The Flower Among the Flames

Chapter 8

The fog beset the castle in only a matter of moments. It was faster and thicker than any fog cloud Zhao Meng had ever seen. That is to say, she could not even see two feet in front of her face. She struggled to find her way back to the "cell", tripping over every little crevice and rock in the ground. Zhao Meng could have stayed the night in the central tower –maybe even sleep by a warm fire–, but something inside of her thought otherwise. She felt as though this fog was an evil omen. Fog coming in right as night begins to settle? Not long after when she and Seulgi were almost killed? Surely it was no mere coincidence.

Zhao Meng wondered what the night would have in store for her next. She hoped no evil spirits would rise from the grave as they had the night before. She had quite enough of such supernatural legends coming to life. She was never a superstitious woman, but this castle made her feel paranoid. Her eyes darted from left to right trying to stare through the thick gloom. There was nothing. She heard nothing other than the faint breeze that swept through the castle grounds. The sound of banners flapping above her was slowly dying out.

She shivered and attempted to calm herself, thinking happy thoughts. But it was to no avail. She felt her senses begin to fail her as panic began seeping its essence inside her mind. Zhao Meng's hand went directly for her blade. That was when she heard something. It was the sound of footsteps, she thought. She shook her head. It couldn't be. Her head darted in all directions trying to find the source of the now louder noise. At this rate, her blade was out of its sheath now.

A hand clapped itself onto her shoulder. She jumped back and whirled around blade pointed directly at the face of the enigma in the fog. The figure in the fog was a man, but that was all she could see. It wasn't until she heard his voice did she relax. He asked, "What are you doing out here that's so important? You are practically running blind."

She lowered her blade and breathed out a sigh of both relief. "I am trying to get to the cell. It's been about twelve hours since I left him in the custody of the Shaos."

"The Shaos," the man gave a flat reply more on the lines of a statement rather than a question.

"Yes, the Shaos," Zhao Meng huffed.

"Why would you do that?"

"Because...I...um..."

"Figured as much."

Flushed, she raised an eyebrow and asked, "So what are you doing out in this gloom, Li Long?"

"I was looking for you actually," Li Long answered, his face now visible amidst the grey. "The men said that you rushed out of the tower in a hurry."

"Of course I'm in a hurry," She scoffed. "I have to beat this fog. I...failed that as you can very much see."

"I doubt any of us can see much as of right now," Li Long chuckled.

"True," Zhao Meng allowed for a small grin. This grin transformed into a frown as the sounds of whispering began to reverberate around them. Both suddenly stood back-to-back with their weapons drawn out. The flapping of the banner had stopped and yet there was a breeze going past them.

"This was the real reason you ran out so fast...wasn't it?" Li Long asked slowly turning his head towards Zhao Meng. He was not stupid. He saw the bruises and stitched cuts that were on her skin in the morning. At first, Li Long had thought that the prisoner had assaulted her, but if he had, Zhao Meng would have killed him. Seulgi was present during the meeting hours before; he seemingly injured himself as well though he was good at hiding his pain. It was then that Li Long recalled that a few days ago was a full moon, and everything began to click into place.

"I thought these...things only come out during the full moon?" Li Long asked.

"Something must have changed their mind," She answered with eyes darting at figures floating in the gloom. "Perhaps it has something to do with our prisoner."