Chinese Mystery Man
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A few hours after we’d arrived at the inn, a man knocked on our door and asked if he could help me with my bags. I told him it was no trouble. Then this man walked in without waiting for permission, carrying not one but two trunks of luggage as if they were nothing.
It was like he was used to being stared at because when he turned around and gave me that smirk again, I glared back, trying hard to ignore how attractive his smile looked even while mocking me. His hair was jet black and cut short and he had bright red eyes.
He wasn’t wearing any fancy clothes, just a simple outfit of plain brown pants and a white shirt. As he set down the first trunk of luggage on the floor, I noticed he had a sword hanging from his belt along with three knives tucked into each side of his shirt
. He also wore a pair of dark brown boots that went up to his knees, giving him an imposing air about him. But despite how intimidating he appeared to be, I still found myself captivated by how handsome he was.
Even though he had a strong presence about him, there was something very innocent and kind about him too; it seemed like every time he smiled at me, I wanted to melt into those deep dimples.
“I’m going to put some things away,” I said and tried to walk past him.
The man stepped forward and blocked my path, so I stopped where I stood. “Let me carry these trunks for you.” He offered me both of them and gestured with his hands, which only served to confuse me more because I didn’t know whether he meant it figuratively or literally.
And besides, I wasn’t exactly used to someone being nice to me, especially in such a way as he was right now. The other men who had brought us here were all very polite, but none of them were ever rude or presumptuous enough to make a move like he did. So I shook my head and made a face at him before moving aside and allowing him to step through the doorway first.
Once he’d moved out of the way, I followed and took another look at his face and noticed he had a few scars across his cheeks and jawline; some old wounds that I could tell he’d healed over quite well. His chin and mouth looked a bit crooked when his mouth was pursed tightly like his teeth weren’t perfectly straight. There was a lot about him that drew me in.
He led me into what proved to be the guest room, which had been cleaned up already, leaving little trace of its previous occupants. A single bed with clean sheets was pushed against the wall opposite the window, and two nightstands sat next to the bedside.
One of them held a glass full of water, while the other had several bottles of different types of alcohol lining its shelves. The walls had a large mirror attached to them and the ceiling was high, giving the place plenty of space.
A small table was situated between the beds with a vase filled with flowers on top. After setting the second trunk of luggage on the bed, he picked up the third and laid it next to mine, then placed the lid on top of it and shut the door behind himself.
“You can rest your things down here and I’ll come to check on you later,” he said. “If there’s anything else I can get for you, just let me know.” And with that, he left the room. I stood there for a moment wondering why he would offer to do such a thing for me, but once I’d taken my bag off, it became obvious.
My clothes were all torn apart; there were holes in all of them from the rough handling I’d received during the trip to town.
After putting my clothes down, I lay down on the bed. It was a soft mattress that felt amazing on my tired body. I closed my eyes and fell asleep within moments, and didn’t wake up until late in the afternoon when my stomach grumbled loudly.
I was starving, which I couldn’t understand because I hadn’t eaten much during the day. But when I looked around the room, there wasn’t anything that struck me as edible. All the food I saw had been thrown in a corner and forgotten in favor of new supplies.
The only good thing was the fact that someone must have cleaned up since the last time I woke up because the room had been tidied up and everything had been put away properly. I searched the bathroom for any spare toothbrushes and then decided to wash my face and brush my teeth.
While doing so, I thought about what this guy must be like. If he lived somewhere nearby, he was probably one of the locals who’d been hired by my family to help watch over me while they were gone. And if that’s the case, he might even be the one to take me out into the woods tomorrow.
I wondered what my brother and sister-in-law were like; did they treat their kids poorly? Were they mean to them all the time and did not give them much attention?
When I emerged from the bathroom, the room had changed, and I noticed something else that was odd. For some reason, the furniture in the room seemed to be rearranged. Everything was lined up differently than before, and the bed was no longer in the middle of the room.
As I walked closer to inspect what had happened, the man stepped into view behind me. “I see you’ve found some clothes to wear,” he said. “But we haven’t gotten any fresh food yet. Would you mind waiting until I bring back some dinner?”
“Of course,” I replied. I wasn’t sure how hungry I was really feeling, but after eating a meal at home and being too stuffed afterward to eat again for days, I figured it best to wait before consuming any more calories than I absolutely needed.
Once we’d finished eating, he brought me up to the second floor and pointed out where everyone slept, saying that most of the people in this building were children under the age of twelve or so.
There were a few rooms filled with teenagers like myself, and a couple rooms full of toddlers whose parents were still young enough to keep them alive and well. Most of them were boys my age, though occasionally an older girl would show up as well.
They all had a common trait: none of them were very happy to be here, and it wasn’t hard to understand why. Even though I was now safe, I was still stuck in a horrible situation with nothing to look forward to but the possibility of being forced into marriage. It was a terrible fate, one that made me wonder about the kind of person my father must be to allow his kids to be treated this way.
We moved on to the basement, which housed several rows of cages stacked up on top of each other and lined with bars. Each cage held one dog, which was chained up outside the doors to prevent it from attacking anyone.
