The Silent Guard (mxm)

Chapter 35

Zen blinked open sleepy eyes as Xisheng snored quietly where he was tucked against his chest within his robe. It would be dawn in a few hours... but why had he awoken so early? Looking over the edge of where he was settled in a large tree, his movement brought his feline friend out of its slumber with a quiet squeaky grumble. 

Sorry, little one. Something does not seem right...

His eyes scanned the area down below, but couldn't find anything amiss. Licking his lips nervously, Zen got onto his hands and knees and narrowed his eyes, trying to figure out what was causing his skin to crawl. 

He was just about to dismiss the uncomfortable feeling, since he could find absolutely nothing stirring within the area, but then he heard it. The sound of something crunching dead leaves far, far below. 

"Ah, you're not exactly who I was looking for... but I cannot say that I'm disappointed." 

No...

He knew that voice. The man had come to their kingdom from the Han capitol several times over the years out of good will. He often brought extravagant gifts and witty conversation, but his master had never quite taken a liking to him. In fact, Qi despised the man's fake smile and false bravado so much that he had eventually refused to see him when he came to town to speak with their emperor. 

General Ashong calmly walked into view amongst a carpet of shifting shadows beneath his feet. Zen immediately stood, but had to shift his weight a little after losing his balance on the large branch. When he recovered, he noticed that the man had somehow moved much closer to the branch he stood upon, his eyes so dark beneath the shadows of the tree that they appeared to be endless pits of darkness.

"I am somewhat surprised that his highness would leave his beloved little guard to his own devices in such a dangerous place... One never knows what terrible, terrible creatures might appear." 

Zen wanted to focus strictly on the man, since he knew that an attack was imminent, but he also knew that Ashong was a curse master and could play dirty with just a whisper of words. The man's spiritual abilities were second only to Yuen Huang's in the Han kingdom.

"My soldiers already have your master and the traitorous prince, so why don't we just skip this little scrap and save his highness the heartbreak of his love being returned to him in pieces?" 

Zen didn't believe a world from him. His master might not have the best combat capabilities, but he was no push over. He also doubted that Lee Shaan would simply give up prince Yuen... if he were even still alive. 

For some reason, Zen just knew that the man still lived, too. He couldn't tell what shape he was in, but he would bet his life on prince Yuen still being alive. 

"You are not as weak-minded as I had previously thought," Ashong said as he unsheathed a dark purple blade. Wisps of black spiritual energy began swirling around it immediately, making Zen nervously unsheathe his own weapon. 

It was no surprise that Ashong's sword was a spiritual device, but he'd honestly hoped that it wouldn't be. 

Feeling Xisheng move about against his chest again, Zen glanced down at it. 

Huh? 

The little feline also had dark energy beginning to swirl around its tiny body. 

Xisheng? 

The kitten began to growl. It was quiet, at first, but as the seconds passed it grew in volume exponentially until it reverberated around the dark forest like a thunderstorm. Before Zen could try and figure out what was wrong, Xisheng leaped from his robe and with an abrupt burst of light, dissolved into a cloud of darkness that was immediately consumed by the sword in his hand.