The Flower Among the Flames

Chapter 25

"Do you know nothing of stealth?" Seulgi hissed, his hard gaze whirling around to face the source of the loud rapping of footsteps. Zhao Meng was in a crouched creeping stance, focusing on the floor below her. She jolted up in surprise and tried to follow Seulgi's gaze, turning her own head. There was no one there. She pouted and hissed in reply, "Oh, shut up!"

"I thought women tread lightly!" Seulgi muttered, his eyes still glaring at Zhao Meng with a hint of annoyance in his posture.

"That is an unsupported myth told by husbands who cuckold her wives!" She snapped. "I thought men were supposed to be fearless; especially around women."

"Touché." Seulgi shrugged. He turned his head back to face what was in front of him, ignoring the huffing noise Zhao Meng was making in response to his earlier words. That soldier was leading the General and that cloaked figure from earlier to somewhere completely unknown to him. Never been down this way before. Seulgi thought to himself. It smelled musty with mold and dust, its walls worn but empty of cuts and gashes, and was generally cleaner in all manners of appearance. There was something very different with this hallway.

"Ever been here before?" Seulgi asked with a hushed voice. He did not want to alert the group of people ahead. Although they were a fair distance away and there were many turns, he did not want to take any chances. Zhao Meng took a few moments to glance around herself and inspect the halls with more detail. She shook her head. "Not that I know of. I'd think I would remember where I would walk, especially in a hallway like this one. You know...with all the faded bloodstains and stuff?"

It was eerie, to say the least. No signs of past fighting marked this place whereas everywhere else there was virtually not one clean spot on a wall without red crust or slashes. Just what was going on? Why had she not noticed this place before? The two warriors continued their slow stealthy creep, turning to the right to continue tracking the General's path. She breathed in through her nose and then breathed out in relief. The moldy smell was clearing up. Zhao Meng was wondering how long she would last having the urge to sneeze or cough with every step she took.

Suddenly, there was the echoing sound of cracking behind them. Zhao Meng was tempted to spin around to find the source of the noise, but knew that such movements would cause too much sound and vibrations through the floor. Instead, she glanced behind her slowly with her eyes. There was nothing directly behind them, but the cracking and popping noises persisted. It sounded just like fireworks.

"Gunfire," Seulgi grumbled, turning his head to stare into her eyes.

"Gunfire?" Zhao Meng was confused. The Sheng had no firearms here.

"Yul brought a whole arsenal of flintlocks and handheld cannons with him," Seulgi explained, scratching his scalp absentmindedly. "To be honest, I am not really surprised. He's a planner, that one."

"How do you know that?" Zhao Meng asked with widened eyes. What did this mean for the Sheng? Was Yul turning on them?

"If you are wondering if he is currently shooting up your troops, don't worry." Seulgi gave her a look of reassurance. "He may be reckless, but Yul is no backstabber. He'd be the last person to break up a truce."

"If what you say is true." Zhao Meng clamped a hand over her mouth in horror and in realization to a terrifying revelation. They've broken through. Her hands began to tremble in fear, now perceiving the gunshots with even more anxiety than earlier. Damn it...stop shaking. She cursed but her body did not respond to her will. Then she felt something surround her hands; something warm. Zhao Meng blinked, her eyes focusing on the hands that covered her own. She looked up into Seulgi's calm eyes, everything fading out around her vision.