A Hail of Sparks, A Clash of Swords

Xuxian started up in bed as the clash of swords rang out the stillness of the night. His hand leaped behind his pillow block and grabbed the hunting knife lying there, even as he reached out instinctively for Suzhen.

His hand fell on the empty bed, and he caught his breath. "Susu!" he called wildly, scrambling out of bed and snatching up his clothes, jamming his feet into his boots.

The hut was empty. He felt panic grip him. Nothing was making sense. Where had she gone?

He flung open the door and saw the figures fighting on the pathway, and the torches waving wildly in the night. Looking about wildly, Xuxian saw Yuanzheng run out of the hut shouting with his axe, while Granny Hong screamed tearfully at him to come back.

His heart almost choked him, it was pounding so hard with fear. The naked blades flashed in the night cruelly, and he shuddered as he heard the cries of pain and groans of the wounded. With shaking hands, Xuxian unsheathed his hunting knife, and the small blade winked like an eye.

Chaos was everywhere, and death was taking place right before his eyes. The sight of blood staining the snow was everywhere he turned. He saw a bandit torch the thatched roof of Gong Yezi's hut and the thatch went up in flames that were dazzlingly bright and cruelly beautiful in the darkness of the night.

Fear paralyzed him, and his legs stayed woodenly on the threshold of the hut as he saw a man lying on the ground with his throat slashed open in a pool of blood, and with a nauseating shock recognized Xiao Yao, the basketmaker.

Xuxian grabbed the doorframe as sudden giddiness gripped him. "Susu," he panted to himself, looking wildly about the crowd of struggling, writhing figures. The leaping flames threw weird shadows, distorting faces already twisted with fear and pain, so that even familiar faces looked unrecognizable.

"Susu," he said again, urgently, and let go of the doorframe, as the breath seemed to come back into his body in a tingling rush. He had to do something. People were being killed. And Susu was out there somewhere, in the midst of all that horror. Even if he was killed immediately, he could not stand here and do nothing.

He charged down the path with a fierce shout, and broke through the gate which was already hanging crookedly, getting sucked almost immediately into the chaos.

As he stumbled into the fray, a bandit crashed into him from behind. Xuxian struck out desperately with his knife and stabbed the man's back, clenching his teeth as he felt the blade grate against the shoulderblade. The bandit swung round with a grunt of pain and lashed out at him with a large curved blade. Xuxian staggered back quickly, but in the small space he could barely avoid getting his stomach sliced open. At this moment, an axe came whistling down over his shoulder and embedded itself into the bandit's chest with a dull thud, like an animal sinking its teeth into its prey.

Xuxian watched wide-eyed as the bandit dropped the sword, looking surprised. His bloodshot eyes met Xuxian's briefly, with an expression of dull bewilderment, and then he slumped down heavily without a sound.

A strong hand grabbed him by the shoulder and hauled him up with a rough yank. It was Yuanzheng, with bright, hard eyes and blood splattered across his face. He wrenched his axe out from the bandit's body and turned to Xuxian.

"Physician Xu," he panted. "Stay with me. You'll get killed by their swords before you can land a blow with that short knife. Help me watch my back, and grab one of the swords on the ground when you have the chance." He raised his axe before him, swinging it threateningly and clearing a path before them as Xuxian quickly moved behind him, following his directions automatically.

"Let's move towards the others," shouted Yuanzheng. "Move together with me, and stay close!" For the first time, Xuxian made out the other villagers who were fighting in the throng, and the glimpse of familiar faces was like a rush of alcohol burning through him.

Huajun was batting blindly about her with her cudgel and shrieking hysterically, half out of her wits with terror but determined to give a good fight. Liang Guo could be seen towering above the others, roaring as he swung a thick wooden stick which he used to bash bandits across the face with, before they could even come close to him.

"Have you seen Susu?" Xuxian cried as they made their way slowly towards them.

"No," Yuanzheng gasped, "Wasn't she in the hut with you? Where is she?"

Stricken, he turned to Xuxian, only to see the fear in his eyes.

"She's gone," Xuxian said in a tight voice. "I don't know where she is." He looked about desperately.

"Even if they took her, they can't have gone far," Yuanzheng said quickly. "Keep your eye out for her."

His voice was drowned out by screams as another bandit set fire to Zheng Haoran's hut, joining the blaze from Gong Yezi's.

Xuxian snatched up a sword from the ground, remembering Yuanzheng's directions, and slashed out blindly as a bandit came towards them. He felt the hiss of air on his face as the bandit's blade cut his cheek open, but swung the sword again doggedly, slicing the man's arm. Yuanzheng hacked the bandit down as he clutched at his arm, and whirled round to hit another man with the butt of the axe handle so hard Xuxian heard the crack of ribs breaking.

"Xuxian!" he shouted unexpectedly. "Look!"

Breathless, Xuxian swiped at the blood streaming down his face and looked up.

Suzhen was fighting in front of him, a sword in either hand, the double blades flashing rapidly. Her cloak swirled around her like a living animal, and her face was a pale blur. There was a crash and a shower of sparks as one of the rafters of Gong Yezi's house collapsed just behind her, and the bandits she was fighting with drew back momentarily while the sparks hailed down around her like golden rain.