Once I’d seen the dogs, I knew why he hadn’t mentioned them earlier. They all looked like they’d been mistreated, beaten, and abused over time. And the worst part was seeing them all locked up without a way out.
I was stunned when we reached the end of the hall, where two men with guns stood guard over something that looked like a dungeon. When we came upon the entrance to it, the man took me inside and showed me what was going on.
The prisoners had been stripped naked and then thrown into small cells that were barely large enough for us to lie down in. The walls were lined with iron chains, which stretched far beyond the door, preventing anyone from running away.
The guards had taken away our shoes to ensure we wouldn’t try to escape through the dirt and then locked our hands together so we couldn’t do much except stand there and stare at the ground. One guard held a knife to a prisoner’s throat while another one cut off the boy’s ear.
The victim screamed bloody murder, while the guard laughed at him and said, “There’s no escape tonight.” Then he grabbed his arm and pulled him toward a cell.
While watching the torture, my stomach growled, which made me realize that I was ravenous. The sound of the kid’s screams only served to make me want to devour whatever food was offered to me. But instead of taking my eyes off of the action, I turned and started walking towards the kitchen, hoping the cook might have some scraps left from lunch.
My stomach groaned once again as I stepped into the room and asked the woman standing near the stove, “Do you have any food?”
She glanced down at me with a glare of disgust, as if she was wondering why I had to ask her such a stupid question. She picked up a plate and tossed it at me, saying, “Eat your own damn food,” before turning to walk away.
As soon as the plate hit my hand, I realized it contained meat. Not just any kind of meat—pork chops! The delicious smell wafting from the pork was overwhelming, but I forced myself not to touch it for even a split second.
All around me were people sitting in the corners who were either eating or preparing meals, but most of them kept their distance as if they were afraid of causing trouble by being too close. Some of them were eating right out of the pot, while others were scraping off the gravy using knives.
I saw someone pick up a chunk of meat with a pair of tongs and take a huge bite out of it. He chewed and swallowed with no problem, but when he caught my eye, I shook my head and gave a sad expression to warn him off.
My stomach grumbled again, and I was certain it would burst at any moment if I didn’t eat something quickly. I picked up a knife and fork and started cutting the meat as fast as possible; it would have been easier to swallow if I’d eaten a big bowlful of rice, but as long as I got some protein in my system, I could manage.
After I’d sliced off a piece of the thick chop and dipped it in a bowl of gravy, I shoved the entire thing into my mouth and sucked in as much air as I could. As soon as my belly stopped complaining about being empty, I took another bite and then continued cutting the rest of the chop. I managed to get about three-quarters of it done before the woman returned with an annoyed frown.
“Get your filthy hands away from my food!” she snapped.
I held up the remaining chop and asked, “Are you sure these are yours? You don’t look like a pig farmer.”
The woman’s cheeks instantly reddened as she turned and stormed back toward the stove, muttering something under her breath as she did so.
With the distraction gone, I finally had time to finish my meal, feeling full and content with a full stomach once more. Then I walked back to the dungeon and found a prisoner with a machete. With a grin, I said, “I’m gonna need a weapon,” and then pointed at his wrist chain. “Give me a key to free my friends.”
He glared at me with hatred, as if I were the most annoying person on earth. But he didn’t dare argue because we both knew he’d be tortured to death for it. Instead of wasting time talking with him, I went back upstairs and tried the door that led outside. It opened easily.
“Hey, where’s the party at?” I muttered as I stepped out of the house. There was still daylight, and the sky was clear blue, without a single cloud in sight. A light breeze carried across the plains and made the grass sway and rustle, while the sounds of birds singing made me smile.
For the first time since I’d arrived here, everything felt good and right, but I didn’t waste time reveling in it. We needed to figure out how to rescue my friends and escape before this place came alive in the morning.
The prisoners were waiting for us near the gate. They were all chained together, but none of them wore the silver collars anymore. The kid was nowhere to be seen, though. I scanned the area and spotted him lying on the ground, motionless and covered in blood. He was still breathing, but whether or not he’d live through it would depend upon what I could do to help him now.
When the boy’s parents noticed me, they both cried out in despair and anguish.
“Oh no! What happened? Is he hurt?” his father begged.
“It was that damned wolf! We should have known wolves couldn’t be tamed,” the mother shouted angrily.
I knelt beside him and looked over the wounds, which were deep and painful, and probably wouldn’t heal unless I could stop the bleeding first. I put one hand on the wound and concentrated; it wasn’t long until a bright green glow appeared between my fingers, healing the cuts and bruises in moments.
After that, I used the same spell on each of his parents’ wrists and ankles and also worked on the kid. Once we were all healed up, I helped him sit up and then said, “You’re going to be okay. Let me get you inside the house so your parents can see how badly you were injured. Maybe it will make them feel better.”
While I gathered my friends together to talk about our next move, I took the opportunity to ask a few questions. “How many of you know how to cast magic?”
A young man who seemed older than me answered with a grin, “Me! And if you don’t think I’ll use it against you, you’ve got another thing coming.”
