pass through.

Hong Fei reached for his knife in case the flickering meant…

Kang Lian had brought a bag along with the soup, so that she could sleep in his office and tend to braziers overnight. She now appeared at the door, unarmed. The shift she wore was thin.

“That day,” she said, somehow knowing he was awake. “That day when we first met, should I have been offended you ignored my invitation?”

Hong Fei paused to remember where he was. He slid the knife away and a moment later saw Kang Lian in earnest, the light of the salon outlining her presence.

“I wanted your loyalty more than your body,” he replied.

“You could’ve had both.”

“That isn’t true, and the two of us know it,” he said. “Neither you or I appreciate being used. Which is why you don’t have to do this.”

“You forget one thing, Hong Fei.”

“Not dūtóu?” he asked.

“Not for this,” she answered, shaking her head. “Not when the night hides what the day sees.”

“That’s poetic,” he observed.

“I heard it in a story,” she admitted. Kang Lian took a step closer, leaving the light behind. “You forget… I’m a widow; there are things about the night I miss.”

“Oh.”

“You’re surprised? Offended by my lack of… decorum?”

“No, but are you sure?”

“You don’t need to worry,” she replied. “It’s nothing as foolish as love or desire for a husband.”

“You ignored my question,” he said.

She answered by coming closer and slipping into bed with him.

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ToC | Next Chapter >

Characters Mentioned in this Chapter 

• Auntie Ling, a summons 

• Scholar Sun Han, a summons 

• Cai Shi, a Yu shízhǎng, morning gate patrol 

• Kang Lian, mother to Little Ruyun 

• Kang Ruyun, daughter to Kang Lian 

• Mei Hua, companion to Yu Ning