Ward of Storms

CHAPTER FOUR

Dampness coated her body as she curled herself into the quilt, attempting to pull away from the uncomfortable sensation. A strange waking dream entrapped her in restlessness and unsettling doubts. When suddenly, Fenglei reached for her through the shadows, tears flowing upwards from his coal eyes. A dark energy became a gale in the void, the contour of his heart stark against his chest as his clothes whipped in the wind.

Abruptly, he wailed as shadows emerged from his back and lashed in curls appearing as if a duststorm. The ashen tendrils reached to strike her, and she screamed, but before the vile tapered point could reach her, she shot up in bed.

Drenched in sweat and an irrational fear, as well as an ache in her heart surfacing. She recognized the desperation and longing in Fenglei.

"The San Pujian Sect is looking for her," Xiutao's voice resonated through to the attic. She heard it coming from the window, and crawled her way towards it, propping it slightly open to eavesdrop on them below. Qilin and Xiutao, standing at the rail's edge, presented a stark image; Xiutao, leaning on the rail, looked visibly disheartened, as Qilin maintained a somber demeanor beside her.

"I haven't made a determination yet," Qilin said.

"They won't like this, Qilin. I don't want to see you hurt, but I also don't want to see her hurt, either."

"I know," he replied.

"You need to take her to the village and get her something else to wear. If you're going to continue to hide her here, then you at least have to make it so they don't realize what you've done."

"I haven't done anything; she stays here on her own accord and can leave whenever she desires," he replied.

"You know what will happen to her if you act in apathy! Promise me you won't do it, Qi!" Xiutao turned to him, shaking with determination in her whole body. "I can't stay. I have to go to replace the medicine I borrowed for her."

"En," he replied.

"I need a promise. You can't just dismiss me with 'en,'" she insisted.

"Until I determine her character, I promise I will not willingly hand her over to the San Pujian Sect," he confirmed. Xiutao reluctantly accepted it with an audible sigh.

"Are those the men who tried to kill me?" Rui asked. She stood at the door, having snuck her way silently from the attic. Qilin and Xiutao looked over their shoulders.

"Good morning!" Xiutao beamed. She jumped up and rushed over to her. "How are you feeling? Did you get a good night's sleep?"

"I...please answer my question," she said. Xiutao pouted, but Qilin approached her.

"Yes," he replied.

"Do you know why they're trying to kill me? Does it have anything to do with being called Èmó?" she asked. Xiutao gasped, catching Rui's attention, "Did I say something inappropriate?"

Qilin shook his head. "No, it's not in itself derogatory, but it means a creature of chaos and evil," he explained and then canted his head as if trying to place the right translations for her. "It means demon."

"Demon..." Rui mimicked, her heart falling in her chest.

"Hey, don't be sad! It's okay!" Xiutao tried to cheer her, but the words sunk in more.

"Why did they call me...that?" she asked.

Xiutao shared a look with Qilin, who kept his distance as he replied, "I aim to understand it myself."

"That's it? You actually think I could be one! Why? I saved you from the bramble. If I were a monster or a coward, I would have left you to it, but I didn't!" Rui's voice rose. "I am not a demon! I've never hurt anyone in my entire life, and I always put others before myself, even when I was in the cancer ward! I saw the old ladies crying, and I would comfort them!" she retorted, her whole body shaking. She didn't intend to remember her cancer; she didn't intend to feel the helplessness that came with her diagnosis and the isolation she had felt in the treatments. There was never anything she could do or change. Rui left.