THE FORTUNIST

42. Wuxhia

“People who tap into Dian's Teardrop have telepathic abilities and can understand animals. Andrionne Sene can muddle thoughts and has two butterfly pets which she named Dre and Riona. Denpo Xhell can hear projected thoughts and intercept mind links.”

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"Did you get them?"

Wuxhia turns warily and sees that the question was thrown by Fowella. Her brown hair is braided and hidden under a silk woven cap. Her bright red cape barely covers the red sexy dress she wears underneath. Wuxhia blinks, he had never seen her dressed like this before not even front of Xihan. Her jacque clover perfume intoxicates his senses. One of her earlobes hosts a Twin Mountain, the other ear would be with the Bureau. He looks away.

"Just two."

He could only snag them one by one with Bough's explicit help. He does not want to be too rash. All the baneas' must disappear under the least noticeable circumstances.

"Jaise won't be happy," Fowella states the obvious. She knows everything because Wuxhia had told her. The only thing he hadn't had the heart to tell her was that Eim was neither dead nor alive nor gone to another country. In fact, he had stuck with the story that Eim had gone abroad to find her sons foreign wives.

"Do you want your audience with the queen or not?"

Fowella raises her hands in mock surrender. "Ever your faithful accomplice." She follows him down the dusty basement stairs as they go through the palace labyrinth before finally reaching a cell that holds two blindfolded persons. One a boy, the other a girl.

Wuxhia opens a palm and part of the jacque stone carved bars crumble opening enough space for Wuxhia and Fowella to enter easily. The metal reintegrates behind them. It is not Xihan's magic. There is already a spell on the cage to strengthen itself.

"Who's there?" The girl is the most restive, her caramel coloured hair scatters round her face. Wuxhia unmasks the girl and senses that Fowella has done the same to the boy. Wuxhia watches the panicking girl as she stares up at him. There is no recognition in her eyes for Xihan but Wuxhia recalls seeing her a few times around the palace's vicinity. He searches her face and frowns. There is nothing that stands out about her except for the fact that she is a banea.

"They are two in the academy but the boy was enough work. It'll be much easier to extract the girl later on."

"Her name?"

"Ciara Mulden, a Cailis peasant."

"Hmmn, how did Bough manage to track them down?"

"Turns out the Fortunist is rather predictable after all. Only a mere theory that Bough's father put down before it began. The Fortunist never visits persons directly related to newborns the very day they are born. But they are exceptions. Bough only tracked the exceptions." Confusion is settling into all the creases of the girl's face. Wuxhia lifts her chin and asks for her name which he already knows. She spits at him, the glob landing on one of his gloved hands. He cleans it off on her hair, then gives her a slap that sends her sprawling.

"Steady now, Xihan," Fowella chastises, "let me handle her." They switch positions and Wuxhia peers down for the first time at the heir of Lemohn House. The boy looks haggard, purple rings around his eyes and a purpler bruise on his left cheek. The boy had been discretely snatched from Albenarum where he was participating in their tournament.

"General Xihan. What is the meaning of this?"

"Ah ah ah, I'm sure you know I'm royal Highness now."

"When my father hears of this…"

"He won't," Wuxhia cuts in abruptly. "Do you know why you are here, young lord?"

Feng stays quiet.

"You are here because you can bring me the Fortunist."

A turmoil of expressions swell across the young lord's face. Disbelief, shock, anger, pleasant surprise, confusion…. He would feel that way. Baneas don't usually know that they are baneas.

"Are you saying I'm a banea?"

"Yes Love, isn't it exhilarating?"

Feng bows his head in thought.

"Well, what do you say?"

"You needn't have gone through this way. I would've come willingly."

"You were getting dizzy on the possibility of popularity and glory."

Feng smiles, his lips crack. "I'm a banea so you say. It's your claim, not mine. How do you want me to prove it? You know I can't."

"Yes you can," Wuxhia stubbornly retorts. "Deep down. Find the power to summon the Fortunist again, and I'll let you go."

Feng begins to laugh, a low rumble in his throat. Tears sprout in his eyes. Wuxhia's hands fist by his sides. "What's this? Why this level of desperation? What else do you need the Fortunist for Royal Highness. I can't begin to imagine."

Wuxhia remains composed. He raises a boot and squashes a bug underneath it. Feng pales, a soundless sigh escapes his lips.

"I know your power Feng. You have an uncanny ability to call animals to yourself to do your bidding. I thought of that before I made this place animal repellant. Even this bug wouldn't have lasted, tiny and alone. It wouldn't have been able to help you."

"But General," the young lord says smugly, "animals are everywhere. Some even hide in human form. Maybe what you should ask from the Fortunist is to give you your balls back so you can bear more children, or at least lay some eggs."

Wuxhia's control crashes. He raises his hand but a strong feminine grip stops its momentum. Fowella is giving him a calm and controlled look. She shakes her head in discouragement. "He isn't well," she whispers. Wuxhia angrily wrenches away his arm.

"You will summon me the Fortunist or you'll never leave."

"You have a timer General. You might even leave before me."

Wuxhia storms out, Fowella follows closely at his heels.

"I told the girl I'll tell her who birthed her if she cooperates. She is an orphan, stubborn but not willful," Fowella is saying. "I know you are mad but the Lemohns are your allies."

"There is nothing else they can be!"

"That may be so but be reasonable. Remember that who sits on the throne is not the most powerful. Cryfix magic flows in the veins of everyone."

Wuxhia rolls his eyes.

"Aren't you going the wrong way?" She asks as he badgers into her room. She enters and shuts the door behind her. "Shall I spin you a tale?"

He turns and is chest to chest with her. Xihan's white beard tickles the top of her forehead. Her gaze does not falter from his.

"You should be mad," he says, "madder than me. What… what Feng said."

"Oh?" Fowella lifts a brow. Wuxhia knows she is about to say something he would not like. Something that would snap his common sense for good and cause him to do something the ever reasonable Xihan would never do. "But he said the truth."

There.

His lips crashes on hers and he takes her face in his hands with such force. He tears the cape from her shoulders. His hands fumble down her exotic dress, everywhere all at once.

She releases a breathless whisper. Her hands fly to his shoulder which she grips tightly. "Wuxhia, Wuxhia," she moans softly, her eyes closed in bliss.

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Okay before you people shout at me, I am as shocked as you are!