“All right, boys,” the leader said. “Come down, or we slit her throat.”
Norjee and Xiao Fang climbed down.
“Tie them up,” the leader ordered. “I want to get them back before Lord Liao wakes up.”
Neona and the boys were tied up and tossed onto horses like sacks of rice. They headed back toward the river. She caught a glimpse of Tenzen lying in a pool of blood, and her eyes burned with tears. He’d died for nothing.
After a long ride, the men pulled the horses to a stop and shoved her and the boys onto the ground. With a gasp, she realized where they were. The monastery. Lord Liao and his army of fifty had taken it over.
The soldiers hauled her and the boys to their feet and marched them through the gate into the courtyard. Her stomach twisted at the sight of the two elderly monks lying in pools of blood. Norjee cried out, and Xiao Fang trembled.
She pretended to stumble so she could lower her head to their level. “Don’t say a word to them,” she whispered. “Stay strong.”
Norjee nodded with a whimper.
A soldier jerked her upright and shoved her toward the buildings on the right. Another soldier opened the first door, and they were all pushed into the small room.
It was the same room she’d visited only two nights before. She said a silent prayer for the monks. No wonder they had been so eager to send Norjee away. Hopefully, the other monks had safely evacuated before Liao’s arrival.
The soldiers untied them and left, closing the door behind them. She huddled against the far wall and gathered the two boys close to her. Their trembling bodies made her heart ache.
The door opened, and the leader sauntered inside. As he looked them over, she lowered her gaze. “So you must be one of the legendary warrior women who guards the dragons.” He scoffed. “Did you think it was a secret? How can you keep a bunch of flying dragons a secret? Did you think your meaningless threats would keep the peasants quiet?”
He hunched down in front of her so he could make eye contact. “The peasants are much more afraid of us. When we threaten death, we deliver.”
She remained quiet and squeezed the boys’ shoulders.
“Which one is the dragon?” the leader asked softly.
The boys buried their faces against her.
“There are no dragons,” she replied. “It’s a silly folktale that villagers tell to frighten their children into behaving.”
The leader’s mouth thinned as he straightened. “We saw the fire. One of those boys breathed fire.”
“That soldier was going to rape me. The gods shot fire down at him to punish him.”
The leader snorted. “Very funny.” He turned away, then suddenly drew his sword and pointed it at her chest.
She pressed back against the wall. The boys clung to her, both breathing hard.
“Which one is the dragon?” the leader shouted.
She swallowed hard.
“Not afraid to die, are you?” He sheathed his sword. “Very well. Maybe you’ll be more motivated if we put the boys in danger.”
Her heart lurched.
The leader glanced at his watch. “Lord Liao will awaken in thirty minutes. At that time, both boys will be executed.”
The boys stiffened, and she squeezed their shoulders hard.
The leader sighed. “But I’m feeling charitable tonight. I’ll let you save one of them. It will be your choice. See you in thirty minutes.” He strode from the room and shut the door.
She breathed deeply to calm her racing heart. The soldier must be assuming she would choose to save the dragon.
“Are we going to die?” Norjee whispered.
“No.” She took each boy’s hand. “We’re going to make it through this. Do you understand?” She looked at one, then the other.
“They killed the Venerable Fathers.” Norjee’s eyes filled with tears. “They want to kill us.”
“I will not let them harm you.”
Norjee pulled his hand away and stumbled to the far corner. “You can only save one. You’ll have to save Xiao Fang, because he’s special.” Norjee fell to the floor and burst into tears. “I have to die! I’m a nobody!”
“No!” Neona ran to him and pulled him to her in a tight embrace. “You are special to me, Norjee. You’re my sweet, beautiful boy. You’re the son of my beloved sister. You are the son my heart always wished for.”
Norjee clung to her, sniffling.
“I love you, Norjee.” She rubbed his back and kissed his head. “I will always love you.”
Xiao Fang squatted beside them and hugged them both.
