Solstice Souls Book 2: Black Fire, White Flame

Making Up The Numbers

Lan Zhan's POV

The driver, synonymous with backside, insisted that Lan Zhan sit up front with him and Lan Zhan sighed internally to himself because he could hardly say he preferred sitting in the back with corpses over him, however true it was.

The moment he sat down, the driver thrust a jar of wine under his nose with a grimace.

"Here, drink up! You're gonna need it where we're headed." He nudged Lan Zhan harder.

Lan Zhan was chanting in his head Wen Qing's instructions on not killing him, but that temptation was real. He shook his head, silently.

"Fine, your loss!" The driver belched loudly, further proving Lan Zhan's opinion of him.

He whipped the two horses to get them started on their way, and the road was quite bumpy, jostling Lan Zhan so he was forced to hold on to his seat.

The driver had the manners of a pig, because as soon as the horses were trotting along at a reasonable pace, he ditched his whip in favour of his wine jar and every swig heralded a symphony of bodily noises that almost had Lan Zhan summoning Bichen.

They came out from under the Arena about a half mile away, and Lan Zhan guessed that unsuccessful opponents leaving the Arena on their last journey were secreted away, probably because Wen Rouhan no longer valued them. Especially judging from the way the driver had wanted him to load the cart by tossing the bodies.

That alone was upsetting to Lan Zhan.

But Wen Qing had forbidden him to kill the vermin...and Lan Zhan still hadn't made up his mind yet even though the scales were shifting more towards violence every time the man opened his mouth.

The journey did not take long.

Twenty minutes later, they entered a thick forest with a trail just wide enough for their horses and the cart. Winter wasn't far away and as night approached, a chill wind blew around them, lifting the dead, dry leaves from the dry ground and crunching beneath the wheels of their cart as it trundled along.

All around them, bare trees rose up by the light of the single lantern that hung off their cart, the shadows long and disturbing as they appeared, like wrinkled fingers belonging to a witch. This forest felt creepy and sinister as if there were things just waiting for the cover of darkness to leave their hiding places.

Lan Zhan hoped Wei Ying was alright in the back. He wanted nothing more than to push the driver into a ditch and take over the reins but he had no idea where the bodies had to be taken and then there was always the possibility of the driver raising the alarm...something they absolutely could not allow.

And then Lan Zhan saw smoke rising from a chimney not too far away as a building came into view. It was square-shaped and not very big, squeezed between two ancient elm trees.

The driver pulled up right outside it, commanding the horses to stop.

"Go and report to the records master just inside there." The driver told him. "He'll ask for a body count, tell him eight."

Lan Zhan didn't want to leave Wei Ying alone with him, especially because this driver had said some disgustingly inappropriate comments regarding Wei Ying back at the Arena, but it would look suspicious if he didn't. Besides, how long was it going to take?

Only one way to find out.

Lan Zhan jumped off the cart and stormed off towards the closed door. He entered and immediately was taken aback at the intense heat which warmed his face as soon as the door opened.

There was a man asleep on a chair to the side and a huge firepit in the centre of the room, flames red and angry leaping out of it and desperately licking the edges of its confines. Shadows loomed all around the empty walls surrounding them.