The tall shadow leaned on her and whisper,
"Please don't move Lady Li. " A familiar voice grazed her ear.
Li Amm was stunned.
'Twelve?'
This tall shadow sounded like Twelve, the shadow guard that she had borrowed from the Emperor for two days. Why he was here?
Li Amm suddenly had the thought that the Emperor's men might have reached this place. But why a shadow guard who was supposedly guarding the emperor was here, joining the war?
Li Amm had many doubts about him.
They stayed in this position for a long time. Since the man was stronger than her, there's no point in struggling. She waited for Twelve to make the first move.
The deafening silence heightened her senses. Li Amm's ears and eyes got used to the stillness of the night. Her hearing focused on her surrounding while her eyes adjusted in the dark. She could now barely see Twelve's figure. As usual, he was wearing black cloth all over him, a perfect camouflage with the dark.
Li Amm's dark eyes looked straight to his greyish eyes. Seemingly asking why he was stopping her from moving.
Then she heard noises. No, actually she felt it. The heavy steps of numerous people caused the ground to silently vibrate. Li Amm's eyes go wide. It was an army. She could not see the army or hear them. But she could feel them.
"They are now passing by. They could not see us. But they can hear us." Twelve said as he slowly removed his hand on Li Amm's mouth. Li Amm nodded to him to indicate that she understood. Even though she was not sure if he could see it.
She looked ahead. The dark clouds were mostly covering the entirety of the moon. Only providing a little bit of light for her to differentiate the shadows that were moving under the cold night.
Then Li Amm saw them. An army of people was moving silently. Their movement was peculiar. They were crouching down like a predator preparing an ambush for their pray. They were surrounding every inn and big houses in the plaza.
Li Amm's throat dried. She had been walking around the city and didn't notice that she was about to face these men. She did not know if these men were friends or foes.
But in this dark night, once they saw someone standing on the opposite sides, they would think the other party was an enemy, killing them in one shot without identifying the poor victim. Most likely, that would be her fate if Twelve hasn't stopped her.
Li Amm and Twelve stayed in that dark spot for a long time. Waiting for the other men to make a move so they could use that as a distraction and get out of here.
There was a long deafening silence. Each second passed was accompanied by the loud beating of her heart.
Suddenly a sound of breaking glass and a shout of a man emanated from the old man's inn. Since the night was so still and silent, this shout echoed in the plaza.
"You little slave! All you have to do is fetch me alcohol, and you can't even do that! Useless!"
This shout made the army who were waiting for the ambush halted their movements.
Li Amm was flabbergasted. So the ominous feeling she had before came from the inns and houses here in the city. There were actually people here too. But whose side are they?
The silent predator who was creeping in the dark slowly revealed their arrows.
Twelve frowned. This was an unexpected discovery. He knew whose people were residing in this city and he knew too who was the party that was laying an ambush.
But he didn't know that General Ren Shou was a step ahead from the Emperor's plan. It was like the General was already aware of the Emperor's scheme and had prepared beforehand.
Twelve, as the shadow guard of the Emperor, knew that he needs to tell this intel to the Emperor so the Emperor's men could aide his men in Lin City.
Twelve looked at the Lady beside him. He needs to drag him with her. Staying in the city for a moment longer would put them both in danger.
"Lady-" As he was about to persuade her to go with him, Li Amm gasped.
Twelve looked at the direction she was looking at. There was a fire on the tip of every men's arrow that was directed at each inn and houses. He also smelled something in the air. The strong scent of gasoline.
"No..the old man.." Li Amm's wide eyes reflected the arrow that hit the old man's inn. This precious inn that was built by the old man's blood and tears was easily engulfed by fire.
"Fire!" A childish voice sounded first before it got drowned by the other's men shout. It was very subtle. But Li Amm and Twelve who was focused on a specific inn heard it clearly. It was a shout of a young girl!
"Ready!" The silent army stripped all their quiet pretense and shouted loudly to prepare the second batch of arrows. Whoever comes out in the inns on fire would be shoot by them.
Batches of men, some had burns on their body ran out of the inn while screaming in pain. However, they did not get far as they were ambushed by the rain of arrows. Blood, fire, and screams echoed in the quiet plaza.
Li Amm's eyes trembled. It was the first time she had seen the cruelty of the battlefield. The burning smell of the flesh and the fishy smell of blood assaulted her nose. She had watched as a young man's half burn body struggled for a few seconds before he met his end by three arrows.
The sight was so repulsive that made her gag. This was different when she was watching war movies back on earth. She might have enjoyed those movies, but right now, facing its reality was so brutal.
"Aghh! Help!" The young girl's shouts made Li Amm snapped awake. Amidst the shout of men, this particular shout was easy to distinguish.
Li Amm ran to the old man's inn with trembling legs. She did not think. She just moved quickly as she could. She did not care if the people with the arrows saw her and shoot her. Nor she did not care if the fire would burn her to death. Right now, the only thing she could think of was the children who were burning and crying for help. The very children who were waiting for her promise that she needs to fulfill.