Norjee made a sound that was a cross between a laugh and a whimper. “Xiao Fang says he loves me, too.”
“There, you see.” Neona wiped the tears from Norjee’s face. “Even the dragons know you’re special.”
Taking a deep breath, she looked around. They had thirty minutes to escape. There was one door, and no doubt it was being guarded. Her gaze landed on the window. It was covered with a decorative wooden grate.
She dashed over to it, curled her fingers through the grate, and pushed hard. It wouldn’t give. There was a heavy bar across the outside. Even if she destroyed the grate, the bar would remain solid, and it divided the window into two tiny spaces, too small to escape through.
The sky was darkening as the sun lowered on the horizon. Lord Liao would wake soon, but so would all the good vampires.
Her breath caught with a sudden thought. “Norjee, come here.”
He ran to her. “Yes, Mama?”
“You’re so special, you’re going to be the one who saves us.”
“I am?”
“You know the birds who live around here, right?”
He nodded. “They’re my friends. Especially the family of eagles.”
“Call them.” She moved the short table under the window and set Norjee on top so he was level with the windowsill. “Call the eagles. Call all your bird friends. Tell them to fly to the valley of the dragons and tell the people there that we are prisoners here at the monastery. We’re in grave danger, and they must rescue us.”
Norjee grinned. “I can do that!”
She smiled and patted his back. Xiao Fang stood next to the table and gave him an encouraging smile.
Neona watched the sky darken. Their fate would be decided now in less than thirty minutes.
Chapter Twenty-six
Neona paced across the floor as the small room grew darker. Norjee had assured her that the eagles were on their way to Beyul-La. He and Xiao Fang sat side by side against a wall, exchanging looks.
She squatted down in front of them. “Are you talking to each other?”
Norjee nodded. “I told him I was sorry I ran away and caused all this trouble. He said he’s sorry the queen and the other children are mean to me. I told him he shouldn’t have followed me, but he says he wants to be with me.”
She smiled. “You’ve brought joy into his life. I never heard him laugh before you came.”
Norjee’s eyes filled with tears. “He says we’re brothers because we’re so much alike. He hates the way the queen makes him stay hidden in the cave. The same way I hated being stuck here in the monastery all the time. We both want to be free. I was trapped here with a bunch of old men, and he’s trapped there with a bunch of old women.”
“Excuse me?”
Norjee winced. “Well, you’re . . . a little bit old.”
With a snort, she tousled Norjee’s hair, then tousled Xiao Fang’s hair, too. “You two rascals.”
A tear rolled down Norjee’s cheek. “If anything happens to you or Xiao Fang because of me—”
“We’re going to be fine.” She wiped away his tear. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”
She stood and looked around the room for something that could be used as a weapon. Her gaze landed on the short table under the window. She turned it on its side, planted a foot on one of the table legs, and yanked hard at another leg. It ripped off with a jagged edge that
ended with a point. With enough force, it could pierce a soldier. Or Lord Liao. She slid it into her tunic so that it rested against the sash tied around her waist.
The door opened, and a dozen soldiers marched in. Too many for her to attack. They tied her hands in front, then hauled her and the boys outside. Only a sliver of sunlight remained, so torches had been lit in the courtyard. The two dead monks had been stacked to the side like refuse. Flies buzzed around them and the pools of blood that stained the hard ground.
The soldiers pushed her and the boys up the stairs to the temple. It was dark inside except for the lit candles on the low altar in front of a dais where a four-foot brass statue of Buddha rested. The room was a large square, the high ceiling held up by round wooden pillars painted red.
They were shoved against the far right wall.
“Sit,” the leader ordered.
She sat, and the boys settled on each side of her. The door to the temple was still open, and the air that wafted in became cooler as night fell.
A few whimpers emanated from across the room. She narrowed her eyes and detected some people against the far wall. Other prisoners.
The dozen soldiers knelt in front of the altar. A gasp sounded behind the dais that held the Buddha statue, the sound similar to the gasp she heard at sunset when Zoltan woke from his death-sleep.
