“What you do or do not appreciate means nothing,” Wuya said. “The security of our country means everything. Let us assume for a moment that Tonglong was up to something. You decided on your own that the solution to the problem was to put an impostor on the throne? How dare you! What you are doing amounts to treason.”
“How dare you speak to me in this manner?!” Xie replied in a menacing tone. “It is only out of respect for our past that I do not tear your head from your bony shoulders this instant. Tonglong is gathering troops. He claims to be doing so with the Emperor’s blessing. Why would the Emperor bless that? Think about it. Listen to me.”
“No, you listen to me. I respect our history, and I respect your position as the Western Warlord. More than anything, I respect the fact that you recently lost your father under circumstances that I myself find dubious. However, we are in the Forbidden City. You have no power here. I am the head of security. You have put me in a compromising position without consulting me first. If anyone finds out about this game of yours, I will be executed.” He turned and glared at Long. “You never told me who you are. You look familiar.”
“My name is Long,” Long replied, “but you may know me as Golden Dragon.”
“Of course,” Wuya said. “The newest Fight Club Grand Champion. Has anyone else seen your hands tonight?”
“No.”
“If a single person suspects anything,” Wuya said, “the whole nation could be sent into a panic. I would have no choice but to kill you. I should just kill you now and save myself a world of potential trouble. I suggest you leave immediately, Long. Leave your blasphemous yellow robes here, too.”
“He is not going anywhere,” Xie said. “We need everyone to continue to think that the Emperor is now inside the Forbidden City and in control. When Tonglong arrives to try to seize the throne—”
“Enough of this Tonglong nonsense!” Wuya said. “Take Long and leave immediately. I will not be held responsible for his safety, or yours.”
“I will take full responsibility for both of our lives,” Xie said, “but we will not leave on your terms. We will leave when I deem it is time.”
“Before sundown tomorrow, then,” Wuya said. “No later. And do not leave this room.”
“Tomorrow evening is fine, but I was planning on him staying in my quarters tonight.”
“No. Too many people have seen him. He must stay in the Emperor’s suite.”
“Then I will stay with him,” Xie said, “on the floor by the door.”
“You will do no such thing. Never once did you do that with the Emperor. We must do nothing out of the ordinary.”
“I have spent many nights outside the Emperor’s door.”
“Outside the door is acceptable. Inside is not. While you eat dinner, I will secure the room and instruct my men to steer clear of it while you are here. You have broken my confidence, Xie, and I must do what is required of me to protect my interests, as well as the interests of the entire nation.”
Before Xie had a chance to say another word, Wuya stormed off.
Long lay in the Emperor’s private suite, exhausted but unable to sleep. What was he thinking, coming here and pretending to be the most powerful person under the sun? Wuya was right. This was nonsense. He should have been more concerned about what it could mean for the country, not to mention his own safety and the safety of Xie. He was glad to be leaving tomorrow.
Long closed his eyes and tried to sleep once more. His eyelids had no sooner come together when his dan tien began to tingle. At first he thought it was just his overactive mind affecting his body, but he listened intently and soon heard someone coming. But who? And more importantly, why?
Xie had told Long that he would stay outside his door all night. The room was huge, and the strange bed in which Long lay was at its very center. It was difficult to sense anything outside the door from this distance, and it was nearly impossible to see. The room had several windows, but they were set high in the walls and their shutters had been closed for the night, allowing only a small amount of moonlight to peek through.
So where were the sounds coming from?
Long rolled onto his right side and faced the door, concentrating. In the room’s darkness, his hearing was his most useful sense. He identified the faintest of clicks as a lock turned, and a barely audible creak as a door swung open. The odd thing was, the sound came from his left—from within the room.
Someone entered. Long felt angry energy seeping from the intruder’s pores like sweat.
Long decided to feign sleep. He turned silently flat onto his back, closed his eyelids to slivers, and steadied his breathing. If someone was coming to kill him, they would likely attack his head. As long as he continued to focus in front of his face—