Chapter 32
“Suyo?” Sheiji called once he had moved his gaze away from the light. He still crouched in the hole, halfway between the rundown house and the long, narrow corridor that stretched before him, lined with the gem-torches. “Suyo? Where are you? Sahima?” Sheiji called again. He looked to the ground, about five feet below him.
“Sahima?” Sheiji began to panic. Had she left him already? Had she led him into a trap? Was she working for Sui-Tsai? He couldn’t believe she would turn traitor on him. Pretending he was back in the streets, jumping from buildings, Sheiji leapt to the ground. He landed hard. He was out of practice. Sheiji got to his feet, holding his dagger ready in his hand should it turn out to be a trap.
“Sheiji!” an old man hobbled around the corner, leaning on Sahima’s arm. “Sheiji! Come here, my boy!”
Though the figure was strange to Sheiji, he knew the voice at once. “Fa-Ying!” he hollered back. He ran toward the man who was grinning now.
“Matsuyo, you bad boy. You said it was a visitor here to see me. Why didn’t you tell me it was my king?” Fa-Ying scolded Suyo good-naturedly. Then he grew serious and knelt feebly before Sheiji. He kissed his feet as was proper to show respect and submission.
“No, Fa-Ying, don’t,” Sheiji cried out dismayed.
“Sheiji,” Fa-Ying whispered. “They said you were dead. Everyone said you were dead. Sui-Tsai told me his soldiers killed you and threw you in the Genji. Inon himself could not find you. How did you survive?”
“That’s thanks to Sa—Suyo, here,” Sheiji replied, unsure why he had given Sahima’s boy name. “He found me and taught me how to survive. Then Inon found me and reminded me of my duty. I went to Jiwu and was almost killed by Yabin-Oshin, but he’s dead now. He cut my stomach, so I was delayed in Jiwu at my Uncle’s house while I was recovering and growing strong again. Then we left the palace with an army and fought Sui-Tsai’s army at the Crossing of the Rivers. General Mura-Tada was killed and Ariuk, King Naro’s eldest son who came with us, was terribly wounded. A spy came and told me that you were going to be executed in three days, so I went on without the army to save you. But it turned out that it was all a trap. They nearly caught me at the city gates. If it hadn’t been for Suyo’s training, they would have me now.”
“It was foolish of you to go without the army. Where are they now?” Fa-Ying asked.
“They were coming behind me,” Sheiji replied. “Suyo is going to fetch them while I stay here with you, right Suyo?”
Sahima nodded.
“Good, good,” Fa-Ying sighed. “You should get started, Matsuyo. Be careful.”
“You must go lie down now,” Sahima gently told Fa-Ying. “You’ll get too tired with all this excitement.”
“No, Matsuyo. Now that my king is home, all my strength has returned. I have never felt younger,” Fa-Ying patted Sahima’s hand affectionately.
“At least go back where it’s safe and eat and rest a bit,” Sahima asked. “You’ll both need all your strength soon enough when the battle starts. Sheiji, you must rest and eat.” Sahima gazed into his eyes pleadingly. “Your stomach is hurting you, isn’t it?”
It was true. Sheiji’s stomach had been aching lately. It was not completely healed from his fight with Yabin-Oshin and the battle at the Crossing of the Rivers had torn the new scab that had formed.
“I’m fine,” Sheiji lied. “It doesn’t hurt a bit.”
Sahima looked at him, burst into tears and ran back to the hole, leaping through it and out of sight. Sheiji looked after her with an aching heart and fearful thoughts. He did not want to think about the danger she was in, but he knew that it was the only way to get the army to Taiyunyi quickly.
“Let’s go, Fa-Ying. Where have you been staying?” Sheiji asked without looking at Fa-Ying’s eyes.
“Sheiji?” Fa-Ying was watching him and staring after Sahima. “Who is that boy?”
“I’ll tell you later,” Sheiji sighed, suddenly so weary he could hardly stand. Together Sheiji and Fa-Ying hobbled through the corridor until they reached a branching path. The path led to a comfortable room with thickly carpeted floors and a small bed. After getting Fa-Ying—protesting the whole time—into the bed, Sheiji lay down on the soft floor and fell into a deep sleep.
Sheiji opened his eyes. For a moment, he was unsure where he was. Then he remembered. He was in the secret passage in the palace. Now that Sheiji was not so weary, he could examine the room more thoroughly. It was not very fancy, mostly made up of odds and ends fetched from different parts of the palace…or stolen from the city by Sahima. The furnishings were simple yet comfortable.
“Ah, you are awake at last,” Fa-Ying smiled at the boy. He looked better than he had at first, stronger and not so old. Perhaps it was as he said, seeing his king alive gave him new strength. “I was worried you would never wake!”
“How long have I been sleeping, Fa-Ying?” Sheiji asked. He got up and, out of habit, reached for his turban.
“You needn’t wear that here, Sheiji,” Fa-Ying said, then answered his question. “You’ve been asleep for almost two days. You must have pushed yourself hard to get here.”
Sheiji nodded and laid aside his turban.
“You’ve grown, my son,” Fa-Ying said after examining Sheiji. “Your face is different, too. Not like a child’s any longer. You’ve become a man and I’ve missed it.” Fa-Ying gazed sadly at Sheiji’s face and continued, “But it was necessary for you to leave. I should like to hear all about your journey. What happened when you had to flee from the city of Kan-Yu?”
“I walked for days,” Sheiji said. “I never got the next set of directions because the man I was staying with in Kan-Yu was killed by Sui-Tsai’s soldiers. I had no food and I had no sense of direction. Why didn’t you teach me about edible plants?”
“I did not think it would be necessary. I see that I was mistaken.”
“Anyways, I wandered until I came to a city. That was Shijotsu. I was so hungry that I was determined to steal something to eat. I got up my nerve, but I had no idea how to do it without being caught. I was pursued and nearly captured, but Suyo came along and grabbed me. He took me to his hideout and taught me to survive as a street boy while we traveled from city to city.”
“Why did you not go to Jiwu? Inon told me you had given up!” Fa-Ying cried.
Sheiji hung his head in shame, “Yes. I had given up. I forgot my duty to my country and my people. I wanted to be just an ordinary boy. Free to do what I wanted… When Inon found me, I nearly killed him. I was angry. I knew he was speaking the truth and I didn’t want to listen. But hearing that you were in prison, I agreed to go to Jiwu for your sake. That’s when we met with Yabin-Oshin.”
“You said he is dead now?” Fa-Ying asked.
“Yes. Dead with a broken neck. He did some sort of flip in the air and came down on his neck. He was able to strike me in the stomach, but Suyo says he couldn’t have lived,” Sheiji explained. “That’s all there is, really.”
“And Matsuyo? He wasn’t with you and your army, I know, for he was here helping the good merchant to save me. You didn’t turn him away, did you?”
“No. He left of his own accord,” Sheiji replied wistfully. “I would have liked for him to stay, but he couldn’t.”
Fa-Ying searched Sheiji’s face. “Tell me about this Matsuyo. He is not who he pretends to be, is he?”
“I—,” Sheiji hesitated. “No, he is not.”