Fate's Attendant 1.17

Author's Note: Surprise! This bonus chapter is offered in gratitude for your support of this story. It's a thank you from me to everyone reading. :D

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The alley ended at the southern wall leading up to the middle city. Underneath it sat a four-story inn meant for temporary laborers. A few men and women gathered at a small courtyard out front; they were the ones not selected earlier in the morning for work in the quarries and the workshops. They watched Hong Fei pass—some with interest, others with dead eyes.

Inside, the floor was covered with rock dust. A broom sat unused behind the snoring bald man behind the reception desk. His head was firmly planted on the counter, unaware of Kang Ruyun and Hong Fei climbing the lobby stairs.

The steps were made of soft stone, and the edges were either chipped or worn smooth. From floor to floor, the sounds of families engaged in everyday life echoed through the corridors—babies crying, a couple arguing, and the occasional bout of fitful laughter. There was no privacy in a place like this. Even the families sharing crowded courtyards in the other parts of the low city had it better.

Kang Ruyun lived on the fourth floor. The inn’s founders had forgone building a south exterior wall and used the cliff face instead. They’d smoothed it and anchored the building to it, but the seam was lazily constructed and allowed the moisture from above to seep in.

The Kang residence was a room, five-by-five zhang, with a single cot for sleeping, a chest for clothes, and a chamber pot for relieving oneself. One side shared the south wall, and an attempt had been made to scrape clear the moss and the mold, but it was still painted green and black from the remnants sticking to it. The only relief was an open window which let in the air and sun.

A woman stood there, gazing out. Her long dark hair had been left unbraided and fluttered behind her. Her dress was simple and might’ve been a colorful blue once. It’d been washed too many times, however, and had become faded. Hong Fei’s heart thumped when he saw the ashen number four hanging over the woman’s head.

She turned at the door’s opening. “You’re back—” she began, then saw Hong Fei coming in behind her daughter. It spoke well of her that her eyes darted toward the chest. A knife without a sheath lay on top.

Hong Fei raised his hands to show they were empty of weapons. “Peace. I mean no harm.”

Kang Ruyan ran to stand by her mother. “This is…” she began, then realized she didn’t know the swordsman’s name.

“Hong Fei,” he offered “I’m a new retainer under Duke Yu.”

The mention of the duke elicited scowls from both mother and daughter, yet Kang Ruyun begrudgingly added, “He saved my life.”

Her mother’s heart nearly stopped, and she dropped to her knees to examine Kang Ruyun. “What happened? Was it the Rock Knives bothering you again? Tell me—”

Her daughter nodded angrily. “It was. They set their kids on me again, and I had to go to the rooftops to avoid them, except they were waiting for me there, too. They chased me, and I—I slipped.” The girl gestured to Hong Fei. “He caught me.”

Her mother clutched Kang Ruyun close, and simply held her. She would’ve done so for longer, but there was a man in the house that she couldn’t avoid, so she forced herself to let go and stand to face him.

“Thank you,” she said. “My name is Kang Lian, and you’ve saved my Little Ruyun. For that, you have my gratitude.”

Kang Lian was pretty, Hong Fei thought, and perhaps a little older than him. He couldn’t be sure of her age, though, because of the tension on her face. He also noted the rough calluses on her hands and the scuffed shoes by the cot. Both mother and daughter looked thinner than they ought to be.

In Hong Fei’s estimation, Ma Mo wouldn’t have courted the daughter of a common laborer or peasant. The man was too sensitive to wealth for it. Her family didn’t need to be rich; they just couldn’t be poor, and then he would’ve compromised his desire for money in exchange for a delicate face. Because as surely as speed and stamina could be bred into horses, Kang Lian’s deceased elder daughter had been a beauty.

“I have questions,” Hong Fei said and gestured for Kang Lian to sit on the cot.

“He might give us money for answers,” Kang Ruyun added.

“I’ve already talked to the steward and the xiàowèi of your house,” Kang Lian replied, most definitely not sitting in his presence. “There’s nothing more than I can add.”

Hong Fei observed the way Kang Lian folded her arms in front of her like a shield. He moved his scabbard to the side and sat on the stone floor, making himself comfortable. “That’s all right. I don’t mind as long as you also talk to me.” He placed a silver tael on the ground between them.

Kang Lian stared the length of silver glinting in the light streaming through the window. She licked her lips and grudgingly found a seat on the ground, which left the cot to Little Ruyun.

Hong Fei would’ve found it amusing if not for the precarious circumstances of the mother and daughter. He nodded as Kang Lian began to speak.

“I’ll tell you what I know,” she said, her hands gripping her knees.

