Chapter Twelve—Golden Street Rat

“NnnaahhhhH!”

Adrienne screamed, but the gag in her mouth stopped her from making enough noise to be heard. Despite the cold air inside this cavern, her face felt hot and her blood pumped inside her ears.

She struggled as Feng carried her like a sack in one arm. Kicking her feet and bending her knees, she tried to push up against his thigh to make him drop her, but his grip was like iron.

How was this skinny little man so strong? It was not natural!

“Stop struggling, little girl,” Feng said, his tone quiet and well assured that he was well on his way to escaping with her—his prize?

As Feng carried her deeper into the cavern, he lit the way with a torch. Adrienne tried to speak, tried to ask where he was taking her, but Feng didn’t answer any of her questions.

Where was Fuwafuwa? And where were her samurai?

Her eyes started watering, but Adrienne refused to give up, refused to be carried like a sack of grain—or like a helpless little girl. Mei Ling probably felt much the same, or maybe she just wailed in terror.

Grunting and chewing at the gag in her mouth, Adrienne continued to struggle against her bonds. Feng had used sack cloth to tie her hands and feet so she couldn’t get away. It was a lot stronger than it looked, but she thought her wrists were beginning to loosen.

The actual rope the two henchmen had was left behind. In Feng’s haste, he hadn’t bothered tying Adrienne up on the kitchen floor, he had waited until after hauling her down here.

There were plenty of scraps, old caskets, crates of empty bottles and sacks of various musty and crusty old items. It was one of these old and rotting sacks the fool had used in a hurry as Adrienne woke up.

Sure, he could have hit her unconscious again, but how many times did a man like Feng want to hit a valuable piece of merchandise? It seemed Adrienne was to be another Mei Ling, captured, held and sold off as a slave to some fat slob.

Ew.

She screamed, snarling all manner of insults though her gag. She continued wriggling in her restraints as they loosened. Yes. Good.

Feng sighed exasperatedly and dropped her. Adrienne grunted as pain flared in her hip and shoulder. But that barely even mattered. Her hands were just about free.

“I have had just about enough from you,” he hissed. “You little slut!” He smirked. “You thought you had the approval of Lady Lanchiu. You enjoyed giving me lip, didn’t you—didn’t you, golden-haired little whore?”

He kicked her then and she grunted deeply as the air came out of her mouth. She struggled for a moment, her eyes watering as air failed to come back. But then after a moment, whatever prevented her from sucking in that sweet cool breath, stopped preventing her and Adrienne gasped.

Feng stepped past her, his back turned as he reached up to light another light. “Normally I might bring a lantern, but the air down here is thin. We don’t want to be trapped in the dark, now do we?” The torch in the wall sconce cracked.

That was when Adrienne got her hands free. She then kicked her ankles furiously. As Feng turned, he muttered she did not hear because of her distraction. A light appear ahead, also drawing Feng’s attention.

“You have her?”

It was a woman’s voice. A familiar voice.

“Yes,” Feng said with a nod. “She is here.” He moved his torch near his leg, indicating Adrienne on the dry and dusty ground.

Kicking free of her restraints, she saw as Landy Lanchiu was revealed in the darkness by the yellow torchlight. In her hand a bright light appeared from what looked to be a magical stone.

Flanking the woman in her majestic gown and her done-up hair were several men all in black with long mustaches. They were different than the men who had tried to tie her up in the house. They seemed all at once to be greasy and dangerous—like spiders.

And that stone—was that magic? Down here in the Twin Cities? How was that—

“Good,” Lady Lanchiu said. “And you checked to make sure she’s a virgin?”

“Not yet.”

“Don’t worry, I am, you creepy bitch!” Adrienne snapped.

Lady Lanchiu laughed, a musical tone as her eyes narrowed to mirthful slits. Then she looked past Feng as if seeing her for the first time. “Aren’t you a lovely golden-haired maiden? We will see how your attitude improved after our buyer has you.”

She must have thought Adrienne were simply struggling within her restraints, because she said nothing and reacted very little as the girl kicked away the loose sackcloth bindings. She would have liked to answer the creepy woman, but Adrienne wasted no time. She got up and ran.

“What?!” Lady Lanchiu screeched. “Feng! You fool! She’s getting away!”

“Come here, you little!” he snarled and his heavier footfalls came after her. But Adrienne was pretty fast on her feet. She might have been a noble, but she was a city rat, a duelist, a thief, and probably a damn good mercenary captain.

“Do not injur her!” Lady Lanchiu called from behind.

Running back in the direction of the ladder that led down here, Adrienne used the light from the torches Feng had lit in the tunnel to make her way, but despite her sudden escape, her heart was thundering inside her chest so hard she thought her stomach hurt.

She needed her samurai.