Snake (13 page)

I wonder where it learned that,
Seh thought.
I should have thought to try it.
He sat up, and the white monkey lifted its paw off Malao's short black hair. The monkey bared its teeth. Seh noticed it was staring at his left wrist.

Seh looked down and saw the beauty snake's head poking out of his sleeve. He covered it. He wasn't sure if the monkey was having trouble with him or the snake. Either way, Seh didn't want to take any chances.

“Hey, Fu,” Seh said. “Wake up.”

Fu didn't flinch.

Seh glanced around and saw a fist-sized rock behind him. He grabbed it and lobbed it at Fu. It bounced off Fu's sizable stomach.

Fu groaned and scratched his belly.

“Wake up, Pussycat,” Seh said.

Fu sniffed the air, and his eyes snapped open. He sat up and turned toward the white monkey. The
white monkey stared at Fu but showed no signs of aggression.

Fu waved one hand in front of his nose. “That monkey needs a bath more than Malao does. When did it show up?”

“Just now,” Seh said. He pointed to the mushrooms. “It brought those, then tried to wake up Malao. It looked like it was trying to massage the base of Malao's skull.”

“Good idea,” Fu said. “Did it work?”

“It's a monkey, Fu,” Seh replied. “Of course it didn't work. I want to try, but I don't think the monkey will let me get near Malao. You're going to have to do it.”

Fu looked at the large, one-eyed monkey and hesitated, then grunted and leaned over Malao. The white monkey watched intently but didn't interfere as Fu cradled Malao's head in his hands and began to massage the pressure point.

“Mmmpf,” Malao mumbled.

“Hey!” Fu said. “It's working!” He continued rubbing Malao's head, but nothing more happened.

“That's enough,” Seh said finally. “We need to find someone who can help keep him awake.”

Fu laid Malao's head down. “I wish Hok was here. He … I mean,
she
would know what to do.”

Seh nodded. “She does know a lot more about these things than we do.” He rubbed his long chin. “Too bad we can't go back to the stronghold. I have a feeling AnGangseh might be able to help.”

“You mean your mother?” Fu said.

Seh blinked. That sounded strange for some reason. “Yes,” he said.

“Why do you think she could help?” Fu asked.

“When the soldiers attacked, she fought off a couple of them with poison hidden under her fingernails. Usually people who handle poisons know antidotes and potions for many things.”

“You mean those two dead soldiers in the bandits’ shed—” Fu said.
“She
killed them?”

Seh nodded.

“Whoa. What did she want with you?”

“She just wanted to talk.”

“Why would she have poison under her nails if she just wanted to talk?” Fu asked.

Seh paused. That was a good question. “I guess because she lives with bandits. She has to be ready for anything.”

Fu seemed satisfied with this answer. He nodded and looked at Seh's lower back. “Is that lump under your robe the dragon scrolls?”

“One of them,” Seh said. “I gave two to AnGangseh—I mean, my mother—for safekeeping.”

“You did
what?”
Fu said. “I risked my life to get those scrolls! When are we going to get them back?”

“The next time we see her, I suppose,” Seh said.

Fu growled and slammed a fist into his open palm.

The monkey looked at Fu and bared its teeth.

“Take it easy, Fu,” Seh said. “You're upsetting the monkey.”

Fu snorted and turned away.

“I'm sorry you're angry,” Seh said. “But there's nothing we can do about it now. Our number one priority is to get Malao some help. That's what we need to focus on. We need to figure out where to take him.”

Fu glared at Seh. “We? How am I supposed to help with that? You led us here. I don't have any idea where we are. What we need is a—” Fu stopped and looked at the white monkey. He slapped his forehead. “A tour guide! Of course!”

“What are you talking about?” Seh asked.

“The white monkey was like a tour guide for me and Malao,” Fu said. “It led us to Shaolin Temple. It also led us to the village where the Governor lives.”

“How far was the village from Cangzhen?” Seh asked.

“About half a day's travel.”

“Was it east of Cangzhen or west?”

“Sort of southwest,” Fu said. “Why?”