A red silk robe came into view as Lord Liao stepped around the Buddha. He was thin, his face sallow, his hair a long braid down his back. He faced the soldiers, and they bowed down till their foreheads touched the floor.
“We are hungry, Ding.” He motioned with his hand to the leader.
Neona cringed at the sight of Liao’s long yellow fingernails, which curled like vicious claws. Zoltan is awake, too, she reminded herself. The Vamps would be coming soon.
The leader, Ding, rose to his feet. “We have a special treat for your eminence tonight. One of the warrior women of Beyul-La.”
Liao licked his lips. “Excellent. Her warrior blood will give us strength.”
Neona’s stomach roiled. As much as she hated the thought of that monster even touching her, it would be best to cooperate for now. Letting him bite her would delay any plans they had to execute the boys. And she needed to buy time for Zoltan and his friends to effect a rescue.
“We caught her with two boys,” Ding added. “We believe one of them is a dragon.”
Liao smiled, flashing his yellow teeth. “Finally. We have what Master Han covets. He will not dare eliminate us now.” He flicked the air with his long fingernails. “Bring us the warrior woman so we may quench our thirst.”
Two soldiers grabbed her and hauled her to her feet. The boys clung to her.
“It’s all right,” she whispered. “Stay here.”
The boys let go, and the soldiers escorted her to the altar. She twisted her tied hands till she managed to slip one hand into her tunic. Her fingers curled around the stake. If Liao tried to kill her, she’d fight back.
A third soldier came up behind her, pulled her hair back, and tilted her head to expose her neck.
Liao looked her over, then reared his head back. Fangs sprang out, vicious and sharp. He moved toward her, then roared in disgust. “She reeks of another man! We want our food to be fresh!”
“I apologize, your eminence.” Ding bowed. “We caught her just now.” He gestured to the prisoners against the other wall. “Bring another.”
Soldiers hauled a whimpering young woman to the altar. Without pausing to even look at her, Liao leaped at her neck and plunged in his fangs. The women screeched.
Neona attempted to break free so she could stake Liao, but the soldiers pulled her back and tossed her against the wall. The boys wrapped their arms around her and held tight.
She groaned inwardly as she watched the poor woman grow quiet and limp, supported only by the soldiers holding her.
Shouts sounded outside, and the air filled with the popping noise of automatic weapons.
Neona’s heart lurched. Zoltan and his friends must have arrived, but they were being shot at.
“We’re under attack!” Ding yelled. He and the soldiers ran outside. Liao grabbed a sword from behind the Buddha and followed them out, slamming the door behind him.
Neona ran to the door, but it wouldn’t open. They must have barred it from the outside. She dashed behind the Buddha to see if Liao had left any other weapons. There was nothing there but a silk pallet on the floor. She rounded the Buddha and knelt where the woman had crumpled on the ground. She was still alive.
Neona took a deep breath and pressed her tied hands against the wound on the woman’s neck. She closed her eyes, concentrating, then cried out when she felt a tearing pain as if teeth were ripping through her neck. She gritted her teeth, waiting for it to pass. Slowly, the pain subsided to a dull throb.
She opened her eyes. The wound was closing and the woman was awake, watching her with a shocked expression.
“You’ll be all right now,” Neona told her.
“Are you an angel?” the woman whispered.
“No.”
“She’s my mama!” Norjee ran up to hug her, and she patted his cheek.
She stood and stretched her tied hands over one of the candles on the altar till the fire burned through enough of the rope that she could pull her hands apart. She removed the primitive stake from her tunic and glanced toward the door. The battle was waging outside, and she was missing it.
She paced around the perimeter of the building, searching for another way out. As much as she wanted to fight, her first priority had to be the boys’ safety. She had to help them escape.
Outside, the popping noise stopped, and the sound of clanging swords began. The door burst open, and Liao and his dozen retainers ran inside. Half of them closed the door and leaned against it, breathing heavily.
