Xuelei, Tears of Blood

Chapter 15 - Captivity

Xuelei huddled in a corner of the secured room. He sighed inwardly. One would have thought that being locked up with fifteen pretty teenage girls would be Heaven.

It was not.

They were constantly crying, moaning or bickering with each other over silly things. He would never look at girls the same again.

His thoughts turned to the situation he was in. When they arrived, they had been led straight fifty paces, up eight steps and another fifty paces. The place was big. At that point, they were in the house proper, the packed dirt had changed to hardwood floors and then their footsteps had been muted by carpets.

They had stopped a moment when their captors had conferred for a bit. Then it was right through a long narrow passage, it was cooler and the muted echo suggested an enclosed space. About eighty paces, then left, down eight steps and right again for forty paces.

A thick wooden heavy door was unlocked and opened before they were led down twenty-five steps. They were being taken underground, he realised. Another door was unlocked. Chains rattled and a key was turned nosily in a padlock until it clicked open. There was a shushing sound as girls scuttled away from the door. Only then, were their blindfolds removed.

The Captain had looked him over but his attention was clearly on the other captured girl. Xuelei kept his amusement to himself, positive that the Captain now thought the other girl was the hired assassin. She looked tougher and more blood thirsty than he did ... well maybe just a little.

Xuelei and the girl had been pushed into a large room which held the fourteen missing girls. They made number fifteen and sixteen. Scarface was locked in the room across them. Guards were posted outside both rooms.

He sighed. He was hungry, thirsty and tired. He wondered idly if his next assignment would not involve starvation.

To keep his mind occupied was to keep from thinking of his miserable condition. He surveyed the room. Now, to locate the Minister's daughter. She was priority number one.

All the girls in the room were fairly young. He would have bet none were over twenty. The three brothers had been given a portrait of the Minister's daughter so that they would recognise their target when they saw her. However, none of the girls here resembled the fine portrait of a prettily made-up girl.

The girls in the room were miserable, dirty and listless, their pretty faces blotchy and puffy from days of crying. Some slept to pass the time, some sat staring at the floor. All were half starved and radiated a sense of hopelessness. He probably did not look much better himself.

Since their faces did nothing to reveal their identities, Xuelei focused on their clothes. The daughter of a high ranking Minister should be wearing better clothes than a commoner. He narrowed down the possibilities to three girls. Although their clothes were crumpled, it was made of finely spun silk and cut in the latest fashions. It had to be one of them.

Evening came and the door to their room opened. The girls automatically cringed against the walls. Several men entered and placed a bag of steamed buns on the table. One girl rose to face them.

"Sir, please set us free. If you want money, my father will pay whatever you want."

The men laughed. "He sure will. He is going to pay a nice sum for you."

The girl gasped. "You have spoken to my father? Is he coming for me soon?"

"No little girl, he tried to rescue you and failed. If he wants you back, he will have to pay double for the extra trouble he has caused us."