Tired, he settled more firmly into the saddle of his horse, allowing his eyes to close and his mind to drift back onto the subject of his younger sibs. They were well into the time when they could speak and walk and were definitely showing signs of having their own minds, for better or worse.
He had to admit, they were a cute pair, but absolute devils when it came about that their parents weren’t around. And he felt sure that, as always with his family, it would be their eyes that people remembered, and because of that, they’d almost always be considered, well… rather innocent.
They were good at that innocence stuff, unbelievably good.
Heavens, they had fooled him for most of his visit.
He was almost scared of how they would grow up.
::I must admit, those two are enough to keep anyone’s hands busy.:: Blackflame sounded a mixture of amused and exhausted. The two siblings had turned out to be very enchanted with him, and it didn't help that they could hear him, and in turn, babbled back to him in their minds.
Indeed. And then they turn those eyes on you, and its absolutely impossible to believe that they could have had any hand in what went on.
And those eyes… well, it was safe to say that odd colored eyes ran in the family. His eyes were red, after all, and his father’s were amethyst, while his mother’s were a delicate rose pink color.
Huh, only thing about her that is delicate. The thought snuck across his mind, before being replaced with an image of the two hellions who were somehow his siblings.
The girl, Meifeng, had the strangest eyes of the family, eyes that, in some light looked as deep and pure a purple as her father’s, but in others seemed to have that wash of colors that was in some pearls. Most of the time, though, her eyes were amethyst tinged with ruby, and somehow managed to look both wise and innocent at the same time. Her pale skin and straight, midnight black hair was fitting in with the rest of the family, though she seemed about as able to tan as Huifeng was, which meant she’d always keep that pale look.
Peng, though, was as wild as the Roc he was named after, though he, too, somehow managed to convey innocence, though just how was a mystery to almost everyone. Black hair somehow had the lightest hint of gold to it, and his eyes were like a rare fire opal, completely different from Huifeng’s calm ruby, or his father’s deep amethyst. His skin was touched a faint gold by the sun, though it faded to a color just as pale as his sister’s if he was kept indoors for any stretch of time over a week.
::Makes you wonder what deity had a hand in his shaping.::
Huifeng snorted lightly, though he agreed with Blackflame. That his family had yielded something like that wild troublemaker…
Well, it was said that the gods had a twisted sense of humor.
As far as he was concerned, this proved it.
His horse snorted under him, tensing its muscles for a lunge at some hapless person. Huifeng cracked an eye open, growling fiercely to his mount as he did so, looking for whoever had dared get this close.
“Well, I see that beast’s temper hasn’t gotten any sweeter during your time away,” came Luan’s amused voice. The man was sitting calmly on his own horse, just out of reach of the wicked beast that Huifeng sat.
“What, expect a miracle? I think not.” With a fist he punched his horse’s neck, earning the beast’s glare at him, which he returned with a snarl of his own.
The beast he rode was a rather bad tempered war horse, not to mention the only one that would stand his presence without trying to flee in terror. They had come to an agreement of sorts, he was the beast’s master, and cared for and kept the wicked creature reasonably happy, while it kept him from harm. And didn’t bite him, or try to throw him, or attempt to trample him.
Luan just shook his head, falling in beside Huifeng, “I must admit, I had hoped you had managed to sweeten his temper a bit, but I guess that was hoping for too much. That horse is more a predator than a horse.”
Huifeng bared his teeth in a wicked grin, “Harbinger and I understand each other very well.”
He thought he heard Luan mutter something along the lines of, “That’s what scares me.” But he couldn’t be exactly certain, and before he could ask, the man had changed the subject completely.
“So! What are your siblings like?”
“Some of the rowdiest, wildest kids I have ever met.”
“Oh?”
Huifeng ran a hand through his hair, “They were in trouble no less than three times every day, usually more.”
Luan’s eyes widened slightly, but then narrowed, “Didn’t they get any punishment or anything?”
He sighed, “That’s the problem. No one can punish them. Not even me.”
“Wha?” Luan looked too stunned to utter more than that, and as nothing more was forthcoming, or, at least, nothing more that was intelligent, Huifeng decided to continue.
“They have an innocence act, and if they manage to catch your eyes, well…” he spread his hands, giving Luan a ‘what can I say?’ look, “It’s impossible to believe any bad of them, especially while they’re looking right into your eyes and saying that they’re sorry and didn’t realize what they were doing was forbidden. Not even those who caught them can do anything other than say ‘well, don’t do it again, you hear?’”
Luan blinked, trying to figure that out, before saying, “You mean… they can get away with everything.”
“Yes.” He grinned slightly, as he couldn’t wait to see the reaction his next words brought him, “Even Harbinger doesn’t mind being used as a toy by those two.”
From the look on Luan’s face, he was surprised the man hadn’t fallen out of the saddle.
“Wha?!”
“Harbinger let them play around him, even let them climb onto his back.”
“And then pulled his rearing trick to throw them off, of course,” was Luan’s slightly shaky response.
“No. Then he calmly ambled about the field that he was in, being careful that neither fell.”
The look Luan gave him was absolutely priceless, even more so because everything he had said was true.
::Nnnn… must you get up at this ungodly hour?!:: Blackflame’s sleepy protest made him smirk slightly, as he rose and got dressed swiftly.