One by one, each person I spoke with confirmed my suspicions.
“So, there are no other mages like me around here?” I asked, surprised to discover I wasn’t really in a position to judge things based on my own assumptions after all. “And why did you decide to stay even though everyone else left?”
Some of the villagers explained that they’d come from somewhere far worse, and others simply admitted to being curious or hoping to find some kind of treasure to enrich themselves with. But most of them just wanted to avoid the dangers of their old villages.
They were all willing to work hard when the need arose and to fight to protect the people and property of the village. So, I decided to reward their loyalty and willingness to serve with more freedom.
As soon as they understood how dangerous it could be to turn against us, they swore an oath of allegiance to me, swearing to protect their neighbors and family members. I gave every single one of them a key ring.
My friends and I had to leave the town and its people quickly. While we were gone, I heard several villagers say they thought we were dead, and that the beast had devoured us for supper. When we returned, I told them it was all nonsense, and that I’d been trying to train the beasts to kill humans. They were relieved, although none of them seemed convinced.
As we headed deeper into the forest, it became easier and easier to hear the voices of wild men and animals surrounding us, and the ground began to tremble with something more than seismic waves. At last, we came to the clearing in which my friends and I waited to receive an audience with the Archdemon himself.
We stood silently, waiting for his arrival; the wind howled in the branches overhead, but otherwise, the forest was silent, save for the soft padding sounds of the horses and the hoof-beats of my friends. It was almost peaceful. I found myself enjoying the beauty of the place.
Even though the Archdemon had ordered me to bring my friends back alive, I hadn’t expected that we’d actually have an audience with him. Now that it was happening, however, I wasn’t sure what I should expect.
Suddenly, we saw movement at the edge of the trees. A tall, lean form emerged from the darkness and walked towards us. As we watched, he grew taller, until he stood head and shoulders above us, making his white hair and beard glisten in the moonlight.
His body was pale and gaunt; he wore little clothing, except a thick leather cloak that hung loose enough to reveal that his arms and legs were covered with thick fur. He stopped short of my friends and turned to face me.
“Well, well, what do we have here? I must admit, I’m a bit disappointed you didn’t bring me the wolf pup, but it doesn’t matter since I knew he wasn’t going to show up anyway.”
He sounded amused and condescending. I couldn’t imagine what he meant. “You sent someone to fetch the wolf?”
The Archdemon chuckled. “I did indeed. This is his master. The boy told me where to look. And this is my daughter. Her name’s Nava. She’s not much of a looker, but she’s got a sharp mind and a good head on her shoulders.”
Nava smiled sweetly at him, then looked at me and bowed slightly. “It has been my honor to meet you, Master Dragon.”
I felt my tail twitch nervously. She seemed very nice and intelligent, but I wasn’t sure I liked her referring to me as anything but my title or real name.
“Why don’t you two get acquainted while I finish speaking with the dragoness,” he suggested. Then he turned away and strolled off through the trees, whistling cheerfully.
My friends and I watched him disappear behind the tree line before looking back to Nava, who waited patiently for me to speak first.
“This is your father?” I asked. “What are you doing here? Where are his other children?”
“That’s a fair question,” Nava said quietly, looking straight ahead. “But it’s a long story and there isn’t time tonight. I think we both know I’m not supposed to be here. My parents will be furious.” She smiled, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes.
“I’m used to that, but this is new territory for my siblings. They’ve never disobeyed our parents before. That makes me feel bad, even though they won’t understand why right now.”
Nava was so young and innocent, she reminded me of a lost kitten. If it wasn’t for her eyes, I would have thought she was nothing more than a pretty doll. As it was, my heart went out to her and I realized I wanted to help in some way. I wasn’t sure how, exactly. But I needed to do something, if only because I wasn’t ready for my friends and I to die fighting monsters and Archdemon beasts.
“If you want, we can ride together,” I offered. “I’ll tell you my life story as we make our way back home.”
Her smile returned and we rode side by side for the rest of the trip, talking about anything and everything, except our lives on the plains of the south. We were too close to the Archdemon’s territory to risk any chance of being overheard by one of the Archdemon’s creatures.
I learned a lot about Nava and her family—how they lived, their history, and their culture. I also made it clear that I wouldn’t be able to help her family, or even if I could, how. By the time we reached the clearing once again, I felt like I knew Nava better than most dragons I’d met over the centuries.
After dismounting, we sat on logs near the edge of the woods, drinking tea and nibbling on dried fruits while Nava filled us in on all of her recent adventures. It turned out that she was a bit of a hero, having saved several villages from marauders, but not everyone appreciated her efforts.
When we got to her description of finding her brother dead at the base of the Archdemon’s tower, it was my turn to lose my appetite. Even knowing she was a child, I found myself reaching out to touch her shoulder, wanting to comfort her and protect her from whatever had happened.
After we finished telling our stories, she leaned back against me with an exhausted sigh, her eyes falling shut and her breathing slowed to match mine.
She had such bright eyes. Blue like the sky…
The End