Chapter 34
It turned out that the army did arrive the next day. Sheiji woke that morning to see Fa-Ying and Inon talking urgently near the door. When the saw Sheiji was awake, they both dropped to their knees and hailed him as their king. Sheiji smiled and told them to rise.
“What is this news that requires such an early visit?” Sheiji asked, though he had already guessed what it was.
“The army is right outside the gates, Vua!” Inon exclaimed. “We are ready at your command. My men in the city will open the gates to let in the army.”
Sheiji began scrambling around for the new tunic Inon had brought him. He would not wear his long robe to battle. No one would be so foolish, for one can’t fight well in a robe. All the soldiers would be wearing tunics and trousers. If Sui-Tsai came out to fight, he too would be wearing a short tunic, though of much finer quality.
Sheiji grew solemn as he thought of the lives that would be lost today. He hoped the battle would be light, but no one could tell how it would play out. “Close the markets today, Inon. Send people inside their houses. It is no secret that our army is here, so we may as well try to save the civilians’ lives.”
“Yes, Vua.”
“What is our plan?” Sheiji asked.
“My men will open the gates,” Inon began. “The army will enter the city and surround the palace. There may be fighting outside the city also. We know Sui-Tsai has armies at the ready in several cities not far from here.
“Once the palace is surrounded, we will storm it and crown you king. Of course, until Sui-Tsai has surrendered, you will not be safe,” Inon explained.
“Will you permit me to fight with my men?” Sheiji asked.
Inon and Fa-Ying both replied with a definite “NO,” and Sheiji grinned, “I didn’t think so. What do I do while I wait?”
“You simply wait,” Fa-Ying said. “You will not endanger your life now that you’re so close.”
Sheiji nodded, but he had other plans.
“Now, Inon and I must leave. I expect you to remain here as I told you. Do you understand me?” Fa-Ying warned.
“I understand.”
“Good. Inon, myself, or someone else who shows you the Lotus and uses the sign, will come get you when it is time. Now, you just wait,” Fa-Ying instructed.
Fa-Ying and Inon turned to go. As they opened the door, Sahima ran in, still dressed in her street boy clothes.
“Sahima!” Sheiji grinned. Inon looked at her and then at Fa-Ying.
Fa-Ying hesitated a minute, looking at the two staring at each other with glowing, happy eyes. Then he shrugged and ushered Inon out of the room.
Sheiji laughed, “Did you see Inon’s face?”
“Yes,” Sahima giggled. “But Fa-Ying didn’t look surprised. I suppose you told him?”
“I had to,” Sheiji shrugged. Then he grew sober, “He wrote a letter to your father.”
Sahima’s smile faded also. She looked at Sheiji, “What if I don’t like him? What if he’s unkind to me?”
“You only have to stay with him for a few months while the wedding arrangements are made. Then you don’t have to see them ever again if you don’t want to.”
“When must I go back?”
“Fa-Ying says as soon as I become king,” Sheiji replied. “I said I didn’t want you to go back, but he insisted.”
“You’re the king.”
“Yes, but he’s my advisor. He is a wise man, even if he is bossy sometimes and doesn’t follow all the rules of respect to a king,” Sheiji answered. “But I do disagree with him on one thing. He says I can’t go fight with my men. But I think it is hypocritical to ask them to lay down their lives for me without taking the risk myself.”
“But what would happen to the country if you were killed. I agree with Fa-Ying and everyone else. You should listen to them,” Sahima chided him. “But I do have an idea. I know where you can watch the entire thing without being seen. In fact, you don’t even have to leave the secret passage. Do you want to go?”
“Of course!”
Sahima led him out of the room and back into the corridor. She seemed to know the secret passage as well as any of the streets she roved. They went up several flights of stairs in the dark; the gemstone torches lit only a small portion of the passage. At last, Sahima stopped and pointed to a large crack as long as Sheiji’s arm and about six inches wide.
“Look out here. That’s our army right down there in the field,” Sahima told him.
Sheiji looked. Sure enough, the army stood in formation just outside of the city gates. Inside the city, the streets were nearly empty of civilians. Sheiji was glad to see that the people had heeded Inon’s command. Soldiers swarmed like ants on every street, but Sheiji could not tell if they were his soldiers or Sui-Tsai’s.
“Where are we?” Sheiji asked at last.
“In the wall of the West Tower. Directly below us is Sui-Tsai’s bedroom,” Sahima replied. “This hole was made long ago during a battle siege. They never bothered to repair it because it didn’t appear to lead to the inside. Lucky for us.”
“How do you know your way around here so well? You know it better than I do!”
Sahima didn’t reply for a long time. At last she said, “I lived a long time in Taiyunyi when I was younger. I stayed in this passage many times. It was I who found that the fireplace in the old house led to the passage and that is how I entered. When Fa-Ying was in danger, Yoson the silk merchant, and Inon rescued him. They needed a place to keep him, so I showed them the house.”
Sahima was quiet again. She stood looking out the crack in the wall. The soldiers below were now congregating around the gate, but nothing else had happened yet. “Sheiji,” Sahima began. “Do you remember that I told you that I had lived on the streets all my life?”
Sheiji nodded.
“Well, I haven’t,” Sahima replied without looking at him. “I lived with Yoson.”
“You did?” Sheiji asked
“That’s how I knew him. He found me on the very day his wife and baby daughter died. He took me in and raised me as his own daughter. In fact, only he knew that I wasn’t his real daughter. When he finally told me, I was about seven. I was angry that he had kept it a secret and I wanted to find my real family, so I ran off. Later, I started feeling guilty for being so ungrateful, but I didn’t dare return. I thought he would be angry with me for leaving.
“Someone found me when I was almost dead of starvation, I don’t remember anymore what her name was, and she taught me how to survive. She also dressed me up as a boy. She wore the same disguise,” Sahima explained. “I usually waited for her in our hiding place when she went out to steal some food. One day, she just didn’t come back. Maybe she was tired of me or maybe she was caught, I don’t know. From that day on I had to take care of myself and I did.”
Sheiji listened quietly. When she had finished, he said, “I think I know more about you than you know of me. I’ll tell you about myself, now.”