THE VALLEY OF DEATH
706 Words
A pale mist clung to the mountains as Prince Zhao Yun's procession advanced along the winding road.
Towering cliffs rose on both sides like the walls of a giant prison.
The path ahead narrowed until only two horses could ride side by side.
Captain Lu Feng's hand never strayed far from the hilt of his sword.
"I don't like this place," he muttered.
"There are too many places for an ambush."
Zhao Yun silently studied the cliffs above.
The forest was unnaturally quiet.
No birds sang.
No insects chirped.
Even the wind seemed to hold its breath.
Mei Lian slowed her horse beside the prince.
"Your Highness..."
"Have you noticed?"
Zhao Yun nodded.
"The silence."
She looked up at the rocky slopes.
"Not just that."
"There are no fresh animal tracks."
"It is as though every living creature fled this valley before we arrived."
Before Zhao Yun could reply, Shen, who had been scouting ahead, galloped back toward them.
His horse was covered in sweat.
"Your Highness!"
"There are fallen boulders blocking the road ahead."
Lu Feng frowned.
"Natural?"
Shen shook his head.
"They were placed there deliberately."
At that moment—
A sharp whistle echoed through the gorge.
Then another.
Then a third.
Zhao Yun's eyes flashed.
"Ambush!"
The first volley of arrows rained from the cliffs.
"Shields!" Lu Feng roared.
Imperial guards raised their shields just as dozens of arrows crashed against them with deafening force.
Several horses panicked, throwing their riders to the ground.
The narrow pass erupted into chaos.
Black-clad warriors emerged from hidden caves on both sides of the gorge, charging down the slopes with gleaming blades.
"The Black Wolf Society!" Shen shouted.
Without hesitation, Zhao Yun drew the Dragon Spring Sword.
Its polished blade caught the morning light as he urged his horse forward.
A masked attacker leaped toward him.
One swift strike.
The assassin's sword shattered in two.
A second attacker lunged from behind.
Zhao Yun spun in the saddle, his blade flashing like silver lightning.
The man collapsed before he could cry out.
Meanwhile, Captain Lu Feng fought like a lion defending its pride.
Despite the wound on his shoulder, he stood before the supply cart, refusing to let anyone near the precious bundles of evidence.
Three assassins attacked together.
Lu Feng blocked the first strike, kicked the second man backward, and drove his sword through the third before turning to meet another wave.
Blood stained the rocky ground.
Still he did not retreat.
On the opposite side of the pass, Mei Lian knelt behind an overturned wagon.
Her medicine chest lay open beside her.
Working with remarkable speed, she mixed powdered herbs into small clay jars.
"Shen!" she called.
He ducked beneath a swinging blade and sprinted toward her.
"What is it?"
She handed him two jars.
"When I give the signal, throw them toward the cliffs."
He looked at the jars curiously.
"Smoke?"
She smiled faintly.
"Not smoke."
"Something far more irritating."
Shen grinned for the first time in days.
"I almost pity them."
Above the gorge, the silver-masked assassin watched the battle unfold.
His expression remained unreadable.
"The prince is stronger than expected."
One of his lieutenants bowed.
"Should we release the oil?"
The assassin looked toward the narrowest section of the valley.
Zhao Yun's men were slowly fighting their way toward it.
"Not yet."
"Let them believe they have a chance."
Far below, Zhao Yun noticed something that made his heart sink.
The road behind them had vanished beneath another avalanche of rocks.
The entrance to the gorge was sealed.
He turned forward.
More boulders crashed down, blocking the only path ahead.
His soldiers were trapped.
The assassins had not come merely to kill them.
They had built a prison of stone.
The silver-masked assassin slowly drew his sword.
His cold voice echoed across the valley.
"Prince Zhao Yun!"
"You have nowhere left to run."
"Today..."
"The Fourth Prince dies."
As dozens more masked warriors emerged from hidden tunnels high in the cliffs, Zhao Yun tightened his grip on the Dragon Spring Sword.
He raised its gleaming blade toward the enemy.
Then, with unwavering resolve, he gave a single command.
"Break their line."
The battle for the Valley of Death had only just begun.
- Writer
