Gunpowder Alchemy (22 page)

When Chang-wei came to visit the next morning, I felt as if I were nothing but skin stretched over bone. In addition to tending to Mother, another earthquake had shaken the city with enough force to knock items from the shelves. It had happened in the middle of the night during one of those rare moments when I had drifted off to sleep.

He was polite enough to say nothing about my appearance, but he did lean solicitously toward me, asking in a gentle voice if I needed anything.

“Perhaps something to act as a counterweight?” I said.

His eyebrows rose in confusion.

“Can we take a walk?” I asked instead of trying to explain.

Even from the parlor room in the front of the house, I thought I could hear Mother's moaning. She would be mortified if Chen Chang-wei knew anything of her suffering. He was one of Father's former associates and the man the two of them had selected in a bygone time to be my husband.

We started in a circuit around the surrounding streets. This area was one of the wealthier neighborhoods and showed none of the squalor or sickness of the refugee quarters. The morning air was clean and crisp, and I breathed it in deep, trying to banish the phantoms of the sickroom.

Chang-wei was dressed once more in an official robe and cap denoting his rank. Something about the clothing restored his sense of formality around me, or maybe it was our return to civilization. I wasn't certain of the cause, but he seemed different this morning.

“I hear you have found your family.”

“Yes. We're very fortunate to have been reunited.”

“I came to pay my respects to Jin
Furen
,” he referred to my mother respectfully by her married title.

“Mother is resting now,” I said quickly. “But . . . but perhaps you can visit her later.”

“She is well?”

“Yes.” A lie. “What did the war council say when they heard of Lady Su's faction?”

“The governor and his council are recruiting more men for the volunteer militia. They've also asked me to assess their defenses. A plea was sent out for imperial reinforcements several weeks ago, but it's unlikely any help will arrive in time for the initial offensive.”

“Initial offensive,” I echoed thoughtfully. “Oddly, I'm surprised there hasn't been an attack against Changsha yet. I thought for certain the rebel army would be upon us by now.”

The rebels who had captured us were preparing for an attack on the city; I was certain of it. But why were they holding back? Every day that passed bought more time for reinforcements from the imperial army to arrive.

“No one knows when they will come, but they will,” Chang-wei assured me. “Secretary Zuo has recounted their movements over the last year to me. At first they struck smaller cities, gathering supplies and troops. Changsha would be their largest target yet—I'm being tiresome, aren't I?”

I shook my head fiercely, mid-yawn. “It's not you.”

He grinned and my stomach fluttered in response. Then his expression turned serious. “Soling, there is something I have wanted to say for a long time—”

When he came toward me, I practically jumped away. My back collided into the wall that surrounded the governor's mansion.

“You're very tired,” he amended, stepping back. I immediately regretted my impulse.

“Chang-wei, we—” The words caught in my throat. How could one hope for something, yet fear it all the same? “We're friends now, aren't we?”

“Yes.” His jaw tightened. “Friends.”

He didn't know anything of my life or of my family's situation. How far we had fallen. Chang-wei had offered to help us, perhaps guided by his loyalty to my father's memory, but he didn't know what a burden that would be and why I couldn't accept. I was struggling to find the words to explain, when the ground lurched beneath my feet.

Chang-wei caught me as I stumbled. We held on to each other as the ground shook.

“Another earthquake,” he murmured.

My pulse beat like a hummingbird's wings with his arms around me. Even when the trembling stopped, he held on; a single steady point in my world.

“Soling!”

I pushed against his chest, and Chang-wei released me just as my brother appeared at the gate.

“That was from the opposite direction of the last one!”

Only after he'd given his excited report did Tian notice Chang-wei beside me. My younger brother bowed awkwardly, unable to muster any proper greeting.

“This is Imperial Engineer Chen,” I introduced.

“Sir,” Tian mumbled, head still bowed.

My heart was pounding though the shaking had subsided. There was nothing to feel ashamed about, I told myself. Nothing at all.

Except that I had liked the feel of Chang-wei's arms around me, even though we were out in the open where anyone could see us. Even though I was about to tell him that it was best we go our own ways from here forward.

“Young Mister Jin,” Chang-wei greeted. “Tell me, how can you know the origin of the earthquake?”

Tian fidgeted, uncomfortable with such honorifics.

I was curious as well. “Show us,” I told him gently.

Obediently, Tian turned and led us back into the courtyard. From there, he headed toward our private chambers, and my heart lodged in my throat. Mother was in the depths of her opium sickness and not fit for visitors.

To my relief, the garden was quiet for now. I prayed that Mother had fallen asleep. We followed my brother to the wooden pavilion. From there, one was meant to sit, have tea and enjoy a relaxing view of the manicured trees and carefully placed stones, but I saw that Tian had set a contraption onto the center of the stone table.

It was the bamboo cage he'd constructed the day before with a thin calligraphy brush dangling from the top of the frame. The base of the device had been tied onto a flat stone to keep it steady. White paper lay beneath with the tip of the brush just resting against the smooth surface. Black marks traced each movement of the brush.

There were two distinct spikes in the ink and then a lighter pattern of whirls as the brush settled.

“A pendulum.” Chang-wei inspected the device from one angle and then another. “With a stabilizing mechanism.”

Tian blushed a little. “I don't know what you call it, sir.”

Chang-wei went on, inspecting the materials and how they'd been put together. “Magnets. Very clever usage.”

At that moment, the ground shook once more in a single shifting motion. Once again the brush created a spike. The pattern beneath it was starting to look like a flower with petals radiating outward.

“We've had a lot of earthquakes lately. Would you say more than usual for this province?” Chang-wei directed the question to Tian.

The boy nodded. I was grateful for the attention Chang-wei was showing my brother, and I made a note to thank him later. Tian was so often overlooked.

