One more today.
Apr. 22nd, 2002 04:57 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
camwynI'm only still at work because that damned query is still running... bah. Bah, I say.
"You know," grumbled Lu Buwei to the Lord Protector as he rubbed the lenses of his binoculars with the hem of his good blue surcoat, "you could have picked a better time of year for this. This weather's disgusting."
The other man laughed, apparently unaffected by the subject of his complaint. The light, high pitch of the Lord Protector's voice would have been unnerving to anyone else; to Buwei, it was merely familiar. "You've had your feet on dry land for three weeks now, Buwei. You may as well get used to it. Summer isn't getting any easier."
"Yes, but this is ridiculous." He squinted at the lenses suspiciously, then held the binoculars up to his eyes. "I don't remember it ever being anywhere near this hot at sea."
"I do," said the other man gravely.
Buwei didn't bother turning around; he was scanning the western horizon. "That was you," he said firmly, "and that doesn't count. There's no breeze on an Ainu raft once you're past the outer ring. That's even more disgusting than this -" He swatted at something near his ear, his sleeve a swirling cloud of sky and silver. "And the bugs…"
"I will concede the bugs. Those weren't as bad."
"Couldn't you have made them put their contest off until sometime when I wouldn't have to deal with every mosquito in Chang'an trying to feed her children with my blood?" He swatted uselessly again, then turned to sweep his binoculars further up the arch of the sky. "Never mind. Forget I asked."
"He's here?"
"Almost," muttered Buwei. As he lowered his binoculars, scarlet hues flared at the very edges of his vision. "And so are they," he added.
The Hall of Divine Harmony knew how to dress its members, Buwei thought as the wizards and their witnesses flowed into the courtyard. There were twelve of them in all the shades of red one could persuade a bolt of silk to turn, and twice as many dark-garbed lackeys, apprentices, and other hangers-on. The Lord Protector was already greeting them, so Buwei merely bowed and turned his glasses to the skies again. He could just about make out the words over his shoulder as he searched out that tiny black dot:
"- trust you had enough warning?"
"Yes, of course. We-"
"Sir, the other gate-"
"Those are my witnesses, Supreme Grand Scholar Xu Rongjiang." Buwei all but dropped his binoculars, but caught them just in time. "Admiral Ten Feet of Steel, Captain Deng Beihong, would you and your men please do me the favour of giving the Supreme Grand Scholar a proper - ah, thank you, Admiral…"
The Supreme Grand Scholar! thought Buwei. The chief of the Seekers' Order! He was here?
". . . you already know my Prime Minister, of course, please excuse him if he doesn't greet you properly. He's on watch for your competition."
There was a chuckle in the elderly wizard's answer. "Of course, your Lordship." It was all Buwei could do not to turn and bow anyway. The Supreme Grand Scholar! "Although I very much doubt his watching will do the Sky Master any good."
"We shall see, we shall see… Buwei? Anything yet?"
"Ah-" There were long smears left on the lenses from something on his surcoat. Buwei cursed inwardly. "Just a moment-"
"How is Yang Wei recovering, Supreme Grand Scholar Xu?" It was amazing, marveled Buwei, how civilly the Lord Protector could speak when it suited him. Most fleet admirals had mouths like Li Kui by the time they left the Imperial Navy.
"He's doing well," came the reply. "Although I think I shall have to have a word with his sister when all of this is over. That was not a case of fouled scallops."
"I suspected as much. The Maritime Inspection Service here in Chang'an has been especially vigilant lately."
"Only natural, your Lordship. Ever since your edict banning the sale of mei yun yu flesh in the city-"
"Found him, sir," Buwei announced loudly. He pointed with one hand towards an almost imperceptible speck, silently thanking the Sky Master for averting that particular argument. "There."
Every eye in the courtyard turned to the heavens. Buwei could feel it, even as his free hand curled into a fist and pressed against his thigh. Something tightened in his chest, and he thought, Come on, you damned lunatic, you can do it-
Was that a shimmering of the air in the courtyard?
Damnation, Wong! Can't you make that machine move any faster?
The sailors behind him were chanting softly in Hoklo, an old Navy prayer for luck. The speck was getting bigger.
