The maiden’s face went crimson in the firelight. She stammered, scrambling for an explanation. "Um... well, I've heard great things about the poetry from..."

  She never finished. In a single, fluid motion that shocked me with its speed, both Jìngxī and Língzhú leaped to their feet, their swords hissing from their scabbards. My own surprise was absolute, and I scrambled upright as well. The maiden stood, but even now, her hand did not move toward her weapon. The nuns, however, were not looking at us. Their bodies were tense, their blades held at the ready as they stared past the fire into the darkness at the mouth of the alcove. Understanding dawned, and I gripped the splintered shaft of my broken spear, its heavy steel head feeling clumsy and inadequate. At my side, the maiden’s hand finally came to rest on the hilt of her blade.

  A single Daoist, his grey robes blowing in the night wind, stepped into the reach of the firelight. His sword was already drawn, the blade held behind him with its flat against his back, the point to the sky. His other hand stroked his long, snow-white beard as he regarded us with an air of serene authority.

  Unfortunately it was the "Heavenly Sword" Daoist Qingxuan.

  "My dear Shizhi," he said, his voice calm and carrying easily over the crackle of the fire. "I am not here for you both."

  "Stay back," the maiden told me, her voice firm. Her dark steel sword slid from its scabbard without a sound. I grimaced. I had half a usable weapon and no qi to speak of. Even as I tried to will that familiar warmth into motion, the poison’s sharp spike flared in my meridians, a sharp pain that left me gasping and the energy refusing to follow my command. I had to take a few breaths and allow my qi to recede back into storage.

  Jìngxī took a half-step back, allowing the maiden to form a line alongside herself and Língzhú. "It's unfortunate to see you here, Qingxuan Shishu," Jìngxī said. She and Língzhú gave Qingxuan a short, formal salute, their swords pointed down but still held ready. "I'd heard you decided to join the revolt?"

  "Indeed I have," Qingxuan replied, his hand still stroking his beard as if discussing the weather.

  "We are supposed to be helping the common people!" Jìngxī said, her voice sharp with outrage. "And yet we've heard the tales, you personally interfered and opened Luoyang's gates to wolves!" That one stung, and I glanced at the maiden, and caught her glancing back at me.

  The old Daoist dismissed her outburst with a wave, as if waving away a bothersome fly. He pointed at the maiden and me with the hand that had been on his beard. "I am just here to take their heads. You needn't die here, Shizhi. Otherwise, I wouldn't know how to speak with your Guo Shishu the next time he visits."

  Qingxuan struck like lightning. His movement was a blur, his sword swinging in a silver arc aimed directly at the maiden's head . She stepped back a pace, her own dark blade coming up to intercept. Their swords clashed with a high shriek, sending a shower of sparks into the night air. Three more strikes, each too fast for my eye to properly follow, were met with three more perfect, ringing parries. As the fourth attack came, it suddenly flashed low, a vicious feint that changed direction mid-arc. The maiden’s reaction was a hair short, but with a sharp clang, the steel of the Heavenly Sword bit into the side of Jìngxī's blade as she moved to cover the opening.

  Qingxuan took a step back, and the three women stood steady, a united front of grey robes and dark steel. He inspected the edge of his sword, and Jìngxī did the same with hers. She cursed under her breath. Even from where I stood, I could see a clear, crescent-shaped chip marring her blade’s edge.

  "Your weapon is most troublesome," Qingxuan mused, a tinge of frustration finally creeping into his serene voice as his gaze fell upon the maiden's sword.

  "He's aiming for your weapons," I called out, reasoning I might as well offer tactical observations if I couldn't fight. "He's trying to cut through or dull your edge."

  Jìngxī and Língzhú exchanged a quick, knowing glance. Qingxuan took that instant to strike again. His attack was a blur, flashing left and right at the two nuns, who immediately withdrew their blades and took a half-step back to avoid contact, heeding my warning. The maiden, however, saw the opening and her dark blade jabbed forward in a graceful, aggressive thrust. The Heavenly Sword was forced to circle back around, blocking her attack with another sharp clash.

  They clashed once more, and I could tell the maiden was still slower by a hair. Seeing her pressed, Língzhú and Jìngxī moved as one, launching a simultaneous attack that forced Qingxuan back another pace. As he retreated, the tip of Língzhú's weapon scraped against the cliffside and clattered to the ground, sheared clean off.

  I was confused as to why our side didn't split off to flank him. Then I realized that Língzhú and Jìngxī were fighting to cover the maiden. Their movements were perfectly coordinated, a dance they must have practiced a thousand times. The maiden was a powerful but unpredictable element, and they couldn't risk breaking their formation and leaving her exposed.

  But at this rate they'd lose. I rapidly searched my mind for tactical ideas and settled on the maiden forcing the masters back at the bridge.

  "Edge bite! Qi clash!" I called out to the maiden.

  I took a step out to the side and lifted my broken spear in a clear throwing motion. I took a breath and grit my teeth down on my lower lip as I forced a river of burning lava up from my dantian and into my right arm.

  Seeing stars my spear leaped forward like a tiger pouncing on prey. I tasted sweetness at my throat as metallic blood almost left my lips. I swallowed it instead.

  Qingxuan’s eyes darted to me, and he raised his sword in a defensive posture, anticipating the projectile. The spearhead clanged against the blade and fell harmlessly to the ground.

  It was the opening she needed. The maiden lunged, her blade swinging in a powerful falling arc. It clashed with the Heavenly Sword who had barely enough time to raise his sword to block, and this time, the two blades edges bit into each other and held. She took a pace forward, her left hand shooting out in a palm strike. Qingxuan met her palm with his own. The maiden's robes fluttered violently as their qi collided in a silent, concussive boom. The ground beneath them seemed to tremble, but neither gave an inch.

  Língzhú and Jìngxī followed up instantly, their own swords lunging from the left and right in a perfectly timed pincer. Qingxuan clicked his tongue in annoyance. In the next moment, he shot backward three full paces, using the explosive force of the maiden’s own qi to propel himself away from the triple threat.

  He landed lightly, swinging his Heavenly Sword in a defensive flourish before spitting a mouthful of bright red blood onto the path beside him. His clever retreat had cost him an internal injury.

  Qingxuan took another step back, positioning himself where the path narrowed so he could not be flanked. "Alas..." he said, his voice carrying a note of pure frustration. Before we could press the advantage, he turned and seemed to dissolve into the deeper shadows of the pine forest, vanishing as silently as he had appeared. We held our defensive postures for a long, tense moment, listening to the quiet of the mountains return, before finally allowing ourselves to relax.

  The maiden, Língzhú, and Jìngxī sheathed their swords. Língzhú looked mournfully at her broken blade. "I really liked this jian," she sighed. Jìngxī, however, turned to the maiden and gave her a deep, formal bow. "It is good to see Tiān Hé Gōng at work again," she said with profound respect. "Are you injured, miss?"

  The maiden blushed and returned the bow deeper than before. "My apologies, Shītài..." she began, her voice flustered, but Jìngxī held up a hand to quiet her. I caught a glance from Língzhú, who seemed to be watching my own reaction with a curious eye.

  "Now, at least I am sure we are not enemies," Jìngxī beamed, her earlier suspicion completely gone. Her gaze flicked from the maiden to me, a friendly, inquisitive light in her eyes. "How did you end up traveling with a sharp-eyed man?"

  This prompted the maiden to turn towards me.

  Seeing I was unusually pale, the maiden rushed to my side and once again I was happy to feel warm qi flow though me, pushing the poison back down.

  And I started to lose control of my own power as the sharp knife-like sensations started to spread through my body.