But Chang-wei's expression remained focused. That line that I had come to know formed between his eyes.

He straightened and turned toward me. “Rumor is that the rebellion started in the area of Thistle Mountain. There are many tunnels and caves there where they were able to hide.”

“And mining pits.” I froze and our gazes locked.

“The first to join the rebellion were miners with their shovels and drills and heavy excavating equipment. Powerful machines that can move rock and cut holes through mountains.” Chang-wei glanced at the earth beneath his feet. “The attack has already begun. The rebels are digging tunnels.”

***

Chang-wei left immediately on a quest to rally the war council. Within three hours, I was summoned along with my brother to the fortress tower. Secretary Zuo came to fetch us in the automated sedan.

“The governor has given the order to clear the streets and lock down the city,” Zuo told me as the sedan sped around the corner. “But Mister Chang insisted he be allowed to speak to you.”

We passed by a guard patrol ushering civilians back to their homes. The market gong clanged loudly from the towers while signal drums beat out an incessant warning. As we neared the tower, the stone walls rose high before us. Changsha relied on its walls for protection. It was chilling to think that rebels were trying to tunnel beneath this fortification this very moment.

Zuo led the way up the stairs to the lookout tower while Tian and I followed dutifully behind. My brother reached out for my hand. When he squeezed it, his grip was steady. The look he gave me showed no fear. We're together, it told me.

No matter what happened, I was home. We would face this together.

Chang-wei was looking out over the walls with his back turned to us. His hands were clasped behind him and his shoulders squared.

Zuo called through the beating of the drums. “Mister Chang?”

Chang-wei turned and I saw the grim set of his mouth. “Thank you, Mister Zuo. Tell the governor we'll be ready by the next hour.”

The assistant left us. I saw that the rest of the war council had also left their positions. Presumably to prepare for battle.

“I need your help, young Mister Jin. Are you aware of what is happening here?” Chang-wei began.

Tian nodded solemnly. In that moment, I could see the sort of man he would become one day.

“The governor is sending out troops in the direction of the recent earthquakes. The rebels are digging tunnels toward Changsha. Once they've breached the walls from below, they'll march their army through. We must stop them before this happens.”

“We?” I asked.

Chang-wei turned to me, his expression disturbingly calm. “I will be riding out with the garrison.”

I started to protest but bit my tongue. I didn't want Tian to know how frightened I was. Whether or not I wanted any part of it, we were caught in the middle of a war. This was no place for fear or doubt.

“Sir, my invention is very crude,” Tian confessed. “The readings aren't exact.”

“I am aware of this.” There was no insult in Chang-wei's reply. “Going out to intercept the attack is a risk. It divides our forces, and we don't have time or men to waste, but I convinced the war council that this is the best course of action. The rebels have divided their forces as well—they're digging from multiple directions. I wager there will be more earthquakes in the coming days. If we can locate the exact origins, we'll know where there rebels are. Young Mister Jin, can you build a more efficient model of your detector?”

Tian stood straighter. “I can, sir.”

My chest welled with pride.

“I have prepared materials in my workshop for your use. I trust you will require no further instructions. Even if you did, there is no one to give them. The city is relying upon you.”

Zuo returned to escort my brother to his work area. Only Chang-wei and I were left in the tower.

I could no longer remain silent. “You're no soldier, Chen Chang-wei.”

“This is the best solution.”

“You don't know how many rebels are out there or how well armed they are or where they're hiding.”

“I have considered all these factors.” He came closer, speaking in a soothing tone that made me even more agitated. “I need to determine the exact locations and set the explosive devices. The ones I've constructed are dangerous and, well, not as well tested as I would like.”

I knew then he had been doing more than reviewing the city's defenses. He had been building weapons.

“If they catch you, they'll kill you,” I choked out.

“If they take the city, I'll be executed anyway.” He placed his hands over my arms. “You're angry at me?”

He spoke with surprise. I hated how calm he sounded. Chang-wei was utterly resolved, even if it meant death.

“Do you have to be so unquestioningly loyal?” I spat out.

My question took him aback. “You're upset with me because of my sense of loyalty?”

I thought of my father, kneeling with head bowed to surrender his life. Then there was Chang-wei, manning the cannons long after the battle was lost only to be taken prisoner by the enemy.

“The empire won't consider you a hero for your sacrifice.”

“I'm not doing this to be a hero.”

I looked away, bitter. “Then why?”

He cupped my face in his hands, gently lifting my chin so that our eyes met.

“This is who I am,” he said.

Feebly, I nodded. I knew it was who he was and I hated him for it. But I was afraid that I might also love him for it as well.

“We don't have much time, Soling, so forgive me for being so direct.”

Chang-wei had not brought me here to say some fatalistic farewell. I wouldn't let him.

“You're coming back,” I told him fiercely.

He didn't answer, which made my stomach sink further. “What I wanted to say earlier—no, you'll let me speak this time, Soling. What I wanted to say earlier was that I thought about you, Soling. I thought about you often when I was imprisoned aboard the foreign ship.”

“That's impossible. You didn't even know me.”

I don't know why I insisted on being combative. Perhaps it was the only way to keep my tears from falling.

“I didn't know you,” Chang-wei conceded. His thumb caressed my cheek. “Not the way I know you now.”

His eyes were dark and endless above me. Chang-wei was always such a master of his emotions that seeing them displayed so clearly over his face was almost frightening. It took my breath away.

“Since the day your father promised you to me, I have never imagined myself with anyone but you, Soling. Yet I don't regret that we never married as your parents intended. I'm glad that we had to find each other in this way, so many years later. That we could share such adventures together. I'm glad that I was given the chance to see you as you really are.” He exhaled deeply, letting the last of his resistance crumble away. “And that you could see me. Even if I'm not who you want.”