Come on, Wong.
The air of the courtyard was definitely moving now, not so much shimmering as twisting. The voices of the sailors grew louder. Buwei could make out Ten Feet of Steel's words among them, her Hoklo dialect more smoothly flowing than any of the others'.
Dive! Come on, damn you, dive! You're almost-
There was an almost imperceptible distortion in the air, spreading outward from the center of the courtyard, as if something vast were trying to impose itself on that space from afar. Behind Buwei, the wizards' robes rustled. The only other sounds to be heard were the rising prayers of the sailors, and the high, rising whine of the Skysteed's engine as it started its descent.
Wong, I have an awful lot of money on you! Don't let me down!
Another voice joined the sailors', higher in pitch than even Ten Feet of Steel's. It took Buwei a moment to recognize the Lord Protector's words. The man never prayed.
"Sky Mother, whom Pan Gu made that the firmament be upheld…"
Don't let HIM down, either!
He could make out the shape of the wings without the binoculars now, the spars flaring upwards and outwards like the primary feathers of the hawk the skysteed had been named for. Even at this distance, the Osprey's black and white markings were breathtaking to behold, and its grace as it wheeled towards its landing place was unmistakable.
"Breath of Heaven, by Your power, save those who dare the eagle's flight…"
The air gave a vast wrench, and a blur of red staggered out of a hole from nowhere to somewhere, collapsing beside a huddle of a man. The sailors fell silent. The wizards began to cheer, darting forward to grab the new arrivals. The Lord Protector's voice continued, relentless, even as the machine's shadow loomed over the courtyard..
"And keep them by Your watchful guidance-"
Red-robed wizards scattered in every direction, fleeing the clamor of the descending Osprey. Brilliant gold wheels touched the ground at the far end of the courtyard - once. Twice.
"from every peril-"
Three times. The flashing propeller spun itself to a stop.
"-in the air." Even the Lord Protector's voice fell silent.
Buwei had been on ships alongside the things for years, and had long since gotten used to them, but looking at the Osprey sitting there motionless he began to understand how the skysteeds could unnerve the Seekers of Heaven so badly. Not a man alive stood that tall; it towered over the Lord Protector by a good two and a half feet. Six tall men and a sword could have lain head to foot along the thing's wings comfortably. It looked like nothing so much as a painting Buwei had once seen in a cave as a boy, a picture of some ancient, half-forgotten god of the skies in the days of human sacrifice and animal gods. He shivered.
A rope-and-bamboo ladder suddenly flew up from behind the Osprey's wings, whumping against its side with a noise that made the wizards jump back even further. There were some noises made indistinct by distance before a broad-shouldered figure in brown, with a plait of black hair down to its knees, eased itself over the side. It made its way down the ladder, hopping from the second-to-last rung to the ground. "All right!" bellowed Sky Master Wong's voice as he reached up to help his passenger, a heavyset, trembling man, down from the seat behind his own. "The Osprey has landed, your Lordship! Now let's-" Wong's voice stopped; he had seen the blaze of colour at the other end of the courtyard. "Oh," he said, much more quietly, "don't tell me."
Buwei saw the Lord Protector, whose hand had been raised in greeting, give a single nod.
Slowly, achingly slowly, the Sky Master crossed the courtyard to where the crowd stood gathered. Buwei stepped aside, averting his gaze as the man passed; his face was calm, but the look in his eyes was too terrible for words. Wong came to a halt before the knot of wizards, and waited. The red robes parted to reveal Yang Yulan, huddled in on herself like a bug whose rock was just turned over. Her breath came in wheezes and gasps that must surely have been audible at the other end of the courtyard, but she looked up nonetheless, and somehow found the strength to come to her feet.
Wong's eyes met the girl's. For a moment, there was only silence. Then his hand came up, clenched into a white-knuckled fist. He held it in the soldier's salute to his superior for the full seven seconds; then he turned to the Supreme Grand Scholar, tucked his fist into his left hand, and bowed.
The wizard smiled, and began to return the bow, but the Sky Master had already turned and walked away.
"You know," grumbled Lu Buwei to the Lord Protector as he rubbed the lenses of his binoculars with the hem of his good blue surcoat, "you could have picked a better time of year for this. This weather's disgusting."
