A Daily Life of a Fire Dragon

16.A General, a spy

(about 6 thousand years ago)

Shi Lang is lazily turning in bed. He doesn’t have a good reason to pretend that he’s still asleep when everyone else is up. The army camp is bustling with activity. General Shang is long gone, and he misses his warmth. There is an unusual commotion right in front of the General’s tent. The guards are trying to stop someone? Should he intervene? But how and with what reason? He has no real authority here. His training with Shang Yi has been postponed due to the many injuries the kid has sustained while fighting the enemy scouts.

“Let me through! I have to see the General. I have important news,” an agitated voice reaches Shi Lang. This is one persistent man.

“We can’t let you in. The General is not in his tent,” one of the guards replies. They all know that Shi Lang is alone inside, but he has earned the trust of the General’s men.

“But, I have to see him!” The other man shouts again. With the ruckus he’s creating, soon the whole army camp will hear about it. General Shang hasn’t left, so he’ll be here shortly to see what is going on. “There is clearly someone in the tent. I can hear it.”

“It’s not the General,” a guard says quietly. Good man, not giving anything away.

Shi Lang gets dressed, but he doesn’t come out from behind the dark screen that shields the bed away from the rest of the tent. He won’t make his presence known if it’s not absolutely necessary. The accent of this man is bothering him. He doesn’t sound like the men from General Shang’s army. There is something suspicious about him. Since he can’t see the guy, he can’t confirm his suspicion. He’ll just wait here for General Shang to come and solve this. Being the silent support is what Shi Lang is used to by now. Although the men show him more respect now, some still refer to him as the General’s boy toy, or bed warmer.

“What is going on?” General Shang’s voice is clear and demanding. There is no doubt about his authority here.

“I have to see you! I have important information!” The man shouts louder than the guards who hurriedly try to explain that they caught a suspicious man.

“Bring him in,” the General orders. Shi Lang can watch the event unfolding in the mirror that is placed just right for him to see what is going on inside the tent, but nobody can see him. The two private guards stay inside, but at a distance. Shi Lang can see their careful glances around. They know he’s here, but not seeing him is confusing them.

The General leans against his desk. It means he doesn’t trust this man enough to limit his own movements by sitting down. Looking at him, he says: “You are dressed as one of my scouts, but you are not. I know every single man under my command. I have never seen you before.”

“Can you send your guards out?” The man asks. There is a reserve in the way he talks now. That definitely wasn’t there before.

“You may leave,” General Shang nods to his guards. One of them points to the screen. The gesture is only seen by the General, and not by this strange man. It was a reminder that Shi Lang is there.

The man pulls an arrow out of his coat. How did the guards miss that, Shi Lang wonders. What is more surprising is that it’s his own. Someone must have found the dead scouts and collected them. That is the only way that one of his arrows can be here now. Where will this lead? If the man is not one of General Shang’s scouts, then who is he? He’s watching carefully, ready to intervene if necessary. It’s not that he doesn’t trust General Shang to take care of himself, it’s just that this man might have more hidden weapons on him.

“I found the scouts,” the man says. “This arrow means trouble. There is only one person that uses arrows like these. This standstill can turn into a bloodbath very quickly.”

“Who are you?” General Shang asks. He doesn’t let any feelings show on his face.

“That’s not important. You have to listen to me. Everyone is in danger,” the man pleads.

“You can tell that just by one measly arrow?” General Shang smirks. “I need more to believe you.”

“There were six arrows. One for each Weng scout,” the man tells him. “Were any of your scouts murdered as well?”

“I don’t care about Wen scouts,” General Shang shrugs. “But, I really care about who you are. You just gave yourself away. You are not one of ours.”

“Never mind who I am. Listen to me. Don't you see the importance of the arrow?” The man insists. Shi Lang thinks that he might know more about him than he’s letting on. This is not an ordinary man at all. He might be dressed as a scout, but the careful way in which he chooses his words gives him away.

“You haven’t given me anything. One arrow does not an army make. I don’t see why this should mean anything. If the Wen scouts pissed someone off and he killed them, that is Wen’s problem, not mine,” General Shang tells the man.

“But, the arrows…” the man trails off. Exasperation is written all over his posture. He’s genuinely scared.

“You’re scared,” the General scoffs. “Why?”

“I dare not say his name,” the man whispers. He steps closer to the General, and Shi Lang gets ready to pounce. He doesn’t like how close the man has gotten to his General. “You haven’t really told me anything. Just some wild guesses and warnings about some mysterious man and weird looking arrows,” General Shang raises an eyebrow at the man. He’s keeping his cool, not giving away that he knows the arrow and the man.

“Please! Listen to me. We are all in grave danger,” the man pleads. He grabs the lapels of the General’s coat, and that is just too much for Shi Lang. Nobody gets to touch his man. He shoots out from behind the screen with his sword in hand. His speed creates a breeze inside the tent. He is just a blur of red when he grabs the man and slams him down on his knees in front of General Shang. Sword at the man’s throat and a pissed off expression on his own face.

“Shi Lang! Relax. He’s not a danger to me,” General Shang lays a hand on his shoulder.

“Your Lordship,” the man stammers. He is shaking with fear. “Since when do you take sides?”

“Who are you? You seem to know a lot about me, but I have never seen you in my life,” Shi Lang demands.

“Why did you kill the scouts?” The man inquires.

“Do I need a reason?” Shi Lang chuckles. “All I want to know is who you are? I want to know who to send your body to?”

“You weren’t as considerate with the scouts,” the man scoffs. Some bravado has returned to him. He cares about those people. Is he from Wen?

“I didn’t have time to ask about family names when fighting for my life,” Shi Lang responds. He is twisting the truth a little. He was never in danger at all.

“I don’t think this man is a danger to you,” General Shang still tries to calm him down.

“But, he is to you,” Shi Lang responds. He is tired of the mind games. This man will not speak when asked nicely. Shi Lang grabs him in a tight grip around his neck. He gives his sword to General Shang, and pats the man down. He finds two daggers and a General’s seal. The markings are clearly of Wen. “If you didn’t steal this, then it’s clearly yours. Do you want me to send you to your Elder brother alive, or in pieces? What do you say, General Wen?”

“Mhn…” the man struggles against his grip. He can’t really talk. And all resistance is futile. Shi Lang is much stronger than he looks.

“General Wen?” General Shang asks. He is perplexed, and just a bit angry.

“Yes,” Shi Lang nods. “See the little crown above the General’s mark? There are several Generals in the Wen army, but only one has a crown added. The younger brother of the King, Prince Wen Haoran.”