Before she could continue, however, Little Ruyun snuck a hand forward to sweep up the tael.

Hong Fei didn’t object, so Kang Lian continued: “It began last year when my Little Shao met a soldier from the Yu estate named Ma Mo. She was seventeen at the time and truly blossoming into her womanhood. That Mo courted her, which she let him. He had a decent career, after all, and his family was prominent in the household.”

“He also brought gifts,” Kang Ruyun added.

“Too many,” her mother said. “Our family was overwhelmed by his generosity. It was fruit and sweets at first, then turned into jewelry, dresses, and hairpins later.”

“Ma Mo even brought things for me, as well as mother and father,” Kang Ruyun clarified.

“We all became used to it over time,” Kang Lian said, “and we had no objections to the courtship. If Ma Mo was impetuous, we assumed it was because Little Shao was fetching and he was smitten. There’d be no harm once they were married. Besides, there appeared to be no shortage of money.”

“We lived in the middle city then,” Little Ruyun said wistfully. “Father was an artisan at a Yu workshop carving statues.”

Kang Lian’s knuckles turned white as she said, “Ma Mo offered to back him, his future father-in-law, in starting his own business. My husband was an ordinary man. None of the upstanding money lenders would speak to him, so he went to the Rock Knives instead.”

“The local gang?” Hong Fei asked.

Kang Lian nodded. “One of them.”

“Then father died,” Kang Ruyun said, her voice soft.

“He did.” Kang Lian sighed and let go of her knees. She’d been gazing into the past while she’d spoken, but now she met Hong Fei’s eyes. “My husband was visiting a quarry to check on the quality of its stone when a rock fell and hit him in the head. The Rock Knives came the next day for their first installment on the money my family owed them.”

“I went to work,” Little Ruyun said proudly, “and so did my mother and sister.”

“None of the workshops would hire us—they’d seen my husband’s departure as a betrayal—so we washed clothes and cleaned streets when the work was available. The money wasn’t enough to support our house and make our payments to the Rock Knives, so I sold the few pieces of jewelry in my possession and Ma Mo helped with the rest.”

“He gave us money,” Kang Ruyun said.

Her mother sighed again. “We were fine through the summer, and Ma Mo spoke of making arrangements for the wedding. He argued that the sooner he and my Little Shao were wed, the faster the Rock Knives would leave us alone. They wouldn’t dare to interfere in a proper soldier’s life, or so he said. And we were convinced. Money was tight, but a simple ceremony was possible with Ma Mo’s help.”

Kang Ruyun held up the tael between her fingers. “And then there was no more money.”

“Ma Mo stopped being able to help our family,” Kang Lian said. “He claimed that an investment of his had fallen through. I sold our furniture, my dresses, everything that had value including our house, but the Rock Knives took it all before we could arrange the wedding.” She stopped speaking and shifted restlessly. “You’re a guest; I should offer you tea and something to eat, but I don’t have anything. I’m sorry.”

Hong Fei cleared his throat. “It’s all right. I ate my fill earlier and couldn’t take another bite, even if I wanted to.”

Kang Lian nodded helplessly. She gathered together the words she hated most in the world. “My Little Shao died not longer after. There was an argument with Ma Mo over money, and the anger drove her outside. By then we’d moved into the low city, and she didn’t hear the yells that a stone-carrying wagon was coming.” A tear fell, and she wiped it away, unthinking.

Little Ruyun left the cot to hug her mother’s back. Her head was to the side, and her hair hid her face.

“The Yu house investigated Kang Shao’s death,” Hong Fei said, “and found Ma Mo innocent of any wrongdoing.”

Kang Lian nodded, but needed a moment longer to be able to speak. “He’d signed no papers promising us the money we needed. We trusted his soldier’s word.”

“The steward gave us money anyway,” Kang Ruyun said, “but it’s almost all gone now.” She peered over her mother’s shoulder. Her eyes were red, but they were determined, too. “The Rock Knives want my mother and I for their brothels. I told them they could sink themselves and their mothers in the sea.”

Kang Lian sputtered a laugh. She turned to face her daughter and said, “Which was how you came to be chased, no doubt.”

“Maybe,” Little Ruyun said slyly.

“This girl.” Kang Lian shook her head, but she didn’t seem displeased. Turning back to Hong Fei, she said, “We’d run to Blue Lotus City, but the Rock Knives have people everywhere on Wild Green Island.”

“Which is why we should go to the villages in the southern mountains,” Kang Ruyun argued.

“Those are barbarians living there,” Kang Lian said patiently. “They eat the People when they catch them.”

“Better that than a brothel,” Little Ruyun protested.

