8888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888 Of Legendary Creatures and Mystical Beasts By Firuze Khanume (firuzekhanume@hotpop.com) Part 2 -- Encounters 8888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888 She ran all the way to her retirement place. Running out of time, she traced a magical circle with iron powder and salt, and to avoid any detection she secured the circle by placing four Phoenix feathers in each of the cardinal points and lighting candles made of unicorn's grease. It was a perfect and secure place to put the human, and she avoided unnecessary risks. She only had to ensure that he would never leave the circle until he was in full health and ready to return to the humans' realm. She sat in the center of the circle and collected all her strength to bring him to her. She only hoped it wasn't too late. After two failed attempts, she succeeded on the third one. Shaking from the effort of the strenuous job, she leaned over the motionless body before her. He barely breathed. He has blisters all over his body, his skin cracked and bleeding, his lips swollen and cracked... Besides, two large and deep sword cuts in his side that were infected, although not bleeding. It would take a long time to get him on his feet again, even using magic. She put his head on her lap to help him drink some water. He was barely conscious, and he was babbling in a language quite uncommon for the place he was wandering in: Japanese. After a bit he could drink by himself, although she had to calm him down to keep him from chocking with the urge to quench his thirst. After a short while, the young man, maybe in his middle twenties, slipped into deep sleep out of exhaustion. She regarded at him closely, then started at the realization that she would have to bathe him to take care of his wounds properly. With a deep sigh, she started to undress him, carefully enough to avoid deepening his cuts since his clothes were stuck fast to the open wounds. Apart for his miserable state at that moment, it seemed that the man was heavily trained in several kinds of martial arts, a true warrior. His carefully build body, his firm and well toned muscles (developed only through the hardest kind of training) told her so -- as well as the scars from past battles scattered here and there. She blushed a furious shade of crimson when she took his last piece of clothing. She had never seen any adult male naked before. After all, she was still a young girl of two centuries, as the Elders had told her before. She knew, though, that her cousins used to go with men of their own kind once in a while, but she had never tried it, since she disagreed with the whole idea of males being outcasts, only useful for pleasure or reproduction. She was indeed a headache to all conventional standards of her Realm, but she couldn't help it. She would go to a male only if she met him before and to keep him at least as a friend afterward. And that idea was a mortal sin to the other, so she preferred forced chastity than to become the reason behind any innocent's death. Pleasure or even reproduction was not worth taking life. The only way she would take another's life would be in self-defense or for the purpose of achieving a higher goal. Besides, she would never surrender a baby boy born of her to be banished or killed merely because of his sex. The Elder's laws might have useful in a time of anguish and desolation, but those times were long past. Now the rules were outdated and cruel, and she couldn't help but to rebel herself against them. She sat him inside the large tub she used to bathe herself. He was far too heavy for her to carry, so she had to use magic. Avoiding looking at the human's nakedness, she blew on the tub trice and warm water began to pour into it. With a clean cloth she started to rub him carefully, taking apart the loose skin on the open blisters. Soon the water was a bloody mess, so she blew again twice and the water was gone and replaced with fresh one. She had to do it three times, until she was left with only soapy water on the tub. Then she took him out of the tub and wrapped a towel around his body to rub him dry. She covered his blisters with medicinal and magical ointments. They would be gone in a matter of hours, without any trace of being there at all. The sword wounds were an entire different matter, though. It was almost incredible that he had survived such infection and bleeding. Under normal conditions it would be hard to believe it, but being lost in the desert... Quite remarkable, completely extraordinary... Of course it had to be the share of mystical beast inside him, which saved him long enough to be noticed by her. No common human male could have survived such conditions. She was confident enough that her magic and potions would work on him well enough to get him recovered enough to get him back on his realm just before anyone, specially the Elders, could be aware of his presence in there. The fever would be gone by the morning, but the infected wounds would take some days to heal. Two weeks at least to them to fully close and to recover his strength to be on his own again, but although the schedule was pretty tight, she was certain he'd make it. Asiyah only hoped not to run out of luck and to get him ready for