The other man laughed, apparently unaffected by the subject of his complaint. The light, high pitch of the Lord Protector's voice would have been unnerving to anyone else; to Buwei, it was merely familiar. "You've had your feet on dry land for three weeks now, Buwei. You may as well get used to it. Summer isn't getting any easier."
"Yes, but this is ridiculous." He squinted at the lenses suspiciously, then held the binoculars up to his eyes. "I don't remember it ever being anywhere near this hot at sea."
"I do," said the other man gravely.
Buwei didn't bother turning around; he was scanning the western horizon. "That was you," he said firmly, "and that doesn't count. There's no breeze on an Ainu raft once you're past the outer ring. That's even more disgusting than this -" He swatted at something near his ear, his sleeve a swirling cloud of sky and silver. "And the bugs…"
"I will concede the bugs. Those weren't as bad."
"Couldn't you have made them put their contest off until sometime when I wouldn't have to deal with every mosquito in Chang'an trying to feed her children with my blood?" He swatted uselessly again, then turned to sweep his binoculars further up the arch of the sky. "Never mind. Forget I asked."
"He's here?"
"Almost," muttered Buwei. As he lowered his binoculars, scarlet hues flared at the very edges of his vision. "And so are they," he added.
The Hall of Divine Harmony knew how to dress its members, Buwei thought as the wizards and their witnesses flowed into the courtyard. There were twelve of them in all the shades of red one could persuade a bolt of silk to turn, and twice as many dark-garbed lackeys, apprentices, and other hangers-on. The Lord Protector was already greeting them, so Buwei merely bowed and turned his glasses to the skies again. He could just about make out the words over his shoulder as he searched out that tiny black dot:
"- trust you had enough warning?"
"Yes, of course. We-"
"Sir, the other gate-"
"Those are my witnesses, Supreme Grand Scholar Xu Rongjiang." Buwei all but dropped his binoculars, but caught them just in time. "Admiral Ten Feet of Steel, Captain Deng Beihong, would you and your men please do me the favour of giving the Supreme Grand Scholar a proper - ah, thank you, Admiral…"
The Supreme Grand Scholar! thought Buwei. The chief of the Seekers' Order! He was here?
". . . you already know my Prime Minister, of course, please excuse him if he doesn't greet you properly. He's on watch for your competition."
There was a chuckle in the elderly wizard's answer. "Of course, your Lordship." It was all Buwei could do not to turn and bow anyway. The Supreme Grand Scholar! "Although I very much doubt his watching will do the Sky Master any good."
"We shall see, we shall see… Buwei? Anything yet?"
"Ah-" There were long smears left on the lenses from something on his surcoat. Buwei cursed inwardly. "Just a moment-"
"How is Yang Wei recovering, Supreme Grand Scholar Xu?" It was amazing, marveled Buwei, how civilly the Lord Protector could speak when it suited him. Most fleet admirals had mouths like Li Kui by the time they left the Imperial Navy.
"He's doing well," came the reply. "Although I think I shall have to have a word with his sister when all of this is over. That was not a case of fouled scallops."
"I suspected as much. The Maritime Inspection Service here in Chang'an has been especially vigilant lately."
"Only natural, your Lordship. Ever since your edict banning the sale of mei yun yu flesh in the city-"
"Found him, sir," Buwei announced loudly. He pointed with one hand towards an almost imperceptible speck, silently thanking the Sky Master for averting that particular argument. "There."
Every eye in the courtyard turned to the heavens. Buwei could feel it, even as his free hand curled into a fist and pressed against his thigh. Something tightened in his chest, and he thought, Come on, you damned lunatic, you can do it-
Was that a shimmering of the air in the courtyard?
Damnation, Wong! Can't you make that machine move any faster?
The sailors behind him were chanting softly in Hoklo, an old Navy prayer for luck. The speck was getting bigger.
Come on, Wong.
The air of the courtyard was definitely moving now, not so much shimmering as twisting. The voices of the sailors grew louder. Buwei could make out Ten Feet of Steel's words among them, her Hoklo dialect more smoothly flowing than any of the others'.