Kang Lian clenched her hands. When he looked at her, he saw that she already understood the danger. Once people like the Rock Knives got a hold of anything valuable, they never let it go. First it would be Kang Lian working at the brothel, then it would be her daughter.

Kang Ruyun took after her mother and was pretty. No doubt she’d flower into a beautiful young woman. In four-years’ time when she came of age, an event would surely take place to dramatically increase the family’s debt, and there’d be no way for Kang Lian alone to earn enough to pay it back. Kang Ruyun would be forced into joining her.

“And Ma Mo won’t help?” Hong Fei asked.

“He can’t,” Kang Lian replied, shaking her head. “His investments are ruined, and he’s working to restore them.”

For the length of a breath, Hong Fei wished that he’d been the one to wield the whip during the gambling ring’s discipline ceremony. He’d burn essence to make Ma Mo felt the pain of his foolishness.

Hong Fei shifted his seat on the hard stone. “How much time does the tael buy you?”

“Ten days,” Kang Lian replied, her head bowed. “Or we use it to buy provisions before fleeing.”

Hong Fei’s head tilted, wondering. “Should you be telling me that?”

“You’re no friend of Ma Mo,” the mother replied.

“How are you so sure?” Hong Fei asked.

“What friend would pay to uncover the embarrassment of nearly marrying a girl in poverty?” she challenged, raising her eyes. “There’s also the badge showing, just the top, so I can tell you’re no ordinary retainer.”

“You hope to stir up trouble for him,” Hong Fei said, the hint of a smile on his face.

“I can’t afford escape,” Kang Lian said bitterly, “but spite costs me nothing.”

Hong Fei’s smile faded. “You’re wrong there; everything has a cost. The payment isn’t always evident until later, however.”

Kang Lian raised her head, a thread of curiosity awoken. The man’s words were likely true, but without a future, why would she need to worry about payment?

She saw something fierce glint in his eyes, and she reminded herself he was a soldier. He was a man unafraid of making enemies, and blood followed in his wake. This matter with Ma Mo was not simple; Hong Fei wasn’t here to collect gossip.

Kang Lian unclenched her hands and tucked an obstructing strand of hair behind her ear. She shifted her seat on the floor to match his, and so that she could watch his eyes. The light shouldn’t be strong behind her; he would be able to see her face. She took a breath to ease the strain of worry on it.

Hong Fei tucked away his anger like it was coin he’d retrieved from his money pouch. He watched Kang Lian, while an idea formed in his mind—the beginnings of a strategy.

“You’re very clever,” he said, “and observant. Resourceful, too, to have survived this long against the pressure pushed onto you by the Rock Knives.”

“Thank you,” she whispered.

“Can you also be loyal?” he asked.

Little Ruyun sensed that the currents had become dangerous. “Mother?”

“Shh, it’s all right. The soldier is simply asking a question.” Kang Lian held her eyes steady, not looking away. “I’ve nearly lost everything dear to me…”

“And so, you would barter loyalty for protection,” Hong Fei said.

“Yes.” She licked her lips. “I would lie, but I believe you would know if I did.”

“I would suspect, which is much the same thing,” Hong Fei replied.

“You’re very confident,” she observed.

A wry smile spread across his face. “About some things, yes. Others things…” he sighed, leaving it at that.

“I’m properly widowed,” Kang Lian said. “As long as there’s a room in the middle city and you protect my daughter and me—” She left the rest unsaid, making the offer as plain as decorum allowed.

Hong Fei tapped the hilt of his sword as he thought, moving the chess pieces in his mind around the board—those he saw and those he suspected.

Across the way, Little Ruyun alternately frowned at him and her mother. The silver tael in her hand felt heavy now.

“I think,” Hong Fei began. “I think I would like to bring you on as servants for my courtyard.”

“Servants?” Kang Lian blinked in surprise. Those were not the words she expected.

“My courtyard needs the help, and you need the protection,” Hong Fei explained.

“But Ma Mo?” Kang Lian asked. “His cousin is an officer.”

“True, but I outrank her. In fact, none of the other soldiers can interfere in my affairs.”

Kang Lian didn’t know what to think. “My presence would infuriate her,” she said.

Hong Fei smiled. “Yes, it would, wouldn’t it?”

Kang Lian stared frankly at him. “But what about the cost for spite?”

“I’m willing to pay it,” Hong Fei replied.

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ToC | Next Chapter >

Characters Mentioned in this Chapter 

• Ma Mo, a Yu soldier, Ma Zhi’s cousin 

• Ma Zhi, a Yu shízhǎng, Ma Mo's cousin

• Kang Ruyun, sister to Kang Shao