his return before the Elders got wind of any hint of her disobedience. ******************************************************************** In some place inside the worst den of corruption in China, known by people as the demon city of Shanghai, a short slim man called Wu Heishin rubbed his hands in sheer pleasure. After many years under the shadow of his powerful associate, Yukishiro Enishi, he could enjoy real power. He was no longer Number Two. The fact of dropping his former boss' whereabouts to the right ears after his successful and profitable last trip to Dunhuang on the Silk Road was a brilliant master plot, carried out by an innocent slip of the tongue (to avoid undue suspicion). He hated that bloody arrogant bastard, but he already was too dangerous as both an ally and a foe. The very thought of the merciless, powerful and fearless assassin being deep buried within a Western China desert, serving as the meal of worms and beetles satisfied him greatly. Ah, again brain was superior to muscle and strength! He knew the thought was not entirely right, since Yukishiro Enishi had been cunning and slippery through the years. It has to be that way, since he had earned his place among the great bosses of Shanghai Triads at a very early age, maybe the younger boss in history. It was utterly impossible to reach such level relying only on killing talent and brute force alone. But he was gone now. Dead. He had gotten rid of him, at last. He gave a sigh of relief. The guy was creepy to say the least. He had thought of him over the years as a bit insane, with his obsession over his dead sister and his revenge over her killer (his own brother-in-law) eating him from the inside. But despite that fact, he couldn't have proclaimed that Enishi was a madman, for he wasn't mad enough to get rid of him without facing troubles coming from the other bosses who were always suspicious of subordinates who grew too ambitious for their own good. They were not the kind of people you'd want to upset. He walked to the wide room where his now deceased boss had conducted his business over the past years, and he sat down in the smooth comfortable black leather armchair just before the large ebony desk. He put his short legs over the carefully polished surface his boss had look after so dearly. He could even imagine his blind rage at the sight if Yukishiro was had been able to see him doing this from Hell Little vendettas were really pleasurable things. The sound of his laughter echoed through the great house, while servants shook their heads in disgust. They had the feeling that their new master could be even stranger than their former one... ******************************************************************** There were no incidents over the past three weeks. Every time the man woke up from his slumber, she put him to sleep again. She only allowed him to stay partially awaken during his meals to avoid him chocking on the food. It was safer to keep him this way, as much as for his own recovery as for security measures, to avoid having him step out the magical circle around the place, which would disclose his presence to the Elders. It was very embarrassing and uncomfortable to take care of him as a quite huge baby, but it was a lot better than to face banishment from the Kingdom. As the days went by, her decision over saving him grew more and more confusing to herself. She had always had a deep curiosity over humans, and once in a while she had ventured to their realm to study them. Once, she had spent ten full years on Isfahan to learn how they lived... But she felt it was different now. She did not act out of sympathy or curiosity or pity. She could feel something eerie about this human, something that made her hair stand on end but attracted her to him like a magnet all the while. It was something odd, and she couldn't say what was it. This feeling and the fact of the Elders prohibited her to act to save him was enough to bring forth within her the exact taste of temptation and adventure that had pushed her to this point -- risking all she had for a stranger who she would never see again for sure. She sighed and looked over the subject of her new worries. He was almost ready to his return. His wounds had healed more quickly than she thought they would, and he seemed strong enough. Just a couple of days and she'd deposit him in Beijing, from where he could manage to get back to his destination, whatever it was. She found she was quite curious over the fact that he was not Chinese but Japanese. It was uncommon to find Japanese people so deep in Chinese territory. They mostly stayed near the coast. She still was wandering about this when catastrophe knocked on her door. The Elders paid her a visit. ******************************************************************** He woke up startled, jumping when he felt the softness of the futon beneath him. His head was spinning, and he was not fully aware of his surroundings. The last thing he remembered clearly were those God damned vultures flying over his bleeding, fallen body. He seemed to be on a tent, all-alone. He looked at himself carefully. He couldn't believe his eyes. All his blisters were gone, not even trace of any scars from them, and his sword wounds, carefully wrapped with clean bandages, was