Seh pointed east toward a small mountain. “The more I look at that, the more I think it's ShiShan Mountain. If I'm right, Cangzhen is on the other side. That means if the village was half a day southwest of Cangzhen, it's probably half a day southeast of where we are now. Do you think the monkey could lead us there?”

“Let's find out,” Fu said. He looked the white monkey in the eye. “Can you take us to the village?”

The white monkey tilted its head to one side inquisitively.

“What's the name of the village?” Seh asked.

“I don't know,” Fu confessed. He scratched behind one ear and looked at the white monkey again. “Can you take us to the … ummm … Governor?”

The white monkey seemed to grin. It reached out and grabbed Fu's hand. Seh saw it squeeze three times before letting go and leaping into the trees.

L
ate that evening, Seh couldn't stop thinking about the mushroom skewers the monkey had brought them earlier. He wished they'd eaten them. He and Fu had been following the white monkey through the forest all day and he was famished. He was also exhausted. Seh and Fu had taken turns carrying Malao, and it had worn them both out.

Oddly enough, Fu's mind still seemed sharp. He was rambling nonstop about his adventures with Malao. Seh was glad to get the information, but he was finding it harder and harder to absorb the details.

Seh realized he was beginning to feel the effects of too much activity and not enough sleep. His head felt cloudy, and he found it difficult to concentrate. His
senses were dull, and he felt increasingly out of touch with the world around him. He longed for something to help him snap out of it.

He soon got his wish.

Fu stopped and shifted Malao in his arms. He raised his nose to the air and inhaled deeply, then smiled. “We're almost there. Come on!”

Fu picked up his pace, and Seh followed. Seh rounded a bend, and a rotten stench hit his nose like a hammer fist. He choked. “What is that smell?”

“The village garbage dump!” Fu said excitedly over his shoulder.

Seh looked into the trees and noticed the white monkey had stopped. “Hey, Fu. It doesn't look like the monkey wants to go any farther.”

“That's fine,” Fu replied. “I know the way.”

Seh nodded goodbye to the monkey, followed Fu around another bend, and came face to face with the biggest pile of trash he could ever have imagined. It was as big around as Cangzhen's largest building and nearly as tall. Tendrils of rank steam drifted skyward in the evening light. He felt nauseous.

“This way,” Fu said. He skirted the pile and headed down a narrow trail. The stench of the dump was soon behind them, and Seh's head began to clear.

In no time, they came upon a tall hedge. Fu re-positioned Malao and stepped through a section of the hedge that had been trampled to the ground. Seh followed Fu through the gap, and they both stopped in their tracks. Images of the destruction at Cangzhen
and Shaolin flooded Seh's mind. The village had been ravaged.

They were standing in the village square, which Seh could tell had once been almost completely surrounded by the tall hedge. The far side of the hedge had been reduced to ash, and Seh had a clear view of the damage beyond. Roofless stone houses and storefronts stood soot-stained and crumbling. Doors and shutters had been burned from their hinges. Not a single building had been left intact.

The pit of Seh's stomach began to tingle as he noticed a group of men step around from behind a structure that stood alone at the head of the courtyard. A blackened sign leaning against the building read Bun Vendor.

The largest of the men froze and stared at Fu. The big man had long, matted hair that was tangled in a scraggly beard. One of his calves was heavily bandaged, as was one of his forearms. He also had bandages wrapped around both thighs. He limped toward them.

“I'll be right back,” Fu said. He handed Malao to Seh, and the snake on Seh's wrist slithered up his arm.

Seh laid Malao on the ground as Fu ran toward the large man. Seh focused on the man and noticed the
chi
he emitted was very similar to Fu's. Seh realized that it must be Fu's father, Sanfu.

Sanfu patted Fu roughly on the back, and Fu returned the greeting. Both were grinning from ear to ear. The two of them continued toward Seh and Malao, and their smiles quickly faded.

“Hello, Seh,” Sanfu said in a deep, gravelly voice. “It's nice to finally meet you. I wish it were on better terms.”

Seh nodded. “Nice to meet you, too, sir.”

