into a tight ball in the alcove of her bed and did nothing. No studying, no embroidery.
She counted days in her head. Inspector Tong would take away the few she had left. No gradual farewell. No time to hoard memories. Her departure would be a cold, quick incision, separating flesh from bone.
Dao came in on silent feet like a cat to bring tea and a plate of sweets for her. She set the tray down beside the bed and sat patiently, not saying a word. Waiting. After an hour or so, she got up.
‘Feel better, Yan,’ she said before slipping just as quietly away.
Of course Yan Ling didn’t want to go to Khitan. She wanted to stay in this beautiful city with fruited trees and glowing lanterns. She wanted to waste her days going to the market and her nights attending plays with fantastic costumes, but there was a price and she had always known it.
And what hardship was it really? She was going as a princess to a foreign land. She would be looked upon with the highest regard and waited on by servants. She would never sleep on a hard, cold floor again beside the ashes of a cooling hearth. Had she become so spoiled that she wasn’t grateful?
She didn’t want any such wealth or luxury. She wanted to be with Fei Long, but no matter how tender he could be or how heated his glances, he would never allow it.
He’d been kind to her. He’d been generous. It was selfish to ask for more, especially when he sacrificed so much for those around him. So she’d do this one thing and she’d do it with as much grace as she could, even if she had to grit her teeth the entire time. She’d learned such sacrifice from Fei Long. It was the one thing he could appreciate and respect. Forbearance.
* * *
By the time Dao came back with dinner, Yan Ling had recovered enough to present a good face. They set the tray in the sitting area and shared melon soup and plates of cooked vegetables and seared pork.
‘Do you know they eat mostly lamb in Khitan?’ Yan Ling asked, by way of conversation.
‘I’ve had lamb before,’ Dao replied. ‘It’s not bad.’
They ate in silence for a bit, picking up morsels from the small plates into their rice bowls.
‘Lord Chang has been very quiet all day,’ Dao reported.
‘He usually doesn’t say much.’
‘I heard from Huibin that he’s accepted some sort of
archery contest.’
‘Oh.’ She was only able to be uninterested for a few bites. ‘Archery? How is that supposed to help anything?’
‘This is how Lord Chang is expected to repay his debt. Zōu expects significant returns from the betting.’
‘You know about the debt, then.’
Dao looked downwards, concentrating on her rice bowl. It was acknowledgement enough. Fei Long had been so intent on keeping everything private, but all the secrets were out now. The entire household was involved.
‘It doesn’t seem like him to hinge so much on a wager,’ Yan Ling said. ‘And his wound hasn’t fully healed yet. He can barely walk.’
She was exaggerating, of course. Fei Long was getting better day by day, but she was still worried. The physician had left strict instructions for him to continue resting and not to lift anything.
Dao didn’t share her concerns. ‘Have you seen him with a bow and arrow? Everyone knows Lord Chang can’t be beaten. The Great Shoot that year was legendary.’
There was some mention of it at the drinking house after the play. ‘He was quite good?’
‘Oh, more than good!’ Dao’s eyes lit up as she told the tale. ‘There had been several friendly contests in the parks leading up to the festival, and rumours were circulating that there was a young master, not yet instated in the imperial army, who could not miss.’
Yan Ling leaned forwards, hungry for every word.
Dao continued, ‘But young Lord Chang was so humble, he never told anyone that he was the bowman everyone spoke of. Maybe he didn’t even know!’
‘That is just like him,’ she agreed.
‘On the day of the shoot, everyone took wagers on who this prodigy must be. Many of the favoured sons of the city came out to the field dressed in colorful costumes, bragging up and down, while Lord Chang was a quiet tiger lying in the shadows.’
She could picture Fei Long perfectly as Dao told the rest of the story. After the first few rounds, a rain of arrows had fallen and the ranks began to