almost healed. It was pretty clear he had been unconscious for several days, possibly even weeks. And those who had rescued him had truly cared about his well-being and health during those days. He closed his eyes and sensed all around him seeking for hostility, danger, or potential treats around him. He felt a very uncommon, powerful, strange ki. It was the strangest feeling he ever experienced, but it seemed not to mean any danger to him. He had to locate it, thought -- he couldn't allow himself being caught again. The presence was outside, not too far away. He collected all his strength, supporting his weight on every object he felt fit for it, his muscles trembling from the lack of use during the past days, and went outside. He was received by the cold night of the desert, and full moon shining in the sky. There was a camel fully loaded, its knees bent and tied to prevent his to escape, and the most beautiful two Arab horses he had seen in his entire life tied to a pole in the sand. While he was staring them the wind brought him the melody of a song, a song sung by a feminine voice, it seemed. Events became even stranger by the moment, as he couldn't reconcile the feeling of the powerful ki he had felt with the image of a woman. Anyway, he didn't feel other presences around. Reeling on his feet he forced himself to the place the sounds came from. He indeed found a woman there and, yes, the ki belonged to her. He found the whole picture totally out of reality. A quite petite woman with the most exquisite voice was singing the saddest song he'd ever heard in a totally unknown language, just in the middle of the deadliest desert on Earth -- but besides that, she had the strong ki of a warrior. He thought he was suffering another illusion of the desert. He shook his head as to get rid of the vision, but when he opened his eyes she was still there. Suddenly, she turned her head. She muffled, surprised at the sight of him standing there. His legs betrayed him, and he fell to the sand on his knees. She rushed towards him and stopped his fall before he landed on his face. Using her as a supporting staff, he made his way to the tent again where she helped him to go back to the futon. "Who...are...you? How...did I ...get here?" His voice was hoarse, dull, from the lack of use, as was the rest of his body. He repeated the question twice, in perfect Mandarin and then in Cantonese, hoping she could understand either of those languages. "It was sheer imprudence to get up from the futon, not to mention to walk outside. You should not move. I...only went outside for a little while. You should have waited for me to come back. Well, no harm done here. At least you are awake now ..." she answered in clear unaccented Japanese, and strange as it was, it took him a while to collect the meaning of the words. It was a long time since he had had the chance to hear his own native language, not to mention to speak it. He had reached the point of almost forgetting it. He was clearly stunned. He was actually a Japanese man, but she was obviously not. The snow-white skin (so strange for a desert woman) and the strange green eyes were of gaijin woman, and gaijin did not distinguish between Japanese and Chinese, despite the many differences of their features. It was clear she was aware of these differences. And who the Hell was she that she even could talk Japanese in that God forgotten place where nothing save bandits and greedy merchants flourished? He did a mental note: he had to investigate the fact when his brain was in better condition. "How- did- I- come-here?" He purposely marked every single word. He wanted answers, and he wouldn't take anything less. To make the point clear enough he locked his eyes on hers with a deadly serious gaze. Granted, he was quite grateful to her and her people for saving his life, but he was not in the habit of taking unnecessary risks. He felt himself at her when he saw the joyful glint behind her eyes. She met his eyes without a hint of fear. He wondered about his condition. He had to be as miserable as a beaten dog, if he couldn't even scare a little desert girl. He growled in frustration. But he noticed that she had the most peculiar eyes he'd ever seen. They were emerald green with golden flecks dancing deep within them, and he could have sworn that she could hypnotize with them. She was not an ordinary nomad. In fact, she was not a common woman at all. He felt an uneasy sensation growing in him in response to her. He was unarmed and weak, and although she was a petite woman who in normal circumstances would only serve to amuse him, everything warned him not to be fooled by external looks. "I found you when you were about to be eaten...I didn't think it was right so...." "Where are the others?" "You were all alone...." "No... I meant your friends, guardians, family, whoever is with you here... the caravan... It is quite obvious you are not alone. No woman can survive on her own on the desert, just in the middle of the Silk Road, not to mention to load a camel, and keep an eye to two horses and a injured man without any help." She seemed to be taken aback. After a short while she answered him. "Well, I was traveling with my brother to Dunhuang, with three camels fully loaded to sell our Persian goods