Of course I must. I promised Ricca that I would help her turn the various mercenaries that we hired into a single, cohesive group. And it’s not that far off from dawn, after all. And besides, if their Captain, who has all the excuses he could want to escape the need to get up early and be at the camp at dawn, doesn’t skip out, then they’ll be more inclined to follow my leadership.
::I think someone’s caught on to your disappearing act, though.:: Blackflame muttered as he curled up tighter in the warm depression where Huifeng had been laying, ::Someone’s waiting rather patiently at the end of the hallway, right near that window you seem to enjoy using as an escape route.::
Huifeng grimaced as he settled his swords comfortably at his waist, his fingers briefly lingering on the helmet that was secured at his waist as well. Well then, I’ll deal with whoever it is as best I may.
With nothing more than that, he turned and slipped silently out of the room, leaving Blackflame there on his bed to return to sleep. The dratted creature could catch up with him when he wanted too.
True to the dragon’s words, a man was standing near the window, apparently gazing out of it, but Huifeng was not fooled in the slightest. The man was waiting for him to appear, and nothing more.
“What do you want,” he hissed from behind the man, one hand on his sword, making sure that his very posture radiated wariness and danger.
“I want,” came to cool response, “To know exactly what you are doing, Zhu Huifeng, that requires you to slip out before dawn each morning, and to return only barely in time to eat dinner.”
The calm face that turned to look at him confirmed his suspicions on who this person was. Well, of course Zhun Yan would be aware enough to realize that you’re rarely here, and would be suspicious!
“If you are worrying about my loyalty, don’t.”
“That still does not answer my curiosity, Zhu Huifeng.”
He grimaced, he had no time for this, and besides, hadn’t Zhan Tan told his strategist what Huifeng was up to?
“Ask Zhan Tan, he knows,” Huifeng hissed, as he tried to push past the strategist to head further down the passage. He really didn’t feel like climbing out a window today, and the fact that it was already getting lighter didn’t help in the least.
“And he told me to ask you, saying that it was your secret to share, and not his.”
Heavens above! This was getting him nowhere!
“Fine. Come with me if you want, but don’t slow me down.”
At Yan’s nod, he quickly strode down the corridor, grimacing in slight distaste as he remembered that Harbinger was under Ricca’s care right now, as the stablemen around here had absolutely refused to let the horse into their stables.
Well, at least she would be waiting for him around the edge of the forest.
“Get your horse,” he muttered.
“What about you?”
He shot Yan a look, then sighed and rolled his eyes, “Harbinger will be waiting for me, just inside the forest. As will Ricca.”
The strategist paused for a second, then nodded and strode off, leaving Huifeng to finally make his way swiftly out of the town and to the forest’s edge. Giving two short, sharp whistles, he stood and waited calmly, watching as the world slowly lightened about him.
The sound of three sets of hooves on soft ground reached his ears, two from before him and one from behind. Ricca, on her gray horse Storm, emerged from the forest leading the rather annoyed Harbinger, who calmed slightly at the sight of his rider.
Behind him, the hooves slowed to a walk, and then halted as Huifeng swung up onto Harbinger’s back and turned to gaze at Zhun Yan with calm eyes.
“What’s he doing here?” Ricca spoke, a dangerous edge to her voice.
‘Calm,’ he signed to her, ‘He is merely here to see why I am disappearing so much recently.’
Her abrupt nod satisfied him, at least she wasn’t going to volunteer to lead Zhun Yan there herself, in which case, it would take the man the entire day to reach there, unless he figured his own way through the maze that Ricca would lead him to.
“Come, time grows short.” Huifeng suited words with actions, nudging Harbinger into a fast walk that took him swiftly into the forest and down game trails that seemed to meander from side to side.
The territory that they passed through was hardly visible in the weak light of pre-dawn, but he knew it like the back of his hand, and didn’t have to pause once to orient himself.
It still bothers me slightly that my lord didn’t feel that he should tell his trusted strategist about this… or maybe this is his way of finding out of I’m speaking the truth or not.
Hm, well, whatever the reason, I’m sure this will leave an impression in Yan’s mind.
The clearing that he rode into was large, more than large enough for his purposes, and, luckily, the trail came out onto the highest point of the clearing, making it a perfect place to call rally.
“Up, men!” His voice was loud in the stillness of the clearing, though the words earned him a questioning look from Yan.
Well, let the strategist think he was just jesting around, he would soon be shown what mercenaries could do under a good captain.
“… You have been rather busy, haven’t you.” The words were dry, and completely calm, as Yan watched men stride into the clearing and form up in precise ranks, every single man outfitted for war, their armor and weapons in good order and well cared for.
It was Ricca who answered for him, “Two hundred able men, best of the best of the mercenaries available. And all have mounts fleet enough to cross vast distances without wearying, and strong enough to fight as ten at the end of such a march.”
“And all with… talents.” Huifeng added calmly, as he surveyed the men below him. Good, they were as prepared as they’d ever get. Just in time to give that usurper a rather unpleasant surprise.
“Talents?”
Once again, Ricca answered for him, as Huifeng kneed his horse forward and walked down the slight incline, traveling through the ranks and speaking a bit with the men.
“Mercenaries are able to do much more than just fight, you know,” she grinned rather viciously, “Especially if they’re lead right.”
“And these men are lead right, I take it?”
Her answering grin was even more vicious than the one she had given before, “Captain Huifeng is a master at leading, when he wishes to be.”
When he turned to look back up at them, it was to see Yan staring in stunned amazement at him, to which he just smiled calmly back.