Sword of the Red Dragon (Akatsuki no Yona)

Chapter 5

The kid led Yoon and Jae-Ha through the compound, keeping to the shadows and switching paths at random. It seemed like he knew each step he should take in order to keep out of the sight of the guards. Eventually they came to a long building at the back of the compound. It wasn't as gaudy as the other buildings, and it seemed to have been built for functionality rather than beauty. There was a light glowing in one of the windows, but there was a cloth draw over it so they couldn't see what was going on.

"Come on," the boy said, gesturing for them to keep following. He went around to the back of the building, where there was a fence, and he knocked softly at a gate.

The gate opened just a crack to reveal a girl's face. She was older than the boy but not by much. She was probably around thirteen years old, if Yoon had to guess. "What are you doing?" she demanded, looking at Yoon and Jae-Ha before glaring back at the boy. "What are they doing here? Who are they?"

"This is the guy from the market," the boy said, pointing at Yoon, "And Hae-Dan said to bring them here."

The girl's nostrils flared. "They can't come in here. Send them away."

"They came to see Mei," he said.

"Well, they can't," the girl snapped. She started to close the gate, but Jae-Ha stuck his right foot out and blocked it.

"Hello, there," he said, giving her one of those winning smiles of his, "I know you don't have a lot of reason to trust us yet, but we're here to help your friend Mei. We promise."

"I don't care," the girl growled. She tried to push the door closed but Jae-Ha's foot didn't budge an inch. "I don't know how you got into the compound, but you have to leave. Now." Struggling to close the gate, she looked like she was a moment away from stomping on Jae-Ha's foot.

"But Hae-Dan said—"

"What is going on here?" a voice asked behind the girl. A hand grabbed the gate and a female face appeared behind the girl. It was an older woman with a lined, wrinkled face and dark eyes. She yanked the gate out of the girl's hand and pulled it open before grabbing the boy and dragging him into the yard. "You're making a scene. All of you, get in here before someone notices."

"Resa!" the boy exclaimed, "I was just doing what Hae-Dan said."

The girl clenched her fists. "They're strangers, they're going to get us in trouble!"

"Both of you, be quiet."

Yoon and Jae-Ha quickly moved through the gate before the woman could change her mind. She shut the gate behind them and glared at the small group. Her eyes flicked to Yoon for a moment and her expression softened.

"No wonder she did it..." the woman said under her breath, but Yoon heard her anyways. He stared at her, trying to decide if he should call everyone out on their weird behavior. What was it with them and looking at him like he was a ghost?

"Ma'am, we would like to talk with Mei, if we may," Jae-Ha said, "We aren't here to get anyone in trouble, I assure you. We have medicine as well."

"Well, you sure do look like trouble," she said, shaking her head. "But if Hae-Dan sent you here..."

"You can't be serious," the girl, Resa, snapped, "They're the reason she was hurt in the first place."

The woman turned toward Resa, and she shrunk back a little. "I think you should go back to your quarters."

"But—"

"Now."

The girl gave Jae-Ha and Yoon a final glare before walking toward the building.

"Come this way, and stay quiet," the woman said, gesturing toward them. They walked through the yard to a small shed in the back. There was a lock on the door, but the woman pulled out a key and unlocked it quickly. She slipped into the shed for a moment, and they could hear her talking softly with someone. Her eyes were dark and sad as she stepped back out and looked up at Jae-Ha and Yoon. "You can only stay for about ten minutes. Then the guards will be back, and no one's supposed to be in here."

"Why are you trusting us?" Yoon asked, feeling suspicious. Maybe they were going to trap them in the shed? It looked like Jae-Ha could probably kick a hole in it if it came to that but still.

The woman rolled her eyes. "You're the ones that broke into the compound. And we're not really trusting you."

"You're testing us, then?" Jae-Ha asked, an eyebrow raised.

She smirked and shrugged. "You could call it that." Pushing the door open, she gestured for them to go in. "Your time is running out."

Yoon and Jae-Ha shared a look, silently debating whether they should go through with this. With a quick nod, Jae-Ha made the decision for them and stepped into the shed.

It was dark, only lit by a single window high up on the wall. There was a pitiful moonlight glow, and Jae-Ha's eyes took a few moments to adjust. He sucked in a quick, sharp breath at the sight of Mei.

The young woman was chained up to a post in the middle of the room, her arms raised above her head and attached to an anchor point toward the top of the pole. It forced her to kneel by the pole. The only way she could rest was by leaning against the pole, but it wouldn't give her any comfort. Her dark hair spilled forward over her shoulder, brushing against the floor. Her shirt was ripped open, and her back was covered in dark red strips where she had been whipped. Chains ran from the bottom of the pole to the bands on her ankles, as if she would be able to escape anyways.

"Shit," Jae-Ha muttered under his breath, and in an instant he was beside her, his hand on her cheek. "Miss? Are you awake?"

She stirred and glanced over at him. The chains rattled as she pulled away from his touch. "It's Mei. Not miss." A shallow breath shook her voice, but she raised an eyebrow at him. "Care to tell me why you two tracked me down?"

Yoon stood at the doorway, eyes wide. How could someone do this to somebody else? Just for a little bit of disobedience?

"We thought you might get in trouble for what you did at the marketplace," Yoon said, "We...wanted to help."

There was a silent pause. "That's weird."

"Yes, well, we're not exactly normal," Jae-Ha said. His eyes were focused on the chains that kept Mei from moving, the ones that tethered her in place like a rabid dog. There was spark in her eyes as she met his gaze, one that reminded him of the fire her eyes had held in the marketplace.

"Not many people break into mansions to help a slave."

"I said we're not normal," Jae-Ha said. He started to move her hair back from her face, but she pulled away, making the chains clank. Something twisted in him, remembering how it felt to be held in place by heavy iron.

"Do you mind if I treat your back?" Yoon asked. He was rummaging around in his bag for herbs, but he stopped, looking worried. "Or would they notice that?"

"It's already been washed off," Mei said, shifting, "They'll expect it to be better in the morning. Tehru treated it, but our medicines aren't very potent." She rested her forehead on the pole. "Go ahead, if you want. I can't pay you back."

"You already did," Yoon said. He grabbed a couple pouches out of his bag and went to work making a poultice. "Why did you do that, anyways? In the market."

Mei sighed. "It was stupid. You reminded me of someone."

"It wasn't stupid," Jae-Ha said, "Not to us."

Yoon wanted to ask who he reminded her of, but he had work to do. They only had a few minutes, and they needed to make the most of it.