there. But in a stop I forget to tie the knees of the camels, and two of them run away. So my brother went after them and ordered me to stay here with you, the horses, and the third camel. This is the caravan path so I wasn't afraid of losing myself in the desert if he didn't return soon. He told me that if he didn't return by the time another caravan passed us, then I was to try to wake you up and follow them to Dunhuang, as was planned. He would meet me there, were our family is, although if I didn't find him I would ask them to go and search for him. But I think it is too dangerous for a woman to stay alone in the desert. There are bandits, and many risks. I assume you are quite recovered now, so if we find any caravan coming this way, I suggest we should try to go with them." "Ah.... I see..." The answer was odd in a way, although not quite impossible. So he took it at face value. For now. "Are you hungry?" "Quite..." She gave him a rice bowl. It tasted awful, but after years after the Bakufu forces in Japan and the rotten flesh he had eaten during his first months in Shanghai, he was not picky anymore... "How long has it been since you found me?" "Near three weeks." He was so surprised that he chocked in his food. And soon enough he found her helping him to regain his breath. < Three full weeks... Heishin ...That bloody bastard is surely celebrating my death by now... he had better not ruined anything during my ... vacation> "What is your name, little one?" "Asiyah...and yours? - she gave him a stern glare at the comment, which amused him very much. He couldn't scare her, but he could annoy her. A good point, which he recorded in his brain. "Enishi." It was enough to give her his given name. He didn't know who she was for sure (or her mysterious brother, as a matter of fact), nor if he could trust them at all. They could be planning to sell him to any of his enemies, as far as he knew. He had already been ambushed during his trip, so he had no reason to trust anyone, especially people he had only met that very day. If they were truly helping him, then he would take care that they would be rewarded in a way they would never forget. If they wanted to betray him, he would not let himself be easy prey. "Well, Enishi... I think you should sleep now. This is the first day you've been awake during the last three weeks, and I think you've already talked, walked, and moved too much. A caravan could pass by at any time, and I'll need you to help me. We don't want to be stuck here; we are running out of water and food. He had a thousand questions to ask her, and he did not want to sleep, but he found himself slipping into sleep soon enough. A white snowfield smelling of white plums surrounded him, and then he didn't care about asking the questions to the gaijin girl anymore. < THAT was pretty close ...> Asiyah gave a sigh, relaxing herself only at the sight of his steady breathing. He was sleeping at last. Now she was alone again. Alone with her thoughts, alone with her sorrows... her memories of a land she would never see again for her lifetime. Because she was now an outcast. She went out of the tent again and walked away. She didn't want her sobs to awaken the human called Enishi. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- AUTHOR: N/A : Isfahan : Ancient Persian city ( Iran from 1935), old capital of Safawid dynasty . One of the most astonishing cities of the world, famous for its miniature craftwork and the old palaces, gardens, pools and Mosques, and the central square where the sport called polo was invented and played by first time. (My husband was there last year, so those who may want any info...) Dunhuang lies at the western end of the Gansu Corridor, called Hexi Zoulang, in the actual province of Gansu. The name Dunhuang originally meant, "prospering, flourishing" -- a hint that Dunhuang must once have been an important city. Its position at the intersection of two trade routes on the renowned Silk Road was what made Dunhuang flourish. The coming and going of horse and camel caravans carried new thoughts, ideas, arts, and sciences to the East and West. This city lies at the verge of the merciless desert called Taklimakan. The Taklimakan Desert, also known as the Tarim Desert, is the largest desert in China and one of the largest in the world located in the center of the Tarim basin south of Xinjiang's Tianshan Mountains. It is 1,000 kilometers from west to east and 400 kilometers from north to south, covering a total area of 327,000 square kilometers. Taklimakan means " no emergence upon entry" in Uygur language. It has three characteristics: 1) Drifting sand dunes account for 85 percent of the total desert area, while stable and semi-stable bush sand dunes account for only 15 percent, which are found mainly on the edges of the desert and along the rivers flowing into its depth. 2) The sand dunes are complicated in form, and are of great height, mostly 100-150 meters and some as high as 200-300 meters. 3) There are "natural oases" with wide development potentials and diversiform-leaved poplars over the wide areas in the valleylands deep in the desert, along the rivers on the edges of the desert and in the frontal part of the alluvial fans. In next chapter we will lean why Yukishiro Enishi was lost in there.