“Will he live?” Sheiji questioned the doctor who knelt over the limp form of Ariuk, Prince of Jiwu. After many weary hours of collecting the dead and wounded, they had found Ariuk, bloody and unconscious, near the bridge.
“Hard to say, Vua. He’s got a deep gash from the top of his head to his ear,” the doctor pointed out the long cut that he had nearly finished sewing up. “His scull is cracked in two places, his right wrist is broken and he’s lost a lot of blood. If his wounds don’t become infected and if he hasn’t suffered injury to his brain, he may be all right.”
“We will wait here until he is well,” Sheiji commanded.
“You should not wait, Vua,” the doctor argued timidly.
“The doctor is right, my lord,” General Ammar said. “Ariuk will not be well for weeks. You cannot afford to wait. The doctor and several soldiers will remain while the rest of the army continues to Taiyunyi.”
“But what if Ariuk…what if something happens to him while I am gone?” Sheiji asked. “He’s my cousin. I have a duty to him.”
“Your duty is to your people!” General Ammar exclaimed. “Please don’t argue,” he ended weakly, putting a hand to his head and sinking to the floor.
Sheiji knelt beside him and forced his hand from his head. A large bruise was spread across the side of his head. “What happened?” Sheiji demanded.
“It’s nothing, my lord,” General Ammar struggled to stand, but Sheiji held him down.
“What happened?” Sheiji demanded again.
“Nothing! I was only hit by a shield.”
“Doctor, help me get him to bed. He’s been working too hard,” Sheiji said.
“NO!” General Ammar said stubbornly. “You need the rest more than I do. You haven’t slept for three days and you need to leave as soon as possible.”
“I’ll only go to bed if you will go too, General,” Sheiji replied.
“You are too stubborn for your own good, my lord. But if it will make you take care of yourself, I will go lay down for a while.” General Ammar stood and walked to a bed. He only took three steps before he collapsed onto the floor.
Sheiji and the doctor got him into bed and Sheiji lay down beside Ariuk’s bed. Within seconds he was asleep.
Voices buzzed in Sheiji’s mind as he slept. He tried to swat them away, but they persisted in drawing him out of his deep sleep.
“But I must see him!”
“You will not. He needs his sleep.”
“It’s important! Let me by.”
“I told you, I cannot. Do you want him to be sick?”
“No, I don’t. But I think he would be very angry if you don’t let me give him my message.”
“What is your message?”
“It is for the king’s ears alone.”
“Do you have to make such a racket?” Sheiji sat up, rubbing sleep from his eyes. “Who’s there, Doctor?”
“Now you woke him!” the doctor cried angrily.
“May I see him now?” asked the other voice.
“Who is it, Doctor?” Sheiji asked again.
“A man wants to see you about something important,” the doctor replied.
“What is it?” Sheiji turned to the man who had been arguing with the doctor.
The man glanced at the doctor nervously.
“I trust him. What is it?” Sheiji consented.
“Inon sent me with a message,” the man began. “He requests that you make haste because Fa-Ying has been sentenced to public execution three days from now.”
“Execution!” Sheiji cried. “Thank you for telling me. You may tell Inon that I will be there in time.”
The man bowed and left.
“I must leave,” Sheiji said, digging through his belongings.
“I’ll tell the General,” the doctor said.
Sheiji found his peasant outfit and donned it quickly. He wrapped a turban around his head and grabbed a pair of straw sandals.
“What are you doing, Vua?” the doctor asked.
“The army is too slow. They can come behind, but I must go alone to save Fa-Ying,” Sheiji explained.
“It’s too dangerous, Vua. You’re so close, don’t throw it all away now,” the doctor argued. “Besides, you can’t leave now. It’s the middle of the night!”
Sheiji pursed his lips and pushed past the doctor who followed still protesting.
“Get the best soldiers and General Ammar. Send them after me as quickly as possible,” Sheiji commanded. He stopped at the cook’s tent. He entered and foraged around until he found some rice cakes, dried meat and fruit. He packed it all into a bag, which he then tied to his belt.
The doctor continued to reason with Sheiji. “This is a bad idea, Vua.”
Sheiji continued walking, ignoring the doctor’s protests, though he felt a twinge of guilt for causing so much worry. At the makeshift stable, the doctor roused the guards. He pleaded for them to intercept Sheiji, but they would not defy the king’s orders to saddle his horse and the doctor had to stand by, helpless to do anything.
“Please, Vua. Don’t do this!” the doctor cried in a last attempt.
“I’m sorry, but I must. I must save Fa-Ying,” Sheiji apologized. “Goodbye.” With that, he spurred his horse into a run and galloped out of camp.