Neona eased along the dark perimeter till she was back beside the boys. The injured woman in front of the altar scrambled behind the Buddha.
“They’ve taken away all our AK-47s,” Ding yelled. “Those bastards can teleport behind our men and knock them out.”
“And there are tigers and bears out there, ripping the men to shreds!” another soldier cried.
Ding fell to his knees in front of Liao. “Save us, Master. Teleport us away.”
“And go where?” Liao shouted. “We can’t go back to Han. Not when we lost two hundred of his men! He’ll kill us!”
“We could go to one of his camps—” Ding started.
“And hide?” Liao paced in front of the Buddha. “Cower in fear until Han finds us?” He came to a stop, his eyes narrowed. “We need someone stronger than Han. Someone who can protect us.”
“The only one stronger than Han is the demon,” Ding said.
“Exactly.” Liao sneered. “Darafer gave me instructions on how to bring him back from hell. It takes a dozen men. That’s why I always kept a dozen of you close to me.”
The soldiers grew pale.
“B-but it is forbidden to bring the demon back,” one of the soldiers cried.
“Han forbid it because he fears Darafer,” Liao growled. “He cannot control a demon. But if we bring Darafer back, he will be beholden to us. Han wouldn’t dare touch us!”
Neona swallowed hard.
“Demons are bad,” Norjee whispered beside her. “The fathers were afraid of them.”
She nodded. Somehow she had to stop this.
Liao waved at the men. “Quickly. Cut the palm of your right hand and use the blood to draw a pentagram on the floor.”
When the men hesitated, Liao yelled at them. “Hurry! It won’t work unless the blood of twelve men is used!”
The men sliced their hands and smeared blood on the wooden floor in the shape of a pentagram.
“Now gather around it. Press your hands together to seal the circle with blood.” Liao smiled as the dozen men hurried into position. “Repeat these words together. Oh, powerful Lucifer, hear our prayer. Grant our request, we beseech you.”
The men repeated the words.
“Open the gates of hell and deliver unto us your unholy servant, the demon Darafer.”
Neona’s skin prickled with goose bumps as the men began to chant. How could she stop this? Maybe if she broke the circle of twelve.
“Stay here,” she told the boys. She gripped her stake in her hand and eased toward the circle.
“Open the gates of hell and deliver unto us your unholy servant, the demon Darafer,” the men chanted.
Outside, the clanging of swords and screams of the wounded continued.
In the middle of the circle, a black cloud appeared.
She lunged toward the nearest soldier, stabbing him in the back. With a cry, he fell to the floor. The black cloud grew thin and wispy.
“Bitch!” Liao tossed her back with vampire strength and quickly took the downed soldier’s place.
She flew backward and crashed into the wall. Her head hit hard. Pain exploded across her skull like streaks of lightning, and she crumpled to the ground.
“Mama!” Norjee scrambled to her. Xiao Fang was right behind him. “Mama, we have to stop them.”
She gritted her teeth against the pain and sat up. The room spun around her.
“Open the gates of hell and deliver unto us your unholy servant, the demon Darafer.”
The black cloud was thick again, and now it started to swirl.
“Have to stop them.” She stumbled to her feet.
The black cloud took on human shape. Oh God, was she too late?
Xiao Fang ran toward them and let loose a burst of fire. Liao screeched as flames enveloped him. The boy dashed around the circle, breathing fire till it was a giant burning ball, full of flailing, screaming bodies.
Xiao Fang stopped. His body trembled, and he looked horrified at what he’d done. Norjee ran up to him and pulled him gently back.
Suddenly, the fire was sucked to the center of the circle, leaving a dozen burned corpses on the floor. Liao’s body turned to ash. The fire in the center took on human form, then extinguished with a swooshing noise.
A man stood there, dressed all in black, with long black hair and sharp green eyes. He brushed some ash off the sleeve of his long black coat and gave the dead bodies a wry look. “What took you so long?”