By the time Rin arrived, men were gathered eagerly around An Sun. She could hear the gruff and loud voice of Bai Han.
"Well, what did that bastard have to say?"
Approaching the front, Rin caught sight of An Sun's face. He was standing differently, she noticed, shoulders back and legs braced. He looked older, somehow, taller even.
However, the look in his eyes was dark. He closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath. When he opened his eyes and lifted his head, the expression on his face was dreary.
"Prepare everyone. There will be a battle in a week."
There was only silence to his words. The watching men exchanged glances. When An Sun turned to walk away, Bai Han gripped his shoulder and pulled him back.
"What the hell do you mean? What did he say?"
"It doesn't matter." The suddenness of his answer startled them. Bai Han and the others were shocked.
An Sun's eyes lifted, they were bloodshot and withdrawn. "Tell the emperor to prepare all the troops." He removed Bai Han's hand from his shoulder and walked passed the parting group.
When he passed by Rin, he did not look at her. It was as if he had not even seen her. A sudden thought dawned on her then as she watched him walk away.
He was ignoring her.
Unconsciously, she stepped toward him, but her grandfather's voice stopped her. Pursing her lips, she shifted her feet, turning her back to An Sun's retreating figure.
…
That night, An Sun didn't appear for dinner. Considering the events that happened before, no one was surprised. However, the boisterous meals they usually enjoyed together were now quiet and stiff. No jokes from Yin Changpu. No food complaints from Bai Han. Just silence.
How could they, when very soon, there would be a battle.
Three days passed—the three days that it took to organize soldiers, to equip new weapons, to pack up food and clothing to last the length of the war.
Through every corner came the constant clatter of soldiers, bragging, and drilling and sharpening of their swords. For they had the strongest men on their side.
Rin, along with the help of Fan Mingli, helped form new tactics and traps for the day of battle.
All generals and commanders gathered to train the Bai and western troops, their numbers in thousands. Among them, An Sun trained day and night—sometimes hours after practice had already ended.
Rin and An Sun were never alone. During this time, she was always needed for something— her eye on draft sheets and figures, her advice on food supplies, and levy lists.
Even the small moments when they were alone, she noticed An Sun would take every chance to slip away. When she approached him, he would dismiss himself to train.
...
The sun sat high and hot in the sky that afternoon. Amongst the field was the slashing of swords and the bustling of quick feet against a stone ground.
Jin Yue had been training hours before and sweat-drenched her brows.
She held two weapons in her hand with a firm grace; a short, sharp spear and a sword. Her feet were sturdy against the dirt, and her eyes were piercing as if an opponent had been right in front of her.
In the distance, Yin Chanpu cautioned as he approached, selecting from the rack of weapons.
"You're training hard." His wrist flicked the sword at his side, and his eyes scanned the vicious swipe of her sword in the air, faster than his eyes could follow.
Her feet were beating against the earth like a dancer as she moved, and he looked away.
His voice rose a little, and he cleared his throat. "I come here to train every morning. It's nice to see a new face here."
At the sound of his voice, Jin Yue finally stopped. She turned to him, eyes brown and fiery in the sun's rays. Her sword struck the dirt beside her.
"Do you always converse with your comrades like this, then? During training?"
Yin Changpu felt his words catch in his throat, and he rubbed at the sudden sweat beads on his neck.
He had been about to speak, but he stiffened at the sudden lift of her sword inches to his chest.
"Unless you're interested in fighting me." Her voice was firm, her eyes daring.
He did not hide the initial shock, but a subtle grin crossed his lips. He lifted his sword, barely grazing the side of her shoulder.
Her lip twitched, and with a quick jolt of her wrist, her sword clashed with his. He tumbled a little at the sudden force, and he grunted when her foot swept underneath his swift and hard, and he fell to the dirt.
His eyes widened at the sudden fall, and when he tried to get up, he had to fight against the force of her knee in his chest.
He rose but was brought down again by the restraints of her hands to his wrists.
"I win." Jin Yue smiled down at him, grinning at this little victory. She removed her knee from his stomach, jumping back up to retrieve her sword.
"Was that really a fight?" He shouted at her parting figure, and she shook her head with the faintest chuckle.
His gaze fell to his dirtied palms, and for some reason, he smiled; the flush of red spread across his cheeks.
Yin Changpu got back up to train, and could not rid of that blooming smile in his head.
On the fourth day, after another quiet dinner, the night settled, and everyone returned to their rooms for rest. There Rin lay, eyes staring out the window to see the half a thousand stars.
The night seemed oddly quiet to her, though she could hear the snores and mutters from men in their rooms, even the muffled stirring of horses. Yet somehow, it felt as though the world were holding its breath, and the silence made her shiver.
She would have gone back to sleep, had her mind not been so occupied. The feelings she felt that night at the inn burned in her heart. But after these past few days, the warmth and exaltation of that day seemed to fade.
Like a dream.
Staring out the window a few moments longer, Rin listened to the sounds outside, closed her eyes, and drifted off to sleep.
...
The moon was a crescent, thin and sharp as the blade of a knife. Red leaves whispered in the wind. Dark clouds filled the skies and turned to storms. Lightning flashed, and thunder rumbled, and Rin awoke.
Clearing her eyes, a pale face was pressed close to hers. A delicate and subtle scent filled her nostrils, and for a moment, she almost fell back asleep from its calming effect.
Feeling something tickle her cheek, Rin raked her gaze up to see curly wisps of golden hair draped over her. When she raised her eyes even further, she stilled.
Staring back at her was a pair of emerald eyes. They blinked, moved side to side, and shifted his gaze across her face. His long, pale lashes fluttered when landing on her own pair of emerald eyes.
Even as his pale, slender fingertips reached toward her face, all Rin could do was stare. When she felt his touch underneath her right eye, slowly, her sleep-dazed brain understood.
This was real.
With her mind cleared, immediately, Rin jerked off the bed, pushing the man off her. Just as she whirled her gaze around the room, two men in the shadows emerged.
"Damn, grab him!" One of the men muttered sourly. He stank of horses.
Rin spun toward the door to scream for help, but the men moved faster than she would have believed. One hand clamped down over her mouth and yanked back her head. The other brought a dagger up to her throat. The stench of him was overwhelming.
"Tie him up. And do it quietly!" The man holding her head hissed into her ear.
As the other man approached her with a pair of rope, Rin lifted her foot and kicked him hard in his lower region. He crumbled to the floor, groaning in pain.
She reached up with both hands and grabbed the blade with all her strength, wrestling it away from her throat. She heard the man behind her cursing into her ear. Her fingers were slippery with blood, but she refused to let go of the dagger. The hand over her mouth clenched more tightly, nearly shutting off her air.
Steadying her breathing, Rin twisted her head to the side and managed to get a piece of his flesh between her teeth. She bit down hard into his palm. The man shouted in pain. She ground her teeth together and tore at him, and all of a sudden, he let go. The taste of his blood filled her mouth. However, at that moment, she couldn't even taste it.
Sucking in a breath of air, Rin screamed loud and clear. "Intruders!"
The man with the dagger pulled the back of her hair and shoved her face hard into the mattress, muffling her screams.
"Little bastard," He pinned her down harder when she struggled.
It was then, the sound of voices and footsteps sounded nearby.
"Shit! Come on let's go!" He shouted at the other man, who stood up from the floor. She watched them jump out the window, disappearing into the night.
Lightheaded, Rin lifted herself from the bed and shifted her gaze to see a familiar pair of gray eyes staring back at her. She had not heard him enter, but there he stood in the doorway, looking at her. He was breathless, as though he had run far.
"Sun…"