in one man’s hand slammed her heart against her ribcage.
With a battle cry, Bai Shen unsheathed his sword and rushed forwards while the two of them were left scrambling after him. The men in the alleyway tensed and swung around just as Bai Shen broke into a screaming charge.
Suddenly he launched himself from the ground, twisted in mid-air to execute a flip and landed with the sure-footed grace of a cat. He braised his sword dramatically and the men scrambled away.
‘What was that?’ Yan Lin demanded, incredulous at his theatrics.
‘This is only a prop sword,’ Bai Shen replied, waving the blade.
She moved cautiously toward the man sprawled on the ground, then started running when she recognised the robe. Fei Long moved his head weakly as she came near. The side of his face was dark with bruises. All the breath rushed out of her as she fell to her knees beside him.
‘Fei Long.’ Yan Ling choked back her tears, afraid to touch or move him. All she could do was place her fingertips gently against the side of his cheek so he’d know he was no longer alone.
Bai Shen and Dao came up behind her. Bai Shen went to kneel opposite her.
‘The death of me,’ he muttered. ‘Fei Long, can you move?’
Bai Shen gently probed along his ribs. Fei Long winced, curling into himself in pain.
Looking at Fei Long’s battered body made Yan Ling sick to her soul. ‘Can we take him out of here?’
‘He’s not spitting blood, but I can’t tell if his ribs are broken.’
‘Fei Long.’ She leaned close and took hold of his hand. His fingers tightened weakly around hers. ‘We’re going to move you very slowly.’
With Bai Shen on one side and her on the other, they raised Fei Long gradually to a sitting position. He groaned with the effort. He was heavy, unable to help or resist. It was as if the man inside the body had been reduced to a pitiful mass of bone and flesh.
‘I found his sword.’ Dao came up to them with the weapon in her hands.
‘He gave them a good fight,’ Bai Shen said fiercely.
What did that matter? Fei Long was hurt, beaten and abandoned in these streets. But the anger seemed to vitalise Bai Shen. Anger was the only way to react and not fall into despair.
Fei Long’s lips worked silently and she had to lean in close.
‘Zōu,’ he said.
The wheeze in his breath frightened her. He was only able to open one eye to peer at them. The other one was swollen shut. Crying would not help. She would not cry.
‘We have to get him home,’ she said.
Bai Shen nodded, his expression tense. ‘Stand him up.’
She had to hook Fei Long’s arm over her shoulder to lift him. Bai Shen took his other arm and they raised him as carefully as they could. Fei Long sucked in a breath as she put her arm around his waist, but didn’t cry out. It was just like Fei Long to swallow his pain in silence, but there was no hiding what those animals had done to him.
Once Fei Long was on his feet, they started walking him slowly towards the street. Dao picked up the prop sword and they made their way back to the less seedy parts of the district. Fei Long’s chin dropped against his chest and his weight sagged against her. His feet dragged along at their urging. He would have collapsed the moment they let go.
As they entered the thoroughfare of the entertainment district, more than a few spectators stopped to stare at the odd procession.
‘Too much to drink,’ Bai Shen declared.
Fei Long appeared even worse in the light. His face was bleeding and he barely looked like the man she knew. His eyes were shut and she couldn’t tell if he’d passed out.
At the ward gate, Yan Ling scrambled to think of a story to tell the guard, but Bai Shen was ready. He fished a silver coin from his belt.
‘The lord would appreciate being returned to his bed as soon as possible,’ he said. ‘And if his wife didn’t find out.’
To his credit, the guardsman did check Fei Long to make sure he was breathing. Dao thoughtfully angled the lantern away during the inspection. The guard then looked over the quality of their clothes and seemed to accept the story. The coin was the most convincing part. It disappeared into his palm with a quick wink of silver.
* * *
When they reached the mansion,