“No need for formalities,” Sanfu said. “I was once a Cangzhen monk, you know. We are brothers.” He folded his hands like a Cangzhen monk and looked down at Malao. “What happened?”

“Seh took us to a bandit stronghold, and Ying attacked it,” Fu said. “Ying cut Malao with his chain-whip.”

“I see,” Sanfu said. “Did Ying capture the stronghold?”

“It's possible,” Seh said. “His men seemed to have the upper hand. They brought
qiangs.
Many bandits were killed.”

Sanfu nodded. “Ying is responsible for the destruction here, too. Amazingly, only a few people were hurt.” He looked at Fu. “After Fu and Malao escaped, I stunned Ying with a tiger-claw fist to the head. The villagers and I scattered and hid in the forest. Fortunately, Ying didn't bother to have his men chase us down. But as you can see, he did torch the village.”

Seh pointed to the group of men still standing near the bun vendor's shop. “Is that
everyone
? I don't sense anyone else around.”

“The women and children have left,” Sanfu said. “They went to stay in other places, but some will likely come back after their homes have been made livable again.”

“What about the Governor?” Fu asked.

“He has gone to Kaifeng,” Sanfu said. “Alone. His son, Ho, is with your friend Ma. Ma's mother took both of them to her sister's house in a neighboring village. I have been staying at her home here, doing what I can to repair it. You boys may stay there with me.”

“I'll help you fix it up,” Fu said. “I learned a few things about construction at the bandit stronghold.”

“Me too,” Seh said.

“Thank you,” Sanfu said. He looked at Malao again. “Speaking of help, let's see if I can do anything for poor Malao.”

Sanfu untied one of several small pouches from his sash and waved the pouch beneath Malao's nose. Malao twitched, and his eyes flew open. He began to mumble incoherently.

“Excellent,” Sanfu said. “Malao's sleep is not so deep that we cannot reach him.” Sanfu untied a second pouch and withdrew a small decanter. He pulled the plug and dribbled some liquid into Malao's open, babbling mouth.

Malao choked twice and his parched lips closed, followed by his eyes. He stopped mumbling and drifted into unconsciousness.

“I suspect Malao is going to be just fine,” Sanfu said.

“What was that drink?” Seh asked.

“Blood tonic,” Sanfu replied. “I made a batch for myself after my leg was punctured by a
qiang
ball
weeks ago. It's a combination of herbs boiled in water that helps revitalize your blood. It also helps fight off dehydration.” Sanfu pointed to Malao's dry lips. “He would not have survived much longer without fluid. You boys should be proud of yourselves for getting him here before it was too late.”

“Proud?”
Fu growled. “I'm
angry.
I am going to get Ying for this and everything else he's done!”

Sanfu sighed. “Ying is very powerful, Fu.”

“Then we'll get help,” Seh said. “I think Mong will help us.” He lowered his head. “If he survived the attack.”

“Mong will be fine,” Sanfu said. He rested a huge hand on Seh's shoulder. “Did Mong happen to give you any emergency rendezvous plans?”

Seh nodded. “We're supposed to meet him in Kaifeng in a month on the first day of the Dragon Boat Festival.”

“Good,” Sanfu said. “I'll come with you. Where are you supposed to meet him?”

“An inn called the Jade Phoenix.”

“I'm familiar with it,” Sanfu said. He looked at Fu. “They make the best soy sauce chicken.”

Fu's eyes widened, and he licked his lips.

Seh glanced down at Malao. He thought about how he would hopefully see his father again and how Fu was already with his. Seh looked at Sanfu. “Do you happen to know anything about Malao's father?”

Sanfu paused and scratched his scraggly beard. “I do. This isn't common knowledge, so I'll ask that you
keep it among yourselves. Malao's father used to live in this region and was known by most people as the Monkey King. He kept to himself, and very few people ever saw him. He ran off recently. He's not coming back.”

“Is he still alive?” Fu asked.

“No one knows,” Sanfu replied.

“What was he running from?” Seh asked.

“Not
what,”
Sanfu said.
“Who.
Someone called Bing.”