Cindy Pon - Fury of the Phoenix

C hen Yong was already on board the ship.

Ai Ling stumbled when her spirit touched his, and she caught herself against a merchants bamboo stand. The old woman gave her a curious look as she set out eggplants and carrots. Ai Ling murmured an apology and veered off, the pungent scent of cilantro following her.

She couldnt feel the spirits of others near the port yet. She was still too far away. But she was drawn to Chen Yong as if she had been starved for months for warmth and light. She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to slow her racing pulse. His face filled her vision: his inquisitive amber eyes; the strong lines of his jaw and cheekbones; his mouth curved into a smile that made him look boyish.

She had to get on that ship. His life depended on it.

It was barely dawn, and the large seaside city of Yuan Hai clamored to life. As Ai Ling approached the harbor, the hubbub of vendors in the narrow streets was punctuated by the cries of seagulls soaring above. Boys darted like sardines through the crowds. Women dressed in the same grays and blues as the men chorused in singsong voices; hawking sticky rice filled with pickles and minced pork, candied yams, and hot soy milk to start the day and drive the cold away. Ai Lings stomach growled, but she didnt stop.

Slipping from the labyrinth of buildings that leaned like haphazardly stacked dominoes, she finally stepped onto the broad main street. The seafront shopkeepers had already laid out their merchandise: embroidered handkerchiefs and slippers, fans adorned with lotuses and dragonflies, gold earrings and jade bangles. She smelled dumplings and custard buns steaming, scallion flatbreads being fried.

The sight of the massive port took her breath away. Ships larger than Ai Ling could have imagined swayed like giant monsters, creaking against the gentle lapping of the sea. Smaller boats bobbed in their shadows. Triangular pennants in a rainbow of colors fluttered above ocher sails, as the sun rose like a ripe persimmon on the horizon. Men shouted at one another while they unloaded cargo and checked lines that were as thick as her wrist. Tasting the seas salt on her lips, she hurried toward the water.

Ai Ling, clutching her satchel to her side, maneuvered among the sailors. She had limited herself to a few changes of clothing, a light blanket, and dried foods. Also her sketchbook, which she couldnt leave behind. This time she had left willingly, with a large pouch of gold coins from her monthly widows allowance. It was a generous allowance, as Zhong Ye had been the highest-ranking adviser to the Emperor. Ai Lings scalp crawled, and she shivered.

She could almost see his pale gray eyes, felt as if it were yesterday their spirits entangled when she had killed him. No matter how often she tried to push Zhong Ye from her mind, he lingered, festering like some dark wound.

She pulled her square cap lower, her single braid tucked inside a slate blue tunic, and cast her spirit forward, let it skim over the merchants and sailors surrounding her. She imagined tenuous threads coiling from her navel, searching and connecting to hundreds of others. She had never opened herself so completelyshe had shut herself away these past months, trying to control her ever-growing power. But today she wielded it as a master painter would a brush. And it was far too easy.

Shes one hundred and fifty feet, made from teak and camphor wood, a man called Tien An said. This will be her sixth journey to Jiang Dao.

A boy, Xiao Hou, exhaled, wide-eyed with wonder.

They both were out of earshot, but Ai Ling gathered their conversation and feelings as easily as plucking peach blossoms in bloom. A brush of the shoulder, a graze of the arm were like leaping into someone elses skin. She hummed tunelessly to quiet her mind, concentrated on the giant sails snapping like dragons jaws. Stopping just short of her destination, she tilted her head back. The Gliding Dragon s rounded bow was hewn with images of the Immortals and swallows. Giant eyes were carved on the prow, and the three huge sails flapped in the breeze. Magnificent. No wonder the boy had gawked.

Tien An and Xiao Hou were carrying chests and crates aboard, and she watched them from beneath the rim of her rough cap. The fragrance of sandalwood and jasmine drifted to her from the stack of cargo. More sailors disembarked to help, their brusque voices as loud as their thoughts. It was the boys first time traveling so far across the sea, and his excitement was a bright whorl in his chest.

Ai Ling threw her spirit aboard the ship. Thirteen men and two boys composed the crew. Chen Yong was there, and she avoided him. She had once trespassed on his most private dreams and had promised herself never to intrude again. And she would keep her vow. It was too humiliating not to; she knew he loved his childhood sweetheart still. He couldnt know she was here. Hed send her home immediately, like she were an annoying little sister.

Ai Ling pressed her fingers to her chest, as if it would ease the dull ache. The Gliding Dragon would sail soon. Chen Yong was speaking to the captain and pilot inside the bridge near the stern. Anxious to glean the ships layout, she delved into the pilots mind. There were two different hatches that led to the compartments below. She would hide below deck until the ship sailed.

Please, everyone, join me for the Gliding Dragon s blessing, the captain said. Peng was his name. Ai Ling held a light touch on his spirit, on every spirit aboard the ship. She saw Chen Yong through Pengs eyes, so handsome in a deep scholar blue tunic, the stiff collar around his throat drawn closed with a single pearl button.

Someone grabbed her elbow and wrenched her around, twisting her shoulder violently.

Whatre you doing skulking about? The brute squinted at her, his broad lips squashed together as if he had just sucked on a lemon. A girl! You thinking of stealing? His free hand slapped against her torso, her hips and breasts.

Her face flushed with anger. She tried to yank her arm free. Still connected to the men on the ship, she could smell the sandalwood incense wafting over the small altar laden with fruit and cups of wine. A golden effigy of the Queen Empress of Heaven sat in the middle of the altar, a serene smile etched on her face.

They dont deal lightly with thieves! He felt the hilt of her jeweled dagger beneath her tunic. Whats this?

Let go! Ai Ling tried to punch him, but he swiped her arm out of the way. They struggled as he yanked at her tunic. She kicked him hard in the shin, but his grip only tightened. Ai Ling released her touch on the crew and threw a coil from her spirit to her attackers. She possessed him instantly. His shin throbbed, but greed and excitement pumped through him. She enveloped his spirit in hers, forcing him to release her wrist.

Mouth slack, he stood motionless for a long moment. He had felt her intrusion. Go away, she said. Or Ill make you jump into the sea. She unsheathed her dagger and pointed its tip at his throat. And you cant swim. Surprisingly, her hand did not shake.

He sneered, even as the stench of fear rolled from him. Sorceress! He spit at her feet, then ran.

Ai Ling threw her spirit back toward the Gliding Dragon .

A sailor slit the throat of the chicken tucked beneath his arm and drained its blood into a silver cup. He paced the deck, chanting blessings.

Ai Ling ran toward the ship, but the gangplank had been drawn. Firecrackers popped above, the acrid smoke curling toward her. The ship slid from its berth as she watched, aghast, cursing the stupid oaf who had delayed her. Panic surged through her. Chen Yong would die if she didnt get on board.