Dive! Come on, damn you, dive! You're almost-
There was an almost imperceptible distortion in the air, spreading outward from the center of the courtyard, as if something vast were trying to impose itself on that space from afar. Behind Buwei, the wizards' robes rustled. The only other sounds to be heard were the rising prayers of the sailors, and the high, rising whine of the Skysteed's engine as it started its descent.
Wong, I have an awful lot of money on you! Don't let me down!
Another voice joined the sailors', higher in pitch than even Ten Feet of Steel's. It took Buwei a moment to recognize the Lord Protector's words. The man never prayed.
"Sky Mother, whom Pan Gu made that the firmament be upheld…"
Don't let HIM down, either!
He could make out the shape of the wings without the binoculars now, the spars flaring upwards and outwards like the primary feathers of the hawk the skysteed had been named for. Even at this distance, the Osprey's black and white markings were breathtaking to behold, and its grace as it wheeled towards its landing place was unmistakable.
"Breath of Heaven, by Your power, save those who dare the eagle's flight…"
The air gave a vast wrench, and a blur of red staggered out of a hole from nowhere to somewhere, collapsing beside a huddle of a man. The sailors fell silent. The wizards began to cheer, darting forward to grab the new arrivals. The Lord Protector's voice continued, relentless, even as the machine's shadow loomed over the courtyard..
"And keep them by Your watchful guidance-"
Red-robed wizards scattered in every direction, fleeing the clamor of the descending Osprey. Brilliant gold wheels touched the ground at the far end of the courtyard - once. Twice.
"from every peril-"
Three times. The flashing propeller spun itself to a stop.
"-in the air." Even the Lord Protector's voice fell silent.
Buwei had been on ships alongside the things for years, and had long since gotten used to them, but looking at the Osprey sitting there motionless he began to understand how the skysteeds could unnerve the Seekers of Heaven so badly. Not a man alive stood that tall; it towered over the Lord Protector by a good two and a half feet. Six tall men and a sword could have lain head to foot along the thing's wings comfortably. It looked like nothing so much as a painting Buwei had once seen in a cave as a boy, a picture of some ancient, half-forgotten god of the skies in the days of human sacrifice and animal gods. He shivered.
A rope-and-bamboo ladder suddenly flew up from behind the Osprey's wings, whumping against its side with a noise that made the wizards jump back even further. There were some noises made indistinct by distance before a broad-shouldered figure in brown, with a plait of black hair down to its knees, eased itself over the side. It made its way down the ladder, hopping from the second-to-last rung to the ground. "All right!" bellowed Sky Master Wong's voice as he reached up to help his passenger, a heavyset, trembling man, down from the seat behind his own. "The Osprey has landed, your Lordship! Now let's-" Wong's voice stopped; he had seen the blaze of colour at the other end of the courtyard. "Oh," he said, much more quietly, "don't tell me."
Buwei saw the Lord Protector, whose hand had been raised in greeting, give a single nod.
Slowly, achingly slowly, the Sky Master crossed the courtyard to where the crowd stood gathered. Buwei stepped aside, averting his gaze as the man passed; his face was calm, but the look in his eyes was too terrible for words. Wong came to a halt before the knot of wizards, and waited. The red robes parted to reveal Yang Yulan, huddled in on herself like a bug whose rock was just turned over. Her breath came in wheezes and gasps that must surely have been audible at the other end of the courtyard, but she looked up nonetheless, and somehow found the strength to come to her feet.
Wong's eyes met the girl's. For a moment, there was only silence. Then his hand came up, clenched into a white-knuckled fist. He held it in the soldier's salute to his superior for the full seven seconds; then he turned to the Supreme Grand Scholar, tucked his fist into his left hand, and bowed.
The wizard smiled, and began to return the bow, but the Sky Master had already turned and walked away.
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no subject
Date: 2002-04-22 02:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2002-04-22 03:21 pm (UTC)Also, dunno if this is a continuation of something else (haven't read LJ today, and I read top down), but it's wonderfully coherent on its own.
Bravo...
Date: 2002-04-23 12:48 am (UTC)If you dare have a crisis of self-esteem over your writing ability within my hearing... so help me, you'll be getting a spanking! :)
G